Corazón de amante, manos de asesino

...and could actually be better than most of the vile garbage that comes out of Hollywood lately. Has an interesting premise, and at first you expect it to be another mindless "erotic thriller" (it did go straight to video), but the second half hour springs the "thriller" part that most of these erotic thrillers lack (or never had). Pretty interesting movie.

Direction isn't exactly innovative, but pretty fair. Richie Valens actually came off as threatening, hard to do since he's about a foot shorter than the female lead (nothing personal, but I think he could have done better if he didn't star in it, too). There were parts of this movie that had me bamboozled -- I thought it was going one way and it went the other way out of nowhere.

Excellent first try from Mister La Bamba. I wonder if he's done anything since...?

Here's another one of these low-grade, almost soft-porn type movies. Hey, I gave it shot hoping it would be a good, suspenseful crime film. In reality, however - at least the first half of the film - it turned out to be just an excuse for Kate Vernon to show off her face, body and to have sex. Hey, I enjoyed looking at her but really, folks, this is Grade D material.

The dialog in that first huor was so bad I had a difficult time caring about the rest of the movie. I don't even remember if I finished it. Lou Diamond Phillips was an actor who started off with promise but seemed to make nothing but these kind of second-rate movies.

Not as bad as all that. The film had more plot than a lot of such offerings. Yes, it is a sign of Lou Diamond Phillips' narcissism, but hey, if you get to write, star in, and direct, why not. I thought Kate Vernon seemed a bit young to be so successful, but they did need a hottie for the role. And after so many years of triple-D mounds of silicone on-screen, it was refreshing to see Ms. Vernon proudly baring beautiful, but normal-sized boobies on film. Some people seem to thank that LDP mis-cast himself in this, but I think that the biggest casting goof was Max Gail as the mob boss. He still exudes the air of earnest goofiness that I remember from when he played Wojciehowicz on Barney Miller. I suppose that even Lou Diamond Phillips could see that, and there must be more to the casting that I am missing. Deliberate irony? In any case it backfired. But really although this film is far, far from great, it isn't that bad. Doesn't deserve a 2.4 rating.

...is so weird for me to think of! Although it seems almost pornographic at times, given the context of the lead's profession(sex therapist)and the fiery relationship with LDP, I grew up on this movie. I kept finding it on HBO when I was like 8...on vacation in motel rooms, at our house when HBO mysteriously started appearing for free and we didn't complain. And I taped it one night, and then watched it a few other times. It's an odd childhood favorite, LOL, but it's up there on my list with The Little Mermaid, Jurassic Park, and E.T. =) It's a good movie for a lazy Sunday in bed with your lover/spouse bc the plot is somewhat interesting and entertaining, both leads are fairly attractive, and it will almost certainly encourage sex to occur before the credits role. Don't expect miracles from this movie, but it's worth a look. Not what I would classify as 'family viewing'!!

A radio sex therapist (Kate Vernon) falls for a mysterious man (Lou Diamond Phillips) who is actually an ex-con and soon she gets caught in a crazed web of lies, deceit and sexual blackmail. Underworld figures and hired thugs aplenty in this silly would-be thriller that shows a little more skin and a little more stupidity than most others of the sorry genre. Phillips' attempt at directing a theatrical feature falls flat due to late-night cable ideas and a cast that seems dazed by the entire venture. Vernon is made out to be smart and sophisticated, but she falls under Phillips' spell almost immediately. Thankfully, most viewers with any taste will not fall under any incantation this movie throws at them. Turkey (0 stars out of 5).