12/18/08

Bob's Big Screen

Two films on DVD are supernaturally good

Reviews of "Ghost Town" and "In Search of a Midnight Kiss"

By Bob Connally

Comedy, romance, death and New Year's Eve are the subjects of this issue's films. Say goodbye (or good riddance) to 2008 with these.

Ghost Town

(PG-13, Avail. 12/27)

Ricky Gervais may own the title of Funniest Person on the Planet. As co-creator, co-writer, and star of "The Office" and "Extras," he has cemented himself as a comic genius. With "Ghost Town," Gervais takes his first starring film role in a part that was made to order for him.

Bertram Pincus (Gervais) is a dentist, which is perfect for him as it allows him to physically shut people up. He displays his contempt for those around him by stealing cabs, shutting elevator doors, and berating a nurse for asking him "irrelevant" questions, such as, "Do you drink alcohol?" His annoyance with people only deepens as he heads into surgery with a doctor (Kristen Wiig) who is more interested in discussing her tan than the job at hand.

After he gets out of surgery he realizes something isn't right. He complains about hallucinations and demands to know if anything unusual happened during the surgery. In a very funny scene, the surgeon and the hospital's lawyer explain that he died for seven minutes. Well, "a bit less."

Following this revelation, his life takes an Osmentonian turn. He can see dead people. All of them need something from him. As philanderer Frank (Greg Kinnear) explains, "New York is silly with dead people. They're all pushy...just like when they were alive." Frank knows what he's talking about. He's been deceased for a year.

Pincus doesn't like the dead any more than the living. But he's willing to do Frank one favor due to the promise that, "If you do this one thing for me, you'll never see any of us ever again." His task? To keep Frank's widow Gwen (Tea Leoni) from marrying "a real jerk," uber-humanitarian Richard (Bill Campbell). Pincus takes on the mission and, before long, Frank realizes that the bitter dentist has a heart after all when he falls for Gwen.

Romantic comedies are not known for being full of surprises in terms of the storyline, and "Ghost Town" isn't an exception. What makes this movie work like a good romantic comedy should is that we actually like and care about these characters. The screenplay by John Kamps and director David Koepp is clever, and they manage to make what could have been a saccharine ending truly moving. This is also thanks to the casting. Gervais makes the transformation of Pincus believable, and no one is funnier trying to squirm out of an awkward situation. Leoni is very good in an underwritten role, breathing life into the widow who clearly deserves better than she'd had with Frank. Kinnear shows how well he plays a cad. Despite Frank's many shortcomings we can't help but like him.

"Ghost Town" is a very enjoyable and funny film that shows Ricky Gervais is a viable film lead. 7.5/10.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

(Not Rated, would be R, Avail. 12/30)

Every so often, a movie seems to speak directly to you. The names and circumstances are changed, but you cannot help but feel that somehow this movie was made with you in mind. For me, this is that kind of movie.

Wilson (Scoot McNairy) is a struggling screenwriter whose move from Austin to L.A. hasn't worked out as well as he'd hoped. It's New Year's Eve, the most depressing year of his life is coming to an end, and all he wants to do is crawl into a corner and forget about it. But his best friend Jacob (Brian McGuire) won't let him. Against his better judgment, Wilson takes Jacob's advice and posts an ad on Craigslist. "We're inviting total insanity into our house," Wilson laments. But Jacob insists, "That's a good thing!"

It's not long before Wilson's phone rings. Not knowing what he's getting himself into, he reluctantly agrees to meet with the pushy woman on the other end who tells him, "I'm meeting three other guys today and I'm gonna decide in five minutes whether I like you or not."

The awkwardness that follows in the next few scenes is very true to life. Wilson insisting he's not comfortable in the ridiculous outfit Jacob has picked out for him, and the moment Wilson meets Vivian (Sara Simmonds) are very funny and realistic.

Vivian talks fast, chain smokes, and is giving Wilson until six o'clock to make an impression. The two are not sure where this is all going but their conversation is lively and engaging as they walk through the surprisingly photogenic streets of Los Angeles.

While we may think we know where this is going, the film actually ends up somewhere unexpected. The subplot involving Jacob and his girlfriend Min (Kathleen Luong) plays a part in that as well. It's a subplot more interesting than the main plot of a lot of films.

Written and directed with black and white photography by Alex Holdridge, "In Search of a Midnight Kiss" is a wonderful film, sharply focused on character and dialogue, similar in spirit to "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset." It has a few small flaws but nothing worth complaining about. Comedy, drama and romance all flow together beautifully here.

Holdridge casts well too. McNairy is likable throughout and he's so natural that you really can't catch the man acting. Simmonds has a bit of a tougher task with a character that could have ended up a cliché in the wrong hands. She plays Vivian's many sides perfectly.

This is the kind of movie that makes writing these reviews worthwhile. I'm guessing most of you have never heard of it, but I really want people to find this one. It's a terrific movie that you won't soon forget. 9.5/10.

Other new DVD releases

12/27

The Duchess (PG-13) - 6.5/10

Eagle Eye (PG-13)

12/30

Serenity (Blu-Ray)

The Truman Show (Blu-Ray)

1/6

The Tudors: Season 2

Pineapple Express (R) - 8.5/10

1/13

Brideshead Revisited (PG-13) - 7.5/10

Swing Vote (PG-13)