Review: "The Fast and the Furious" is Still Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 88 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Running time: 106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language
DIRECTOR: Rob Cohen
WRITERS: Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, and David Ayer, from a screen story by Gary Scott Thompson (based on a magazine article, “Racer X” by Ken Li)
PRODUCER: Neal H. Moritz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ericson Core (director of photography)
EDITOR: Peter Honess

ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, Matt Schulze, Ted Levine, R.J. de Vera, Thom Barry, and Ja Rule

For some reason, I just felt that I had to see The Fast and the Furious before I saw its recently released sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious. I wanted to see it when the film was first released, but I avoided it. When I asked a former associate about TFTF, he gave it a conditional approval, shrugging his shoulders to let me know that it was entertaining, but forgettable – one of those films. Yes, it certainly is one of those popcorn flicks, forgotten as soon as you walk out the theatre, but while you’re inside, you will be on one of those “rides of your life.” This is simply slick and fantastic entertainment, pure high-speed pleasure, and I wished I’d seen it on a big screen.

Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) is an undercover cop trying to catch a ring of thieves who hijack 18-wheelers. They carry out their crimes in very fast, small cars. His bosses figure they can uncover the thieves’ identities by planting Brian into the world of L.A. street racing, where he meets the top dog of racers, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). Brian falls for Dominic’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), and before long, he just can’t believe that Dominic and his crew could be the hijackers because he’s down with them now. Brian soon finds himself caught between his professional obligations as a law enforcement officer and his position as Dominic’s homie and Mia’s boy toy.

I’ve seen director Rob Cohen’s other film with Vin Diesel, XXX, and while it’s very good, Furious is so much better. Cohen uses every trick in the book: computer effects, editing, and camera work, all to heighten the illusion of super speed for the chase scenes and car race sequences. Actually, the begins rather slowly, but the very second the first race kicks into high gear, I knew I was in for a especially wild ride.

The script ain’t nothing to scream about; it’s a professional by-the-numbers job, and not a really good one at that. There’s lot of emoting and dramatic huffing and puffing from the mostly young cast, but it all works out. The story owes something more than just a nod to the great Keanu Reeves/Patrick Swayze actioneer, Point Break, also about a policeman who goes native when he infiltrates a gang of crooks with a charismatic leader. With his mega buff body virtually leaking testosterone, Diesel is automatic charisma. Paul Walker (also a veteran of a Cohen film, The Skulls) is almost an exact copy of the Reeves character in Point Break, and he carries his part quiet well.

OK. This is a very good action movie, the kind you want to see when you want an action movie. If you’ve never seen it, then you’re really missing something. Every chase scene and race is brilliant staged and executed. The Fast and the Furious deserves to be called “an adrenaline rush.” [If you’ve seen it already, you’ll probably still get a kick out of it, especially with the “tricked out” DVD release of the film.]

Make sure you watch all the way through the credits, where you will find a tidy wrap up to the story.

7 of 10
B+

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VIZ Media Offers Free "Kekkaishi" Download

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES FREE KEKKAISHI DOWNLOAD EPISODE

Special Promotion To Celebrate the Domestic Broadcast Launch of the Shonen Sunday Animated Series

VIZ Media invites fans to explore the demon-battling action adventure of popular Shonen Sunday KEKKAISHI anime series with a FREE Download-to-Own (DTO) episode starting today through VIZ Media partners iTunes, Xbox Live's Zune Marketplace, PlayStation®Network and Amazon Video on Demand. KEKKAISHI Episode 1 will be available for free download through June 17th to celebrate the recent domestic broadcast launch of KEKKAISHI on Adult Swim.

KEKKAISHI is based on the hit manga series by Yellow Tanabe (also published in North America by VIZ Media). A story of mystical forces powerful in the region known as Karasumori. For over 400 years, it has been the duty of a clan of “kekkaishi”—barrier masters—to guard this land and exterminate the supernatural creatures that are drawn to it night after night.

