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3/8/2005
FILM FLAM
We caught a preview screening of The Jacket last week, a sort of
thriller/suspense film starring Adrian Brody, Keira Knightley, Kris
Kristofferson, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It's pretty much a rehashed Jacob's
Ladder, but with a Back to the Future ending. Brody stars as a Gulf War I vet
with amnesia. He gets flashbacks, then ends up in a mental hospital where he
gets flash forwards. There is a lot of effort put into making the film feel
creepy and cold, but after a while I actually got a little bored with it.
There's not much suspense, just some confusion. But if you really liked Jacob's
Ladder or Donny Darko this might be for you.
I also caught a screening of Robots, the new animated feature from Fox. It's
very similar to Toy Story, but instead of taking place in modern day,
semi-realistic surroundings the environment is entirely imagined. If Dr. Seuss
had been a robot fetishist he might have made something like this. The film is
packed full of punny jokes, but in dialogue and visuals, so there are plenty of
adult laughs despite the thin, kid-friendly plot. Robin Williams does his usual
manic sidekick character, but the other characters have little personality. But
the visuals are incredible. Imagine every kitchen appliance from the 40's and
50's you ever thought was super cool came to life and started dancing around in
a city designed by Rube Goldberg. The detail is amazing - surfaces are scuffed
and scratched, background scenery is busy and alive, everything seems to move
even when it doesn't have to. And the characters are imaginative as well,
something between Iron Giant, Short Circuit and the old art deco Superman
cartoon. If the plot and personalities behind it were as interesting it'd be a
fantastic film. Instead, it's just good cotton candy to share with the kids in
your life (or in yourself.)
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