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In The Cut is a maddening, beautiful, lyrical mess of a movie; lacking sense or a good story but brimming with sensual style, it flits from brilliant to dreadful in the space of a few frames and is steeped in contradiction -its grubby yet gorgeous, disturbing yet enticing, involving yet ... Read review
Based on Susanna Moore's novel,In the Cutcentres on Frannie (Meg Ryan), an emotionally ... more
stifled English teacher who gets steamy with sultry Malloy (Mark Ruffalo), a cop who's investigating a series of brutal murders--but Frannie soon suspects that Mallo...
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Meg Ryan stars in this dark psychological thriller, where desire and death mix in the ... more
shadows of New York. Frannie (Meg Ryan) is a lonely but determined woman living alone in Manhattan, who becomes involved in an investigation, following he gruesome sl...
Based on Susanna Moore's novel,In the Cutcentres on Frannie (Meg Ryan), an emotionally ... more
stifled English teacher who gets steamy with sultry Malloy (Mark Ruffalo), a cop who's investigating a series of brutal murders--but Frannie soon suspects that Mallo...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
In Jane Campion's adaptation of Susanna Moore's novel Meg Ryan plays Frannie Avery a ... more
lonely literature professor obsessed with words and the study of language. Her predictable existence is suddenly turned upside down when she gets dragged into a sini...
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Far more fun than the eighties actually were at the time, the second album from Melbournes ... more
Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours, is one of the slickest and most varied reinterpretations of the era to appear in the last five years. Selective nostalgia means that every sound from the past is open to reappraisal and Cut Copy have moved on from the sometimes slavish devotion to New Order that dominated their first album, 2004s enjoyably familiar Bright Like Neon Love. By comparison In Ghost Colours is nearer to the dense pop of Electronic, Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumners often overlooked collaboration, especially the brash, acoustic guitar driven opener "Feel The Love" and the brash "Lights and Music". But on tunes like the lush "Hearts On Fire" and the more abrasive "So Haunted", Dan Whitford and crew also nod to the experimental pop of the Cure and Depeche Mode and the now familiar sonic attack that My Bloody Valentine originated (and Snow Patrol eventually turned into pop). Less obviously, late period ELO, increasingly adored by studio head, prove to be an influence. The producer here is none other than DFAs Tim Goldsworthy, and though Cut Copy are far from the bittersweet hedonism of his other recent clients Hercules And Love Affair, In Ghost Colours works both as contemporary dance-rock and, edited without gaps, as a complete album.--Steve Jelbert
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A television weatherwoman is pursued simultaneously by a spoiled pharmaceutical heir and a ... more
successful -- but much older -- writer in director Claude Chabrol's blackly comic tale of romance and class differences. Gabrielle Deneige (Ludivine Sagnier) has a high-profile job detailing the forecast on French TV. Yet despite Gabrielle's staunch work ethic, she values her privacy over her professional career and lives in a modest house with her aging mother (Marie Bunel). One day, renowned author Charles Saint-Denis (Fran?ois Berleand) is interviewed at the television station where Gabrielle works, and the two feel an instant, powerful connection. Later, at a book signing, the pair continues to flirt despite the presence of entitled rich kid Paul Gaudens (Benoit Magimel) -- who openly despises the writer and longs to claim Gabrielle as his own. Despite the fact that Charles is still happily married to his wife of 25 years (Valeria Cavalli), with whom he has set up home in a posh ultra-modern estate in the countryside, he and Gabrielle share an intimate afternoon at the author's nearby pied-a-terre. Later, as the potentially psychotic Paul steps up his pursuit of Gabrielle, the girl begins to question whether either of her suitors is pure in his intentions.
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Advantages: Shocking, Great Performances, Great Visuals Disadvantages: Bad Story Telling, Slow, A Lot Of Missteps
...a sex act being performed in the toilet, she cannot see the faces of the people, but can see a unique tattoo on the male's wrist. Disturbed but excited by this event she quickly leaves, but is followed by a policeman who informs her that the girl is now dead, decapitated and left in a dump. The detective is Malloy a hard drinking, fast talking New York police cop, who is instantly attracted to Frannie. As they get involved in a steamy and dangerous ... ...is fiction she finds herself in more danger than she could ever of imagined.......