Yoshimori Sumimura is a junior high school student at Karasumori Academy, which is built upon the Karasumori grounds. By night, Yoshimori follows the tradition passed down through generations and fulfills his destiny as the twenty-second “kekkaishi” of the Sumimura clan. But by day, Yoshimori's got other demons to contend with, like an obsession with cake making and a seriously crotchety grandfather! Yoshimori's pretty neighbor, childhood friend and rival, Tokine Yukimura, is also a “kekkaishi,” but their families are caught up in a feud over who is the true practitioner of the art. Protecting ordinary people from the ever-present danger of the Karasumori grounds, Yoshimori will continue to grow stronger as he battles the forces of evil again tonight!

For more information on the KEKKAISHI anime and manga series (both rated “T” for Teens), please visit www.ShonenSunday.com or http://www.viz.com/.

Tim Burton Talks "Alice in Wonderland"

The following is a general Tim Burton interview provided by Walt Disney to the media to promote the DVD release of Burton's recent film, Alice in Wonderland:

TIM BURTON is the DIRECTOR of ALICE IN WONDERLAND


QUESTION: The film almost suggests that you were Lewis Carroll in a former life?

TIM BURTON: I’m like a lot of people, I just responded to what he did. There have been so many movie versions and I hope that somewhere there is a version that might have pleased him.

QUESTION: The film is as though you put a camera into our dreams and recorded them. Was that dream-like quality what you wanted to create?

TIM BURTON: Yeah, that’s why we didn’t follow the literal stories. That seemed to be the problem with the other versions. What I liked about this was that it explored the characters and what I feel that Carroll’s work did for me and other people in exploring your dream state, and using fantasy in your dream state to deal with real issues and problems in your life. People like to separate those things but the fact is that they are things that are intertwined. That is what Carroll did so beautifully and he was so cryptic with what he wrote. You can analyze it to death but it still remains a mystical, kind of unidentifiable thing and yet it is so powerful.

QUESTION: And Lewis Carroll was so ahead of his time?

TIM BURTON: If the books were written today it would be…Woah, what’s this!…That shows you the power of it.

QUESTION: What has happened to your aversion to CGI?

TIM BURTON: In this case it was that we were using so many techniques that it felt like this was the way to go. It is like I am in love with it but at the same time it is just a tool. Whether it is stop motion or cell or CGI, it is still animation; you still deal with animators and do the same thing. You still have fun and the same goal to make the animation work.

QUESTION: Was it always going to be a 3D film?

TIM BURTON: Absolutely! That’s the only reason I did it. Three years ago when they talked to me about it I thought it seemed like the perfect material and mix. I don’t think that a few years ago that I would have been interested. But I just felt that the trippiness of Wonderland and 3D seemed like something I was interested in. Now 3D is no longer a fad but I don’t get all crazy about it and say that everything has got to be in 3D. It is a nice tool, like color or sound or whatever. I was quite intrigued and I learned, 3D opened up a lot of questions about how to use it. I think it is great. It’s like if a movie needs to be in black and white then that’s how I will shoot it. I see color as just another character or black and white as a character.

QUESTION: When Alice gets in a jam she says it’s her dream and she can do what she wants. Would that describe your approach to film making?

TIM BURTON: It is an aspiration. No matter what you go through with the business side or the Hollywood side at the end of it all, when you are there on the set, it is your thing. So it is your own private world and that’s great. That’s where you have that bubble to create something in.

QUESTION: But when a film gets as big as this is it still possible to control it?

TIM BURTON: The time issue meant it was like a backwards process of making a movie. Normally you shot a shot and see it the next day but here you did not see a shot till near the end.

QUESTION: Everyone has their own idea of Alice. Was that extra pressure for you?

TIM BURTON: Just for that reason, I did not feel there was a definitive version, one shining version that everybody loves. If there was then maybe you have trouble. But when there are 20 versions – and all the music and illustrations – the imagery comes up in so many different forms that it is in the culture. So I did not feel that pressure.

QUESTION: How tough was it to drop characters like The Walrus And The Carpenter?

TIM BURTON: There is a picture of the walrus on a wall though. Linda, the writer, and I discussed that. I felt other versions suffered in trying to be literal to the stories. We did not want to try to pack it all in. So we weaved in according to the structure of what Linda had written. Everyone probably has a favorite character but we fed in the ones that felt appropriate.

QUESTION: You made the Mad Hatter a much more focal point?

