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Volume 3, Issue 20
September 27 - October 10, 2001
MOVIE REVIEW
HEARTS OF ATLANTIS
Every now and then, everything about a movie will come together to make
watching it an enjoyable experience. All the elements in the film work so
well that it is nearly impossible to walk out of the theater
unhappy with how you have just spent two hours of your
life. Hearts of Atlantis comes very close to being that
movie. All the major elements are there, which can
either make a great film or a great disappointment. Its
directed by Scott Hicks, who was behind Shine and
Snow Falling on Cedars. It is written by William
Goldman, whose impressive movies are too many to list
but include such gems as Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid and Misery. It stars Anthony Hopkins, one
of the most talented actors working today. And luckily,
they are all in top form. Hopkins gives an excellent performance
as a well-off drifter whose past is mysterious
at best. Given his character, he strikes a strong balance
by not overdoing anything and not being so understated
as to make it unbelievable that an 11-year-old would
befriend him.
That youngster is Bobby, the actual lead of the movie,
played by Anton Yelchin. He is a very convincing and likable
preteen, especially alongside Mika Boorem as his girlfriend.
The two of them create an ideal picture of childhood,
finding enjoyment in the insignificant and nearly
oblivious to the troubles of the world around them. In the
world Hicks creates for them, that kind of blissful youth is
not difficult. There are creeks and fairs and bikes to keep
them distracted to whatever the grownups are doing, and
their biggest concern is the neighborhood gang of bullies.
The audience is also kept slightly unaware of what is going
on, in part because the story is told from Bobby's perspective.
However, even when we are given glimpses of what
happens when our narrator isn't around, we are given the
protection of youth. Any real violence takes place off-screen,
and although we know what happens, we are not made to
watch it.
This is all scripted by Goldman, who adapted the Stephen
King novel for the screen. The dialogue is believable, and
helps advance the characters without ever spelling everything
out. Instead pieces of the puzzle are provided so that
the audience, like Bobby, are never entirely sure about the
story. Which is just fine in this case, because the movie is
more about coming of age than telling any particular story
or outlining any particular plot. As in much of his writing,
Goldman combines a good sense of character with a good
ear for language to create a great screenplay. For my money
though, the best thing about this movie is its visuals. After
Hearts of Atlantis ends, the first credit is a memoriam for
the cinematographer, Piotr Sobocinski. Even if he hadn't
died earlier this year, it would have been fitting for his name
to come first in the credits; the camera was the real star of
this film.
In basic film classes, they teach students about mise en
scène, which is the balance and arrangement of the people
and things within the frame of the screen. When they taught
that, Sobocinski must have been paying attention, because
the images in this movie are composed masterfully. Not
only are they beautiful to look at, but there is usually significance,
whether it be a woman's boss positioned over her
and out of focus in the background to show his dominance
over her or two children surrounded by white to signify
their innocence, this guy knew what he was doing.
So there you have it. Everything coming together to create
one of the better movies to come out of Hollywood this
year. Truly an enjoyable cinematic experience. A---
Chris Ward
Movie Review
L. I. E
It is not without a touch of irony that Michael Cuesta titled his debut
film L. I. E. If you are going to make such a honest movie, why not
abbreviate the Long Island Expressway with an acronym for the opposite of
truth?
The movie doesn't have very much to do with the titular
strip of concrete; other than a few scenes there is not much
that happens there. L. I. E. is more
the story of 15-year-old Howie Blitzer losing people he gets
close to. It seems every time this kid befriends someone,
something happens to take that person out of his life. His
opening narration is about his mother getting killed in a car
accident, and his social and family lives go downhill from
there.
What is impressive about the character of Howie is despite
everything Cuesta puts him through he keeps going. L. I. E.
is basically his story of survival in suburban Long Island.
Of course, having an interesting character means nothing if
there is no one to play him. The most impressive thing
about this movie is that the filmmakers managed to find
Paul Franklin Dano; an actor who is young enough to play
the part but can handle the material like a professional. He
is entirely convincing as Howie, more so than a number of
long-working adult actors out there. And Dano is not working
with the light material of most movies with teenaged
casts. L. I. E. has an NC-17 rating for a reason; this is not a
high school "who will I go to the prom with?" movie.
Cuesta is unflinching when dealing with issues such as
homosexuality, incest, prostitution, and molestation.
Aside from Dano and his peers, the movie's most impressive
performance comes from Brian Cox as a retired marine
whose house Howie breaks into one night. His character
has complexities to match Howie, and he provides an interesting
double standard: while in his private life he is one of
the most morally devoid people out there, he is also one of
the most liked members of the community. Everyone is his
friend, because they have no idea what he does in his spare
time.
While L. I. E. is very character-driven, it has other strong
points. Cuesta makes use of a variety of film stocks creating
scenes that can either be crystal clear or grainy and
high-contrast, depending on what the shot calls for. While
he still has some work to do before he is an expert in the
field, Cuesta knows how to give a scene a unique look
without overdoing it to the point of distraction. Whether it
means playing with available light or moving the camera
out of sync with the characters to create a mood of uncertainty,
the director creates a visual style that perfectly
matches the tone of the movie.
