DVD Review: Gigantic (2009)

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DVD Review & Introduction

In addition to relishing in the opportunity of helping a reader remember the title of a favorite movie that they can't quite recall or sharing recommendations via e-mail, I'm consistently flattered when I'm contacted either by a filmmaker or a PR firm working on behalf of a studio to review a new film.

And it's always a treat, whether it's hearing from a debut filmmaker who's just completed his or her first feature financed on seventeen credit cards or being asked to review a film before its theatrical release since it will only be given a limited run going from one city to another.

Unfortunately, while time has made it difficult to accept all offered titles and at the same time you're never quite sure just exactly what is going to land in your mailbox-- overall, I'm constantly inspired by just how much creativity is out there. And criminally since money talks and movies without that never see the light of day, the result is that work is under appreciated and unavailable to those who don't live in New York or Los Angeles who happen to be free the one week an indie or low-budget work is screened.

As a rule, I always try to approach these films in particular filled with optimism since I'm simply grateful as a fan to see something that wouldn't be shown in a local theatre. Likewise, at the same time if the timing works out and I can fit in the works, I purposely avoid reading too much about them other than the tiniest synopses available and sometimes only view a portion of the trailer to prevent spoilers.

After all and especially in the case of art-house or independent fare, somebody took the time to create something out of thin air and somehow manged to not only complete the work but get it out there without the full power of a large scale marketing campaign behind it complete with product tie-ins or Happy Meal toys. So with this in mind, the least I can do is return the favor and view it as someone who just wants to be led on a unique cinematic journey for two hours.

And that is exactly what Gigantic director Matt Aselton managed to do with this unabashedly absurdist, imaginative and inspired feature filmmaking debut about human relationships that would make the ultimate companion piece to screen as a double feature with actress Zooey Deschanel's big-screen wildly successful Fox Searchlight hit (500) Days of Summer.

After just twenty chaotic minutes of Gigantic, I realized it was the type of movie that-- like Scorsese's After Hours, Jake Kasdan's Zero Effect or Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket-- I immediately wanted to share with someone else because I had that much confidence in his singular vision. And luckily, Gigantic just kept evolving with each passing scene into something far more ingenious from one moment to the next as it paid homage to previous works but didn't feel derivative in the slightest.

Although it was highly praised by critics, sadly Matt Aselton's film which starred the mesmerizing and chameleon-like Paul Dano never managed to break out to experience the same level of success of other sleeper art films. Yet now that this overlooked work has made its way to disc, I urge you to track it down.

Having had only the screener with which to compare the quality of the DVD, I found it to be equally sharp and crisp in its inventive New Wave meets absurdist color and set design, yet I was extremely disappointed by the bonus features. Despite the fact that I must applaud Vivendi Entertainment for bringing this unique award-winning work from First Independent Pictures to disc in the first place-- the press release promised a plethora of extras including "behind-the-scenes candid interviews with the cast and crew, an alternate ending, deleted scenes, and commentary by director Matt Aselton."

However, the ultimate release delivered only two deleted scenes including one extremely crass conversation on a beach and a kitchen fire along with an alternate version of a fight scene which probably total less than five minutes of new material that's essentially pointless. Likewise, providing viewers with a trailer and stills gallery doesn't quite make up for the fact that with such an intellectually stimulating work, viewers who dig it will sorely miss those promised extras. However, I'm hopeful that eventually enough people will become Gigantic fans that eventually it will earn a second and superior release. Still until then, it's a highly recommended title to add to your collection and one of my picks of the week and on the short list for art films of '09 along with Ms. Deschanel's (500) Days of Summer.

Original Movie Review

Published: May 2009

In his feature filmmaking debut, director Matt Aselton uses absurdism the way that Hitchcock employed the MacGuffin.

And in Hitch's world the MacGuffin may have been "that thing in which the hero is chasing" such as top secret documents in a briefcase or diamonds in a museum, but in the end as Hitchcock and scholars deduced-- it just turns out that it's an inconsequential piece of matter or material that propels his characters into action. Or in other words, we never needed to know what the hero was chasing specifically or what the top secret codes or devices sought after did since we were more than happy to just go along for the ride anyway.

Without over-explaining motives or plot structures, Aselton utilizes the exact same technique repeatedly throughout his intelligent, offbeat, and deliciously weird film Gigantic which hearkens back to his affection for "films and stories in which reality and absurdity cross [paths]" by filling his quirky indie charmer with a surreal series of events he reveals are "just there and you believe it."

