Wild Things (Standard Special Edition) [Blu-ray]
A**.
Great Trashy Florida Noir!
Wild Things" is lurid trash, with a plot so twisted they're still explaining it during the closing titles. It's like a three-way collision between a softcore sex film, a soap opera and a B-grade noir. I liked it. An update of 1981s Florida Noir, Body Heat.90s queen of slick exploitation/teen horror, Neve Campbell gives Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon lots of chances to squint ominously, and has a sex scene with Denise Richards (of "Starship Troopers") that is either gratuitous or indispensable, depending on your point of view.Plus, it has Bill Murray (who also appeared in the director's Mad Dog and Glory, opposite De Niro and Uma Thurman) as a storefront lawyer (think: Saul Goodman) who delivers 20 minutes of hilarity, which at the time is the last thing we're expecting.Movies such as this either entertain or offend audiences; there's no middle ground. Either you're a connoisseur of melodramatic comic vulgarity, or you're not. You know who you are. I don't want to get t I'm telling you: It's bad taste. Bad taste elevated to the level of demented sleaze.The plot: Matt Dillon plays Lombardo, a high school teacher who was "educator of the year" and has an engraved lucite goblet to prove it. As the movie opens, he writes "SEX CRIMES" on the board at a school assembly, and introduces speakers on the subject, including police officers Duquette (Bacon) and Perez (Daphne Rubin-Vega). In the back of the room, a student named Suzie (Neve Campbell) stalks out, yelling "kiss my ***" It's not yet clear if she's referring to Bacon or Dillon, but this is the kind of plot where it works either way.Then we meet Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards), the richest kid in the upscale Florida enclave of Blue Bay. She's got the hots for Mr. Lombardo. She follows him home, asks for rides, washes his Jeep and turns up in his living room so thoroughly soaked, she reminds us of the classic Hollywood line about Esther Williams: "Dry, she ain't much. Wet, she's a star!" Later, we see her leaving the teacher's humble bungalow, looking mad.Why is she mad? The thing is, the ending of this film begins at the 45-minute mark, and is so complicated, I doubt if it can be given away. What sets up everything, in any event, is Kelly's testimony that she was raped by Mr. Lombardo--and the surprise testimony of Suzie that she was, too.Suzie lives in a trashy trailer out behind an alligator farm run by Carrie Snodgress. But Kelly lives on the right side of town, in manorial splendor, with her bikini-wearing, cocktail swilling mom (Theresa Russell), who has had an affair with Lombardo despite being married to Robert Wagner. Hearing her daughter has been raped by him, Mom is enraged, and snarls, "That SOB must be insane to think he can do this to me!" That's the kind of dialogue that elevates ordinary garbage into great trash. Here's another line, after a murder: "My mother would kill me if she knew I took the Rover!" Bill Murray lands in the middle of this pie like a plum from heaven. Wearing a neck brace as part of an insurance scam, Murray runs his shabby storefront law office like a big downtown spread; when he asks his secretary to "show Mr. Duquette his way out," all she needs to do is look up and say, "goodbye," since the door is in arm's reach of everything else in the office.Without giving away the ending, that's about all I can tell you. See the movie, and you'll understand how very much I must leave unsaid.The director is Chicago based John McNaughton, whose work includes inspired films such as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, the criminally underrated NormalLife (bluray, please!) and the aforementioned Scorsese produced Mad Dog and Glory. He likes to show audiences how wrong their expectations are, by upsetting them. That worked in "Henry" as grim tragedy, and it works here as satire.Don't leave when the end titles start to roll. Credit cookies (those little bonus scenes they stick in between "Key Grip" and "Location Catering") are usually used for outtakes showing Butt Reynolds blowing his lines or Jackie Chan breaking his legs. In Wild Things, McNaughton does something new: flashbacks, showing us stuff that was offscreen the first time around. The movie is still explaining itself as the "curtains" close. That said, any "explanation" would be a Warren Commission - like undertaking. But what a ride!While the R-rated standard-def DVD version of 'Wild Things' included an audio commentary from director John McNaughton and some outtakes, there are zero supplements on this Blu-ray version of 'Wild Things' -- not even a theatrical trailer. To be fair, the deleted scenes from that earlier release have been reintegrated into this Unrated version, but the missing audio commentary is a real bummer (especially for a film with such a twisty plot).
