lostngone4ever

Okay, its not that good of a movie, I will admit that, but for some reason it is a guilty pleasure. And not for any of the very un-erotic sex scenes. Stone certainly is beautiful and I like her performance here and that helps. I will say I read the book and it sucked even worse then the movie. Why they tried to adapt the book is beyond me. Like someone else said in a review it is a very good idea and premise but it just doesn't work here. Had it been done with more thrill and less sex it really could have taken the viewer deeper into the voyeuristic world in which it presents. However, it only goes skims the surface and leaves you wanting more. As for the other performances, both Berenger and Baldwin and even Martin Landau are weak but I enjoyed the small female performances of CCCh Pounder as the detective, Colleen Camp as her perverted co-worker and Polly Walker as her sexy neighbor. As for the abrupt ending I thought it kicked ass. :)

...can now be held for the latter part of Elizabeth Taylors career. After The Taming of the Shrew(1967) it all seemed to go down hill. Check out any post Shrew movies and you will see what I mean. Here, in The Only Game, in Town Beatty and Taylor are jaded and cynical workers and lovers trying to escape Vegas, but both have their problems. Beatty is a compulsive gambler and Taylor is a cold fish unable to communicate love for fear of abandonment. It's a subtle love story and comedy that has some pretty good moments even though it runs a little slow. Don't expect anything amazing but its worth a look.

Elizabeth Taylor plays Barbara Sawyer, wife to Henry Fonda (who shows up late in the film) for 30 years who has not aged well (to say the least). She goes to Europe and receives plastic surgery in an attempt to save her marriage. Will her restored youth appeal to her husband or will she have to start life over and be strong enough to do so? This is the premise of Ash Wednesday, a syrupy soap opera in the ugly duckling to beautiful swan tradition. Maybe you're a fan of Liz Taylor and sought this movie out, or maybe you just managed to catch it on late night cable and there was nothing else on. Either way you probably realized that this movie wasn't exactly high caliber. But in humble defense I will praise an excellent musical score, beautiful on location scenery, and elegant Edith Head designed fashions. The premise of the movie is a good one and it could have made for a very interesting film had the screenwriter or director had any amount of talent. But the dialogue and direction are both flat. Certain scenes seem pointless and unfulfilled. However, the main point of the movie is to show loving close ups and profiles of 41 year old Taylor looking beautiful again. And, yes, with a lot more make-up and just the right camera angle, we the audience, are transplanted back to those fabulous 50's movies when Taylor didn't have to act or even speak to transfix your gaze upon her and hold it rapt. Rating for Ash Wednesday for any viewer. **(out of 4) For Liz Taylor fans. ***