The events include for starters the impetus for the screenplay itself as Aselton acknowledged that "when we wrote this movie we knew two things: there would be a nameless assassin hunting the main character and that we'd rather not overtly explain why."

In the film, Paul Dano's meek and sensitive twenty-eight year old Swedish mattress company employee-- Brian Weathersby-- is the last person on the planet that should grab the attention of a nameless and homeless assassin but for reasons unknown, someone's after Brian and whether you feel it's real or surreal or even metaphorical, it's there from the start.

Yet, despite that structural decision-- in the scheme of Gigantic-- this is just all in the periphery, cropping up unexpectedly in between the film's main plot that centers on Brian's long-time goal to adopt a Chinese baby. Obviously as a single man under the age of thirty, he's not the ideal candidate to make that lifelong obsession a reality but having put his name on three waiting lists, he's eager to start building his own family, which we feel stems from the fact that he's the youngest and least successful son (and a "surprise" baby at that) of a father (played by Ed Asner) who'd had him when he was fifty-two.

However, before he readies himself to return from New York City to Vermont for his dad's eightieth birthday (where-- again and quite absurdly-- the Weathersby men get high on mushrooms in a wooded cabin), he meets an entirely different family that changes the course of both the film's plot and his life upon the arrival of the larger-than-life Al Lolly (John Goodman).

A blunt businessman with a bad back-- before Dano's quiet Brian even begins to discuss the details involving a $14,000 Swedish bed that comes with a twenty-five year warranty-- Al fast-talks Brian into free shipping, handling, and delivery.

Arriving later with her father's credit card before she falls into an easy two and a half hour slumber on the grand mattress-- Zooey Deschanel's fairy-tale like entry into the piece as a Sleeping Beauty who despite the name of Harriet is routinely called "Happy" aptly brightens Brian's day considerably.

And, in a nice twist of fate after Brian is told by a coworker that the regular delivery "dude ate bad chicken," it's Brian himself who arrives with the mattress at the Lolly residence. Once there, unexpectedly and again very absurdly he's fast-talked once again by the loud Al and beaming Happy to take the rest of the day off from work and drive them into New York City to see Al's spinal specialist since Al doesn't ride in taxi cabs and Happy refuses to drive in the city.

While Al is told-- for what appears to be the umpteenth time-- that his back is fine and the pain emanates from stress, Happy proves to be just as forward as her father, offering herself up for a quickie in the car with Brian that leads to a budding courtship between the two eccentrics.

While, despite the fact that on the surface, they couldn't be more different as for example, the constantly restless Happy reads ads instead of articles and moves from one passion to the next in stark contrast to Brian's wish for stability in his life in becoming a father-- somehow their relationship works. Or I should say, it's successful at least until life and family intersect in daffy, nonsensical, and unpredictable ways as Gigantic moves to its amiable conclusion.

A true born storyteller-- Matt Aselton who collaborated with his co-writer Adam Nagata-- has inspired a breath of fresh air into American independent filmmaking in a movie that stylistically seems more European than traditional mainstream fare from our country. And in fact, Aselton readily reveals in the film's production notes that he is a major fan of Luis Bunuel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie as well as the oeuvre of Jean-Luc Godard and the fingerprints of both men show up from time to time-- although thankfully in a far more linear and accessible fashion.

However, he also cites other maverick American helmers like Hal Ashby, Robert Altman, and David Lynch whose painterly works and ability to think outside the box undoubtedly gave him the confidence to center a work on "what was happening to [his] characters in the present moment they resided."

Continuing on regarding his passion for the absurd-- the (in my view, existential or gently surreal) landscape of Gigantic is used for as he notes "liberating," and spontaneous effect since being in the moment without worrying about what will happen next is "ultimately the only thing that matters."

Along with Discreet Charm, Aselton makes a special mention of Harold and Maude director Hal Ashby's Being There in the film's notes for its similar approach involving "plain characters populating surreal worlds, [with] no need to explain their actions, or the madness that surrounds them." And indeed, there's a definite thematic and tonal link to Ashby's film which-- intriguingly-- also shares a one-degree relative in common with Aselton's Gigantic star Zooey's father Caleb Deschanel having been employed as the irreplaceable cinematographer on the masterful Being There.

