Beautiful Creatures

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Reel Movie Critic.com</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reel Movie Critic.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id1811.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Claim"><U>The Claim</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1849.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Big Eden"><U>Big Eden</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1861.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Black Knight"><U>Black Knight</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1859.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Black Hawk Down"><U>Black Hawk Down</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1852.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Blow"><U>Blow</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1819.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Curse of the Jade Scorpion"><U>The Curse of the Jade Scorpion</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1812.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Day I Became A Woman"><U>The Day I Became A Woman</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1818.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Deep End"><U>The Deep End</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1824.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="De LAmour"><U>De L'Amour</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1823.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Devils Backbone"><U>The Devil's Backbone</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1815.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The XFiles Season 3 Gift Collection"><U>The X-Files Season 3 Gift Collection</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1813.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Dish"><U>The Dish</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1827.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Criss Cross"><U>Criss Cross</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1826.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Simpsons: The Complete 1st Season"><U>The Simpson's: The Complete 1st Season</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1839.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Amati Girls"><U>Amati Girls</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1838.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Anti Trust"><U>Anti Trust</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1844.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Apocalypse Now Redux"><U>Apocalypse Now Redux</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1841.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Atlantis: The Lost Empire"><U>Atlantis: The Lost Empire</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1840.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Baby Boy "><U>Baby Boy </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1845.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bandits"><U>Bandits</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1843.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Baise Moi"><U>Baise Moi</U></A>   |   <B>Beautiful Creatures</B>   |   <A HREF="id1871.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Town and Country"><U>Town and Country</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1872.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Va Savoir"><U>Va Savoir</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <B>Home Pages for</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm"><U><B><U>Movies</U></B></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm"><U> </U></A></FONT></div> <div> <B><U>      </U></B><A HREF="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/"><U><B><U>Books</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <B><U>           </U></B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B><U>Travel</U></B></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U> </U></A></FONT></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B><U>Great Web Sites</U></B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Beautiful Creatures</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="501" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 389 WIDTH="495"><div> <B><IMG SRC="9a0d8400.png" border=0 width="216" height="320" ALT="Bitmap Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B> <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005NGAG/reelmoviecriticc">Beautiful Creatures DVD $20.24...</A>  </B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Beautiful Creatures </B>*** ( R )</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By George O. Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="545"><div> Chicks in chains…busting out!</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="278"><div> Petula: Rachel Weisz</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="295"><div> Dorothy: Susan Lynch</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="278"><div> Tony: Iain Glen</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="295"><div> Brian: Tom Mannion</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Detective Inspector George: Alex Norton</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="295"><div> Ronnie: Maurice Roeves</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="278"><div> Pluto (the dog): Storm</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="295"><div> Director: Bill Eagles</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: Two women, both of whom are in abusive relationships with male lovers, meet by accident. When one of the men is killed, the women are placed in a position of determining what to do with the body. A detective is soon on their trail and they find that their lives not only become more complicated, but they are in danger. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Dorothy (Susan Lynch) and her boyfriend Tony (Iain Glen) are having an argument on a rapidly moving train. He's chasing her through the railroad cars after slapping her around. When she locks herself in the bathroom compartment, he attacks the conductor who is trying to reestablish order. Tony gets off the train and by the time Dorothy reaches her apartment, he's been there and trashed the place. His temperament is summarized by his act of leaving a pot of boiling water on the stove with one of her bras in it. Dorothy's dog Pluto (Storm) has even been abused, which should leave no doubt about the future of her relationship with Tony being positive; she knows it is time to move on.</div> <bR> <div> While Dorothy is waiting at a bus stop with Pluto, coming down the street in an SUV is another arguing couple, Petula and Brian (Rachel Weisz and Tom Mannion). When the SUV stops and Petula and Brian take their argument out of the car, Pluto takes off when Brian starts to physically attack Petula. Dorothy chases after Pluto, but when she sees Brian strangling Petula, she gets him off of her with a blow to the head. They take him back to Dorothy's apartment and try to figure out what to do with him when he wakes up…that is, <I>if </I>he wakes up.</div> <bR> <div> Tony is soon back on the scene and before long, one of the boyfriends is dead. Detective Inspector George (Alex Norton) starts asking penetrating questions and begins negotiating a ransom for a person that he has reason to believe is dead. Ronnie (Maurice Roeves) is the brother of the dead man and like the inspector he has more than a casual sexual interest in Petula. </div> <bR> <div> Petula and Dorothy are trying to break the "chicks in chains" mentality of feeling that when men beat them, it's indirectly their fault. First they try to dispose of the body and later they make money by receiving a ransom. Of course things don't go as planned and as inspector George, Ronnie and the boyfriends play out their various agendas, life takes a different path for all of them.   </div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: It's Pluto who sets things in motion when he bites off the finger of the dead man. Next Dorothy gets the idea to use this as part of the ransom plan and the film moves into high gear.</div> <bR> <div> Even knowing that Rachel Weisz (<I><B>Enemy at the Gates</B></I>) is in the film did not keep me from thinking that I had the name wrong, as she is barely recognizable here as were Johnny Depp and Sean Penn in (<I><B>Before Night Falls</B></I>). The color of the film, lighting of the housing where Petula and Dorothy live, and the attire of the actors gives this film the general feel of <I>Pulp Fiction</I> or <B>Bound</B><B>;</B> a film with a similar story of women freeing themselves of oppressive males. As in <I><B>Bound,</B></I> you are around people at or near the scum bag level in a large city. Instead of LA, this is set in London. </div> <bR> <div> The only downfall to this film is that the set up and play out is much better than the ending. I am not spoiling things by saying that the conniving men get what they deserve and the women come out on top. The question that remains is are they any smarter at the end of the film than at the beginning? </div> <bR> <div> Luck can play too much of a role in a good outcome. When that happens, rather than you taking a conscious effort to control your own destiny, you may return to the same old habits that allowed you to get into a big jam in the first place. We can only wonder if Petula and Dorothy are still chicks in chains…being exploited by men as their sexual objects. </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> R (sex; nudity; drugs; violence; language)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> George O. Singleton © 2001</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="286"><div> Rachel Weisz: <I><B>Enemy at the Gates </B></I><I><B>& </B></I><I><B>The Mummy Returns</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Susan Lynch: Waking Ned</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Iain Glen: <I>Tomb Raider</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Tom Mannion: Big Women-TV</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Alex Norton: Little Voice</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Maurice Roeves: Judge Dredd</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Storm: Debut</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Bill Eagles: Touching Evil III-TV</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>