Basic Instinct

Psychological murder mystery thriller set in San Francisco, California.  Basic Instinct crosses sexual boundaries in film making in that it is extremely explicit.  Michael Douglas plays Nick Curran, the Detective who is investigating the murder of a rock star with an ice pick.  Sharon Stone is Catherine Tramell, she is a murder mystery writer who has written about a murder with an ice pick and therefore she has given herself the perfect alibi – “I’d have to be pretty stupid to write a book about killing and then kill him the way I described in my book. I’d be announcing myself as the killer. I’m not stupid. “.  However, she was the last person known to be in contact with the victim.    Jeanne Tripplehorn also stars as the Psychologist who is helping Nick to overcome his alcoholism and itchy trigger finger.

The music is haunting and the winding roads round the coast to Catherine’s beach house make your spine go all tingly.  The chemistry between Douglas and Stone in this movie is electric and charged with sexual tension.  It is gripping in suspense and the script is exceptionally strong.  Every time Stone appears on the set you fall for her charm.  You get sucked in.  You will try to find the clues but the movie is too clever for you!
IMDB Basic Instinct

Trailer

Rating 8.6/10

Read Full Post »

Sleuth

Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier star together in this psychological mystery drama set in a fabulous country mansion in England. Olivier is Andrew Wyke, a well to do country gent, well known crime writer and fanatical games player who thinks that the”younger” Caine (Mylo Tindol) is a jumped up Italian blue eyed wop out to steel his wife from under his nose and plans to exact some revenge or just teach him a lesson.   The idea is that Olivier gets Caine into a place where he is vulnerable and can be punished, so an elaborate burglary is concocted which is farcical in places and allows the two characters to reveal their true natures.  Full of quips and quick wit the two fellas initially hit it off until the game goes horribly wrong when shots are fired.   The second part is where the mystery begins and it unravels itself beautifully because these characters are unbelievably good.  Set in a by-gone era you are transported back in time and left in suspense until the very end.

IMDB Sleuth

Rating: 7.9/10

Read Full Post »

Shutter Island

This film gets you on the Island and seriously messes with your mind. A patient is missing from the mental institute on an island. Leonardo DiCaprio, a federal marshal, is sent to investigate and find the missing patient. As soon as he arrives you want DiCaprio to get off the Island….but there is a storm and the ferry will not be arriving.  Spine chilling, thrilling and gripping.  Solid performance from Leonardo DiCaprio as expected and good casting of Ben Kingsley as the Psychiatric doctor.  We felt it made an impact on us – need a shrink!

IMDB Shutter Island

Trailer

Theme music – Krzysztof Penderecki – Symphony No. 3 – Passacaglia – Allegro moderato

Rating: 8.6/10

Read Full Post »

Black Swan

Natalie Portman is the young ballerina chosen to become the principle dancer in a production of Swan Lake.  Her beauty and innocence make her the perfect choice for the role of the white swan but the role is split into two and she will have to master the black swan part which is completely the opposite of innocence,”perfection is not only about control it is about letting go”.  The film explores the neuroses of a young female coming to terms with her sexual maturity and her role as a principle dancer and trying to break free of the psychology that holds her back.  It is a search for perfection, a struggle to truly believe in oneself.  Natalie Portman deserves the greatest respect, her ballet was annoyingly rather good and her acting was superb.  A psychological thriller then with moments of darkness and tension kept my heart beating all the way through.    Sexually explicit/pornographic in parts.

IMDB Black Swan

Trailer

Rating 8/10

Read Full Post »

Vanilla sky

Mystery psychological film that turns into a sci-fi – if you don’t believe me, watch it!

Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and Jason Lee from “my name is Earl”. Gripping opening as Tom Cruise is a charismatic playboy who is dumb struck when Penelope Cruz comes into his life as his best friend’s date. She captivates all who watch her and is particularly lovely in this film, her bad English is also endearing in this film (not always a bonus in others).  Cameron Diaz plays the psychological nightmare and events unfold that change his life forever.  Tom Cruise hops from dream state to reality and it is left is up to you to sort out what’s real and what’s not so, in this respect it belongs to the psychological thriller/mystery genre.  As the film progresses you are less likely to sort out the mess.  Great background music tracks to enhance the film along with shots of Times Square and New York.

While the ending did not do the film justice, looking through that, the film is a enjoyable music and story. Ending could have been cleverer resulting in a 7.6 rating.
IMDB link Vanilla Sky

Trailer

Rating: 7.6/10

Read Full Post »