I can not wait to see this film, it's getting tons of good notices and looks from the Test Screening process, and hopefully Paramount will support Raimi all the way with this flick, and give it a good strong push at release time, while not pushing him at all at this stage of the game. Welcome back Raimi, us film fans have been waiting for ya!
Hi, Harry! Just a brief note this time, in re yet another screening of A SIMPLE PLAN on the Paramount lot on Monday might. I imagine you'll receive numerous critiques. I REALLY enjoyed the screenplay when I read it a few months ago, and I have little to add to previous (May and June) contributors' comments about the screenings other than to say Billy Bob Thornton and Bill Paxton were even better than those folks said, and Bridget Fonda worse. (With the exception of the monologue everyone else has mentioned, I never really believed her character for some reason. Maybe that was because her wig made her look like Michael J. Fox in drag in BACK TO THE FUTURE PART 2.) The color timings were off, and I believe there were still temp elements in the score (one from JAWS, if I'm not mistaken?). Oh, and a quick note to the production designer: Most poor people don't have dishwashers. Other than that, I'll leave this one to your other Hollywood shadow warriors.
Many blessings--Kagemusha
And here's another positve look at the film...
I saw a "work in progress" test screening of A SIMPLE PLAN tonight. I know you've had a few reviews of this one already, so I'll get straight to the point. This is a very well-made movie; as a fan of the novel, I wasn't disappointed in the least with this adaptation. Although there are some changes from the book, and I was surprised to see one of my favorite scenes missing (no liquor store??) it manages to capture the tone and mood of impending dread of the novel very well. Billy Bob Thornton (here bearing an alarming resemblance to Austin Powers) gives an outstanding performance as Bill Paxton's slow-witted but well-meaning brother. There could well be a Best Supporting Actor nod in his near future...
Bridget Fonda and Bill Paxton are pretty good too as the ordinary couple thrown into bizarre circumstances...even though Paxton commits some downright evil and selfish acts during the movie, you just can't help sympathizing with his plight. Sam Raimi's directing is not as flashy and striking as we've seen before...he holds back for most of the movie, but throws in some "trick" moments to throw the audience off guard.
All in all, I really liked this one, as did most of the crowd, who whooped and cheered as various characters met their fates. I doubt it'll be the kind of thing to do well at the box office, but maybe it'll find a niche like FARGO did. It deserves to.
JACK DETH.
