Spring Break
Movie Reviews
'300' and 'Inland Empire'
David Coley
Issue date: 3/12/07 Section: Culture
The weaker subplot that often distracts from the narrative is the plight of Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), who must somehow convince the council to declare war, and has to ward off the ambitious councilman Theron (Dominic West).
Also distracting is the constant narration of the aforementioned soldier (David Wenham), whose words serve little other purpose than to describe to us what we are already seeing.
Overall, "300" will be known for its bold visual approach, but that cannot mask some of the amateurish directorial choices and weaker elements of the script.
In Theaters
'Inland Empire'
"Inland Empire" isn't your typical film. Made by the equally atypical David Lynch, it's difficult to review because Lynch seems to transcend the expectations of movies with each of his projects. So while I will do my best to describe and unearth the various levels of the film, keep in mind it can't be judged by conventional standards.
Lynch has long been famous for his unsettling psychological stories that frequently flit in and out of consciousness. His work ranges from the odd "Mullholland Dr." to the oddly conventional "The Straight Story."
"Mullholland Dr." was acclaimed for its labyrinthine tale that played with the worlds of dreams and their emotional effects. Some of Lynch's other work has been in this vein, if not as obviously. Yet, if "Mullholland" depicted a dream, "Inland Empire" depicts a psychotic episode.
The story revolves around Nikki Grace (Laura Dern), who gets cast in a film directed by Kingsley Stewart (Jeremy Irons). The film, as they discover, is actually a remake of a Polish film that was never finished because the lead actors were murdered under mysterious circumstances. As they work on the production, Nikki starts to have feelings for her costar Devon (Justin Theroux), reflecting their romantic link in the story of the movie they are acting in.
That story occupies the first third of the film.
Then, things start to get hazy as the lines between reality, the original Polish film, and the remake are blurred.
Also distracting is the constant narration of the aforementioned soldier (David Wenham), whose words serve little other purpose than to describe to us what we are already seeing.
Overall, "300" will be known for its bold visual approach, but that cannot mask some of the amateurish directorial choices and weaker elements of the script.
In Theaters
'Inland Empire'
"Inland Empire" isn't your typical film. Made by the equally atypical David Lynch, it's difficult to review because Lynch seems to transcend the expectations of movies with each of his projects. So while I will do my best to describe and unearth the various levels of the film, keep in mind it can't be judged by conventional standards.
Lynch has long been famous for his unsettling psychological stories that frequently flit in and out of consciousness. His work ranges from the odd "Mullholland Dr." to the oddly conventional "The Straight Story."
"Mullholland Dr." was acclaimed for its labyrinthine tale that played with the worlds of dreams and their emotional effects. Some of Lynch's other work has been in this vein, if not as obviously. Yet, if "Mullholland" depicted a dream, "Inland Empire" depicts a psychotic episode.
The story revolves around Nikki Grace (Laura Dern), who gets cast in a film directed by Kingsley Stewart (Jeremy Irons). The film, as they discover, is actually a remake of a Polish film that was never finished because the lead actors were murdered under mysterious circumstances. As they work on the production, Nikki starts to have feelings for her costar Devon (Justin Theroux), reflecting their romantic link in the story of the movie they are acting in.
That story occupies the first third of the film.
Then, things start to get hazy as the lines between reality, the original Polish film, and the remake are blurred.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
J-Boner
posted 3/13/07 @ 12:28 PM EST
this is the sickest movie ever
Post a Comment