The Best Psychological Thriller Since "Wait Until Dark" Is "Dressed to Kill"

The Best Psychological Thriller Since "Wait Until Dark" Is "Dressed to Kill"
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

Dressed to Kill - 4 Stars (Excellent)

"Dressed to Kill" is the most horrific psychological
thriller I have seen since "Wait Until Dark" with Audrey
Hepburn as a recently blinded woman who is terrorized by a
trio of thugs while they search for a heroin-stuffed doll
they believe is in her apartment.

Dressed to Kill is just as tense and scary and adds the
taut elements of a steamy shower scene as the female lead
Kate Miller (played by none other than Angie Dickinson)
pleasures herself, a sex scene in a taxi cab that is so hot
and so ahead of its time that it almost explodes the
vehicle, and a razor-slitting murder scene in an elevator
that is beyond graphic.

This is one disturbing film involving an unhappy,
undersexed wife, an anonymous lover, a psychiatrist, a
psychopath, a stalker and a serial killer, not to mention
female nudity, erotica, vulgarity and transsexualism.

The DVD version that I rented had the traditional version
and the uncut version; I opted for the uncut version.
Despite all of its horrific elements, Dressed to Kill is an
excellent production (as least the uncut version) as a
psychological thriller because all of the aforementioned
horror scenes actually add to the story line and as such
are not sensational enough to grab attention away from the
unfolding drama.

We can thank Brian De Palma for that. De Palma both wrote
and directed this film with stunning results, his murder
mystery is right up there with the best of the best. So
many writer/director efforts result in terrible films. The
film was released in 1980, 27 years ago.

In the movie, Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson), a middle-aged,
sexually frustrated housewife, has a fantasy taking a
shower and later that day complaints to her psychiatrist
Dr. Robert Elliott (Michael Caine) about her husband's
pathetic performance in bed.

Kate goes to a museum and encounters a strange man (Ken
Baker) who she ends up with in taxicab on the way to his
apartment for more sex. While there she discovers the man
has a sexually transmitted disease and she bolts, only to
return when she realizes she has taken off and forgotten
her wedding ring.

After returning to elevator she is brutally slashed to
death by a tall blond woman wearing dark glasses. A
high-priced call girl (Nancy Allen) is the only witness to
the murder and becomes the slasher's next target. She is
rescued by Kate's son Peter (Keith Gordon) who enlists her
help in the scary business of solving his mother's murder.

Dressed to Kill is loaded with clever writing and clues
that go right by you on first viewing. I seldom watch
dramas anymore because I have seen enough in my lifetime
and so many action adventure, natural disaster and drama
films today are absolutely ridiculous in premise and
presentation.

Fans of Angie Dickinson will be heartened to know that a
body double was used in the shower scene in the film. It
could just as easily have been Angie. Two years after
making Dressed to Kill, when she was 50 and yet to undergo
any surgery, a panel of Hollywood designers and make-up
artists in 1982 ranked her first in a list of Best Female
Star Bodies.

Angie said that the taxicab scene was filmed on location in
New York, where several gawkers observed the scene and
shouted, "Right on, Police Woman" (referring to her
previous TV role as Sgt. "Pepper" Anderson in the crime
drama "Police Woman").

The sex and violence in this film make it a terrible choice
for viewing by anyone except adults, and then only adults
who can handle these topics without being terribly
impacted. This limits the film's popularity and resulted in
virtually no awards for the film making effort.

As a murder mystery I would rate Dressed to Kill as
excellent and a very, very scary film.

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Read my movie reviews on families, including "My Big Fat
Greek Wedding", "Secondhand Lions", "The Chorus (Les
Choristes in French)" and "Waking Ned Devine". You will
smile, laugh, cry and feel better for the experience. Don't
just experience life, live life!
Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.MovieReviews.html

Nature Photography: Five Tips For Great Sunset Photos.

Nature Photography: Five Tips For Great Sunset Photos.
Sunsets (and sunrises) are an inspiration to any nature
photographer, professional or beginner alike. In fact, this
does not just apply to nature photographers; almost anybody
with a camera is likely to snap off a few shots when faced
with a brilliant sunset sky.

The great news is, good sunset photos are surprisingly easy
to take. In my gallery, I don't actually display many
sunset photographs. You see, they are hard to sell, because
almost everybody has a few great sunsets they have
photographed themselves. Rather than buy mine, they are
more likely to grab their camera and show me the picture
they took the night before!

Consequently, I see a lot of sunset photos by amateur
photographers, and have learned to quickly spot where they
have gone wrong. It is not hard to expose a sunset photo;
in many cases you can leave your camera on auto and it will
do the work for you. The trouble people have is in making
an interesting composition. It is not good enough just to
photograph a good sky. The challenge is in making that sky
part of an interesting photograph.

Here are my five tips for taking great sunset (and sunrise)
photos.

Sunset Photography Tip #1. Learn to predict a good sunset
before it happens. Have you ever seen a perfect sky, only
to realise you didn't have your camera handy? In the five
minutes it takes to get your camera and set up for the
photo, the moment has passed. As brilliant as a sunset can
be, the effect may last for only a few minutes, so you need
to be able to choose your location, set up your camera, and
be waiting for the show to start.

