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Kalifornia

Kalifornia

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brad Pitt at his best
Review: This is the best movie Brat Pitt has being in. He does a really good job at acting like a white trash killer. The first time i sow this movie i did not know Brad Pitt was in it untill around the end. He just does not talk or look any thing like Brad Pit. Veary good movie.
p.s The punk band Kiddstir rocks

bobb07

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A wild ride to California
Review: Brad Pitt is the best looking scruffy killer I've ever seen, that is for sure! :-) Juliette Lewis is terrific as a silly, immature, uneducated girlfriend of Pitt. Everyone is solid. The plot is odd, but not unbelivable. Pitt does a good job of being creepy, dangerous, and unpredictable. An interesting look at another segment of the population. As well, how you can be changed by those around you.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: ALEXS CAPSULE MOVIE REVIEWS
Review: Highlights: Performances are all-star, especially Brad Pitt, who rules every scene; gradually developing dread is successfully compelling; locations become more and more detached, along with the film's ambiance.

Lowpoints: Might seem gratuitous at times; some prolonged sequences drag.

Conclusion: The miraculous thing about this film is that it was directed by Dominic Sena, who later went on to produce cash-making trash like Gone in 60 Seconds and Swordfish. In Kalifornia he showcased his ability to direct an essentially eminent motion picture, dripping with trepidation and fascination for murder. Controversial, edgy, Kalifornia will make viewers wish Pitt and Sena thought as much about their future choices as the viewers did about the ideas of Kalifornia.

SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: Natural Born Killers; From Dusk Till Dawn, Bonnie and Clyde, Thelma and Louise.
DON'T SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the X-Files, Rat Race.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Duchovny is the better looking babe in this movie!
Review: Plot: Guy with writers block (David Duchovny) and photographer girlfriend (Michelle Forbes) must car pool in order to afford a road trip to California. The people who show up for the car pool are a murderer (Brad Pitt) and his girlfriend (Juliette Lewis). Needless to say, the road trip turns out BAD.

Analysis: Great change for Brad Pitt. In this movie, he is very scary and very ugly. Character development for pretty much all the lead characters is pretty low. Brad Pitt's character is over the top. We never really learn why he kills. Juliette Lewis' character is very annoying (but, then again, she is very annoying). She is very immature and allows herself to be abused by Pitt. I truly don't understand their mutual attraction. Pitt & Lewis were dating at the time (Brad has an eclectic taste in women--Lewis, Paltrow, and Aniston.). David Duchovny's character becomes friends with Pitt's and I don't know why (they are soooo different). Only Michelle Forbes' character catches on. She is the only one I can relate to.

The movie looks good and moves. The tension level is sustained throughout the movie. The movie begins with Duchovny's character narrating. I adore David Duchovny but after watching all those X-Files episodes--listening to him and Scully droning on and on in the opening of many of the episodes--I almost screamed "NO MORE!!!" There are two versions: R and NC-17. The NC-17 version has more explicit sex and violence (what a surprise!).

Aesthetics: As I said before, Pitt looks [bad]. I never thought he was all that hot even when he is all cleaned up. Lewis, well there's not too much you can do with Lewis. Duchovny and Forbes make an attractive couple. Duchovny looks very young. ...

This movie is a definite must for Pitt & Duchovny fans

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the funniest movies ever, and that's no joke
Review: Ignore all this talk of serial killers, character growth and deeper psychological shadings. This movie is just flat out hilarious from beginning to end. Kalifornia is a magical confluence of David Duchovny's non-stop monotone, Juliette Lewis at her goofy weirdest, and Brad Pitt pulling off one of the great white trash psychopaths in movie history, funny man Early Grayce. Whether it's Adele talking to her pet cactus, Early calling the old lady "Peaches", or Early and Bry having a few reebs, this movie is non-stop laughs. Kalifornia belongs in that select group of movies (Waiting for Guffman, Super Troopers, The Exorcist) which become amusing by the 10th or 12th viewing and outright, falling down, doubled over hilarious by the 20th. There are very few movies where by simply watching them you become part of a select club--this is one of them. It will affect your speech patterns without you noticing it, until one day you'll find yourself in the aisles of the supermarket and you'll hear someone exclaim "This ain't no Lucky Lager!" And you will have just found a new friend.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brlliant, shocking film
Review: I loved this movie I was so intrigued about the depth of the story and all of the characters. Bradd Pitt plays, what I think is one of his best roles of all times, because he didnt use his good looks for this one. I felt so bad for his neglected, battered wife who had no control over what was going on and I cheered for Dave when he stormed in and put a stop to Early's reign of terror. The sotry revolves about a couple picking up two hitchikers, one of them being a mass serial killer. Over time when the secrets are revealed Bradd's characters leaves a trail of bodies behind to prove how crazy hes was. All in all great plot, setting, characters, and acting and I extremely encourage you to see this

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Kalifornia
Review: Meet David Duchovny -- pre X-files. Meet Brad Pitt. Yes, that scummy looking guy really is one of the most gorgeous men in the world. I know it's hard to believe. And for you Star Trek fans, Ensign Ro is also in it.

The idea that someone would actually want to share expenses while being forced to visit old murder sights should have given the good guys a clue that maybe the would attract the wrong kind of people. And they do.

