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Rating 2
Directed by Christian Alvert
Written by Ray Wright
Starring Renée Zellweger (Emily Jenkins), Jodelle Ferland (Lillith Sullivan), Ian McShane (Detective Mike Barren), Bradley Cooper (Douglas J Ames), Adrian Lester (Wayne), Cynthia Stevenson (Nancy), Alexander Conti (Diego Ramirez), Kerry O’Malley (Margaret Sullivan) and Callum Keith Rennie (Edward Sullivan)
Emily Jenkins is a social worker who already has 38 active cases, but is given two more to add to her impossible workload. She wearily picks up the first one and is fascinated by the case of 10-year-old Lillith Sullivan. After visiting the parents, she becomes convinced that Lillith is in real danger, but there is no evidence to allow her to act. However, she gives Lillith her cell phone number and after a terrified late night call she rushes to the Sullivan house, putting a call into her friend, the police detective Mike Barren. They break down the door and discover that the parents are attempting to roast their daughter alive in the oven. Emily is given temporary custody of Lillith while a suitable foster family is found for her, but she soon begins to realise that Lillith is not all that she seems.
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The German film director Christian Alvert came to the attention of Hollywood following his 2005 film ‘Antikörper’ (Antibodies). The science-fiction film ‘Pandorum’ was his first American venture to be released and that was followed by the horror film ‘Case 39’, which was filmed in late 2006 and originally due for release in February 2008. It was eventually released into New Zealand cinemas in August 2009, followed by numerous other markets around the world, but it was not until October 2010 that it limped out in America. Reaction to the film was generally negative and it has a 22% rotten rating at Rotten Tomatoes from 63 collected reviews. It had a production budget of $26 million and grossed a little over $28 million at the box office.
The film deals with a tried and tested horror theme that children are evil and often possessed by the Devil. The obvious influences here do not take too much guessing – ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Omen’. The film does need to be taken with a pinch of salt and does require a willing suspension of disbelief; not, oddly, because of the supernatural or horror element, but in response to more mundane moments in the plot. It beggars belief that Emily, the children’s social worker, would be permitted to become Lillith’s temporary carer and guardian. Perhaps even harder to believe is the manner in which Mike Barren, who had previously been seriously skeptical and concerned for Emily’s psychological health, so easily changes his mind and comes to believe her story, based on just one very indistinct and ambiguous phone call. This particular moment in the film and the scenes immediately after it seem rushed and yet the film generally rather drags and is a good 20 minutes too long. It runs out of steam long before the end. Having said this, there are some very effective individual scenes along the way and the film is not a complete dud.
I am not fond of Renée Zelleweger’s acting style and find her quite difficult to watch, but she is okay here as far as it goes. Jodelle Ferland is suitably creepy and unpleasant in the role of Lillith. It’s always nice to see Cynthia Stevenson in a film, although she has a small and a relatively inconsequential role.
Review posted 21 November 2010
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Rating 3
Directed by Karyn Kusama
Written by Diablo Cody
Starring Amanda Seyfried (Needy), Megan Fox (Jennifer), Johnny Simmons (Chip), Kyle Gallner (Colin), Adam Brody (Nikolai Wolf), Chris Pratt (Roman), Josh Emerson (Jonas), J K Simmons (Mr Wroblewski), Valerie Tian (Chastity), Carrie Genzel (Jennifer’s Mom), Amy Sedaris (Needy’s Mom), Cynthia Stevenson (Chip’s Mom) and Lance Henriksen (Driver)
Jennifer is a flag girl, arrogant and confident. Needy is insecure and her somewhat unlikely best friend. They have been inseparable since childhood, although they seem to have little in common. One night they narrowly escape death in a raging fire when they go to see the rock band Low Shoulder in a nearby bar. Jennifer goes off with the band in their van. She returns later that night, covered in blood and vomiting a black ferromagnetic fluid, but the next day acts as if nothing has happened. Mysterious and horrific deaths follow and Needy begins to suspect that Jennifer is a succubus.
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‘Jennifer’s Body’ is the follow-up film by Diablo Cody, the writer responsible for the acclaimed multi-award winning 2007 comedy drama ‘Juno’. Jason Reitman, the director of that film and ‘Thank You For Smoking’, is one of the producers here. ‘Jennifer’s Body’ was directed by Karyn Kusama, whose two previous films include the widely unloved ‘Æon Flux’. The film has met with mixed reviews and has a 45% rotten rating at Rotten Tomatoes. It grossed a decidedly underwhelming $16 million in the U.S. and has only just started to receive worldwide release.
