Twixt (2011)
Review by Jude
Felton
As a
director, Francis Ford Coppola really has nothing left to prove. Over the last
few decades he has delivered the stone-cold classics, such as the Godfather
movies and Apocalypse Now, as well as those that are slightly less known, but
no less impressive, like The Outsiders and Rumble Fish. Sure, there’s been the
odd misfire here and there, such as Keanu Reeve’s performance in Dracula, but
on the whole he is a director that has delivered the goods.
With his
latest film, the rather oddball Twixt, I get the impression that he has made a
film purely for himself, without a care in the world what anyone else thinks.
There’ll be some, if not many, that loathe its very existence, and then there’ll
be those, such as myself, that fully embrace its kooky charm and over the top
performances. This is Coppola delivering an almost Twin Peaks-esque thriller,
and not a horror as it is billed, with a large helping of twisted humor.
Twixt follows
author Hall Baltimore (Val Kilmer), who is travelling around on a tour to
promote his latest book; one which once again focuses on Witches. However, upon
arriving in a small town, which doesn’t even have a bookstore (unfortunately
not so rare these days), he becomes entwined in a case involving the murder of
a local girl. It is here that he joins forces with the local sheriff, played by
Bruce Dern, in order to get to the bottom of it all.
Sounds
straightforward enough, but I assure you that it is. The film drifts to and fro
from reality to dreams and quite possibly hallucinations, as Baltimore enlists
advice from Edgar Allen Poe, as well as conversations with the deceased girl.
Quite honestly, this film was a trip. The humor totally hit the spot with me;
especially watching Kilmer impersonate a gay 60s basketball player (I shit you
not), and whenever Dern is on screen.
Coppola seems
to be just letting it all hang out with Twixt, with very personal elements
blending in with the more fantastic elements, such as the death of his own son
being mirrored in the onscreen events. Hell, he even cast Kilmer’s ex, Joanne Whaley,
as Baltimore’s ex-wife, which just added to the frivolity of the movie.
Twixt won’t
appeal to everyone, in fact I would hazard a guess that more will dislike than
like this outing, but I found myself totally engrossed in this wicked world and
can’t wait to watch it again.
Twixt is available on Blu-ray and DVD now from 20th Century Fox
Peggy Sue Got
Married (1986)
Review by Jude
Felton
Of all the
successes and failures within Francis Ford Coppola’s body of work, there is one
that, although not obscure, never seemed to get the love it so rightly
deserved; that being the 1986 movie Peggy Sue got Married. It was originally
released not so long after the mega-hit Back to the Future stormed the world,
and of which it shares many elements. It is a film that warrants a revisit
though, and now thankfully you can, as Image have released it on Blu-ray for
the first time.
Peggy Sue
(Kathleen Turner) is an unhappily married, to Nicolas Cage’s character Charlie,
woman who goes to her high school reunion. Whilst there she passes out, only to
awaken back in her childhood, and with a chance to change the events that would
shape her life. Sounds very Back to the Future, right? It does, but this is a
far more adult film, but really no less funny.
Coppola has
visited the 60s a few times, with films like The Outsiders, and this one is
another winner. Aside from having a wonderful cast, which also features Helen
Hunt, Joan Allen and a very young Jim Carrey, it has one of the most terrific
scripts. The humor here is sometimes very obvious, but when it works best is
when it is interjected in a more subtle manner. I was laughing so much in
places that I surprised myself.
Although an
incredibly funny, and poignant, movie, it does have a few shortcomings. The
ending is weak, and seems as though they weren’t sure quite how to end it, and
Cage’s voice tends to grate, in places. Aside from that, this is Cage in his
prime and delivers a performance that I wish he could return to. Turner is
excellent as Peggy Sue, and shows that she is just as at home delivering subtle
humor and she is in more straightforward humor, such as War of the Roses or
Serial Mom.
Image’s
Blu-ray release is solid, but unspectacular. There are no extras at all,
although it is definitely worth picking up for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’s
a bloody good movie, and secondly it does look good on Blu. It doesn’t look
amazing, although I doubt it has looked this good before.
Peggy Sue got Married is released on Blu-ray by Image Entertainment on July 30th.
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