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"Agnes Bruckner
Makes Me Howl..." |
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Directed by Katja von
Garnier - Written by
Ehren Kruger
Starring Agnes Bruckner,
Hugh Dancy, Olivier
Martinez, Katja Riemann
Bryan Dick, Chris Geere,
Tom Harper, John Kerr,
Jack Wilson, Vitalie
Ursu
Bogdan Voda, Kata Dobó,
Rodica Mandache, Lia
Bugnar, Mihai Calin
Distributed by MGM -
2007 - 98m - Rated PG13 |
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An acquired taste... |
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In my eternal quest to
seek out every frame of celluloid that contains Agnes Bruckner, I
move eagerly and hopefully on to "Blood and Chocolate" -- a Romeo &
Juliet romance set in the present day world of Romanian werewolves.
Think "Underworld" meets "Before Sunrise"!
In addition to the benefit of Bruckner's bombshell beauty, I also
get to see another film directed by the lovely and uber-talented
Katja von Garnier. She is one of the very best young directors on
the scene today. If you haven't already seen "Iron Jawed Angels",
make a point of picking up the DVD on your next visit to the rental
store. Her artistic touch bursts out of that movie in ways that most
veteran directors can only dream of.
"Blood and Chocolate" is a riskier project in many ways. After all,
any journey into fantasy can quickly venture into the realm of
'silliness'. It truly requires the director to guide the audience
subtly, so as to not destroy the suspension of disbelief.
If I am to be entirely honest, this film wavered severely in the
opening act. Some of the lines, from some of the actors, stretched
believability to the snapping point. Olivier Martinez is an actor I
really like. He has a charm and charisma that usually wins me over.
But here, his role as Gabriel (leader of the wolf pack) hamstrings
the film too much.
However, the film looked fantastic and I was determined to continue
with my Agnes-fest. And guess what? The film slowly began to win me
over. I began to care about the love story. I began to forgive the
slightly hammy lines. I began to admire the visual flare and
terrific use of music (both wonderful traits that are becoming a
pattern with von Garnier). I began to feel the deliberate pace pick
up. It all started coming together quite nicely.
Bruckner plays Vivien, a girl brought up in this secret werewolf
clan, and who is promised to the clan's leader, Gabriel. However,
she is falling for an American named Aiden, a graphic novelist who
is fascinated by the mythology of werewolves. Needless to say,
Gabriel is displeased and sends a few of his henchmen to dispose of
Aiden. This escalates into a war of passions... with first prize
being the lovely, Vivien.
I initially thought that I had stumbled into one of Agnes Bruckner's
duds (sublimely lucky though that may sound)... But "Blood and
Chocolate" is redeemed by a few good performances, some scrumptious
cinematography, a peppy soundtrack and a confident director who has
earned my trust. It's not the best film of the year -- there are too
many cheesy moments early in the film to merit any truly lofty
praise. Still, it is a fun, romantic and exciting werewolf movie
that requires the audience to stick with it a little longer than
normal. |
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© Written by TC Candler -
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Richard
Propes' Comment
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Hall's Comment
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