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 with
MADE. Favreau plays a boxer/body guard/reluctant thug in MADE, a film
he also wrote. He stars alongside his former co-star from SWINGERS,
Vince Vaughn, as a man struggling to make ends meet. Vaughn and Favreau
play childhood friends and former football teammates, whose history
with one another leads them to interact as siblings would. Some of
their sibling-like interaction includes petty fistfights, covering for
the other's shortcomings, and a deep sense of loyalty despite on-going,
deep-felt tensions. I guess working together before helped Favreau and
Vaughn play off of one another again. Ironically, I thought that it
might be difficult for Favreau to direct a friend/ former co-star, but
I am glad to say that my worries were inaccurate. In fact their
on-screen chemistry made the film.
The entire cast brings compassion and humor to their characters with
the exception of Sean Combs (a.k.a "Puff Daddy"), who is somewhat
awkward as an actor. Vaughn plays an idiotic, booty-chasing (every kind
of booty), screw up who manages to botch up everything he does. His
main objective is to "live large" as a "made man" with as little effort
as possible. I commend Vaughn for playing someone who annoys everyone
on-screen, without annoying the audience. In fact, his portrayal of the
ridiculous character is quite endearing. Equally sympathetic is
Favreau's character, who by contrast to Vaughn's character, just wants
to live an honest life and provide for his family. Peter Falk has a
small part as a mobster who makes and breaks the other characters.
MADE lacks a bit in terms of visual production value like smooth camera
work and sufficient lighting (probably due to budgetary constraints).
Furthermore, some of the scenes could have been edited a little more
tightly. However, the script and actors more than make up for the
film's slight short-comings. I commend Favreau for not throwing in a
gratuitous love story (unlike PEARL HARBOR which would have been better
off without the ridiculous love triangle). Instead the he elected to
develop the relationship between two male characters who love each
other like family, even though their personalities clash at times.
MADE opens on July 27th. I would recommend the film for the touching
story, compelling characters, and entertaining performances. MADE is
touching and funny. Although the film does have a bit of cursing in it
and sexual interactions (not graphic more innuendoes), there is a
strong message about family values, so I would recommend it to families
with 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 his
own inner demons. Sentenced to a bit in prison for drunken assault,
Danny ends up coaching a soccer match that puts his freedom and honorat
stake. [trivia: Vinnie Jones played professional football for Wimbleton
Football Club].
Director Barry Skolnick employs the chic style of a music video (fast
cuts with drastic contrasting camera angles) without abusing the
technique. Unlike a lot of other directors coming from a background of
directing music videos, Barry Skolnick varies the pace, allowing the
audience to follow the story and character development at its own pace.
The moments of real-time visuals stand in stark contrast to the
flashing images characteristic to most music videos that can be rather
jarring.
The pace quickens during the climatic football (soccer) game. During
this act, the use of multiple cameras enabled Skolnick to create a
number of dynamic, rapid-fire sequences. Director of Photography Alex
Barber explains:
We decided to use as many cameras as we could afford, so we could have
the same shot running on three different cameras and cut between them.
To heighten the realism, we also carefully positioned the cameras so
that you could pull out wide and go in close all in the same piece of
action. (Press Notes- Paramount Classics c.2002).
Soccer fanatic and Director Barry Skolnick adds: "Basically, we used
the same techniques as they do for shooting real soccer matches for
television. But we had the advantage of being able to plan the camera
positions more carefully before the play." (Press Notes- Paramount
Classics 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 the
cast and crew members involved with Ritchie's films worked on MEAN
MACHINE, the fast-paced, somewhat warped humor will remind you of
Ritchie's films like LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS and SNATCH. The
overlapping parties include: Producer Matthew Vaughn, Co-Producer
Georgia Masters, Composer John Murphy, and writers Chris Baker and Andy
Day; Director of Photography Alex Barber and Production Designer
Russell de Rozario have also worked with Ritchie on other projects.
In contrast to Ritchies works, MEAN MACHINE features a much more
passionate and compassionate story and cast of characters. Skolnick
does a fine job of working with his Director of Photography and Editor
to 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 "The
Mexican". 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 in
seats by filming a lot of steamy love scenes with Pitt and Roberts. I
was pleasantly surprised. "The Mexican" is anything but a formulaic
Hollywood romantic comedy.
