Something Wild (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

As of July, 2020, The details on Amazon Prime list this as made in1995, and that is incorrect, as this film was Made in 1986, almost a decade after the info on the detail suggestS to a novice viewer, who might confuse this with a Tarantino time warp lite beer.To the Coding developers in charge of uploading this info, please correct this timeline data. Else, Biff punches Marty’s dad at the school dance and gets the girl, The clock tower will become Dr. Manhattan’s Pawned wristwatch to pay for cosmetology classes Instead of a nice job in a science department, and Doc is trapped in 1885 FOREVER.

Something Wild is somewhat of a lost gem and leave it to Criterion to select it for a new and wonderful transfer. It is by far and away the best thing that Griffith has ever done. She's gritty, intelligent, ironic and never plays for schlock. She was very well directed by Demme, appearing controlled and reserved in her character's journey. The veiled references to Louise Brooks and Frida Kahlo in Lulu/Audrey's character are a welcomed and an insidiously wonderful touch. She is brilliantly supported by Jeff Daniels and Ray Liotta. Something Wild also contains the best New Wave soundtrack ever attached to a film, of course assembled by Laurie Anderson and John Cale. Amazing what can happen to a soundtrack when the talent behind it is knowledgeable, pertinent and relevant. The music is integral and perfectly matched to the action.Most importantly, Audrey gets her way, men be damned. She runs the show from beginning to end. Despite her flailing street angst and bad choices, her character is driven by her inner passions and logic from beginning to end. Demme got this right from the get go and never lets Audrey founder in predictable, paternalistic drivel. She sacrifices nothing and emerges strong, resilient and determined. The wild child who gets it right. Daniels is perfectly cast as Audrey's dim-witted, delusional and cuddly cohort. No one could possibly play the brainwashed corporate dork better than Daniels, except, maybe Ed Begley Jr.?

I have no complaints about the quality of the DVD. The movie itself I give 5 STARS. Melanie Griffith is a delight in the role of Lulu (and led me to having a crush on her yow!). Lulu is a woman who's been leading a freewheeling, marginal life of a kind that must have reminded Ms. Griffith a bit of her own wild times, but with a better outcome. Anyway, the movie starts out lighthearted with Lulu essentially shanghaiing (sp?) Jeff Daniels away from his empty job in NYC and off to her high school reunion in PA. There, the couple run into Ray (Ray Liotta) who's Lulu's real husband and who is also fresh outta jail and looking to get the one good thang (Lulu) back in his life. At this point (about the last 30 minutes or so) the movie turns from freewheelin' fun to drama and violence. Kind of like life, eh? One minute you're up, the next.... I recall reading a review once that said the movie wasn't as popular as it should have been because it didn't fit neatly as either a comedy or a drama. Pity it wasn't marketed as both. Go for it!

I saw it when it was first released and I had to go back and view it again. It still appeals to me. The music is great but I thought it had more Fine Young Cannibals.

As usual, The Criterion Collection provides a bevy of wonderful films alongside easily the greatest assortment of supplementary materials. But what can be debated are the choices of the films chosen.SOMETHING WILD is by no means a top AFI pick or all-time blockbuster hit or any of the traditional benchmarks of a notable film - except for one. Directed by Jonathan Demme, SOMETHING WILD came at a time when Demme began to take the wonderful tools he had learned studying Hitchcock and working with Roger Corman to more mainstream audiences. After making the highly under-appreciated MELVIN & HOWARD, Demme finally grabbed some national attention with his Talking Heads' documentary STOP MAKING SENSE, and then came SOMETHING WILD.Don't lie to yourself. Loving this movie because Melanie Griffith is topless with handcuffs in the first ten minutes isn't wrong. It's part of the film's undeniable charm. You never know where this film is going to go from one moment to the next. And it includes a handful of wonderful cameos which further film's feeling of a gem that is being rediscovered.

CORNY AND CHEESY

My favorite Jonathan Demme movie ever. Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, and Ray Liotta are sensational. Great story of a "square" finding his true inner rebel and manning-up for the first time in his life. Off beat humor abounds. The whole thing just captures an unforgettable vibe. I'm really glad Criterion deemed this one suitable to bear their name, great video transfer too (finally, this movie looks great).

