Weekly Review -- Variety week à nouveau

It is yet another one of my eclectic weeks. I have to say, I missed watching about ten genres in a row. :-) I rented some of these films, bumped into others, and enjoyed them all.

Love Me If You Dare (2003) -- When you are in the mood for a film that changes from fantasy to drama to comedy with each line of dialogue, I recommend this Yann Samuell quirkfest. Julien (Guillaume Canet) and Sophie (Marion Cotillard) become best friends as children over a game of dare, with the playful interaction becoming the main staple of their friendship. Years go by, each stunt bringing these mischievous partners in crime even closer together. As the pair go through school, work, family trouble, love trouble and all other life's events, their game becomes more and more extreme, taking them to a very slippery edge. What started as a childish dare gradually evolves into a psychologically violent exchange between two people unable to express their love for one another. The question is, are they soulmates or are they slowly destroying each other? The film moves seamlessly from Julien and Sophie's make-believe childhood world to their often empty adulthood, mostly using rich cinematography by Antoine Roch and innovative editing by Andrea Sedlácková. The cinematography hues follow the characters' transition from childhood to adulthood, changing from innocent and otherworldly to more realistic, even downright sterile at times. The lead actors radiate playful chemistry. Canet portrays perfectly Julien's struggle between his love for Sophie, societal conventions and the thrill of the game. Cotillard gives a touching performance as Sophie, whose devil-may-care attitude masks a fragile heart and genuine feelings for her best friend. Special mention must go to Thibault Verhaeghe and Joséphine Lebas-Joly, who play the younger versions of Julien and Sophie, respectively, and whose scenes are emotionally charged to the point of heartbreak. Love Me If You Dare is an unusual film that would not suit everyone's tastes, but that rewards the audience with a dark, meaningful treatise on the concept of love and friendship.

8/10


Strip Search (2004) -- I caught this film on Bravo a few days ago. I had wanted to see it for a while, but the DVD is not available yet. It should be. In these days of political upheavals, security alerts and terrorist dangers, Sidney Lumet's Strip Search dares to ask some hotly debated questions -- would you be willing to give up your basic human rights to eliminate terrorism and for how long? In China, Linda (Maggie Gyllenhaal, left) is detained and interrogated by bureaucratic official Tsung-Yuan (Ken Leung, left), all the while not knowing why her freedom is suddenly on the line. At the same time, in New York City, Sharif (Bruno Lastra), an Arab exchange student, is also detained and questioned by FBI interrogator Karen (Glenn Close). Throughout it all, Linda and Sharif are subjected to various sorts of humiliations, while trying desperately to figure out why they are under the microscope. The dialogues are nearly identical, but the screenplay cleverly inserts issues of gender, sexuality and minority into each detainee's situation, adapting itself to each person's circumstances. The atmosphere of the film is very intimate and reminiscent of a play, and the expressive acting suits this structure. Gyllenhaal is the stand-out among the cast, her free-spirited Linda caught in a web of narrow-minded, deceitful bureaucracy. She is an actress that does not back away from challenges, and it shows in some scenes that are truly draining to watch. Lastra gives an effective performance as angry and defensive Sharif, who is as much a victim of racism as he is of profiling. Leung and Close are also convincing as the interrogators. The film really makes one stop and think about right-wing tactics to extract information, demanding from us to remember what makes us human, before anything else. After I saw it, I heard that there is a longer version of this important work, which only makes me want the DVD release more. The film is capable of provoking an insightful debate, which is exactly what we need more of in today's turbulent world.

9/10

The Wisher (2002) -- All right, so it may not be critically acclaimed, but this slasher film does offer up some good scares, as well as some great points about horror cinema's role in society. High school student Mary (Liane Balaban) and her friends go to a screening of the new and wildly popular horror film, "The Wisher". Soon afterwards, strange things start happening; namely, all Mary's wishes start coming true in devastating ways. Due to her troubled history, no one takes her seriously and the only one who is sympathetic is her school counsellor, Dr. Campbell (Ron Silver). With her family and friends clueless, it is up to Mary to figure out if a maniac is on the loose, or if something even more sinister is taking place. The predictable screenplay is full of clichés; then again, you do not start watching a movie of this ilk expecting Shakespeare. The acting is decent, particularly from Balaban and Silver, but even they would be replaceable; again, you do not start watching a movie like The Wisher expecting Masterpiece Theatre.