In The Cut is a maddening, beautiful, lyrical mess of a movie; lacking sense or a good story but brimming with sensual style, it flits from brilliant to dreadful in the space of a few frames and is steeped in contradiction -its grubby yet gorgeous, disturbing yet enticing, involving yet detached. A dark thriller that uses New York City like a ferocious ... more
Frannie is a professor of English, trying to teach bright but under achieving urban kids whilst fighting with her own sexual impulses and slight paranoia. When at a bar, Frannie sees a sex act being performed in the toilet, she cannot see the faces of the people, but can see a unique tattoo on the male's wrist. Disturbed but excited by this event she quickly leaves, but is followed by a policeman who informs her that the girl is now dead, decapitated and left in a dump. The detective is Malloy a hard drinking, fast talking New York police cop, who is instantly attracted to Frannie. As they get involved in a steamy and dangerous affair, which fuels both of their flaws, the murder grows more prolific, leaving a trial of body's that grow closer and closer to the delusional English professor. As their relationship grows ever more violent and as Frannie begins to lose grip of what is real and what is fiction she finds herself in more danger than she could ever of imagined.......
In The Cut is a maddening, beautiful, lyrical mess of a movie; lacking sense or a good story but brimming with sensual style, it flits from brilliant to dreadful in the space of a few frames and is steeped in contradiction -its grubby yet gorgeous, disturbing yet enticing, involving yet detached. A dark thriller that uses New York City like a ferocious character; jungle like, wild and disturbing, a scary urban forest of deceit and fear to create tension. Never sticking with a linear narrative, the film coherency is sacrificed and the flimsy story is never back up with any substance, but it contains imagery that will stay with you long after the credits role and its use of visuals to add horror to the proceedings are genuinely unsettling. Relying on words rather than actions to pile on the anxiety (Frannie's obsessive quote making becomes incredibly emotive), the film lingers to it claustrophobic and dark final chapter. It's never as absorbing as it wants to be, infact it does a good job of keeping the audience at arm's length, and there are huge flaws in both concept and execution.... but it's hard not to be swept away by the gory romanticism of it all, it may not be enjoyable, but it certainly makes an impression.
From the opening scene the 'look' of In the Cut is established; twirling, pink leaves fall over an urban jungle as the screen scratches and the camera jitters, the haunting slowed-down que sera sera humming in the background. It's genuinely startling, instantly unsettling and from there on in imagery and visuals are used to outstanding effect throughout the film. The bright crimson blood is in stark contrast with the gloomy settings; the motif of old-black-and-white skaters, gracefully spinning through the air evokes old French sensibilities and the sprawling, eclectic nature of Frannie's apartment is a wonderful reflection of her mental state. The flickering scenes, jumping and scratching, burning up reels and off skewed camera work give the film a disturbing off kilter quality. The contrast of beautiful and horrifying make both more potent and chilling and the lingering, drawn out, summer heat slow speed with which the visuals bleed into each other makes for a unique and claustrophobic experience. But the most startling use of visuals comes with Jane Campion's recreation of New York City; vibrant, horrifying, exciting, restricting and sprawling, caught between a nightmare and a dream, never really convincing as a city, more a living, breathing terrifying person; powerful, strong and horrifying.
It's a real shame that the filmmaker's ambitious and effective use of visuals isn't matched with their story telling abilities; they leave things too ambiguous, character's motives make no sense, the final conclusion (the big 'reveal') is obvious but disconnected with the story and the dialogue is often stilted. The screenplay doesn't know what it wants to be; a claustrophobic thriller, a study of a fragile mind, a sexual exploration or a slasher and so it is never completely successful at any one thing. The story is allowed to meander, never achieving the kind of punch that it needs and there are too many plot elements that make no sense. The story isn't as complex as it thinks it is and so often comes off as pretentious and the rather puzzling relationship between Frannie and Detective Malloy is erotically charged but never very convincing. The story never seems to go anywhere, a good premise looking for a better outlet and its attempts to wrap things up with a rather convoluted conclusion are annoying. The screenplay does however do a good job of probing into Frannie psyche, examining the effect of loss on her and her intimacy issues throw up some interesting questions about dependency and desire and has more than a few literary flourishes.
