Porn stars move in and some time in a box
Between working on a handful of projects and sleeping, I managed to catch a couple of movies on that cable package I've been paying for (and not watching much more than basic channels on).
The Girl Next Door
I distinctly remember not being all that interested in seeing this movie when it was being advertised a couple years back. It looked like vapid eye candy. It looked like a thinly veiled attempt to get teenage boys drooling over that chick that plays Kim Bauer on 24. (And, really, do teenage boys really need to be tempted to drool over someone like her? No they do not... it'll happen all on its own.)
So, when I noticed it was going to be on in the wee hours of the morning and because I was frustrated with the project I was working on, I figured "What the hell, I'll turn it on. At least it'll be fun to look at."
It turned out to be a little better than I expected it to be. OK, a lot better than I expected it to be. Don't get too excited, I wasn't expecting much.
What I got was a slightly above average story about the good kid in school who, before he graduates, realizes he hasn't really lived. He's always gone to class, always followed the rules, always been the good kid. He's got his two buddies, both geeks and dorks in their own right, who have led a similarly mundane existence. All of that changes when Danielle shows up to take care of the house next door to his. To say she has a wild streak is an understatement. But what else would you expect from an LA pron star. Needless to say, all hell breaks loose in the most entertaining way possible.
This film reminded me immediately of a modernized version of Risky Business (though Emile Hirsch's Matthew Kidman isn't anywhere near as intense and dynamic as Cruise's Joel Goodsen). Hookers just aren't hip enough for the 21st century, so we get porn stars instead. There's a Pretty Woman element to the film, too (again, substituting porn stars for prostitutes) and many echoes of any number of other 80s teen movies.
Fear not, there's also a bunch of dams sexy scenes. Makes me wonder just how much further things go in the unrated version available on DVD (which, if IMDB is right has just an extra minute of time in the film) or how much further the writers (who also gave us Saving Ryan's Privates--if you haven't seen that, catch it sometime--it's pretty darn funny) wanted to push things before the studio talked them down.
The thing is, the movie really doesn't need the blatant titillating scenes to make it work. It could have been just as strong--if not a little stronger--if the film makers had shot for a PG-13 rating. Heck, this movie should fit perfectly in a regular two-hour time slot on a channel like FOX. Maybe that was the plan all along...
The plot twists in the movie are entertaining and satisfying. A few are more than a little expected, but fun none the less. The acting is also pretty good. Elisha Cuthbert can actually act (even better is the fact that she's actually given the chance to be more than just eye candy in a film like this) and Hirsch did a pretty solid job as well. My favorite performance has to be from Timothy Olyphant as Cuthbert's character's manager. So incredibly different from his character on Deadwood.
If you're feeling silly or just want to ogle a bit, get your hands on this movie, you won't be disappointed and you may actually get something more out of it. I think I'll be adding the DVD to my college, just so I can have it around for a movie night some time in the future.
The Jacket
This movie tanked in the box office and I know why.
It was marketed, as so many things are, as a horror film. This it is not. Disturbing, a bit, but far from a horror film. It is much more along the lines of The Butterfly Effect--a psychological thriller.
Even with the misleading trailers, I was very interested in seeing it. Just the cast alone intrigued me. I was not disappointed one bit.
Adrien Brody plays Jack Starks, a Gulf War vet who ends up in a mental institution after an unfortunate round of hitchhiking. There he it pulled from his room one night and subjected to an interesting form of "therapy" by Dr. Becker (Kris Kristofferson). This involves Starks being trussed up in a full-body straight jacket, injected with some drugs, rolled into a morgue cabinet and left there. Once inside, things get interesting. Jack finds himself in the future, trying to put the pieces of his own life together.
Visually, this move does wonderful things. The transitions to and from the box to Jack's other life are done in a way that is gentle and jarring at the same time. Even the film's opening sets you up to feel off-kilter, just like Jack probably is through most of the film. The subtle lighting and tonal difference between the time periods is also a great visual cue to the nature of the world the characters are immersed in.
Most subtle and effective, however, are the tricks played with sound in the film. The one problem is also with the sound, like many independent/small studio pictures, it tends to be a little muffled. I found myself straining to hear some of the dialog at times before I just turned up the volume higher than I normally do.
Brody's acting is, as always, great. And Kristofferson is better as Dr. Becker than I've ever seen him before. The old man may actually be getting better with age... almost makes me want to see him in more than westerns and action films. Keira Knightly also turns in a solid portrayal of growth as Jackie Price, the girl who seems to be the focal point of Jack's disjointed existence.
Not only was this film marketed wrong, it's deeper and edgier than what most American audiences prefer in their entertainment. Nothing is over the top, it's all understated and left to the viewer to figure out.
