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Film Details:
Directed by Peter Jackson (Dead Alive, The Frighteners, The Fellowship of the Ring) Written by Starring Review: by Melissa (e-mail your faithful reviewer) Peter Jackson is GOD. I never doubted this, not even when I saw Meet the Feebles. The man is the MacGuyver of cinema. Give him a dollar, and he makes magic with it. Heavenly Creatures is an astounding film. It's almost as astounding as The Fellowship of the Ring (Jackson's most recent cinematic effort), although Heavenly Creatures is astounding in a much quieter way. It's gorgeous, subtle, creative, rich, and alternately beguiling and shocking. It's a masterpiece of drama. For those of you unfamiliar with the film, it's a true story about two girls who fall into a deep, inseparable friendship. They become lost in their fantasies, and eventually resort to extremes when their parents try to separate them. For the first third of the movie, you wonder why Peter Jackson wanted to direct this film. I mean, this is the guy who directed the goriest film ever made (Dead Alive) and who sullied our innocent ideas about Muppets forever (Meet the Feebles). He does have an amazing sense of character, even in his basest films, and it is utilized to its fullest throughout Creatures. Yet you still wonder why he is doing this film. Then, about 45 minutes into the movie, the girls begin slipping into their fantasy worlds, and suddenly everything snaps into place. Plasticine dolls come to life. Orson Welles shows up and chases the girls through dark alleys. Castles grow out of the hills of New Zealand. As the film progresses, the fantasies become darker and darker, and the girls glide in and out of them seamlessly. Yet this is not a film about special effects. Jackson keeps the focus firmly upon the girls. He is an absolute master of handling these characters. The viewer is led to have a deep sympathy with the girls, yet their ultimate actions are by no means sympathetic and are not portrayed that way. Jackson also manages to delicately humanize the girls' parents, even though they are seen as obstacles by the "heroines" of the story. It's subtle and masterful and there's not enough that I can say about it. Add to that the fact that Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet are right at home in their roles. They're a treat to watch. The ultimate result is a story that is deeply disturbing. After I watched the film for the first time, I had to turn the TV off and digest in silence for a while. DVD Details: 2.0 Surround Okay, there is nothing at all extra of note on this DVD release. None. Nada. Not even English subtitles. This is as dry as they come, baby. However, it's that 2.35:1 widescreen and the extended cut of the film that is worth every single little penny that you spend on it. And it's cheap! Get your butt over to the DVD store and buy it already! Further Information: |
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