Skin Movie Reviews

You would think the names Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut have little in common, but, for some unexplainable reason Truffaut adored the films of Hitchcock. Now, don't get me wrong, Hitchcock was a great filmmaker. I love watching "Rear Window" and "Psycho" and all of his other films, but, Truffaut, doesn't seem to be the same "league" as Hitchcock. And what I mean by that is, they both seemed to explore different things in their films.
"The Soft Skin" finds Truffaut once again in Hitchcock mode, like "Confidentially Yours", Truffaut's final film. "The Soft Skin" is a wonderful entertaining film that doesn't let up for a moment. It has suspense and laughs. The film stars the beautiful late Francoise Dorleac (Catherine Deneuve's older sister) and Jean Desailly. Desailly plays Pierre Lachenay a well known writer who finds himself having an affair with Dorleac. But can we blame him? lol. Lachenay is now left with a serious problem, what about his wife. Can he go through with the affair and do this to his wife? Or should he call it off and never see the woman again? The way Trauffaut examines this is in a way Hitchcock would of been proud.
The film has a nice look to it, and a good musical score. And because it's a Truffaut film, the directing is great! If your a Truffaut fan, you'll love this film. If your not a Truffaut fan. I'd wait a while before I see this one. A very enjoyable film.

Pierre Lachenay (Jean Desailly) is a middle-aged Parisian literary critic--married to Franka (Nelly Benedetti). While travelling to one of his many speaking engagements, he meets Nicole (Francoise Dorleac)--a beautiful, free-spirited airline stewardess. Pierre and Nicole begin an affair. Pierre's wife soon suspects, and Pierre has to make a decision.

Jean Desailly is masterful as the shallow, vain Pierre--whose public persona and lofty ideals soon fall by the wayside. The looks of longing he sends to Nicole on the first evening they meet are perfect. Nelly Benedetti as Franka--the wronged wife--is coiled as tightly as a snake, and the domestic scenes between Pierre and Franka are loaded with tension and resentment. Special note here for Francoise Dorleac--if she looks familiar--that's because she is Catherine Deneuve's older sister. French cinema has enjoyed a long love affair with Deneuve, but Francoise Dorleac's career was cut short when she was tragically killed in a car accident in 1967 at age 25.

"The Soft Skin" is Francois Truffaut's fourth film--made before he entered his French New Wave period. One of the biggest criticisms of this film is that the plot is old and stale. Yet fidelity--or the lack thereof--is one of Truffaut's favourite themes. I did not find the plot stale at all. In "the Soft Skin," Truffaut plays with the notion of chance--he emphasizes, for example how close Pierre comes to missing the plane--and Nicole, but at the same time, character weighs in heavily. It is Pierre's character that leads him into the affair, and his vanity that suggests Nicole dress suitably as a companion for him--while at the same time, he casually abandons her on weekend that is supposed to be a romantic retreat. And it is Pierre's shallowness that suggests they take a room at a shabby hotel that literally rents rooms for 15 minute periods. Truffaut suggests that while chance plays a certain role in our lives, character is dominant.

In spite of the fact that this black and white film was made in the 60s, it did not seem dated at all (yes there were extended scenes with a rotary dial phone). The issues are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago. This is a wonderful film, and well worth seeing if you are a lover of French cinema. ---displacedhuman

Fourth movie of François Truffaut, THE SOFT SKIN is altogether a drama, a melodrama and a comedy. And it's easily one of the best films of the french director. Let's note that, in 1964, it was the third Truffaut movie in a row that ended with a brutal murder. So we have to forget the still well alive cliché presenting François Truffaut as the gentle and peaceful observer of the 1960 french society. His movies and particularly THE SOFT SKIN can be very cruel and can touch you at the bottom of your heart, where it hurts the most.

Shot in black & white, like the films noirs he loved so much, THE SOFT SKIN describes a moment in the life of Jean Desailly, a publisher and a lecturer, who cannot choose between his wife and Françoise Dorléac, a young and beautiful airline stewardess. Basic plot but treated with the Truffaut touch.

Françoise Dorléac, Catherine Deneuve's sister, who tragically disappeared in 1967, gives here a superb performance that can only give eternal regrets to movie lovers. Jean Desailly is perfect in the role of an ordinary man with his weaknesses and his simple desire for happiness.

