Product Description

OscarÂ(r) nominee* Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) delivers a deliciously disturbing, erotically charged thriller fueled by standout performances from his all-star cast: Saffron Burrows, Salma Hayek, Rhys Ifans, Lucy Liu, Burt Reynolds and David Schwimmer!A slick Hollywood film crew has just descended upon a mysterious, crumbling Venetian hotel to create a cinematic masterpiece. But, unbeknownst to them, there are malevolent forces at work in the hotel, and soon the production is beset by a series of strange incidents, dragging the guests on a terrifying journey into the dark catacombs of desire, madness and death!*1995: Director and Adapted Screenplay, Leaving Las Vegas

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43010 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2005-07-26
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Italian
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 93 minutes

From The New Yorker
Mike Figgis continues to push the limits of digital filmmaking techniques, but this movie, a satirical look at a group of Dogme filmmakers in Venice, drags on the screen. The cast, which includes Rhys Ifans and David Schwimmer, never really develop a rhythm in their semi-improvised scenes. As in his previous movie "Timecode," Figgis uses low lighting and split screens to create an ambitious, postmodern narrative structure. The sexy, fractured storytelling sets up some fascinating parallels, but the film lacks the dark humor that would have leavened its own self-importance. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Only If You Love Venice...
Mike Figgis makes a supersized attempt to be artsy in this meandering film. The problem is that the story is so flat because there is no one about whom we can care. After the first confusing messy thirty minutes (John Malkovich sitting behind prison bars at a dinner table for no apparent reason other than to offer insipid dialogue to an uncaring dinner guest list), I decided to just look at the screen for the color and the wild camera work. Venice looks great but the stodgy staging of 'The Duchess of Malfi' and the weak plot associated with it doesn't even begin to cover the creaks in this silly film. This one is only for the Figgis fans out there - and for Venice addicts who will put up with about anything to just 'feel' the Venetian glow. A Must Miss. Grady Harp, August 05

Hotel Schmotel
The description on the movie jacket is totally misleading. It is not thrilling and it is not terrifying. The only scene of Venice you will see is St. Mark's Square. All-star cast? Yup, and I suppose they made the best of it, but then if I was paid big bucks to spend some time in Venice I would too... A horrible movie! A waste of 1hr. 51minutes.

13 PEOPLE REVIEWED THIS MESS; 11 GAVE ONE STAR: AVERAGE 1.5 STARS?
Amazon should perhaps consider minus-star ratings. I hope I shall never see a worse movie. This mess lost me about 20 IQ points. Without a doubt, the worst film I've ever suffered through. However, it's David Schwimmer's best performance. Amazon: Please allow minus-stars for such awful, indulgent pieces of ca-ca. And Roger Ebert's quote on the case cover was indicative of reviewers on the take: BOLD, FUNNY, DELIGHTFUL!
(And now it's 12:2 in favor of awful... )