Buzz Lightyear for sale! 5,900 baht!
Chiang Mai movies beginning Thursday, August 19, 2010
… through Wednesday, August 25
by Thomas Ohlson
Best Bets: Toy Story 3. Salt.
This is Issue Number 42 of Volume 5 of these listings.
World Film Festival in Bangkok: Nov 5 to 14.
Bangkok International Film Festival: Nov 19 to 29.
EU Film Festival in Chiang Mai: Sometime November.
Special showing tonight: (see details later on)
“Payap Reel” at Payap University – Tonight, August 19, 5:00-7:00 pm: Heaven's Meadow - The Small Wonders of Baan Gerda (2005 / 90 mins / Thailand) – a moving story set here in Chiang Mai about AIDS orphans who were supposed to die, but didn’t. Screens at Payap University, Mae Khao Campus, Pentecost Bulding, Room 419.
Now playing in Chiang Mai * = new this week
* Splice: (Canada/ France/ US, Horror/ Sci-Fi/ Thriller – 1 hr 44 mins – Starring: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, and Delphine Chaneac; Directed by: Vincenzo Natali. Elsa and Clive, two young, rebellious, and to me mostly repulsive scientists defy legal and ethical boundaries to forge ahead with a dangerous experiment: splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new organism. Named "Dren,” the creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into a beautiful but dangerous winged human-chimera, who forges a bond with both of her creators - only to have that bond turn deadly. If you have sex with an underage creature that’s only 50% human, does that count? And when your wife has sex with a creature that’s 50% her daughter, is that incest or bestiality? These are the ridiculous moral questions raised by this film. If these questions keep you awake nights, this movie is for you. I found the two leads disgusting human beings and their relationship with each other a dismaying demonstration of the worst in human behavior. An unpleasant movie. Rated R in the US for disturbing elements including strong sexuality, nudity, sci-fi violence, and language. Generally favorable reviews: 66/66 out of 100. (Bold scores are from Metacritic / light scores from Rotten Tomatoes.) At Airport Plaza only.
Rotten Tomatoes: Consensus: It doesn't take its terrific premise quite as far as it should, but Splice is a smart, well-acted treat for horror fans.
* Hello Stranger / Kuan Muen Ho / กวน มึน โฮ: Thai, Comedy/ Romance – 2 hrs 15 mins – Riding the local wave of fascination in all things Korean (but especially the teen and tiny boy-band, pop-star craze), another director tries his hand at a rom-com about Thais in that mesmerizing country that seems to breed only cute muppets. In Thai only at Vista, with English subtitles at Airport Plaza.
It’s the first of the rom-com genre for the director, Banjong Pisanthanakun, who is well-appreciated for his really excellent work in Thai horror films. He co-directed with Parkpoom Wongpoom one of the world’s biggest horror hits in 2004’s Shutter, and then the two went on to direct Alone in 2006, which I personally enjoyed even more. Then on his own he directed what I found to be among the more interesting segments in two horror collections, 4bia and Phobia 2. Now we see him branching out into areas outside of horror that he fully intends to pursue.
Wise Kwai: It's the solo bow by Banjong Pisanthanakun, who makes the switch to romantic comedy from horror after co-directing Shutter and Alone with Parkpoom Wongpoom and doing the comedic segments for the Phobia and Phobia 2 portmanteau horror movies.
The story has a young woman (newcomer "Noonaa" Neungtida Sophon), who's obsessed with South Korean TV dramas, and a young guy ("Ter" Chantavit Dhanasevi from Coming Soon). He doesn't get the whole Korean craze but signs up for a package tour anyway because he's lonely. And so he meets the girl and the pair have all sorts of wacky adventures while travelling around South Korea.
Kong Rithdee interviews Banjong in yesterday's Bangkok Post, and Banjong says that the movie is meant to be a satire of the Thai fascination with Korean music, movies, TV shows, fashion, and hairstyles, but will have a romantic angle.