"The Mexican" is the name of the gun crafted in the early 1900s by a
father preparing the dowry of his daughter. Various characters relay
the many local legends about a curse placed upon the gun as the result
of the daughter's love for another poor villager and contempt for the
nobleman to whom her father promised her. Although very few of the
film's characters know what the true story behind the legend of the
Mexican is, they all know that they want to become the proud owner of
the beautiful gun. The quest for the Mexican brings the various
characters 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 to
the gun first; they all try to outwit each other; many of their
attempts to be clever are bumbling and unsuccessful; the characters who
become the foot soldiers battling over the gun do not even know why the
gun is so valuable; the few characters who do understand the Mexican's
true value use the other characters as puppets to retrieve the booty.
Sound confusing? Actually the film is surprisingly easy to follow
considering how unpredictable the story and characters are. J.H. Wyman,
the film's writer and Executive Producer, successfully wrote a story
with oddball and sympathetic characters. He creates somewhat simple
characters who reluctantly find themselves in a complicated situation;
this contrast results in some delightfully comical scenes. Wyman won
the Glass Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival for his script "Pale
Saints" and earned several Genie Award nominations for his role as the
director on that same movie. Although Wyman is not a recognizable name,
some of the film's other producers are like: Lawrence Bender (known for
his 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 ("I
Know What You Did Last Summer", "The Cable Guy", and "Something to Talk
About" with star Julia Roberts); and a whole entourage of film
financiers from Newmarket Capital Group including: William Tyrer and
Chris Ball ("Topsy Turvey", "Cruel Intentions" and "Skulls"), Aaron
Ryder (formerly of Working Title Films for "French Kiss", "Bean" and
"The Big Lebowski"). The producers and the director, Gore Verbinski had
not anticipated that the script would attract the star power that it
did. Verbinski has only helmed one feature, "Mouse Hunt", but that
film, also a DreamWorks release, did well at the box office ($134
million). Verbinski has enjoyed many years as a successful music video
and commercial director. (He won the Clio Award for the first of the
popular Budweiser "Frogs" spots.)
To the filmmakers' surprise the quirky script attracted two of the
biggest names in Hollywood, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts (who most
recently won a Golden Globe for "Erin Brockovich" and is up for an
Oscar 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", "12
Monkeys", "Fight Club", and "Seven" among others) has signedon to other
non-mainstream films and he has also been willing to challenge his
acting ability by playing non-slick pretty-boy roles (like "Twelve
Monkeys", "Kalifornia", and "Johnny Suede"). Roberts has been known to
say on many occasions that she has wanted to collaborate with Pitt.
Pitt plays Jerry Welbach, a yutz who finds himself in debt to a
mobster. Roberts plays Samantha Barzel, Welbach's girlfriend who spends
most of her time reading pop psychology relationship books and
criticizing Welbach's shortcomings as a boyfriend. One of the reasons
why I think "The Mexican" works is because Pitt and Roberts are rarely
on screen together. The narrative separation allows each of the stars
and their respective characters to shine.
Pitt and Roberts are not the only familiar faces. James Gandolfini (THE
SOPRANOS, "Mr. Wonderful" and "True Romance", also starring Brad Pitt)
does an excellent job of portraying a sympathetic and sophisticated hit
man. Some of the other cast members include Bob Balaban ("Close
Encounters of the Third Kind", "Absence of Malice") as an accountant
with something up his sleeve; J.K. Simmons ("The Gift", "The Cider
House Rules" and LAW AND ORDER) as Pitt's on-screen mob mentor; David
Krumholtz ("Liberty Heights", "The Santa Clause" and LAW AND ORDER) as
a dimwit ted mobster; and a cameo by Gene Hackman.
