Why is everyone so determined to see Kevin Costner fail? Sure, \The Postman"" was sleep-inducing and ""For Love of the Game"" didn't fare much better. But hopefully critics will be a little more optimistic after seeing his most recent film, the chilling psychological ghost story ""Dragonfly.""
In a very abrupt beginning, Kevin Costner's Dr. Joe Darrow finds Emily, his low-maintenance, curly-haired angel of a wife, killed in a nasty bus accident. Since they're never alive together on-screen, Costner spends most of ""Dragonfly"" relating their soul mate relationship through flashbacks and insane grief.
Then, while visiting Emily's pediatric cancer patients, a child shocks Dr. Darrow by waking up from a near-death experience, telling of visions of Emily on the other side. Soon, other coma patients wake up and begin drawing eerie squiggles and relaying unnecessarily cryptic messages from Emily.
While living alone in a dark old house that remarkably resembles the home in ""What Lies Beneath,"" Joe becomes convinced Emily needs to contact him. The evidence? Possessed paperweights, pesky dragonflies (her favorite) and their wacky pet bird calling out her name. The scares continue but Joe begins to cope.
After a frightening windstorm from the undead, though, he suddenly decides ""Whoa! It's time for a location shoot in Venezuela!"" In this beautiful scenery change from the drab blue-gray of Illinois to the warm greens and yellows of the jungle, Joe hunts for more clues and ends up a with big surprise.
""Dragonfly"" brings a lot to the audience: mystery, ghosts, religious contemplation, psychology and nostalgic romance. But these eclectic elements are mostly shadows of other movies with the same ideas.
Costner has already played the grieving widower in ""Message in a Bottle."" He is great with the crazy, sad and funny'a brokenhearted man close to hysteria. But for some of the movie Costner seems to have become Hollywood's ""everyman."" He's just Dr. Joe in a white lab coat, or Joe Somebody in wrinkled khakis.
The supporting cast does little in this film. In fact, Joe seems alone, save for his dead wife. Only Kathy Bates stands out, playing a perfect skeptic to Costner's misery as a brutally honest but kind neighbor. The actress is a great complement to the film, even if she is under-used.
This hard-to-classify thriller/chiller is scarier than previews suggest, with more haunting images and scary twists. While some loose ends stay untied, the overall supernatural excitement of ""Dragonfly"" puts a new bright spot on Costner's r??sum??.
Romantic comedies are tough to pull off. The genre by definition requires mixing two styles that don't always mix, and it offers twice as many ways to mess up a movie. ""40 Days and 40 Nights"" is no exception, but the strong comedic elements make the weak romantic storyline forgivable.
The story centers around Matt Sullivan (Josh Hartnett), a young single guy who has dealt with the heartbroken six months since being dumped by engaging in a series of unsatisfying flings. In an effort to clear his mind, he decides to give up all sexual gratification, kissing and masturbation included for the 40 days of Lent, despite the doubts of his seminary student brother and his incorrigible womanizer roommate (Paulo Costanzo). His efforts become more difficult when he randomly meets the girl of his dreams (Shannyn Sossamon). The story follows a number of twists and turns in their relationship and his celibacy as he is watched by friends, strangers and co-workers who all have money riding on the fate of his vow.
The comedic elements of the movie are very well done. A lot of the jokes are lewd, but the movie earns the right to be lewd by being very funny. The jokes are not nearly as tired as one might expect from a movie with a premise like this one, and the cast was built well for it too. Josh Hartnett may only show range with this role in that he is not wearing a uniform, but he handle it well. He is also surrounded by some very funny supporting characters like his parents, his co-workers, his brother and his boss. Costanzo is especially funny, playing a much more high-strung character than he did in ""Road Trip,"" but demonstrating the same talent.
It is the female and romantic sides of the movie that bring it down. The female lead, Erica, is an unconvincing character portrayed with an unconvincing acting performance by Sossamon. The story moves a little too quickly to develop the relationship between the two and her character not only doesn't display enough to live up to his feelings, but she seems like a sort of amalgam of every female character in every movie ever made. And aside from Erica, every female character is either slutty, mean or both. The movie also follows the romantic comedy prerequisite of ceasing all comedy for the last half hour so that it can resolve the romantic plotline.
The comedy may not be for everyone and the romantic storyline may be a little thin, but for the most part, ""40 Days and 40 Nights"" is worth watching. The romance is just convincing enough to be acceptable date fare. And while professors probably won't want to unwind from a long day of putting up with snot-nosed undergrads by seeing this movie, it's guaranteed to draw some laughs from the undergrads themselves.
It has no breathtaking special effects or gunfights. It is not an adaptation of a world-famous novel. There is not even anything especially innovative about the directing or film style. Yet ""Monster's Ball"" stands out among recent films because great performances truly can carry it.
The screenplay is edgy and emotional, which ultimately causes the problem as the events of the film often seem a little too dramatic. The characters endure more trauma in the first hour of the film than most people would expect in a lifetime. This excess of emotion results in a movie that walks a fine border between artistic masterpiece and cheesy Oscar wannabe, but the actors ground it with amazingly strong yet subtle performances.
The southern drama centers on the unexpected romance between a racist prison guard and the African American widow of a recently executed inmate. Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton give flawless performances as the film's unlikely lovebirds drawn together by their equally tragic lives.
Hank Grotowski (Thornton) is a gloomy Georgia corrections officer living with his racist and dying father Buck and his own son/co-worker, Sonny. The conflict among these three generations of men easily occupies most of the first hour of the film as they stumble through their bitter and loveless lives. This dysfunctional clan is filled out by Peter Boyle and Heath Ledger starring as Hank's father and son, respectively. Despite their small, supporting status, both actors give moving portrayals of the hate-filled Grotowski bookends, greatly contrasting the cheerful material we expect from them.
Through coincidence only capable in Hollywood, Hank eventually meets Leticia (Berry), the poor, soon-to-be-evicted widow of Hank's most recent guest in the electric chair. Hank and Leticia take up an unexpected romance, which in turn changes Leticia's fortunes and Hank's outlook on his dark life.
Although ""Monster's Ball"" has a well-written and highly acclaimed screenplay, the pace of the movie seemed off-kilter at times. Swiss director Marc Forster seems to have trouble maintaining consistency through the film. Despite the graphic 3-minute sex scene that makes me wonder how the movie ever got away with an R rating, Forster seems hesitant to really explore the ""forbidden"" relationship of the unlikely couple. Hank's racist attitude seems to come and go and the chemistry between Thornton and Berry is maintained only by the powerful performances of the actors.
Thornton is amazing as always, which is pretty impressive seeing as this is the fifth film he has released in the past year. Berry, whose past roles are more memorable for reasons other than her acting ability (two come to mind in ""Swordfish""), proves that her Best Actress nomination is well deserved.
Overall, ""Monster's Ball"" is an original and moving melodrama. There is simply an excess of that drama; it overkills. If nothing else, it is worth seeing simply because it's a far cry from the normal boring love stories we all expect. If you're a fan of Berry and Thornton, this film definitely showcases their talent. Think about it: They make a steamy romance between a super-hot young black woman and the middle-aged racist redneck who executed her husband seem strangely believable. Let's see a computer create that special effect.
