KEA Productions: DVD Movie Reviews
from the archives of NuReel.com, The Berkeley Daily Planet, and Alameda Sun- written by Kamala Appel
ratings: Plus (highest)-Neutral (okay)-Negatives (pass & omitted from archive)
M: Made, Mean Machine, The Mexican, The Monkey's Mask
MADE (PLUS)
Jon Favreau flexes his directorial muscles for the first time withMADE. Favreau plays a boxer/body guard/reluctant thug in MADE, a filmhe also wrote. He stars alongside his former co-star from SWINGERS,Vince Vaughn, as a man struggling to make ends meet. Vaughn and Favreauplay childhood friends and former football teammates, whose historywith one another leads them to interact as siblings would. Some oftheir sibling-like interaction includes petty fistfights, covering forthe other's shortcomings, and a deep sense of loyalty despite on-going,deep-felt tensions. I guess working together before helped Favreau andVaughn play off of one another again. Ironically, I thought that itmight be difficult for Favreau to direct a friend/ former co-star, butI am glad to say that my worries were inaccurate. In fact theiron-screen chemistry made the film.
The entire cast brings compassion and humor to their characters withthe exception of Sean Combs (a.k.a "Puff Daddy"), who is somewhatawkward as an actor. Vaughn plays an idiotic, booty-chasing (every kindof booty), screw up who manages to botch up everything he does. Hismain objective is to "live large" as a "made man" with as little effortas possible. I commend Vaughn for playing someone who annoys everyoneon-screen, without annoying the audience. In fact, his portrayal of theridiculous character is quite endearing. Equally sympathetic isFavreau's character, who by contrast to Vaughn's character, just wantsto live an honest life and provide for his family. Peter Falk has asmall part as a mobster who makes and breaks the other characters.
MADE lacks a bit in terms of visual production value like smooth camerawork and sufficient lighting (probably due to budgetary constraints).Furthermore, some of the scenes could have been edited a little moretightly. However, the script and actors more than make up for thefilm's slight short-comings. I commend Favreau for not throwing in agratuitous love story (unlike PEARL HARBOR which would have been betteroff without the ridiculous love triangle). Instead the he elected todevelop the relationship between two male characters who love eachother like family, even though their personalities clash at times.
MADE opens on July 27th. I would recommend the film for the touchingstory, compelling characters, and entertaining performances. MADE istouching and funny. Although the film does have a bit of cursing in itand sexual interactions (not graphic more innuendoes), there is astrong message about family values, so I would recommend it to familieswith children over the age of ten.
MEAN MACHINE (PLUS)
Vinnie Jones is a lean, mean, soccer-playing machine in MEAN MACHINE.Vinnie Jones (LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS, SNATCH, SWORDFISH)plays Danny, a man fighting prison mates, prison authorities, and hisown inner demons. Sentenced to a bit in prison for drunken assault,Danny ends up coaching a soccer match that puts his freedom and honoratstake. [trivia: Vinnie Jones played professional football for WimbletonFootball Club].
Director Barry Skolnick employs the chic style of a music video (fastcuts with drastic contrasting camera angles) without abusing thetechnique. Unlike a lot of other directors coming from a background ofdirecting music videos, Barry Skolnick varies the pace, allowing theaudience to follow the story and character development at its own pace.The moments of real-time visuals stand in stark contrast to theflashing images characteristic to most music videos that can be ratherjarring.
The pace quickens during the climatic football (soccer) game. Duringthis act, the use of multiple cameras enabled Skolnick to create anumber of dynamic, rapid-fire sequences. Director of Photography AlexBarber explains:
We decided to use as many cameras as we could afford, so we could havethe same shot running on three different cameras and cut between them.To heighten the realism, we also carefully positioned the cameras sothat you could pull out wide and go in close all in the same piece ofaction. (Press Notes- Paramount Classics c.2002).
Soccer fanatic and Director Barry Skolnick adds: "Basically, we usedthe same techniques as they do for shooting real soccer matches fortelevision. But we had the advantage of being able to plan the camerapositions more carefully before the play." (Press Notes- ParamountClassics c.2002)
The upbeat, hip soundtrack also heightens the drama with a hint of twisted humor.
Even though Guy Ritchie did not direct MEAN MACHINE, since many of thecast and crew members involved with Ritchie's films worked on MEANMACHINE, the fast-paced, somewhat warped humor will remind you ofRitchie's films like LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS and SNATCH. Theoverlapping parties include: Producer Matthew Vaughn, Co-ProducerGeorgia Masters, Composer John Murphy, and writers Chris Baker and AndyDay; Director of Photography Alex Barber and Production DesignerRussell de Rozario have also worked with Ritchie on other projects.
In contrast to Ritchies works, MEAN MACHINE features a much morepassionate and compassionate story and cast of characters. Skolnickdoes a fine job of working with his Director of Photography and Editorto create a work that is funny and exciting to watch.
