Change Your Image
Mikie1950
Reviews
Her Secret Life (1987)
Not bad for an old TV movie
I purchased several DVDs from an overstock store for less than two bucks apiece. The back of the cover for this DVD promised a Cuban spy story. I did not realize until later that this was a TV movie. I think it was shot directly to video because the projected image (6' horizontal, 4:3) was quite poor and did not compare to the image from a DVD made under more modern processes.
The poor quality of the video was overshadowed by an excellent cast, a very decent story line and great direction and production. This reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock's "Topaz" where the American agent goes into Cuba to get information on the Russians. He has to depend on an old flame to help him out.
If you like spy stories and watch this on a screen no larger than 27" you will probably enjoy it as well as I did if not more. There seems to me that there is a real shortage of spy stories out on DVD. I eat them up.
The Net 2.0 (2006)
The Winklers have it.
I am not a whiner or complainer, but this movie creates a massive negative pressure. The Net 2.0 was released on DVD on Tuesday, I watched it on Wednesday and there is only one other comment on IMDb as I write this. I suppose it is safe to say that this production went directly to video and skipped the movie houses. Also it did not spark a lot of interest in the constituency of IMDb. I know why.
Irwin Winkler is the producer of this movie and his son, Charles Winkler, is the director. Papa Winkler has produced such movies as "They Shoot Horses Don't They", the Rocky movies, "The Net", "The Juror", "Goodfellas", and "De-Lovely". He was the director of the original "The Net". Charles on the other hand has directed several TV movies, a Baywatch Episode, and a few movies that I have never heard of. This is a major example as to why nepotism can be costly.
As far as I can tell the Winkler connection is the only connection of "The Net" to its purported sequel. There is no comparing them. Indeed a woman looses her identity in both movies but storyline and execution make them two entirely different items.
The story is not real credible and the way it unfolds is herky-jerky there are many points at which the viewer is invited to yawn. The story could have worked if it was done differently. This was shot in Turkey and had many Turkish actors. I thought they actually added more spice than the American cast. Sebnem Dönmez, the Interpol agent, and Güven Kirac, who played Osman, were fresh faces and were enjoyable.
I really think this could have been improved with a better presentation, I would recommend that you watch this on a very slow day when you have nothing else to do.