Great movie sought by us for awhile.

Director Jonathan Demme’s 1986 film remains one of my firm favourites among (more) recent Hollywood comedies – essentially post-Hawks, Wilder, Sturges, etc. Whilst Something Wild eventually develops into an admittedly fairly conventional romantic thread, the film, particularly during its first half, has much going for it – namely (as the title suggests) a zany and endearingly funny mood and plot, an outstanding music soundtrack and, most impressive of all, two irresistible lead performances by Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith as the seemingly unlikely romantic pairing of staid, conservative businessman, Charles Driggs, and spontaneous, strong-willed seducer, Lulu (aka Audrey Hankel). Demme’s two leads really do generate some palpable on-screen chemistry, Daniels reprising much of the wide-eyed innocence of his dual characterisation from a year earlier in Woody Allen’s masterpiece The Purple Rose of Cairo and the 'Louise Brooks-bobbed’ Griffith providing an exemplary mix of nonchalant rebellion and submerged angst.The film’s standing joke, of Charles’'‘will he or won’t he?’ shake off his own personal (and social) shackles and embrace Lulu’s 'out there’ attitude, may be a little repetitive, but it is still very funny, primarily because of Daniels’ skilled performance. Adding another intriguing dimension, Demme and writer E Max Frye gradually reveal that neither of their main protagonists are quite what they seem and the film takes on an aura of poignancy as Audrey’s pretence involves taking Charles to see mom and paying a visit to her school reunion. Enter Ray Liotta as Audrey’s ex-, Ray Sinclair, fresh out of prison and a career delinquent. Liotta is typically effective (if lacking much in the way of character depth) as the quietly menacing Ray, setting up the film’s latter dark comic thriller thread as Ray and Charles vie for their place in securing Audrey’s future ‘happiness’. As an integral part of what is essentially an eccentric road trip movie is an impressively diverse soundtrack featuring the likes of David Byrne, The Troggs, Big Audio Dynamite, The Go-Betweens, New Order, Fine Young Cannibals and The Feelies (playing live at the film’s school reunion sequence – songs including David Bowie’s Fame and Neil Diamond/The Monkees’ I’m A Believer). The film also features acting cameos from film-makers John Waters and John Sayles.For the film’s (unusually) 'in your face’ approach to comedy and, particularly, for the performances by Daniels and Griffith, for me, the film merits a top rating.

Something Wild shoots itself in the foot in the first scene, for me, where we see Charlie (Jeff Daniels), who is a successful businessman, sneak out of a cafe without paying. This is passed off as showing he has a rebellious streak by an observer called Lulu, or later Audrey (Melanie Griffith), who comes after him and then drives him off on a mad near-rampage. It's clear she has a bit of a screw loose, and he does as well, although we don't really know what's going on for a while ... It is a sympathetic portrayal, I suppose; Daniels is very likeable as a screen presence, and Lulu, up to a point, but it doesn't take long before she is stealing whisky from a service station store and emptying the till, which also put me off her! So I couldn't quite go with this couple. The soundtrack is excellent, and keeps the tone zany and unpredictable, in keeping with the title, however there is something hollow as much as something wild. Decent fathers of two who've just been promoted don't walk out without paying ... when a truly psychotic character turns up, it means we really are at a loss, like being on an escapade in the wilds without a compass. Melanie Griffith needs to evoke that bit more pathos than she does, while the script lets down Daniels a bit. Liotta is very good. In the end, though, it plays a little too fast and loose with the film noir cliches. The final credits are a joy, a woman singing in front of a red wall, full of exuberance. There is plenty of that, too, an excellent soundtrack, and some alluring shots of all three actors - but even so, it feels a bit dated and just a bit unsatisfying.

