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ART OF REVENGE
Produced by Stephanie Kime
Written and Directed by Simon Gornick
Edited by Larry Madaras and Melissa Remenarich
Director of Photography - Patrice Lucien CochetStephan Jenkins - Matt
Nichole Hiltz - Tuesday
Joyce Hyser - LauraYou may assume that the job of a movie reviewer is the best. You get to watch movies all the time and write essays about what you thought of them. I guess you would be correct in your assumption to an extent. It is pretty cool when someone hands you the latest horror flick or raunchy black comedy, but how about when the chief slaps a flick down on your desk that doesn?t look the least bit enticing? "Here, you can tackle this while I review the latest Eric Stanza masterpiece." Gee, thanks Chief. No, really. Thanks.
Yea, it kind of blows when you have to not only watch, but write something about a film that you wouldn?t normally give a second glance too while walking through the video store. Every once in a while, however, something good can come out of this. You just might find yourself enjoying a movie that you may otherwise have never given a chance.
Such is the case with ART OF REVENGE, a thriller-ish drama from Gator Home Entertainment, distributed by the good folks at mti Home Video. It?s not so much that the movie looked dull, it just didn?t appear to be the kind of flick I normally gravitate too, like horror, Sci-fi, bathroom humor... you know, the more mature stuff. This despite the fact that the cover art suggests knife murders and lesbian love affairs.
Having more in common with a Lifetime Network tele-film than an erotic flavored thriller, ART OF REVENGE ended up not having any nudity, lesbian love scenes, or knifings, but heck if I didn?t enjoy the flick anyway. Now I?m not saying that ART OF REVENGE is this fantastic movie that?s going to change the way you look at cinema for the rest of your life. It is, however, a simple little flick that manages to entertain and perhaps even work as a catharsis for those who have had their love spurned. Realistically, I doubt that everything could come together as perfectly as it does in this film, but hey, this is just escapism entertainment. Just relax and go with it.
Joyce Hyser (HOLLYWOOD KNIGHTS) plays Laura, a successful business woman who?s been carrying her husband Matt (Stephan Jenkins from the band, Third Eye Blind) on her coat tails for quite a few years. Now at long last, his dreams of being a big time architect are about to become reality. For Laura, this means that they can finally have a baby together. For Matt, this means he?ll be making good money and be able to have his choice of California debutantes. Not only does he not need Laura?s support anymore, he wants her gone so that he can pursue the lifestyle he?s always secretly fantasized about, that of the wealthy single stud. Needless to say, Laura isn?t too happy about getting kicked to the roadside, especially after years of nurturing him during his starving artist days. Laura doesn?t get mad though, she just gets even.
Enter the beautiful Tuesday, played by Nichole Hiltz (AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER). Blond hair. Frosty blue eyes. Mysterious. Classy. She?s even interested in the same artists and poets that Matt admires. Could Matt have just found his idea woman? His perfect match? Or is she just a little bit too perfect? And how is it that Laura has gone from bitter ex-wife to supportive best friend? Well, if you read the back of the video box then I?m probably not spoiling anything by telling you that Laura and Tuesday just might be working together to teach Matt a lesson that he will never forget. The question is, since Tuesday is basically a wild card, can even Laura be sure that Tuesday is not going to pull a double cross on her as well? How far can you trust someone who?s in the business of deception?
I did a have a few problems with ART OF REVENGE, mostly concerning elements of the story. For example, one of casualties in Laura?s revenge plot is her best friend Izzy?s marriage. Although it?s clear that Izzy?s husband Ben, played by David DeLuise ("Bug" from THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN), deserves what he gets, I never understood Laura?s total lack of empathy when it comes to destroying the marriage of her best friend. As cold and calculating as Laura seems, you can still relate to her being the underdog and root for her. However, when she stabs her friend in the back , figuratively speaking, with out any kind of provocation other than it was a necessary loss to achieve the bigger goal, Laura goes from being the poster girl for scorned women to just a plain old hateful bitch. Once this happens, the movie is left with no redeeming characters, anti heroes or otherwise, for the audience to get behind.
My second complaint comes right about the time when Izzy, played by Tembi Locke (STEEL), realizes her marriage is over. We see Tuesday entering Izzy and Ben?s house to plant some incriminating evidence, then we cut to Izzy crying, explaining how she found the evidence and told Ben that their marriage was over. Not only are we completely cheated out of seeing the confrontation between Izzy and Ben, but the jump forward in time creates momentary confusion as well. The problem isn?t so much that it?s difficult to put two and two together and figure out what just happened, I just feel that when you have to stop to figure it out, even if it only takes a second or two, then the director (in this case, Simon Gornick) has failed to keep you involved in the world he has just created. It?s not unlike having the show interrupted with a commercial break. Not really that big of a deal I guess, but I just thought that I would mention it. It?s either this or write a whole paragraph about how cute I think actress Nichole Hiltz is. Hello nurse!
Anyway, ART OF REVENGE is a pretty decent little film that a guy can watch with his wife or girlfriend, unless he?s thinking about dumping her soon, then he might want to go with something more along the lines of FRIED GREEN TOMATOES instead. Fans of the rock band, Third Eye Blind, will want to check this out to get their Stephan Jenkins fix. He turns in a pretty good performance as self centered Matt. Not unlike Bon Jovi, I can see his acting becoming more polished and moving up to bigger films if he continues to pursue acting. Maybe he can star in VAMPIRES III.
Scott Roberts
4-6-2003
Scott_R_SRR@Yahoo.com