Que pasa, CineLocos? Father Geek here for another edition of Coffin Joe Jr, and our Latin-AICN Column, so here's ol' Coffin Joe...
Hello there, Coffin Joe Jr. is in the building to bring you another installment of our (kinda) weekly column of Latin news and reviews, Latin-AICN. I know there was no report from me last week, sorry, I´ve been busy with other stuff, but I hope I can make it up to you freaks with this week´s edition. Read on my stinky little fiends.
ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA
-Big news today with the surprising nomination of the movie "Son of the Bride", for Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards. The Argentinean production, directed by Juan José Campanella and originally titled "El Hijo de la novia", had a very good reception at the special Academy screenings.
BRAZIL
-Actress Mariana Ximenes has landed the lead role, that of a German immigrant who comes to Brazil, in the movie "Gaijin 2", a project that has been in development for a very long time under the guidance of director Tizuka Yamazaki. The movie is scheduled for release in the second semester of 2003.
US
-Buena Vista is in final talks to grab the remake rights to the Spanish-language thriller "Intacto" about a Nazi concentration camp survivor who lives in the basement of a casino on a Spanish island. He possesses the gift of "good luck," which can be bought, sold and gambled.
-Penelope Cruz is in early negotiations to play the female lead in "Diary of a Young London Physician", for writer/director David Mamet. Production is expected to begin in late spring.
COFFIN JOE JR.'s MOVIE REVIEWS are next...
"D-Tox"
(2002)
Director: Jim Gillespie
This movie went through a bunch of name changes, but it has been released down here as "D-Tox", still I don´t know what it´s going to be called when it arrives in American movie theatres later this year.
The plot deals with an FBI agent, Jake Malloy, played by Stallone, who is after a serial killer who got several of his fellow agents. The final blow comes when the killer murders his girlfriend and then commits suicide. Malloy is advised by his buddy Charlie to go seek help after a nervous breakdown, so off he goes to a clinic for crazy cops. Once in the clinic, well, I won´t spoil it for ya, but the shit hits the fan.
In this movie Stallone is trying to step away from the action hero mold, doing something a bit different, although not as much of a stretch as "Copland", but still not an average Stallone flick. This is a thriller, hitting all the obvious notes, but with good results. You´ve seen this kind of movie before, better ones too, yet "D-Tox" works on a few levels, mainly thanks to some decent acting from all involved, and the assured direction by Jim Gillespie, which is pretty solid when it comes to the scary stuff.
The location where the cops are getting treated is very cool, a bunker that adds a creepy mood to the suspense scenes. They enhance the effect of the location with the snow, making the place feel very isolated and setting up a very promising scenario for scares.
Recommended viewing by your pal, Coffin Joe Jr.
"Ritual" (2002)
Director: Avi Nesher
Another movie that went through a few name changes, formerly being titled "Tales from the Crypt presents: Revelation", then just "Revelation", and now "Ritual". This one got dumped straight to video here in Brazil and I suspect it is going the same route in the U.S., courtesy of Dimension Films. We follow Dr. Dogdson, played by Jennifer Grey, who travels to a Caribbean island to treat Wesley, the dying son of a rich local family, the Claybornes. Once there the doc finds out the kid is under a curse, cast by a former girlfriend, who deals with voodoo. It is supposed to be a remake of the 1943 flick "I Walked with a Zombie".
I know the plot sounds stupid as hell, but this one turned out ok I think, it is a solid rental. It is not as good as "I Walked with a Zombie", although I don´t think that movie is really any good either, so make your own judgements. The original had a very dream-like quality, pretty cool photography and some interesting supporting players, but at the end of the way it was "Jane Eyre" with voodoo. Plus the acting and the writing sucked hairy balls. The updated version basically takes the original premise and tries to inject some credibility to the whole scenario, but it is still sappy and boring.
If you are a genre fan, like me, you will be able to find redeeming qualities in it. If you enjoyed Wes Craven´s "The Serpent and the Rainbow" or "I Walked with a Zombie", pick it up, it´s fun, not much else. Recommended viewing by your pal, Coffin Joe Jr.
