House of Games (1987)

[rocknblues81]

Any word on a blu ray release for this film?

[willbfree]

So few of Mamet's films are on BluRay that one has to wonder if he's been blacklisted.

[rocknblues81]

Originally Posted by willbfree

So few of Mamet's films are on BluRay that one has to wonder if he's been blacklisted.

That's possible given that Hollywood is so full of liberals.

[amper]

I would hope Critereon would jump on this title. Its in my small dvd collection waiting to be upgraded.

[Bluebolt]

In the meantime, I posted some screenshots from the French release that came out a few months ago:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...49&postcount=1

[MifuneFan]

This movie sucked in my opinion. The acting, as well as the dialogue was just absolutely terrible. I don't know if the movie just hasn't aged well or what, but I really didn't expect it to be so tough to get through it.

[thatguamguy]

There's a lot about the movie that I do like, but I've never thought Lindsay Crouse was a good fit for Mamet's "Just say the lines with no inflection" style of direction.

[Bluebolt]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

There's a lot about the movie that I do like, but I've never thought Lindsay Crouse was a good fit for Mamet's "Just say the lines with no inflection" style of direction.

I don't know of any actor who is; Steve Martin's turn was the most painful for me. As a viewer it does take some getting used to, and I like House of Games more depite of, than because of, that style.

[thatguamguy]

William H. Macy and Ricky Jay can consistently do it, and Mantegna usually can (though I think he stumbles a bit here with the repetitions). Alec Baldwin can do the dialogue, but maybe because he usually gets to do Mamet scripts with other directors. Philip Seymour Hoffman stands out to me as the best performance Mamet ever directed, and I also think Val Kilmer did a good job in his one off. And I don't want to forget J.T. Walsh.

I *think* I've seen all the films Mamet directed now, and this is the one where I find that acting style most distracting (although, now that you mention it, I think it's always held me back from fully embracing "The Spanish Prisoner" too). In both cases, the writing is so strong that I still enjoy the movie overall, but as you say, it's in spite of the acting.

[Cremildo]

Originally Posted by amper

I would hope Critereon would jump on this title. Its in my small dvd collection waiting to be upgraded.

I have held off buying the DVD in hope of a BD release.
This is Mamet's masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Would like to see HOG on Blu as well. This & The Spanish Prisoner are my top 2 Mamet films. Excellent film filled with misdirection & deception.

To those are distracted by the stilted dialogue, note it's intentionally like this - in fact, all Mamet films are like this. And, it doesn't bother me at all. I think this has something to do with Mamet being a playwright first & foremost - i.e., the characters talk as if they're acting in a play instead of acting in a film. Just my .02....

Side-note: I'm watching the crime drama HSB for the first time, and noticed that Lindsay Crouse plays a great role as a policewoman in several S06 & S07 episodes.

[Bluebolt]

It's a comin'!