N**O
A Great Film That Ages Very Well!
I can't believe this fine film has only been reviewed 316 times! I'd have expected at least 1000 reviews. I never saw this film in theatres but I did see it on video when it was released at Potomac Video stores Chevy Chase, DC. I was blown away by the story and the twists and turns. The DVD was even more enthralling, containing extra scenes that bolstered the story. These were unavailable on the VHS.I seeing this movie again for the first time in 20 years. I must say it was as good if not better the second time around as it was first time. I had actually forgotten huge chunks of the plot in the ensuing two decades.Matt Dillon plays Sam Lombardo, a high-school guidance counselor who is a player. But not only is he a player but a player who sleeps with his own kids. This appears to get him in trouble as he is accused of rape by Kelly Van Ryan, daughter of a wealthy Dade County socialite. Then there is Suzie Toller, brainless, backwards girl from the other side of the tracks--or is she? After recanting her testimony that Sam raped her too, a settlement in his lawsuit is made and he gets 8.5 million in cash--or does he? Kevin Bacon plays a dogged and virtuous cop in search of the truth--or is he?All of these questions permeate the production of this fantastic mystery--a mystery with ore twists than an American pretzel. I loved it! Everything was original in this great yarn. The casting of the film was fantastic! Everyone was believable in their roles without any second guessing by the viewer. The sex, the violence, the action--all were believable. This was the first time I'd ever seen a threesome in a mainstream Hollywood production. It was great!Now there were three post-credit scenes that were not originally included in the VHS release. These extra scenes cleared up many questions I had when I viewed this DVD (And Probably Also From My Original VHS Viewing, Too). I do feel it was a little bit over the top for Detective Duquette to barge into the guest house and murder poor Kelly. It was ridiculous and unnecessary--especially when it looked as if she was going to be tried for the murder of Suzie, anyway. Why throw away his career the way he had? I know what you are thinking. He was going to get millions. But why not get the millions AND keep his career, too? It might well have saved his life.This was a film of double-double crosses. Sam double-crossed Kelly into thinking he'd killed Suzie while also duping Ray into believing that Suzie was dead as he attempted to remove him from the picture entirely. But in the end, Suzie kills them all! Wow, what an astonishing surprise! Women rule! Women on top and of course the lawyer, played wonderfully by Bill Murray. I highly recommend this movie. I'm the 317th person to review it on Amazon. Buy it and you won't be disappointed.A. Nathaniel Wallace, Jr.The morale of this story is to never take a boat ride with someone you've done a dodgy deal with until you've gotten your cut--and even then it's not a good idea. You certainly don't want to accept a drink from someone with whom you don't trust. After being offered a drink from Suzie, Sam should have told her to drink it first.
A**.
N/A
N/A
D**I
Buckle up, it's going to be a wild ride
This movie is bonkers from start to finish. Once you have watched it the first time with all the twists and turns, it's still a lot of fun to rewatch it later.
A**Y
Wild Things bluray
Great movie with a great cast!!
B**Y
Excelente thriller erotico de los 90’s.
Película realizada en 1998, una suerte de thriller erotico muy en la línea de ‘Body of Evidence’, que causará polémica por la infame escena del ménage à trois; y aunque ahora ya no es tan subida de tono la escena, sigue conservando un lugar en la cultura pop. El año 1998 fue un éxito en la carrera de los protagonistas, por esta cinta y otras que sacarán ese mismo año, pero más que nada por esa candente escena…Neve venía de hacer ‘The Craft’, ‘Scream’ y ‘Scream 2’ y aunque fue un rol arriesgado, y recibió críticas, salió avante. Estrenaría ‘54’ el mismo año.Matt también hizo ‘Loco por Mary’ ese mismo año, y digamos este rol le dio un empujón a su carrera además de darle la etiqueta de galán.Pero aquí la que se ganó la etiqueta de sex symbol en letras capitales fue Denise Richards, el mismo año estrenaría ‘Starship Troopers’, pero fue aquí donde se convirtió en la actriz más sexy y provocadora del año.Para quienes no la hayan visto, tienen que, olviden las secuelas que son totalmente inferiores. La primera es un must que debe estar en su Blu-ray-teca.Me encantan estas ediciones de Arrow Video.Wild Things bluray limited edition contiene la versión de cine y la versión unrated, booklet con un ensayo, poster de doble cara, 6 postales y portada reversible.El Blu-ray tiene audio y subtítulo en inglés.NO contiene audio ni subtítulo en español.Es una pena que Amazon Mx no se haya puesto las pilas en traerla a la venta, solo mediante vendedores externos, pedirla a Amazon EU fue más barato para conseguirla.