Some problems with the images : sometimes they stand still for seconds and the words suddenly are not in harmony anymore with the movement of the lips of the characters. Seven or eight trailers of Truffaut's movies available in the DVD standard.

A DVD for your library.

The performance is great, the sound simply amazing, but the image quality is simply mediocre. It's full of pixelation...specially on dark scenes. That's why i hate full-featured dvds. In order to fill the dvd with "very interesting" extras on some music videos & the vast majority of movies, the studio has to limit the bitrate compression of the video. This people used a small piece of capacity of the double layer dvd. That's because the 5.1 sound, the pcm sound & the dts sound + the extras. Putting all the extras on other dvd and let the concert & sounds on other will gave the studio more room to make a better looking dvd. Anyway, is a good buy just for the sound & the performance...that's perfect.

My wife and I have been fans of The Cranberries since we heard "Dreams" during an episode of "My So-Called Life." My wife called that the "swirly song" since it featured Claire Danes staring into the air with teen angst while the camera "circled" around her. Later, the Irish tourist board featured a vacation film showing someone on the Carrick-a-rede salmon bridge in Northern Ireland (same song, same camera effect). We ended up touring Ireland a few years ago, and made a point to see the bridge for ourselves.

My point is that not only does this band succeed in conveying meaningful social commentary, but they also provide atmospheric tones that transcend the lyrics. Watching them live on this DVD reinforces this effect all the more.

Dolores is simply mesmerizing! The sound quality (on my surround system at least) is fantastic and the camera angles are subtle but not dull, like some concert footage.

Great Stuff
If you like concerts ,this is a dvd for you
titles were chosen in such a way that all goes up and up
Dolores spills enthusiasm and check out the drummer specially in
Zombie

The performance is great, the sound simply amazing, but the image quality is simply mediocre. It's full of pixelation...specially on dark scenes. That's why i hate full-featured dvds. In order to fill the dvd with "very interesting" extras on some music videos & the vast majority of movies, the studio has to limit the bitrate compression of the video. This people used a small piece of capacity of the double layer dvd. That's because the 5.1 sound, the pcm sound & the dts sound + the extras. Putting all the extras on other dvd and let the concert & sounds on other will gave the studio more room to make a better looking dvd. Anyway, is a good buy just for the sound & the performance...that's perfect.

My wife and I have been fans of The Cranberries since we heard "Dreams" during an episode of "My So-Called Life." My wife called that the "swirly song" since it featured Claire Danes staring into the air with teen angst while the camera "circled" around her. Later, the Irish tourist board featured a vacation film showing someone on the Carrick-a-rede salmon bridge in Northern Ireland (same song, same camera effect). We ended up touring Ireland a few years ago, and made a point to see the bridge for ourselves.

My point is that not only does this band succeed in conveying meaningful social commentary, but they also provide atmospheric tones that transcend the lyrics. Watching them live on this DVD reinforces this effect all the more.

Dolores is simply mesmerizing! The sound quality (on my surround system at least) is fantastic and the camera angles are subtle but not dull, like some concert footage.

Great Stuff
If you like concerts ,this is a dvd for you
titles were chosen in such a way that all goes up and up
Dolores spills enthusiasm and check out the drummer specially in
Zombie

Funniest film in ages. Laugh-a-minute spoof on a famous pianist with a wandering eye.