Enough has been said for this 80's classic , so I want to review the Hi Def transfer here for those lucky enough to have a region free Blu-ray player thinking of investing in this Criterion release..The sticker on the font says "Director Approved" which some might believe to think it has been pain-stakenly restored to a pristine , glowing restoration like many other past Criterion titles lavishly released over the years..It is very clear to see as the opening credits roll , that very little restoration has been applied..(if your TV setting are correct with contrast and brightness levels)..and the marks on the lens are still very present and the odd flicker of residue on the film itself are as sharp as the actual picture it-self..But , don't be put off by this..The image is sharp and vibrant , and the newly scanned print has a depth of picture that knocks the original DVD image out off the colour pallet..The colour pallet Director Johnathan used is inspired , and it resonates deeply in the 1st 30 minutes of the film with Lulu's character wardrobe and car furnishings..The 16:9 picture is rich and the blacks are ink-like and solid , and the skin tones on the faces are pure to the point of seeing the brush marks on the stage make-up through all close-up shots..The detail is delightful and New York in the 80's looks as vibrant then as one might imagine at a time of a "New Wave" scene , and the clothes and soundtrack take you back to a somewhere "up-beat" , and the 1080 picture quality we see is also as up-beat as the films time period itself.The Sound too has a beautiful up-grade to add the texture of the whole package of a great movie..The new formatted DTS master is lavishly mixed to spilt dialogue and music tracks crisply and sharply , with the ambient sounds in the background there for all to enjoy."Something Wild" is a film rarely shown on TV networks these days , as fashions and PC attitude changes , so to have this gem given a make-over to its best presentation is , for those a fan of this Movie , been a delight to enjoy in High Definition..Aside from a little grain here and there , the transfer is perfect and the colour and sharpness alone make this a stand-out film next to may other 1080 picture formatted titles that fail to impress..The Bonus content could have been better as it has just two short interviews , one with Director The "late" Johnathan Demme who takes us though his memories of making "Something Wild" with many facts that are interesting..The other interview is with script writer/editor that wrote the original story about the two character's s that met in a Diner..Its a great shame there is not more to dig into as Criterion excel at finding material of interest to all fans of this style of film , and it would have been fabulous to have had the actors input about their experience , or better still a Commentary track talking though the film filled with anecdotes..or even to have found just a few humours "out-takes" of which at the time of filming there much have been many..The Blu-ray is a gem , although not the best value , its content is solid and the best you will probably ever see of this print ..Nothing added or taken away , ..no tweaks or fiddling , ..Its , by far the BEST version there is to see , will remain testament to those who adore Johnathan's fabulous work..

Stiff and strait banker Charles Driggs (Jeff Daniels) meets sexy wild gal Audrey Hankel (Melanie Griffith) and quickly falls under her spell. Initially, and weakly protesting, he soon finds that her lifestyle adds the spark to his otherwise dull existence. However, things get troublesome when her violent ex-convict husband (Ray Liotta) shows up and announces that if he can't have her? Nobody can!Something of a cult hit these days, Something Wild (directed by Jonathan "Silence Of The Lambs" Demme) has that nice trick of being able to pull us in early for the comedy, and then take us down a darker, but still comical, road. Daniels is always an affable and easy to watch actor, and nothing changes here, but it's Griffith and an early Liotta turn that steals the show. Griffith is a ball of sexuality, and she looks fabulous into the bargain. Her Audrey (AKA Lulu) has a few layers that need to be peeled by Griffith and she does it with style. Liotta serves notice of what was to come four years down the line when a certain Mr Scorsese came calling. Menacing yet fun into the bargain, it's very much the perfect Liotta role. Demme paints an interesting picture as he blends yuppiedom with rebellious excess, the result being a quirky little number that, save for an inevitability that comes with the finale, is a rewarding, time fulfilling experience. Margaret Colin, Tracey Walter, Su Tissue and Charles Napier join the principals in the cast, while the zippy 80s soundtrack contains cuts from some of the decades luminaries like New Order, Fine Young Cannibals & UB40. 7/10

With a great opening, the film's an outrageous, quirky comedy fun filled roller-coaster ride for the first hour with Melanie Griffith looking simply fantastic,delightfully mischievous and never sexier (ever!) and Jeff Daniels looking like he's lapping it all up and enjoying every damn minute of it. Just when you think it can't get any better, enter Ray Liotta and the film suddenly shifts gear, goes amazingly dark and it then plays as a neat comedic psycho thriller. Ray almost steals the show in his film debut, impressively conveying real menace in every scene he's in. The film ends on a slightly disappointing, typically 80's predictable note but overall the film's an overlooked little gem that really deserves a much wider audience.