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Blair Witch's magic is gone
By STEVE PERSALL
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 22, 2001
NEW RELEASES
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
(R) Sequel to the surprising 1999 hit The Blair Witch Project eliminates everything that made the original special. Or irritating, depending on your impressions of that low-budget thriller. Cameras are steadier, logic is shakier and the action more predictable since we've seen so many flicks turn doomed campers into Spam.
Another group of explorers wanders into the Maryland woods with cameras. One lens picked up something supernatural indicating there may truly be a Blair Witch. The story gets hackneyed with possessed spirits, gratuitous nudity and graphic violence the first film was ingenious enough to avoid. Love the first film, hate the second or vice versa.
First impressions: "Stupid things happen in these woods: creepy confetti, a haunted tree, ghostly apparitions, arbitrary psychic ability and gruesome hallucinations. A nasty bit of violence is foreshadowed with flashes of bondage and evisceration.
"Take away Book of Shadows' references to The Blair Witch Project and this movie could be Urban Legends Part 5 or The Craft Part 7. It operates like every other gore-bore created for cheap thrills and fast paydays. The revolution in movie terror is over. Ingenuity surrendered."
Second impressions: No. 3 on my list of 2000's worst films. The producers wish to thank Battlefield Earth and American Psycho for existing.
Rental audience: Pentagram doodlers.
Rent it if you enjoy: The same old gore-bore.
The Watcher
[Photo: Universal Studios]
Keanu Reeves plays a serial killer who preys on young women in The Watcher.
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(R) Burned-out detective (James Spader) is tormented by the serial killer (Keanu Reeves) who got away. He's ba-a-a-a-ck, enduring psychiatric therapy with the film's damsel-in-distress (Marisa Tomei). Guess who else is spending time on her couch? The cop, of course. Nobody knows who anybody else truly is, or why these actors accepted the roles.
First impressions: "(The) film, borrowing a plot device from The Cell, The Bone Collector, Seven and other sources, has a serial killer dropping clues about his next victim . . . and a desperate race against the clock. . .
"Spader (Crash, Stargate) is suitably frayed around the edges as the driven Campbell . . . (although) his stress-induced attacks of severe migraine headaches are visually represented by annoying flashbulb-like effects that temporarily freeze the motion. Similarly irksome are shots from the killer's point of view: grainy textures, muted colors, eerie lighting and all. Weren't audiences subjected to this technique more than enough during the glory days of slasher movies?" (Phillip Booth, Times correspondent)
Second thoughts: Never gave it one.
Rental audience: Devoted fans of Reeves, Spader and Tomei, meaning there should be plenty of copies available on the shelf.
Rent it if you enjoy: Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. That'll teach you.
Beautiful
(PG-13) Self-centered beauty pageant hopeful (Minnie Driver, Good Will Hunting) must hide her precocious daughter (Hallie Kate Eisenberg, the Pepsi kid) from judges to remain eligible. Will she see the light and place her child before fame and fortune? Who knows? Destination Films barely allowed Sally Field's debut film as a director to see the light of projectors.
First impressions: "Beautiful should have gone through lots and lots more rewrites before it was imposed on audiences. It's a movie with so many inconsistencies, improbabilities, unanswered questions and unfinished characters that we have to suspend not only disbelief but also intelligence.
"Minnie Driver finds herself in an acting triathlon. (Her character) changes personalities, strategies and IQ levels from scene to scene . . . made of disconnected pieces, held together with labored plot furniture." (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times).
Second thoughts: We like you Sally, we really like you, but not this movie.
Rental audience: Folks seeking cheery dreck.
Rent it if you enjoy: Miss Congeniality, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Smile with the charm removed.
REWIND
Videos worth another look
Barrymore turns cute into clout
Anybody born with the surname "Barrymore" and a godfather named Steven Spielberg must be destined to become a movie star. Drew Barrymore tried to sidestep destiny with childhood alcoholism and drug abuse, but now she's one of our brightest young stars.
The granddaughter of acting legend John Barrymore celebrates her 26th birthday today. Considering her 46 film and television credits, it's safe to say Drew Barrymore is making up for her idle rehab years.