TIM BURTON: With all of the characters we felt they suffered in other versions because they were just depicted as crazy. Rather than him bouncing around being crazy we tried to layer the characters with some depth. There was a lot of research into them being called Mad Hatters because of the mercury poisoning in hat making. So all the characters in Alice In Wonderland are mad but we tried to make sure that they each have their own particular kind of madness.

QUESTION: Having made so many films with Johnny Depp do you now see him as your avatar as you go into these strange dream worlds?

TIM BURTON: To some degree, we have pretty similar tastes that way. That’s the energy, that’s what keeps it going.

QUESTION: The 3D butterfly at the end of the film is very touching. What was the reason for the last shot?

TIM BURTON: It was the Caterpillar turning into the butterfly…That was what I liked so much about the script. It’s not so much about being literal to the story, it’s about that feeling that you have been here before and you know these characters through exploring your childhood. People like to be literal about everything and that is what is so beautiful about what Carroll did. It’s not literal. It’s absurdist and yet it has cryptic meaning so that everyone will see the meaning in a different way. That’s the power of those stories.

QUESTION: Is Tim Burton now becoming more of the mainstream?

TIM BURTON: One of the things that keeps me semi-sane is not analyzing that stuff. You never want to become a thing, you want to remain a human being. People go…you have worked with Johnny seven times…and I go…really? I’ve not been counting. I try not to go there. I try to remember I like doing this and don’t think about all the trappings.

QUESTION: What about the green screen?

TIM BURTON: Johnny was acting to a tennis ball, which he loved. He was the only one who really liked that. Everyone else hated it.

QUESTION: Was finding Alice a difficult process?

TIM BURTON: We had a big search but Mia was pretty clear pretty soon. There was something about her and I liked the idea that we hadn’t seen much of her. She was a young person with an old person’s soul. That was something I felt no previous Alice had. They came across like bratty, precocious children. In most other versions she was obnoxious. Our key was not to be obnoxious. The studio was supportive in going for an unknown Alice, and at the end of the day they are happy about it.

QUESTION: Is Helena always going to be in your films?

TIM BURTON: No it’s the same way with Johnny. It is not automatic. It is important that it is the right part. If Helena is right for a part then ok. But it’s not because we are together, that would be a real mistake that would only end in tragedy.

TIM BURTON’S ALICE IN WONDERLAND is now available on Blu-ray & DVD.

The Hurt Locker: Do Believe the Hype

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Hurt Locker (2008/2009)
Running time: 131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – R for war violence and language
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow
WRITER: Mark Boal
PRODUCERS: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, and Greg Shapiro
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Barry Ackroyd
EDITORS: Chris Innis and Bob Murawski
COMPOSERS: Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
Academy Award winner

WAR/DRAMA/ACTION

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Evangeline Lilly

When the 2010 Academy Awards ceremony was over, The Hurt Locker, an independently produced war movie set in Iraq, was named “Best Picture” of 2009. The film’s director, Kathryn Bigelow, became the first woman to win the Oscar for “Best Director.” That would have seem unlikely just two years earlier because films about the war in Iraq were failing at the box office and getting mostly mixed reviews from film critics. The Hurt Locker is special, however; it is truly a great film.

The Hurt Locker is set in the summer of 2004. Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) of Bravo Company are part of a small counterforce specifically trained to deal with the homemade bombs know as IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), and they’ve just lost their team leader. The officer who takes over the team, Sergeant First Class William James (Jeremy Renner), shocks Sanborn and Eldridge with how he simply disregards military protocol and basic safety measures. Depending upon one’s perspective, James is either a swaggering cowboy looking for kicks even when the margin of error is zero, or he is the consummate professional, meticulous in the mastery of his treacherous craft.

Sanborn and Eldridge have only 38 days left in their tour of Iraq, and if they are to survive that remaining time, they must learn to understand James and to work with him, even if they cannot contain him or control his behavior. With each mission seemingly more dangerous than the last, James blurs the line between inspiring bravery and reckless bravado, and for Sanborn and Eldridge, it seems as if it is only a matter of time before disaster strikes.