Some of the dialogue feels stunted like the characters are saying things that they don't really mean and some of it stalls the already slightly lagging pace. A lot of the more interesting ideas are not fully explored, being swapped for unnecessary plot twists and the tension of the piece occasionally dips, due to an overlong running time. It has the distinct feeling of someone who has lots to say, but lacks the intelligence or confidence to say it. However, this subsides after a shocking mid-way twist in the tail which throws the characters into hysteria and speeds the pace up immeasurably. The relationship between Malloy and Frannie is rife with tension and the dynamic is the core of the film, offering a meaty and interesting look into a deeply dysfunctional partnership. The sexual explicitness of the film (there are many full frontal scenes, simulated oral sex, anal sex, masturbation, sexual violence and one shot of an erect penis which caused much uproar upon the film's release) is shocking and its detached quality makes it chillingly unemotional, adding to the overall feeling on unease that runs through.
Meg Ryan gives a career best performance; ferociously embodying the paranoia and delusion of her character, injecting Frannie with a maddened energy, giving a performance rubbed raw by despair and smashed by grief. Ably handling the movies emotional scenes with a fierce sadness and is fearless in the films sex scenes, which she instils with a passion and neediness that is extremely engaging. She perfectly puts across the alienation and fear, looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights, scared but incredibly enticed by the dark world in-front of her. A surprising mix of naivety and intelligence she sears through the screen growing more fragile and distraught as her world begins to unravel around her. Her emotions burst into the air like a tornado, a force to be fought with; messy, strong and fascinating - she knows what she's doing, but it never feels calculated. After the initial shock of seeing American's sweetheart naked, you see a dark, seductive, brave study of a woman whose knowledge of reality and fiction is severely and dangerously blurred. Mark Ruffalo is an equally engaging and horrifying figure as Malloy.
Jane Campion's direction swings from the sublime to the ridiculous; the detail with which she builds character development and the beauty which she instils into the thing is astounding, her ambitious use of time structure is unsuccessful but startling and she gives the scenes an urgency that grabs you by the collar and hurtles you through the air. Her vision of the murder mystery element is more exciting than her script allows and her ideas about what make thrillers thrilling are genuinely inventive. Many of the scenes are teeth grindingly tense (one involving a dismembered head, a blood soaked bathroom and a hysterical woman comes to mind) and her mix of the intimate and the boundary laden makes for a disturbing watch. But she lets the story unravel without her control; she doesn't rein the material in, pays too much attention to the silliness of the plot and makes some of it seem damn right banal. She can't seem to get into a groove, she can never get a handle of what she wants the pace to be like and so the film keeps stopping and starting. The ending is thought provoking, but desperately rushed and un-engaging and she fails to make it a thrill, she zaps the fun from a lot of the scenes and messes up some of the interaction between Malloy and Fannie.
Overall In The Cut is a beautiful, impulsive, addictive, brilliant heap of junk; which is a shame as it is genuinely unique, with great performances and an eye popping visual style. The screenplay lets it down though, it never grabs the audience like it should and never really goes anywhere until the final, rather rushed last scenes. Like a ghost; haunting, beautiful but ultimately transparent - should be watched for people interested in ambitious art rather than great storytelling.
Advantages: Meg Ryan, a little bit different. Disadvantages: Badly done, thin plot, arty mess!
