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Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead - DVD
Director: Gary Fleder Writers: Scott Rosenberg Producers: Cary Woods Studio: Miramax Characters: Andy Garcia - Jimmy the Saint Christopher Walken - The Man With the Plan Gabrielle Anwar - Dagney William Forsythe - Franchise Treat Williams - Critical Bill Christopher Lloyd - Pieces Bill Nunn - Easy Wind Features: Production Featurette, Theatrical Trailer, Chapter Search, Widescreen 1.85:1, ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 Review: I came away from this film with mixed feelings, but in the week that has passed since I actually watched the movie, they have turned pretty much 100% bad. "Things To Do In Denver" is an unusual movie, and lends itself to unusually strong (and polar) reactions. Unfortunately the word that most closely approximates my reaction is 'revulsion'. My problems with the film are numerous, with the first and most significant being Andy Garcia as Jimmy the Saint. Actually, we can probably add in anyone naming a character 'Jimmy the Saint' as my second problem with the movie. As for Garcia, I guess he's an attractive enough guy (though he's, like, not my type or something), but there is little question that he comes off as an unctuous bastard. I'm not overly fond of the other principles either (except, of course, Christopher Walken as the crippled mob boss 'The Man With the Plan'). Also, Treat Williams, is atypically convincing as a dumb but extremely volatile psycho dude. Christopher Lloyd isn't bad, either. Elsewhere, the cinematography is pretty interesting and the story is good. The script, though, I am decidedly less than fond of. The principles' quasi-gangster dialect manages to sound forced and oddly-cliched despite its uniqueness to this film -- it was completely invented by Rosenberg. Particularly irritating and distracting is the dialogue between Garcia and Gabrielle Anwar. The only truly redeeming feature of the film was the quality of a few of the supporting performances. Don Cheadle, Christopher Walken, and Steve Buschemi all did an excellent job with what they were given, which was not particularly substatial in volume or quality. Cheadle had a particularly small role, but it was up to his usual standards -- he brought a great deal to the character. Let's see... I also hated the music. Oh, the quality of the DVD is expectedly low, too (Buena Vista, and all that). The A/V quality, though, is good. Good sound, quite a good picture. Other than that there isn't much to see: a small and very 'studio' featurette, the trailer... That's about it. My conclusion is that I clearly did not like the film or its presentation. I do, however, know of a few people who really love it (caveat: at least on of those people [Roger, for those who know him] is a complete moron and is not to be trusted), so if you think you can sit through two hours of Andy Garcia spouting cliched and unconvincing crap without too much squirming, give it a try. -- John
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