Go for broke

"Brokedown Palace"
Overall Rating: ***


"Brokedown Palace" may suffer unfairly from its surroundings. I'm not referring to the protagonists being dazzled by their exotic travel destination. Rather, I'm thinking back over the films I've seen recently. I've been watching numerous Hitchcock videos, because of the centennial. I've been watching a ton of Kubrick movies--because "Eyes Wide Shut" prompted me to visit both my personal collection and the video store. Then there's "The Sixth Sense"--a film I hadn't particularly wanted to see that blew me away. On the other hand, I was looking forward to "Brokedown Palace." Maybe I'm comparing it unfairly to classics--both new and old--but it fell short of my expectations.

Alice and Darlene (Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale respectively) are lifelong friends who have just graduated from high school, and want to take one special vacation together to celebrate. Their vacation to Thailand seems a dream come true--especially when they meet a charming, young Australian named Nick Parks (Daniel Lapaine). Unfortunately, Parks' proposed weekend trip to Hong Kong isn't what it seems, and the two young women find themselves trying to negotiate a foreign judicial system--their only hope being Henry Greene (Bill Pullman)--a sleazy, expatriate lawyer.

"Brokedown Palace" is in many ways reminiscent of "Red Corner;" both films have a similar plotline where Americans are framed and at the mercy of foreign criminal justice system that has much more criminal than justice about it. Now the problem: does justice prevail despite the corrupt system, or do the heroes rot in jail? "Red Corner" never solved the problem--the end seemed contrived. The end of "Brokedown Palace" works much more smoothly. Though there is a question about what will happen to one of the characters, it works fairly well. In fact, the story held my interest throughout the film. The plot takes a number of unexpected turns--with unexpected windfalls and disasters.

The film also has some nice touches. There's the ironic comment (and I have no idea if it's true) that the name "Thai" means "freedom," for instance. Another touch is how Alice and Darlene are often shown behind bars in some form or another--it's been done before, but it helps reinforce the idea of their imprisonment in this film. The names of the characters are also appropriate--at least, if you look up the names' meanings.

Despite everything it has going for it, "Brokedown Palace" has many problems. There are too many scenes where Darlene and Alice scream "I didn't do it" at each other. There is also a character transformation that isn't credible--a questionable individual who becomes convinced of the justice of the young women's case. Also, while the film holds your interest for its length, that's all it does; when it's over, there's nothing particularly thought provoking about it that will make you give it a second thought.

"Brokedown Palace" is probably a poor choice for children. There is one brief scene with nudity, and some violence (mostly threats of violence). There is also a great deal of strong language and some instances of on-screen drug use.

"Brokedown Palace" isn't as thought provoking as I hoped it would be. The overriding message of the movie seems to be "don't go to Thailand." (I noticed at the end of the movie that it was filmed in the Philippines.) Nor is "Brokedown Palace" the best movie playing; but it's worth seeing--at least, if you already wanted to see it


Title: "Brokedown Palace"
Release date: August 13, 1999
MPAA rating: PG-13
Overall rating: ***
Aprox. run time: 101 min.
Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Writers: Adam Fields (story), David Arata (story and screenplay)
Stars: Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/BrokePal.htm
Added to blog site: 7/26/09

Nothing sabotages a Hitchcock classic

"Sabotage"
Overall Rating: ****

A child in grave danger, a terrorist masquerading as a normal neighbor. I'm not talking about last month's "Arlington Road," I'm talking about the far better treatment the premise received more than six decades before, in Alfred Hitchcock's "Sabotage"

When the film opens, London is subject to a power outage--in this case, clearly an act of sabotage, The culprit is the owner of a small movie theater, Mr. Verloc (Oskar Homolka). His wife (Sylvia Sidney) is somewhat suspicious when he comes home in the middle of the blackout, but insists he was home all the time. The police are also on to him--Sgt. Spencer (John Loder) is working undercover, running the produce stand next to the theater while he observes Verloc. If Verloc can and will cause a blackout, is he capable of worse before the police have the evidence they need to arrest him?

John Loder is good in his part; his character's happy demeanor helps break the tension of the blackout. Though one wouldn't think a lighthearted character would work in the role of a detective following a terrorist, it works surprisingly well. Desmond Tester is also good as Mrs. Verloc's younger brother, Stevie. The best performer in the movie, however, is Oskar Homolka. He is wonderful as Verloc--the terrorist next door. He is universally menacing; his role was made all the more difficult by the fact that his character must deceive his loved ones.

