The Fourth Man (1983) aka De Vierde Man aka The 4th Man

4.5 / 5 Mar '10
Tagline: Christine is young, beautiful and rich. Her three husbands all died tragically. It's time for Christine to find her fourth man.
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Written by: Gerard Reve, Gerard Soeteman
Actors include: Jeroen Krabbé, Renée Soutendijk, Thom Hoffman
Genre: Thriller
Length: 102 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one unusual film and a completely unexpected surprise especially when you compare to Paul Verhoeven's later works (which is all I've really seen until now). It's sort of in the spirit of Brian De Palma yet it's far from being a copycat of sorts. The story is about a jerkish gay Catholic writer who suffers from hallucinations (likely Catholic guilt about his homosexuality). During a press conference he is fascinated with a Woman named Christine (Renée Soutendijk who is videotaping him, and the two wind up in some sort of affair. He's especially pleased that Christine looks rather masculine, only he learns she has a serious lover that he offers to help her with. She brings the lover back to the house (and see our writer is obsessed with the male lover which was his motivation for wanting to help). When the writer uncovers that Christine is actually looking for her fourth husband and that unfortunate accidents have happened to the first few he can't stop seeking facts even past the point of danger. It's one heck of an enthralling tale, really absurd and somewhat morbidly humorous even oh and I should warn you that there will be a lot of penis in this film. It's one heck of a strange perverse artistic thriller that although at first it somewhat confusing rest assured it will all be explained. This is the sort of film that I can't imagine forgetting, it really makes me wonder what else Verhoeven has created, I wonder if all of his Dutch language films are as intriguing as this one?

Availability:  On DVD

Total Recall (1990)

4 / 5 Mar '10

Tagline: They Stole His Mind, Now He Wants It Back!
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Written by: Philip K. Dick, Ronald Shusett
Actors include: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone
Genre: Thriller, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Length: 113 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: USA

Review:
This is one relatively exciting action packed futuristic tale that doesn't seem all that far off from actually happening. Okay well maybe that's an exaggeration, I can't picture some of these violent sequences actually happening but conceptually...we aren't far off. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Douglas Quaid, a fellow who really wants to go to Mars but his wife Lori (Sharon Stone) isn't interested. Instead Douglas hears of a company called Recall which implants memories of trips to nearly anywhere and they let you be any sort of person you'd like for the experience. Douglas decides to give it a try and he selects secret agent with aliens and brunette lady friend (and I can't imagine why anyone would select Rachel Ticotin over Stone) and receives a vacation implant to Mars. We hear that something has gone wrong and that Douglas' memory has accidentally erased, we sort of meet with him and we aren't quite sure which state he's at and he's more confused than we are. All of the sudden people with guns are shooting at him and life is a giant adventure all to do with something that happened on Mars that he can't remember. It's pretty fun watching everything come together especially since it's a rather violent ride filled with adventure. Really I guess this should be recommended to most, the concept is interesting the effects are good and it's very easy to enjoy.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Spetters (1980)

4.5 / 5
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Paul Verhoeven
Written by:  Gerard Soeteman
Actors include:  Hans van Tongeren, Renée Soutendijk, Toon Agterberg
Genre:  Drama, Exploitation, Action
Length:  120 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

This one probably takes the cake for being the film with the most penis in it that isn't x-rated.  Now don't let this deter you because this is one heck of a powerful and interesting film.  The odd thing is, when I put this on I thought we were in for a racing movie, but this is so much more than that.  In fact it bears a bit of a resemblance to Saturday Night Fever but I think it's so much better.  It revolves around a group of friends who are into biking, one kid in particular called Rien is destined to be a champ.  He meets the ambitious Fientje who works at a food stand and he falls pretty hard for her.  She's more interested in who will provide the nicest life for her...she's rather evil.  The other friends involved all go through some major realizations and troubles.  One friend likes to beat and rob gay men, one is sort of an underachiever, and one is going to have a life changing ride.  It's actually rather comical despite the fact that it's rather serious overall, it's surprisingly well put together and it does have a little bit of everything.  Outside of the horror genre I've seen very few foreign films, but this was a real treat.  Highly recommended from a very talented director not to mention the excellent soundtrack of classics.

Availability:  On DVD