Best movie of this year hands down!

The Age of Commercialism

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

It's a rare event when I give up on a movie before it is halfway through. Usually I will suffer through a fairly bad movie to see if any redeeming entertainment surfaces. I'd heard "Pacific Heights" was a good movie, but the premise was so absurd I turned it off after about 30 minutes. The notion that a landlord would hand over a signed copy of a lease to a tenant before having received the security deposit and first month's rent was ridiculous (which was not in fact depicted in the movie but required for all subsequent events) , but in principle I could suspend disbelief and accept that some inexperienced landlords might be such complete idiots. However, the idea that the San Francisco Police would side with the illegal "tenant" rather than with the "landlord," when the former had never paid any rent or security deposit--and changed the door locks--could only have been written by someone who has no concept of landlord-tenant relations in America. Not only would the SFPD have immediately evicted the interloper, they would have arrested and jailed him for trespassing on the landlord's property. The scene of the police telling the landlord he should get a lawyer was especially ludicrous; the only person that would have needed a lawyer was the pretend "tenant." I don't care how skillfully the direction was after that or how suspenseful the movie would becaoe; because it was clear from that moment on the movie would be a right-wing fantasy about the potential danger of "tenants' rights." The reality is that the justice system totally supports landlords against tenants who, for whatever reason, have not paid their rent. Don't waste your time on propaganda that implies otherwise.

This movie begins with a man named "Carter Hays" (Michael Keaton) in bed with a woman when suddenly the door bursts open and two men enter and proceed to beat him with a baseball bat. The film then shifts to a man by the name of "Drake Goodman" (Matthew Modine) and his girlfriend "Patty Parker" (Melanie Griffith) buying a large Victorian house with the intent on renting some of the rooms out in order to help pay off their sizeable mortgage. Unfortunately, one of the first people to apply for a rent is Carter who convinces Drake to forgo the usual procedures and disregard the normal paperwork. Big mistake--as from that point on Drake's life quickly spirals out-of-control due to Carter's evil manipulations. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this is the type of film that is was an interesting movie for the most part which included a good performance by Michael Keaton as the dark and sinister villain. On the other hand, the repeated violent outbursts of Drake got a bit old after the first time or two and ruined any sympathy I might have had for him. Even so, although this isn't a film that I would want to see more than once or twice, it was good enough for the time spent and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

I was looking forward to Michael Keaton playing the heavy, but "Pacific Heights" is the wrong vehicle for that. He's playing the tenant from Hell, terrorizing couple-of-the-year Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine, but I can only describe this is a real estate thriller - which is just as exciting as it sounds. Keaton goes from mustache-twirling to psychological manipulator, but the writing doesn't offer much to go on. His motivations are specious, while Modine's mood swings leave Griffith as the only character to root for. That's no secret, and it's why she's the one to get revenge.It's not terrible, but I did get frustrated with these characters far more than anyone should.5/10

Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine and Michael Keaton star in this 1990 thriller. This takes place in San Francisco and focuses on couple, Patty Palmer (Griffith) and Drake Goodman (Modine) who buy a Victorian house. They decide to pay for the repairs and such by becoming landlords renting it out. Keaton (Beetlejuice) plays Carter Hayes, a mysterious man who becomes their new tenant from hell. He turns Patty and Drake's world upside down when he doesn't pay his rent, does unnecessary work in his apartment and provokes Drake. Soon, Patty and Drake discover that Carter is a disturbed, scam artist and try to turn the tables on him. This is a pretty good thriller with a good cast & Keaton is a good villain. Beverly D'Angelo (Vacation) also appears uncredited as Carter's girlfriend, Ann Miller. I recommend this.