I wanted to like this movie, being a Crispin Glover fan. Would "Back to the Future" have been the same without him? Heck, no. And he was absolutely perfect for "Willard." He also does standout work in a number of other movies, such as "River's Edge." But his reputation as a major weirdo is not reason alone to cast him in a movie like "Twister," a film ostensibly about a really weird family which I guess is supposed to be funny and quirky, but winds up being a frustratingly dry bore. And this family isn't particularly weird at all. They're just white trash. I'm sure the director cast Glover because he's the goofiest actor most people can think of, but instead of making the family wacky by his mere presence, he's just stuck in what is essentially a very boring movie. The plot, such as it is, mostly concerns a man named Chris attempting to reconcile with Maureen, the mother of his daughter, Violet. Why he wants Maureen back in his life is perplexing, to say the least, since within the first fifteen minutes of the movie we have seen that she is a horrible mother and a lazy drunk to boot. Glover plays her brother, a moron named "Howdy". He doesn't have much to do except act like a nutcase. Meanwhile, Maureen and Howdy's father (Harry Dean Stanton), a soda pop/miniature golf tycoon, is busy romancing a young televangelist. Not much else happens. Howdy runs around being irritating. There's also a tornado that arrives halfway through the movie and has absolutely no effect on either the characters or the plot. Tim Robbins, a stellar actor who has no business being within ten miles of this dull mess of a movie, has a cameo; he plays a guy who does what we as viewers have been longing to do, which is punch Howdy in the face. How did this movie get made? Why did a reputable company like Artisan agree to distribute it? How can anyone watching this movie be anything but disappointed? (Although, I must admit I should have known I was in trouble when I saw that Stanton got top billing in the credits.) It's not that the movie is awful or stupid, it's just plain... well, boring. The acting is fine (with the exception of the miscast Glover; as discussed above, there is the type of movie in which his bizarreness works wonders, and there is also the type of movie in which he is simply grating), but there is no sympathy to be had for any of the characters. The plot is fairly cohesive, but devoid of any interesting conflict. The pace is plodding. Some poeple enjoy a movie that meanders. Some people like certain movies in which "nothing happens." I can be one of those people. But "Twister" simply fell flat, in my opinion. I can't quite put my finger on why. Oh, well. I'm going to sell my copy to the used book store. Maybe they'll give me a dollar for it. Then I can buy an ice cream cone, which I'm sure will be a much more rewarding experience.
The Best Film About Kansas Since The Wizard of Oz
Crispin Glover fans will be in hog heaven when they see this neglected classic. He chews up the scenery, spits it out, and chews it up all over again. He wears leather jackboots, cracks a whip, and plays echoplex guitar-drenched love songs that don't seem to go anywhere. He also sings a great song called "Daddy Was So Mean". His delivery is so delicate that every line spoken trembles with sensitivity. Watch out for the million-dollar cameo from Bull Lee, author of "Junky".
Crispin Glover fans be happy
Real excited about this DVD. If we could just get "The Dark Backward," and "Rubin and Ed" to be released on DVD, we could view these strange oddities all the time. "Twister" is a very strange movie with a nice cast. Everyone is pretty damn nuts, it's nice to see all these actors out of their minds. This is Crispin's strangest role to date, and that is a BOLD statement. Be sure to buy this if you like a dose of insanity once and a while.
Twister was a mega-million-dollar blockbuster--helmed by a director (Dutchman Jan de Bont) hot off another scorcher hit (Speed)--that flaunted state-of-the-art digital effects and featured a popular leading actress (Helen Hunt) who would win an Academy Award for her next film (As Good As It Gets). But ask anybody who's seen it and they'll tell you who the real star of Twister is: the cow. Not to give anything away, but the cow is one of those inspired little touches (like, say, Bronson Pinchot's career-making cameo in Beverly Hills Cop) that adds a touch of personality to a gigantic Hollywood production. The story is blown out the window after an impressive prologue in which Hunt's character, as a little girl, witnesses her daddy being sucked into a... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Helen Hunt - Bill Paxton Director(s): Jan de Bont DVD Release Date: Released the 01 June 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $14.96 Your Price: $11.97YOU SAVE $2.99!
Buy it
After the triumph of Chinatown, Roman Polanski's The Tenant marked an unsettling return to the horrifying psychodrama of Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. As in those previous films, Polanski explores a descent into madness with subtle, deliberate pacing and keen attention to accumulating details. Cannily casting himself in the title role, Polanski plays the mild-mannered occupant of a Parisian flat previously rented by a woman who committed suicide by leaping from her upper-floor balcony. The woman's leftover belongings and the harsh attitudes of disapproving neighbors (including Melvin Douglas and Shelley Winters) begin to grate on the new tenant's psyche; his paranoia shifts from simmering anxiety to full-blown psychosis, until fate itself seems to run in a... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Roman Polanski - Isabelle Adjani - Melvyn Douglas Director(s): Roman Polanski DVD Release Date: Released the 01 July 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $9.99 Your Price: $9.99YOU SAVE $0!
Buy it
Cult figure Crispin Glover lends his eerie presence to Bartleby, a modern adaptation of the classic short story "Bartleby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville (author of Moby Dick). The unnamed manager of a public records firm (David Paymer), after receiving a commission from the city government, hires a new clerk--an inarticulate man named Bartleby (Glover), who proves to be an efficient filer. But gradually, Bartleby begins to withdraw from the world, first refusing to do additional tasks, then finally refusing to do any work at all--yet due to Bartleby's utterly passive means of refusal (he simply says, "I would prefer not to"), the manager feels incapable of firing him. The movie inconsistently captures the subtle tone of Melville's story, but at its best... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): David Paymer - Crispin Glover Director(s): Jonathan Parker DVD Release Date: Released the 08 July 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $24.98 Your Price: $22.48YOU SAVE $2.5!
Buy it
The luminous Audrey Tautou (Amelie) stars in Dirty Pretty Things, a riveting thriller about an illegal immigrant in London named Okwe (Chiwetal Ejiofor, Amistad), a doctor in his homeland who now works days as a taxi driver and nights as a hotel desk clerk. When a hooker tells him there's a mess in one of the hotel's bathrooms, Okwe finds a human heart in the toilet. He soon discovers a snare of desperation, poverty, and black-market body organs--and finds that his only friend, a Turkish hotel maid (Tautou), may be the next to be caught. Dirty Pretty Things, skillfully directed by Stephen Frears (High Fidelity, Dangerous Liaisons, My Beautiful Laundrette), fuses taut suspense with an unsettling portrait of life among the British underclass... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Chiwetel Ejiofor - Audrey Tautou - Sophie Okonedo Director(s): Stephen Frears DVD Release Date: Released the 23 March 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $19.99 Your Price: $11.97YOU SAVE $8.02!
Buy it