While the film is sure to frustrate viewers who prefer the real to the surreal and find greater comfort in having everything neatly resolved-- especially when we're watching There Will Be Blood and Little Miss Sunshine's tremendously affable Dano being beaten to a bloody pulp by an assassin-- amazingly, we continue watching long after frequently rapid questions start cropping into our mind.

And the basis for this is simple-- namely that our enjoyment is augmented by the liberating cinematic approach that leaves everything in the realm of the unexplained MacGuffin as well as the sheer pleasure and uplift of this alternately dark and twisted yet assured, tender and refreshing achievement.

Likewise, I predict that like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Wes Anderson, and Charlie Kaufman, Aselton will be a name we'll hear for a long while based on this debut work alone that also reminded me in tiny ways of the decorative works of Jacques Tati and the later entries in Truffaut's Antoine Doinel series.

Text ©2009, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com
Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.

Blu-ray Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)

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Much like Rebecca Bloomwood (played by Isla Fisher), as a young girl I too was entranced by the idea of "magic cards" that could be swiped instead of handing over real, actual, tangible money for goods and services. This fascination also extended to checks to such an extent that I actually remember advising my mom to "go for it" once when we were at the grocery store after she told the clerk she had forgotten to stop at the bank so would need to whip out the checkbook.



"You don't need money, mom; just write a check," I informed her-- seriously unaware that much like the pretty cards (which are far more gorgeous today with impressionistic backgrounds and AmEx status plastic that resembles shiny gold)-- the pieces of paper you tore from the book that always seemed to stick to the messy carbons were temporary stand-ins for what was in your bank account. Of course, I also assumed that the reason you had to show your driver's license when you wrote a check (back when people actually wrote checks) was to prove to the cashier that you had a driver's license, were trustworthy, and would therefore drive the groceries home safely.

While it was safe to say that a career involving personal finance or accounting was not in my future-- it's exactly this line of work that Fisher's Bloomwood alarmingly finds herself in-- advising readers of Successful Saving magazine how to manage their money and understand the lure of a store credit card and initial 0% APR under the pseudonym of "The Girl in the Green Scarf."



Aside from it being a cute moniker to use as she types in a fresh hip style-- sort of like a feminine or flirtatious Dear Abby for the Madison Avenue and Wall Street set in the male dominated world of finance-- the choice not to share her real name in her byline is extremely savvy for two reasons. And selfishly the most primal excuse for Fisher's journalist is that-- as per the case in most chick-lit works-- the magazine scribe Bloomwood longed to join the staff of a Devil Wears Prada a.k.a. Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, or Glamour style magazine with the film's fictitious Alette run by Kristin Scott Thomas in her new, irresistibly funny, sassy French mode. To this end, she realizes that she doesn't want the less-than-chic Saving gig to immediately limit her resume (that also boasts work on a gardening magazine) or have it tied to her name as she aspires to use her position as a stepping stone to move into the publication that's printed by the same company.

However, Bloomwood's second reason for taking the fifth-- or hiding behind that luscious green scarf that led to the first encounter with her would-be editor Luke Brandon (Jane Austen Book Club actor Hugh Dancy) which then led to the cushy assignment in a world where magazines go under every day-- is to stay several dress-lengths ahead of Robert Stanton's merciless collector who's eager to have the shopping addicted Bloomwood settle her roughly seventeen thousand dollars of credit card debt.

Forever dodging Stanton's crafty Derek Smeath-- Bloomwood persuades Luke and her new workplace family that he's a stalker who just can't let their relationship end to hilarious yet admittedly illogical effect. And conveniently she misses him long enough to discover that-- although her own spending is out of control and she's resulted to reading Money for Dummies, trying to follow the advice of a stop spending DVD hosted by Ed Helms and using Google to pad out her stories-- she has a knack for helping others understand their own fiscal situation.



As beautiful as a dress by Vera Wang and as bright as a Marc Jacobs patchwork purse-- Confessions of a Shopaholic dazzles especially in the ridiculously stiletto sharp clarity of Walt Disney Home Entertainment's Touchstone Pictures Blu-ray. And the film from Muriel's Wedding and My Best Friend's Wedding director P.J. Hogan based on two of bestselling author Sophie Kinsella's five books in the Shopaholic series manages to amuse despite its vacuous frivolity and the misfortune of being released not only a few years after the far superior Devil Wears Prada but also in a time of economic recession.

