Hey you John or Jane Movie goer. Stay out of the Cinemas for a few weeks while we clear out the stink of Brian De Palma's unfortunate turd "The Black Dhalia". If you saw the commercials you're probably expecting a sexy police procedural ABOUT the Black Dhalia's murder in the NOIR genre. Well, there's about twenty minutes about the Black Dhalia murders. The rest is about a goofy incomprehensible love quadrangle between Josh Hartnett (again, playing a cop... maybe he should just go be a cop?), Aaron Eckhardt (who is the most Noirish squarejaw of the bunch,) Scarlett Johansson (who seems to have had the ability to act squeezed out of her under the weight of all these big paychecks,) and a miscast Hilary Swank playing femme fatale. It's OK, laugh it out, I know it's hilarious.
When the film is about its plot, it's an undercooked goose. When it's about the act of film-making. It's kind of exciting. The opening is great if only for one of those dizzying De Palma long, wandering shots (think Snake Eyes). Granted I know nothing about film, but this one kept making me sit up and pay attention. Which is also its greatest shortcoming, because every time I did I was disappointed by what was happening. I really liked the actress who played the Dhalia in the lesbian films. How exactly was Hilary Swank her double??
OK. Long story short. The audience was howling at this ludicrous piece of winking pseudo parody but it wasn't supposed to be funny that way. It was supposed to be funny for film professors but nothing that would make them laugh out loud. Maybe the rest of us can get clued in when it gets to DVD with commentary.
When the film is about its plot, it's an undercooked goose. When it's about the act of film-making. It's kind of exciting. The opening is great if only for one of those dizzying De Palma long, wandering shots (think Snake Eyes). Granted I know nothing about film, but this one kept making me sit up and pay attention. Which is also its greatest shortcoming, because every time I did I was disappointed by what was happening. I really liked the actress who played the Dhalia in the lesbian films. How exactly was Hilary Swank her double??
OK. Long story short. The audience was howling at this ludicrous piece of winking pseudo parody but it wasn't supposed to be funny that way. It was supposed to be funny for film professors but nothing that would make them laugh out loud. Maybe the rest of us can get clued in when it gets to DVD with commentary.