The now-deceased John Ritter is Zachary Hutton,a bearded writer whose passions are booze and beautiful females. First,Hutton's wife Alexandra(or Alex) returns home from a cancelled flight. She finds a jealous female about to fatally shoot Hutton after she(the jealous female) catches him in bed with his female barber. This is where the Huttons' divorce begins. Hutton goes for advice from his bartender buddy Barney(the late Vincent Gardenia,famous for his role of Frank Lorenzo on "All In The Family"). Angry Alex throws Zachary's typewriter out the window and into the swimming pool. Zachary wanted to remain married to Alex so he sought psychiatric help. He started by cutting down on his drinking and eventually cold turkey,quit. Zach found a new girlfriend Molly(Julianne Phillips) and they lived together. She became so angry with him at one point in the film that she set his piano afire while he was playing it!(Zach plays the piano also) The house and Zach's Mercedes both burned down in that fire. He also meets musclebound Loni Jones(she looks like Patrick Swayze!) at Barney's bar where he was playing the piano. They sleep together that night and when Zach awakes the next morning,he does aerobics in her class in his underwear! Next,there the death of his buddy Leon "Sparky" Sparks. Zach attends his funeral with another buddy Jake(Joel Brooks). Alex was at the funeral and she invited Jake over for dinner at her house. Although Zach wasn't invited,he showed up. So at the dinner Zach and Alex chat and Zach says how awful he's felt since their separation. Zach attends a black tie affair at the Century Plaza hotel dressed as a genie! He thought it was a Halloween party. Many of the guests laughed at him,even Jake. Jake nearly went to the affair as a cowboy! Then Zach finds out that Alex has another man who she plans to marry and almost did until Zach crashed the wedding. Alex's mother Marge always has hated Zach because of his behavior. So more therapy sessions follow,and Zach did more cutting down on his boozing and womanizing. By Christmas,Zach is no longer boozing and womanizing. He wrote a book which sold big and there was a party at Barney's in his honor. He and Alex have reconciled and drank lemon-lime soda instead of gin and tonic. Marge still hates Zach. She was being sarcastic when she said she was proud of Zach. But everyone else who hated him,loved him again. So Alex and Zach are in bed together in the last scene and she persuaded him to get rid of the glow-in-the dark condom which was first seen in an earlier bed escapade. I dedicate this film to the memory of John Ritter who passed away at age 54 on September 11,2003 of a heart disorder. My thoughts and prayers are with his family,always.

First I want to say that I was never a fan of Threes Company. I never watched the show, oh maybe once or twice to see what the hoopla was all about back then. Then I saw this movie and I felt that John Ritter was one of the funniest men alive. I thought the movie worked from the beginning to the end with his character being the greatest drunk since ARTHUR.
It is sad that we have lost Mr. Ritter but I hope many more people will enjoy this movie.

Was this movie worth watching? Possibly, but I wish I'd rented it. Erotic? No, not unless you like seeing the star getting peed on (fully clothed). Brief nudity. No love or tenderness.

The movie in this DVD or VHS is talking more about one woman is having sex with different man after the death of the mother and the two woman later had a row and later reconciled(not going to review too much or become useless). This one is more towards the erotic story rather than actions but the actions are mostly using verbal method to explain roughly how the sex between the men progress on two of the sex scenes while the others are just like seeing to person in bed and goes to the next scenario saying that they already have sex. This is what is all about but story is still considered erotic.

Emotionally wrenching, gripping, highly charged, yet thoroughly engaging film featuring the debut performance of Samantha Morton. Credit must also go to Carine Adler, the director who displayed a wonderful sense of restraint and pacing and was able to fully explore the complexities of Morton's character (as well as everyone else) without having to lapse into ... or broad-strokes. This film is everything a film such as "Girl Interrupted" wasn't. Quite simply, everyone is laid out in three dimensions and it's up to the audience to decide who is right or not. I was completely gripped by this film and left it feeling a sense of release and satisfaction to having witnessed it. Clearly, if directors like Adler continue their fine work, and actors like Samantha Morton (as likewise, the rest of the cast) continue doing projects like this, we're in for a very rewarding period of film making. Rita Tushingham is, as always, a pleasure to see work - although she has a small part, it is by no means wasted. Hers is a riveting presence and she sets the tone for the action to follow. This movie fairly bursts with energy while at the same time showing incredible restraint. In short, it is brilliant.

I was never a big Skid Row fan back in the day, but I REALLY dig the new album "ThickSkin." I've read all kinds of reviews of it--some share my opinion and others think that the only true Skid Row is one fronted by Sebastian Bach.

If you like the CD, you'll probably get a kick out of the "making of" DVD. There's tons of "in the studio" footage, interviews with each member of the band, and a load of behind the scenes sort of stuff. (Not surprisingly, there's not a single mention of Bach at all.) Considering that the album and DVD are both on SR's own label, it's remarkably high-quality. I didn't expect such a pro job. If you ever saw Aerosmith's "The Making of Pump," it's kind of like that.

