New On Video: 'White Oleander,' 'Swimfan'
Also: 'Day The Earth Stood Still" Makes DVD Debut
POSTED: 5:18 p.m. EST March 14, 2003
'White Oldeander' (PG-13) Great acting holds together an uneven story in "White Oleander," a complex drama that tracks the heartbreak of a teenage artist named Astrid (Alison Lohman) as she bounces through foster homes while her mentally abusive mother, Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer), serves a life term in prison for murdering her boyfriend (Billy Connolly).
A dead ringer for a young Jessica Lange, Lohman plays Astrid with stunning conviction, holding her own against a frighteningly real Pfeiffer, who easily delivers one of the best performances of her career. Since most of their scenes together are set in a prison yard, there's really not much for Lohman and Pfeiffer to rely upon but raw energy, and their scenes together command attention.
Pfeiffer's so good, in fact, that it takes all but a few minutes to start loathing Ingrid as she tries to manipulate Astrid's fate every time the girl finds herself on the verge of happiness. A tortured artist who's been trying to mold her daughter in her likeness ever since birth, Ingrid's misery is dying for Astrid's company, and prison bars that separate them don't do much to loosen her stranglehold.
Although they are all connected, "White Oleander" plays more like a series of small vignettes, each of which focuses on the new relationships Astrid develops as she moves from home to home. And while Robin Wright-Penn excels as a Bible-thumping foster parent who fears Astrid has taken a liking to her new beau (Cole Hauser), it is Renee Zellweger who delivers the most heartfelt performance of the movie.
Playing a failed actress who strikes a kinship while being a foster parent to Astrid, Zellweger delivers the performance with an incredible sense of vulnerability. You don't have to see her sing and dance in "Chicago" to discover that she's a great actress.
Because of its start and stop nature with each vignette, "White Oleander" is troubled by the lack of momentum. While each vignette stands well on its own, they really don't give you any real sense of where the film is going.
Most frustrating is the plot implosion regarding the pivotal event of the film -- the boyfriend's murder -- which is scantily examined through a series of flashbacks. You're given the impression that we're going to arrive at some great revelation, but it never really arrives.
DVD Features: Audio commentary with director Peter Kosminsky, producer John Wells and the novel's author, Janet Fitch, deleted scenes, and two behind-the-scenes featurettes with stars and creators: "The Journey of White Oleander" and "The Making of White Oleander." (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
'Swimfan' (PG-13) "Swimfan" is a frightening movie that's intensely paced and well-acted, but the only problem is, it really doesn't add any new twists to the already familiar stalker movie genre. Jesse Bradford ("Bring it On") stars as Ben, a high school swimming star with a gorgeous girlfriend (Shari Appleby) and good buddies, whose perfect world starts to crumble fast after a brief sexual encounter with Madison (Erika Christensen -- "Traffic"), a disturbed teen who clearly wants him all to herself.
Think "Fatal Attraction" for teens and that's what you get with "Swimfan" -- and like the aforementioned classic starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close, it's curious how the filmmakers somehow want you to root for the philandering guy in the equation, as if he's some sort of saint. That's not to say he doesn't deserve the horrors that are in store for him once his stalker really gets mad. It may not be original -- and maybe even strays into the point of ridiculousness -- but "Swimfan" might be a good movie to watch if you have thoughts about straying from your partner.
DVD Features: Audio commentary featuring Bradford, Christensen and director John Polson; 10 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Polson, and "The Girlfriend From Hell" featurette. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
'Day' Sees Light On DVD: Three science fiction classics -- 1951's "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (G), 1959's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (G) and 1981's "Quest For Fire" (R) have been given the star treatment on special edition DVD. The most poignant of the three is "The Day the Earth Stood Still," where a man from another galaxy (Michael Rennie) and an imposing robotic intergalactic policeman (the iconic Gort -- played by 7-foot-7-inch tall actor Lock Martin) land on Earth to deliver an urgent message on international peace.
