REVIEW: “Angel Heart” (1987)

What Rourke once saw when he looked in the mirror.

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1987
STUDIO: Artisan
MPAA RATING: R
LENGTH: 112 mins.
DVD? (Y/N): Y
BLU-RAY? (Y/N): Y
NETFLIX? (Y/N): Y (DVD and Blu-ray)
NETFLIX STREAMING? (Y/N):  N

EFFECTS (1-5): 4
SCORE (1-5): 5
OVERALL (1-5): 4

SYNOPSIS: Harry Angel (Rourke) is a down-and-out 50’s gumshoe in Brooklyn. He is hired by a mysterious businessman (DeNiro) to find a man who owes him an unspecified debt. His search takes him on a dark, violent journey through the streets of Harlem, smoke-filled New Orleans jazz clubs, and voodoo rituals in the Louisiana swamps.

REVIEW: “Cat People” (1982)

Don’t you hate the way cats just…stare?

STUDIO: Universal Studios
MPAA RATING: R
LENGTH: 119 mins.
DVD? (Y/N): Y
BLU-RAY? (Y/N): N (as of 01.14.12)
NETFLIX? (Y/N): Y (DVD only)
STREAMING/DIGITAL? (Y/N): Y (Amazon Instant)

EFFECTS (1-5): 4
SCORE (1-5): 5
OVERALL (1-5): 4

SYNOPSIS: This erotic fantasy tale features lovely Nastassja Kinski as a young girl on the brink of becoming a woman (yes, she is supposed to be a virgin). She discovers love for the first time only to find that the explosive experience brings with it tragic consequences. A backstory set in prehistoric Africa (magnificently filmed in tones of dusty orange) explains the pact that results in the bizarre melding of man and cat – and the hunger that drives the creatures that result. Centuries later, in modern-day New Orleans, such creatures continue to exist – and to hunt. And mate.