This one is definitely getting added to my collection. It will make a great triple feature with The Butterfly Effect and 12 Monkeys.
The Girl Next Door
I distinctly remember not being all that interested in seeing this movie when it was being advertised a couple years back. It looked like vapid eye candy. It looked like a thinly veiled attempt to get teenage boys drooling over that chick that plays Kim Bauer on 24. (And, really, do teenage boys really need to be tempted to drool over someone like her? No they do not... it'll happen all on its own.)
So, when I noticed it was going to be on in the wee hours of the morning and because I was frustrated with the project I was working on, I figured "What the hell, I'll turn it on. At least it'll be fun to look at."
It turned out to be a little better than I expected it to be. OK, a lot better than I expected it to be. Don't get too excited, I wasn't expecting much.
What I got was a slightly above average story about the good kid in school who, before he graduates, realizes he hasn't really lived. He's always gone to class, always followed the rules, always been the good kid. He's got his two buddies, both geeks and dorks in their own right, who have led a similarly mundane existence. All of that changes when Danielle shows up to take care of the house next door to his. To say she has a wild streak is an understatement. But what else would you expect from an LA pron star. Needless to say, all hell breaks loose in the most entertaining way possible.
This film reminded me immediately of a modernized version of Risky Business (though Emile Hirsch's Matthew Kidman isn't anywhere near as intense and dynamic as Cruise's Joel Goodsen). Hookers just aren't hip enough for the 21st century, so we get porn stars instead. There's a Pretty Woman element to the film, too (again, substituting porn stars for prostitutes) and many echoes of any number of other 80s teen movies.
Fear not, there's also a bunch of dams sexy scenes. Makes me wonder just how much further things go in the unrated version available on DVD (which, if IMDB is right has just an extra minute of time in the film) or how much further the writers (who also gave us Saving Ryan's Privates--if you haven't seen that, catch it sometime--it's pretty darn funny) wanted to push things before the studio talked them down.
The thing is, the movie really doesn't need the blatant titillating scenes to make it work. It could have been just as strong--if not a little stronger--if the film makers had shot for a PG-13 rating. Heck, this movie should fit perfectly in a regular two-hour time slot on a channel like FOX. Maybe that was the plan all along...
The plot twists in the movie are entertaining and satisfying. A few are more than a little expected, but fun none the less. The acting is also pretty good. Elisha Cuthbert can actually act (even better is the fact that she's actually given the chance to be more than just eye candy in a film like this) and Hirsch did a pretty solid job as well. My favorite performance has to be from Timothy Olyphant as Cuthbert's character's manager. So incredibly different from his character on Deadwood.
If you're feeling silly or just want to ogle a bit, get your hands on this movie, you won't be disappointed and you may actually get something more out of it. I think I'll be adding the DVD to my college, just so I can have it around for a movie night some time in the future.
The Jacket
This movie tanked in the box office and I know why.
It was marketed, as so many things are, as a horror film. This it is not. Disturbing, a bit, but far from a horror film. It is much more along the lines of The Butterfly Effect--a psychological thriller.
Even with the misleading trailers, I was very interested in seeing it. Just the cast alone intrigued me. I was not disappointed one bit.
Adrien Brody plays Jack Starks, a Gulf War vet who ends up in a mental institution after an unfortunate round of hitchhiking. There he it pulled from his room one night and subjected to an interesting form of "therapy" by Dr. Becker (Kris Kristofferson). This involves Starks being trussed up in a full-body straight jacket, injected with some drugs, rolled into a morgue cabinet and left there. Once inside, things get interesting. Jack finds himself in the future, trying to put the pieces of his own life together.
Visually, this move does wonderful things. The transitions to and from the box to Jack's other life are done in a way that is gentle and jarring at the same time. Even the film's opening sets you up to feel off-kilter, just like Jack probably is through most of the film. The subtle lighting and tonal difference between the time periods is also a great visual cue to the nature of the world the characters are immersed in.
Most subtle and effective, however, are the tricks played with sound in the film. The one problem is also with the sound, like many independent/small studio pictures, it tends to be a little muffled. I found myself straining to hear some of the dialog at times before I just turned up the volume higher than I normally do.
Brody's acting is, as always, great. And Kristofferson is better as Dr. Becker than I've ever seen him before. The old man may actually be getting better with age... almost makes me want to see him in more than westerns and action films. Keira Knightly also turns in a solid portrayal of growth as Jackie Price, the girl who seems to be the focal point of Jack's disjointed existence.
Not only was this film marketed wrong, it's deeper and edgier than what most American audiences prefer in their entertainment. Nothing is over the top, it's all understated and left to the viewer to figure out.
This one is definitely getting added to my collection. It will make a great triple feature with The Butterfly Effect and 12 Monkeys.