* Woochi / Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard / Woochi - The Tao Fighter / 전우치: South Korea, Action/ Adventure/ Comedy/ History – 2 hrs 16 mins – Popular record-breaking Korean film from last December, with many Korean stars. It’s a big-budget, special effects-filled action romp based on a Korean folktale. Woochi or Jeon Woo Chi stars Gang Dong-won, who has quickly become one of Korea’s biggest stars, as the title character, a mischievous magician in the Joseon era of Korea. Framed as his master's murderer, Jeon and his dog are imprisoned inside a scroll by three wizards until 2009, when he is freed by the wizards to battle evil goblins in the big city of Seoul. The trouble is that Jeon is more enthusiastic about womanizing in his new home than his appointed assignment. At Vista only, and with only Thai subtitles to the original Korean soundtrack.
Directed by Choi Dong-hun, a South Korean film director best known for his gambling film, Tazza: The High Rollers; he is also a screenwriter and actor. Woochi has sold over 6 million tickets domestically, an impressive feat.
Asian media wiki: Woochi begins in the Chosun Dynasty in 1509 and involves a trio of Taoist wizards, a magician named Jeon Woo Chi (Kang Dong-Won) and his dog turned man, a corrupt king, evil goblins, and a prophetic pipe everyone is after. Eventually Jeon Woo Chi becomes sealed inside an ancient scroll for a crime he did not commit.
Jumping ahead to the year 2009, the wizards are called out of peaceful retirement as goblins start appearing in modern Korea to wreak havoc all around. The trio call on Jeon Woo Chi, who is released from his ancient scroll entrapment, in to save the day. Problem is Jeon Woo Chi, a kind of anti-superhero, becomes more interested in sight-seeing and womanizing in modern day Korea.
Twitch: Korean history buffs might have encountered the name Jeon Woo-Chi at least once. During King Jungjong's reign (early to mid 16th Century), Jeon worked as a bottom-feeder official in one of Hanyang's administrative offices, after which he retired from his post to spend the rest of his days in Songdo (today's Gaeseong, North Korea). Sounds pretty ordinary up to that, doesn't it? Thing is, Jeon gained notoriety in Songdo as a Taoist priest, with legends recounting his turning boiled rice balls into white butterflies and plenty of other peculiar feats. Sure enough, the stern Neo-Confucian mores of the government couldn't possibly allow this, so he was imprisoned for trying to inveigle people with his black magic, prison where he consumed his last days. What is even more peculiar is that, when they headed to his ad-hoc tomb to exhume his body, his relatives could only find an empty coffin.
This is where Choi Dong-Hoon's fantasy action blockbuster Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard starts. The director of The Big Swindle and Tazza: The High Rollers took the concept of this peculiar legend from the mid-Joseon dynasty, and turned it into a modern superhero story, with the titular Jeon Woo-Chi finding himself in the Korea of 2009, but with the same villains, goblins, and whatnot to fight with.
Cinema Online: Spinning off some classic Korean epics, director Choi Dong-hoon brings forth two tales ("The Life of Jeon Woochi" and "The Life Of Hong Gil-dong") and mashes them together to make a fantasy action-comedy that is both eccentric and interesting.
In a time of evil goblins and Taoist Gods, our hero Woochi (androgynous Korean star Gang Dong-won) is a powerful and talented wizard not unlike Harry Potter's crew but instead of wands, they use talismans as their source of magic! Often branded as a scoundrel, Woochi is a Korean Dennis The Menace to palace officials due to his trickery and mischief. When a heinous crime is committed against his teacher, Woochi gets the blame and is subsequently sealed into an enchanted scroll painting. Fast forward five centuries later, all hell breaks loose as the goblins reappear in modern day Seoul, and they have no choice but to summon Woochi back to hunt them down. We all know where that leads to!
“androgynous Korean star” Gang Dong-won
Seeing Woochi and his trusty sidekick, Chorangyi (Yoo Hae-jin) adjusting to city life is a hoot to watch, especially with the magic spells. Although the movie is mainly about Woochi, the scene-stealer is definitely Chorangyi, who not only has the best lines but also gets the most laughs with his funny antics!
This Korean box office hit is based on Korean folklore but one can't help but notice similarities with other films. Images from "Journey To The West" come to mind during a fight between the goblins and Woochi. You even feel like watching one of the new "Batman" movies when Woochi looks down from Seoul's high rise buildings! The editing seems to be too choppy though, as every scene is cut with so many angles. This lack of fluidity might even get you to think it has been censored!
All in all, Woochi is a curio with great special effects that hold its own against those we're used to from Hollywood. There's enough comedy and decent action scenes throughout, plus it finishes strong with a good ending!