The real star of "Sabotage" is Alfred Hitchcock, without even the cameo appearance he often makes. Innocuous things such as a parade, a street vendor, or a cartoon create emotional tension. The interesting thing about "Sabotage" is that just a few moments into the movie, we know not only who the saboteur is, but that the police are onto him; the tense moments of this thriller come elsewhere. There are also nice ironies in various places in the film, such as Spencer's insistence that the power outage was not "an unfriendly act"--when in fact it was.

The biggest problem with the film is its slow start. For much of the first half of the film, the pace is fairly slow, worsened by the fact that Verloc's sabotage happened despite the stakeout. Things pick up in the second half, however, after both Spencer and Verloc's superiors push them towards action. The end of the film is very well structured, more than making up for this problem. There are also problems with the sound--though I'd have a hard time saying whether the audio problems are a problem with the film itself, or my particular video (which ran somewhere around five dollars).

For children, "Sabotage" is iffier than most films from the '30s. There is no strong language or strong sexual content--but there are references to a child having been born out of wedlock, referred to as being "a cross to bear." The biggest concern is a fairly graphic (for the time) on-screen murder, among other acts of violence (including a bombing); considering that one incident kills a child, and another incident involves a married couple, these could be more traumatic for children, "Sabotage" is almost certainly safe for older children and teenagers, but it may scare young children.

"Sabotage" is a good thriller. It's interesting from a historical perspective--both as an early Hitchcock work, and in general (there are subtle hints that the acts of sabotage are backed by foreign powers--interesting, since the film was made just prior to World War II). Beyond its historical interest, however, the real appeal of "Sabotage" is for its entertainment value--and, as you can say about many Hitchcock films, it's a great thriller.

Title: "Sabotage"
Release date: 1936
Not MPAA rated
Overall rating: ****
Aprox. run time: 76 min.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Charles Bennett, Ian Hay, Helen Simpson, Joseph Conrad (novel, The Secret Agent)
Stars: Sylvia Sidney, Oskar Homolka, John Loder

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/Sabotage.htm
Added to blog site: 8/4/09 (fixed formatting problems)

Don't miss the train

"Strangers on a Train"
Overall Rating: ****


As both a train buff and a Hitchcock fan, let me start off with this disclaimer: the title is not the reason why I like "Strangers on a Train." It has more to do with the director--or, to be precise, the director's craft.

Guy Haines (Farley Granger) is a tennis star who desperately wants a divorce so he can marry another woman. While on his way to see his wife, Miriam (Laura Elliot), he has a chance encounter with Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) on the train. In their conversation, Bruno mentions one of his ideas: two strangers swap murders. The example Bruno gives: Guy would kill Bruno's overbearing father, and Bruno would kill Guy's wife. Guy dismisses Bruno as slightly crazy. Bruno is more than slightly crazy, however: Bruno kills Miriam--then threatens to frame Guy if he doesn't hold up his end of the "bargain."

Robert Walker is wonderful as Bruno. From murderous to just plain mean, Bruno is an odious villain throughout. The difficulty of the role is that he must look normal; Walker manages to be charming and suave on the surface, but a psychotic killer beneath.

The story is also generally well written. The story keeps you in suspense: once Bruno kills Miriam, what will he do next? Building the tension is important--and effectively done--in "Strangers on a Train." The film also has a sharp wit--the episode with Bruno's mother's painting is a wonderful example.

The real secret to the film's success is the Hitchcock touch. The obvious example is the frequent shifting between Guy's tennis match, and Bruno's trip to the murder scene; the constant shifts between a fast paced tennis match and Bruno's return to the crime scene heighten the tension very effectively. While this is the classic example, it is far from the only example. For instance, there's the scene outside Guy's home where Bruno is shown behind bars, albeit the bars of a fence; Guy, too, is behind bars once the possibility of a frame-up is mentioned. More subtle touches, such as frequent scenes where Bruno and Guy appear together, but wear opposite color clothes add to the effect. The climactic fight between Guy and Bruno is a master stroke. Another nice flourish is how often the Bruno's face is in shadow. Indeed, Hitchcock uses shadow very well, but manages to keep all the scenes adequately lit in "Strangers on a Train"--avoiding a problem that plagues many movies. Overall, the film is extremely well presented.

