Lolita (DVD) Stanley Kubrick Collection; Letterboxed Stanley Kubrick`s adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov`s controversial LOLITA is a wicked satire of sexual obsession, sadomasochism, and fetishism. When mild-mannered professor Humbert Humbert (James M...
Stanley Kubrick`s adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov`s controversial LOLITA is a wicked satire of sexual obsession, sadomasochism, and fetishism. When mild-mannered professor Humbert Humbert (James Mason) arrives in the small town of Ramsdale, New Hampshire, he is immediately set upon by his landlady, Charlotte Haze (Shelley Winters), and her adolescent daughter, Lolita (Sue Lyon). Although Humbert gets involved with Charlotte, it is Lolita with whom he becomes obsessed. When Charlotte sends her daughter away to summer camp (the aptly named Camp Climax), Humbert becomes consumed with jealousy. When he finally takes Lolita out of camp and heads out alone with her, he is pestered along the way by Clare Quilty (played magnificently by Peter Sellers), who threatens to expose him. But nothing can break the hold Lolita has over Humbert.
From the opening credits sequence--a close-up of a man`s hand (with a wedding ring) carefully polishing a young girl`s toenails--Kubrick`s LOLITA burns with sexual energy that is biting, ironic, and darkly comic as it follows the debasement of an intelligent, worldly man in a series of carefully choreographed long takes that boils over with psychosexual tension. Although little physical contact is shown, Kubrick hints at it beautifully, especially in the drive-in scene in which both Charlotte and Lolita grab on to Humbert`s hands. And yet given the serious nature of the subject matter, Kubrick pauses long enough to include a riotous slapstick scene of Humbert and a bellhop struggling over a cot as Lolita sleeps quietly on the bed, as well as Quilty playing Ping-Pong with a seemingly endless supply of balls. Stanley Kubrick`s highly controversial masterwork is a fascinating look at pedophilia and sexual taboos that lead to obsession and murder.
NR"
Director: Stanley Kubrick
ACTORS: James Mason, Shelley Winters, Peter Sellers, Sue Lyon, Jerry Stovin
Bulletproof (DVD) Widescreen An undercover cop tries to bring his criminal former best friend from Arizona to California to turn state`s evidence against a drug kingpin. Now bitter enemies, the two are being pursued by assassins hired by the drug lord t...
An undercover cop tries to bring his criminal former best friend from Arizona to California to turn state`s evidence against a drug kingpin. Now bitter enemies, the two are being pursued by assassins hired by the drug lord to ensure they never get the chance to testify.
R"
Director: Ernest R. Dickerson
ACTORS: Adam Sandler, Damon Wayans, James Farentino, James Caan, Kristen Wilson
Poirot - Hercule Poirot`s Christmas (DVD)
Yet again, the Belgian super-detective Hercule Poirot (played by the always wonderful David Suchet) is interrupted while attempting to take a quiet vacation. Agatha Christie`s most adored character attempts to celebrate the Christmas holiday without getting wrapped up in the usual mysterious mayhem. Unfortunately, crime seems to gravitate toward Poirot like a magnet to a refrigerator, and his incredible skills of detection are needed yet again.NR"
ACTORS: David Suchet
The Unbelievable Truth (DVD)
In Hal Hartley`s first feature film, THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH, Josh (Robert Burke), a criminal who has just been released from prison, returns home to Lindenhurst, Long Island. There he`s hired as a mechanic by Vic Hugo (Christopher Cooke), the owner of a local garage. Through a mutual interest in George Washington, Josh falls in love with Vic`s daughter, Audry (Adrienne Shelly). However, their romance proves to be difficult due to Audry`s possessive ex-boyfriend and the mystery surrounding Josh`s past.
THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH effectively establishes Hartley`s unique aesthetic, which is darkly humorous, oddly clever, and subtly meditative. Rather than merely hint at their thoughts, the characters in this film (and other Hartley films) tend to speak exactly what they`re thinking, openly expressing things often left unsaid. A quirky take on the romantic comedy, this is the debut of a highly original American filmmaker.NR"
Director: Hal Hartley
ACTORS: Robert John Burke, Adrienne Shelly, Christopher Cooke, Jeffrey Howard, Edie Falco
TV Classics - Flash Gordon/ One Step Beyond (DVD)
Six great episodes of vintage television from the 1950`s. Steve Holland stars as comic book hero FLASH GORDON (1954). John Newland stars in ONE STEP BEYOND, the series focused on ESP and the paranormal with stories based on actual events.NR"
