list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Boxing Helena on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Boxing_Helena/82158/default.aspx Title: Boxing Helena
Year: 1993
Director: Jennifer Chambers Lynch
Plot: In this stylized art film, which marked the directorial debut of second-generation filmmaker Jennifer Chambers Lynch, a surgeon with a mommy fixation and a problem with premature ejaculation grows obsessed with a vivacious young libertine, to the detriment of her mobility. Dr. Nick Cavanaugh (Julian Sands), the son of a frosty, unfaithful society matron, can't get lovely neighbor Helena (Sherilyn Fenn) out of his head. Although the two only ever shared a one-night stand, Nick won't let Helena go -- a hang-up that bodes ill for the health of his plodding romance with the smitten Anne Garrett (Betsy Clark). After Nick's mother dies, he moves into her mansion and promptly throws a lavish gala just so he can lure Helena into his orbit. She spurns him for another bedmate, but not before Anne figures out something fishy is going on. Discovering that Helena forgot her purse during her hasty exit, Nick uses it to lure her back to his place for some attempted courtship. When she storms out, furious, she's the victim of a hit-and-run. Rather than simply call 911, Nick performs an emergency amputation of her legs and lets her convalesce in his house. When the hobbled Helena tries to leave, he makes her his prisoner, eventually removing her arms to prevent her escape. But when Ray O'Malley (Bill Paxton), her leather-trousered former lover, starts sniffing around to discover her whereabouts, Nick's fragile little fantasy world threatens to pop like a bubble. After Madonna and Kim Basinger both dropped out of the title role, Lynch settled on Fenn, who had risen to prominence working with the writer/director's father, David Lynch. After a lengthy breach-of-contract lawsuit, Basinger was eventually ordered to pay the film's producers eight million dollars in damages. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 6
Number of Lists: 14
Number of blog posts: 5
Number of discussion threads: 2
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:19:26 GMTBoxing Helena1993Jennifer Chambers LynchIn this stylized art film, which marked the directorial debut of second-generation filmmaker Jennifer Chambers Lynch, a surgeon with a mommy fixation and a problem with premature ejaculation grows obsessed with a vivacious young libertine, to the detriment of her mobility. Dr. Nick Cavanaugh (<a href="/players/P____63016/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Julian Sands</a>), the son of a frosty, unfaithful society matron, can't get lovely neighbor Helena (<a href="/players/P____23072/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sherilyn Fenn</a>) out of his head. Although the two only ever shared a one-night stand, Nick won't let Helena go -- a hang-up that bodes ill for the health of his plodding romance with the smitten Anne Garrett (Betsy Clark). After Nick's mother dies, he moves into her mansion and promptly throws a lavish gala just so he can lure Helena into his orbit. She spurns him for another bedmate, but not before Anne figures out something fishy is going on. Discovering that Helena forgot her purse during her hasty exit, Nick uses it to lure her back to his place for some attempted courtship. When she storms out, furious, she's the victim of a hit-and-run. Rather than simply call 911, Nick performs an emergency amputation of her legs and lets her convalesce in his house. When the hobbled Helena tries to leave, he makes her his prisoner, eventually removing her arms to prevent her escape. But when Ray O'Malley (<a href="/players/P____55571/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bill Paxton</a>), her leather-trousered former lover, starts sniffing around to discover her whereabouts, Nick's fragile little fantasy world threatens to pop like a bubble. After <a href="/players/P___100711/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Madonna</a> and <a href="/players/P_____4427/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Kim Basinger</a> both dropped out of the title role, Lynch settled on Fenn, who had risen to prominence working with the writer/director's father, <a href="/players/P___100454/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>David Lynch</a>. After a lengthy breach-of-contract lawsuit, Basinger was eventually ordered to pay the film's producers eight million dollars in damages. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide6Taggedy Taggged (6-10)14522http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t105155fl7e.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Boxing_Helena/82158/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Sundance/10_Worst_Sundance_Sensations/532/39566/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Sundance
Post Date: 1/15/2009 2:34:28 PM
Body: Reading Chris Campbell's 10 Worst Sundance Sensations is sort of like listening to someone bash your old friends. My affection for some of these films makes it hard to say whether I agree with any of his picks, which include Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State, and Brick. I can't argue with someone who says Napoleon Dynamite isn't funny, but I will argue with Chris when he says "Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny." I don't mean to sound like a philosophy undergrad, but you asked for it, Chris: what is "funny"? He made me smile when he called Garden State a "homecoming of age" movie that spawned a hundred like it. Get this, though: "Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest." Obviously Chris knows a lot of talented idiots. I appreciated his writing about Brick, especially the part where he says "Who wouldn't rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers?" Then I thought, 'I liked Brick. I thought it was gritty and exciting. How is Chris changing my mind when he's not even explaining why the movie is bad?' But maybe Chris's oldest selections are a good indicator of his judgment? I haven't seen Boxing Helena (1993) or The Brothers McMullen (1995), and I didn't even know Ed Burns was a writer/director! One of my coworkers just told me Burns was a really 'in vogue' filmmaker for a while. What do you guys think, are Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre), Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), and Zack Braff along the same lines? In another ten years, will people be saying, "I didn't know Zack Braff was a writer/director!"