Audiences who've been box office shy anyway and also coolly received the dumbed-down female-centric works like Bride Wars, What Happens in Vegas, The House Bunny, 27 Dresses, He's Just Not That Into You, and Made of Honor which continually casts women in either the pursuit of the right accessory or just the right male form of accessory-- avoided the ill-timed theatrical run of Shopaholic to a large extent. And most likely it's because the last thing you want to do when you can't afford your own credit card bills, rent, or student loan payments is to try and relate to a character who has a job and her health yet rings up couture as though it were nickel cups of Kool-Aid from a child's lemonade stand.

However, much to my surprise and delight, I actually was pleasantly surprised by this adaptation of Shopaholic. While I'd never read any of Kinsella's books in the Becky Bloomwood series and there are some contradictory messages both subtextually and on the surface in this adaptation as our heroine learns she needs to watch her spending yet at the same time marches her dreamy boss into a Prada store-- overall I applauded the attempt to remind viewers that you can't find yourself in a label (even if at times, the movie seems to argue the opposite in its fetishistic handling of designer wear and upscale stores).

Furthermore I must confess that honestly, it'd be nice if we were presented with a heroine not quite as daffy as this Manhattan damsel in distress who comes complete with salt-of-the-Earth parents (Joan Cusack and John Goodman) and a saintly best friend (Kristen Ritter). Still, Isla Fisher who actually studied at a Parisian clown college as part of her performance training is a master at the pratfall and able to pull off that difficult trick of-- instead of piling a bunch of clowns into a car-- making us like Rebecca Bloomwood's warmth and true heart even though there's so much about her personality we just don't understand.



And with this in mind-- despite our enjoyment of the movie-- it's hard to completely forget the real tough facts about debt as it dances (literally with a fan in one of Isla Fisher's funniest moments) over the devastating truth that shopping addiction can be as catastrophic as any other. Thus instead it uses the idea for laughs in some over-the-top shopaholic anonymous meetings and via some cat-fights involving women who wield credit cards like weapons whenever there's a sale. So by trying to make the movie more escapist than sociological-- which definitely wouldn't have been appropriate for Disney nor a Jerry Bruckheimer production (he was responsible for such ahem "strong female?" works such as Coyote Ugly and Flashdance after all)-- the focus is shifted from Successful Saving to watching our heroine ditch the money man.

However, it still remains mindlessly fun entertainment despite some flaws and my fear that in lieu of an ultimately good message-- I think young girls will still want to look like Rebecca Bloomwood in Gucci and Zac Posen among others, not understanding the joke that those really responsible for her attire were Master Card, Visa, American Express and Discover among others who make those irresistible magic cards-- bankruptcy and personal relationships be damned.



A great deal of the film's charm is owed to Fisher who consistently seems to be on the verge of the A-list with wonderful work in movies such as this one (arguably her biggest star vehicle), the bittersweet romantic comedy drama Definitely Maybe, Wedding Crashers and others. Overall, she's beautiful, bubbly, and willing to unleash her "inner idiot"-- as she calls it-- to make us laugh with the confidence to switch from drama to comedy when her partner Sacha Baron Cohen (a.k.a. Borat or Bruno) suggested she should audition for those films. And the movie is always elevated by Fisher who pitched her own jokes despite the fact that she was five months pregnant while meeting the filmmakers during the casting process and her investment in making Bloomwood lovably funny is Shopaholic's saving grace. Frequently it is Fisher as Bloomwood who manages to draw our attention no matter how much eye candy, Fashion Week wear, historical New York buildings, Miami scenery, or shots of the yummy Hugh Dancy are included in the same frame.

Overall it's a typically exceptional Disney Blu-ray with an impressive soundtrack and the sharpest of clarity in a package that also comes with a Digital Copy of the film. And while the extra features including unfunny bloopers, music videos, and deleted scenes are easy to skip-- fashionistas will want to explore the super short exploration of the film's amazing costumes and couture courtesy of designer Patricia Field whose taste in wardrobe is unparalleled, having also worked on Devil Wears Prada and both the film and television versions of Sex and the City.

Movie Review: Gigantic (2009)

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In his feature filmmaking debut, director Matt Aselton uses absurdism the way that Hitchcock employed the MacGuffin.

And in Hitch's world the MacGuffin may have been "that thing in which the hero is chasing" such as top secret documents in a briefcase or diamonds in a museum, but in the end as Hitchcock and scholars deduced-- it just turns out that it's an inconsequential piece of matter or material that propels his characters into action. Or in other words, we never needed to know what the hero was chasing specifically or what the top secret codes or devices sought after did since we were more than happy to just go along for the ride anyway.

