Striking Poses (1998) User Reviews

sympathetic paparazzi gets stalked; good thriller, fun twist

[FieCrier · 6/10 · 8 September 2005]

Doherty plays a woman who when the movie begins, tries to hide some bloody garments under some snow at the roadside. She's caught and questioned, and we learn what led up to that scene.

She's a paparazzi photographer, and on some of her jobs and in her home she's being stalked by a photographer who leaves behind gum. It becomes clear he means to do more than just take photos, and she hires a security consultant, and when things worsen, a hit-man.

The movie takes an unexpected but welcome twist. The events also go well past the opening scene once it comers around again. There's another twist that is expected, and it's gratifying that one of the characters saw it coming too.

This was a surprisingly entertaining movie...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 11 November 2020]

I happened to get the chance here late in 2020 to sit down and watch the 1999 movie "Striking Poses". I will be bluntly honest and say that I wasn't really expecting much of anything grand from the movie, given its synopsis and also because this was a Shannen Doherty movie after all.

But I was put to shame, because "Striking Poses" was actually a surprisingly entertaining movie. And I will say that this 1999 movie from writer Michael Stokes and director Gail Harvey was actually one of the best movies that was starring Shannen Doherty, so she really stepped up to the plate here.

What really impressed me and works out so well in favor of the movie was the storyline, and how very unpredictable and constantly shifting it turned out to be. And just when you thought you had it figured out, the plot threw a curveball and went another direction. That was definitely something I enjoyed about this movie.

Now, I will say that Shannen Doherty actually performed quite well in her role in "Striking Poses". She really managed to delve into the character and portray some real, genuine proper talent here. That was something that surprised me. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying she is lacking talent, it is just that her track record of the movies and TV shows I have seen her in haven't exactly been having that wow effect from her performances. But "Striking Poses" definitely upped her game.

If you enjoy a thriller with a twist (or multiple twists), then you definitely should take the time to sit down and watch "Striking Poses". It turned out be a very enjoyable surprise of an entertaining movie, and I will definitely warmly recommend you spend your time, money and effort on this movie.

My rating of "Striking Poses" settles on a very solid six out of ten stars.

Snakes and Twisters, one two many twists shakes us off the road

[films_viewed · 4/10 · 23 February 2006]

despite only catching the film halfway through, the time when shannons already been conned, I was luckily able to catch up quickly and thankfully did because this turned out to be a better than average TV movie. Shannon doesn't bring her A game but does enough to keep us interested, I recall years ago reading a couple of bad reviews for two of her movies at the time and I think this might have been one of them which might have put me off a little before viewing this? Regardless because I think I might decide to watch another one of her films if they turn up on TV in the near future. Although the film doesn't cross the creepy line and we don't get to see any goodies of any such nature, shannon does look remarkably good. Wasn't a fan of her in 90210 (in kelly/jennies camp) or charmed (never seen it) but loved scare tactics. like the summary states, there was one too many twists leading to the climax and it did seemed force feed as you don't really see whats happening to who and remember who was crossed etc etc.

I can't understand why this film is the target of so much...

[wheels-2 · 10 March 2001]

criticism. If a film is simple and easy to figure out, it is condemned. If the plot has lots of twists and turns then it is condemned for being "too complicated". I found it to be quite intriguing. Perhaps if it had an overpaid, overrated and established "STAR" such as a Roberts or a Ryan it would have more industry backing and been treated more kindly.

Not the least bit entertaining

[rburson · 2/10 · 23 October 2007]

I got this movie because I wanted to see Shannen Doherty in a different element from 90210 and Charmed to determine if she could really act. The answer is: No. She displayed absolutely no emotional range in the character, hardly any visible change from a constant dead-pan expression, and no deviation from a monotone delivery of dialogue or narration. The one obvious opportunity to display any kind of emotion was when she discovered that she had been conned by a trusted friend, but no, an expression of anger seemed to be too difficult, so instead we get nothing. I mean Zero. There are numerous actors who get bottled into their TV persona, but eventually break free to prove they are talented. I really was hoping Shannen Doherty would be enjoyable to watch. She wasn't. This movie stunk.

i think this film....

[xforeverangelx · 3/10 · 13 October 2008]

i think this film was confusing and had a bad plot.Shannen did OK in this but not as well as she normally does.i found it hard to follow the whole story and found it quite boring and didn't enjoy it till bout half way but i didn't enjoy it much i would say not the best of films i have watched with her in :l what was the point of this story and what was the plot

I've seen Shannen in better in other films i was very disappointed when i finished watching this cause it wasn't what i expected i would I've this film a bad review of 3 out of 10 Shannen is still the best actress in the world and she can act whoever put that comment that she cant she just isn't good in that 1

A reasonable thriller let down slightly by a baggy middle section

[jimbo-53-186511 · 5/10 · 28 July 2019]

Celebrity paparazzo and photographer Gage Sullivan (Shannen Doherty) becomes a victim of what she practices when she finds herself being stalked by a man who likes to take photographs of her and leaves bubble gum as his calling card. In order to try and protect herself Gage employs the services of security consultant Nick Angel (Joseph Griffin) who helps Gage improve security around her home. However, when Gage's assistant Casey is kidnapped by her stalker Gage soon learns that all is not what it seems and a deeper conspiracy slowly begins to unravel...

