"Pacific Heights" - or, the joy of decent 10 yr old movies (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

Friday night, one of the networks was showing some movie with Melanie Griffith and Micahel Keaton, that I didn't recognize. The cheezy-sultry-sax music dated it to the late 80s. To my surprise, it had a good opening and hooked me. So I quit watching
I went to IMDb, looked it up -- Link Removed, from 1990, a "thriller." Blockbuster didn't have it on DVD for rental, but BestBuy had it for sale (on sale even). So, I bought it for $6 Saturday, and watched it Sunday.
A decent movie, with a strong first half. I thought the characterizations were well done, with Keaton, Griffith, and (Matthew) Modine all bringing their roles believably to life. It wasn't perfect, notably not explaining Keaton's history or motivations sufficiently, and having a minor sub-story unsufficiently resolved.
And it was also fun to discover a movie from ten years ago that I'd never heard of.
Anyone remember this movie? Or have other movie discoveries worth sharing?

 

[Jack Briggs]

Yup. Saw it when it was released. Not quite the sort of thing I'd see myself returning to time and again, but it was okay. Thing is, I can't stand cockroaches. But the flick makes a good cautionary tale for those considering the purchase of non-commercial real estate as a rental investment.

 

[Chris Lock]

> But the flick makes a good cautionary tale for those considering the purchase of non-commercial real estate as a rental investment.
At least in places like CA where the law makes it almost impossible to evict someone.

 

[MickeS]

I'm pretty sure I saw that one in the theater. At any rate, I've seen it, but I can't for my life of me remember anything about it, except that I thought one of the characters was played by Beverly D'Angelo, but it wasn't her...

/Mike

 

[Grant B]

I saw it when it came out, the really funny part about it;it's all filmed on Potrero Hill not Pacific Heights. You can't see Downtown from Pac Heights. Guess Potrero Hill didn't have a ring to it

It's true it's harder to evict....so just wait till the dotcoms go belly up and watch them scurry like roaches

 

[Paul_D]

Thats really weird, because I watched this one last weekend. I really enjoy Michael Keaton, and I thought this movie was well-constructed, and reasonably compelling. I had been dying to see it, because I remember my parents renting it when it first came out and not wanting me to watch it. I remember flashes of imagery here and there from when I drifted in an out of the room, and I had retained them ever since. I was really eager to see how the movie held-up, and I wan't disappointed. A solid 6.5/10.

 

[Steve Christou]

I thought Pacific Heights was good and Michael Keaton was effectively creepy, for a companion piece to this film rent out Single White Female, a well made thriller starring Bridget Fonda and co-starring Jennifer Jason Leigh as the tenant from hell.
It includes a wonderful scene of someone getting stabbed in the eye with the pointed heel of a shoe.

 

[Jack Briggs]

"It includes a wonderful scene of someone getting stabbed in the eye with the pointed heel of a shoe."

Didn't it win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in an Impalement Scene?

 

[Tony_Faville]

It is one of my all time favorite "feel for the victims and want to choke the life out of the bad guy" films.

Good for a saturday night with a nice bottle of vino.

 

[Brett_B]

I thought one of the characters was played by Beverly D'Angelo, but it wasn't her...

MickeS,

That was, indeed, Beverly D'Angelo. She had an uncredited role (verified with IMDB.com).

 

[MickeS]

Brett, thanks for that!! After all these years, I feel vindicated!
I never even thought to look it up on IMDB, because I checked the credits of the movie when I saw it...
I wonder why she wasn't credited, by the way.
/Mike

 

[DaveF]

for a companion piece to this film rent out Single White Female

I'll check that out.

 

[Paul Richardson]

I remember the movie. Another tired entry into the "[Blank] From Hell" sub-genre that was so prevalent at that time. I believe this one was the "Tenant From Hell" movie (not to be confused with the "Roomate From Hell" movie...Single White Female).

 

[Steve Christou]

Yep Paul, Single White Female was really a Roommate from Hell movie, not Tenant from Hell.
ps. Also check out two interesting Nanny From Hell movies, "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" and "The Guardian" (a guilty pleasure, directed by William Friedkin), hmmmm maybe someone should start a '[blank]...From Hell' thread.

 

[Justin Doring]

I'd never seen Pacific Heights before, but I picked it up a week or so ago at Best Buy for $5.99 and watched it last night. I enjoyed it, but the first two thirds were better than the last.

 

[DaveF]

Justin - same here. The setup was deliciously tense. The resolution too easy. Keaton's character didn't act as smart and careful as he did in the beginning.

 

[Gruson]

Great movie, have seen it many times.