Three Dramas from Sony
Dangerous Game (May 26/05)
While there's nothing really worth recommending about Dangerous Game, the film isn't quite as awful as one might expect. Directed by notorious crackpot filmmaker Abel Ferrara and starring Madonna (!), Dangerous Game features a movie-within-the-movie that revolves around a sleazy married couple whose marriage is falling apart. Director Eddie Israel (Harvey Keitel) is going for a gritty, realistic vibe and pushes his actors - Francis Burns (James Russo) and Sarah Jennings (Madonna) - further than they're willing to go. The majority of Dangerous Game is devoted to arguments between the various characters, a routine that quickly becomes awfully tedious. This is despite a better-than-expected performance from Madonna (hard to believe, but she doesn't suck here), though Russo goes over-the-top early and often. Ferrara's refusal to give us a reason to care about any of these characters ultimately sinks the film - and, worse yet, turns it into an uncommonly interminable experience.
out of
Nine Lives (February 18/06)
Though it'd be easy to label Nine Lives' central conceit (the movie consists solely of nine separate, completely uninterrupted takes) as nothing more than a gimmick, writer/director Rodrigo Garcia effectively uses the device to deliver a series of thoroughly compelling short films. Each segment - at a length of 10-12 minutes - tells an entirely contained story, generally starting with a seemingly mundane activity and eventually working its way to some kind of catharsis. Aside from the fact that Nine Lives is endlessly compelling on a purely visual level, Garcia's use of long takes lends the film a distinct vibe of authenticity. Without any cuts or editing tricks, the various actors are able to let their respective performances unfold in real time (meaning that, in most cases, we can actually see the emotions building within these characters over the course of just a few minutes). Garcia has consequently placed an incredible burden on virtually every actor in the film's cast, though the filmmaker has done an extraordinary job of matching the many roles with just the right performer (Robin Wright Penn, William Fichtner, and Ian McShane are just a few of the many standouts). And although there are a few stories here that aren't quite as effective as others - something that's particularly true of Lisa Gay Hamilton's histrionic installment - Nine Lives is, on the whole, a remarkably powerful little film.
out of
That Championship Season (October 14/05)
Based on the play by Jason Miller, That Championship Season follows four high school buddies (played by Bruce Dern, Stacy Keach, Martin Sheen, and Paul Sorvino) and their former coach (Robert Mitchum) as they get together to celebrate the 24th anniversary of a pivotal basketball win. Revelations ensue, forcing the quartet to spend the night hashing things out and re-evaluating their lives. Although That Championship Season is extremely well acted - Keach, in particular, effectively sheds his tough-guy persona to become a guy that's basically a pushover - the movie's theatrical origins remain obvious throughout, both in the dialogue and direction. Filmmaker Miller imbues the movie with a slow-paced, expectedly talky sort of vibe, which admittedly suits the material but prevents the film from ever really taking off. While there are a few moments of authenticity here and there, That Championship Season - by and large - just isn't terribly compelling.
out of
