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By
DEBORAH NICOL
Truth be told, children do
not really want to see cute, fuzzy bunnies and
singing elves. My favorite movies as a kid were
the ones that freaked me out, such as "Willy Wonka
and the Chocolate Factory" and "The Dark Crystal."
These were films that caught my imagination and
delved into darker aspects of the mind than the
holes into which fuzzy woodland creatures could
fit. Such is the ilk of "Lemony Snicket" -- a tale
of a truly wonderful disaster.
Quilted from scraps of most of the Unfortunate
series by Lemony Snicket (er, Daniel Handler),
this film focuses primarily on the first three
Events. On the outset this would appear to be a
depressing story: Three children are orphaned and
their house destroyed, causing them to proceed to
be shuttled from one awful predicament to the next
in search of a good home. However, powerful
storytelling and imagery can go a long way. Each
of the children is blessed with a special talent
that helps them cope (the key being that each of
these skills is attainable by the books' readers:
an inquisitive inventor, a voracious reader and a
kid with good teeth). As horrible as each
situation becomes, the greater the anticipation of
how the children will survive. Curiosity may have
killed the cat, but children thrive on it.
Director Brad Silberling ("Moonlight Mile")
creates an eerily beautiful vision of the sort
that Tim Burton seems to have lost sight of years
ago. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Burton's
faithful costume designer -- Colleen Atwood --
creates a wonderfully subdued carnival wardrobe
for the Unfortunate characters. Perfectly gothic
and fantastic, the film is enveloped by a lovely
and haunting score by Thomas Newman (in the vein
of his "Six Feet Under" and "Angels in America"
compositions).
Jim Carrey takes hold of and throttles life into
each of his four characters. In fact, Silberling
chose much of his dialogue from improv screen
tests Carey performed in order to try out various
costumes and makeup. He is not as wildly
over-the-top as in his younger days, and it is
very enjoyable to watch him launch into each
persona. The children are deftly portrayed by
Emily Browning ("Ned Kelly") and Liam Aiken
("Stepmom"), who portray an intelligence and
quick-wit not always allowed in family films.
Billy Connolly and Meryl Streep create wonderfully
eccentric characters to foil Carrey's evil Count
Olaf, and no small parts fill the cracks.
Catherine O'Hara and Jude Law take humble parts,
and Dustin Hoffman even goes uncredited.
Considering every bit part seems to be a talented
comedian, it becomes obvious that people wanted to
be a part of this project.
But names are not everything; rather it is the
image that is created and the spell that is cast
that is important. As beautiful and endless as a
child's imagination, this film sets the stage of
possibility for movies worthy of being a literary
adaptation. And if children run from the theatres
and into the libraries to seek out more disastrous
tales, all the better.
Extras on this disc include two separate
commentary tracks, one with Silberling only and
the other with Silberling and Handler. Carrey's
screen tests explain how his characters were fully
created, and a split screen allows one to flip
between each of the four troublemakers. A test was
also created of the two eldest children, used
later as a movie teaser. Also included are deleted
scenes, outtakes (mostly Carrey, of course), and
previews. A Special Edition disc is available in
2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and also includes
features on the costumes, sets, inventions,
musical score, sound features, special effects and
photo galleries. |
