Heaven

Rating:
Summary: I rarely give 5's
Review: 'Heaven' reminds me of the best parts of 'The Cook The Thief His Wife and Her Lover' combined with the cinematography of anything out of the best of Antonioni...add to the mix a narrative as creative and compelling as 'Memento' and this is a 4 1/2 star film...by my rating a 5 is a film for all time (e.g. Cassablanca) 'Heaven' may well hold up in time; but, it is at least as good as anything in the last 10 years.

Rating:
Summary: underrated...
Review: 'Preposterous' and 'pretentious' are two words often used to review Scott Reynolds' second feature. While I can see where those critics are coming from, I feel it's too easy to dismiss it as a complete misfire. Certainly, on first viewing, his own brand of cinema comes across as cold. But it's more apparent on repeat viewing, that his style is bold, singular and unique, not given into playing safe. He has created his own restrictive world of flawed and rogue characters in HEAVEN. the setting has no name, time and place and the characters feel out of kilter - a claustrophobic effect enhanced by his confident use of non-linear storytelling (reminiscent of Alain Resnais' wonderful JE T'AIME, JE T'AIME). add to this a sharp compositional eye, some garish art direction, and Martin Donovan, you have a potent piece of genre thriller. There are flaws to be sure, some scenes don't work and feel strained, i.e. the under-developed relationship between Sweeper and Heaven; slow-mo flashbacks to Robert's past with his family attempts to evoke pathos but are too cliched to work alongside the ingenuity evident in Reynold's skillfull shuffling of time. I think the biggest problem that HEAVEN poses to viewers/critics alike would be its unforgiving shifts in tone. If the over-the-top climax says anything, it's that Reynolds likes his squibs and make-up to be eye-popping. The DVD looks great.

Rating:
Summary: Isn't that the Hal Hartley guy?
Review: A divorced architect (Martin Donovan), while designing a strip club for a sleazy client (Richard Schiff), gets involved in a seedy underworld which includes a transvestite stripper with extra sensory perception, a strip club's bouncer called "The Sweeper," and two sadistic thugs the client hires for a nefarious deed. If that wasn't enough, the architect's "normal" life is populated with a vindictive wife, a perverted psychiatrist and a betraying family lawyer.

Slick, well-made thriller which curiously (for reasons I can't quite place) feels more like a sophisticated made-for-TV film than a theatrical release. Though produced in 1998, this latest film from New Zealand director Scott Reynolds had a very limited run in the states in 1999. It's a pity because the film probably would have found an audience.

It relies a bit too much on flash-forwards and flash-backs as the inventive building block for telling its story and the device grows somewhat tiresome before the end. And if you look hard enough, you may even notice that hidden inside the slickness of the execution is a pretty conventional thriller, but with a prescient transvestite thrown in for good measure. It's definitely worth a look.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Film That You've Never Seen!
Review: A suspense drama with a unique structure and great performances. Something like "The Crying Game" with a fantastic bent. I saw this film on a friend's recommendation and couldn't believe how good it was. It's amazing that so much cinematic garbage gets released and a terrific gem like this didn't. Don't miss it.

Rating:
Summary: Only worth it to watch Urban
Review: I saw this so I could watch Karl Urban, a very talented New Zealand actor. But it really wasn't worth the time spent. The movie relied too much on violence and shock to get its point across, and you get treated to a few scenes replayed over and over and over again. The plot was hard to follow, and the whole thing just seemed unlikely, especially as the characters had a range of accents, from American to Kiwi (New Zealand) One of the things that bothered me the most is that I wasn't able to figure out where the film was supposed to be taking place. On the other hand, Martin Donovan was more than interesting, and I'd be interested in seeing some of his other films.

Rating:
Summary: Richard Schiff fans get this!
Review: If you are a Richard Schiff fan, you have to get this movie and you won't be sorry if you do. The character (Stanner) he plays in this movie is so opposite of his performance as Toby Ziegler on ``West Wing'' that you have to see it to believe it! Stanner is both despicable and immensely enjoyable to watch.

Stanner is the owner of a transvestite strip joint and he's not very good to his ``girls.'' One of his dancers, who calls herself Heaven, can see flashes of the future. She helps Stanner win his poker games but eventually turns on him when a friend of his, played my Martin Donovan, helps her. She gives Martin the knowledge he needs to win a big game.

The movie is very violent and has lots of backstabbing and double crossing going on. Still, it's fascinating to watch.

Richard Schiff, as Stanner, chuckles constantly but he seems to be the only one who gets the joke. He can also be unbelievably cruel and twisted. Richard's performance is amazing to watch. There's a great scene where he tells Martin's character about the plot of a movie he thinks should be made. It's called ``Chairman of the Board'' and his description is priceless.