Without over-explaining motives or plot structures, Aselton utilizes the exact same technique repeatedly throughout his intelligent, offbeat, and deliciously weird film Gigantic which hearkens back to his affection for "films and stories in which reality and absurdity cross [paths]" by filling his quirky indie charmer with a surreal series of events he reveals are "just there and you believe it."

The events include for starters the impetus for the screenplay itself as Aselton acknowledged that "when we wrote this movie we knew two things: there would be a nameless assassin hunting the main character and that we'd rather not overtly explain why."

In the film, Paul Dano's meek and sensitive twenty-eight year old Swedish mattress company employee-- Brian Weathersby-- is the last person on the planet that should grab the attention of a nameless and homeless assassin but for reasons unknown, someone's after Brian and whether you feel it's real or surreal or even metaphorical, it's there from the start.

Yet, despite that structural decision-- in the scheme of Gigantic-- this is just all in the periphery, cropping up unexpectedly in between the film's main plot that centers on Brian's long-time goal to adopt a Chinese baby. Obviously as a single man under the age of thirty, he's not the ideal candidate to make that lifelong obsession a reality but having put his name on three waiting lists, he's eager to start building his own family, which we feel stems from the fact that he's the youngest and least successful son (and a "surprise" baby at that) of a father (played by Ed Asner) who'd had him when he was fifty-two.



However, before he readies himself to return from New York City to Vermont for his dad's eightieth birthday (where-- again and quite absurdly-- the Weathersby men get high on mushrooms in a wooded cabin), he meets an entirely different family that changes the course of both the film's plot and his life upon the arrival of the larger-than-life Al Lolly (John Goodman).



A blunt businessman with a bad back-- before Dano's quiet Brian even begins to discuss the details involving a $14,000 Swedish bed that comes with a twenty-five year warranty-- Al fast-talks Brian into free shipping, handling, and delivery.

Arriving later with her father's credit card before she falls into an easy two and a half hour slumber on the grand mattress-- Zooey Deschanel's fairy-tale like entry into the piece as a Sleeping Beauty who despite the name of Harriet is routinely called "Happy" aptly brightens Brian's day considerably.

And, in a nice twist of fate after Brian is told by a coworker that the regular delivery "dude ate bad chicken," it's Brian himself who arrives with the mattress at the Lolly residence. Once there, unexpectedly and again very absurdly he's fast-talked once again by the loud Al and beaming Happy to take the rest of the day off from work and drive them into New York City to see Al's spinal specialist since Al doesn't ride in taxi cabs and Happy refuses to drive in the city.

While Al is told-- for what appears to be the umpteenth time-- that his back is fine and the pain emanates from stress, Happy proves to be just as forward as her father, offering herself up for a quickie in the car with Brian that leads to a budding courtship between the two eccentrics.



While, despite the fact that on the surface, they couldn't be more different as for example, the constantly restless Happy reads ads instead of articles and moves from one passion to the next in stark contrast to Brian's wish for stability in his life in becoming a father-- somehow their relationship works. Or I should say, it's successful at least until life and family intersect in daffy, nonsensical, and unpredictable ways as Gigantic moves to its amiable conclusion.

A true born storyteller-- Matt Aselton who collaborated with his co-writer Adam Nagata-- has inspired a breath of fresh air into American independent filmmaking in a movie that stylistically seems more European than traditional mainstream fare from our country. And in fact, Aselton readily reveals in the film's production notes that he is a major fan of Luis Bunuel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie as well as the oeuvre of Jean-Luc Godard and the fingerprints of both men show up from time to time-- although thankfully in a far more linear and accessible fashion.

However, he also cites other maverick American helmers like Hal Ashby, Robert Altman, and David Lynch whose painterly works and ability to think outside the box undoubtedly gave him the confidence to center a work on "what was happening to [his] characters in the present moment they resided."

Continuing on regarding his passion for the absurd-- the (in my view, existential or gently surreal) landscape of Gigantic is used for as he notes "liberating," and spontaneous effect since being in the moment without worrying about what will happen next is "ultimately the only thing that matters."



Along with Discreet Charm, Aselton makes a special mention of Harold and Maude director Hal Ashby's Being There in the film's notes for its similar approach involving "plain characters populating surreal worlds, [with] no need to explain their actions, or the madness that surrounds them." And indeed, there's a definite thematic and tonal link to Ashby's film which-- intriguingly-- also shares a one-degree relative in common with Aselton's Gigantic star Zooey's father Caleb Deschanel having been employed as the irreplaceable cinematographer on the masterful Being There.

