Product Details

• Actors: David Boreanaz, Alan Cumming, Anne Heche, Karen Black, Carrie Fisher
• Format: Color, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Suffering Man's Char
• DVD Release Date: January 6, 2009
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001H5X6QM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,703 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 01/06/2009

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous...and Disturbing, November 15, 2008

By 

Phoenix Child (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ghost Writer (DVD)

As the blurb states, there is no such thing as over-the-top in this feature -- it IS over-the-top, and the result of Cumming's writing/directing is one of the most enjoyable, albeit quite ghoulish, arthouse films I've ever seen.

The movie centers around John Vandermark, a strange, angry and rather dislikeable man who has an admitted weakness for very handsome struggling young male artists. Enter Sebastian St. Germaine, a gorgeous author who is currently taking advantage of Vandermark's "charity" by staying in Vandermark's house, eating his meals, and ignoring his thinly veiled sexual advances.

The movie takes off from there in an explosion of fury and extremely dark comedy, blood and hysteria. David Boreanaz plays Sebastian to perfection as a dark, angry man who is also rather abusive and egotistic, and his performance as the young man (who is eventually murdered in a scene of gruesome macabre that is too memorable to go into detail here; you'd have to see it to believe it) is one of his best to date.

However, Alan Cumming's performance as John Vandermark is really the one that will stick with you. It's like watching a lunatic running through a hallway of funhouse mirrors; constantly shifting in a dizzying whirl. He cries and whines, he screams and tortures, he laughs and breaks into hysterics. His performance is pitch-perfect and his directing is, while not groundbreaking, definitely something different to see.

This movie is incredibly artistic and feeling, probing into the darkness of obsession and the explosions of passion therein with devastating effect. There aren't really any light moments throughout the film; but that only makes the overall theme of loss and obsession easier to maintain. Boreanaz and Cumming deliver amazing performances and make their characters really come to life, and they were the high points of this movie. However, memorable performances were also given by Anne Heche and of course Carrie Fisher.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys independant/arthouse films, but also to anyone who enjoys dark humor, the macabre, and the gore-splattered art. I was lucky enough to see this on a big screen, and I believe the DVD will not be lacking.

WARNINGS: This is a very dark film, and there is a scene of physical torture. The death scene is one of the most amazing in the movie and the shining point in particular of Boreanaz's acting performance, but it is very graphic and incredibly disturbing. Although this is not rated, be warned that there is blood, sex, and swearing, and nudity if my memory serves.

RECOMMENDATIONS: If you enjoyed this film, the extremely disturbing and highly enjoyable art film "Perfume: The Scent of a Murder" would also be highly recommended. Another David Boreanaz film with rather disturbing black humor subject matter that you may also enjoy would be the Canadian independant film "These Girls."

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Different than what I thought it would be, November 14, 2008

By 

Avril F. Swanson "team angel" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ghost Writer (DVD)

This movie was a bit blood thirsty but I enjoyed it as David Boreanaz was in it and played a good part. It was a bit slow at first but bear with it, it gets better

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Campy Delight--An Over-The-Top Comedy/Thriller Enhanced By Alcohol Consumption, March 2, 2011

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghost Writer (DVD)

Alan Cumming stars in and directs the offbeat "Ghost Writer" (also strangely called "Suffering Man's Charity") and delivers a near classic in the realm of overwrought bad movie mania. I loved so many elements in this ridiculously over-the-top opus, but when it counts the most--the film settles too easily. Campy and hysterical, the film has a delightful set-up and an absolutely jaw dropping middle section--but loses momentum considerably as it struggles to its endpoint. If you are approaching "Ghost Writer" as a manic enterprise in excess, there is plenty to recommend this oddity. The picture may, in fact, benefit from a few cocktails during the viewing. If, however, this isn't your thing--you will undoubtedly be confounded by the film's flamboyance.

Cumming plays a sophisticated recluse who invites struggling young artists into his home to mentor their creative endeavors. He has other designs as well--it certainly isn't a coincidence that his projects are typically handsome men and a little rough around the edges at that. His latest is portrayed by David Boreanaz who takes advantage of Cumming mercilessly as he is supposedly working on a book. The dysfunctional duo push things too far and the film evolves into a macabre thriller. At one point, the campy confrontations took on the mania that recalled the loudest moments of the classic "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" When it is discovered that Boreanaz has, indeed, been writing a book--and it's based on Cumming (the title is one of the funniest punchlines), there's simply no going back. The battle is physical and it's bloody. In the aftermath, the film loses some of its fun but still reaches a satisfying conclusion.

The film boasts appearances by Anne Heche, Jane Lynch, Henry Thomas and Carrie Fisher but no one has much to do. The movie belongs to Cumming and Boreanaz. Only a wickedly funny Karen Black can steal the spotlight. I hadn't seen Black in years--and her five minutes of screen time are pure lunatic inspiration. I laughed so loud at her antic over-acting, I had to refresh my alcoholic beverage when it sloshed out of my glass. "Ghost Writer" is definitely not for everyone--but those looking for a campy gem might find much pleasure in this little film. Not great movie making, by any stretch, but a lot of fun. About 3 1/2 stars. KGHarris, 3/11.