]]>Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:34:28 GMTSkyPilotSundance1/15/2009 2:34:28 PMReading Chris Campbell's 10 Worst Sundance Sensations is sort of like listening to someone bash your old friends. My affection for some of these films makes it hard to say whether I agree with any of his picks, which include Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State, and Brick. I can't argue with someone who says Napoleon Dynamite isn't funny, but I will argue with Chris when he says "Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny." I don't mean to sound like a philosophy undergrad, but you asked for it, Chris: what is "funny"? He made me smile when he called Garden State a "homecoming of age" movie that spawned a hundred like it. Get this, though: "Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest." Obviously Chris knows a lot of talented idiots. I appreciated his writing about Brick, especially the part where he says "Who wouldn't rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers?" Then I thought, 'I liked Brick. I thought it was gritty and exciting. How is Chris changing my mind when he's not even explaining why the movie is bad?' But maybe Chris's oldest selections are a good indicator of his judgment? I haven't seen Boxing Helena (1993) or The Brothers McMullen (1995), and I didn't even know Ed Burns was a writer/director! One of my coworkers just told me Burns was a really 'in vogue' filmmaker for a while. What do you guys think, are Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre), Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), and Zack Braff along the same lines? In another ten years, will people be saying, "I didn't know Zack Braff was a writer/director!" http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/13/39472.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/13/2009 5:01:36 PM
Body: Getting ready for the Sundance Film Festival can be very exciting. As we await the event’s Thursday opening, we can’t stop wondering what will be the next big thing. Will this year’s hit be the highly-anticipated Michael Cera project Paper Hearts, or will it be something that we as of yet know nothing about? It’s easy to forget, however, that oftentimes the next big thing is also the next lamest thing. Sundance sensations, those films that are much-buzzed-about, that sell for a lot of money, that go on to be marketed like crazy and ultimately receive Oscar recognition, tend to lend themselves most easily to backlashes. Usually such derision is deserved, as in the case of the following ten films, each of which made a big splash at Sundance despite being bad. 10. Brick (Rian Johnson; 2005 Sundance premiere) When Blade Runner was first released, critics attacked its novelty of combining film noir with science fiction. Yet when Brick arrived in Park City, its similar genre-bending mix of film noir and teen films was welcomed as the most original film in years. In both circumstances, critics were wrong, and while Blade Runner ultimately became a classic, Brick is retrospectively even sillier now than it was when it won a Special Jury Prize “for originality of vision” four years ago. Yes, the film is a fresh idea in theory, but it doesn’t really work on screen, no matter how much you want it to or think it does. It’s simply a novelty gag for film geeks who love noir — while not quite as enjoyable for fans of the teen genre. Is there really anyone who wouldn’t just rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers? 9. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris; 2006 Sundance premiere) Never mind its impact on the culture of Sundance. The annoying “what will be the next Little Miss Sunshine?” idea was just a substitute for similar questions going back as far as 1990 (“what will be the next sex, lies, and videotape?”). The real problem with LMS is that it’s a decent dysfunctional family comedy that falls apart in the third act. On the positive side, it finally got Alan Arkin an Oscar. But on the more glaring negative side, it also got Abigail Breslin an Oscar nomination. Hardly worthy, also, of its Best Picture nod or its Best Original Screenplay win, the film’s success is the product of a terrific marketing team and moviegoers’ acceptance of cheesy endings — and has nothing to do with the quality of the film. 8. The Brothers McMullen (Edward Burns; 1995 Sundance premiere) While the name Fox Searchlight is now synonymous with marketing the hell out of “indie” sensations like Little Miss Sunshine, Juno and Slumdog Millionaire, the specialty division has been overdoing it with unworthy films since the very first Sundance hit they distributed. The Brothers McMullen is not necessarily a bad film, but it isn’t anything special either. Some say the 1995 fest was the downward turning point for Sundance, whether because it showed us a major “sellout” who wasn’t actually as good as he’d been celebrated as being (Kevin Smith, who disappointed with his sophomore effort, Mallrats) or because a lackluster picture like McMullen won the Grand Jury Prize. And like Smith, Edward Burns ultimately revealed himself to be something of an embarrassment, talent-wise, to the reputation of Sundance alums. 