Toy Story 3: US, Animation/ Adventure/ Comedy/ Family/ Fantasy – 1 hr 43 mins – Do see this! It’s truly entertainment!
I just saw it again, in 3D this time, and the 3D makes it even better. Don’t miss it. It’s inspired, and I loved every minute of it.
The story: Andy, the boy who owns the toys, is now 17 and ready to head off to college, leaving Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and the rest of the toy-box gang to ponder their uncertain futures. When the toys are accidentally donated to the Sunnyside Daycare center they're initially overjoyed to once again be played with, but their enthusiasm quickly gives way to horror as they discover the true nature of the establishment under the rule of the deceptively welcoming "Lotso" Bear. Now, all of the toys must band together in one final, crazy scheme to escape their confines and return home to Andy.
Starring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, and many other very talented actors; there are 302 characters in the film! In 3D at Airport Plaza, 2D and Thai-dubbed only at Vista. Reviews: Universal acclaim: 92/88 out of 100.
They’re all on sale in the Major
Cineplex lobby!
Buzz Lightyear seems to be the most commanding figure to me in the temporary toystore in the Major Cineplex lobby, but the price seems a big steep, don’t you think, at 5,900 baht? From another era, they have a WALL•E robot (you remember him?) at 8,500 baht (same for his girlfriend EVE).
And speaking of WALL•E, this Toy Story film has the same Pixar genius as that, and at times the heart of 2009’s Up. If you enjoyed those, give this one a try. Don’t be put off by the opening minutes, which are so loud and action-filled you might think you’re at the wrong movie. The sequence is supposed to be showing what goes on in a child’s mind as he plays with his toys, and as such is really brilliant.
Highly recommended, and the 3D version is true 3D, planned from the beginning.
Rotten Tomatoes: Consensus: Deftly blending comedy, adventure, and honest emotion, Toy Story 3 is a rare second sequel that really works.
Sun Online, Alex Zane: This is an almost flawless example of a movie that will keep pretty much any person of any age enthralled and entertained.
The Holy Man 3 / Luang Pee Teng 3 / หลวงพี่เท่ง 3: Thai, Comedy/ Drama – 1 hr 55 mins – The continuing misadventures of a young, self-confident, and stubborn monk (once a rock star) who, in trying to escape from a world of confusion, only finds more confusion. Lots of temple humor based on monks who can rap, with star turns by well-known rappers, bands, and singers, such as Carabao, Krissada Sukosol Clapp, and the band Buddha Bless. In Thai only at Vista, English subtitles at Airport Plaza.
First Love / Little Thing Called Love / Sing Lek Lek / สิ่งเล็กๆ: Thai, Comedy/ Romance – 2 hrs – A young and ordinary high school girl has a big crush on a heartthrob senior at school, played by for-real heartthrob Mario Maurer. To make him see that she exists in his world, the girl tries to improve her physical looks and tries to become the star at school, without getting the results she wants. In Thai only at Vista, English subtitles at Airport Plaza.
Salt: US, Action/ Thriller – 1 hr 40 mins – I found this engrossing, quite entertaining, and skillfully done. Just fun. And Angelina Jolie is magnetic, a true wonder, a star in the real sense of the word. I have one demure: The film requires us to root for the success of an assassin setting about to kill the Russian president, and then the US president. I don’t like to be forced to cheer on people like that, and actions like that, even in a fiction. Makes me feel very uncomfortable. And, I can’t swear to it, but it looks like there were some cuts made of sexy scenes by the Thai censors; maybe not, but there are a couple of shots in the trailer that are not in the film I saw. That sort of thing is not supposed to happen under the new rating system. Generally favorable reviews: 65/61 out of 100.
Roger Ebert: The movie has been directed by Phillip Noyce, an Australian whose work ranges from Tom Clancy thrillers to the great and angry drama Rabbit-Proof Fence. Here he performs as a master craftsman. The movie has a great many chase scenes, and faithful readers will know that these, in general, have lost their novelty for me. But a good chase scene is a good chase scene. It demands some sense of spatial coherence, no matter how impossible; some continuity of movement, no matter how devised by stuntwork and effects, and genuine interest for the audience. .... It's exhilarating to see a genre picture done really well.