**SPOILERS**

The concept of a horror film's influence on real-life violence is a good addition, particularly the idea of subliminal messaging, and the end provides a smart commentary on teen vulnerability and mass entertainment. The only bad thing about these elements is that they are not explored throughout the film, but are tacked on to the ending. It makes this commentary look unexamined, which is a shame, since the film provides ample opportunity to do so. Horror cinema is among the most popular of genres, so I believe that it should take every occasion to make a point -- when it belongs in the context, of course. As it is, The Wisher is entertaining enough, but it could have risen to a level above the usual slasher.

6/10

Weekly Review -- Happily ever after?

Cake (2005) -- Most romantic comedies operate on a mixture of several crucial factors. Some of these elements would be a vibrant screenplay, chemistry between the actors and characters we can either a) root for b) relate to or a combination of a) and b). Nisha Ganatra's romantic comedy is an attempt at a more analytical and feminist version of the traditional romcom; however, it never really gets off the ground. Travel writer Pippa McGee (Heather Graham) starts working as editor at one of her father's (Bruce Gray) magazines. Trouble is, the magazine is "Wedding Bells" and Pippa is a notorious commitment-phobe; in her own words, she has never had a relationship that lasted more than one month. Enter Ian (David Sutcliffe), vice president of the McGee Group, and freelance photographer Hemingway (Taye Diggs), both of whom seduce Pippa in various ways. Soon a love triangle is in the works, while we are following Pippa's ruminations on marriage and singledom. Graham elicits audiences' cheers as Pippa, whose happy-go-lucky demeanor hides the effects of some extremely painful events from the past. There are nice turns by Sandra Oh and Cheryl Hines, as the best friend and uptight you-know-what we love to hate, respectively. The male characters are one of the problematic points of the script. Ian's repression is never fully explored -- one descriptive sentence does not cut it -- and Sutcliffe does not have the charisma to pull off the emotions we would expect such a man to be going through. Diggs, on the other hand, has plenty of charm and boyish charisma, but his character is bland and mostly there for a fling. Another problem with the script is the lack of situations it puts the characters in. It seems to me that they spend half of the movie talking and, if a romcom is to be successful, the stakes have to be higher for the characters and they have to be facing more obstacles to get to their objective. Cake is a watchable confection but, with this subject matter, it should have been truly delectable.

5/10

The Covenant (2006)

I just saw the trailer for this movie and can say that I am looking forward to it. I love horror movies, and this one looks like it could be fun. Horror movies with Gothic elements are always a draw for me and, if this one is well made, it could well become a cult hit. Think about it. Prep school + supernatural realm + characters' haunting backgrounds = winner. :-) I am just hoping that there is no bad dialogue, or at least not too much of it, and that there is no CGI overdose. In any case, The Covenant is coming out on September 8.

P.S. It just dawned on me that I wrote this blurb on the 13th. **cue in scary Halloween music** Come to think of it, I wonder why they are not releasing this film for Halloween.

Weekly Review -- Campy is the word of the day

The Cave (2005) -- Take Alien, mix it up with some Deep Rising, throw in a bit of Pitch Black for good measure, and you get The Cave. As uninspired as it is, though, the movie is still an entertaining way to spend 97 minutes, mostly due to its unpretentiousness. We start off in Romania circa 1975, where a group of thugs are about to loot a cave in the Carpathian mountains. Cut to 30 years later, when a group of model-pretty explorers led by Jack (Cole Hauser) are about to start studying the same place. The group includes Jack's scientist brother Tyler (Eddie Cibrian), climber Charlie (Piper Perabo) and another scientist, Kathryn Jennings (Lena Headey). Soon after they enter, their troubles start, in the form of toothy creatures that just do not want to leave them alone. The divers now need to figure out how to survive; that is, if their bickering and disagreements do not decimate them first. Not to harp on it, but are these cave explorers not the most handsome group of people you have ever seen? All joking aside, the film is chockful of cliché characters -- the brooding leader, the one-of-the-guys female and the beautiful girl doctor, just to name a few. The dialogue is bland and forgettable, but the cast is appealing enough and I wish Hauser would get some better roles, since the guy has charisma. Headey and Perabo are also too good for this kind of shlock, as Imagine Me & You has proven. Personally, I was also peeved at not having seen more gorgeous underwater shots, particularly when there was ample opportunity for them. When all is said and done, The Cave is one of those movies where no one and nothing stands out. The story was done before, in much better ways, and the characters are rehashed versions of old standards. It boasts some thrills and a great ending, and that is about it. However, it does not aspire to greatness, which is the fun thing about it; it is a no-strings-attached adventure. On those days when you really, really have no idea what to rent, The Cave is a good choice.

5/10