Amazon.com

When you consider its unfortunate production history, Cursed turned out surprisingly well as a werewolf thriller that horror buffs will appreciate. It's hardly the disaster critics made it out to be, but extensive rewriting, reshooting, recasting, and lengthy delays in production and release (including the elimination of R-rated gore to earn a PG-13 rating) clearly took their toll. The result is a fun but flawed monster-show that begins when a young talk-show producer (Christina Ricci) and her teenaged brother (Jesse Eisenberg) are bitten by a werewolf, setting the stage for a horror-in-Hollywood scenario that reunites director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson, creators of the Scream franchise. What could have been a classic horror comedy is instead a fairly solid, if unremarkable, exercise in Los Angeles lycanthropy, featuring werewolf makeup by Rick Baker (combined with CGI transformation effects, of course) and some of Williamson's snappy dialogue and trademark pop-culture references. The title of Cursed doubles as a description of this movie's ultimate fate, but in a market filled with straight-to-video horror fodder, it's anything but a lost cause. The supporting cast includes Shannon Elizabeth, Portia de Rossi and Joshua Jackson, so genre aficionados should definitely check it out. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Amazon.com

People use the word "sleeper" loosely, but A Wedding for Bella (released to theaters as The Bread, My Sweet) truly fits the bill. This tiny-budgeted charmer had modest distribution, but managed to win over the audiences that stumbled across it. In order to please his beloved elders, an Italian-American (Scott Baio) plots to marry a woman (Kristin Minter) he doesn't even know, with much of the action set around the homey ethnic bakery he owns in Pittsburgh. Yes, it's all very Moonstruck, but without the star power or the glossy finish; in fact, the production values (and some of the acting) in this film are variable to the point of clumsy. But there's a warm, intimate mood here that's inextricable from the homemade style. And, in an image-changing turn, former kid star Scott Baio delivers a terrific, assured performance. It's the biggest surprise in a sweet movie. --Robert Horton ... Read more

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A young Jodie Foster stars in this compassionate portrait of four unhappyteenage girls struggling with life in late 1970s Los Angeles. Jeannie(Foster) and her friends all have parents who are either divorced,negligent, or downright abusive. Looking for some kind of point to theirlives, the girls drink, do drugs, sleep around, and fight with theirparents and each other--but Foxes isn't the trashy melodrama youmight expect. The writing and performances are surprisingly good, thoughit's no surprise that Foster (Taxi Driver, The Silence of theLambs) stands out for sheer charisma and depth. Director Adrian Lyne(Fatal Attraction, Flashdance) demonstrates a deft hand forjuggling the girls' multiple storylines. Also featuring Sally Kellerman(M*A*S*H), Randy Quaid (Kingpin, Independence Day),Scott Baio (television's Happy Days), and a brief appearance by avery young Laura Dern (Blue Velvet, Citizen Ruth). --BretFetzer ... Read more

Reviews (20)

This movie is great!
This movie needs to be on DVD. It is essential and underappreciated. I saw it when it first came out when I was in 8th grade and never forgot it. It is a late 70's/early 80's decadent SoCal teen slice of life. They even throw in Scott Baio in Adidas shorts on a skateboard for versimilitude. Jodie Foster is awesome, Sally Kellerman is neurotic and self-centered, Cherie Curie is unforgettable. That party scene-I dug it when I was a kid but today it's every adults nightmare. The soundtrack is perfect--only thing missing is some Cheap Trick!

One of the greatest films of all time!
I can't believe people are only giving this film two stars. In what other film can you see Jodie Foster , overwhelmed with teenage angst, come home from a night on the town and turn up "More than a Feeling" while she sulks on the couch. THIS IS A CLASSIC! Not to mention one of the greatest high school party scenes ever. The song "On the Radio" would mean nothing to me if it weren't for this film. Oh yeah, one more thing The Band "Angel" live in concert, performing their hit "20th Century Foxes"- you've got to watch for yourself, that's all there is to it. Don't rent it, buy it, believe me you'll watch it again & again. You haven't fully exprienced the 70's until you've seen this movie.

Still Relevant Coming of Age Story
This film is an excellent coming of age drama that teens and young adults today will enjoy despite the fact that it was filmed in the late 70's. Jodi Foster has a mom who dates casually and lets her pretty much do what she wants to do. It's obvious her moms house is the cool house because all of her friend "hang" at her house. Each one of the girls has some serious issues that they are dealing with. These girls are going through some of the same things teens today are going through. This movies succeeds where a lot of current films like "Thirteen" fail. It shows, it shocks and there are serious consequences. The DVD doesn't have any extras and the film quality isn't much better than the VHS. What I love most about the story in the film is how the friends really bond together to try to help the one friend who needs help the most.

"We raise our children in love and they grow up in love" is a quote from one of Jodie Fosters instructors at the beginning of the film and it's very fitting to the lives of the main characters.

powerful teen drama
I loved this movie from the moment I saw it for sale at my video store's discard rack ten years ago. I recently received the DVD as a gift and the sound quality is a big improvement over my old vhs copy. I recommend it for performances, the story and the photography. Jodie Foster's monologue toward the end of the film is particularly memorable. Each girl's story line is realistic and the film itself does a good job of capturing teen life in the late 70s before yuppie values took hold. This is NOT a John Hughes film and is a refreshing change for anyone who was subjected that director's teen films in the 80s.

Was it ever good? I think not.
Trials and tribulations of Jodie Foster and her 3 twenty-something year old high school friends...

Jodie gives a fair performance, but the others were substantially less than average. Sally Kellerman as Jodie's mom was pretty good. Laura Dern ("Jurassic Park") was interesting in her small scenes. Randy Quaid as one girl's boyfriend was mediocre (see "The Last Detail" for his excellent role in a good movie.)

