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Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Despite flaws, well worth seeing (for males- Sharon Rules!)
Review: Okay, I've read many reviews (too many), and I can see why this movie can offend people. Since I am obviously part of the "target audience" the movie was intended for- male, heterosexuals, I get to appreciate the erotic aspects of the film and not worry about any "political correctness" (What a relief!). Still, I think mature people should be able to look beyond the lack of intellect and focus on the brilliant use of "style" that sets this movie apart from others. The ice pick pen was not a good idea in my opinion, but I still want to keep this movie for future viewings.

I first saw this movie at the theater with very little prior knowledge. What a TREAT! When Sharon Stone's character ties Michael Douglas' wrists to the bed with silk scarves, my heart was beating faster than it has done at any movie before or since. Soft porn? Maybe, but I don't watch X-rated movies, and the adult-oriented movies I have seen late at night on HBO don't excite me like this film. Sharon Stone comes across as evil and a bad representative for women, bisexuals, etc, however, she is stunningly beautiful and her obvious sex appeal mixed with mischievousness is more than most men can resist. I would certainly have played along with her games!

Michael Douglas is effective (as usual) portraying a cop with human weaknesses, trying to do the "right thing" but vulnerable to temptations. I know the smoking scene was overdone, but it emphasized the power Sharon Stone's character possessed over men (and at least one woman- her lover). It is best not to worry about logic or details when watching this because the overall suspense and visual effects, particularly Sharon Stone's performance, prove that style can overcome substance. I felt scared and turned on by the true femme fatale and had no trouble believing I would not be able resist her charms, even though it could get me killed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Erotic
Review: This film pushes the limits of social boundaries. It is full of bloody scenes and some really vivid sex scenes. It is truly erotic to say the least. Basic Instinct is very possibly a Hitchcock style murder thriller, but I think that Hitchcock may have believed in a form of depiction that would have been closer to having a veiwer use more imagination.

A violent icepick murder seems to have been taken right out of the mian characters most recent novel. Arrogant and cool, she entertains the police investigators ideas that she may have been the murderer. This of course took place during the all too famous interogation scene where she crosses her legs and shoots the detectibes an eyeful of her personal area. Curran of course investigates her and gets a little too close. In the process he compromises his integrity and his relationship with his current girlfriend by getting caught in her web.

Basic Instinct is a film written in a truly dark manner that at times will leave you either frustrated or uncomfortable, and will always keep you on the edge of your seat. Most will enjoy this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best movies ever
Review: What really can I say about this movie that has not already been said before. It is sexy, gruesome, scary and one hell of a ride.
Sharon Stone gives the performance of a lifetime. In fact, it is this movie that put her on the map of stardom and fame. Now with the release of the unrated version, you get more blood in the opening and more sex in the middle. Who ever said more is better was right. This proves that right. If you were or are fan of the original, then get this one. If you have never seen the movie before, watch this version.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: She's evil! She's brilliant!
Review: It's sad that so many people think this is just a sex flick. True, I can't believe it got an R rating, but this movie is also SMART and HILARIOUS. I can watch the drive to the police station 100 times and still laugh as Stone's character begins messing with Douglas's character's mind: "I don't smoke." "Sure you do."

The dialogue is top-notch, which in the end is what sets this film apart from so many forgettable flicks.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A Sick Bin Stink
Review: Walked into this movie clueless on opening night. Had heard that gay "activists" had made violent threats to correct the movie's depiction of gays as violent. I admired two other movies by same director, "Spetters" and "The Fourth Man". Movie opened with a spellbinding French-blinds shot that augured great things. Lush, overripe score hinted at mystery, sensuality, danger. When the action began, it was jarring and intense. Then...dialogue and performances.

From this point on, zero intelligence or honesty. In place of characterization were cliches, plot contrivances and cheap shock effects. In place of believable interactions, leering innuendo. Scene by scene, line by line, it seemed to have been penned by a fat, outcast 12 year-old, or at best by someone for whom English was a second (or third) language.

Guys, catch up: adults do not talk this way to each other. People do not react this way, the real world is not this simplistic and fantasy-friendly. Maybe that's what they meant by the "basic" part. All I can say is, it was hard to sit through something so cheesy, uninvolving, and crowded with unsympathetic, cardboard retards.

Not even any sex appeal, since the two leads had no chemistry. Save your money for "Y Tu Mama Tambien".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Top Notch Thriller!
Review: On a scale from 1 to 10, I give this masterpiece a 12!!!
Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas team up to make this the ultimate murder thriller. It gets kind of rough in places, but this film works your mind til the very end.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Everybody Loves This Flick, But......
Review: Nobody points out the flaws with this thing! Sharon Stone is able to manipulate & intimidate the cops during her "interrogation", but I ask, as cops with years of experience, haven't they come across female suspects who tried to use their sex to manipulate them before this? They should be used to dealing with manipulative killers like her, by now.

Also, they do nothing when she refuses to put out her cigarette, but in real life, they would've just taken it from her!

This movie still is creepy, however. It's still genuinely scary & sexy ... & I liked seeing Dorothy Malone in a cameo. And, as a Bay Area native, it's fun to see San Francisco portrayed as being infested with sexy, beautiful, feamale ...murderers! (Dirty Harry has to get on this case!)

With all the sex in his films, we all know that Michael Douglas has "art" on his mind when he does these flicks....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: If you really like the movie then get the R2 version.
Review: The R2 version has all the same extras and only comes in uncut form. It also has a much better case (what is with this ICE CASE thingy-it's horrid) and includes a DTS track. Go for it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Trashy Fun
Review: I wasn't very impressed by Basic Instinct the first time I saw it, but having recently gained a new appreciation for Verhoeven's work, I decided to give it another look. I wasn't disappointed; this is a terrifically goofy, fun piece of work, that serves as marvelous entertainment if you don't take it too seriously. Sharon Stone is solid (in the one of the few roles I've seen her do where she actually acted), and Michael Douglas is surprisingly good, playing a nastier variation on all of his "middle-aged-white-male-who-sleeps-with-younger-women" roles. There's subtext here, if you want it, but you don't have to look for it to enjoy the movie.

Verdict: It outdoes Brian Depalma, which is saying something.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A guilty pleasure for sure
Review: In 1992, director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Starship Troopers)would be at the helm of this psychological erotic thriller which took on-screen sex to higher heights and made Sharon Stone a star. Michael Douglas stars as a burnt out, disgraced San Francisco cop who is on the case of a murdered rocker with Stone as the prime suspect. Soon some ridiculous revelations are abound, but thanks to Verhoeven's excellent directing and screen writer Joe Eszterhas' suspenseful and erotic script, we believe all of it and are enthralled at the results. Basic Instinct is without a doubt a guilty pleasure with notable comparisons to late night pay channel soft core porn, but Douglas and Stone's on screen chemistry makes it all somewhat believable. It's just too bad that Verhoeven and Eszterhas' next film, 1995's Showgirls, missed any aimable mark whatsoever. The DVD case design is rather clumsy, but you've got to love the ice pick pen.


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