7. Garden State (Zach Braff; 2004 Sundance premiere) 2004 was the year that indie quirkiness got out of hand at Sundance (see #3). Sure, Garden State got us all into The Shins, but it also got filmmakers too into a genre I call “homecoming of age” movies, those banal stories about twenty- and thirty- somethings who revisit their homes due to a dying or dead parent and involve themselves with wacky townies in the process. Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest. Sundance must still be getting countless submissions of this kind of film, but unfortunately for the rest of the world’s idiot filmmakers, they aren’t TV stars like Zach Braff. 6. SherryBaby (Laurie Collyer; 2006 Sundance premiere) Sundance has long been a haven for depressing films involving junkies and/or incest, but few have been as overrated as SherryBaby. Once again, it’s all about the star power, as the film might not have been so hyped had Maggie Gyllenhaal not been in the lead. Then again, it might have actually been a better film without her. Grandly over-praised for her performance as the easily played rehabilitating mom, the actress got undeserved kudos simply for being raw and despicable. Her Oscar snub was a relief, at least. 5. Born Into Brothels (Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman; 2004 Sundance premiere) It may have won the documentary Audience Award at Sundance and the documentary Oscar a year later, but that doesn’t excuse Born Into Brothels from being a disgrace to nonfiction filmmaking. One of the most self-satisfying docs ever made, the film will forever be marked by its footage of co-director Zana Briski figuratively patting herself on the back during a fundraiser, with which she sinfully seeks sainthood for involving herself in the lives of her film’s subjects. If documentary was synonymous with charity, Born Into Brothels would indeed be a great film, but documentaries like this should merely be an inspiration to charity, not charity itself. 4. Masked and Anonymous (Larry Charles; 2003 Sundance premiere) One of the most anticipated films of the 2003 festival due to a script co-written by Bob Dylan and an unbelievable cast including Dylan, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Ed Harris, Luke Wilson, Mickey Rourke, Angela Bassett, Jessica Lange and many other big names, the very messy Masked and Anonymous therefore ended up the biggest disappointment of that year. Its worth was later defended and praised by such critics as Jonathan Rosenbaum, who included it in his 2003 Top Ten list, and Salon.com’s Stephanie Zacharek. But most of us are in agreement that it’s one of the biggest wastes of talent in years. 3. Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess; 2004 Sundance premiere) Napoleon Dynamite’s inclusion on this list is likely to upset more people than Brick’s, but at least the Brick devotees can defend their fandom with more than just shouts of “It’s funny!” Because the thing is, Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny. Jared Hess’ pop culture phenomenon does feature some highly original characters and situations, but his execution of these elements is obvious and uninteresting. “Gosh!” is neither a good punchline nor a good catchphrase. 2. The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez; 1999 Sundance premiere) It must be appreciated as much as attacked for its groundbreaking marketing campaign, and in many ways the film itself can be acknowledged for having a terrific premise with an almost perfect realization of that idea. But for the most part, The Blair Witch Project is a basic, amateur and poorly concluded effort that turned the appeal of indie simplicity on its head. Almost a decade earlier, when filmmakers saw Slacker and said “I can do that,” they were mostly mistaken. But The Blair Witch allowed every schmo with a digital camera to declare, “I can do that,” and be relatively correct in his or her statement. It’s okay for indie filmmaking to seem easy, but when it really is that easy, it degrades the truly talented. 1. Boxing Helena (Jennifer Lynch; 1993 Sundance premiere) Cult appeal notwithstanding, Boxing Helena was one of the first really awful movies to be up for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize. And although in the 17 years since, the festival has been easily criticized for allowing bad films with lots of buzz and/or big name talent to be included in competition, no film has been as unworthy as this. Had it starred original choice Madonna in the part of the titular amputee, Boxing Helena might have really deserved to at least become a midnight movie. However, with its lesser-name casting, it’s barely even good enough for Skinamax programming. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:01:36 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/13/2009 5:01:36 PMGetting ready for the Sundance Film Festival can be very exciting. As we await the event’s Thursday opening, we can’t stop wondering what will be the next big thing. Will this year’s hit be the highly-anticipated Michael Cera project Paper Hearts, or will it be something that we as of yet know nothing about? It’s easy to forget, however, that oftentimes the next big thing is also the next lamest thing. Sundance sensations, those films that are much-buzzed-about, that sell for a lot of money, that go on to be marketed like crazy and ultimately receive Oscar recognition, tend to lend themselves most easily to backlashes. Usually such derision is deserved, as in the case of the following ten films, each of which made a big splash at Sundance despite being bad. 10. Brick (Rian Johnson; 2005 Sundance premiere) When Blade Runner was first released, critics attacked its novelty of combining film noir with science fiction. Yet when Brick arrived in Park City, its similar genre-bending mix of film noir and teen films was welcomed as the most original film in years. In both circumstances, critics were wrong, and while Blade Runner ultimately became a classic, Brick is retrospectively even sillier now than it was when it won a Special Jury Prize “for originality of vision” four years ago. Yes, the film is a fresh idea in theory, but it doesn’t really work on screen, no matter how much you want it to or think it does. It’s simply a novelty gag for film geeks who love noir — while not quite as enjoyable for fans of the teen genre. Is there really anyone who wouldn’t just rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers? 9. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris; 2006 Sundance premiere) Never mind its impact on the culture of Sundance. The annoying “what will be the next Little Miss Sunshine?” idea was just a substitute for similar questions going back as far as 1990 (“what will be the next sex, lies, and videotape?”). The real problem with LMS is that it’s a decent dysfunctional family comedy that falls apart in the third act. On the positive side, it finally got Alan Arkin an Oscar. But on the more glaring negative side, it also got Abigail Breslin an Oscar nomination. Hardly worthy, also, of its Best Picture nod or its Best Original Screenplay win, the film’s success is the product of a terrific marketing team and moviegoers’ acceptance of cheesy endings — and has nothing to do with the quality of the film. 8. The Brothers McMullen (Edward Burns; 1995 Sundance premiere) While the name Fox Searchlight is now synonymous with marketing the hell out of “indie” sensations like Little Miss Sunshine, Juno and Slumdog Millionaire, the specialty division has been overdoing it with unworthy films since the very first Sundance hit they distributed. The Brothers McMullen is not necessarily a bad film, but it isn’t anything special either. Some say the 1995 fest was the downward turning point for Sundance, whether because it showed us a major “sellout” who wasn’t actually as good as he’d been celebrated as being (Kevin Smith, who disappointed with his sophomore effort, Mallrats) or because a lackluster picture like McMullen won the Grand Jury Prize. And like Smith, Edward Burns ultimately revealed himself to be something of an embarrassment, talent-wise, to the reputation of Sundance alums. 7. Garden State (Zach Braff; 2004 Sundance premiere) 2004 was the year that indie quirkiness got out of hand at Sundance (see #3). Sure, Garden State got us all into The Shins, but it also got filmmakers too into a genre I call “homecoming of age” movies, those banal stories about twenty- and thirty- somethings who revisit their homes due to a dying or dead parent and involve themselves with wacky townies in the process. Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest. Sundance must still be getting countless submissions of this kind of film, but unfortunately for the rest of the world’s idiot filmmakers, they aren’t TV stars like Zach Braff. 6. SherryBaby (Laurie Collyer; 2006 Sundance premiere) Sundance has long been a haven for depressing films involving junkies and/or incest, but few have been as overrated as SherryBaby. Once again, it’s all about the star power, as the film might not have been so hyped had Maggie Gyllenhaal not been in the lead. Then again, it might have actually been a better film without her. Grandly over-praised for her performance as the easily played rehabilitating mom, the actress got undeserved kudos simply for being raw and despicable. Her Oscar snub was a relief, at least. 5. Born Into Brothels (Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman; 2004 Sundance premiere) It may have won the documentary Audience Award at Sundance and the documentary Oscar a year later, but that doesn’t excuse Born Into Brothels from being a disgrace to nonfiction filmmaking. One of the most self-satisfying docs ever made, the film will forever be marked by its footage of co-director Zana Briski figuratively patting herself on the back during a fundraiser, with which she sinfully seeks sainthood for involving herself in the lives of her film’s subjects. If documentary was synonymous with charity, Born Into Brothels would indeed be a great film, but documentaries like this should merely be an inspiration to charity, not charity itself. 