bnorthup
04-22-2002, 11:58 PM
Murder by Numbers (R)
At the Circus
2.5 stars
Head: Kids will be kids
By Brent Northup
Let’s talk Hitchcock. By most counts, Hitch was not a very likable person. His films had a dark edge to them that made even strange people squirm. The reason? Because you just couldn’t trust Hitch. Just when you thought you’d feel less stressed if you just took a warm shower…
Hitchcock films had an edge – and that edge was sharpened on the nasty and dying side of life. I didn’t sleep after seeing “Vertigo” – the creepiness followed me home like Peter Lorre in a dark topcoat.
When major studios make “Hitchcock-style” thrillers, they inevitably miss the mark. Brian DePalma made a career out of Alfred rip-offs that never quite worked. And he was one of the best imitators.
Others who set out on the Hitch quest fail for different reasons – casting too sweetly; guaranteeing a happy ending; or just being too darn nice on the set. He is, after all, the one who said “Always make the audience suffer as much as possible” and “I didn’t say actors are cattle; I said actors should be treated like cattle.” He also once got on a crowded elevator where no one knew him and whispered “I didn’t think the old man would bleed so much.” Funny stuff…unless you were on the elevator.
Oh, yes, the movie of the week - or, as a friend says, the target du jour. “Murder by the Numbers” is a “thriller” about two teenage kids who are determined to stage perfect serial killings – and the female detective who’s determined to convict them.
Let’s start with the obvious: Sandra Bullock doesn’t exactly have a dark side. As hard as she tries, she’s still stuck with image she’s taken to the bank of a lovable, light-hearted leading lady. She does her best to concoct some moodiness here – but she just can’t make us buy it. She even consents to a rough lovemaking scene – but plays it with her sweater still on. How daring, Miss Congeniality.
The direction also has the feel of coloring by the numbers. Although Barbet Schroeder tries to appear as if he’s taking us into a black hole, but the steps back to daylight are just too damn visible. The truth is he’s making a Hollywood movie and popular films inevitably stop short of making us truly uncomfortable – because you sell more tickets making people feel good than sending them home feeling creepy.
And so “Murder by Numbers” ends up being “I Know Why You Directed This Last Summer.” (for the money, of course.)
I wouldn’t have wanted to spend a lot of time with Hitchcock. And being on an elevator with him would have been unnerving. But I do miss going on trips down the cinematic rabbit hole with him, ’cause you just never knew whether Alice would make it back alive or not. And, worse yet, it might be the Cheshire cat who kills her.
END
At the Circus
2.5 stars
Head: Kids will be kids
By Brent Northup
Let’s talk Hitchcock. By most counts, Hitch was not a very likable person. His films had a dark edge to them that made even strange people squirm. The reason? Because you just couldn’t trust Hitch. Just when you thought you’d feel less stressed if you just took a warm shower…
Hitchcock films had an edge – and that edge was sharpened on the nasty and dying side of life. I didn’t sleep after seeing “Vertigo” – the creepiness followed me home like Peter Lorre in a dark topcoat.
When major studios make “Hitchcock-style” thrillers, they inevitably miss the mark. Brian DePalma made a career out of Alfred rip-offs that never quite worked. And he was one of the best imitators.
Others who set out on the Hitch quest fail for different reasons – casting too sweetly; guaranteeing a happy ending; or just being too darn nice on the set. He is, after all, the one who said “Always make the audience suffer as much as possible” and “I didn’t say actors are cattle; I said actors should be treated like cattle.” He also once got on a crowded elevator where no one knew him and whispered “I didn’t think the old man would bleed so much.” Funny stuff…unless you were on the elevator.
Oh, yes, the movie of the week - or, as a friend says, the target du jour. “Murder by the Numbers” is a “thriller” about two teenage kids who are determined to stage perfect serial killings – and the female detective who’s determined to convict them.
Let’s start with the obvious: Sandra Bullock doesn’t exactly have a dark side. As hard as she tries, she’s still stuck with image she’s taken to the bank of a lovable, light-hearted leading lady. She does her best to concoct some moodiness here – but she just can’t make us buy it. She even consents to a rough lovemaking scene – but plays it with her sweater still on. How daring, Miss Congeniality.
The direction also has the feel of coloring by the numbers. Although Barbet Schroeder tries to appear as if he’s taking us into a black hole, but the steps back to daylight are just too damn visible. The truth is he’s making a Hollywood movie and popular films inevitably stop short of making us truly uncomfortable – because you sell more tickets making people feel good than sending them home feeling creepy.
And so “Murder by Numbers” ends up being “I Know Why You Directed This Last Summer.” (for the money, of course.)
I wouldn’t have wanted to spend a lot of time with Hitchcock. And being on an elevator with him would have been unnerving. But I do miss going on trips down the cinematic rabbit hole with him, ’cause you just never knew whether Alice would make it back alive or not. And, worse yet, it might be the Cheshire cat who kills her.
END