Take 4: Films on a Plane
Welcome to the next edition of Take 4 DVD Reviews. In this latest volume, I find myself on a round-trip flight to New York from Los Angeles on-board Virgin's new domestic airline, Virgin America. What does that have to do with this review? Well, usually on a plane, my laptop runs out of juice after one movie (if I'm lucky to make it through a whole film). But on Virgin America, each row of seats has it own set of power adaptors...so I had continuous juice for my cross-country excursion. I felt, "What better opportunity to get through four (random) films for a review?" So...I bring you...Films on a Plane.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Beginning: Two residents of a small town, Martha (a middle-aged woman taking care of her elderly father at home) and Kyle (a young high school dropout), have become friends through working together at the local doll factory, but have their normally routinized lives shaken up a bit when a new employee, Rose, joins them on the assembly line.
The Plot Thickens: When Rose seems to take an interest in Kyle, Martha begins to question both Rose's and her own intentions for the young man.
Viewing Circumstances: Popped this into the laptop on the flight out from Los Angeles to New York, riding coach on Virgin America, completing the entire viewing during the flight.
Familiar Faces: Nobody. The film was cast with locals from the small town, which lay on the border between Ohio and West Virginia. Martha, for example, was played by Debbie Doebereiner, who was the general manager of a local Wendy's, while Rose was played by Misty Wilkins, a local hair stylist and mother of four.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Working Class; Subconscious; Secret Love; Ohio; Hidden Agenda
Additional Notes: Not only were the actors inexperienced, but their lives were used to help guide the development of the story. For example, Dustin Ashley (who plays Kyle in the film) had to deal with a bad case of social anxiety while growing up, and this experience was incorporated into Kyle's story in the film. Much of the movie was largely improvised, too, with the actors being given "Point A" and "Point B," and then figuring out on their own how best to naturally get there.
Curt's Take: Worth Considering - I didn't know what to expect from this, other than a murder mystery and unconventional cast. I ended up really liking the feel of the film, as the cast came off as being very genuine and natural, exuding a sincerity that you don't often see on the screen. Still, it's definitely more of an experimental film than a true murder mystery, but Steven Soderbergh, the director, signed up with HDNet to develop six of these films, and he's thinking about doing the whole "unknown town and cast" thing for each of them. If I can track them down, I'll probably watch them, too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Beginning: Based on a true story, after his friend escapes from post-WWII East Berlin to the West, champion German swimmer, Harry Melchior soon follows suit...but leaves his sister and her family behind.
The Plot Thickens: Now safely ensconced in West Berlin, Harry and a group of like-minded refugees struggle to construct a tunnel under the border and into East Berlin, with to develop a plan that will bring back family and other loved ones to their side of the city.
Viewing Circumstances: I watched this film in three shifts...a bit on the rest of the flight to New York, a bit in JFK airport (awaiting my flight back to Los Angeles), and the remainder on the plane in Virgin America's first class section (awww, yeah).
Familiar Faces: Again, nobody...unless you're familiar with German films, then you might know Heino Ferch and Nicolette Krebitz, I suppose.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Germany; History; Political; Tunnel
Additional Notes: Well, this was actually supposed to be a different German film entitled The Wedding Party, but Netflix messed up a little bit, and sent me the wrong title (in the right DVD jacket, mind you). I also had the sneaking suspicion I'd actually seen this before...but I checked my Netflix history and hadn't rented it through there. Maybe I was channeling a past life or something...
Curt's Take: Worth Considering - It was a long movie...over two and a half hours long...but I didn't really notice. The story was engaging, and while I only understood what they were saying with the help of subtitles, the actors still put on a great performance. It's just one of those things you get sucked into...and I'm not even a huge fan of historical pieces. But here you have a part of history that most folks are familiar with (the division of Berlin), and get to see how that impacted the lives of people like you and me. Sure, that's what movies like this are supposed to do, but I just found it to be surprisingly interesting.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Beginning: Young Ralph is a huge fan of fantasy and role-playing games. Upon going off to college in Scotland, he finds a group of like-minded "gamers" that he can hang out with and do a test-run of a new game world and rules system that he developed on his own.
The Plot Thickens: Ralph begins to fall for the token female gamer in his group, Marlyn, but after inviting his former friend Lennie, to join the group (after he vows to stop bullying Ralph anymore), those plans don't exactly take off as he expected.