4. Masked and Anonymous (Larry Charles; 2003 Sundance premiere) One of the most anticipated films of the 2003 festival due to a script co-written by Bob Dylan and an unbelievable cast including Dylan, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Ed Harris, Luke Wilson, Mickey Rourke, Angela Bassett, Jessica Lange and many other big names, the very messy Masked and Anonymous therefore ended up the biggest disappointment of that year. Its worth was later defended and praised by such critics as Jonathan Rosenbaum, who included it in his 2003 Top Ten list, and Salon.com’s Stephanie Zacharek. But most of us are in agreement that it’s one of the biggest wastes of talent in years. 3. Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess; 2004 Sundance premiere) Napoleon Dynamite’s inclusion on this list is likely to upset more people than Brick’s, but at least the Brick devotees can defend their fandom with more than just shouts of “It’s funny!” Because the thing is, Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny. Jared Hess’ pop culture phenomenon does feature some highly original characters and situations, but his execution of these elements is obvious and uninteresting. “Gosh!” is neither a good punchline nor a good catchphrase. 2. The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez; 1999 Sundance premiere) It must be appreciated as much as attacked for its groundbreaking marketing campaign, and in many ways the film itself can be acknowledged for having a terrific premise with an almost perfect realization of that idea. But for the most part, The Blair Witch Project is a basic, amateur and poorly concluded effort that turned the appeal of indie simplicity on its head. Almost a decade earlier, when filmmakers saw Slacker and said “I can do that,” they were mostly mistaken. But The Blair Witch allowed every schmo with a digital camera to declare, “I can do that,” and be relatively correct in his or her statement. It’s okay for indie filmmaking to seem easy, but when it really is that easy, it degrades the truly talented. 1. Boxing Helena (Jennifer Lynch; 1993 Sundance premiere) Cult appeal notwithstanding, Boxing Helena was one of the first really awful movies to be up for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize. And although in the 17 years since, the festival has been easily criticized for allowing bad films with lots of buzz and/or big name talent to be included in competition, no film has been as unworthy as this. Had it starred original choice Madonna in the part of the titular amputee, Boxing Helena might have really deserved to at least become a midnight movie. However, with its lesser-name casting, it’s barely even good enough for Skinamax programming. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/21/35346.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/21/2008 10:01:02 AM
Body: It’s been 15 years since Jennifer Lynch directed Boxing Helena, and the intervening years have seemingly cooled her directorial genes, because Surveillance is much easier to swallow, although the subject matter is still upsetting to the stomach. The film takes an interesting premise and manages it to cram it through a meat grinder until you’re left with something that you wouldn’t really want to eat in the first place. Rather than the commentary on surveillance that the film starts to establish in the beginning, you’re left with what feels like an homage to Natural Born Killers. Surveillance takes place inside three different interrogation rooms (actually meeting rooms and supply closets that have been appropriated for use) inside a very small town’s police station. Two FBI agents, Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond arrive on the scene following a brutal multiple homicide, and set up three video cameras inside the room to record separate eyewitness events. Most of the film is told in flashback through these stories. The main problem with Surveillance is that it rests solely the directors ability to try and not telegraph a huge twist to the audience, and that sadly doesn’t happen. It’s the sort of twist you can spot coming a mile away. As a result, when the reveal actually happens, and I can only guess that the director and writer wanted to keep this a secret, you’ve seen it coming for so long that you don’t even bat an eye. It’s like the train pulling in to the station an hour late. The performances in the film are fairly decent; Pullman hasn’t been this wacky or off-kilter in a character since the under-appreciated Zero Effect, and French Stewart and producer/writer Kent Harper are both fascinatingly reprehensible as two cops who take pleasure in shooting out a vehicle’s tires just before they pull someone over for speeding. They aren’t just morally grey––they’re downright pitch black in their performances. Cheri Oteri tries to stretch her dramatic legs in this movie, although it’s difficult when you keep expecting her to say something funny, which is a singular frustration that most comedic actors run into. She plays a slightly redneck mother of a young girl and her brother who witness some of the brutality with her family while on vacation. But the real star of this film is Pell James, who plays drug addict Bobbi