Linney and Hoffman showcase their talent in 'The Savages'
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, April 20, 2008
French filmmakers embrace mystery. American ones love gore. And Japanese? They must settle for confusion.
That's the way horror films have rolled lately. Few, though, really entertain.
Of the new bunch, "The Orphanage" is best. Set at a creepy house that once served as an orphanage, it's got enough bumps in the night to make its new owner almost crazy.
While the film's subtitles keep you from truly enjoying its jolts, it isn't so simple that you can't be surprised. Just know, if you hear creaks coming from the floorboards, something is there. That's the French way.
"One Missed Call," based on a Japanese film, just uses some odd ghosts to get its thrills.
The American remake stars Shannyn Sossamon as a college student whose friends have a close encounter of the death kind. They're all on the same call list and, sure enough, meet horrible ends. Oddly, a red piece of candy drops out of their mouths after they're gone. It's all supposed to mean something, but what? Far too "Ring"-like for its own good, "Missed Call" borrows bits from "The Exorcist" and "Chucky" to make this seem spooky.
But, really, a couple of dolls and some overambitious music are the only things that make you jump. The acting isn't exactly "Saw" level and Eric Valette's direction is right out of sophomore year of film school.
For marquee value, Ed Burns turns up as a detective hoping to end the calls. He's laid back and more than a little friendly with Sossamon. They tag team to trace the original call, then she winds up in some air duct making like Kate Beckinsale in "Vacancy."
Sossamon isn't much of an actress, just a looker who probably could scream well, given half the chance.
Because "Missed Call" doesn't always deal in concrete frights, it doesn't deliver a chilling message. A serial killer on the loose is scary. A phone that acts up? Well, let's reassess.
Clearly, there's merit in cell phones as tools of horror. "Halloween" got great mileage out of a babysitter's phone calls. "I Saw What You Did" preyed on our fears of the unknown.
But "One Missed Call" jumps too quickly into the spirit world to really work. What the film needs is something its intended audience can relate to. Take a call during a film and then you drop dead? That'd get an audience's attention.
Also: 'The Savages'
For more realistic woes, look to "The Savages."
A touching -- often funny -- film about family, it lets Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney demonstrate why they're among the best actors working today.
The two break from their fringy theater careers to tend to their father (Philip Bosco), a cantankerous man suffering from dementia. His girlfriend has died and now they've got to find some place to move him. Linney's determined to see him lead an independent life. Hoffman knows he needs a nursing home. They struggle -- with him and each other -- then accept reality. As dad's condition worsens, their gruff exteriors melt.
Sibling rivalry, however, never disappears. He's a theater professor hoping to get his research published; she's a wannabe playwright who says she's a Guggenheim grant recipient.
The two constantly jockey for position. His girlfriend leaves. Her boyfriend won't divorce his wife. It's a seesaw of gotcha.
Writer/director Tamara Jenkins obviously opened a vein for this one, exposing those raw emotions that emerge only when moments of high stress are present.
Hoffman and Linney know the territory. He has the air of a know-it-all. She has the defensiveness of a scorned woman. Together, they're suffering from acute arrested development.
"The Savages" may not be the feel-good film of the year but it's easily an acting forum like no other. If you fall in the Baby Boom generation, you'll recognize the emotions immediately. A Savage lies within all of us.
Also this week:
TV: "Friday Night Lights," season two; "Laverne & Shirley," season four
Movies: "Romulus, My Father"; "Seance"; "Starting Out in the Evening"; "Sublime"; "Trailer Park Boys"; "The Walker"
That's the way horror films have rolled lately. Few, though, really entertain.
Of the new bunch, "The Orphanage" is best. Set at a creepy house that once served as an orphanage, it's got enough bumps in the night to make its new owner almost crazy.
While the film's subtitles keep you from truly enjoying its jolts, it isn't so simple that you can't be surprised. Just know, if you hear creaks coming from the floorboards, something is there. That's the French way.
"One Missed Call," based on a Japanese film, just uses some odd ghosts to get its thrills.
The American remake stars Shannyn Sossamon as a college student whose friends have a close encounter of the death kind. They're all on the same call list and, sure enough, meet horrible ends. Oddly, a red piece of candy drops out of their mouths after they're gone. It's all supposed to mean something, but what? Far too "Ring"-like for its own good, "Missed Call" borrows bits from "The Exorcist" and "Chucky" to make this seem spooky.
But, really, a couple of dolls and some overambitious music are the only things that make you jump. The acting isn't exactly "Saw" level and Eric Valette's direction is right out of sophomore year of film school.
For marquee value, Ed Burns turns up as a detective hoping to end the calls. He's laid back and more than a little friendly with Sossamon. They tag team to trace the original call, then she winds up in some air duct making like Kate Beckinsale in "Vacancy."
Sossamon isn't much of an actress, just a looker who probably could scream well, given half the chance.
Because "Missed Call" doesn't always deal in concrete frights, it doesn't deliver a chilling message. A serial killer on the loose is scary. A phone that acts up? Well, let's reassess.
Clearly, there's merit in cell phones as tools of horror. "Halloween" got great mileage out of a babysitter's phone calls. "I Saw What You Did" preyed on our fears of the unknown.
But "One Missed Call" jumps too quickly into the spirit world to really work. What the film needs is something its intended audience can relate to. Take a call during a film and then you drop dead? That'd get an audience's attention.
Also: 'The Savages'
For more realistic woes, look to "The Savages."
A touching -- often funny -- film about family, it lets Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney demonstrate why they're among the best actors working today.
The two break from their fringy theater careers to tend to their father (Philip Bosco), a cantankerous man suffering from dementia. His girlfriend has died and now they've got to find some place to move him. Linney's determined to see him lead an independent life. Hoffman knows he needs a nursing home. They struggle -- with him and each other -- then accept reality. As dad's condition worsens, their gruff exteriors melt.
Sibling rivalry, however, never disappears. He's a theater professor hoping to get his research published; she's a wannabe playwright who says she's a Guggenheim grant recipient.
The two constantly jockey for position. His girlfriend leaves. Her boyfriend won't divorce his wife. It's a seesaw of gotcha.
Writer/director Tamara Jenkins obviously opened a vein for this one, exposing those raw emotions that emerge only when moments of high stress are present.
Hoffman and Linney know the territory. He has the air of a know-it-all. She has the defensiveness of a scorned woman. Together, they're suffering from acute arrested development.
"The Savages" may not be the feel-good film of the year but it's easily an acting forum like no other. If you fall in the Baby Boom generation, you'll recognize the emotions immediately. A Savage lies within all of us.
Also this week:
TV: "Friday Night Lights," season two; "Laverne & Shirley," season four
Movies: "Romulus, My Father"; "Seance"; "Starting Out in the Evening"; "Sublime"; "Trailer Park Boys"; "The Walker"
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