Movie Reviews

Dagon (Lions Gate, 2002)

Directed by Stuart Gordon

I was expecting big things from this movie.  In addition to director Gordon, Dagon was produced by Brian Yuzna and written by Dennis Paoli.  For those of you to whom that means nothing, the aforementioned trio are the same fine folks responsible for 'Re-Animator', 'From Beyond', 'Castle Freak', and the underrated 198? version of 'The Pit and the Pendulum'. 

'Dagon' is based on two stories by H. P. Lovecraft.  Although it takes its name from "Dagon", most of the plot comes from "The Shadow Over Innsmouth".  As the movie begins, we see Paul (Ezra Gooden) in scuba gear examining  a strange underwater city, where he encounters a beautiful mermaid.  At first Paul is drawn to the mermaid, but as they embrace she opens her mouth to reveal a face full of shark-like teeth, at which point Paul awakens, revealing this sequence as a dream.  Or is it a premonition?  In the waking world Paul and Barbara (Raquel Merono) are lovers out on a sunny pleasure cruise with friends Howard (Brendan Price) and Vicki (Birgit Bofarull).  When the weather suddenly takes a turn for the worse the boat smashes into an outcropping of rock, trapping Vicki in the process.  While Howard stays on board with his wife, Paul and Barbara take a raft to shore and the ominous seaside village of Imboca, from which strange chants emanate. 

Once ashore, things get even weirder.  The furtive residents of Imboca apparently don't get much sun despite all their beachfront property, and all the buildings are run down and boarded up.  While Paul enlists the aid of a local fishing boat to see if he can rescue his friends, Barbara is directed by a local priest to the town's only hotel where she is promptly captured by the natives.  Turns out Imboca is home to a sect of cultists who worship the fish god Dagon, and Dagon likes the human women.  In return for the occasional sacrifice he offers his worshippers eternal life under the waves as mutant squid people. 

While 'Dagon' is still a fairly enjoyable direct to video diversion, it never rises above that level.  The production feels rushed, with little time spent on atmosphere or suspense.  It retains many of the plot elements from its source material, but Lovecraft's theme of genetics as inescapable fate is given far too little attention for the climax to really pay off . The characterizations are two dimensional, and the lead performers competent but bland. Only Francisco Rabal as the token crazy old coot who knows all the back story and  Macarena Gomez as the fish girl of Paul's dreams bother to imbue their characters with any life. 

Still, while 'Dagon' may not be the catch of the day, it isn't a bucket of chum, either.  I'll take this over the latest teen slasher flick any day.  It's just that it could have been so much more. (BI)

Waking Life (Fox Searchlight, 2001)

Directed by Richard Linklatter

Linklatter returns to the multi character, non-linear format of his best known films (Slacker, Dazed and Confused) for this very interesting experiment in animation.  As other critics have already pointed out, this should have been at least nominated in the Best Animated Feature category added by the Academy Awards this past year.  Maybe some day Americans will realize that cartoons aren't just for kids.

'Waking Life' uses a roto scope technique that should be familiar to fans of Ralph Bakshi's work (Wizards, American Pop, Lord of the Rings).  With this technique, animators paint over live action sequences and add embellishments not present in the original source materials.  This allows characters to float, set themselves on fire, visualize their thoughts, and do things that would otherwise be very difficult and/or costly with live action.  While Bakshi used the technique to imbue his adult cartoons with a greater degree of realism, here it is utilized to make reality more stylized and dreamlike.

Essentially a series of conversations on metaphysics and the nature of reality, there isn't much of a plot as such.  The main character, ---, finds himself seemingly trapped in a dream state.  But if it's all in his head  how can the dream people he encounters provide him with information and ideas he was never aware of before?   'Waking Life' gives you many possibilities to contemplate, but no big "answer".  For an American movie in the 21st century to actually ask its viewers to think without some generic plot to tie it all together is a rare thing.  Rarer still is the movie that can do all that without becoming boring or pretentious.  'Waking Life' succeeds on al counts. (BI)

Bully (Lions Gate, 2001)

Directed by Larry Clark

'Bully' is based on a true story, and could have made an interesting drama.  The plot concerns how insecurity causes some kids to put up with abuse from those higher on the social hierarchy, and how that abuse can eventually result in a violent backlash from the victim(s).  It also deals with how teens don't really comprehend the gravity of taking someone's life until it actually happens.  Pretty serious stuff, right?

Imagine a fifties juvenile delinquent film crossed with Hustler’s Barely Legal.   Now throw in a grisly murder scene that would make H. G. Lewis proud, and you pretty much have it.  I know that sounds like a recipe for success, but somehow director Larry Clark managed to make it boring.  What we have is a group of mostly talented actors delivering their campy dialogue with complete seriousness while director Clark tries to find any excuse to get them naked.  No doubt to symbolize their vulnerability. 

I know a lot of people like Clark's films and think he's an important director.  Maybe I just don't get it, but to me 'Bully' is neither enough of an exploitation movie to be truly entertaining, nor enough of a drama to be truly thought provoking.  The characters are pure stereotypes.  I know kids like these are out there and do things like this, but they have to be more interesting than the ones in this movie.  (BI)

Directed by Richard Kelly

'Donnie Darko' is a remarkably assured film for a debut feature, and I'd be surprised if it didn't rapidly attain cult status.  Despite a relatively low budget, the film never looks cheap, and the cast is superb, especially Jake (Bubble Boy) Gyllenhaal as Donnie and Patrick Swayzee as a self help guru with some skeletons in his closet. 

After a night of sleepwalking, Donnie returns home to find an airplane engine has crashed through the ceiling and into the room where he would have been sleeping.  Although no one is hurt, Donnie and his family are understandably shaken.  That would be strange enough, but apparently there's no correspondingly damaged plane to account for this strange artifact.  Next thing you know Harvey the pooka's[1] evil twin Frank starts showing up, and things really get weird. 

Ultimately, what sets 'Donnie Darko' apart from the average teen genre film is the believability of its characters.  As bizarre and complicated as the plot becomes, the performances manage to sell it.   Also, the movie plays fair with the audience, offering all the necessary clues along the way.    Finally, I also want to mention the excellent soundtrack.  Rather than the usual tossed together compilation of pop music, ‘Donnie Darko’ makes good use of an atmospheric score by Michael Andrews as well as a few well chosen songs by Tears For Fears.  (BI)