In spite of the appalling promotion, which seems intent on putting off more potential viewers than it entices, the apparent relative failure of ‘Jennifer’s Body’ seems strange, given that it’s a horror film starring Megan Fox, who is one of the top teen pin-ups of the moment, but it’s a black comedy and comedy-horror films are manifestly difficult to promote and often underwhelm at the box office. Writer Diablo Cody also seems to elicit a mixed reaction, seemingly because she was once a professional stripper and refuses to be embarrassed about it, and I get the impression there has been an undercurrent of desire for her to fail after the success of ‘Juno’.
My first impression as I started to watch ‘Jennifer’s Body’ was that it put me in mind of the 2000 Canadian werewolf film ‘Ginger Snaps’ and although the two films do follow a somewhat different path, that immediate correlation stayed with me throughout, although I don’t think this is a patch on that earlier film. I was aware of Megan Fox, although the only thing I had seen her in was the ABC television network sitcom ‘Hope & Faith’, in which she had a nondescript role and gave a performance so wooden that I was not in the least surprised by claims that she cannot act. Her performance in ‘Jennifer’s Body’ is actually quite effective, up to a point, although I came away from it with the sense that her acting ability is limited at best. Without knowing that she had already been widely compared to Angelina Jolie (something I did not read about until after I had watched the film), I was instantly put in mind of that actress. I have always been mystified by the acclaim afforded to Jolie’s acting, which I find stiff and mediocre at best – I thought her performance in ‘Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow’ was atrocious in the extreme, entering the territory of Elizabeth Hurley at her very worst (‘Beyond Bedlam’). Fox and Jolie seem to share not only vaguely similar looks, but also similar dead-eyed acting styles.
My main criticism of ‘Jennifer’s Body’ would be that the soundtrack is often overly intrusive, competing too much with Cody’s arch and knowing dialogue, and ultimately the film doesn’t seem to have much of anything to say, apart from some vague references to celebrity and the pursuit of success. On the plus side, it is quite sharp, although not as attractive and engaging as ‘Juno’, and the presence of Amanda Seyfried is a big plus. She is very effective in the role of Needy. Ultimately, the film is neither as smart as it tries to be or the flop that some reviews have suggested. It’s somewhere in between and in a period when American filmmaking seems to be in a creative slump it is one of the better releases I have seen in a while.
Review posted 7 November 2009
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Rating 1½
Directed by Stephen Herek
Written by Stephen Godchaux and John Masius
Starring Ellen Muth (George Lass), Callum Blue (Mason) Jasmin Guy (Roxy Harvey), Sarah Wynter (Daisy Adair), Cynthia Stevenon (Joy Lass), Britt McKillip (Reggie Lass), Christine Willes (Delores Herbig), Crystal Dahl (Crystal) and Henry Ian Cusick (Cameron Kane)
It is five years since George Lass was killed by a toilet seat and became a grim reaper, part of a team of five dealing with deaths caused by murder, accidents and other external forces. Her world is turned upside down once again when the Der Waffle Haus, their regular meeting place, is burned to the ground and Rube Sofer, their leader, disappears. A new reaper, Cameron Kane, a high-flying financier who died in the attack on the World Trade Centre, takes Rube’s place, but his methods lead to chaos. George also commits a cardinal sin when she reveals herself to her still living younger sister Reggie.
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‘Dead Like Me’ was a highly regarded television series that ran for two seasons and 29 episodes on the Showtime subscription cable channel between June 2003 and October 2004. Now comes a direct-to-DVD film version, released in February 2009. It was written by Stephen Godchaux and John Masius, the two executive producers and writers who assumed creative control of the show following the early departure of creator Bryan Fuller.
Most of the cast reprise their roles, but there are some notable absentees. Mandy Patinkin, who played Rube Sofer, is not here. Laura Harris, who played Daisy Adair, is also absent. That role is played in the film by Sarah Wynter. Greg Kean, who played George’s father Clancey Lass, is missing, as is Patricia Idlette, who played Kiffany, a waitress at Der Waffle Haus.
The absence of Mandy Patinkin leaves a huge hole that actually becomes part of the plot, as the other reapers try to make sense of the mysterious disappearance of Rube. Laura Harris is also badly missed. Her portrayal of Daisy in the television series is a hard act to follow and Sarah Wynter does not manage it at all, although she is hampered by a very poor script that makes Daisy much more brittle and lacking the pathos of the character played by Harris.
Everything about the film is inferior to the original series, which is perhaps to be expected. What is most noticeable is the poor dialogue, completely lacking the sparkle and wit to be found in the various television episodes. The excellent Cynthia Stevenson is wasted here. There is some novelty value in seeing an older Reggie and the story focuses on her a great deal, but to no particular effect.
All in all, this was very disappointing, although not surprisingly so.
