About this time last year, I published my first Take 4 Mystery Theme Review, asking the audience to guess the theme of the movies in the review. Out a couple dozen entries, only three successfully guessed correctly. It's time to give it another shot. Take a look at the reviews below, and tell me...what is the theme? As before, you don't need to have heard of or seen the films to understand what they have in common. Four winners will be chosen from correct entries, with winning guesses getting the chance to select a movie for me to watch, as well as having their thoughts printed in the review. Good luck!
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Lady in the Water (2006)
Elements of the Plot: Apartment superintendant, Cleveland Heap, suspects that someone is swimming in the complex's pool at night. One evening, while investigating, he accidentally slips and falls uconscious into the pool. He wakes up in his apartment, having been saved by a mysterious woman, who he slowly learns is here on a mysterious quest of great importance. What is her goal? What role do the residents of the building play in her plans?
Familiar Faces: Paul Giamatti plays Cleveland Heap, the protagonist of this story. You might also recognize Freddie Rodriguez, of Six Feet Under, although it is in a rather small role Finally, M. Night Shyamalan, the writer and director, has a rather large part (compared to the cameos he has had in his other films).
Random Trivia: This movie was originally set up at Disney, but M. Night Shyamalan departed from the studio over "creative differences," and brought it to Warner Brothers. Disney has produced Shyamalan's previous four films, and the studio's subsidiary Miramax Films also produced Wide Awake, which Shyamalan wrote and directed. This departure became the subject of the book "The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale."
And I Quote: Harry: "My god, this is like a moment from a horror movie. This is precisely the moment where the mutation or beast will attempt to kill an unlikable side character. But, in stories where there has been no prior cursing, violence, nudity or death, such as in a family film, the unlikable character will escape his encounter, and be referenced later in the story, having learned valuable lessons. He may even be given a humorous moment to allow the audience to feel good about him. This is where I turn to run. You will leap for me, I will shut the door, and you will land a fraction of a second too late..."
Recommended For...: Anybody who really liked M. Night's The Village (his weakest movie by far, in my opinion), and anyone who is interested in the art and process of storytelling. This movie doesn't have the traditional 'twist" of your typical M. Night film, but it is based on a bedtime story that he told his children.
Curt's Take: Not a Priority - Unfortunately, the movie read like a children's story (for adults, sort of) that was built piecemeal, over a series of weeks. I think part of what M. Night was trying to accomplish was to take the storytelling device of having each character be in the plot for a very specific reason, and to roll that out to a film. For me, it didn't translate that well, as you ended up having these characters who seemed like they were pretty well developed and conceptualized...but that end up having very minor participation in the story (apart from their specific role). So, while it was a little disjointed for me and I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to, I did appreciate what he tried to do (I like the idea of characters being self-aware that they might be in some sort of movie/story) with it.
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A Mighty Wind (2003)
Elements of the Plot: To commemorate the passing of a well-loved folk music concert promoter, several of the bands he helped make famous (The Folksmen, The Main Street Singers and Mitch & Mickey) gather together for a tribute concert in New York, some of whom have not played together or seen each other in decades.
Familiar Faces: This is a Christopher Guest ensemble mockumentary (like Best in Show and This is Spinal Tap), so you not only see a lot of faces, but a lot of familiar ones from his prior films. Not only do you have Christopher Guest himself, but you have Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, Fred Willard, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, Parker Posey and John Michael Higgins.
Random Trivia: During several Spinal Tap "reunion tours" over the past couple decades, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest opened for themselves as "The Folksmen" and were booed during the first act, as people did not know (or care) that the two bands had the same musicians.
And I Quote: Jonathan Steinbloom: "Before we begin tonight's performance I would like to make a brief announcement. I'd like to warn you that some of the floral arrangements at tonight's performance have dangerously low hanging vines and may be poisonous. So please, whatever you do, don't eat 'em and don't become entangled in them or trip, please.
Recommended For...: Anybody who is a fan of Christopher Guest's comedies, or of improvised films in general. Like most of his films, he lets the improvisational expertise of his actors take over when the mood suits them, and will often end up with great material because of it.
Curt's Take: Worth Considering - It's by no means his funniest film, but still showcases some great performances. The folk music setting is about as exciting as you'd imagine it to be, and the musical performances of the bands sometimes lend too much seriousness to the script, but the cast is great at what they do, and still manage to engage you into the film.
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Matchstick Men (2003)
Elements of the Plot: Roy Weller is a con man with obsessive-compulsive disorder, but manages it pretty well with the help of some medication (the OCD, not the conning). His world gets thrown for a loop, however, when the daughter he never knew insinuates herself in his life and takes an immediate interest in his craft.
Familiar Faces: Nicholas Cage plays Roy, and Sam Rockwell plays his partner, Frank. You might also recognize Bruce McGill, who plays one of their targets. He's been in everything from Animal House to MacGyver.
Random Trivia: The airport scenes, which were set at Los Angeles International Airport, were actually filmed in the main entrance of the Anaheim Convention Center, a mile south of Disneyland. Due to recent security measures in the nation's airports, liberal filming rights for movies had been severely restricted on airport property.
And I Quote: Angela: "You're a con man?" Roy: "Con artist."
Recommended For...: Anybody who is a fan of Cage or Rockwell, I guess. It's not necessarily a true "con" or "heist" film, like Ocean's Eleven, so I wouldn't see it for that aspect. I guess if you have a thing for seeing actors portray psychological disorders such as OCD, then this might be right up your alley.
Curt's Take: Not a Priority - This might have been a lot more enjoyable if I hadn't guessed how it would all wrap up about twenty minutes into the film. There was one twist, involving Roy's wife, that I didn't see coming, but will leave that for you to work out (if you, for some reason), end up seeing this.
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Brick (2005)
Familiar Faces: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, of Third Rock from the Sun fame, plays Brendan and Emilie de Ravin (you might know her as Claire from Lost) plays his ex-girlfriend. Richard Roundtree (I'm talking 'bout Shaft) has a small role, while Lukas Haas (normally resigned to dorky teen roles over the years) gets to play a young twenty-something drug dealer who still lives at home with his mom. Fans of Heroes might recognize Nora Zehetner; she plays Laura in this film, but played Eden in Heroes, the young woman who could control your actions with a single word.
Random Trivia: The horn signal Brendan instructs Laura to give him (long, short, long, short) is the same as the doorbell signal Sam Spade tells Brigid O'Shaughnessy he'll use in The Maltese Falcon. Brendan's earlier line to Laura, "Now you are dangerous," is taken from the film as well.
And I Quote: Laura: "Do you trust me now?" Brendan: "Less than when I didn't trust you before."
Recommended For...: Fans of movies like The Big Sleep, Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcom and other film noir mysteries. Film noir is a cinematic term used to describe stylish Hollywood detective stories, often characterized by hard-nosed private detectives, femme fatales that you never if you can trust, quick and clever banter and dialogue, and convoluted plotlines.
Curt's Take: Worth Considering - Even if you're not a fan of the film noir genre (or have no idea what it is), this still might be up your alley. Turning a high school scandal into a classic detective story takes skill, and I feel the writers and cast pulled it off.
