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)
N: Nurse Betty
O: O

Nurse Betty (plus)


Although I have a feeling that audiences will be split on their reactions to this film, I think that it will be a film that film students will enjoy analyzing. "Nurse Betty" follows a small-town girl on a cross-country adventure and into the fictional world of the soaps. Renee Zellweger plays the main character, Betty, with humor, sympathy, and quirky realism. I know it might sound oxymoronic to say quirky and realism in the same sentence, however, Zellweger does portray the mind-set of a relatively simple young lady caught up in a complicated situation, with as much realism as is possible. The adventure starts when Betty becomes severely traumatized after witnessing a violent crime. She enters into a fugue, "A fugue is a combination of amnesia and physical fright. The individual flees from [his] her customary surroundings toward the assumption of a new identity." (American Psychiatric Association 1994.) She subconsciously avoids coping with her emotional pain and begins to confuse her bleak reality with the fantasy world of her favorite soap opera, "A Reason to Love". She decides to travel to Los Angeles because she is convinced that something special is going to happen to her and her make-believe lover, Dr. David Ravell, one of the soap's heart throbs, played by Greg Kinnear.

This film reminded me of a series of other films that deal with characters that become so obsessed with a fictional world that they confuse fantasy with reality. Some of the other films include: "The King of Comedy" (the original one directed by Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro, not to be confused with "The Original Kings of Comedy"), "To Die For", "Farewell My Concubine", and "The Purple Rose of Cairo". Her travels while in an altered state reminded me of "The Wizard of Oz" except instead of being the one normal person surrounded by odd characters, she was the odd one. There are qualities of "Forest Gump" also in this film, like Betty's continuous dumb luck. The filmmakers behind "Nurse Betty" treated violence with humor, irony, and a blaze attitude similar to many Tarrantino films like "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown", and Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange". The musical motifs for the characters reminded me of the establishment of a mood used in "Peter and the Wolf".

Yet, despite the similarities with a long list of other filmmakers and films, "Nurse Betty" stands on its own with a unique style and interesting narrative. The tone for the film changes dramatically from scene to scene and from character to character, but the overall mood is comic and quirky. At times I felt as though I were riding a roller coaster since one scene would be humorous one moment and then tragic a moment later. The filmmakers, who include director Neil LaBute ("Your Friends & Neighbors"), Gail Mutrux, producer ("Rain Man", "Quiz Show", and "Donnie Brasco"), producer Steve Golin ("Being John Malkovich"), music by Rolfe Kent ("Election" and "Citizen Ruth"), and co-writers James Flamberg and John Richards (who won an award at Cannes for Best Screenplay this year); did a tremendous job of creating comic dramatic irony. Although the ending was somewhat corny and far-fetched, it was not predictable, in my opinion.

The entire cast that includes: Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock, and Greg Kinnear, all gave strong performances. Zellweger was perfectly cast in the lead role of Betty. Although Freeman and Rock played well off of one another, they did not have the chemistry of a father and son. Greg Kinnear gave a fine performance, but his role as Dr. David did not call for him to demonstrate his true acting ability. Their characters were well-developed and somewhat realistic in a zany way. 

If you enjoy offbeat humor in films like "Raising Arizona", and/or if you are into applying cinematic or television theory to a film, then you will probably enjoy "Nurse Betty". This film will open wide in theaters on Friday, September 8th. It is worth a rental, and would be equally enjoyable on the small screen.


O (PLUS)


Finally, an intelligent film targeted to teens! Director Tim Blake Nelson (also actor in films that include THE THIN RED LINE, DONNIE BRASCO, and O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?) and Screenwriter, Brad Kaaya (television's SHERMAN OAKS, and MALCOLM & EDDIE) hit the big screen with a modern-day adaptation of the Shakespearean classic tragedy, Othello. To his credit, Kaaya does a tremendous job of modernizing O from the Elizabethan play, setting the story in a southern prep school in Charleston, replacing the battlefield with a basketball court, making the king the big-man-on-campus basketball star, while preserving the role adultery and jealousy play in the original tragedy.