While the film is sure to frustrate viewers who prefer the real to the surreal and find greater comfort in having everything neatly resolved-- especially when we're watching There Will Be Blood and Little Miss Sunshine's tremendously affable Dano being beaten to a bloody pulp by an assassin-- amazingly, we continue watching long after frequently rapid questions start cropping into our mind.

And the basis for this is simple-- namely that our enjoyment is augmented by the liberating cinematic approach that leaves everything in the realm of the unexplained MacGuffin as well as the sheer pleasure and uplift of this alternately dark and twisted yet assured, tender and refreshing achievement.

Likewise, I predict that like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Wes Anderson, and Charlie Kaufman, Aselton will be a name we'll hear for a long while based on this debut work alone that also reminded me in tiny ways of the decorative works of Jacques Tati and the later entries in Truffaut's Antoine Doinel series.

Blu-ray Review: In the Electric Mist (2008)

Venturing Out of the Bayou
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3/3/09

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Maybe it just works better in Europe.

Acclaimed, award-winning French director Bertrand Tavernier's adaptation of the sixth Dave Robicheaux mystery-- In the Electric Mist-- penned by screenwriting team Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Olson-Kromolowski from the novel by James Lee Burke somehow managed to lure the director back to making an all English language feature and also dubiously scored a Berlin International Film Festival Golden Berlin Bear nomination for his effort. And if somehow you're able to make it all the way through the film, something tells me you'll be scratching your head as well...

Initially slated for a theatrical run due to its incredibly talented cast headed up by Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones, Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen, Oscar nominee Ned Beaty, and critically lauded stars Peter Sarsgaard, John Goodman, and Kelly Macdonald that even boasts a cameo from American indie auteur John Sayles somehow fizzles rather than sizzles in its hum-drum mystery which takes place in the Louisiana bayou.

It is set in a society still ravaged by Hurricaine Katrina and indeed the event is referenced numerous times subtextually and involves a heartrending visit by our no-nonsense, recovering alcoholic detective Dave Robicheaux (Jones) while trying to string together clues in solving the gruesome cases of two dead young women. And in doing so, the film tries to move beyond the limits of its police procedural crime and punishment genre by venturing unsuccessfully into the realm of psychological thriller as Robicheaux and other characters commune with the ghosts of dead in a few downright odd hallucinatory scenes that don't quite gel with the film's uneven tone.

Throughout Mist, I was never sure if it was aspiring to be the type of modern day neo-noir given a Cajun makeover that worked so well in Robert Altman's underrated The Gingerbread Man and even some of the superior round-about mysteries of John Sayles (Lone Star, Silver City) or if the film is a trippier gothic piece. Sadly, it never manages to engage us on either level or on a simply casual one in spite of its the talented ensemble that's bogged down by uninspired dialogue (example: "Elrod's a shitbird, but I love him."). The script excels when it appears as though it's taken directly in voice over narration form from the novel as Robicheaux describes an A.A. friend who always called at night until one night someone had to call for him.

Further muddled by lackluster, poorly lit cinematography that manages to suck the ethereal beauty right out of the southland (making it a crisp yet waste in a Blu-ray transfer) and even filming the characters appearing as movie stars on a location shoot (Saarsgard and Macdonald) in an unflattering light-- everything about the film feels forced and inauthentic right down to its straightforward conclusion.

Granted, it has its moments thanks to 3:10 to Yuma's composer Marco Beltrami as well as a spirited turn by John Goodman bringing some of his Coen Brothers flavor to a role as New Orleans gangster "Baby Feet" Balboni that makes him sorely missed whenever he's offscreen. Yet, more often than not, other actors such as Steenburgen (as Jones' wife) are given little to do but simply go through the motions in underwritten roles and unfortunately as a whole, it's weaker than your average made-for-television mystery of the week. Again, this is especially unbearable given the extraordinary talent involved, excellent location, atmospheric jazz by five-time Grammy Award winning musician Buddy Guy that's all wasted in the finished product.

Again, while it may be better in translation overseas or for those who aren't acquainted with what a real Cajun set film should look and sound like nor the exceptional work offered by the cast and other high quality offerings from the distributors Image Entertainment-- ultimately it's not enough to recommend this one and instead I'd suggest going with the book by bestselling author James Lee Burke in its place.