Sunset Photography Tip #2. Be patient to get the best
colours. The few minutes as the sun is crossing the horizon
can be spectacular, but it is not the whole story of a
sunset. As the sinking sun lights the clouds from below,
often the richest colours can appear up to half an hour
later. By this time it will be getting quite dark, so be
prepared with your tripod. You may be shooting exposures of
half a second or more to bring out the best in your sunset
photograph.

Sunset Photography Tip #3. Find a good foreground subject.
This may be the most important tip of all. Time after time
people show me their sunset photos, and all I can think is
"Great sky...pity you didn't make a better photo out of
it." We have all seen and photographed spectacular skies,
so that alone is not enough to create your work of art. Try
to identify some object that stands well above the horizon
(trees, windmills, buildings, power-lines) and has a shape
that will create a good silhouette. It doesn't have to fill
up your picture. In fact, it may only take up a small area
- that will only make the sky seem even more impressive.
The important thing is to give your picture a focal point,
so that your viewer has something more interesting to look
at than just a great sky.

Think back to my tip #1. To get a great photo you need to
be prepared in advance, so scout your location for a good
foreground well before the razzle-dazzle gets underway.

Sunset Photography Tip #4. Fill your photo with colour. You
have probably heard of the 'rule of thirds' in landscape
photography. In simple terms this rule suggests your
horizon should be a third of the way from the top, or from
the bottom, of your photo to create a balanced composition.
The trouble is, when you are photographing into the sunset,
everything in the foreground will be in silhouette. That
means that by following the rule of thirds, a large part of
your picture will be completely black. This is one
situation where you can ignore the rule of thirds. By
allowing your sky to dominate the composition, you fill
your picture with colour and draw even more attention to
the richness of the sunset.

Sunset Photography Tip #5. If near water, use it to enhance
the effect. People often see a sunset at the beach, or by a
river, and stand a long way back to get their shot. This
does not take full advantage of the reflections on the
water, and instead of a colourful foreground there will
again be too much black space.

Get right down to the water's edge or to the wet sand on
the beach. By capturing the reflections, your foreground
will echo the colour of the sky. Not only will your photo
be more colourful, but you will start to spot opportunities
for much more interesting compositions.

So there you have my simple tips on sunset photography.
Notice that I have concentrated on creativity, not
technology. As I said at the beginning, exposing a good
sunset photo is not difficult; the challenge is to make
your photo stand out from the rest. Like all good nature
photography, your sensitivity to nature is far more
important than technical expertise. Be inspired by nature,
and great photography will follow. Good luck!

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If you found these tips helpful, Andrew Goodall has
released two top-selling ebooks that have already helped
thousands of new photographers learn the art and skills of
nature photography. See Andrew's images and ebooks at
http://www.naturesimage.com.au
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Build Wooden Works Clocks--A Piece Of American History

Build Wooden Works Clocks--A Piece Of American History
Shelf clocks of the pillar and scroll type were made by a
number of American clock makers in the early 1800s.Prior to
that long case grandfather clocks were quite commonly made
in the 1700s.The long case allowed for a greater drop
distance for the weights which drove the clock
movement.Shelf clock and wall clock with wooden works were
also made and were more popular in the 1800s.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s there was a shortage of
metals due to the British embargo.This led to the
production of wood gear clocks by some makers.Wooden works
clocks of this period are now prized antiques and command
high prices when they come on the market.Several thousand
dollars is commonly the asking price which is beyond the
means of many clock fanciers.

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has on
display a very fine wood gear clock which was made in the
early 1800s.This clock is still in good running order after
200 years.Detailed drawings and plans have been made from
this clock and these are available for those who would like
to build a reproduction of this fine old time piece.

You can build your own version of this beautiful antique
clock in your wood . working shop.With careful work you can
turn out from,these wooden gear clock plans,a wonderful
clock which will keep excellent time.To build a wooden
works clock is not difficult but it does take time and
careful workmanship.

Wooden clocks of more primitive design were made hundreds
of years before this period.You can also build a fifteenth
century wooden gear clock from available plans.This is a
wall clock and is weight driven.It is a much simpler
project with fewer moving parts.The clock will however
keep time and looks great on your wall.

Building wooden works clocks is a wonderful hobby.It
involves craftsmanship and wood working skills.You do not
however need an array of power tools.The original makers of
these clocks used only simple hand tools and the modern
craftsman can do so also.The individual parts of the clock
are of simple design and quite easy to make. The skill
comes in finishing the parts accurately and fitting them
together properly so that the clock will run smoothly and
keep good time.

Today there are a few makers of wooden gear clocks which
are mostly sold in the form of kits and plans.The average
home workshopper can quite readily build a really beautiful
wooden clock from a plan.With attention to detail and
careful workmanship the end product is a fine time piece
which will be a center of attention in any home.The tick
tock of your own wooden gear clock which you yourself
created is sweet music to the ears.

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John Mowatt is a builder of wooden works clocks.Now retired
from his former business he pursues this as a hobby.He has
written on this subject and others.He shows you how to
build your own wooden clock.For more information and
details of plans go to http://www.woodenworksclock.com