...“was” anyway. She is now in her early forties and her appearance and general looks have lasted well – she might well have had surgery, but she looks good for it. Her general physique looks nice too. So – she is still a stunner. She is popular and a charm… therefore why in the heck did she make this movie? All right, being a red-blooded male I thought that seeing her scantily clad was quite nice (ahem – don’t tell the missus) but when it is in your ... ...is a lonely lady living in New York. She is a school professor who teaches creative writing to teenagers. She has a half sister who lives nearby, Pauline (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) and they both rue the fact that they cannot meet anyone who is ready to commit – save for John Graham (Kevin Bacon guest starring here) who has the hots for Frannie, but Frannie is not interested as he is just a …little…bit unhinged. Suddenly into her life walks ...
Borg 17.11.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of In The Cut (DVD)
...is a reserved English professor in lower Manhattan. One night she stumbled upon a couple in an intimate position. The next day, the woman turned up dead in her garden. So in comes Malloy, homicide detective. Frannie doesn't trust him, but is completely attracted to him and they start a disturbing, yet liberating sexual liaison. As the number of dead bodies turn up, Frannie needs to stay cautious as more familiar suspects emerge.
Now we're all familiar ... ...it all, characters are thrown in to act as suspects. I said "thrown in" because I didn't see any character development. They're just "there", to lust after Frannie, then act a little weird and pyschotic and there you are! They're a suspect. Such a disappointment, and a complete waste of time. And yes, her boobs were a little weird.
Directed by: Jane Campion Cast: Meg Ryan
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Mark Ruffallo
Kevin Bacon (uncredited)
Based on a ...
kairi 18.05.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of In The Cut (DVD)
Advantages: stylish, atmospheric Disadvantages: a lack of warmth character-wise
...watching super charged erotic thriller In the Cut. The amazingly beautiful opening scenes confirmed Campion has not lost her touch. I'm thinking of the petal storm in particular with its vivid colours and poetic cinematography not to forget the enchanting skating scene in black and white. This is a film which has style. Tons of it. Jane Campion is one of the rare top directors who has successfully retained her artistic eye and not compromised to ... ...might be provocative for some. In the Cut does not disappoint in that way. When main character Frannie (played by Meg Ryan) -an introvert English teacher meets homicide detective Malloy (played by Mark Ruffalo) and very quickly becomes sexually involved with him, she finds herself plunged into a dark world where she might lose her sanity and eventually her own life. However the series of brutal murders that Malloy investigates are not the main interest ...
gijoe1974 12.04.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of In The Cut (DVD)
Advantages: Beautifully shot, gentle engaging phycholical thriller Disadvantages: May not have enough action or to slow for some
...Jennifer Jason Leigh all put in fine performances. Meg Ryan’s unflattering, haggard, warts ‘n’ all appearance and full frontal nudity are a brave move. This is an erotic movie at times and surprisingly graphic for a mainstream movie in a couple of places, but these scenes fit with the raw mood of the film and never feel gratuitous unnecessary in the context of the film; think Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton in Monster’s Ball.
Campion shows us ... ...for one was never bored. In real life a killer may only kill a couple of victims, but this shouldn’t make the story less gripping and it isn’t. For those after a quick action or serial killer fix, this probably isn’t the film for you. But if you want a well crafted and stylish departure from the norm, give this film the time it deserves.
Overall: A deep and moody film, beautifully shot and in my opinion underrated. ...
cellarboy 12.02.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of In The Cut (DVD)
Advantages: Meg Ryan in't Nude Disadvantages: Everything else
...it or what they've done in the past, Afterall we all have our off days.
On the cover of the DVD this film was described as “The most intense serial killer thriller ever” * * * * by News of the World, as “Mesmerising” by the Times and as “Hypnotic viewing from start to finish” by Total Film. In my opinion these critics haven’t watched the same film I watched.
Mel Ryan plays the part of an English teacher obsessed with writing down quotes she reads ... ...to the police detective who in the first scene they meet she won’t even trust him enough to let him in her apartment then jumps into bed with him when she believes he’s the killer?