Like I said before, if you really like the new CD, pick this up and check it out. If you didn't like the CD, why are you even reading this????

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the "Making Of Thick Skin" DVD.

I bought the new Skid Row CD "thickskin" on Amazon just after its release, and on a whim picked up the "making of" DVD as well.

Skid Row has made the best out of reintroducing themselves to their hardcore fans on this DVD (who've been without new material since 1995; a very, very long 8 years).

While their first video offering "Oh Say Can You Scream!" (which I also own) gave you life w/ Skid Row on tour, this new DVD is like Skid Row reality TV. We see the band -- sickly dyed hair, grey sweatpants, and all -- making their new album in Snake's home studio.

Every track on the new album is given some spotlight. Scotti Hill's insights into particular riffs are actually quite interesting. I never realized how much influence surf music had on his playing. Listen to the opening lead of 'Riot Act', or the twang on the remake 'I Remember You Two' and you too will understand.

The material on this DVD is done in documentary fashion, but every bit as professional as, say, KISS "Second Coming" (although the cover design for both CD and DVD look a bit too amateurish for my liking. Would it have killed them to hire a professional?)

New mates Johnny Solinger (vocals, and blonde, tall Texan) and Phil Varone (drums, and resident frat boy) have given this band a new life, and a good, hard kick in the [pants].

I wouldn't dare suggest that Sebastian Bach -- one of the greatest lead vocalists of his generation -- could ever be replaced... but forgotten? Listening to Johnny Solinger belt his way thru the first verse/chorus of "Quicksand Jesus" in one of the many live clips on this DVD, and, dude, close your eyes, and all is good on the 'Skids.

Phil Varone is a riot on camera, and you've gotta love his pedigree: hearing him gush about how Bon Jovi's Tico Torres is one of the best rock drummers of all time (and then watching him "borrow" one of Tico's drums at Jovi's home studio) is priceless. But guys, next album, let's find him a decent studio to work in

This is all to say the new guys are fitting in quite nicely, thank you very much, and it seems like the near 15-year legacy of Skid Row wasn't all wasted time.

Looking forward to catching their live show in Bangor, ME USA this October '03 (which will be my first time ever seeing this band in concert).

King Hu (1932-1997) is my favorite director, and I consider at least three of his movies (*Touch of Zen*, *Raining in the Mountain* and *The Fate of Lee Khan*) to be masterpieces, comparable in their authenticity and power (though not in their production values) to Ang Lee's *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*. Unfortunately, widescreen copies of Hu's works are very hard to find, and it takes me an average of three years to get a new one. So when Amazon announced the release of *Painted Skin* (Hua Pi Zhi Yinyang Fawang, 1992) in letterbox format, I was elated. (The movie is actually presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, in Cantonese and Mandarin with fixed Chinese and English subtitles. Misleadingly, Hu is presented on the cover as the director of *Dragon Inn*, while the movie he directed is better known as *Dragon Gate Inn*, the former title being more closely associated to the currently available remake.)

Inspired by Pu Songling's *Liaozhai Zhiyi*, this weird supernatural tale covers the same territory as Ching Siu Tung's *A Chinese Ghost Story*: Hsi Tsu (Adam Cheng), a lascivious would-be scholar, comes to the help of You Feng (Joey Wang), a ravishing lady who claims to have fled her home because "No. 1" (her husband's first wife) tormented her. Actually, Feng is a demon who has escaped from the "Yin Yang boundary" and is being pursued by the King of that supernatural kingdom located somewhere between Heaven and Hell. Only the taoist recluse "High Monk" (a bearded Sammo Hung), intent on maximizing both his Yin and his Yang, will be able to protect her.

Contrary to Hu's earlier movies, the action here is not limited to classical martial arts scenes with the occasional subtle supernatural touch; it is pure Tsui Hark stuff: a confused mixture of explosions, magic weapons, fireballs and coloured smoke (only the laserbeams are missing). Losing much of his refinement and sobriety, King Hu seems to have been contaminated by the "new wave" of Hong Kong cinema, with its predilection for the grotesque and the ostentatious. The movie opens and ends with a pop song, and were it not for King Hu's beautifully restrained camerawork and his preference for shooting on location, *Painted Skin* would look just like another clone of *Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain* (to Hu's credit, though, I read that budget restrictions prevented him from giving the movie the scope he initially envisioned.)

