The Return of Winona
Before there was Angelina, before there was Gwyneth, there was Winona. Since she was a teenager, Winona Ryder has been the actress most representative of my generation. She was goth teen Lydia in Beetlejuice, sarcastic killer Veronica in Heathers, dreamy Kim in Edward Scissorhands, grunge girl Lelaina in Reality Bites, and Joe in Little Women. Great directors wanted to work with her - Scorcese and Coppola to name two of the biggies. She was nominated for an Oscar twice. She inspired Johnny Depp to tattoo Winona Forever on his arm and dated practically every lead singer around. She even had a fling with Mr. Big himself during the height of Sex and the City. Then something happened. She got arrested for shoplifting and went underground. She actually hasn't had a good role since 1999's Girl Interrupted when Angelina herself stole her thunder and the Oscar. I have waited patiently for the return of Winona and it's finally here with Scanner Darkly.
So is Scanner Darkly worthy? I think it was a good choice for her reemergence. SD is helmed by beloved indie director Richard Linklater (not so indie these past few years, actually), it's based on a cult scifi novel by Phillip K. Dick (unread by me) and it's got a killer cast: Keanu, Woody, and Robert Downey Jr. Winona isn't the protagonist in SD; she is The Girl, but it's not a one-dimensional role. She plays Donna Hawthorne, girlfriend to Keanu's Bob. At the beginning of the movie we're told that it's set seven years in the future. Bob is undercover drug agent investigating a group of Substance D users and potential dealers. He and Donna are both among this crew so he's in effect investigating himself. Like Linklater's Waking Life, SD is filmed in rotoscoping animation, a technique that I personally don't like for the simple reason that it makes me dizzy. Linklater's toned the effects down a lot in this film, so I only had to hide my eyes for probably 10% of the movie (it was more like 80% in Waking Life). The animation was helpful in showing some of the hallucinations of the characters and the scramble suits worn by the undercover drug agents. But aside from that, I just don't think it adds anything to the movie. The animation kind of makes SD seem futuristic, but it's distracting.
The performances of all the leads are good. Winona as usual is able to convey much with her eyes and Downey is a standout with an especially humorous performance. The story itself was confusing to me. It's all about paranoia, conspiracies, and watching/listening to a group of addicts do their thing. My favorite parts were the exploration of the Bob/Donna relationship, but that represented too little of SD to make this dark and ultimately depressing work a success for me. Was Winona a success though? You bet. And hopefully her next role will more effectively showcase her talents.
Boulder Bumpersticker of the Day: This car is on an energy diet.
-sunday
P.S. I forgot to mention that The Fountainhead was on significant display in one scene. Linklater updated the screenplay, so I wonder if this scene was taken directly from Dick's book or if Linklater added it. If anyone's read the book, please advise!
So is Scanner Darkly worthy? I think it was a good choice for her reemergence. SD is helmed by beloved indie director Richard Linklater (not so indie these past few years, actually), it's based on a cult scifi novel by Phillip K. Dick (unread by me) and it's got a killer cast: Keanu, Woody, and Robert Downey Jr. Winona isn't the protagonist in SD; she is The Girl, but it's not a one-dimensional role. She plays Donna Hawthorne, girlfriend to Keanu's Bob. At the beginning of the movie we're told that it's set seven years in the future. Bob is undercover drug agent investigating a group of Substance D users and potential dealers. He and Donna are both among this crew so he's in effect investigating himself. Like Linklater's Waking Life, SD is filmed in rotoscoping animation, a technique that I personally don't like for the simple reason that it makes me dizzy. Linklater's toned the effects down a lot in this film, so I only had to hide my eyes for probably 10% of the movie (it was more like 80% in Waking Life). The animation was helpful in showing some of the hallucinations of the characters and the scramble suits worn by the undercover drug agents. But aside from that, I just don't think it adds anything to the movie. The animation kind of makes SD seem futuristic, but it's distracting.
The performances of all the leads are good. Winona as usual is able to convey much with her eyes and Downey is a standout with an especially humorous performance. The story itself was confusing to me. It's all about paranoia, conspiracies, and watching/listening to a group of addicts do their thing. My favorite parts were the exploration of the Bob/Donna relationship, but that represented too little of SD to make this dark and ultimately depressing work a success for me. Was Winona a success though? You bet. And hopefully her next role will more effectively showcase her talents.
Boulder Bumpersticker of the Day: This car is on an energy diet.
-sunday
P.S. I forgot to mention that The Fountainhead was on significant display in one scene. Linklater updated the screenplay, so I wonder if this scene was taken directly from Dick's book or if Linklater added it. If anyone's read the book, please advise!
posted by Sunday at
9:42 AM
1 Comments:
"Heathers" still makes me laugh. "Teenage suicide -- don't do it."
By
Urban Docent, at 7/31/2006 9:17 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home