Striking Poses opens wonderfully and the intrigue and mystery surrounding Gage's stalker provide a good foundation to build the story on. However, after about the first 15 minutes or so I found my interest waning somewhat as the momentum gradually started to become more and more depleted until eventually the wheels more or less completely fell off. Not a great deal happens in the middle section of the film; security consultants visit Gage's house, the stalker takes some pictures, a suggested romance looks as though it maybe developing between Gage and Nick - it was just so boring and it pretty much carries on in this fashion for about 45 minutes.

However, it does sort of spring back into life in the last 30 minutes when Gage starts to learn that all is not quite as it seems and the film then suddenly starts to find another gear. Gage's plans to turn the tables on her stalker have a certain degree of ingenuity and there are also plenty of clever twists and turns that are revealed in the final act. Whilst it never provides edge of your seat thrills at any point it is a reasonable film that is let down by its dull middle section (the film seems to be in idle at this point).

The acting isn't the best either (the worst offender by far is Joseph Griffin who showed no range whatsoever). Also when watching this film it does have a very TVM feel about it - it looks and feels as though it was made on the cheap (which it probably was to be fair).

So overall it's not bad - good start, decent finale but boring middle section. If it's on and you're at a loose end then you could do worse, but I can't help but feel that One Hour Photo explored similar themes to a far greater effect and if you haven't seen that film then I would definitely check it out as it is a much better offering than Striking Poses.

Skip It

[Foxy Lady-2 · 3/10 · 6 June 2000]

The mostly decent performances from Shannen Doherty, Colm Feore, and Tamara Gorski were the best thing about this forgettable film. The dialogue is laughable and the plot is overflowing with twists and double-crosses, but it's hard to tell who's fooling who -- is the *character* bad at pretending to be loyal, or is the actor just bad at portraying the character? I can see why this one disappeared without a trace.

Who done it! Who cares!

[sol-kay · 5/10 · 26 May 2010]

(Some Spoilers) Mind numbing thriller involving popular tabloid photographer Gage Sullivan, Shanner Doherty, who thinks that she's being stalked by an either secret admirer, from afar, or a murderously bent psycho. The stalker who's about as obvious to the audience, when you see him without his flowing red wig, as the nose on theirs faces is only interested in photographing the tabloid photographer which is something that she does, greatly annoying those whom she photographs, for a living. Which is why whatever surprises there is in the film evaporates as soon as he makes his long awaited, for those still around and awake watching, grand appearance.

Terrified in that she may be attacked or even killed by this chewing gum chewing, he leaves his chewed up chewing gum as a calling card, nut-case Gage hires at the insistence of her secretary Casey Roper, Tamara Gorski, the good looking tall dark & handsome Nick Angel, Joseph Griffin, to protect her. Nick just happens to be an electronic security expert, with just three years experience, who puts in a state of the art security system in Gage's home to keep her, and the local police, informed whenever the chewing gum chewing psycho is trying to break into her residence.

As you would expect Nick soon falls for the cute tabloid photographer and that has him neglect his job of keeping her from getting killed or kidnapped by her stalker. What in fact happens is that Gage's secretary-Casey Roper-is kidnapped by the chewing gum chewing man when she ordered a pizza with everything on it, that's when Gage & Nick were out on the town, on the internet that he, the stalker, intercepted! We actually see at the start of the film that Gage escaped from her stalker while covered with blood, not her own, and were given this hour long flashback to what lead to the situation that she, at the beginning of the film, found herself in.

***SPOILERS**** It's then when you think you've finally got some kind of a handle to what going on in the movie that it really starts to fall apart with enough double-crossing among everyone involved that you can fill, with crosses, a dozen Tic-Tac-Toe game boards! By the time the movie finally and mercifully ends your so punch drunk from from all the double-crossing in it that you couldn't care less to what it was trying to tell you for the previous 90 or so minutes. Which even its screenwriter aren't quite sure of!

1999

[nick121235 · 7/10 · 5 December 2020]

I love her house so much, and the interior decor. Gorgeous color palette. I think I enjoyed this movie so much because it was so incredibly 2000's. Gorgeous movie, engaging plot, maybe not the best dialogue but it's still charming.

Incredible, Suspenseful

[HbergerhornDN · 10/10 · 25 February 2006]

I did not know what to expect when I watched this movie but I can tell you it left me guessing from the beginning to the ending, and the ending was what threw me so , this movie was well done for a made for TV movie. The story line kept you wondering who was actually involved and Shannen Doherty was great. She has so much talent and did such a good job in this movie. She brought believability to the role and dept to the character. She proved that no matter how her past is constantly being thrown back at her she has an incredible talent and puts more than one hundred percent into what she does. She proves that she can move on with her work.