Review posted 13 May 2009
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Rating 5
Created by Bryan Fuller
Written by Bridget Carpenter (5 episodes), Dan Fesman (3 episodes), Bryan Fuller (2 episodes), Karl Gajdusek (4 episodes), Stephen Godchaux (14 episodes), Paul Lieberstein (1 episodes), Mona Mansour (1 episodes), John Masius (7 episodes), Anna C Miller (1 episodes), Pete Ocko (3 episodes), J J Philbin (2 episodes), Tom Spezialy (1 episode), Ian Thomas (1 episode), Harry Victor (3 episodes), Annie Weismen (4 episodes)
Directed by Sarah Pia Anderson (2 episodes), Steve Beers (2 episodes), Milan Cheyluv (1 episode), Kevin Dowling (2 episodes), Michael Fresco (1 episode), David Grossman (4 episodes), Peter Lauer (4 episodes), James Marshall (1 episode), Robert Duncan McNeill (2 episode), Helen Shaver (1 episode), David Straiton (1 episode), Brad Turner (1 episode), Tony Westman (1 episode), James Whitmore Jr (4 episodes), Scott Winant (1 episode), Jeff Woolnough (1 episode)
Starring Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Cynthia Stevenson, Jasmine Guy, Callum Blue, Rebecca Gayheart, Laura Harris, Britt McKillip, Christine Willes, Greg Kean and Crystal Dahl
Georgia ‘George’ Lass (Ellen Muth) is a disaffected and cynical 18-year-old who stays on the sidelines, refusing to participate so as to avoid disappointment. When she drops out of college she is forced to look for a job by her mother Joy (brilliantly played by Cynthia Stevenson) and ends up at Happy Time, a temporary employment agency, where she is given a menial office task by Dolores Herbig (Christine Willes). However, when George is killed in a freak accident involving a toilet seat on her first day she becomes a grim reaper, part of a group of five reapers led by Rube Sofer (Mandy Patinkin) responsible for reaping the souls of people killed in accidents and at the hands of others.
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‘Dead Like Me’ was broadcast in the US for two seasons and a total of 29 episodes on the Showtime subscription television channel between 27 June 2003 and 31 October 2004. It was created by Bryan Fuller, who had previously been a writer on ‘Star Trek Deep Space Nine’ and ‘Star Trek Voyager’. He went on to create the short-lived ‘Wonderfalls’ (in collaboration with Todd Holland) and ‘Pushing Daisies’, as well as working as a consulting producer and writer during the first season of ‘Heroes’. Fuller wrote the first two episodes of ‘Dead Like Me’, but left after five episodes due to conflicts with MGM Television, the company that produced the show. He described the period as “the worst experience of my life,” although he continued to receive a credit as a consultant. The creative direction was subsequently dictated by John Masius (the show’s executive producer) and Stephen Godchaux, its most prolific writer.
The show is brilliantly executed, from the memorable opening credits onwards. It takes the simple premise of life explored through death (George does not really begin to live until she is dead) and produces a near-perfect mix of black comedy and poignant drama, set against a supernatural theme. It follows George’s journey as she slowly begins to understand what life really means; both through her reminiscences about her parents and younger sister and through her relationship with the people she meets in death, including the two people who become almost surrogate parents to her, Rube and Dolores. Even in death, George is required to deal with the mundane matters of life and in the guise of “Millie” she once again ends up working at Happy Time.
The standard of writing throughout is extremely high and the cast is superb, bringing life to several memorable characters. Rebecca Gayheart was cast as one of the original reapers, the 1920s flapper Betty Rohmer. However, Betty was written out the show after five episodes and Gayheart was replaced by the actress Laura Harris, playing Daisy Adair, a would-be Hollywood starlet who claims to have died in a fire on the set of ‘Gone With The Wind’ in 1938. I don’t know the reason why Gayheart left the show, although I guess it could have been connected to the departure of Bryan Fuller. She did have, at that time, seemingly, a rather chaotic life and in 2002 had been dropped from the main cast of the television series ‘Firefly’ after just one day of filming. She was replaced on that occasion by Morena Baccarin. Fans of that show would not agree with me, but I think it would have benefited greatly from the presence of Gayheart, who would surely have given us something more spirited than Baccarin’s depressingly bland performance.
I like Rebecca Gayheart a lot and also like the character Betty, so her early departure was initially disappointing. However, Daisy Adair proved to be one of the show’s great characters. I was previously aware of Laura Harris from the Robert Rodriguez film ‘The Faculty’ and from an episode of ‘The X Files’. Her performance here is outstanding, as we slowly learn more about the very sad and poignant nature of her character, which she carefully hides beneath a brazen and self-absorbed exterior.