D**H
Wild Things... I think I love you!!
This 1998 neo-noir potboiler is one of those cases where picking the wrong cast or the wrong director... even the wrong cinematographer could have condemned this to trashcan status. I've never seen a film that could as easily have gone off the rails had it not been so perfectly directed and the cast not clicked. Director John McNaughton, known for films such as Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer and Mad Dog and Glory (starring Bill Murray) was an ideal choice for a film that walks the razor-blade-thin tightrope between thriller and parody. And he walks it like Philippe Petit!The film is a riot and delights in pulling the rug out from under the viewer's feet at every turn! It helps that the film has a killer cast who absolutely revel in every sleazy, exploitative second. It's a film that is utterly ruined by the trailer, so it's essential to try to watch this without any prior knowledge of the plot.Suffice to say, it's got Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon as strong, masculine leads, Theresa Russell vamps it up in the maternal role and Bill Murray essentially plays an ancestor of Bob Odenkirk's Saul Goodman. Because Bill's lawyer character, Kenneth Bowden, could be Saul's Dad, they're so similar! The revelations in this film are the two young female leads. Denise Richards was best known for playing the chaste Carmen Ibañez in Starship Troopers before this and Neve Campbell was best known for clean cut roles in the then-ongoing teen television drama Party of Five and the first two films in the Scream franchise. And boy do those girls shake off those good girl images for this! Richards became an icon and Campbell showed just how versatile an actress she really is. The supporting cast are also uniformly great, including a bloke who spends his time baiting crocodiles (maniac!!)Cinematographer Jeffery L Kimball, who worked on numerous Tony Scott projects, including Beverly Hills Cop 2, Top Gun and the Tarantino-written neo-noir True Romance (also released on a fabulous Arrow 4K disc) captures the steamy essence of this part of Florida. Screenwriter Stephen Peters' writing has been likened to the work of crime writers such as Charles Willeford and, importantly, his plotting is solid: that's what sells the film. The dialogue is a joy. It's foul-mouthed, utterly vulgar and guaranteed to have you regularly spitting out whatever you're trying to drink in a combination of shock and laughter.More than anything, the film is delicious fun. Critics didn't really know how to react to it at the time. They knew it was a classic and it was brilliantly constructed. They also knew it was indulgent trash at heart and that posh critics aren't supposed to revel in 100-ish minutes of blackly comical sleaze.Arrow's 4K release, approved by the director, looks amazing. It's more contrasty than previous releases, but that look works perfectly for the film. I'd only seen the 108 minute version before, so I watched the 115-minute unrated version this time. Oh my word!!! 'Scabrous' is actually the word to describe to describe this. There were moments where I honestly couldn't believe what I was watching and hearing. British film critic Derek Malcolm apparently described Walerian Borowczyk's La Bête as 'like dying and going to smut heaven!' I think that's how I'd describe this version of Wild Things. There's a different line dubbing for the unrated version during the end credits that nearly made me fall on the floor laughing!I can't help but love a film about bad people who revel in being good at being bad! Add this film to the list of films that I wish I could have made myself! Sheer joy! If you haven't seen this, don't read anything about the film, blind buy the Arrow release, make sure no one easily offended is in the house, and sit back for a couple of hours of utter trashy bliss!
K**S
Edizione arrow
Edizione arrow 4k. Edizione clamorosa in una qualità eccellente. In italia siamo fermi al dvd del 2002....non ci si crede
S**A
le meilleur des 4
Aucun des "sexcrimes" n'est aussi bon que le premier : après, on connaît le principe, on est moins surpris, moins "halluciné".Mais ce film-là, le 1, je l'ai vraiment adoré. C'est le genre de film où quand on arrive à la fin, on est complètement surpris, et on veut le revoir pour vérifier si on n'a pas laissé échapper des infos.De belles femmes, un terrible suspense, un scénario beaucoup plus complexe que ce que l'on pourrait imaginer au début.Je recommande!
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