Smart film

[goldengate_88 · 3 August 2003]

The FIRST time you watch it. The second time is just boooring..

Shannen Doherty I must say, is a good actress with great skills, that's why I think that she deserves better then this.

The movie is is not a ripoff, but it just hasn't got the spark. It's definatelly NOT a movie of Shannen's, NOT her style of movies, even she does make good thrills.

Nope I see Shannen in comedies, where you can laugh out loud when showing her boobs and wearing a tight, short skirt which shows her incredible nice legs. Ok well she can do that in a thriller too, but still she's a "Jay and Silent Bob" -kinda girl, who screams to the director to shut up.

But the movie was really good, actually. More then what I expected from the actors.

7 out of 10 stars.

Some fast forwarding but for the most part

[cuteusbelleus · 8/10 · 13 December 2020]

It kept me watching at normal speed. I have taken to holding the remote while watching movies in order to "edit" its length and bypass unnecessary scenes. I did use it in this movie but, had to keep it normal most of the time (and even rewinded scenes a few times) in order to understand what was happening! I felt it was strange that women would open doors without asking who it was even they knew there was a stalker. It annoys me when movies place females acting stupid for the heck of perpetuating stereotypes. I later understood why one of them had a big smile when she opened the door without asking. At the time, it was puzzling. It was also puzzling that the heavy duty security did not include checking for cyber breaches. Again, I understood later on. Griffin was not a very good actor and it was hard to watch him. The cops and the FBI agents were not very believable either. At one point, I started wondering if the cops were part of the whole con. Movie was very good at hiding the "bad guys" for most of the time. I still don't know who was not in on the con, but was happy to see the ending, which I suspected during the last 15 minutes of the movie. I just did not know who else was going to be left standing. I read some of the "reviews" here and I must say that I did not want mine to be like the ones who think they are here to critique as professionals. I don't need to read a plot summary in a lay person's reviews. That is already in the site's description. I want to read how people felt, what they liked and disliked. Since we all have different tastes, you will have to watch it to make up your own mind. I do recommend you give it a shot, even if you hold the remote for a while!

Hello Shannen!

[icepig77 · 21 November 2000]

This movie is fabulous! Not only does Doherty demonstrate her ability to be the most convincing character possible, but her versatility shines through as we look back at 90210.

The camera can be seen as a metaphor for many of the subplots during the film, yet it is not overdone as so many movies have done before. The dialogue is cleverly done, subtle enough so that you really should pay attention if you want to absorb the essence of this fine production.

As for her past accomplishments, "Blindfold: Acts of Obsession" was probably her premiere work before "Striking Poses." She has developed even further as an actress, outdoing her still-marvelous performance in the aforementioned film, a masterpiece itself.

In conclusion, you will laugh, cry, and be left speechless throughout "Striking Poses." Don't be surprised if we see some Acadamy Awards come this way, especially for the top notch performance of one of the finest actresses alive, Shannen Doherty.

Really intriguing story. Great acting, good story.

[necare · 10/10 · 6 December 2000]

Really intriguing story, I sat glued to the TV. Good, smart twist at the end makes the movie even better then expected. The surprise element is great. Shannen is a great actress who plays the part flawlessly. Great acting combined with good story, a ten.

Scandalous

[David, Film Freak · 18 April 2001]

Well, as far as TV movie thrillers go (and that's not very far), this is as good as they come.

Shannen Doherty plays a photographer on the wrong side of the lens as she is stalked everywhere she goes and is caught up in a web of lies, deceit and murders.

Not bad at all - fast paced and action-packed - just what I like!

marvelous TV Movie, keeps you wondering. Great finish.

[whatshisfacesoutpost · 10/10 · 6 February 2012]

For a TV movie this was absolutely marvelous! I see someone found it was confusing, and I can understand that if you have no more than a fifth grade education. It does drag you around a little bit running here and there changing how you figure the outcome of the movie is going to be. The ending is absolutely fantastic and takes you completely by surprise. Having a higher IQ than most people it is hard for me to truly enjoy most movies as I usually have it figured out at least halfway through what the end is going to be! This one here I had no idea what was going to happen right up to the end of the movie. Just when I thought everything was done, what a finish! Absolutely a movie that would keep you guessing, never a dull moment! I highly recommend this movie, as a matter of fact I'm going to to see if I can find it somewhere on a CD and purchase it so I can watch it anytime I feel like it! I would love to share with the rest of my family.

Okay plot, bad acting

[jjw8 · 24 December 2000]

An obviously cheap Canadian production but not too bad for what it is. The plot moves along convincingly but the worst things here are the "acting" of Shannen Doherty and Joseph Griffin who both show as much emotion as a pair of zombies. David Mamet's "The Spanish Prisoner" is a much better variation on this theme.