Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
This film’s been getting wildly divergent reactions from viewers, but it sounds like PROJECT RAGE, an occasionaly contributor, was strongly moved by it. I’ll let him explain:
Review of Moonlight Mile.
I am PROJECT RAGE.
One of the most personal and best movies I have seen this year is MOONLIGHT MILE. Anyway I describe this film will sound hokey or contrived, but it is neither. The star of the film is the mind’s eye of the director and the actors he paints with on the canvas.
RANT
The film is about Joe Nast (played by Jake Gyllenhall aka the real life story of director Brad Siberling) whose fiance is murdered and he lives with the parents (Dustin Hoffman and Susan Surandon) of the deceased, while they go through the 12 stages of death, unbeknowst to them that Joe, had already broken up with their young daughter before the murder, and falls in love with another girl in the town, destroying the thread to the deceased girls parents and plunging to a pit of uncertain love with this new girl.
RAGE
Director Brad Siberling has a fixation with death. Check out Casper and City of angles and you will see that the loss of his real life (love?) actress Rebecca Schaeffer has played an emotional tie through his films. It give more akwardness to see his real wife (Amy Brenneman) as the dead mother in Casper. My best friend was at the private screening a couple months ago held for family and friends that the film was based on. Everyone was happy with the film and even with the heavy liberties taken with the film. But many were shocked when Brad Silberling's character and the way the charecter moves on to another woman so fast, thus giving disrepect to the memory of Rebecca Schaeffer. As told by my friend it was an awkward screening to see, with many who did not know how Brad Silberling actually felt and his attraction to another woman. They did not know this part of the story until they were watching it unfold on the screen.
VISUAL
2:35:1 cinematography was decent, but some visuals were extremely out of focus during the first 10 or 11 shots.
SOUND
Dolby digital 5.1, not many surrounds, the score was similar to the composers work on October sky. The real jewel is the music picks of the film. Usually I hate soundtracks more than a score. But the songs made the film.
RAVE
Even though this film is not an epic of drama, it is a tight jewel to be seen. The kudo's go to all the actors. Holly Hunter is wasted as she is the weak character and almost a cameo. Jake Gyllenhall is great doing such diverse work, but this role I believe is similar to his work in OCTOBER SKY, though just as powerful. Susan Surandon is excellent and is supposidly extremely similar to the real life counterpart. Her scene when Joe sneaks back into his bedroom through the window after some late night horizontal mambo with another girl, is excellent, bar none. Other than the Graduate and Wag the dog, I loathe Dustin Hoffman. I try so hard to watch every film, but he literally bores the f*#k out of me. That monotone voice makes me break out the exacto knife and start hacking the veins to the juice bits. But this film he is superb, especially the first scene he goes into where his daughter is murdered and pleads the shop owner to replace the window that was damaged. The window is a reminder of the death and each day he sees it out his own window at work. Great stuff.
I give thanks and praise to the humble director, to a truly excellent job and letting us feel that personal trip that so few directors show us. Hopefully Disney knows how to market this film. But looking at the wretched trailer, they don't.
Thanks again,
I am PROJECT RAGE
It opens this weekend, and it’s high on my list of priorities. Just sorry I wasn’t able to offer up my own pre-release look as well...
"Moriarty" out.