If someone asked me if I were surprised at how good The Hurt Locker is, I would say yes. If someone asked me if I were surprised that Kathryn Bigelow could make a film as good as The Hurt Locker, I would say no. Prior to this film, Bigelow had shown a penchant for tense thrillers (Near Dark) and evocative character drama (The Weight of Water), and The Hurt Locker is a taut, riveting, psychological thriller, rich with resonant character drama. This film is a confluence of events, in which a great script needed a skilled and talented director to turn it into an incredible film.

In fact, everything about The Hurt Locker is superbly done. The script by Mark Boal, who was an imbedded journalist in Iraq in 2004, is one of those screenplays that is a memorable story of war because it is also an incredible story not about the war, but about the young men on the ground fighting it. Bigelow transforms the power of Boal’s screenplay (which eventually won an Oscar) into a film that captures Boal’s spellbinding story of unique warriors.

This film feels explosively real because Bigelow gets great performances of her characters, especially the Bravo company trio of James, Sanborn, and Eldridge. Jeremy Renner makes James’ addiction to his job and the way he does it a beautiful, mesmerizing thing. The underrated and underappreciated Anthony Mackie is consummate in his depiction of the by-the-book Sanborn. Brian Geraghty is a delight as the conflicted, boyish Eldridge.

Kathryn Bigelow and her creative crew and collaborators turned the war film into art. Bigelow’s actors made The Hurt Locker the great modern war film about modern war. In their performances, they say everything about war and about the kind of war that is Iraq without being political.

10 of 10

NOTES:
2010 Academy Awards: 6 wins: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Kathryn Bigelow. Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, and Greg Shapiro), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Kathryn Bigelow), “Best Achievement in Editing” (Bob Murawski and Chris Innis), “Best Achievement in Sound” (Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett), “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Paul N.J. Ottosson), “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (Mark Boal); 3 nominations: “Best Achievement in Cinematography” (Barry Ackroyd), “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders), and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Jeremy Renner)

2010 BAFTA Awards: 6 wins: “Best Film” (Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, and Greg Shapiro), “Best Cinematography” (Barry Ackroyd), “Best Director” (Kathryn Bigelow), “Best Editing” (Bob Murawski and Chris Innis), “Best Screenplay – Original” (Mark Boal), “Best Sound” (Ray Beckett, Paul N.J. Ottosson, and Craig Stauffer); 2 nominations: “Best Leading Actor” (Jeremy Renner) and “Best Special Visual Effects” (Richard Stutsman)

2010 Golden Globes: 3 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Kathryn Bigelow), “Best Motion Picture – Drama, and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Mark Boal)

Friday, June 04, 2010

VIZ Cinema Celebrates Yasujiro Ozu

VIZ CINEMA CONTINUES TO SPOTLIGHT ICONIC JAPANESE DIRECTORS IN JUNE WITH SCREENINGS OF CELEBRATED FILMS BY YASUJIRO OZU

Four Classic Films By Influential Director Include Tokyo Story, Early Spring, The Only Son And Record Of A Tenement Gentleman

VIZ Cinema and NEW PEOPLE continue to celebrate iconic Japanese filmmakers throughout June with the Untold Legends series and announce four films by director Yasujiro Ozu that will screen at the theatre between Saturday, June 12th and Thursday, June 17th. The series will continue with four films by director Kenji Mizoguchi set to screen Saturday, June 19th – Thursday, June 24th.

Yasujiro Ozu is one of the most influential film directors of the 20th Century and his Tokyo Story is consistently is ranked among the Top 10 films of all time. From Jean-Luc Godard to Wim Wenders to Aki Kaurismäki, many of cinema’s most acclaimed filmmakers have been deeply influenced by Ozu. VIZ Cinema proudly presents his four masterpieces – Tokyo Story, The Only Son, Record of a Tenement Gentleman, and Early Spring – in precious 35mm with English subtitles.

Tickets, screening times and more details are available at: www.vizcinema.com.