Viewing Circumstances: Watched this in its entirety in first class on the flight back from New York to Los Angeles.
Familiar Faces: Yet again...nobody. Unless you're strangely familiar with Scottish teen comedies.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Role-Playing Game; Dungeons and Dragons; University; Joyriding; Scotland
Additional Notes: Thick Scottish accents aren't the easiest to decipher, and this DVD was without a subtitle track. Ach!
Curt's Take: Not a Priority - I was a little disappointed in this one. I had first heard about it when reading about an overseas film festival, and thought it could have been a fun take on the topic of gaming (a topic I am, as my friends know, quite familiar with), but fell a little flat. I think some of it might have had to do with the language difficulties (see above), but if Ralph could have been attracted to a less, I don't know, psychotic-seeming girl, the romance aspect might have worked better for me. They tease you a bit with a classmate of Ralph's as being the romantic "foil" to Marlyn, but seem to drop that after a couple attempts, and you don't really hear about it much after that. So, yeah...skip this one, unless you're curious about what a Scottish independent film is like (or have ever rolled a die with more or less than six sides).
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Premise: Is it possible for an extremely violent act to leave a stain on a house...a stain that leaves its mark on any who enter? That was the premise of the original movie, The Grudge, based on the Japanese film Ju-on. That idea is carried on in this film (as in Ju-on 2).
Viewing Circumstances: I started watching this on the flight back to Los Angeles in first class, but had to shut it down after about half an hour, in preparation for landing. I then finished it up back at my apartment.
Familiar Faces: Of the three films, this will be the only one where you recognize some of the cast, namely Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amber Tamblyn, as well as Jennifer Beals and Joanna Cassidy.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Killer Child; Family Conflict; Hospital; Breaking and Entering; Fall From Height
Additional Notes: I'm glad I got to finish this off at home...I really enjoyed the first movie in this series, and wanted that same immersive experience for this one (the laptop just wasn't going to cut it).
Curt's Take: Not a Priority - This sequel was okay, but left me nowhere near as shaken as the original. Amber Tamblyn is believable as Buffy's...er...Gellar's sister, and the acting was decent, overall. It just didn't have those edge-of-your-seat scary moments that made you jump back and say "Whoa!" I'd still say to definitely catch the original, and (if you end up enjoying it) maybe catch this one when you can.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bubble (2005)
In the Beginning: Two residents of a small town, Martha (a middle-aged woman taking care of her elderly father at home) and Kyle (a young high school dropout), have become friends through working together at the local doll factory, but have their normally routinized lives shaken up a bit when a new employee, Rose, joins them on the assembly line.
The Plot Thickens: When Rose seems to take an interest in Kyle, Martha begins to question both Rose's and her own intentions for the young man.
Viewing Circumstances: Popped this into the laptop on the flight out from Los Angeles to New York, riding coach on Virgin America, completing the entire viewing during the flight.
Familiar Faces: Nobody. The film was cast with locals from the small town, which lay on the border between Ohio and West Virginia. Martha, for example, was played by Debbie Doebereiner, who was the general manager of a local Wendy's, while Rose was played by Misty Wilkins, a local hair stylist and mother of four.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Working Class; Subconscious; Secret Love; Ohio; Hidden Agenda
Additional Notes: Not only were the actors inexperienced, but their lives were used to help guide the development of the story. For example, Dustin Ashley (who plays Kyle in the film) had to deal with a bad case of social anxiety while growing up, and this experience was incorporated into Kyle's story in the film. Much of the movie was largely improvised, too, with the actors being given "Point A" and "Point B," and then figuring out on their own how best to naturally get there.Curt's Take: Worth Considering - I didn't know what to expect from this, other than a murder mystery and unconventional cast. I ended up really liking the feel of the film, as the cast came off as being very genuine and natural, exuding a sincerity that you don't often see on the screen. Still, it's definitely more of an experimental film than a true murder mystery, but Steven Soderbergh, the director, signed up with HDNet to develop six of these films, and he's thinking about doing the whole "unknown town and cast" thing for each of them. If I can track them down, I'll probably watch them, too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tunnel (2001)
In the Beginning: Based on a true story, after his friend escapes from post-WWII East Berlin to the West, champion German swimmer, Harry Melchior soon follows suit...but leaves his sister and her family behind.