L. I. E. is an impressive piece of cinema, all the more so
because so few of the people involved have much experience
in filmmaking. I for one am looking forward to seeing
what Cuesta and Dano do with their careers. They definitely
have a strong start. A
~Chris Ward
Movie Review
SERENDIPITY
Ask any woman between the ages of 18 to 40 what they think of John
Cusack, and chances are they'll say that they love him. Why? In most roles
he plays a regular guy with a deadend job, usually
struggling to maintain his sexlife. After hours of
trying to figure out the enigma known as John
Cusack, it hit me: Women love him because he's just
like every other guy who walks the streets, he's a
regular Joe, the all American underdog. In
Serendipity, Cusack is the everyman who is three
days away from tying the knot, when he decides to
try to search for his "White Whale," the woman who
got away. One minor problem-he has no idea who
she is... well sort of.
Sarah, (Bekinsale of Pearl Harbor), is an
English social worker who firmly believes
that fate controls everything,
including how she accidentally
met our hero while Christmas
shopping. Since both of them
have significant others, they
decide to play out the rest of
their night and instead of
exchanging numbers, (or even
full names), she decides to
place hers in a book which she
sells, and his is placed on a five
dollar bill. If they are meant to
be, they'll come across their
numbers in the future.
Fast forward six years, both of
them are engaged yet they both
are searching for each other's
number, going as far as flying
across the country to find one
another. Cusack has the funnier
scenes of the two, for
example during their night out
they decide to go up a building in different
elevators to see if fate will have them
pick the same floor. Of course they do
choose the same floor, except Cusack's
elevator stops to pick up a kid going up,
and guess what the kid does?
Is this film predictable? Sure it is, and it'll
drive you nuts during scenes where she
gets out of the cab and he is getting in, but
we all knew it was coming. One point I'd
like to mention is unlike other films in this
genre, the stars aren't lonely beautiful
people. They have attractive fiancés waiting
for them, they are just unsure of what
they want to do, which seems like everyone
I know.
Earlier I mentioned how women love
Cusack, guys like him as well. He isn't
good at sports, he's not a muscular stud,
and he always has girl trouble. To top it
off, during Serendipity, Cusack has on a
pair of black jeans, gray T-shirt and a blue
collar shirt left open and untucked. I was
wearing the same outfit the night before.
Unlike other films that were forced on us,
(Con Air, City Hall), Serendipity places
Cusack back in a role which is an extension
from films we grew up with, ( Say
Anything, Better Off Dead). Although the
film isn't a great movie, it is very comfortable
to sit back and watch an old
friend do what he does best, make us
laugh. B
--Neal James
DVD REPORT
AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
With Halloween creeping around the corner, Universal Studios is
releasing a few classic thrillers on DVD including Cape Fear, Halloween 2
and they are kicking it off with the 20th Anniversary of An American
Werewolf in London.
For those of you who haven't seen the film, American
Werewolf in London is a grim, yet at times hilarious, story
of two college buddies who cross paths with a werewolf
during their summer off in England. David Naughton,
(famous for his Dr. Pepper ads), is recovering from his
attack in an English hospital where he falls for his nurse
who takes him in. Unfortunately for him, he has visits from
his very dead, yet slowly decaying friend, (scene stealer
Griffin Dunne), who warns him of what's ahead, and how to
deal with his change.
What this film is most noted for time and time again, is it's
two minute "metamorphosis" during which time Naughton
is stretched into a four legged beast right before the viewers
eyes. The DVD has a bonus interview with John Landis,
during which he mentions his motivation "The Wolf-Man
has never morphed before the viewer in past films, rather
filmmakers used a lapse dissolve effect." What he aimed
for was to catch our hero transforming with the screams and
cries that would accompany such a change.
The DVD has a great feature on how then unknown make up
artist Rick Baker, ( Nutty Professor), cast Naughton's arm
to create a mold. What we consider a simple procedure
isn't, as we see the star struggle to remove his hand from the
mold, only to learn that he will have rest of his body cast as
well! Even though we cringe at Naughton pulling his arm
out while trying to maintain his fingernails in tack, it makes
us appreciate the skill of working without computers, which
have degraded most effects today,( most notably American
Werewolf in Paris which seems completely digital).
Additional features on the DVD include commentary by
Naughton and Dunne, an interview with Rick Baker, a making
of feature, and outtakes.
So is DVD really worth all the hype? I decided to test it
myself, as I have a VHS print that I bought a year ago. I
watched both prints simultaneously to see if there really was
a difference, and for the first time the home viewer can see
the beast rummaging through his English buffet.
Directed by John Landis, Werewolf is the trend setter for all
popcorn horror films that have followed to this day,as it
was one of the first films in its genre to incorporate humor
with horror successfully. Although the DVD isn't loaded
with all the features that would accompany a 20th anniversary
release, it still hits it's mark and won't leave fans disappointed.
The Movie A-
DVD Features B-
An American Werewolf in London is available at Uptown
Discs, 310 E 17th Street
--Neal James
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