MEAN MACHINE opens wide on March 1st. This film would be equally enjoyable on video.
The Mexican (Plus)
Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts finally cross paths on-screen in "TheMexican". They are without a doubt, two of Hollywood's biggest stars.With that in mind, I went to the screening with low expectations,anticipating that the (studio) powers that be would try to get asses inseats by filming a lot of steamy love scenes with Pitt and Roberts. Iwas pleasantly surprised. "The Mexican" is anything but a formulaicHollywood romantic comedy.
"The Mexican" is the name of the gun crafted in the early 1900s by afather preparing the dowry of his daughter. Various characters relaythe many local legends about a curse placed upon the gun as the resultof the daughter's love for another poor villager and contempt for thenobleman to whom her father promised her. Although very few of thefilm's characters know what the true story behind the legend of theMexican is, they all know that they want to become the proud owner ofthe beautiful gun. The quest for the Mexican brings the variouscharacters together in a manner similar to the classic "It's a Mad,Mad, Mad, Mad World". All of the characters will do anything to get tothe gun first; they all try to outwit each other; many of theirattempts to be clever are bumbling and unsuccessful; the characters whobecome the foot soldiers battling over the gun do not even know why thegun is so valuable; the few characters who do understand the Mexican'strue value use the other characters as puppets to retrieve the booty.
Sound confusing? Actually the film is surprisingly easy to followconsidering how unpredictable the story and characters are. J.H. Wyman,the film's writer and Executive Producer, successfully wrote a storywith oddball and sympathetic characters. He creates somewhat simplecharacters who reluctantly find themselves in a complicated situation;this contrast results in some delightfully comical scenes. Wyman wonthe Glass Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival for his script "PaleSaints" and earned several Genie Award nominations for his role as thedirector on that same movie. Although Wyman is not a recognizable name,some of the film's other producers are like: Lawrence Bender (known forhis many collaborations with Quentin Tarrantino such as "Pulp Fiction","Reservoir Dogs" and "Jackie Brown"); John Baldecchi ("Simon Birch","The Adventures of Huck Finn" and "Tom and Huck"); William Beasley ("IKnow What You Did Last Summer", "The Cable Guy", and "Something to TalkAbout" with star Julia Roberts); and a whole entourage of filmfinanciers from Newmarket Capital Group including: William Tyrer andChris Ball ("Topsy Turvey", "Cruel Intentions" and "Skulls"), AaronRyder (formerly of Working Title Films for "French Kiss", "Bean" and"The Big Lebowski"). The producers and the director, Gore Verbinski hadnot anticipated that the script would attract the star power that itdid. Verbinski has only helmed one feature, "Mouse Hunt", but thatfilm, also a DreamWorks release, did well at the box office ($134million). Verbinski has enjoyed many years as a successful music videoand commercial director. (He won the Clio Award for the first of thepopular Budweiser "Frogs" spots.)
To the filmmakers' surprise the quirky script attracted two of thebiggest names in Hollywood, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts (who mostrecently won a Golden Globe for "Erin Brockovich" and is up for anOscar for the same role. She has also received award nominations for"Pretty Woman" and "Steel Magnolias"). Brad Pitt ("Thelma &Louise", "Legends of the Fall", "An Interview with the Vampire", "12Monkeys", "Fight Club", and "Seven" among others) has signedon to othernon-mainstream films and he has also been willing to challenge hisacting ability by playing non-slick pretty-boy roles (like "TwelveMonkeys", "Kalifornia", and "Johnny Suede"). Roberts has been known tosay on many occasions that she has wanted to collaborate with Pitt.Pitt plays Jerry Welbach, a yutz who finds himself in debt to amobster. Roberts plays Samantha Barzel, Welbach's girlfriend who spendsmost of her time reading pop psychology relationship books andcriticizing Welbach's shortcomings as a boyfriend. One of the reasonswhy I think "The Mexican" works is because Pitt and Roberts are rarelyon screen together. The narrative separation allows each of the starsand their respective characters to shine.
Pitt and Roberts are not the only familiar faces. James Gandolfini (THESOPRANOS, "Mr. Wonderful" and "True Romance", also starring Brad Pitt)does an excellent job of portraying a sympathetic and sophisticated hitman. Some of the other cast members include Bob Balaban ("CloseEncounters of the Third Kind", "Absence of Malice") as an accountantwith something up his sleeve; J.K. Simmons ("The Gift", "The CiderHouse Rules" and LAW AND ORDER) as Pitt's on-screen mob mentor; DavidKrumholtz ("Liberty Heights", "The Santa Clause" and LAW AND ORDER) asa dimwit ted mobster; and a cameo by Gene Hackman.