The Sex is the kind you’ll find in a poorly shot Porno movie, the use of foul language is done in an adolescent juvenile stile, done as a cheap shock tactic than to emphasise plot or characters, the gruesome scenes are blatant shock tactics used to prop up a weak plot, ...
mrihatepoorservice 19.03.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of In The Cut (DVD)
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Advantages: Quirky, little-heard-of gem Disadvantages: Special effects are dated
on the film, narrated over by Frank LaLoggia. It is, frankly, quite dull and really badly made - for real fans of the film only.
This isn't a film that I had heard of before (and shouldn't be confused with the 1938 film directed by Mario Mattoli). However, it is an interesting little film that is definitely worth a watch if you have an interest in ghost stories and the supernatural. It is certainly a film I would like to get out again around Hallowe'en. Recommended.
The DVD is available from Amazon for £9.48. Cheaper versions are available if you have the facilities to play Region 1 DVDs.
Classification: 15
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Advantages: Great camera work, great cast, fantastic cars Disadvantages: None for me, enjoyed every minute
Fast, fun and exciting film. Great cast with great action scenes and camera work. Brilliant line up of cars and a most enjoyable watch. Good storyline, very good watch! Film starts with a fast, high adrenaline street race and moves on to the grand theft auto as the film progresses. I enjoyed every bit of the film, it did not get boring at any stage for me. The '67 Shelby GT500 is definately my favourite car in the film and the main chase in the film is based around this car and it's history with Memphis Raines (Nicolas Cage), other cars include: Lamborghini Diablo, Jaguar XJ220 and numerous Ferraris, just to name a few. I would definately recommend the film to others, especially car enthusiasts! ...
You can't sell a film on a pretty actress, action scenes & lots of CGI. It needs a good story to bind it together & a plot to drive it from start to finish. The film is obviously based on a comic of some sort judging from the opening titles, and they try to hard to stick to the comic style. The plot gets left by the wayside and they go for lots of action and fighting which really doesn't help the film very much. Yes, Milla looks excellent in her various costumes which change colour on her as she wears them. The buildings and backdrops look stunning. You can tell that the fight scenes were made to look so fast by over-cranking the camera to get the illusion of more speed.
Sadly the film suffers from being over-cut. The DVD contains an alternate start (much better than the one used in the film) and several cut scenes (which I would have ...
Based on the novel by Susanna Moore, this is the story of Frannie Avery, an English teacher who is witness to an incident involving a suspected murderer. She is questioned by a detective about the events and they are immediately attracted to each other...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
PATHE DISTRIBUTION; 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Commentary By Director Jane Campion And Producer Laurie Parker, Deleted Scenes, Making Of Featurette, US Theatrical Trailer, UK Theatrical Trailer
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Wide Screen, 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review
...The most erotic serial killer thriller ever..." (News of the World, )
DVD Description
The acclaimed New Zealand director Jane Campion (THE PIANO) here turns her unusual artistic eye toward the urban erotic thriller genre. Based on the novel by Susanna Moore, IN THE CUT tells the story of Frannie (Meg Ryan) an English teacher living in Manhattan's East Village who finds herself mixed up in a homicide investigation after a severed head turns up in her garden. Jennifer Jason Leigh is her sexually unhinged half-sister and Mark Ruffalo plays a homicide detective on the case who falls into bed with Frannie after she's attacked on the Lower East Side. Suspects include her stalker ex-lover (Kevin Bacon) and a troubled student (Sharrieff Pugh) who's obsessed with serial killer John Wayne Gacy. As the body count rises however, Frannie realises that the prime suspect just may be the very cop in her bed. If this all sounds like a by-the-numbers sex crime thriller don't worry; Campion twists the genre towards her own ends, adding multi-layered focus, deeply saturated colours, a dream-like mood and copious amounts of feminist allegorical symbolism. Meg Ryan fans should be shocked by her performance here (replete with several nude scenes), which is a major departure from her usual cute characterisations. Nicole Kidman, who starred in Campion's PORTRAIT OF A LADY served as producer. Fans of that film, and Campion's work in general, should enjoy the perverse psychosexual theatrics on display in this grim urban fairy tale.
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