The Fall

Apologies to those who find fantasy to be a dying genre. The Fall, directed by Tarsem Singh, is scheduled for release on May 9th, but the reviews are mixed (and missing). Tarsem is the director of The Cell, and although he travels short distances to come up with film titles, his imagination more than makes up for it. Jennifer Lopez is not the best of actresses, yet her performance in The Cell is watchable, as is Vincent Donofrio and Vince Vaughn's (pre comedy). The structure of The Fall is predictable - man tells young girl stories that weave characters from reality into fairy tales. David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac) said that this is "what would've happened if Andrei Tarkovsky had made The Wizard of Oz "(firstshowing). The acting doesn't seem particularly strong but no one loved Terry Gilliam for eliciting strong performances. Tarsem's gift lies in the visual, and after films like 300, which left me feeling two-toned, I am more than excited to partake in any colorful adventure. The Fall received mixed reviews when it premiered at Toronto in 2006 but two directors saw something that the critics didn't. Aforementioned David Fincher and Spike Jones (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) are titled as presenters in the trailer, which could mean anything from money to marketing. Tarsem independently financed the film, using a large percentage of his own purse, and part of me wants to reach out to the film for its sans-studio qualities. This doesn't always produce great results but its better than giving 20th Century Fox ten dollars.

The Fall
First Showing
The Cell
Andrei Tarkovsky