*Painted Skin* is not a bad film and I even prefer it to the poorly constructed and verbose *All the King's Men*. It contains moments of pure poetry that raise far above the eye-catching imagery of most Hong Kong movies; its opening scenes are wonderfully eerie; and some of the views of the Chinese countryside are simply beautiful. But it is not a great film, which one should always expect of Hu.

What I hope is that Tai Seng will soon offer us the rest of Hu's filmography in widescreen on DVD, including such unobtainable titles as The Story of Sue San (1962), The Love Eterne (1963), Sons of the Good Earth (1964), Come Drink with Me (starring Cheng Pei Pei and considered to be one of the best 100 Chinese films ever, 1965), Dragon Gate Inn (1966, recently released in a pan and scan DVD version as *Green Dragon Inn*), Four Moods (1970), The Valiant Ones (1974), Marriage (1980), The Wheel of Life (1984) and Reincarnation (1981).

This movie came across to me much like a telenovela(soap opera), full of drippy melodrama and a musical score that was way over the top. If you are reading these customer reviews you probably already have the gist of the plot. Elena and Al are married with one child and Al is having an affair with Diego. If there is a twist from the telenovela formula it is that Diego and Al are both men. I got this movie because I like Javier Bardem as an actor and knew nothing of the storyline,otherwise I may have chosen to pass. I'm far from a prude but I must admit this was a most uncomfortable movie to watch. I think I would have died if one of my sons or their friends had come in and seen me watching this movie; nothing could explain what was going on the screen. It is from my perspective not one to watch with your children by any means, unless of course you are far more liberal than me. I asked my wife if she wanted to see it and she read the synopsis and said, "no, I've seen enough gay movies." Up to this point I was unaware of what I was in for! When the "hot steamy" scenes came on I wanted to crawl under my couch least someone walk in. It made me feel terribly uncomfortable. Two naked men writhing about like snakes, intertangled in each others embrace and kissing, leaving not much for the imagination was too much for me. As I thought about what they were doing I felt a bit disgusted. I had never seen something like that and hope never to again. I just would like to warn other like minded people, who are open to gays but don't necessarily want to see their lifestyle that this movie pushes the envelope. The movie carries on with the dillema faced by the three people involved and eventually things get tragically resolved. Very good acting, especially Javier Bardem but for the most part but the characters and storyline was lacking in substance. I cannot say it was an enjoyable movie but rather a curious bit of filmmaking pushing an agenda. Get the movie if you like but be forwarned of the nudity and gay "lovemaking" scenes or if you are so inclined get it because of those scenes. The scenes that bothered me aside, the movie was ok but nothing great.

this is a difficult topic -most directors will not like to deal with the "gay" topic especially when it is so physical in nature on screen. So from that perspective it is a great work - at least somebody has tried . Sometimes it is little bit of over acting - but as a whole you will enjoy it. I think the major improvement could have been in the script. some of the facts like the child does not show up in his father's funeral really bothered me.

With SEGUNDA PIEL or Second Skin Gerardo Vera joins the ranks of such luminaries as Pedro Almadovar in achieving flawless vignettes of Spanish storytelling. He has assembled a cast of some of the finest actors on the screen today and manages to present a wholly credible story of a gender crisis love triangle.
Javier Bardem is inimitable as a sensitively wrought gay surgeon in love with a bisexual man (again, in a brilliant performance by Jordi Molla) who is married to a wise if fragile woman (sensitively acted by Ariadna Gil). Bardem's best friend is a fellow surgeon (the wondrous Cecilia Roth) who helps him through the highs and lows of his love affair with a man who is conflicted to the extreme. To tell more of the story would be to deprive the viewer of the impact. Suffice it to say that with the consistently excellent performances by this stunning quartet under the ever sensitive eye of Vera, this is a film to see again and again. Why is it that American actors have so much difficulty playing gay men? These two Spanish actors, coming from a society that is machismo, still make their lovers wholly believable and sensusal.
Bravo!