The film's two locations (Las Vegas and Mexico) could have created
confusion among audiences if some of the other members of the film's
team had not produced two distinct visual worlds and moved the audience
in and out of each with fluidity. The Production Designer, Cecilia
Montiel 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 to
Rodriguez's break out film "El Mariachi". The Director of Photography,
Dariusz Wolski ("A Perfect Murder", "The Crow" and "Crimson Tide") did
a nice job of using different film stocks and speeds, (although, I must
say that the visual contrasts do not provide the clarity nor
distinction of Oscar nominee "Traffic"). The Editor, Craig Wood ("Mouse
Hunt", "Forces of Nature" and numerous music videos) has collaborated
with Director Gore Verbinski on numerous occasions including the
Budweiser's "Frogs" commercial. [Some trivia: the producers dressed up
an authentic Mexican village so they could shoot on location. Some of
the townspeople played extras. Sound like "State and Main"? Oh, yes.]
If you are expecting a straight-forward, traditional Hollywood romantic
comedy like "Pretty Woman", then this film will not meet your
expectations. If you are hoping for some hot sex scenes like
"Breathless" or the "Unbearable Lightness of Being", then this film
will not meet your expectations. However, if you like offbeat humor, as
with such films as "El Mariachi", "The Trouble With Harry", "Raising
Arizona", and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"; then you will find
this film refreshingly quirky (lots of giggles but not a lot of side
aching). If you like interwoven storylines, as with such films like
"Traffic", "Short Cuts" and "City of Hope"; then you will appreciate
this film's layered approach to story telling. For those of you who
like films with closure, don't worry, the film is not open-ended. "The
Mexican" is rated R, and although I would not classify this film as a
family picture, I commend its limited violence and sex. "The Mexican"
opens wide tonight (March 2nd). I think the film has a chance to do
well at the box office despite its inauspicious release date. I will be
interested 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 2
setting the tone for flesh-filled fantasies. If you want to get a
glimpse behind THE MONKEY'S MASK, replace the horny teenagers with
lusty lesbians, and comedy with suspense. Okay, the film's are very
different in terms of tone and target audience, but both host a lot of
graphic 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 INSTINCT
and SEA OF LOVE, THE MONKEY'S MASK is a sexy, racy, thriller about a
young female detective who is not sure whom or what she can trust,
including her own instincts. The film is suspenseful, filled with
intriguing characters, with surprisingly sparse amounts of violence. In
fact, the strength of THE MONKEY'S MASK, in my opinion, is its ability
to involve the audience despiteits somewhat slow pace, without
resorting to graphic violence.
By contrast, the love scenes are very graphic, and may make a lot of
viewers feel uncomfortable (since most of the sex involves lesbians and
bisexuals). I did find myself feeling quite unsettled during some of
the poetry readings, but I think the director intended to make the
audience feel as uneasy as the protagonist who also found the victim's
poetry disturbing. Unlike many other thrillers with high sexual
content, the tone of the film portrayed sex in a very negative light. I
feel compelled to give you an example of one of the poems by Dorothy
Porter, 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 American
audiences (WITNESS and TOP GUN), plays the femme fatale who seduces and
educates the detective played by Susie Porter. I must say that it is
refreshing and rare to see a woman over fifty playing the primary
seductress. As many of her well-known roles in American box office
hits, McGillis' character, Diana, is bold, confident, and defiant.
Porter's character, Jill; on the other hand, is the naïve with a
rough exterior.
Director Samantha Lang proves herself to be an innovative filmmaker
with this film. She breaks the film into segments that flow almost like
verses of a poem, which is fitting since the film is about a murdered
poetress. The fragmented presentation places the audience in the dark
along with the protagonist. The episodic format also enables Lang to
place the audience in Jill's shoes since we receive clues and bits of
information as she does. She also succeeds in including a lot of
beautiful scenery of Australia without allowing the B-roll to make the
film drag.
THE MONKEY'S MASK is not an edge-of-your-seat type thriller, but it is
suspenseful. I also suspect that there will be an audience who will
find the film quite sexy, even though the film's attitude towards sex
is somewhat disturbing to me. I would recommend the film to people who
love a good mystery and who can also stomach victim poetry (like sexual
abuse survivors, etc.). This film would be equally enjoyable on video.
THE MONKEY'S MASK opens in a platform release starting Friday, August
24th.
back to Reviews Directory
back to home