Mcnaughton, John

Wild Things (Unrated Edition)

The scheme is far from tame. But whose scheme is it? Assume nothing as you venture beyond Blue Bay's elite beach communities and into the murky waters of the Everglades for a mystery of deceit sex and greed as unpredictable as a hungry gator. And please keep your hands inside the boat at all times. Kevin Bacon Matt Dillon Neve Campbell Denise Richards and Bill Murray star in a swamp-steamy thriller about two high school students the guidance counselor they accuse of rape and the detective who knows there's more to the story.System Requirements:Running Time: 114 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: UNRATED UPC: 043396016286 Manufacturer No: 01628

Wild Things is the kind of lurid, trashy thriller that you'll either dive into with unabashed pleasure or turn away from in prudish disgust; it's entirely your choice, but we suggest the former option since it's obviously much more fun. The plot's so convoluted it's hardly worth describing, except to say that it's set in humid Florida and involves a respected high school teacher (Matt Dillon--yes, Matt Dillon as a teacher!) who is faced with accusations of rape by a student (Denise Richards, from Starship Troopers) who had been giving him the kind of attention most people would consider improper for such a "nice" young lady. Another student (Neve Campbell) raises a similar charge against the teacher, and that's when a police officer (Kevin Bacon) begins to investigate the allegations. Just when you think the movie's gone overboard with its shameless sex and absurdly twisted plot, in drops Bill Murray as an unscrupulous lawyer (of course) to spice things up with insurance scams and welcomed comic relief. As directed by John McNaughton (who has a way of making just the right moves with this kind of film noir melodrama), Wild Things is a bona fide guilty pleasure--the kind of movie you may be ashamed to enjoy, but what the heck, you'll enjoy it anyway. --Jeff Shannon

Wild Things

Wild Things is the kind of lurid, trashy thriller that you'll either dive into with unabashed pleasure or turn away from in prudish disgust; it's entirely your choice, but we suggest the former option since it's obviously much more fun. The plot's so convoluted it's hardly worth describing, except to say that it's set in humid Florida and involves a respected high school teacher (Matt Dillon--yes, Matt Dillon as a teacher!) who is faced with accusations of rape by a student (Denise Richards, from Starship Troopers) who had been giving him the kind of attention most people would consider improper for such a "nice" young lady. Another student (Neve Campbell) raises a similar charge against the teacher, and that's when a police officer (Kevin Bacon) begins to investigate the allegations. Just when you think the movie's gone overboard with its shameless sex and absurdly twisted plot, in drops Bill Murray as an unscrupulous lawyer (of course) to spice things up with insurance scams and welcomed comic relief. As directed by John McNaughton (who has a way of making just the right moves with this kind of film noir melodrama), Wild Things is a bona fide guilty pleasure--the kind of movie you may be ashamed to enjoy, but what the heck, you'll enjoy it anyway. --Jeff Shannon

Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer (20th Anniversary)

Most horror films exist in a fantasy movie-world safely removed from our existence, populated by zombie-like killers and psychopathic madmen. The power of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is its chilling placement in the mundane existence of everyday life. Michael Rooker plays Henry not as a raving psychopath but as the frumpy guy next door, a drifter who takes out his frustrations on random victims and escalates his body count after teaming up with the violent ex-con Otis (Tom Towles). Though not exceedingly gory in light of the excesses of such fantasy horrors as the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street series, director John McNaughton's straightforward presentation and documentary-like style creates a chilling realism that many viewers will find hard to watch. McNaughton neither comments on nor flinches at the brutal violence, which reaches its apex in a disturbing camcorder-eye view of a particularly sadistic murder of a middle-class couple, with Henry and Otis smiling through the deed as they record it for their continued pleasure. Henry straddles the line between True Crime (though fictional, the story was inspired by the confessions of real life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas) and horror, a bleak, brutal kind of terror for a generation deadened by the escalating outrageousness of movie murders and nightly news crime scene clips. --Sean Axmaker

Ever seen a film so terrifying that it made you want to sleep with all the lights on? A film so unsettling that some of its scenes were stuck in your mind long after you'd finished viewing it? John McNaughton's horrific masterpiece HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER is that kind of film. Based on true events, this critically-acclaimed classic so believably portrays the senseless killing spree of a dangerous sociopath on the loose, Michael Rooker in a bone-chilling performance, that people can't stop talking about it even twenty years after it was filmed. If you've never seen HENRY before, get ready for the ride of your life. If you have seen HENRY and are one if its many fans, you're not going to want to miss this 20th Anniversary Special Edition, which is packed full of never-before-seen extras and is presented here in a stunning new high definition transfer supervised by the director.