The main problem with "Strangers on a Train" is the ending. Without giving anything away, I'd say, the ending seems unconvincing. Things happen too smoothly. There is also some geographical confusion with the fictional town of Metcalf; it seems to be near Baltimore, but the film is a little vague on the subject. The problem is worsened in a sequence where someone coming from New York seems to get there much faster than someone coming from Washington, D.C. (though the characters don't travel simultaneously, so it only seems that way).

For a thriller, "Strangers on a Train" is unusually safe for kids. There are sequences depicting Miriam's and Guy's adulterous affairs--though, as one would expect for a film from the '50s, there isn't any nudity. There is also a fight scene where a child is in danger, and the scene where Bruno murders Miriam takes place in full view of the audience. By today's standards, it would probably earn a PG rating.

"Strangers on a Train" is not Hitchcock's best film--"North by Northwest," is much better. It's fairer to call it typical Hitchcock. Typical Hitchcock, however, is much better than many other directors' best, and "Strangers on a Train" is definitely worth seeing.


Title: "Strangers on a Train"
Release date: 1951

Not MPAA rated; Hays Code compliant
Overall rating: ****

Aprox. run time: 101 min.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Raymond Chandler, Czenzi Ormonde, Whitfield Cook, Patricia Highsmith (original novel)
Stars: Farley Granger, Robert Walker

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/StrngTrn.htm

Added to blog site: 8/5/09

A sensible choice

"The Sixth Sense"
Overall Rating: ****



Sometimes, a movie turns out to be a pleasant surprise. I'd wanted to see "The Mystery Men" or "The Thomas Crown Affair" this weekend, but instead, wound up seeing "The Sixth Sense"--which I'd felt ambivalent about. "The Sixth Sense" is easily among the best films of the summer.

Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is an acclaimed child psychologist. Unfortunately, he isn't perfect, and he gets a large dose of humility when Vincent Gray (Donnie Wahlberg)--a former patient of Crowe's, who is now grown up--breaks into his house, and shoots him before committing suicide. In the aftermath of the shooting, Crowe's marriage is more strained than ever. However, there are still children who need help--like Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), whose case is eerily like Gray's.

M. Night Shyamalan--who wrote and directed the film (in addition to playing the supporting role of Dr. Hill) has a masterpiece in "The Sixth Sense." The film starts off slowly, but this isn't too bad, because the main characters are nice people, and simple curiosity made me wonder what would happen to them. The second half picks up very well, and the end caught me by surprise; however, all the elements are there, so the surprise didn't blindside me. It was exceedingly difficult for Shyamalan to set up the story so the clues are there but not obvious. My advice to anyone seeing this film is to be patient: the last ten minutes make the whole thing worthwhile. The end is beautiful--with an elegant symmetry that most films lack.

Part of the reason the film works so well is that the main characters are nice, interesting people. While the supporting cast is very good, the lead actors are excellent. Bruce Willis captures his character's compassion and sensitivity--it's no stretch to believe his character would be a good child therapist. More amazing is Haley Joel Osment. His character's ordeals would challenge an adult actor--a child actor doing well in the role boggles the mind.

Mostly, the problems with "The Sixth Sense" are minor. The film starts slowly, but picks up. The camera shakes a little too much here and there (though after "The Blair Witch Project," I just might be too sensitive to that). Some elements relating to the supernatural world are confusing--such as a strange costume change, or a case where a character sees a phenomenon, but misses a similar phenomenon in another scene. These problems don't detract too much from the film as a whole. The title may be a problem, giving away the supernatural nature of the story. The worst problem isn't really in the movie itself, but the promotion. For one thing, TV commercials and previews tell what Cole's secret is (and I don't want to say any more about it, just in case you've been lucky enough to miss this publicity). The film is also being marketed as an outright horror film. This may not be exclusively the fault of the promoters, since Shyamalan accentuates all the scary scenes and gore that the film has (with generally good results, I'd add); but I'd describe the film as more of a supernatural drama with some scary moments.