Prescott. She plays a hard-edged woman who turns on a dime when she gets threatened, and as a result she becomes the most vulnerable character in the movie, even more so than the little girl. There’s an extremely uncomfortable moment between her and Ormond’s character that is probably one of the best––and worst––of the entire film. By the time the end of the film rolls around, it’s unclear exactly what you’re left with. There’s a clear disconnect when the final scene rolls by, and there’s no one left to care about in the movie. Is that a comment on the audience surveilling the film? Or is it surveilling us? Or do we even care? It’s clear that Lynch has a tendency to try and follow in her father’s footsteps, or at least Bill Pullman felt the need to try and channel some of his characters, but you have to wonder what sort of filmmaker she’d be if she didn’t have that pedigree. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:01:02 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/21/2008 10:01:02 AM It’s been 15 years since Jennifer Lynch directed Boxing Helena, and the intervening years have seemingly cooled her directorial genes, because Surveillance is much easier to swallow, although the subject matter is still upsetting to the stomach. The film takes an interesting premise and manages it to cram it through a meat grinder until you’re left with something that you wouldn’t really want to eat in the first place. Rather than the commentary on surveillance that the film starts to establish in the beginning, you’re left with what feels like an homage to Natural Born Killers. Surveillance takes place inside three different interrogation rooms (actually meeting rooms and supply closets that have been appropriated for use) inside a very small town’s police station. Two FBI agents, Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond arrive on the scene following a brutal multiple homicide, and set up three video cameras inside the room to record separate eyewitness events. Most of the film is told in flashback through these stories. The main problem with Surveillance is that it rests solely the directors ability to try and not telegraph a huge twist to the audience, and that sadly doesn’t happen. It’s the sort of twist you can spot coming a mile away. As a result, when the reveal actually happens, and I can only guess that the director and writer wanted to keep this a secret, you’ve seen it coming for so long that you don’t even bat an eye. It’s like the train pulling in to the station an hour late. The performances in the film are fairly decent; Pullman hasn’t been this wacky or off-kilter in a character since the under-appreciated Zero Effect, and French Stewart and producer/writer Kent Harper are both fascinatingly reprehensible as two cops who take pleasure in shooting out a vehicle’s tires just before they pull someone over for speeding. They aren’t just morally grey––they’re downright pitch black in their performances. Cheri Oteri tries to stretch her dramatic legs in this movie, although it’s difficult when you keep expecting her to say something funny, which is a singular frustration that most comedic actors run into. She plays a slightly redneck mother of a young girl and her brother who witness some of the brutality with her family while on vacation. But the real star of this film is Pell James, who plays drug addict Bobbi Prescott. She plays a hard-edged woman who turns on a dime when she gets threatened, and as a result she becomes the most vulnerable character in the movie, even more so than the little girl. There’s an extremely uncomfortable moment between her and Ormond’s character that is probably one of the best––and worst––of the entire film. By the time the end of the film rolls around, it’s unclear exactly what you’re left with. There’s a clear disconnect when the final scene rolls by, and there’s no one left to care about in the movie. Is that a comment on the audience surveilling the film? Or is it surveilling us? Or do we even care? It’s clear that Lynch has a tendency to try and follow in her father’s footsteps, or at least Bill Pullman felt the need to try and channel some of his characters, but you have to wonder what sort of filmmaker she’d be if she didn’t have that pedigree. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/1/4/23503.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/4/2008 9:00:52 AM
Body: Navigating the jungle of lists for Top 10 Movies of 2007 to find any importance behind a cultural tradition of reflecting on the year in cinema and distilling it down to ten movies. Karina introduces her Boxing Helena Award for a truly brilliant scene that should be amputated from an otherwise lackluster movie. The award is named after Boxing Helena (1993) starring Sherilyn Finn (see above). *Happy Birthday to FilmCouch! We’re one. Boxing Helena Award winners Atonement Southland Tales Michael Clayton Into the Wild Seraphim Falls FilmCouch 51 (Subscribe to FilmCouch in the iTunes store and an episode will download each Friday.) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:00:52 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/4/2008 9:00:52 AM Navigating the jungle of lists for Top 10 Movies of 2007 to find any importance behind a cultural tradition of reflecting on the year in cinema and distilling it down to ten movies. Karina introduces her Boxing Helena Award for a truly brilliant scene that should be amputated from an otherwise lackluster movie. The award is named after Boxing Helena (1993) starring Sherilyn Finn (see above). *Happy Birthday to FilmCouch! We’re one. Boxing Helena Award winners Atonement Southland Tales Michael Clayton Into the Wild Seraphim Falls FilmCouch 51 (Subscribe to FilmCouch in the iTunes store and an episode will download each Friday.) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/1/4/23501.aspx Post By: paul
