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)
W: What Lies Beneath, Where the Money Is, Wolf Brigade (Jin Roh)

What Lies Beneath (Plus)

DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox have teamed up to co-produce the thriller "What Lies Beneath". Other members of the team include such heavy hitters as director Robert Zemeckis and stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. "What Lies Beneath" tells the story of a tormented woman who is not certain if her anxiety is self-inflicted from grief over her daughter leaving the nest, or by an external spirit who haunts her new home. Michelle Pfeiffer plays the woman surrounded by other characters who also are not quite sure what to believe.

To be honest, I thought this film would be a disappointment because the marketing campaign is not as powerful as one would expect given the talent behind this project (for example the trailer did not make me want to see the movie, even though it did make me feel a little bit scared). I am glad to say that my reservations were incorrect. The skills of all the filmmakers behind and in front of the camera made this movie shine. Zemeckis did a fine job of maximizing the suspense and extracting strong performances from the entire cast. Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer brought the best from their performances in former projects to this film with new added surprises. In addition to the top billed talent, I wanted to note some of the other roles filled by people who made a noticeable difference in the creation of a film that was truly haunting. The dramatic tension, narrative and visual suspense, and plausibility of the surprise ending would not have worked without a strong script by screenwriter Clark Gregg; the spying camera work by Don Burgess (who has also worked with Zemeckis on "Forrest Gump" and "Back to the Future" Parts II and III; the eerie look and feel of the set influenced by production designers Rick Carter (who also worked with Zemeckis on "Forrest Gump" and "Death Becomes Her") and Jim Teegarden ("Jurassic Park" and "Amistad"); the perfect blend between fluid and jarring of the editing by Arthur Schmidt (who has worked with Zemeckis on "Forrest Gump", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", "Contact", and "Death Becomes Her"); and lastly the casting choices selected byEllen Lewis and Marcia DeBonis, who I feel selected a cast with histories that both supported their character development and contradicted it in surprising ways. (I cannot clarify how without giving away the ending). I usually do not mention so many members of the cast and crew, however, this film exemplifies how a collaboration of individual efforts can produce a well-oiled machine.

Although I must admit that I am easily scared, "What Lies Beneath" truly frightened me and many other members of the audience. (I sat between two other chickens who were also screaming and covering their faces, so I was not alone). I screamed and jumped out of my seat more than once both from the shock of what actions occurred and as a release of the tension that built up between events. I believed all the characters and their reactions to one another. The plausibility of the story made it that much more nerve-wracking. The visual clues (presented in a manner that resembled visual foreboding style of "The Sixth Sense") added to the suspense and made the story both supernatural but believable.

I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good thriller and has a good heart (as in healthy). I would also recommend this film to people with film backgrounds who will appreciate the skills contributed to the overall production. "What Lies Beneath" will open wide in theaters on Friday, July 21st.

Where the Money Is (plus/neutral)

"Where the Money Is" is a modern-day, May-December Bonnie & Clyde film. In common with "Bonnie & Clyde" lawbreaking brings excitement to the characters otherwise humdrum lives; however, the love story has a twist to it that does not exist in the story of Bonnie and Clyde. This film has a lot of talent in front and behind the camera. The cast includes Paul Newman, Linda Fiorentino, and Dermot Mulroney; all three of whom gave convincing performances. The director, Marek Kanievska, did a fine job of letting the cast shine and letting the on-screen chemistry evolve. "Where the Money Is" was produced by the Scott brothers, both of whom are well know for their box office and critically successful action films with identifiable characters and human stories (such as "Thelma & Louise" and "Alien"). Personally, I appreciate that the Scott brothers are not afraid to take a traditionally male genre and cast smart, bold women as lead characters. Paul Newman plays a clever, supposedly, ex-bank robber with something up his sleeve (Henry). His character in this film is reminiscent of his character in "The Hustler". Fiorentino, as she has in the past in such films as "The Last Seduction", portrays the seductive and rebellious woman (Carol). Mulroney is the third side of this quasi love triangle (Wayne); he plays the straight-man (both in terms of comedy and narratively the one most opposed to a life a crime) married to Carol. I commend the director and editor for putting together a film that is tight. It is rare to see a film that does not have at least one dragging moment. Yet, for an action film, the film lacks visual action sequences. However, it is a suspenseful film, not on the edge of your seat suspenseful, but definitely filled with unexpected twists and turns. Although the writer wrote a script with a story that moves well and with well developed characters, none of the scenes are particularly memorable or worth mentioning after the film. "Where the Money Is" is entertaining and lacks any major flaws; however, if you do not see it, you will not necessarily be missing an important release. "Where the Money Is" comes out in theaters everywhere this Friday, April 14t (right before tax day, where the money is going…). I think this film would be equally enjoyable if viewed on the small screen on video or DVD; it is definitely worth a rental.


Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (Plus/Neutral)

"Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade" is a mythological, sci fi, thriller set in post-war Japan. The filmmakers take some liberty with history by making the victor of the Second World war Nazi Germany. The story takes place ten years after Japan's defeat and revolves around a mutual desire by vying groups to forget the past and control the future of Tokyo. The contenders for control include a domestic terrorist group called the Sect, the counter terrorist Special Unit of the capital's police force, and a mysterious counterintelligence group know as the Wolf Brigade.

The translators take some liberty with the Japanese word, "jin-roh" which literally means "man-wolf" referring to the relationship between man and wolf, not a wolf man/werewolf. In the spirit of the mythological "Princess Monoke", "Jin-roh: Wolf Brigade" explores man's relationship to nature by examining the meaning of human nature. In its exploration of man's relationship to nature's creatures, more specifically a wolf, as the symbol of the most misunderstood animal, "Jin-roh: Wolf Brigade" weaves the story of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, the original, more horrific version of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale, ROTKAPPACHEN, into the narrative. Although I thought that the spiritual, philosophical aspect of the film brought a greater level of depth to the film than the average thriller, I found the analogy between the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the love story, very contrived and corny.

Even though the love story aspect was somewhat predictable and ridiculous, Director, Hiroyuki Okiura does a fine job of creating suspense around the fight for intelligence, counter-intelligence, and ultimately for power. I found myself completely engrossed in the narrative, wondering who was good and who was bad; and who were allies and who were foes. Writer/Creator, Mamoru Oshii does a fine job of creating deeply psychological characters, whose inner and outer worlds torment them and those around them. At times though, the story becomes a little too difficult to follow, yet the overall message and key events are clear.

Anime fans will love the artwork and animation of "Jin-roh: Wolf Brigade". Art Director, Hiromasa Ogura, creates an animated world that is as visually textured and sophisticated as the narrative. In fact, the backgrounds and simulation of a variety of camera angles create a feeling of reality that matches a live action film.

"Jin-roh: Wolf Brigade" will launch a platform release throughout the U.S. starting July 27th (the film has played at UCLA in 1999, but did not open in Japan until 2000). Despite the film's fairy tale element, the film contains a large amount of gun violence and graphic violence in general that may be inappropriate for children under twelve. I would recommend seeing the film on the big screen to truly appreciate the artwork and feel the impact of the dramatic encounters between the various characters.

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