KEA Productions: DVD Movie Reviews
from the archives ofNuReel.com, The Berkeley Daily Planet, and Alameda Sun- written byKamala Appel
ratings: Plus(highest)-Neutral (okay)-Negatives (pass & omitted from archive)
W: What Lies Beneath, Where the Money Is, Wolf Brigade (Jin Roh)
What Lies Beneath (Plus)
DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox have teamed up to co-produce thethriller "What Lies Beneath". Other members of the team include suchheavy hitters as director Robert Zemeckis and stars Harrison Ford andMichelle Pfeiffer. "What Lies Beneath" tells the story of a tormentedwoman who is not certain if her anxiety is self-inflicted from griefover her daughter leaving the nest, or by an external spirit who hauntsher new home. Michelle Pfeiffer plays the woman surrounded by othercharacters who also are not quite sure what to believe.
To be honest, I thought this film would be a disappointment because themarketing campaign is not as powerful as one would expect given thetalent behind this project (for example the trailer did not make mewant to see the movie, even though it did make me feel a little bitscared). I am glad to say that my reservations were incorrect. Theskills of all the filmmakers behind and in front of the camera madethis movie shine. Zemeckis did a fine job of maximizing the suspenseand extracting strong performances from the entire cast. Harrison Fordand Michelle Pfeiffer brought the best from their performances informer projects to this film with new added surprises. In addition tothe top billed talent, I wanted to note some of the other roles filledby people who made a noticeable difference in the creation of a filmthat was truly haunting. The dramatic tension, narrative and visualsuspense, and plausibility of the surprise ending would not have workedwithout a strong script by screenwriter Clark Gregg; the spying camerawork by Don Burgess (who has also worked with Zemeckis on "ForrestGump" and "Back to the Future" Parts II and III; the eerie look andfeel of the set influenced by production designers Rick Carter (whoalso worked with Zemeckis on "Forrest Gump" and "Death Becomes Her")and Jim Teegarden ("Jurassic Park" and "Amistad"); the perfect blendbetween fluid and jarring of the editing by Arthur Schmidt (who hasworked with Zemeckis on "Forrest Gump", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit","Contact", and "Death Becomes Her"); and lastly the casting choicesselected byEllen Lewis and Marcia DeBonis, who I feel selected a castwith histories that both supported their character development andcontradicted it in surprising ways. (I cannot clarify how withoutgiving away the ending). I usually do not mention so many members ofthe cast and crew, however, this film exemplifies how a collaborationof individual efforts can produce a well-oiled machine.
Although I must admit that I am easily scared, "What Lies Beneath"truly frightened me and many other members of the audience. (I satbetween two other chickens who were also screaming and covering theirfaces, so I was not alone). I screamed and jumped out of my seat morethan once both from the shock of what actions occurred and as a releaseof the tension that built up between events. I believed all thecharacters and their reactions to one another. The plausibility of thestory made it that much more nerve-wracking. The visual clues(presented in a manner that resembled visual foreboding style of "TheSixth Sense") added to the suspense and made the story bothsupernatural but believable.
I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good thriller andhas a good heart (as in healthy). I would also recommend this film topeople with film backgrounds who will appreciate the skills contributedto the overall production. "What Lies Beneath" will open wide intheaters on Friday, July 21st.