Tokyo Story, June 12th – 14th and also June 17th
(1953, 136min, 35mm, with English Subtitles)
Tokyo Story follows an aging couple, Tomi and Sukichi, on their journey from their rural village to visit their two married children in bustling, postwar Tokyo. Their reception is disappointing. Too busy to entertain them, their children send them off to a health spa. After Tomi falls ill she and Sukichi return home, while the children, grief-stricken, hasten to be with her. From a simple tale unfolds one of the greatest of all Japanese films it depicts generational conflict in a way that is quintessentially Japanese and yet so universal that it continues to resonate as one of cinema’s greatest masterpieces.

The Only Son, June 13th – 14th and also June 16th
(1936, 82min, 35mm, with English Subtitles)
Yasujiro Ozu’s first talkie, the uncommonly poignant The Only Son is among the Japanese director’s greatest works. In its simple story about a good-natured mother who gives up everything to ensure her son’s education and future, Ozu touches on universal themes of sacrifice, family, love, and disappointment. Spanning many years, The Only Son is a family portrait in miniature, shot and edited with its Ozu’s customary exquisite control.

Record of A Tenement Gentleman, June 13th, June 15th and also June 17th
(1947, 72min, 35mm, with English Subtitles)
A man finds a lost boy in a war-torn village and brings him to his tenement. He tries to find someone to take care for him but no-one accepts the responsibility. The child eventually ends up with a sour widow Tané despite her refusal.

Early Spring, June 12th – 13th and June 15th – 16th
(1956, 144min, 35mm, with English Subtitles)
In his first film after the commercial and critical success of Tokyo Story, Ozu examines life in postwar Japan through the eyes of a young salaryman who, dissatisfied with career and marriage, begins an affair with a flirtatious co-worker.


VIZ Cinema is the nation’s only movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX®-certified sound system.

NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: http://www.newpeopleworld.com/.

American Express Could Make Your Hollywood Dreams Come True

American Express Launches “My Movie Pitch” in Search of Next Great Idea for Independent Film

Winning Idea Brought to Life by Indie Director for Big Screen Debut at 2011 Tribeca Film Festival

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Express announced today the launch of My Movie Pitch, a contest to bring one great movie idea to life as an independent short film that will debut at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. In the true spirit of great storytelling and independent cinema, film enthusiasts everywhere can visit www.amexfilm.com today to upload their 60-second, dream movie pitch in hopes of seeing their idea brought to life on the big screen.

In each of two rounds, five finalists will be selected by viewers and a panel of Tribeca Film directors to win an American Express Filmmaker’s Toolkit, including a laptop, movie editing software package and an HD video camera. A special panel of Tribeca Film Directors including Brian Hill, Dev Benegal, Julien Kemp, Måns Herngren, Tarik Saleh, Jacob Tierney, David Russo, Jac Schaeffer, Julien Nitzberg, Mat Whitecross and Josh Appignanesi will select the grand prize winner, who will have his or her pitch made into a 15-minute short film by one of the Tribeca Film Directors. The winner will receive a trip for two to New York City and VIP access to see the short film debut at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.

Everyone is encouraged to rate the movie pitches at www.amexfilm.com with either a “thumbs up” for the idea they believe would make the best movie or a “thumbs down” for an idea that they believe should not make the cut. The public vote will be calculated into the finalist selection as the judges help determine the top picks.

My Movie Pitch Competition Calendar
Everybody has a film idea, a story made for the movies, and American Express wants to hear it. Whether it’s funny or tragic, romantic or sci-fi, cinéma vérité or surreal, the My Movie Pitch competition provides the chance to win.

My Movie Pitch: Take One
Pitch Your Movie: From May 27 to June 24, 2010, upload your 60-second movie pitch at www.amexfilm.com.

Vote for the Best: From June 25 to July 24, 2010, film fans everywhere are encouraged to visit www.amexfilm.com and rate pitches with a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.”

The Judges Weigh In: From July 25 to August 8, 2010, American Express’ panel of Tribeca Film directors will judge entries based on creativity/originality of the movie pitch, creativity/originality of the delivery of the movie pitch, popular vote and overall box office potential. Five winners will each receive the Filmmaker’s Toolkit and move on to the Grand Prize Winner judging period.

My Movie Pitch: Take Two
Pitch Your Movie: From August 15 to September 15, 2010, you have another chance to win. Upload your 60-second movie pitch at www.amexfilm.com.

