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Editor’s Note: What I’m Watching: Editor's Choice is a new style of review I’m launching to allow me to cover more ground in a more condensed space. As the founder, editor-in-chief, and main voice behind DVD Snapshot (that’s me your reading on Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook, folks!), I often have people wanting to converse with me or have a discourse on what I think of various movies, music, and television shows. While I don’t always have time to review every DVD that comes out (hence the reason for your hardworking DVD Snapshot staff writers!), I do watch a pretty fair amount of programming, and this new column/feature will let me share my thoughts and opinions with you in a less structured, less formatted, but more conversational (and hopefully more interesting) way. Enjoy!
First up, we have Timecrimes, a new and exciting time travel thriller that also happens to be a low budget, independent film in a foreign language. Now I know the words “low budget,” “independent,” and “foreign language” generally turn most people right off from watching a movie, but Timecrimes is something different.
The story follows a man who accidentally travels through time and starts to run into multiple versions of himself. Throughout the course of the film, he starts to impact the multiple timelines that he’s creating, leading to further and further confusion and him getting sucked into events way beyond his control. The film is exciting, it’s suspenseful, it’s quite thrilling at times, and the only flaw that it has is an ending that gets so caught up in its own time travel paradox that it gets a little bit confusing. However, the story is so compelling that you won’t even necessarily care. Thanks to the efforts of director (and co-star) Nacho Vigalondo and lead actor Karra Elejalde, both of whom are extremely talented, the film really overcomes all of its deficiencies to become one of the most unique and interesting films I’ve seen in quite some time.
The special features on this DVD are actually much better than most special features I’ve seen in quite sometime in that they are much more interesting. There is a short film by the director of Time Crimes that is definitely worth watching. There is also a series of featurettes that looks at the incredibly interesting promotional efforts that were make to get this film out in the public knowledge early on before its theatrical release.
Timecrimes is a really enjoyable film and I definitely recommend that you check it out. It is a great genre entry that isn’t plagued by super cheesy special effects or bad acting and is enjoyable from start to finish. Don’t let the fact that it’s a small, independent, foreign language thriller turn you off from experiencing what I think is one of the more interesting films we’ve seen so this year, and Nacho Vigalondo is truly a talent to keep an eye on.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Next up is an equally fantastic film named Look, which streets May 5th from Anchor Bay. What initially seems like an idea created solely to allow for low-budget production values (an entire story told through surveillance camera footage), Look is actually a fascinating collection of intertwined stories that is surprisingly captivating. The surveillance camera aspect actually works into the storyline and is more than just a gimmick; the “hidden” cameras reveal truths to the various storylines that we would otherwise not be privy to. The story seemingly starts out just following random people, but eventually their paths all start to cross in different ways, and you will be fascinated by who ends up interacting with who. I give director Adam Rifkin credit for not just crafting an extremely compelling film, but for also having the strength of his convictions. I don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just say that not everyone gets a happy ending in the story, and one plotline in particular left me completely devastated at the end of the film.
The DVD’s extra features include several deleted scenes, an alternate ending, a behind-the-scenes making-of, and audio commentary by director Rifkin, two producers, and actor Hayes MacArthur.
Look is a really terrific film, and I was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed it, so I definitely recommend checking it out. It’s one of those films that you’ll be thinking about and talking about long after you’ve finished watching it.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Special is a film I was really excited about watching, but it ultimately turned out to be a little bit disappointing. The trailer made the film look like a black comedy about a drug trial patient who begins to hallucinate and believe that he has super-powers, so he tries to become a super-hero to mixed results. Unfortunately the film, which features a really terrific performance by Michael Rapaport, is extremely dark and bleak, and the little humor there is just isn’t enough to draw you out of the increasingly negative emotions the film creates within you as you watch. There are some terrific supporting performances, and I think it’s a great concept for a movie, but Special is too dark and dour, and I wish it would have embraced its comedic side much more than it did. Special features include some outtakes and a short making-of feature.
Never Surrender is notable as the first action film starring exclusively Mixed Martial Arts superstars, such as Quinton Jackson, James Russo, Anderson Silva, and Hector Echevarria, who also writes, produces and directs the film. I’m not particularly an MMA fan, but I thought, “Well, if anyone can put together a pretty kick-ass Fight Club-styled action film, it would be these guys.” Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. I expected the bad acting that came with the film, but I thought maybe one or two of the guys would exhibit some Rock or Hulk Hogan-style charisma. Wrong. These guys are abysmally bad. What’s worse is that without a real action director at the helm, even the fight scenes are terrible. I thought I could at least escape with some mindless action in this film, but even that part of it was boring. The DVD includes two behind-the-scenes featurettes and a music video for those of you that are interested, but I’d steer clear of this one.
Then we have Frankenhood, also from Lionsgate, which streets on May 5. I don’t know what to say about this film except that it was everything I expected it to be from start to finish. The story involves a Frankenstein-monster type basketball player who helps two lovable losers win a Bball tournament, and the results are predictably, well… predictable. While there are one or two chuckles in the film, I found the low-brow style of humor not really to my tastes. That being said, however, if you like stupid comedies or urban comedy, this one might give you a laugh. The DVD includes a featurette and some deleted scenes.
Finally, an interesting film that crossed my desk is independent drama One Hour Fantasy Girl. This character study from director Edgar Michael Bravo is an interesting film, and it shows a lot of promise for the talent involved. Lead actress Kelly Ann Tursi (who is absolutely gorgeous) plays a “one hour fantasy girl”, which is basically a girl who “acts out any fantasy a guy wants as long as no sex is involved and it’s 100% legal.” The film takes some intriguing twists, and it’s extremely well-shot and well-directed. There are a few pacing issues, as it does slow down a little bit in the middle, but it picks up again at the climax. There’s also an authenticity to the film that I appreciate; while it’s shot in HD and has good production values, you really get a sense of the seedy areas the film was shot in, which actually lends to the realness of the story. If you enjoy independent cinema, One Hour Fantasy Girl is really worth a look.
- Mike Spring
Editor
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