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Post by Captain Spencer on Mar 23, 2017 3:12:57 GMT
There was a certain kind of psychological thriller that was frequently made in the early 1990s. It involved a psycho who would make life absolutely miserable for either one person, a couple, or a family. I called it the "I'm going to put you through hell" sub-genre thriller. Some titles include Cape Fear, Unlawful Entry, Misery, and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle.
But the one in particular I liked was Pacific Heights, with Melanie Griffith, Mathew Modine, and of course Michael Keaton. This is the one about a deranged con artist who sneaks his way into property owners' rental unit and will stop at nothing to ruin their lives for his own personal gain. Keaton was known mostly for his comical roles, so the role of the creepy fraudster here was an amazing change of pace for him. And he does a superb job playing this part!
Another aspect about Pacific Heights I like is having Patty a much stronger person than her boyfriend, who just can't deal with the situation because of his temper. And because Danforth got away with so much nastiness throughout the film, it was sooooo satisfying to watch how she gets back at him.
Now, if only Pacific Heights can get a blu-ray release sometime in the near future. The Warner DVD edition from 1999 does not look good on a high definition TV.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2017 1:31:52 GMT
Didn't care for this one. Keaton makes an excellent villain, though.
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Post by movielover on Mar 26, 2017 3:21:09 GMT
Really good movie. 8/10
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Post by moviebuffbrad on Mar 26, 2017 10:40:48 GMT
It's forgettable outside of Keaton, who is awesome in it.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 10:01:44 GMT
I havent seen it, but I've added it to my list of films to watch.
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schizkebab
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Post by schizkebab on Mar 27, 2017 16:11:35 GMT
I used to watch that quite a bit, back in the day. It's a very good thriller and probably has my favorite Michael Keaton performance. I'm really hoping it will get a blu-ray release sometime.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 16:20:48 GMT
I haven't seen that one in ages. Will have to revisit it.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jan 4, 2019 0:51:03 GMT
I was thinking about this sub-genre other week, after re-watching “Single White Female”. I didn’t realise just how many films of this ilk flooded the late 80s into the 90s. I’m real curious about “Pacific Heights” though, as I don’t think I’ve seen it before and Michael Keaton as the antagonist has got me intrigued.
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Post by Captain Spencer on Jan 4, 2019 2:39:25 GMT
I was thinking about this sub-genre other week, after re-watching “Single White Female”. I didn’t realise just how many films of this ilk flooded the late 80s into the 90s. I’m real curious about “Pacific Heights” though, as I don’t think I’ve seen it before and Michael Keaton as the antagonist has got me intrigued. I'm sure you'll enjoy Pacific Heights if you find it. Definitely worth seeking out. |
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Post by them1ghtyhumph on Jan 4, 2019 5:50:20 GMT
It's forgettable outside of Keaton, who is awesome in it. People who have seen this movie and buy two-family homes don't forget this one easily. Keaton is just fucking tremendous. |
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Post by movielover on Jan 4, 2019 5:57:44 GMT
I love it and own it on DVD. In my top 5 for the year 1990.
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rogerthat
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Post by rogerthat on Jan 4, 2019 18:50:08 GMT
I remember enjoying it when I saw it in the 90's. Would rewatch it again if it showed up on netflix or something.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 6, 2019 7:43:32 GMT
I feel the last quarter lets it down.
Pacific Heights – Low Human.
Pacific Heights is directed by John Schlesinger and written by Daniel Pyne. It stars Michael Keaton, Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine, Laurie Metcalf and Mako. Music is by Hans Zimmer and cinematography by Amir M. Mokri.
Young couple Patty and Drake plough all their resources into buying a large house in the affluent Pacific Heights area of San Francisco. With two apartments to rent they think their numbers have come in when they manage to find tenants for both. But one man, the mysterious Carter Hayes (Keaton), soon proves to be anything but the perfect tenantÂ…
There are twin terrors at work here, one is the tenant from hell, the other is the laws that protect him as he manipulates the system to its very stupid core. The makers do a very good job of making the film unsettling throughout, the ghastly menace who invades someone's home and holds all the ace cards is a constant terrifying presence.
Schlesinger for two thirds of the piece crafts a tightly wound thriller, unfortunately it just gets too daft for its own good as the cat and mousery reaches the culmination of plotting. Keaton is great, expanding upon the dark part of Bruce Wayne portrayal to be scarily smooth and convincing. Griffith is good value as well, and it's great to see a female character showing great resourcefulness, but both actors are let down by Pyne's screenplay in the last third where the psycho versus good lady section is too far fetched. Whilst Modine isn't a good enough actor to pull off the furious husband act.
A mixed bag, but mostly it beats a good thriller heart to keep it above average. 6.5/10
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Post by forca84 on Jan 7, 2019 2:22:24 GMT
Speaking of I just added "Sliver" to my Prime que. Seems like they've remade this genre a hundred times on the Lifetime network with mixed results.
One of the better ones to me is "Alone with her" and "Enduring love". Both are Just super creepy.
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