Wild Things Collection

Mad Dog and Glory

Now here's a switcheroo: In a movie about a mild-mannered police photographer who is befriended by a swaggering gangster, Bill Murray plays the gangster and Robert De Niro plays the photographer. Directed by John McNaughton from a script by Richard Price, this comedy-drama has its moments but never quite lifts off. De Niro plays a shy type nicknamed Mad Dog who accidentally saves Murray's life. In gratitude, Murray "gives" him a girl, Glory (Uma Thurman), who is supposed to satisfy his needs and make him feel good. Instead, the photographer falls in love with her. When the gangster wants her back, the photographer says no, triggering an unlikely showdown. Murray is scarily funny as a mobster who wants to be a standup comic, but De Niro plays this nonentity as, well, a nonentity. Thurman is luminous; who wouldn't want to fight over her? --Marshall Fine

Normal Life

A contempory "Bonnie & Clyde" about a woman living on the edge who marries a young cop and convinces him to join her on a bank robbery spree throughout Chicago.Running Time: 108 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 794043770128

Lansky

A new version of an old story - the great American dream. LANSKY tells of a young emigrant's rise from poverty to riches through hard-edged business sense ... and a ruthless ability to murder anyone who gets in his way. Richard Dreyfuss is LANSKY - the man who organized organized crime.Running Time: 116 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 026359147425

Meyer Lansky, along with Bugsy Siegel and Lucky Luciano, helped mold organized crime in America into "the Syndicate," a business run as efficiently and ruthlessly as any corporation. Richard Dreyfuss plays Lansky (as do Max Perlich and Ryan Merriman). Starting out with Lansky as an aging, ill, cranky man taking refuge in Israel, the film tells his life in a series of flashbacks, starting out as a young Jewish tough trying to hold his own against Irish gangs in New York. Lansky and his associates climb the ladder of crime over the years, turning Las Vegas from a quiet desert town into a swank gambling hot spot, eliminating any rogue elements or competition that could hurt the cause. Senator Estes Kefauver came along to put a dent in the Mob's activities by the l950s, but Lansky and company came through fairly unscathed. With direction by John McNaughton and a pungent David Mamet screenplay, this should be top-drawer stuff, but, oddly, it comes across as only average. The movie's chronological structure, jumping back and forth in time, becomes a little confusing, then irritating. Three actors playing the same man over the years make it a bit difficult to nail down his real essence, while several other characters are barely more than window dressing. Also, the Judaism of Lansky, Siegel, Rosen, and Rothstein is given short shrift in the story. With tighter editing and firmer direction, Lansky could have been very good, but as is, it's just what it is: a made-for-cable biopic. --Jerry Renshaw

Masters of Horror - John Mcnaughton - Haeckel's Tale

Showtime has amassed some of the greatest horror film writers and directors to bring to you the anthology series "Masters of Horror". For the first time the foremost names in the horror film genre have joined forces for the series consisting of 13 one-hour films each season.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 013131446999 Manufacturer No: DV14469

You get three Masters of Horror for the price of one in this episode of the popular cable anthology series: director John McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Wild Things), writer Clive Barker, on whose short story the script is based, and the legendary George A. Romero, who had to bow out of the production but whose contribution is noted with an "in association with" credit. Romero's history and influence also weighs heavily on this Gothic period chiller, which concerns a brash young medical student (Derek Cecil), whose desire to re-animate the dead is called into question by a young woman (sexy Leela Savasta) whose passion for her husband has not quelled, despite his recent passing.

In an interview featured on the disc, McNaughton mentions the lush visuals and melodramatic tone of Hammer Films and American International Pictures as major influences on his approach to Haeckel's Tale, and both are evident in the hothouse sexuality and wonderfully overripe performances (particularly by character actor Jon Polito as a traveling magician). Of course, the gore also flows quite freely here, and the zombie makeup by Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger is typically top-notch. An above-average entry from the hit-and-miss Masters series, Haeckel's Tale delivers shivers and sensuality with a wry smile and a tip of the cranium to its '60s horror forebears. The DVD includes interview featurettes with McNaughton (which covers his career to date), Cecil, Polito, and Savasta; McNaughton also provides commentary for the episode, and is discussed at length by his Haeckel's cast as well as Michael Rooker and Tom Towles from Henry. A behind-the-scenes glimpse, storyboard gallery, and the original screenplay (accessible with DVD-ROM) round out the three hours of extras. -- Paul Gaita

Girls in Prison

Big-screen stars Anne Heche (SIX DAYS, SEVEN NIGHTS) and Ione Skye (ONE NIGHT STAND) heat up the big house in this cool and campy takeoff of "women-behind-bars" movies! Aggie is a sweet young songstress having a hard time making it in the sleazy music biz ... though it's not nearly as hard as the "time" she'll have to do for a murder she didn't commit! Yet even in the slammer, she's targeted by the same shady characters responsible for her fiendish frame-up! Featuring some of Hollywood's most memorable "bad-girl" performances, including the year's steamiest shower scene -- you're sure to get caught up as Aggie fights to be declared innocent before she's silenced forever!

Speaking of Sex

When the marital problems of a couple (Walters Mohr) are attempted to be solved by a marriage counselor (Boyle) a depression expert (Spader) and their attorneys (Murray O'Hara) what eventually happens instead is a series of random pairings off...System Requirements:Run Time: 101 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 012236207191 Manufacturer No: 20719