This is just one of several really outstanding performances. The character I found perhaps most interesting is Joy Lass, George’s mother, played by Cynthia Stevenson, who once again is not what she seems on the surface. Dolores Herbig is also worthy of mention; George’s seemingly annoying manager at work who proves to be very kind-hearted and acts as a mentor/mother figure to her. Dolores is played by Christine Willes, who has subsequently featured in a recurring role in the television series ‘Reaper’. The actor and singer Mandy Patinkin is always very watchable and Rube Sofer is another particularly noteworthy character, his relationship with George and the other reapers being one of the many joys to had watching the series.
The show’s most overtly comic character is the constantly hapless Mason (Callum Blue), a 1960s alcohol and drug addicted drop-out who killed himself drilling a hole in his skull in search of the ultimate high.
There is a notable shift in emphasis between the first and second seasons. Season one is more comedy-attuned and irreverent, whereas season two begins to delve more deeply into the lives of the various characters, for example exploring the relationship between Joy Lass and her daughter Reggie (Britt McKillip), George’s younger sister. As a result, I think, having watched the series in its entirety three times, it’s a more interesting season, as much as I like the first one. It contains several memorable and heartrending moments, such as the scene in the episode ‘Rites of Passage’ when George’s free-spirited grandmother Phyllis (beautifully played by Barbara Barrie) holds a small framed photograph of her grand-daughter up to her chest, tears in her eyes, or in ‘Always’ when Rube sings a lullaby to his daughter Rosie, now a elderly woman, in the final moments of her life. There are also scenes that leave a powerful impression, such as one in the episode ‘Be Still My Heart’ that sees Daisy crouching down, terrified, in a hotel room closet while the young woman whose soul she has come to reap is brutally strangled by her married lover.
The second season is also notable for an appearance in three episodes by Eric McCormack, playing a distinctly unpleasant character quite unlike his signature role in the long-running sitcom ‘Will and Grace’. I should not, of course, forget to mention Ellen Muth, who is perfectly cast in the lead role as George Lass, although I can never quite get over how scarily skinny she is. Muth, who apparently has an unusually high IQ and is a member of both Mensa and Intertel, made her acting debut in the 1995 film ‘Dolores Claiborne’ when she was 14-years-old, receiving many positive reviews for her performance.
My only criticisms of the series are two very minor quibbles. In ‘Reaping Havoc’, the fifth episode of the first season, an Irishman who dies goes into the light when he sees the white cliffs of Dover, which are to be found on the south coast of England and would have no emotional pull whatsoever for someone from Ireland. The storyline required cliffs, but this is cringe-worthy. In ‘A Cook’, the eighth episode of season one, Mandy Patinkin adopts a Scottish accent that is so awful it is embarrassing, worse even than the typically dreadful Irish accents that so many American actors seem to feel the need to adopt at least once in their acting careers.
Accurate data about viewing figures for the show are not available. It has been claimed that it was watched by an audience three times the Showtime primetime average; although there is no evidence I know of to back this up. Whatever the truth, Showtime decided not to commission a third season. However, a direct-to-DVD film version was released in the US in February 2009. It was written by John Masius and Stephen Godchaux and reunited several of the cast from the television series, although Mandy Patinkin, Laura Harris and Greg Kean, who played George’s father, Clancy, are absent. The film was directed by Stephen Herek, whose previous films include ‘Critters’, ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ and the live-action version of ‘101 Dalmatians’.
Review posted 21 March 2009
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Emily Jenkins is a social worker who already has 38 active cases, but is given two more to add to her impossible workload. She wearily picks up the first one and is fascinated by the case of 10-year-old Lillith Sullivan. After visiting the parents, she becomes convinced that Lillith is in real danger, but there is no evidence to allow her to act. However, she gives Lillith her cell phone number and after a terrified late night call she rushes to the Sullivan house, putting a call into her friend, the police detective Mike Barren. They break down the door and discover that the parents are attempting to roast their daughter alive in the oven. Emily is given temporary custody of Lillith while a suitable foster family is found for her, but she soon begins to realise that Lillith is not all that she seems.
The film deals with a tried and tested horror theme that children are evil and often possessed by the Devil. The obvious influences here do not take too much guessing – ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Omen’. The film does need to be taken with a pinch of salt and does require a willing suspension of disbelief; not, oddly, because of the supernatural or horror element, but in response to more mundane moments in the plot. It beggars belief that Emily, the children’s social worker, would be permitted to become Lillith’s temporary carer and guardian. Perhaps even harder to believe is the manner in which Mike Barren, who had previously been seriously skeptical and concerned for Emily’s psychological health, so easily changes his mind and comes to believe her story, based on just one very indistinct and ambiguous phone call. This particular moment in the film and the scenes immediately after it seem rushed and yet the film generally rather drags and is a good 20 minutes too long. It runs out of steam long before the end. Having said this, there are some very effective individual scenes along the way and the film is not a complete dud.
