The Grotesque

I really liked this movie, with it's dark but complicated theme. The acting in most cases was impeccable. Alan Bates as Sir Hugo was definitely as much of an antagonist in this film as was the butler Fletch, portrayed by Sting.The plot is thick and rather confusing as to know who the real Grotesque is ( as put by Sir Hugo) This was a much better screenplay than it was a book. The book really starts making no sense towards the end. The film at least has a third antagonist of sorts but I won't spoil it for you. Not easy to find, you can get this movie in VHS in the U.S. and DVD in some countries. It was worth the the watch for me.Sting is his usual sexy, steamy self and Trudy Styler (Mrs Sting who produced this movie) has a small interesting part as Fletch's alcoholic wife. It is dark and delicious fun and if you like this macabre genre, you might enjoy it. AKA "Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets" and "Grave Indiscretions"

This movie was more boring than church. All they did was yak yak yak and didn't even shoot anybody. The sex scenes were okay, but it was all that "dialogue" and "plot" between the sex that really ruined this film.

It's very difficult to dramatize novels hinging on an unreliable narrator without losing their essence. David Cronenburg did a brilliant job with Patrick McGrath's "Spider," in part by turning the narrator's garrulous on-page viewpoint almost entirely visual. But this adaptation of another excellent McGrath novel (my favorite) doesn't work remotely as well.

Where the book is a fiendishly misleading quasi-Gothic that turns out to be quite something else, the movie plays like a routine naughty costume intrigue, part "romp," part Agatha Christie. Despite the very interesting cast no one is particularly good (and Theresa Russell gives one of her really bad performances, which unfortunately by now outnumber her few very good ones). The story's original macabre psychological intricacy is lost in favor of something much more broad, and the book's key revelation simply gets lost in the uninspired shuffle.

It's watchable enough if you're not expecting much, and should you care, on a couple occasions Russell and Sting bare nearly all. But you're much better off reading McGrath's slim, sardonic, nasty little novel, which is both a subtle parody of Gothic literature and a great piece of perverse unreliable-narrator gamesmanship.

P.S. You know a movie has misfired when despite such notable actors it goes through so many desperate name changes: Debuting as "The Grotesque" (its source name), barely released to theaters as ""Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets," then to video as "Grave Indiscretions."

Not much must be said about this film apart from i highly advice People to rent this movie. With a strong British cast including Sting. The direction is superb and the dialogue is intelligent and dark. This combined with a dark sinister plot makes it one of my favourite films of all time and John-Paul Davidson one of the best British Directors around. There are strong performances from both Alan Bates and Thressa Russel. And a surprisingly good performance from Sting and a quest appearance from his wife. Based on the book by Patric McGraph. Go and see it. You will not be disappointed. A must see British Film!!! And in case i haven't said enough. There is a very chilling score. And yes i do love this film!!

Decidedly unpredictable but overly eccentric (you could say "overly British", but apparently the film was as much a failure there as everywhere else) black comedy, that strains to be whimsical at the expense of everything else (including laughs). The best thing in the picture is by far the bright young actress Lena Headey (wonderful also in "Gossip"), who lights up the screen every time she appears. Her sardonic smiles and the occasional gleams of dirty fun in her eyes are priceless; I don't think there's any other actress who can pronounce the phrase "how horrid!" (and mean exactly the opposite) quite like she does. (**)