The Plot Thickens: Now safely ensconced in West Berlin, Harry and a group of like-minded refugees struggle to construct a tunnel under the border and into East Berlin, with to develop a plan that will bring back family and other loved ones to their side of the city.
Viewing Circumstances: I watched this film in three shifts...a bit on the rest of the flight to New York, a bit in JFK airport (awaiting my flight back to Los Angeles), and the remainder on the plane in Virgin America's first class section (awww, yeah).
Familiar Faces: Again, nobody...unless you're familiar with German films, then you might know Heino Ferch and Nicolette Krebitz, I suppose.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Germany; History; Political; Tunnel
Additional Notes: Well, this was actually supposed to be a different German film entitled The Wedding Party, but Netflix messed up a little bit, and sent me the wrong title (in the right DVD jacket, mind you). I also had the sneaking suspicion I'd actually seen this before...but I checked my Netflix history and hadn't rented it through there. Maybe I was channeling a past life or something...Curt's Take: Worth Considering - It was a long movie...over two and a half hours long...but I didn't really notice. The story was engaging, and while I only understood what they were saying with the help of subtitles, the actors still put on a great performance. It's just one of those things you get sucked into...and I'm not even a huge fan of historical pieces. But here you have a part of history that most folks are familiar with (the division of Berlin), and get to see how that impacted the lives of people like you and me. Sure, that's what movies like this are supposed to do, but I just found it to be surprisingly interesting.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
GamerZ (2006)
In the Beginning: Young Ralph is a huge fan of fantasy and role-playing games. Upon going off to college in Scotland, he finds a group of like-minded "gamers" that he can hang out with and do a test-run of a new game world and rules system that he developed on his own.
The Plot Thickens: Ralph begins to fall for the token female gamer in his group, Marlyn, but after inviting his former friend Lennie, to join the group (after he vows to stop bullying Ralph anymore), those plans don't exactly take off as he expected.
Viewing Circumstances: Watched this in its entirety in first class on the flight back from New York to Los Angeles.
Familiar Faces: Yet again...nobody. Unless you're strangely familiar with Scottish teen comedies.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Role-Playing Game; Dungeons and Dragons; University; Joyriding; Scotland
Additional Notes: Thick Scottish accents aren't the easiest to decipher, and this DVD was without a subtitle track. Ach!Curt's Take: Not a Priority - I was a little disappointed in this one. I had first heard about it when reading about an overseas film festival, and thought it could have been a fun take on the topic of gaming (a topic I am, as my friends know, quite familiar with), but fell a little flat. I think some of it might have had to do with the language difficulties (see above), but if Ralph could have been attracted to a less, I don't know, psychotic-seeming girl, the romance aspect might have worked better for me. They tease you a bit with a classmate of Ralph's as being the romantic "foil" to Marlyn, but seem to drop that after a couple attempts, and you don't really hear about it much after that. So, yeah...skip this one, unless you're curious about what a Scottish independent film is like (or have ever rolled a die with more or less than six sides).
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Grudge 2 (2006)
The Premise: Is it possible for an extremely violent act to leave a stain on a house...a stain that leaves its mark on any who enter? That was the premise of the original movie, The Grudge, based on the Japanese film Ju-on. That idea is carried on in this film (as in Ju-on 2).
Viewing Circumstances: I started watching this on the flight back to Los Angeles in first class, but had to shut it down after about half an hour, in preparation for landing. I then finished it up back at my apartment.
Familiar Faces: Of the three films, this will be the only one where you recognize some of the cast, namely Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amber Tamblyn, as well as Jennifer Beals and Joanna Cassidy.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Killer Child; Family Conflict; Hospital; Breaking and Entering; Fall From Height
Additional Notes: I'm glad I got to finish this off at home...I really enjoyed the first movie in this series, and wanted that same immersive experience for this one (the laptop just wasn't going to cut it).
Curt's Take: Not a Priority - This sequel was okay, but left me nowhere near as shaken as the original. Amber Tamblyn is believable as Buffy's...er...Gellar's sister, and the acting was decent, overall. It just didn't have those edge-of-your-seat scary moments that made you jump back and say "Whoa!" I'd still say to definitely catch the original, and (if you end up enjoying it) maybe catch this one when you can.
posted by Curt at 10:27 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home