Due to music and cultural references, plus the clothes and hair styles, the movie is pretty dated, but that is not a contributing factor to its badness. False dialogue and some typical cliches are factors, however. The partying scenes are also unconvincing, as everyone smokes joints like cigarettes, drinks a lot, and never appears intoxicated.

Director Adrian Lyne has made some good movies ("Jacob's Ladder", "Lolita"). Unfortunately, this is not one of them.

Scott Baio escapes bullies on his skateboard. Need I say more? ... Read more

Amazon.com

When you consider its unfortunate production history, Cursed turned out surprisingly well as a werewolf thriller that horror buffs will appreciate. It's hardly the disaster critics made it out to be, but extensive rewriting, reshooting, recasting, and lengthy delays in production and release (including the elimination of R-rated gore to earn a PG-13 rating) clearly took their toll. The result is a fun but flawed monster-show that begins when a young talk-show producer (Christina Ricci) and her teenaged brother (Jesse Eisenberg) are bitten by a werewolf, setting the stage for a horror-in-Hollywood scenario that reunites director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson, creators of the Scream franchise. What could have been a classic horror comedy is instead a fairly solid, if unremarkable, exercise in Los Angeles lycanthropy, featuring werewolf makeup by Rick Baker (combined with CGI transformation effects, of course) and some of Williamson's snappy dialogue and trademark pop-culture references. The title of Cursed doubles as a description of this movie's ultimate fate, but in a market filled with straight-to-video horror fodder, it's anything but a lost cause. The supporting cast includes Shannon Elizabeth, Portia de Rossi and Joshua Jackson, so genre aficionados should definitely check it out. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Not horror
Okay, as a horror movie it's lacking in an important area...Fear factor.It wasn't really scary at all.

HOWEVER, I loved this movie.It was a lot of fun, and that's all that matters.An earlier reviewer was right -- no gore.Since when does a bunch of fake blood manke anything scary anyway?I'm eager to see this unrated version, and I really hope they don't turn it into a werewolf gorefest.

Cursed...not so cursed!
I am tired of reading movie reviews that should be submitted elsewhere. I think Amazon wanted product reviews first, and movie reviews second. But in defense of this film.
This movie was harmless. It had signature Craven elements and it was pretty well pulled together for all of the production problems.What is "mainstream" horror anyway? Turning 39 in a few weeks and being a life long horror fan, I consider myself to be a pretty big expert on most genres. Craven lost my interest with the Elm Street films and Scream was clever indeed, but Craven has changed into a whole new type of director for a specific audience.I don't see much "mainstream" horror that I like-well, US produced anyway, and despite being that seriously disinterested in "mainstream" movies, I found this film to be enjoyable and harmless.What do people expect when shows like Buffy are as popular? Sure, the movie was lost between teen & horror genres-maybe not enough to polarize it further one way or another, but it was harmless. I wouldn't call these reviewers "high" for liking it, I would ask why people are so critical of movies that are never going to reach some epic or trend setting cult status.My dear kiddies those days are long gone, for the most part it has all been done before. So...shut and watch the movie.

Great movie...best werewolf movie ever...
Whoever saw Cursed in theaters saw the PG13 rating, meaning the Unrated will even be better. Christina Ricci as always gives a great preformance along with everyone else in this movie. Of all werewolf movies, this has to be the best one ever made. Scenes in this movie are very creative, such as the funhouse mirror scene where characters are being chased by a werewolf. There is also a little humor, which lightens up any film, because what good movie doesn't have some kind of humor in it? Only bad movies do, and this is not one of those movies. The only problem with this movie is that Shannon Elizabeth does not have a large part, and dissapears within the first ten minutes. Otherwise, this movie has no other flaw. Get Cursed, you will not regret owning the best werewolf movie ever made.

What has happened to Wes Craven?
Seems to me that ever since Wes Craven went back to Elm Street with 1994's New Nightmare, that everything he has turned out since has been utter horror fodder, and don't even get me started on the Scream trilogy.Those who are familiar with Craven's early and revered work, Last House on the Left, Hills Have Eyes, the original Nightmare on Elm Street, and Serpent and the Rainbow, won't believe just how generic and sloppy Cursed is.Though the film has had a sordid production history, this reunion of Craven and Scream writer Kevin Williamson finds Christina Ricci in the starring role who, along with her brother, are both bitten by a werewolf.Soon enough, every predictable thing happens, including some somewhat cool werewolf transformations, courtesy of the master himself, Rick Baker.However, the directing is horrible, the dialogue attrocious, and besides Ricci, the cast is horrid.Joshua Jackson, Shannon Elizabeth, Portia de Rossi, and just about everyone else involved are just plain bad, and by the time Cursed reaches it's unlikely climax, you'll be wishing you'd have done something better with your time.This re-cut "unrated" (really R-rated as is what the film originally received, and then trimmed down for a PG-13 rating) version of the film really adds nothing besides some so-so gore effects.It's a shame that Wes Craven has sunk so low, I never thought that the same guy who went for your jugular in Last House on the Left and Hills Have Eyes could turn out something as bad as this.

AWESOME
Screw the critics this movie is really really good! i mean dont say were on drugs if you pay attention it can be really great. even tho there are a couple of places that i would change it still wicked interesting.

~Ben
P.S. Christina Ricci's forehead isn't that big! ... Read more

Description

From happy hour to last call, men and women desperately flirt, cheat, and fantasize while cruising from bar to bar in the hopes of meeting someone and not going home alone.Don't miss this wild and hip L.A. bar scene. ... Read more