Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

tomgillespie2002 Released in 1969 under the guise of a low-budget exploitation film, The Honeymoon Killers is in fact one of the best American real-life crime movies ever made. It tells the story of Martha (Shirley Stoler), a lonely, overweight nurse who is entered into a 'lonely hearts' club by her friend Bunny (Everybody Loves Raymond's Doris Roberts). She receives a response from Latin lothario Ray Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco), who is a con-man who preys on lonely women, shaking them down for their money. When he reveals this to Martha, she is undeterred, and insists on joining him on his quests by posing as his sister. Ray promises that he won't sleep with any of them, but Martha's overbearing jealousy soon leads to murder.Based on the notorious case of the 'lonely hearts killers', first (and only) time director Leonard Kastle adopts a documentary-style approach, opting to use mostly hand-held photography, naturalistic lighting, and minimalistic editing. If sometimes the small budget becomes obvious, this only heightens the sense of realism running throughout the film, assisted by two astonishing performances from it's leads. Stoler is immense, evoking sympathy at first but then revealing her true motives are rooted in jealousy and bitterness as she becomes unpredictable and frightening. Bianco, who is still enjoying a prolific career, performs with a flawless Latino accent, demonstrating the charm and seduction that helped Fernandez dupe so many of his unfortunate victims in real-lifeBut the film is not without artistic merits as well. Lacking blood and devoid of any kind of shock tactics, the murders are cold and brutal. A hammer blow to the head has as much impact as Leatherface's notorious entrance in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), as the victim struggles and twitches while the killers struggle for finish her off. Another has the camera focus just on the panicking eyes of a sedated victim, as Martha and Ray argue off- camera about to do with her. A gun then appears at the corner of the screen and it's all over. It's shockingly blunt for it's era, but only serves to make The Honeymoon Killers one of the most invigorating and uncomfortable experiences I've had in recent memory.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

MikeMagi I'm bewildered by the people raving about this "cult classic." It's dull, flat, awkwardly acted and ineptly directed. And those are its best qualities. Shirley Stoler as half of the homicidal title pair has two expressions, angry and unhappy. Tony LoBianco as her sociopathic paramour at least creates a character with some dimension. Other members of the cast look as if they were dragged in off the street. Okay, it was reportedly shot for a mere $150,000. But that's no excuse. Some terrific movies -- like Christopher Nolan's "Memento" and Jonathan Demme's "Caged Heat" -- had equally scanty budgets. Supposedly based on a true story, the film casts Stoler as an obese hospital nurse who's conned into joining a lonely hearts club. She winds up with LoBianco, a womanizing swindler who palms her off as his sister, marrying women for their money, then bumping them off with her eager assistance. That sounds like it could almost be entertaining. Sorry, gang, it isn't.

mgrajam1-1 I loved this movie not only for how it was filmed in b/w but for this terrific cast. A young Tony Lo Bianco stole this movie from the rest of this excellent cast! Mr. Lo Bianco is the most memorable actor for my money and was perfectly casted. I would highly suggest viewing this film and I know you will enjoy it as we did here. I understand that there were a couple of big name directors fired early on in filming this movie mainly because the way they were using only master shots without close ups and or back up takes. I think this was Tony Lo Bianco's first film as I had only seen him acting on stage prior to this film. He always delivered a solid performance in the stage roles that I saw him in but this performance on film surely has to be the reason I started seeing him in more films after Honeymoon Killers. I'll never forget his role as "Sal Boca" in the great film "The French Connection" - if it were up to me he'd have won best supporting actor for that film. But here in Honeymoon Killers, he gets a chance to carry a film on his shoulders and carry it he does - in grand fashion of those great old actors of the B/W film days. I sincerely recommend this film to all film buffs or to anyone who likes a good story, a people picture, not a bunch of special effects, but a real story so well acted by all.

LeaBlacks_Balls Based on the true story of Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck, who met through a lonely-hearts correspondence club, Ray (Tony Lo Bianco) is sleazy and untrustworthy; Martha (Shirley Stoler) is obese, compulsive, and needy. Together, they play out a horrifying scheme in which he lures lonely women out on dates and proposes marriage to them, while she pretends to be his sister. After the marriage ceremonies, they take the womens savings and then murder them in cold blood.The way this film is shot, with its grainy black and white footage, murky sound, bright whites and dark shadows, only adds to its incredibly unsettling nature. Watching this is almost like watching a documentary, and occasionally, a snuff film.Though the acting from the supporting cast is a bit iffy at times, the two leads are excellent. Particularly Shirley Stoller. While Lo Bianco creates one of the most hateful slime-balls I've ever seen, Stoller dominates this film. Her Martha is a frightening, unpleasant, disgusting woman, who is as ugly on the inside as she is on the outside. Her evil nature fills the frame whenever she is on screen.If you're looking for a fast paced thriller, look elsewhere. The pacing in this movie is slow, which only adds to the disturbing documentary feel. But if you want to see a movie where character comes first, and action second, seek this classic out.