Movie Review: Original Sin (2001)

Genre: Romantic Drama  

Director: Michael Cristofer  

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Antonio Banderas, Thomas Jane  

Running Time: 116 minutes  

Synopsis: In Cuba of the late 1800s, successful businessman Luis Vargas (Antonio Banderas) marries American mail-order bride Julia Russell (Angelina Jolie). He is astonished at her beauty and quickly falls in love. Letters of concern from Julia's sister are followed by the appearance of private detective Walter Downs (Thomas Jane), asking about Julia's well-being. Luis starts to suspect that Julia is hiding secrets, but he remains hopelessly infatuated.

What Works Well: The adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's novel about the irresistible powers of love and lust benefits from attractive location filming (in Mexico) and an earthy if romanticized sense of time and place. Director Michael Cristofer and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto use elegant and swoopy camera movements, surrounding Luis and Julia with colourful dynamism. The couple's erotic scenes of lovemaking sizzle with the necessary passion to underpin Luis' subsequent devotion to a woman who otherwise remains an enigma.

What Does Not Work As Well: Luis' background and character traits are just assumed, and his willful dismissal of obvious signs of foul play and betrayal erode logic and credibility. Meanwhile, Julia's compelling backstory suffers from tell-but-don't-show shortcomings. The second half starts to drag with repetitive emotions and a doubling down on the same beats, prolonging the wait for the inevitable final confrontation. 

Key Quote:

Julia (to Luis): So here's to us, a short life, but an exciting one.

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Movie Review: The Mist (2007)

Genre: Horror

Director: Frank Darabont

Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Toby Jones

Running Time: 126 minutes

Synopsis: After a severe storm, a mysterious mist creeps into a New England town. Artist David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his young son Billy are at the local supermarket when residents start to suspect the mist is hiding something deadly. Others at the supermarket include assistant manager Ollie (Toby Jones), three soldiers from a nearby army base, an assortment of locals, and religious fanatic Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden). Murderous creatures emerge from the mist, the trapped shoppers start to turn on each other, and David has to keep Billy safe and chart a potential path to survival.

What Works Well: Writer and director Frank Darabont adapts the Stephen King novella into a high quality horror fest. The menacing introduction efficiently sets the scene and introduces the key characters, and once the carnage starts, societal fragmentation competes with disgusting overgrown critters for most disturbing impact. The pace is unrelenting, unleashing searing commentary on the fragility of civilized behaviour and the warp speed retreat into tribalism. The ending is suitably soul crushing. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The creatures look better from a distance than up close, and Thomas Jane's limited range means he is unconvincing as an artist and exposed during the more emotional scenes. 

Conclusion: The worst monsters are hidden from view.



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Movie Review: The Sweetest Thing (2002)

A raunchy romantic comedy, The Sweetest Thing follows the misadventures of three party girls as they start to consider growing up.

Christina, Courtney and Jane (Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair) are best friends in their late twenties, sharing an apartment in San Francisco and still enjoying a chaotic life of partying and casual relationships. At a dance club Christina makes a connection with the dishy Peter (Thomas Jane) and also meets his more obnoxious brother Roger (Jason Bateman).

For a few days Christina is unsure whether she should pursue a relationship, but then Courtney insists they drive for three hours to a small town where the brothers are attending a wedding. They meet the uncertain bride Judy (Parker Posey), then a shock awaits.

Offering just the skimpiest of plots, The Sweetest Thing follows in the footsteps of 1998's There's Something About Mary as a lusty sex comedy searching for big laughs wherever bodily fluids and toilets are found. The humour, when it works, is often cringey and hilarious at the same time. Here the three protagonists are all women relishing the girls-just-wanna-have-fun stage, but at 28 years old, BFFs Christina and Courtney are starting to wonder if maybe it's time to settle down.

With all the sexual and romantic fantasies and mishaps presented from the women's perspective, South Park writer Nancy Pimental's script unapologetically celebrates the wild single life. From performing The Penis Song musical number in a Chinese restaurant to cleaning the stain on a dress and venturing to an encounter with a glory hole at a dingy gas station restroom, the three women are enjoying the sexual ups and down of their twenties, owning their experiences, creating memories, and dealing with all the good and bad consequences.

Unfortunately the humour's success rate is less than average, and for every excellent comic scene at least a couple fall flat. With a sparse, essentially plot-free structure, director Roger Kumble has to stretch out several sequences well past the funny point just to arrive at the 90 minute mark (the original theatrical release version is even shorter, but excludes The Penis Song, so it's all about trade-offs). The romantic elements centred on Christina's possible pursuit of Peter are a secondary, almost slapped-on, part of the film.

The three actresses ham it up, Cameron Diaz maybe too aware she is the star attraction and frequently creeping into frantic territory. Christina Applegate and Selma Blair are more understated and mischievously memorable. The three actresses do succeed in creating a sense of genuine close camaraderie and appear to be having a blast on the screen.

The Sweetest Thing is sometimes sweet, but more often sticky and yucky.



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Movie Review: Before I Wake (2016)

A suspense drama with some horror moments, Before I Wake explores deep-seated grief as a powerful force.

Eight year old orphan Cody Morgan (Jacob Tremblay) has had a troubled life, and social worker Natalie Friedman (Annabeth Gish) places him with newly approved foster parents Jessie and Mark Hobson (Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane). The Hobsons are still recovering from the accidental drowning death of their own young son Sean, and Jessie is attending a grief support group.

They soon discover that Cody loves butterflies, but is fearful of falling asleep and consumes stimulants to try and stay awake, believing the "Canker Man" is out to get him. When Cody does fall asleep, remarkable things happen in the Hobson household, with butterflies and other compelling visions appearing. But then really bad and evil events are also triggered by Cody's nightmares, and soon the lives of Jessie and Mark lives thrown into turmoil.

Directed and co-written by Mike Flanagan, Before I Wake is a fulfilling serving of horror as commentary on psychological scars. The film features a satisfactory number of bump-in-the-night moments, chills and scares, but is also unafraid to turn on the lights, bring in some moments of joy and delve into the human condition when drowning in emotional anguish.

Behind the creepy images of dead people coming to life, dreams and nightmares invading reality and butterflies either instilling beauty or shrouding menace, the film works as a metaphor for human duality, the capacity within each family member to add unbridled joy or devastating anguish. Fear of the unknown, letting go of the past and the insidious damage caused by harboring blame and resentment are other themes percolating within the narrative.

The cast features plenty of quality. Jacob Tremblay is immediately likable in one of his earliest screen roles (Before I Wake was filmed in 2013 and languished due to studio financial troubles). Tremblay conveys the innocence of a child still hopeful of finding happiness in life and effortlessly combines his character's extreme intellect with anxious fragility. Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane are sturdy as the parents struggling against the cracks appearing in their relationship due to their profound loss.

Before I Wake ends with a strong sense of purpose and courage, but also just errs on the side of over-tidiness in resolving all the emotional threads. Dreams are internal conversations worth having, but a flutter of mystery is always welcome.

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