Although the dialogue is a bit awkward and unrealistic at times, especially during some of the love scenes between Desi (Desdemona played by Julia Stiles: SAVE THE LAST DANCE, STATE & MAIN, DOWN TO YOU, and TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU) and O or Odin (Othello played by Mekhi Phifer: CLOCKERS, GIRL 6, I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, and SOUL FOUL), the complexity of the characters, their actions, and interactions, make the film very powerful to audiences irrespective of their familiarity with Shakespeare's work. The cast and the screenplay capture the essence of Shakespeare's play- the themes of betrayal, love, obsession, jealousy, and wrath in a manner that if Shakespeare were alive today, he may have at least approved of a similar presentation (obviously the target audiences are quite different: one very privileged and elite, the other very common).

The most fascinating performance comes from a supporting character, Hugo (Iago) played by Josh Hartnett, the up-and-coming reluctant heart throb (PEARL HARBOR, TOWN & COUNTRY, VIRGIN SUICIDES, HALLOWEEN H2O, and television's CRACKER). The filmmakers' decision to cast Hartnett in the role of the conniving Hugo proved to be a savvy move since very few actors could portray the wicked, conniving, deceitful nature of his character, and also convey the inner torment in a manner that makes this villain extremely sympathetic. His performance is worthy of an Oscar nomination or at least a Golden Globe, however, I fear that the controversy surrounding this film may smother his chances. I also fear that many of the older critics may have problems viewing a performance in a teen-oriented movie as an Oscar caliber performance. The film also features strong performances by Martin Sheen (APOCALYPSE NOW, THE DEAD ZONE, THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, and television's WEST WING) as an overly competitive coach who is so obsessed with winning that he unknowingly neglects his family including his son played by Hartnett, and Elden Henson as a love sick over-privileged geek (THE MIGHTY and THE MIGHTY DUCKS). Other familiar faces include Andrew Keegan as a Michael, one of the many pawns in Hugo's game of deceit (BROKEN HEARTS CLUB and TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU) and Rain Phoenix as Desi's roommate and confidant (River and Joaquin's sister, former back-up vocalist for REM and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and featured in MAID TO ORDER, TO DIE FOR, and EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES).

The controversy engulfing the film testifies to the impact O will have on audiences, both old and young. The film works because the cast and crew truly transport Othello to a modern American setting in terms of demographics and the current sociopolitical climate. Miramax executives pushed back O's original theatrical release date due to the spree of high school shootings, most notably Columbine since that incident occurred only weeks before the original April 1999 release date. The realism of the tragic ending will probably make audiences feel uncomfortable, as it did the Miramax executives who were probably so afraid of an onslaught of angry letters and protests to the degree that Nelson and the rest of the filmmakers fought to have the rights transferred to the bolder Lions Gate Films. However, I think controversy and debate is one of the best aspects of film since many movies make people think and discuss issues that bring rise to uncomfortable emotions. I hope that people will go see O and leave theaters thinking about the realism of the violence depicted in this film (or rather the factors that contribute to violent actions). It bothers me that the American public appears to have given up on America's youth by focusing on the effect of dysfunctional families and the pressures students face, instead of exploring the causes. I am glad that the writer of O set forth the argument that school violence is not based on race or class because I am sick of the negative stereotypes about the inner city and its residents.

I hope that other moviegoers will appreciate the efforts and accomplishments that O has to offer. I suspect that the setting and cast will appeal to younger audiences, especially Gen Y; however, I think that the story will interest many different age groups. At times the film is a little too artsy fartsy (for example, unnecessary symbolism with white doves and a black hawk- gag), and tries too hard to be philosophical; yet overall the film is very accessible to a mainstream audience without pretense. O opens wide August 31st. This film would be equally enjoyable on video.

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