Okay, the ending is the typical happily ever after ending, but if you catch the subtle nuances throughout the movie, you will realize that maybe it isn't happily ever after for the good guys.

In order to fully appreciate this movie, you have to see it more than once. I own the movie, and yet I still pick up on things that I missed before. That's how subtle some things in this movie are. You aren't necessarily given all of the answers. Yes, you see people killed and all that stuff, but there are other things going on in the background which separate this movie from a typical murder movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: On The Road Again
Review: KALIFORNIA is a film that sort of fell through the cracks of mainstream cinema when it was released in 1993. When a young couple sets out on a cross-country trip, so that Brian (David Duchovny) can research a book that he is writing, on serial killers. The simple trip turns into a terrifying ride for Brian and Carrie (Michelle Forbes), when they decide to share the trip with another couple, that they hardly know. As soon as Early Grayce (Brad Pitt) and his girlfriend, Adele (Juliette Lewis) are picked up, things start to unravel. Soon, Grayce's violent nature begins to surface and Brian and Carrie are locked in a life and death struggle with a killer passenger.

Pitt is truly evil as Early. He trades his leading man good looks and transforms into a scruffy and violent character. This is one of his best performances from his varied career. Lewis is just as good and plays Adele very convincingly and comes across as sympathetic. You really buy her as someone who gets caught in a situation, that has engulfed her, and there's no way out. As for Duchovny, this film came out before THE X-FIles took hold and became a sensation, therefore this may be his best role next to Mulder. I have been a fan of Forbes since her days on STAR TREK-THE NEXT GENERATION, so it was great to see her stretch as an actor. Directed by Dominic Sena, the film has just the right amount of twistedness in it, to keep things rather lively.

The DVD has a small featurette on the making of the film. Viewers can choose between the Widescreen and Pan amd Scan formats. You can also choose to watch either the R-rated version or the unrated director's cut. There is very little difference between the 2 cuts of the movie. Save of course, for more sexual and violent content, but nothing else that adds to the film's narritive. I would like to see a Special Edition of this film someday. I'm sure a commentary track about the film would prove to be quite facinating. Recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: JULIETTE LEWIS ONCE AGAIN STEALS THE SHOW!!!!!
Review: Ok, is Juliette Lewis the most underated actress in Hollywood or what? I can't believe this woman gets overlooked as much as she does! The movies that she has starred in are mostly movies that not every Hollywood actress would do. That is what makes her so good. Strange Days, Kalifornia, Cape Fear, and her Micheal Angello, Natural Born Killers, to name a few. These are films that a lot of stuck up actresses would not get involved in, and thank god for that. In my opionin, Juliette Lewis is as good an actress as Julia Roberts, Helen Hunt, Jody Foster, Meg Ryan, etc., and it shows once again in Kalifornia. Although Pitt is awesome in this film(as in most of his films), I think Lewis's performance as his low IQ girlfriend Adel, stands out. I do like Pitt's films and think he is a great actor. Fight Club, Sleepers, True Romance(in a small role), Snatch, etc., are all great films. But I think this was his best and most convincing role. Pitt plays Early Grace, a serial killer that, along with his girlfriend Adel, hitches a ride to California with Brian(David Duchovny) and Carrie(Michelle Forbes). Carrie is a photographer and Brian is a writer, and they are going cross county to do a story on serial killers, by visting past murder sites. They figure they can't afford the trip by themselves, so they put a flyer out seeking someone to share the costs. Unfortunatly for them Early see's the flyer and decides that it's about time he and Adel leave their trailor home and go someplace new. As soon as Carrie gets a look at Early and Adel, she knows this is a mistake. But for the most part they have no idea of just how big a mistake it really is. For all you ladies out there who see Pitt's films because you think he is just nice to look at, your in for a surprise in this one. He looks like a real piece of trailor park garbage, and acts it to perfection. By the time Carrie and Brian found out the truth about Early Grace, there is already a trail of body's behind them. They say that ignorance is bliss, but that may not be the case for Adel. Although she doesn't know how evil Early really is, or maybe she just doesn't want to know, finding out the truth does not fair well for her. This movie is one of my favorites and has a great climatic ending that will leave you wanting more. If you like really creepy movies, pick this up. You will not be disappointed! I wish the Academy would start reconizing these types of films, so Juliette Lewis can finally recieve her long overdue Oscar. This lady is brilliant in every film she does! I have to go have some reebs now, see ya. NEVER FORGET 9/11/01!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Solid film with a standout performance by Lewis
Review: Kalifornia is a film that deserves to be seen. The key to the film's successs lies in Sena's (the director) emphasis on the present, not bogging the story down with tales of Early's(Pitt)childhood abuse or other such "reasons" for his insanity. We are not spoon fed a story but left to draw our own conclusions from what we are given. It is not a film about a serial killer but a film that asks who is capable of going crazy. This is not a question Sena or anyone can answer therefore it is rightfully left to the thoughts of the viewer. Lewis gives a heartbreaking performance as Adel, one that shouldn't be missed, while Pitt gives another excellent performance. Duchovny is Duchovny and that works well in his role, while Michelle Forbes gives a solid performance as well. Kalifornia is a great social commentary, not on serial killing, but on people in this country that have been neglected, left to sort through their societal rejection in a violent manner


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