Screen Scene

"Box of Moonlight"

Directed by Tom DiCillo

Starring John Turturro and Sam Rockwell

When a child tries to capture light in his hand, even though he
may not holding anything we can’t help but find it quaint and
charming. The same can be said for director Tom DiCillo’s ("Living
in Oblivion") newest film, "Box of Moonlight." John Turturro
("Unstrung Heroes," "Quiz Show") is Al Fountain, a droll, punctual,
goal-oriented electrical engineer. That is, until he meets the Kid,
played by newcomer Sam Rockwell. The unusual pairing comes when
Fountain’s job is canceled and he decides, on a whim, to visit a
lake he spent time at as a child. On the way back, he runs into
Kid. The eccentric Kid teaches Al how to look at life in a
different way.

While potentially trite and formulaic, the combination works
surprisingly well. Dressed in a Davy Crockett costume, living in an
open mobile home, and stealing lawn decorations to sell, Kid is
free spirit. And Fountain is not the traditional workaholic. He has
aspirations of something greater as he quotes himself with sayings
such as, "It’s not where you’re going in Life, it’s how you get the
hell out of there! Al Fountain, Sunday, July 1, 11:23 a.m."

It works so well because of Turturro and Rockwell’s
performances. Turturro, as always, is wonderful showing Fountain’s
internal struggles. And Rockwell does a good job of making Kid
believable. An especially memorable scene comes when Fountain
slowly lets it all go and has a tomato fight with Kid in a
stranger’s garden.

What separates this film from other finding-oneself films is
it’s surreal quality. DiCillo presents the audience with visual
images that border the fantastical – Fountain has hallucinations of
water pouring back into pitchers and signs with arrows going
nowhere.

In spite of the many wonderful scenes and shots, the story
doesn’t quite stay together as a whole. The problem arises toward
the end of the film with the injection of Floatie (Catherine
Keener) and Purlene (Lisa Blount) into the men’s lives. When a
married Fountain sleeps with Floatie, it is difficult to understand
his reasoning. Instead it seems like the obligatory
main-character-has-to-sleep-with-someone scene. And the ending
seems rushed and thrown together. Though the story tends to miss
something, like a box of moonlight itself, the film is enchanting
and entirely enjoyable.

Stephanie Sheh Grade: B+

"Spawn"

Directed by Mark Dippe

Starring Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen and
D.B. Sweeney

Recently Hollywood seems to be suffering from a strange illness
– movies with great effects but no real plot. Well, the movie
industry can add another patient to their growing list. First-time
director Mark Dippe’s adaptation of Todd McFarlane’s cult
comic-book series "Spawn" makes a genuine attempt at retaining the
feel of the series and pretty nearly succeeds. The effects are
superb, the acting is decent, but the story is lacking.

It is difficult to pinpoint what is exactly wrong with the story
other than the fact that it is just not enticing or exciting. The
plot isn’t quite sluggish, but it doesn’t draw the viewer in
either. Part of the problem may be the fact that the film is only
chapter one of the comic book series. In addition to standing on
its own as a film, it must serve as an exposition to the many who
have not been exposed to the world of "Spawn."

While the style and tone of the comic is replicated, the
complexity of the dialectic of good and evil is lost in the
tradition to the big screen. In an effort to assure that the
audience understands the nature of the dark world of "Spawn," the
script bludgeons viewers over the head that Spawn is battling the
darkness within himself and that the lines of good and evil are not
so clear cut. The movie then comes across a little too preachy and
didactic.

But there are decent performances by Michael Jai White as Spawn,
Martin Sheen as villainous Jason Wynn and D. B. Sweeney as Terry
Fitzgerald. John Leguizamo really gives it his all as Clown though,
providing some genuine laughs in the film.

Despite the cast’s talent, the main star of the film has got to
be the special effects. Aided by the use of numerous
computer-graphics imaging, "Spawn" is visually amazing. Some fight
sequences are entirely done with CGI, but the audience would never
know. Spawn’s cape is especially mesmerizing, retracting, extending
and coming to life.

Mark Dippe attempts to bring a successful adaptation of Todd
McFarlane’s comic book to the screen, but despite all his efforts
the film’s story is not as spectacular as its effects.

Stephanie Sheh Grade: B-

"Guantanamera"

Directed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio

Starring Carlos Cruz, Mirtha Ibbara, Raul Eguren and Jorge
Perugorria

Some of the classic songs have the best stories to tell and the
directors of "Strawberry and Chocolate" the late Tomas Gutierrez
Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio have taken this concept in making their
newest film "Guantanamera."

This modern-day Cuban fairy tale begins when Aunt Yoyita
(Conchita Brando) returns to her home town of Guantanamera after 50
years only to die in the arms of her first love Candido (Raul
Eguren). Candido, her niece Gina (Mirtha Ibbara) and Gina’s
husband, Adolfo (Carlos Cruz) are left to transport Yoyita’s body
to Havana for burial. The cold Adolfo is determined to deliver
Yoyita’s body on time to prove that his state plan to cut Cuban
fuel consumption through the transporting of corpses will succeed.
Along the way they continually run into Mariano (Jorge Perugorria),
a former student of Gina’s, who had fallen in love with her three
years ago.

The film retains the audience’s attention, creating a fairy
tale-like quality with its references to myth and Candido’s visions
of Iku. Symbolic rain and flowers add to the film’s fantastical
feel.

The movie doesn’t spoon-feed the audience the story, but dangles
it in front of them little by little. And throughout the film,
appropriate excerpts of the song "Guantanamera" provide breaks and
move the story along.

Ibbara is exceptional at displaying Gina’s struggles between her
practical sensibilities and her desires as an independent woman.
Perugorria does equally well as the reformed playboy who finally
decides to pursue his love.

Alea and Tabio not only bring the characters to life, but make
political statements as well. As the characters travel across the
country, the film shows Cuba’s political oppression and hardships
as well as triumphs. The movie sings a quaint tale of love and
second chances.

Stephanie Sheh Grade: B+