Vote for the Best: From September 16 to October 15, 2010, visit www.amexfilm.com and rate pitches.

The Judges Weigh In: From October 16-30, 2010, American Express’ panel of Tribeca Film directors will judge entries based on creativity/originality of the movie pitch, creativity/originality of the delivery of the movie pitch, popular vote and overall box office potential. Five winners will each receive the Filmmaker’s Toolkit and move on to the Grand Prize Winner judging period.

The Final Cut: Grand Prize Winner Selection

On December 1, 2010, the panel of Tribeca Film judges will select one of the 10 finalists to receive the grand prize and see their dream movie idea made into a reality by a celebrated independent filmmaker. The grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to New York City to attend the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival as a VIP and see their story brought to life on the big screen.

To learn more about My Movie Pitch and American Express’ continuing support of independent cinema and Tribeca Film, visit http://www.amexfilm.com/.


Terms and Conditions
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and DC, who are the age of majority in their state of residence (19 in NE and AL, 21 in MS and 18 years of age or older everywhere else) at the time of entry, and have a YouTube account. YouTube accounts are free. Entries for Cycle I will be accepted between May 27, 2010 at 9:00:00 AM ET and June 24, 2010 at 11:59:59 PM ET and for Cycle II between August 15, 2010 at 9:00:00 AM ET and September 15, 2010 at 11:59:59 PM ET. Prizes: Cycle Winners (10 total, 1 prize each): one “Filmmaker Toolkit” which consists of: one laptop computer, one movie editing software package, and one portable video camera. ARV: $3,500.00 each; Grand Prize: A trip for two (2) to the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. ARV: $4,828.00. See Official Rules, which govern, for complete details, including submission requirements, use of entries, judging criteria and procedures, and prize details. Official Rules are available at www.youtube.com/americanexpress. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., American Express Tower, World Financial Center, New York, New York 10285. Tribeca Enterprises LLC (including its subsidiaries and affiliated companies) is not responsible for the collection, submission or processing of entries, the administration of this Contest or the selection of winners. YouTube is not a sponsor of or in any way affiliated with this Contest.

About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.

Review: "Near Dark" is a Unique Vampire Flick

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 66 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Near Dark (1987)
Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow
WRITERS: Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red
PRODUCER: Steven-Charles Jaffe
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Adam Greenberg
EDITOR: Howard E. Smith

HORROR

Starring: Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, Tim Thomerson, Joshua John Miller, and Marcie Leeds

Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar), an innocent Texas country boy encounters a mysterious beautiful girl named Mae (Jenny Wright) one dark summer night. A night of kissing and necking turns weird when Mae bites Caleb. When the first rays of morning arrive, Caleb discovers that the sunlight burns his skin. Before long, the girl returns with her “family,” a band of outlaws, and kidnaps Caleb, but these aren’t just any outlaws. They’re a vicious pack of vampire drifters, and Mae has seduced Caleb into their hellish lowlife of murderous mayhem and ceaseless evil. Led by a soulless murder named Jessie Hooker (Lance Henriksen), who claims to have fought in the Civil War, these killers sate their bloodlust in the most brutal fashion. Now, Caleb’s father, Loy (Tim Thomerson), and young sister, Sarah (Marcie Leeds), travel across the dusty heart of the American southwest looking for him, but will his new “family” let him leave.

The bankruptcy of its distributor assured that Near Dark would flop at the box office. However, its subsequent release on VHS introduced many to what remains one of the most original vampires movies. Director/co-writer Kathryn Bigelow and co-writer Eric Red originally conceived this film as a Western, and it also retains some of that flavor. There aren’t any great performances, although Bill Paxton brings an air of fun to this gruesome narrative as the gleeful killer, Severen.

What is memorable is Near Dark’s gritty realism, jagged pace, its thick layered nights, the raw gun violence, and how Bigelow makes the sun seem so darn terrifying every time it comes roaring back to dispel the inky blackness of night. Although the film never uses the word “vampire,” Near Dark stands as a unique treatment of the vampire story. Those final images of Jesse and his down-and-dirty lover, Diamondback (Jenette Goldstein), burning in their funeral pyre are fine art.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, April 22, 2007

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