Video Picks Archive

March 22, 2000
This Week's Video Picks
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This week my picks are The Limey (1999 - ) and Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989 - ).

With the successful premiere of Erin Brockovich last weekend, director Steven Soderbergh is bigger than ever. His previous film also happens to be coming out on video this week, so I'm making it this week's pick. Terrence Stamp plays an aging English ex-convict who travels to America to find out how his daughter Jenny was killed. Peter Fonda plays a shady record producer who was Jenny's boyfriend, and Stamp comes after him for revenge. Soderbergh creates a dynamic setting for an action film that deals with how it is really impossible to retire from a life of violence. At times, he lets the overblown style dominate The Limey, but a strong performance by Stamp and a witty screenplay by Lem Dobbs (Dark City) make it worthwhile.
Full review from October 24, 1999

Soderbergh did have an auspicious start in the film business, winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes for his directorial debut, which is the second film this week. Peter Gallagher plays a successful lawyer, who is cheating on his frigid wife (Andie MacDowell) with her sister (Laura San Giacomo, in her film debut). The situation is intensified when his old college buddy (James Spader) comes to town, and introduces the sisters to his fetish: videotaping women as they talk about sex. Soderbergh also wrote the screenplay for this incredible low-budget feature. All four leads give wonderful preformances, especially Spader, who could use more work like this. You'll be hard-pressed to find another film that deals so frankly with sex without coming off as "dirty" or exploitative.

Here's some merchandise for sale at

The Limey (1999)	-- VHS
The Limey (1999)	-- DVD
The Limey: Music From the Motion Picture	-- Compact Disc
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)	-- VHS
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)	-- DVD

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