Not only is Barrymore a major box office attraction, but she's also developing clout as a producer, including hits Charlie's Angels and Never Been Kissed and the upcoming remake of Barbarella. She also co-produced Donnie Darko, a favorite at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Watch her grow up before your eyes with these video selections:
Altered States -- Barrymore's film debut was playing the daughter of scientists (William Hurt, Blair Brown) seeking the core of evolution. Small role, fascinating film.
E.T.: The Extraterrestrial -- Who can forget Barrymore's Gertie screaming at the sight of E.T. or brushing off aliens as another folk tale like alligators in the sewers? A classic film and audiences embraced its 6-year-old co-star.
Firestarter -- Barrymore's first central role, playing a combustible psychic in Stephen King's fright show. Dig how her hair blows when she's thinking about torching something (or someone).
Far From Home -- The little girl grew up fast. At 14, Barrymore played a girl on vacation with her father who meets two boys. One is a murderer in this taut, overlooked thriller.
Poison Ivy and Guncrazy -- After rehab, Barrymore returned with a vengeance as femme fatales in two energetic, independent films. Poison Ivy cast her as an intruder seducing her way into a family. Guncrazy is an edgy remake of a film noir favorite.
Boys on the Side -- A breakout role in a movie that deserved more attention. Barrymore plays an abused wife on the lam with shelterers including Whoopi Goldberg and Mary-Louise Parker.
Everyone Says I Love You -- Woody Allen hired Barrymore to play a lovestruck debutante in this odd musical comedy. She can't sing well, but she's a charmer.
The Wedding Singer -- Finally, a hit that Barrymore could take much credit for. Adam Sandler was the draw for audiences, but she was the surprise in a breezy ingenue role.
Ever After -- This cheeky take on Cinderella was a surprise box office hit and firmly established Barrymore as an actor who can carry a movie.
Never Been Kissed -- Dumb comedy about a reporter going undercover at a high school, but Barrymore was absolutely huggable.
DVD
New and noteworthy for digital players
Find the goodies hidden on DVDs
February isn't finished, but it isn't too early to search for "Easter eggs" on many of your favorite DVDs. That's a nickname for goodies hidden among the disc's special features, usually unadvertised and chiefly discovered through trial-and-error.
DVD designers enjoy dropping a few secrets into the program and viewers get a kick out of finding them. The process can be frustrating because you can't be certain if anything is there to be found.
Help is available on the Internet, where DVD users are sharing those secrets. One of the best places to locate these "cheats" is http://avenger.gamewinners.com/dvd/
Dozens of DVDs and their secrets are listed in alphabetical order. The site also features cheats for a variety of video game and personal computer formats.
Here are a few examples of Easter eggs to be discovered:
American Pie -- You can find preview trailers for three much better Universal Pictures comedy classics: American Graffiti, The Blues Brothers and National Lampoon's Animal House. Just select the bonus features option, then click the "Recommendations" option.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me -- Enter "special features" and be patient. After Austin's antics, Dr. Evil's spaceship will appear and leave a symbol on the screen. Click it to find hidden goodies including a Comedy Central featurette about the movie.
Chicken Run -- Plenty of eggs here, as you might expect. Each one requires some remote control action out of the ordinary, such as going to the subtitles menu, pressing "Off," then pressing "Down." You get funny factoids about poultry and the film. Best bet: Go to the cast biographies and just start poking around.
The Sixth Sense -- You can find a short movie M. Night Shyamalan directed when he was a child by visiting the Bonus Materials menu, advancing to the second screen and highlighting the jewelry box icon.
Gladiator -- Insert the bonus features disc, select "Original Storyboards" and advance to the second screen. Press the "More" button, then select the rhino-fight sequence. Click on the rhino in the center of the first storyboard and press "Enter" for a surprise.
Blue Velvet -- Highlight the "play movie" option but don't press the enter button. Instead, push the left arrow button on your remote control and an option titled "A Strange World" appears. Click it to find various scenes and commentary about David Lynch's film.
Magnolia -- Hit the "Set up" button on the menu for disc 1, then press the "Color bars" option. Be patient and a series of outtakes from Paul Thomas Anderson's ensemble drama begins playing.
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