The film's two locations (Las Vegas and Mexico) could have createdconfusion among audiences if some of the other members of the film'steam had not produced two distinct visual worlds and moved the audiencein and out of each with fluidity. The Production Designer, CeciliaMontiel has worked with Producer Lawrence Bender on Robert Rodriguez's"From Dusk Till Dawn". She also collaborated with Rodriguez on"Desperado". The sets have a somewhat campy look and feel similar toRodriguez's break out film "El Mariachi". The Director of Photography,Dariusz Wolski ("A Perfect Murder", "The Crow" and "Crimson Tide") dida nice job of using different film stocks and speeds, (although, I mustsay that the visual contrasts do not provide the clarity nordistinction of Oscar nominee "Traffic"). The Editor, Craig Wood ("MouseHunt", "Forces of Nature" and numerous music videos) has collaboratedwith Director Gore Verbinski on numerous occasions including theBudweiser's "Frogs" commercial. [Some trivia: the producers dressed upan authentic Mexican village so they could shoot on location. Some ofthe townspeople played extras. Sound like "State and Main"? Oh, yes.]
If you are expecting a straight-forward, traditional Hollywood romanticcomedy like "Pretty Woman", then this film will not meet yourexpectations. If you are hoping for some hot sex scenes like"Breathless" or the "Unbearable Lightness of Being", then this filmwill not meet your expectations. However, if you like offbeat humor, aswith such films as "El Mariachi", "The Trouble With Harry", "RaisingArizona", and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"; then you will findthis film refreshingly quirky (lots of giggles but not a lot of sideaching). If you like interwoven storylines, as with such films like"Traffic", "Short Cuts" and "City of Hope"; then you will appreciatethis film's layered approach to story telling. For those of you wholike films with closure, don't worry, the film is not open-ended. "TheMexican" is rated R, and although I would not classify this film as afamily picture, I commend its limited violence and sex. "The Mexican"opens wide tonight (March 2nd). I think the film has a chance to dowell at the box office despite its inauspicious release date. I will beinterested to see how audience members like you react.
THE MONKEY'S MASK (NEUTRAL/PLUS)
This must be the season for hot sex with films like AMERICAN PIE 2setting the tone for flesh-filled fantasies. If you want to get aglimpse behind THE MONKEY'S MASK, replace the horny teenagers withlusty lesbians, and comedy with suspense. Okay, the film's are verydifferent in terms of tone and target audience, but both host a lot ofgraphic love scenes.
THE MONKEY'S MASK is the second feature film by Australian director,Samantha Lang (THE WELL). In the spirit of films like BASIC INSTINCTand SEA OF LOVE, THE MONKEY'S MASK is a sexy, racy, thriller about ayoung female detective who is not sure whom or what she can trust,including her own instincts. The film is suspenseful, filled withintriguing characters, with surprisingly sparse amounts of violence. Infact, the strength of THE MONKEY'S MASK, in my opinion, is its abilityto involve the audience despiteits somewhat slow pace, withoutresorting to graphic violence.
By contrast, the love scenes are very graphic, and may make a lot ofviewers feel uncomfortable (since most of the sex involves lesbians andbisexuals). I did find myself feeling quite unsettled during some ofthe poetry readings, but I think the director intended to make theaudience feel as uneasy as the protagonist who also found the victim'spoetry disturbing. Unlike many other thrillers with high sexualcontent, the tone of the film portrayed sex in a very negative light. Ifeel compelled to give you an example of one of the poems by DorothyPorter, the author of the novel on which the film is based:
I never knew poetry was about opening your legs one minute
Opening your grave the next
I never knew poetry could be as sticky as sex
Kelly McGillis, probably the only name recognizable to Americanaudiences (WITNESS and TOP GUN), plays the femme fatale who seduces andeducates the detective played by Susie Porter. I must say that it isrefreshing and rare to see a woman over fifty playing the primaryseductress. As many of her well-known roles in American box officehits, McGillis' character, Diana, is bold, confident, and defiant.Porter's character, Jill; on the other hand, is the naïve with arough exterior.
Director Samantha Lang proves herself to be an innovative filmmakerwith this film. She breaks the film into segments that flow almost likeverses of a poem, which is fitting since the film is about a murderedpoetress. The fragmented presentation places the audience in the darkalong with the protagonist. The episodic format also enables Lang toplace the audience in Jill's shoes since we receive clues and bits ofinformation as she does. She also succeeds in including a lot ofbeautiful scenery of Australia without allowing the B-roll to make thefilm drag.
THE MONKEY'S MASK is not an edge-of-your-seat type thriller, but it issuspenseful. I also suspect that there will be an audience who willfind the film quite sexy, even though the film's attitude towards sexis somewhat disturbing to me. I would recommend the film to people wholove a good mystery and who can also stomach victim poetry (like sexualabuse survivors, etc.). This film would be equally enjoyable on video.THE MONKEY'S MASK opens in a platform release starting Friday, August24th.
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