To the genius in the Miramax marketing department whose idea it was to give away a seven-day trial subscription to an Internet dating service as part of the promotion for the new film 'Serendipity''bad move. Some people might take seriously the idea that destiny is responsible for uniting soulmates, and these people might be offended by the fantasy-shattering postcard that reminds them that movie-style romance doesn't happen in real life.
In the film, Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) and Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) meet in an argument over a pair of cashmere gloves in a crowded Bloomingdale's just before Christmas. The two spend a romantic evening together, but are separated by Sara's 'test of fate' which involves an elevator game that leaves them each with one of the gloves and a question of 'what might have been' lingering in their heads. Fast-forward a few years. Both are about to be married and can't stop thinking about their one-night flirtation. This obsession, coupled with doubts about the appropriateness of their soon-to-be-spouses, leads Jonathan and Sara into a cross-country search for each other.
'Serendipity' has a great deal in common with romantic comedies like 'Sleepless in Seattle' and 'You've Got Mail,' which address the idea that destiny is stronger than tangible obstacles, whether it be miles or incredible personality differences. 'Serendipity' does rely on the Ephron-esque notion that Jonathan and Sara are meant to be together and would be the perfect pair if only outside forces weren't acting to keep them apart. However, this film focuses more on these abstract outside forces and how they work to bring Jonathan and Sara together, and less on the characters themselves. The entire film is a series of well-orchestrated coincidences and near misses that keeps the couple just one step away from the other until the appropriate time (10 minutes before the credits roll).
Cusack is by far the most underrated actor in Hollywood today. He brings a genuine, everyday-Joe quality to all of his characters, making them relatable and attractive to both men and women. The outrageous events of this film seem not so crazy in Cusack's hands, because he seems like such a normal guy.
The real standouts in this film are Jeremy Piven and Molly Shannon, who play Jonathan and Sara's best friends. The pair gives a sense of humor and a voice of reason to the story. John Corbett is also extremely funny as Sara's clarinet-playing hippie fianc??e.
While 'Serendipity' is not a dose of realism by any means, it does offer a romantic escape into a world where destiny guides relationships. Finding a soulmate is a lot more difficult than this film makes it look, but who needs a reminder that romance is rare and often unrealistic on their way out of the theater?
Looking for a movie to just let you escape? Something to, uh'take you on a joy ride? Then go see, that's right''Joy Ride'!
The story lets us tag along with Paul Walker as he drives across the country to give a ride to a girlfriend in Denver. On the way, he ends up picking up his estranged, slightly dimmer brother, played by Steve Zahn. While on their way to pick up Walker's lady friend, played by Leelee Sobieski, they buy a CB radio for their car and make a prank with a truck driver. The rest of the film follows what happens to them when the truck driver toys with them like they played with him.
It's a story about a prank gone wrong, like many other films in the teen-thriller genre. But this one is smarter than most and plays to more than just the teen crowd. At the helm is John Dahl, who plays a big part in this fact, giving this tightly directed thriller a look and feel that consistently works. The low-key lighting lends an eerie glow in all the right places. The shots were picked out with precision, and the acting for the most part was dead on.
At the start, Walker's acting felt a bit wooden, but after a while he got into stride and seemed more natural, and Zahn's performance was spectacular enough that it overshadowed any annoyances that were made by Walker's early presence.
As with most of his performances, Zahn gets laughs with most every line he says, just in how he says them. How many actors can you say that about?
With 'Joy Ride,' Paul Walker has again hit the jackpot with the B-movie formula. After this summer's 'The Fast and the Furious,' 'Joy Ride' comes through as Walker's second entertaining winner. Though 'Joy Ride' isn't going to be as big a hit as 'Furious,' it still takes us into an interesting and entertaining world that may not be believable at all times but comes through with thrills and intensity.
Some of the less-than-believable aspects deal with the mad trucker's actions. If you stop to think for a minute and picture the evil truck driver doing some of the things he does, such as spray painting half a dozen road signs on the side of a desolate highway, you might get to thinking that this is a bit ludicrous'and it is. But Dahl throws in enough rationalizations for some of his actions to help us suspend our disbelief. Even when we're about to question this stuff.
Sobieski jumps in and asks for us, 'Who would do such an elaborate thing'? And though the trailer may look to give away too much of the plot, don't be frightened off. Some of those give-aways aren't actually in the finished film, and some are changed around. This is a good example of great marketing. It's able to get you worked up over a film without showing exactly what's going to happen like so many films do these days.
Some unpredictable twists are thrown in by Dahl, who seems to be getting a great hold on what it takes to make a thriller. He's been in the director's chair before with 'Red Rock West,' 'Rounders' and 'The Last Seduction''all solid thrillers'and here again he delivers a steady final thriller that lets you lose yourself.
Sometimes, when you go see a movie and let yourself fall into that movie world, you come out feeling pretty damn good. 'Joy Ride' is one of those movies.
As Halloween approaches, film studios have been releasing their annual large number of horror films. John Landis' classic 'An American Werewolf in London' has recently been re-released by Universal Pictures on DVD. Written by director Landis in the late 1960s, many studios passed it over until 1980 because they felt that a film could not be a combination of horror and comedy.
The plot revolves around two American students, David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne), who are touring across Europe when they are attacked by a wild animal on the Welsh moors. Three weeks later David wakes up and finds himself in a London hospital and Jack has been brutally murdered. As David lays in the hospital he begins to have horrific dreams and he thinks life can't any worse. That is until he is visited by a decaying Jack who warns him that he is the last- known werewolf. Nobody believes David's pleas'including himself'for a while, but this all changes after the next full moon. Powered by a fun screenplay, good performances and Rick Baker's Academy Award-winning makeup, 'An American Werewolf in London' is one of the best horror films of all time.
The film was initially released on DVD format and after awhile that version went out of print. It lacked special features and was presented in the pan-and-scan format. Universal Pictures re-required the rights to the film recently and they have given it the attention it well deserves by releasing a special edition. It is presented in the anamorphic widescreen ratio of 1:85 to 1 and features a newly mixed track of DTS and 5.1 digital sound. The picture is sharp, though at times lacks clarity. It is not the crystal-clear image that one would expect from a remastered DVD. Since Landis wished to create a morose effect by using darkness, there are many scenes that do not carry a large amount of light. This tends to give the image a somewhat grainy look at times and should have been corrected in the present release.
Special features for the disc include a running commentary by stars Naughton and Dunne. The commentary is informative and it's fun to hear the two stars reminisce about old times. The only problem is that they seem to be enjoying the film almost as much as the viewer and there are moments where there is just the film's soundtrack is running and not the commentary. Its best moments involve them talking about the film's transformation sequences or the grotesque make-up.
Other features in this special edition are a five-minute featurette consisting of old, behind-the-scenes footage, an 18-minute interview conducted with Landis and a great 11-minute talk with Baker. All of these video segments have behind-the-scenes or unused footage which is entertaining to watch. Other features include outtakes and cast and crew information
Featuring some of the best werewolf transformations in memory, 'An American Werewolf in London' truly stands on its own and after all these years is still hardly dated. It's a great film to watch on Halloween or even the next full moon.