Post To: paul on spout.com
Post Date: 1/4/2008 9:00:35 AM
Body: Navigating the jungle of lists for Top 10 Movies of 2007 to find any importance behind a cultural tradition of reflecting on the year in cinema and distilling it down to ten movies. Karina introduces her Boxing Helena Award for a truly brilliant scene that should be amputated from an otherwise lackluster movie. The award is named after Boxing Helena (1993) starring Sherilyn Finn (see above). *Happy Birthday to FilmCouch! We’re one. Boxing Helena Award winners Atonement Southland Tales Michael Clayton Into the Wild Seraphim Falls FilmCouch 51 (Subscribe to FilmCouch in the iTunes store and an episode will download each Friday.) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Paul
]]>Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:00:35 GMTpaulpaul on spout.com1/4/2008 9:00:35 AM Navigating the jungle of lists for Top 10 Movies of 2007 to find any importance behind a cultural tradition of reflecting on the year in cinema and distilling it down to ten movies. Karina introduces her Boxing Helena Award for a truly brilliant scene that should be amputated from an otherwise lackluster movie. The award is named after Boxing Helena (1993) starring Sherilyn Finn (see above). *Happy Birthday to FilmCouch! We’re one. Boxing Helena Award winners Atonement Southland Tales Michael Clayton Into the Wild Seraphim Falls FilmCouch 51 (Subscribe to FilmCouch in the iTunes store and an episode will download each Friday.) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Paul http://www.spout.com/groups/FilmCouch/FilmCouch_51/302/23492/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: paul
Post To: FilmCouch
Post Date: 1/3/2008 10:47:15 PM
Body: Navigating the jungle of lists for Top 10 Movies of 2007 to find any importance behind a cultural tradition of reflecting on the year in cinema and distilling it down to ten movies. Karina introduces her Boxing Helena Award for a truly brilliant scene that should be amputated from an otherwise lackluster movie. The award is named after Boxing Helena (1993) starring Sherilyn Finn (see above). *Happy Birthday to FilmCouch! We're one. Boxing Helena Award winners Atonement Southland Tales Michael Clayton Into the Wild Seraphim Falls FilmCouch 51 (Subscribe to FilmCouch in the iTunes store and an episode will download each Friday.)
]]>Fri, 04 Jan 2008 03:47:15 GMTpaulFilmCouch1/3/2008 10:47:15 PM Navigating the jungle of lists for Top 10 Movies of 2007 to find any importance behind a cultural tradition of reflecting on the year in cinema and distilling it down to ten movies. Karina introduces her Boxing Helena Award for a truly brilliant scene that should be amputated from an otherwise lackluster movie. The award is named after Boxing Helena (1993) starring Sherilyn Finn (see above). *Happy Birthday to FilmCouch! We&#39;re one. Boxing Helena Award winners Atonement Southland Tales Michael Clayton Into the Wild Seraphim Falls FilmCouch 51 (Subscribe to FilmCouch in the iTunes store and an episode will download each Friday.) http://www.spout.com/blogs/black13/archive/2007/5/11/8600.aspx Post By: black13
Post To: black13 Blog
Post Date: 5/11/2007 8:49:43 PM
Body: being in the presence of this movie is a one of a kind expierence, julian sands makes you feel lost and lonley and afraid, the symbolic cutting off of helena's legs, then arms, showing how he wants this woman so badly that he would do anything to have her, to keep her, and through this ride of sexual awaking, the little boy nick grows up. It's a beautiful movie, a little perverse some would say, but those people need to watch closer, maybe they will learn something, take an hour and watch it!!! You won't be dissapointed.
]]>Sat, 12 May 2007 00:49:43 GMTblack13black13 Blog5/11/2007 8:49:43 PMbeing in the presence of this movie is a one of a kind expierence, julian sands makes you feel lost and lonley and afraid, the symbolic cutting off of helena&#39;s legs, then arms, showing how he wants this woman so badly that he would do anything to have her, to keep her, and through this ride of sexual awaking, the little boy nick grows up. It&#39;s a beautiful movie, a little perverse some would say, but those people need to watch closer, maybe they will learn something, take an hour and watch it!!! You won&#39;t be dissapointed. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
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