The OtherArena

[chadlaca]

Saw Brian De Palma's latest last night. Not good. Not even close.

The script is a mess. Motivations are often hazy at best, characters are dropped for extended periods, and the denouement piles on twists to the point of exhaustion. Not that you'll care by the time you reach it.

It also never feels like you're in the 1940s for even a second, often playing more like a bunch of kids playing dress up. Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography can be pretty to look at at times but way too many exteriors appear to have taken place on a soundstage, which I guess comes with the territory when the bulk of your shoot is done in Bulgaria.

As far as acting, the cast isn't given much to work with, with lots of risible dialogue and scenarios that they're asked to play completely straight. Honestly, it often plays like parody. Even so, Scarlett Johansson (lovely as ever) turns in a wooden performance. Josh Hartnett (a pretty boy who for some inexplicable reason I don't hate) is not remotely up to the task of carrying things. And even Hilary Swank is lame in her attempts to vamp it up for a change. Bleh.

The weird thing is, despite De Palma's recent track record, I went in with my hopes up. I wanted to like it. Oh well. Recommendation to pass.

[Steve Yohe]

Holy Cow. This one ranks with the worst films of all time. I couldn't believe it was De Palma directing...I thought it was Mel Brooks doing drama. It has the feel of a bad musical...without the music. One scene has Hartnett having dinner table sex with Scarlett Johansson & I think she get a chicken up her ass...because it disappears. Shit now a bunch of the perverts will want to see the movie. The woman who plays the mother, Ramona (I think Flona Shaw), is the worst actress in the history of the world. I can't believe people say HEAVENS GATE was a bad movie when films like this are being made.--Yohe

[jdw]

Sounds like you went to see it a second time. :)


John