Step Up 3-D / Step Up 3: US, Drama/ Music/ Romance – 1 hr 47 mins – A tight-knit group of street dancers team up with NYU freshmen to find themselves pitted against the world's best breakdancers in a high-stakes dance showdown that will change their lives forever. Third installment of the Step Up series, popular with fans of dance and pop music films. Despite the title, it’s not yet shown in 3D here, now in 2D and only at Airport Plaza. Mixed or average reviews: 45/51 out of 100.
Rotten Tomatoes: Consensus: It may not contain believable acting or a memorable plot, but Step Up 3-D delivers solid choreography and stunning visuals.
Scheduled for August 26
Piranha 3-D: US, Action/ Horror/ Thriller – A new type of terror is about to be cut loose in a beautiful lake. After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of prehistoric man-eating fish, a group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area's new razor-toothed residents. With Richard Dreyfuss in the cast – you remember him, the original battler of things in the water that bite. Rated R in the US for sequences of strong bloody horror violence and gore, graphic nudity, sexual content, language, and some drug use.
Brown Sugar / น้ำตาลแดง: Thai, Drama/ Erotic – This Thai film consists of 6 short erotic stories of love, greed, wrath, and obsession presented in several genres: thriller, action, drama, romance, and comedy.
The Expendables: US, Action/ Adventure/ Thriller – 1 hr 43 mins – Directed by Sylvester Stallone. A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator. Rated R in the US for strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language. Mixed or average reviews: 45/52 out of 100.
And looking forward
Sep 9: Resident Evil: Afterlife: UK/ Germany/ US, Action/ Horror/ Sci-Fi/ Thriller – The series continues. This time, in a world ravaged by a virus infection turning its victims into the Undead, Alice (Milla Jovovich), continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead - and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap. Rated R in the US for sequences of strong violence and language.
Sep 16: The Back-up Plan: US, Comedy/ Romance – 1 hr 46 mins – The Back-Up Plan is a comedy that explores courtship, love, marriage and family “in reverse.” After years of dating, Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) has decided waiting for the right one is taking too long. Determined to become a mother, she commits to a plan, makes an appointment and decides to do it alone. Generally unfavorable reviews: 34/36 out of 100.
Rotten Tomatoes: Consensus: Jennifer Lopez is as appealing as ever, but The Back-up Plan smothers its star with unrelatable characters and a predictable plot.
Slate, Dana Stevens: I wouldn't go so far as to recommend this movie, but if you were tied down and forced to watch it, you wouldn't necessarily have to chew off your own leg to get away.
Sep 23: Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps: US, Drama – 2 hrs 7 mins – Oliver Stone directs Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Frank Langella, Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon, Eli Wallach, Charlie Sheen, and Vanessa Ferlito in this scathing follow-up to the acclaimed 1987 film – 23 years later. Here the disgraced Wall Street corporate raider imprisoned in the first movie is released, and as the global economy teeters on the brink of disaster he partners with a young Wall Street trader on a two-part mission: To alert the financial community to the coming doom, and to find out who was responsible for the death of the young trader's mentor. Early reviews: Generally favorable: 72 out of 100.
At Payap Reel on Thursdays at 5 pm – Room 419, Pentecost Building.
The Film Series “Payap Reel” is a community project which screens films/documentaries on regional issues, social awareness, and international topics. The film series is shown in Room 419, Pentecost Building (formerly the Graduate and International Studies Building), at Payap University, Mae Khao Campus (behind Carrefour). Viewings are free and open to the public. Tonight’s film screening will be followed by discussion with the film’s director, Detlev F. Neufert.
At Payap University tonight (Thursday, August 19), 5 – 7 pm: Heaven's Meadow - The Small Wonders of Baan Gerda (2005) by Detlev F. Neufert – 1 hr 30 mins – Documentary.
There will be 24 millions AIDS orphans by 2010. Their life expectancy will be less than 12 years. Baan Gerda, a special purpose village in Thailand, provides a unique alternative that shows what true care and real love can achieve. A moving story about AIDS orphans who were supposed to die, but didn’t.
Baan Gerda is a little village in Thailand. Here Karl Morsbach, the former manager of a German company, and his wife Tassanee started their project in 2002 to give AIDS orphans a dignified place to pass away. The children were barred from their communities and were marked as “death.” But the unexpected happened. The children survived.