If you can handle the violence, the movie is well worth the price.

Rating:
Summary: Violent But Very Good
Review: There are a lot of violent characters that commit some very violent acts in this film, including rape, arson, murder and kidnapping. I mention this first because many filmgoers have limited tolerance for this much violence. It is a New Zealand film so the violence didn't surprise me. The films I've seen from that country have all been very violent. Nonetheless, the film has a very good plot involving a transsexual, a man who should have been born a woman, named Heaven, who can see the future, mostly when she is not conscious. She and the other lead character, a compulsive gambler played by Martin Donovan, are two people who live on the fringes of society and are perpetually victimized. They come to each other's aid in the movie in very inventive fashions, including Heaven's being able to see a certain card game unfold. There are lots of time shifts that are potentially confusing in watching the plot unfold. You will either find them vexing or inventive. I found them inventive and was not confused. All in all, I thought it was very good.

Rating:
Summary: Violent But Very Good
Review: There are a lot of violent characters that commit some very violent acts in this film, including rape, arson, murder and kidnapping. I mention this first because many filmgoers have limited tolerance for this much violence. It is a New Zealand film so the violence didn't surprise me. The films I've seen from that country have all been very violent. Nonetheless, the film has a very good plot involving a transsexual, a man who should have been born a woman, named Heaven, who can see the future, mostly when she is not conscious. She and the other lead character, a compulsive gambler played by Martin Donovan, are two people who live on the fringes of society and are perpetually victimized. They come to each other's aid in the movie in very inventive fashions, including Heaven's being able to see a certain card game unfold. There are lots of time shifts that are potentially confusing in watching the plot unfold. You will either find them vexing or inventive. I found them inventive and was not confused. All in all, I thought it was very good.

Rating:
Summary: underrated...
Review: This is a not to be missed opportunity to see Karl Urban in action. Famous for his roles of Cupid and Caesar on syndicated TV shows around the world, Karl lives up to his reputation as a chameleon in this movie. He plays a bouncer known as The Sweeper. Those who are familiar with his TV work will be shocked to learn why he is called that by the end of the movie. While he was in very few of the scenes, he stole everything but the cameras; putting in the only noteworthy performance of the entire cast. Viewers familiar with his previous work will wonder how long he had to train for the fight scenes and how many takes were needed to get them just right. He moves so quickly and smoothly you would swear this was his regular job. The dialog is riddled with curses as if the main players were still in their juvenile delinquent ages rather than adults. Urban's lines are a pleasant diversion from the rest of the film with perhaps one single exception throughout. The movie is dark due largely to it being filmed mostly at night. But also because the plot is a dark one. While the movie does jump from one perspective to another going from premonitions to the present and finally at the end to an actual memory, the plot is relatively easy to follow. A basic arson plan gone terribly awry. The movie is closed captioned which is also a plus for those viewers who like dark dramas but can't enjoy them in theatres due to hearing impairments such as myself. Not for children or those squeamish about viewing rape scenes as there are at least two, I still recommend this movie if only for Karl Urban's standout performance. He is young and popular and I, for one, will be waiting impatiently for more of his work to be released on video in the near future.

Rating:
Summary: Heaven starring Martin Donovan
Review: This is a not to be missed opportunity to see Karl Urban in action. Famous for his roles of Cupid and Caesar on syndicated TV shows around the world, Karl lives up to his reputation as a chameleon in this movie. He plays a bouncer known as The Sweeper. Those who are familiar with his TV work will be shocked to learn why he is called that by the end of the movie. While he was in very few of the scenes, he stole everything but the cameras; putting in the only noteworthy performance of the entire cast. Viewers familiar with his previous work will wonder how long he had to train for the fight scenes and how many takes were needed to get them just right. He moves so quickly and smoothly you would swear this was his regular job. The dialog is riddled with curses as if the main players were still in their juvenile delinquent ages rather than adults. Urban's lines are a pleasant diversion from the rest of the film with perhaps one single exception throughout. The movie is dark due largely to it being filmed mostly at night. But also because the plot is a dark one. While the movie does jump from one perspective to another going from premonitions to the present and finally at the end to an actual memory, the plot is relatively easy to follow. A basic arson plan gone terribly awry. The movie is closed captioned which is also a plus for those viewers who like dark dramas but can't enjoy them in theatres due to hearing impairments such as myself. Not for children or those squeamish about viewing rape scenes as there are at least two, I still recommend this movie if only for Karl Urban's standout performance. He is young and popular and I, for one, will be waiting impatiently for more of his work to be released on video in the near future.