Hey folks, Harry here with the latest from Sundance with Kiriyama. He gives us a spoiler filled in depth look at WISE GIRLS and ONE HOUR PHOTO. I haven't seen anything on WISE GIRLS before, and personally I'm dying to see ONE HOUR PHOTO. Have been for some time. Here we go...
Hey Harry,
Kiriyama here again and I'm still a lousy shot. Well, I'm back from my Sundance trip wishing I could have stayed a lot longer. Still, I managed to squeeze in screenings of One Hour Photo and the world premiere of Wise Girls. Before I begin, however, let me address those who were suspicious of my four positive reviews out of the four films I had seen at Sundance. First off, I didn't include a mixed review of a film I saw at Slamdance because I knew some of the people involved with it. Second, with the exception of Stolen Summer I set out to see films I figured would be good. Third, the majority of the other reviewers have also given positive reviews to Stolen Summer, The Dancer Upstairs, LA Story (aka Biggie and Tupac) and Run Ronnie Run. So hopefully that will put things in a different perspective for you. (I've discovered that when you wear an explosive bracelet around your neck and mow down countless 9th-graders with a machine gun, people tend to forget that deep down inside you may be a sensitive soul.)
So now that I've gotten that off my chest, let me give you a couple of ***SPOILER-FILLED REVIEWS***.
First we have Wise Girls, starring Mira Sorvino, Mariah Carey and Melora Walters, directed by David Anspaugh, who also directed Hoosiers and Rudy. Sorvino plays a woman with a mysterious past who is trying to begin a new life. She takes a job as a waitress at a restaurant run by and frequented by mobsters. Carey and Walters play fellow waitresses who become her best friends. To be honest, I went in thinking I was going to see a wacky comedy a la Brian De Palma's ill-fated Wise Guys. However, this is an attempt at a more serious drama, and at that I thought it was successful...for the first two-thirds.
Because up until then I thought the film worked fairly well as an unconventional character study of these three women and their experiences at this dangerous restaurant. Mira Sorvino gives a terrific performance with equal parts naiveté, intelligence and sadness. Melora Walters seems to be giving a one-note flaky performance at the outset, but there is much more depth to her character that is later revealed. As for Mariah Carey, let me just say that I have no intention of EVER watching Glitter, but I have to admit that she did a really nice job. Some people suggested that she was just playing herself, but even if that is the case I felt she was very relaxed and engaging. Perhaps she should pursue more supporting roles rather than leading ones. (On a side note, Carey seemed quite lucid and coherent at the Q & A afterwards, contrary to probably accurate reports on her recent mental state.)
Then about two-thirds of the way in, plot took precedence over character, and that's where the movie started to lose me. Looking back, the twists and turns are not necessarily unrealistic, but I felt that they got in the way of what was up to that point an involving story. Although I liked the ending, I still think the movie had the potential to be so much better than it was. So a mixed review from me on this one, although a couple of women I talked to liked the fact that the bond these three women shared was strong enough to overcome their male-dominated surroundings. (The way that reads sounds a lot cornier than the way that she said it.) So I suspect that Wise Girls may play stronger with women, though by no means would I dismiss it as a chick flick. By the way, all three actresses were at the screening and looked terrific, especially Mira. They sat next to each other and then participated in the Q & A with Anspaugh afterwards.
As for One Hour Photo, I'm giving a mixed review that leans toward the positive side. Robin Williams stars as a one hour photo guy who becomes obsessed with a family whose pictures he regularly develops (and conveniently makes an extra set for himself). The pacing is a bit slow for a while, but a twist about halfway through gets things rolling. After that the movie remains considerably tense throughout the climax. The performances are pretty strong all around, especially an unrecognizable but beautiful Connie Nielsen and the always reliable Gary Cole. As for Robin Williams, I wouldn't give him the Oscar or anything for this, but his performance is solid enough to sustain his credibility with much darker roles, should he continue to pursue them. In fact, I've read that he's done just that with Christopher Nolan's remake of Insomnia.
Special note should be given to the effective score -- the composer isn't yet listed on the Internet Movie Database -- and the terrific cinematography of Jeff Cronenweth. He also shot fight club, and his father shot Blade Runner and Altered States. There are some great tracking shots of Williams in the film, including one in a Savmart and another in a hotel parking lot. During the Q & A someone made the interesting point that One Hour Photo is a violent movie with very little violence. I think that's an accurate statement, and writer-director Mark Romanek also appreciated that someone noticed that. And of course Williams bounded in the theater about ten minutes into the Q & A decked out in ski gear. He was hilarious but also provided serious answers to some of the questions.
So there you have what is sadly the last of my Sundance 2002 writings. Damn, I want to go back! Oh well, I hope you and anyone who reads this finds these reviews useful.
Now please excuse me while I go spike my hair...
KIRIYAMA