The Morsbachs have a very clear motto: Only a happy child has a chance for healing. They found loving new parents and built the village Baan Gerda. These new parents are also infected with HIV, and with the new function their lives have a sense of purpose. Since 2002 nine houses have been built, a little hospital, the main house with a big kitchen, a playground, and a guest house. A loving environment was created where the AIDS orphans and adults find shelter and a cordial community.
Detlev F. Neufert studied German Language, Philosophy, Theology and Drama and lives and works in Berlin, Bangkok, and now Chiang Mai. He started his first documentaries for German television and made short films about pop stars, including Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa and Patti Smith. His feature "Take Away the Night" (1982) was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard. His films include Family Life (short, 1979) and Heaven's Meadow - The Small Wonders of Baan Gerda (2005).
At Alliance Française on Fridays at 8 pm
The Alliance Française shows its series of French films in a small room in their building at 138 Charoen Prathet Road. The building is directly opposite Wat Chaimongkhon, near the Chedi Hotel. Tell your taxi "Samakhom Frangset" and/or "Wat Chaimongkhon." A contribution of 30 baht is requested; you pay outside at the information desk of the Alliance Française proper.
On Friday, August 20, 8 pm: Sarraounia (1986) by Med Hondo – 2 hrs – Burkina Faso/ Mauritania/ France, Drama/ History/ War. In Dioula, Peul, and French with English subtitles.
With Ai Keita, Jean Roger Milo, Feodor Atkine.
On January 2 1899, starting from the French Soudan, a French column under the commandment of the captains Voulet and Chanoine is send against the black Sultan Rabah in what is now the Cameroun. Those captains and their African mercenary troops destroy and kill everything they find on their path. The French authorities try to stop them sending orders and a second troop but the captains even kill the emissaries who are reaching them. Sarraounia, Queen of the Aznas, has heard about the exactions. Clever in war tactics and in witchcraft, she decides to resist and stop these mad men...
– Alliance Description
Sarraounia was co-produced by financiers in both France and the country of Burkina Faso (formerly known as The Upper Volta). Mixing equal parts fact and fiction, this historical epic traces the rise of 19th-century Queen Sarraounia of Azna. Sarraounia holds her place in a traditionally patriarchal society by sheer physical strength – and, according to legend, she is also an accomplished sorceress. In 1899, two xenophobic French officers go on a mission to thwart the uprising of Sultan Rabah in the Cameroon. Ignoring orders from the French government, these renegade officers kill anyone who crosses their path. But then they come face to face with Queen Sarraounia.
Time Out Film Guide: Sarraounia is a young warrior queen of the Azna tribe, whose mastery of the ancient 'magic' skills of martial arts and pharmacology is first put to the test when she defends her people from attack by a neighbouring tribe. But the real trial of strength comes when the French army marches south to widen its colonial grip on the African continent. The second half of the film centres on the French, acidly but plausibly satirised as little tyrants whose megalomania swells in proportion with their failure to grasp the realities of the culture they are trying to crush. Everything here is grounded in careful but never pedantic historical research. The film is superbly crafted and expansive; the tone is celebratory, loud, assertive and spirited; but Hondo doesn't allow the visual and musical splendours to swamp his certainty that Africans need to learn to value and develop the identity that was theirs before the white man came.
Friday, August 27, 8 pm: Serko (2006) by Joël Farges – 1 hr 20 mins – France, Drama. English subtitles.
With Jacques Gamblin, Alexei Chadov, Marina Kim.
At the beginning of winter in 1889, mounted on Serko, his small, grey horse, Dimitri leaves the Amour river, situated on the eastern borders of the Russian Empire, and sets out on a journey. After extraordinary adventures, they both arrive in Saint Petersburg, at the Tsar’s court. Having covered 5,600 miles in less than 200 days, this young horseman and his horse have thus achieved the most amazing equestrian feat of all time...
– Alliance Description
A captivating, exquisitely lensed widescreen tale inspired by a true incident, Serko follows a young Cossack as he rides his pony-sized horse 4,000 miles from southern Siberia to St. Petersburg, ca. 1889, to give the czar a polite piece of his mind. Veteran director Joel Farges imbues this tale with effortless visual sweep and salutary emotion. A genuine charmer for kids on up.