I'd have reservations about taking children to see "The Sixth Sense." There are several scenes that are pretty scary. The biggest concern for children are several gross scenes: mostly shots of very gory dead bodies; while these are a credit to the film's makeup artists, these are also why a PG-13 rating is reasonable. On screen violence is limited, as is the sexual content. Two other points of concern may be one nude shot--through a shower door and from behind--and a scene where a character urinates on screen (again, filmed from behind--the real focus is something else). There is also some bad language--though Cole reprimands a person for "using the `s' word," somewhat mitigating the strong language.

"The Sixth Sense" is very reminiscent of "Ghost" in it's feel, but it's a truly original film. In a like manner, "The Sixth Sense" is a much better film than I expected; "The Sixth Sense" is the unexpected treat of the summer.

Title: "The Sixth Sense"
Release date: August 6, 1999

MPAA rating: PG-13
Overall rating: ****

Aprox. run time: 107 min.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/6thSense.htm
Added to blog site: 8/4/09

Bewitching project

"The Blair Witch Project"
Overall Rating: ***


Caution: this review contains information that may spoil the film's overall effect.
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"The Blair Witch Project" is an enigma. The film was made for $40,000 as a college film project. From these humble origins, the movie seems destined to become a cult classic--having fan websites based on the official website before it even opened. Aside from its origins, the film itself bends reality--making the film realistic to the point that many people--including one of my friends who saw it with me--thought it was a real documentary. (The "mockumentary" nature of the film is why I had the warning above.)

Three film students, Heather Donahue, Mike Williams, and Josh Leonard (the characters share the actors' names) set out to make a film called "The Blair Witch Project"--a documentary about a local legend in rural Burkittsville, MD. Their disappearance further fuels the legends of the woods being haunted. A year later, their film footage is found--deepening the mystery.

The writing in "The Blair Witch Project" is phenomenal. The film depends on a single gimmick--trying to make the movie seem like a real documentary--but the gimmick works well. Even knowing it isn't real, it looks very realistic. The film's horror also gradually builds, becoming scarier as it progresses. Even though you know what's eventually going to happen, since the opening text tells you that the protagonists are still missing, you still wonder what has happened to them. But it's not all horror. "The Blair Witch Project" has sharp wit--my favorite line is when, on seeing something early on that may be a hoax, one of the protagonists says "Rednecks aren't that creative."

The characters are also perfectly believable. This is both a credit to the writers and the actors. It's easy to argue that the actors were simply playing themselves--based on the characters' names; even granting that there are similarities to the characters, they are still in a fictional situation. It's also interesting to see Heather's change in attitude as she realizes just what she's gotten her friends into--if only more films' lead characters went through a character transformation that allows them to admit responsibility for their mistakes.

So, with everything going for it, what's wrong? The big problem with the film is the cinematography. The camera shakes violently throughout the film--and after about five minutes, I was nauseated from the effect. Checking with the three people I went with, all of them were also similarly ill. Admittedly, the four of us sat together, and relatively close to the screen--worsening the effect--but I still felt some effect when I moved to one of the back rows. I'll grant that the filmmakers needed at least some shots to be shaky for realism--it doesn't make sense that a kid running through the woods with a camera will have a steady shot. I'll also grant that the budgetary constraints may have been a factor. To be fair, I'm also sensitive on this subject: the video game "Doom" has also hit me the same way, for instance--yet millions of kids play it with no problem; this could be a more subjective reaction than I'm taking it to be. For me, however, this was such a problem that it's why I gave an otherwise four-star film three stars--and almost gave it an outright bad review. If you can't enjoy a film while seasick, and the film itself makes you feel nauseated, then what's the point?

"The Blair Witch Project" is not suitable for children. There is a great deal of strong language and one very gory scene. The worst aspect for children, however, is the situation: though the violence always occurs out of view of the camera, it is absolutely clear that something is happening.

In the end, "The Blair Witch Project" is an admirable effort. Despite all it has going for it, the shaky camera is an extremely serious problem that makes it virtually impossible to watch or enjoy. If you want to see it, my advice is to take a Dramamine and sit towards the back. That said, I'd still say it might be worth it. Either way, I hope to see more from writer/directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez--if they can do "The Blair Witch Project" with $40,000, what can they do with a more typical $40,000,000?


Title: "The Blair Witch Project"
Release date: limited: 7/16/99 / nationwide: 7/30/99
MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ***
Aprox. run time: 81 min.
Director: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Writer: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Stars: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/BlairW.htm
Added to blog site: 7/26/09 (with minor editing)