Where the Money Is (plus/neutral)
"Where the Money Is" is a modern-day, May-December Bonnie & Clydefilm. In common with "Bonnie & Clyde" lawbreaking brings excitementto the characters otherwise humdrum lives; however, the love story hasa twist to it that does not exist in the story of Bonnie and Clyde.This film has a lot of talent in front and behind the camera. The castincludes Paul Newman, Linda Fiorentino, and Dermot Mulroney; all threeof whom gave convincing performances. The director, Marek Kanievska,did a fine job of letting the cast shine and letting the on-screenchemistry evolve. "Where the Money Is" was produced by the Scottbrothers, both of whom are well know for their box office andcritically successful action films with identifiable characters andhuman stories (such as "Thelma & Louise" and "Alien"). Personally,I appreciate that the Scott brothers are not afraid to take atraditionally male genre and cast smart, bold women as lead characters.Paul Newman plays a clever, supposedly, ex-bank robber with somethingup his sleeve (Henry). His character in this film is reminiscent of hischaracter in "The Hustler". Fiorentino, as she has in the past in suchfilms as "The Last Seduction", portrays the seductive and rebelliouswoman (Carol). Mulroney is the third side of this quasi love triangle(Wayne); he plays the straight-man (both in terms of comedy andnarratively the one most opposed to a life a crime) married to Carol. Icommend the director and editor for putting together a film that istight. It is rare to see a film that does not have at least onedragging moment. Yet, for an action film, the film lacks visual actionsequences. However, it is a suspenseful film, not on the edge of yourseat suspenseful, but definitely filled with unexpected twists andturns. Although the writer wrote a script with a story that moves welland with well developed characters, none of the scenes are particularlymemorable or worth mentioning after the film. "Where the Money Is" isentertaining and lacks any major flaws; however, if you do not see it,you will not necessarily be missing an important release. "Where theMoney Is" comes out in theaters everywhere this Friday, April 14t(right before tax day, where the money is going…). I think thisfilm would be equally enjoyable if viewed on the small screen on videoor DVD; it is definitely worth a rental.
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (Plus/Neutral)
"Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade" is a mythological, sci fi, thriller set inpost-war Japan. The filmmakers take some liberty with history by makingthe victor of the Second World war Nazi Germany. The story takes placeten years after Japan's defeat and revolves around a mutual desire byvying groups to forget the past and control the future of Tokyo. Thecontenders for control include a domestic terrorist group called theSect, the counter terrorist Special Unit of the capital's police force,and a mysterious counterintelligence group know as the Wolf Brigade.
The translators take some liberty with the Japanese word, "jin-roh"which literally means "man-wolf" referring to the relationship betweenman and wolf, not a wolf man/werewolf. In the spirit of themythological "Princess Monoke", "Jin-roh: Wolf Brigade" explores man'srelationship to nature by examining the meaning of human nature. In itsexploration of man's relationship to nature's creatures, morespecifically a wolf, as the symbol of the most misunderstood animal,"Jin-roh: Wolf Brigade" weaves the story of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, theoriginal, more horrific version of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale,ROTKAPPACHEN, into the narrative. Although I thought that thespiritual, philosophical aspect of the film brought a greater level ofdepth to the film than the average thriller, I found the analogybetween the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the love story, verycontrived and corny.
Even though the love story aspect was somewhat predictable andridiculous, Director, Hiroyuki Okiura does a fine job of creatingsuspense around the fight for intelligence, counter-intelligence, andultimately for power. I found myself completely engrossed in thenarrative, wondering who was good and who was bad; and who were alliesand who were foes. Writer/Creator, Mamoru Oshii does a fine job ofcreating deeply psychological characters, whose inner and outer worldstorment them and those around them. At times though, the story becomesa little too difficult to follow, yet the overall message and keyevents are clear.
Anime fans will love the artwork and animation of "Jin-roh: WolfBrigade". Art Director, Hiromasa Ogura, creates an animated world thatis as visually textured and sophisticated as the narrative. In fact,the backgrounds and simulation of a variety of camera angles create afeeling of reality that matches a live action film.
"Jin-roh: Wolf Brigade" will launch a platform release throughout theU.S. starting July 27th (the film has played at UCLA in 1999, but didnot open in Japan until 2000). Despite the film's fairy tale element,the film contains a large amount of gun violence and graphic violencein general that may be inappropriate for children under twelve. I wouldrecommend seeing the film on the big screen to truly appreciate theartwork and feel the impact of the dramatic encounters between thevarious characters.
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