At Film Space on Saturdays at 7 pm
August is “The Month of Telltale” at Film Space.
Film Space is to the right and in the back of the CMU Art Museum, in the Media Arts and Design building across from the ballet school. Showings are in a classroom on the second floor or on the roof, weather permitting. A contribution is requested in the donation box at the entrance – you should leave at least 20 baht. Well worth supporting. All films not in English are shown with English subtitles.
At Film Space Saturday, August 21, 7 pm: Stranger Than Fiction (2006) directed by Marc Forster – 1 hrs 53 mins – US, Comedy/ Drama/ Fantasy/ Romance – In English. Starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah. Generally favorable reviews: 67/68 out of 100.
Rotten Tomatoes consensus: A fun, whimsical tale about an office drone trying to save his life from his narrator.
Rotten Tomatoes synopsis: An IRS auditor has his life interrupted by the sound of a personal narrator who knows his every thought, feeling, and action, including when and where he will die.
culturevulture.net, Les Wright: When it flies, it soars. But it develops leaden feet as it spins over into a convoluted, overly long wind down. This is an intelligent, engaging film that gets it right, for the most part, before ultimately capitulating to the demands of Hollywood.
Reel Views, James Berardinelli: Once upon a time, Hollywood films used the slogan "You laugh and you'll cry" to get people into theaters. That's literally true of Stranger than Fiction. Forster, who moved outside of the mainstream with Monsters Ball and Stay, comes back into the fold here, but that shouldn't be seen as a negative. This movie has the star power and potential for widespread appeal, but it's more intelligent than what we usually get from the studios. Nothing in Stranger than Fiction is cookie-cutter or formula driven. It's predictable in short spans, but not in an overall sense. The visuals are playful (Ferrell's numbers obsessions are colorfully illustrated on the screen with a series of overlays) but the emotional impact is not. Stranger than Fiction is a wonderful cinematic experience
Roger Ebert: Stranger Than Fiction is a meditation on life, art and romance, and on the kinds of responsibility we have. Such an uncommonly intelligent film does not often get made. It could have pumped up its emotion to blockbuster level, but that would be false to the premise, which requires us to enter the lives of these specific quiet, sweet, worthy people. The ending is a compromise -- but it isn't the movie's compromise, it belongs entirely to the characters and is their decision. And that made me smile.
At Film Space Saturday, August 28, 7 pm: The Fall (2008) directed by Tarsem Singh – 1 hr 57 mins – US/ India, Adventure/ Drama/ Fantasy – In English (and some Romanian and Latin). In a hospital on the outskirts of 1920s Los Angeles, an injured stuntman begins to tell a fellow patient, a little girl with a broken arm, a fantastical story about 5 mythical heroes. Thanks to his fractured state of mind and her vivid imagination, the line between fiction and reality starts to blur as the tale advances. Rated R in the US for some violent images. Generally favorable reviews: 64/64 out of 100.
Rotten Tomatoes synopsis: Languishing in a hospital, Roy Walker is a broken man in more ways than one: Unable to walk after a fall from a horse in a movie stunt gone wrong, his heart is also broken after his girlfriend ran off with the movie's leading man. Ready to end his life, Roy befriends five-year-old fellow patient Alexandria, with the goal of persuading her into stealing a fatal dose of morphine pills for him. Roy launches into a story that fuses patients, staff, and others at the hospital with imagined personas and exotic lands. What he describes as "an epic tale of love and revenge" is so riveting to Alexandria that she will do whatever Roy asks in order to hear the next installment. The tale loosely mirrors the ill-fated love triangle that has left him heartsick and features Alexandria's favorite nurse Evelyn, as the beautiful Princess Evelyn; Sinclair, the movie star who stole Roy's girlfriend, as the detested Governor Odious; and Roy himself as the avenging Black Bandit who leads the attack on the governor with the help of a colorful posse that includes Alexandria as the Black Bandit's daughter. But as the story takes a darker turn, Alexandria begins to realize there is far more at stake than the fate of a handful of imaginary characters. It's up to Roy whether the Black Bandit--and Roy himself--will survive the climactic final scene.
Philadelphia Inquirer, Steven Rea: Dazzling and delirious, The Fall is a celebration of cinema, of old-fashioned storytelling and globe-hopping spectacle.
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