This movie came across to me much like a telenovela(soap opera), full of drippy melodrama and a musical score that was way over the top. If you are reading these customer reviews you probably already have the gist of the plot. Elena and Al are married with one child and Al is having an affair with Diego. If there is a twist from the telenovela formula it is that Diego and Al are both men. I got this movie because I like Javier Bardem as an actor and knew nothing of the storyline,otherwise I may have chosen to pass. I'm far from a prude but I must admit this was a most uncomfortable movie to watch. I think I would have died if one of my sons or their friends had come in and seen me watching this movie; nothing could explain what was going on the screen. It is from my perspective not one to watch with your children by any means, unless of course you are far more liberal than me. I asked my wife if she wanted to see it and she read the synopsis and said, "no, I've seen enough gay movies." Up to this point I was unaware of what I was in for! When the "hot steamy" scenes came on I wanted to crawl under my couch least someone walk in. It made me feel terribly uncomfortable. Two naked men writhing about like snakes, intertangled in each others embrace and kissing, leaving not much for the imagination was too much for me. As I thought about what they were doing I felt a bit disgusted. I had never seen something like that and hope never to again. I just would like to warn other like minded people, who are open to gays but don't necessarily want to see their lifestyle that this movie pushes the envelope. The movie carries on with the dillema faced by the three people involved and eventually things get tragically resolved. Very good acting, especially Javier Bardem but for the most part but the characters and storyline was lacking in substance. I cannot say it was an enjoyable movie but rather a curious bit of filmmaking pushing an agenda. Get the movie if you like but be forwarned of the nudity and gay "lovemaking" scenes or if you are so inclined get it because of those scenes. The scenes that bothered me aside, the movie was ok but nothing great.

this is a difficult topic -most directors will not like to deal with the "gay" topic especially when it is so physical in nature on screen. So from that perspective it is a great work - at least somebody has tried . Sometimes it is little bit of over acting - but as a whole you will enjoy it. I think the major improvement could have been in the script. some of the facts like the child does not show up in his father's funeral really bothered me.

With SEGUNDA PIEL or Second Skin Gerardo Vera joins the ranks of such luminaries as Pedro Almadovar in achieving flawless vignettes of Spanish storytelling. He has assembled a cast of some of the finest actors on the screen today and manages to present a wholly credible story of a gender crisis love triangle.
Javier Bardem is inimitable as a sensitively wrought gay surgeon in love with a bisexual man (again, in a brilliant performance by Jordi Molla) who is married to a wise if fragile woman (sensitively acted by Ariadna Gil). Bardem's best friend is a fellow surgeon (the wondrous Cecilia Roth) who helps him through the highs and lows of his love affair with a man who is conflicted to the extreme. To tell more of the story would be to deprive the viewer of the impact. Suffice it to say that with the consistently excellent performances by this stunning quartet under the ever sensitive eye of Vera, this is a film to see again and again. Why is it that American actors have so much difficulty playing gay men? These two Spanish actors, coming from a society that is machismo, still make their lovers wholly believable and sensusal.
Bravo!

Henstridge is the best thing in this. Angus Mc-whats-his-name is atrociously bad. Mind numbingly, indescribably terrible. Perhaps the worst acting I have ever seen outside of "Battlefield Earth". The plot of this thing is dumb-o. At the end it was aiming to be "daughter-of-Basic-Instinct" - and missing that particular target by about a zillion miles. This isn't even good B-movie fare. It is very bad maybe Z-movie fare. I think I am gonna use the DVD for wind chimes.

A small low budget film with little or no publicity could join the noir greats. It has all the classic ingredients - an ice cool blonde, a bad bad gangster, and a savage twist at the end. some really interesting effects from the director with cross and jump cutting. Liked every bit of it.

I have not enjoyed a film noir so much since Blood Simple.

Second Skin is a very nicely realized contemporary noir tale that is considerably elevated above the usual "cable noir" junk by its beautiful photography, icy score, and the remarkable beauty and underrated acting of Natasha Henstridge, who has never been sexier or more controlled in her performance. The director makes the most of his Cape Town locations, which look enough like the California coast to make you forget this was shot anywhere else. The plot doesn't break much new ground, but it delivers a very surprising final twist. Fans of Henstridge and the genre wont be disappointed.