The curious timing of this release as the real world teeters on the brink of war makes the narrative appear all the more frightening. The disc contains a fascinating hour-plus documentary featuring insightful interviews with the likes of director Robert Wise, and stars Patricia Neal and Billy Gray on the making of the classic. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
A dead ringer for a young Jessica Lange, Lohman plays Astrid with stunning conviction, holding her own against a frighteningly real Pfeiffer, who easily delivers one of the best performances of her career. Since most of their scenes together are set in a prison yard, there's really not much for Lohman and Pfeiffer to rely upon but raw energy, and their scenes together command attention.
Pfeiffer's so good, in fact, that it takes all but a few minutes to start loathing Ingrid as she tries to manipulate Astrid's fate every time the girl finds herself on the verge of happiness. A tortured artist who's been trying to mold her daughter in her likeness ever since birth, Ingrid's misery is dying for Astrid's company, and prison bars that separate them don't do much to loosen her stranglehold.
Although they are all connected, "White Oleander" plays more like a series of small vignettes, each of which focuses on the new relationships Astrid develops as she moves from home to home. And while Robin Wright-Penn excels as a Bible-thumping foster parent who fears Astrid has taken a liking to her new beau (Cole Hauser), it is Renee Zellweger who delivers the most heartfelt performance of the movie.
Playing a failed actress who strikes a kinship while being a foster parent to Astrid, Zellweger delivers the performance with an incredible sense of vulnerability. You don't have to see her sing and dance in "Chicago" to discover that she's a great actress.
Because of its start and stop nature with each vignette, "White Oleander" is troubled by the lack of momentum. While each vignette stands well on its own, they really don't give you any real sense of where the film is going.
Most frustrating is the plot implosion regarding the pivotal event of the film -- the boyfriend's murder -- which is scantily examined through a series of flashbacks. You're given the impression that we're going to arrive at some great revelation, but it never really arrives.
DVD Features: Audio commentary with director Peter Kosminsky, producer John Wells and the novel's author, Janet Fitch, deleted scenes, and two behind-the-scenes featurettes with stars and creators: "The Journey of White Oleander" and "The Making of White Oleander." (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
'Swimfan' (PG-13) "Swimfan" is a frightening movie that's intensely paced and well-acted, but the only problem is, it really doesn't add any new twists to the already familiar stalker movie genre. Jesse Bradford ("Bring it On") stars as Ben, a high school swimming star with a gorgeous girlfriend (Shari Appleby) and good buddies, whose perfect world starts to crumble fast after a brief sexual encounter with Madison (Erika Christensen -- "Traffic"), a disturbed teen who clearly wants him all to herself.
Think "Fatal Attraction" for teens and that's what you get with "Swimfan" -- and like the aforementioned classic starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close, it's curious how the filmmakers somehow want you to root for the philandering guy in the equation, as if he's some sort of saint. That's not to say he doesn't deserve the horrors that are in store for him once his stalker really gets mad. It may not be original -- and maybe even strays into the point of ridiculousness -- but "Swimfan" might be a good movie to watch if you have thoughts about straying from your partner.
DVD Features: Audio commentary featuring Bradford, Christensen and director John Polson; 10 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Polson, and "The Girlfriend From Hell" featurette. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
'Day' Sees Light On DVD: Three science fiction classics -- 1951's "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (G), 1959's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (G) and 1981's "Quest For Fire" (R) have been given the star treatment on special edition DVD. The most poignant of the three is "The Day the Earth Stood Still," where a man from another galaxy (Michael Rennie) and an imposing robotic intergalactic policeman (the iconic Gort -- played by 7-foot-7-inch tall actor Lock Martin) land on Earth to deliver an urgent message on international peace.
The curious timing of this release as the real world teeters on the brink of war makes the narrative appear all the more frightening. The disc contains a fascinating hour-plus documentary featuring insightful interviews with the likes of director Robert Wise, and stars Patricia Neal and Billy Gray on the making of the classic. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)Copyright 2003 by Lifewhile.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
