Skip to main content

Gothika (2003)

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Gothika. Feature film. (2003, 98 mins) IMDB

...do you believe in ghosts...

Y

ou know ghosts don't exist. They simply don't, but these filmmakers want you to believe they do. Ugh. I suppose if I were ten, I might have gotten into this type of film, but I'm not anywhere near that age.

The film started out with promise. Halle Berry plays a respected shrink in a hospital for the criminally insane. When Penelope Cruz, one of her patients, speaks of the devil living inside her, we and Berry know Cruz is nuts and why wouldn't we think that. There are no ghosts and there is no devil.

Flash forward through a series of events where Berry finds her self on the other side of the table. He husband was viciously murdered and Berry is the prime suspect. She has no memory of the events and doesn't believe she did it. She's also haunted by ghosts and spirits in the way Cruz is haunted and when she explains this to Downey, playing a fellow shrink, she appears as crazy as Cruz appeared, but in this instance, we know she's not nuts. We saw the ghosts on screen just as Berry had seen them.

That's the dilemma our hero faces.

Did she kill her husband? I'm not sure, but if she did, she had a good reason. As the story progresses, she discovers her husband and the local sheriff kept sex slaves which they video-taped. The ghosts are these girls.

I suppose there had to be a reason for these girls appearing as ghosts and the filmmakers chose a rather gruesome scenario. It's often jarring to see a character come out of his shell to reveal a dark side. Dutton, the husband, is lovey-dovey and sweet at the start of the film but later as information is revealed, we learn he's a depraved masochist. The same for the sheriff who appears completely psycho when he rips his shirt off to reveal a mess of tattoos on his body.

There were two cool shots. One we've seen before where Berry walks down a hallway, opens a door and enters a room. The camera follows through the wall from the hallway to the other room without cutting--at least I didn't see a cut.

The second shots show Berry swimming laps in a pool. The exposure was slowed down to make it speed up on regular playback as well the camera seem to ride through the water with her.

Posted 2009/04/12 at 18h08ET in Movie Commentary.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If Only We Could Agree

Monday, June 11, 2012 ... have you been accused of misspelling a word you know is correct ... S usanne O’Leary wrote an interesting article on her experience with the variations of the English language in different countries. You know the obvious ones like colour with or without a “u” but less obvious ones like travelled versus traveled. Growing up in Sweden she learnt English in school—the UK variation. In publishing her books, she read reviews where she was criticized for improper spelling. False accusations as it turns out. While I write tire and cozy, it’s not incorrect to write tyre or cosy. Same language. Both accepted. Just different. You can read her write-up here along with the numerous comments posted by readers. I found it interesting, but that’s me. As a Canadian I deal with this issue everyday. I feel her pain when she’s criticized for something based on ignorance. No fun. I was told by a boss that “data are” isn’t correct. It should be “data is.” Read...
2 comments
Read more

Things I’ve Never Done

Friday, November 11, 2011 ... you would think, assume, I had did these things ... I I’ve done a few things most people never get a chance to do. Lived in Africa for one. Have written a few novels and screenplays. Wrote some songs you wouldn’t want me to perform. But for the most part, my life isn’t terribly distinguished. Life like most people except there’s a few things I’ve never experienced. Never been married. Close? Not really. I’ve never even been on a date or had a date on Valentines Day. I think most people, where the day is recognized, have done that. I often wonder what it would be like. Never had a birthday party with cake and friends. I remember the odd the birthday card from this aunt or that uncle. It doesn’t help when your birthday is the same day as a holiday. I don’t know who my father is. That one-half of my genes, my DNA that is me. Don’t know and probably never will. I think most people know who there father is even if the relationship isn’t what ...
1 comment
Read more

A Piece of the Action (1977)

Saturday, March 7, 2009 A Piece of the Action. Feature film. (1977, 135 mins) IMDB ... Who would you have over for dinner? Sidney Poitier or Bill Cosby. ... A PIECE OF THE ACTION is the third film starring Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier. Poitier also directed the films. (And yes, I would be fascinating to have both them sitting around a table for dinner.) We're in Chicago and I love the setup for this film. It's clever, fun and interesting. It starts during the dark of night. Crosby is a cat burglar robbing a vault in a bank. He's by himself, all the tools he needs, and doesn't speak a word of dialogue for at least the first twenty minutes of the film. It must have been killing him. His robbery goes off successfully. (It includes a jump from a six or seven story window. There was a similar scene in their earlier films.) When the cops arrive during the daylight, they haven't a clue and we catch a glimpse of James Earl Jones as a detect...
Post a Comment
Read more