DVD Review: Sex and Lucia (B-)

Sex and Lucia (2001)
Directed by Julio Medem
Starring Paz Vega, Trist›n Ulloa and Najwa Nimri
MPAA: NC-17
Grade: B-

Review by Scott Standish

Sex and Lucia is a sensual love story that might be a little too difficult for most moviegoers. Powered by cleverly structured jumps in time and loaded with unusual characters its not your average day at the cinema. However, for those who favor sexually charged foreign art films this is one to check out.

The absolutely gorgeous Paz Vega stars as Lucia, a Madrid waitress that is totally free-spirited. Her boyfriend Tristan is a successful writer that is going through a serious funk as he attempts to write a followup to his debut novel. They lose each other and Lucia retreats to a small island that Tristan has talked about in depth. There she learns to live and love again, only to find that her past is not as far behind as she thought.

The structure of this sometimes brilliant film by director Julio Medem can be bewildering at times. Tristan explains a bedtime story as being circular, but with the ending re-emerging inside the center of the story. That is perhaps the best way I can describe the non-linear narrative at work here. Unfortunately Paz Vega's powerful performance seems to be made a little less accessable by these complicated jumps in time.

The striking visuals and steamy relationships manage to power this story forward despite the intentionally confusing timelines. A huge hit in Spain, Sex and Lucia offers great acting, some tasty scenery and more than enough sex appeal. Like the cool blue waters of this movie's location, Sex and Lucia is a film to let wash over you, allowing it's vaguely defined emotions to absorb over time.

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DVD Review: Deep Impact (D-)

Deep Impact (1998)
Directed by Mimi Leder
Starring Tea Leoni, Morgan Freeman, Elijah Wood and Robert Duvall
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: D-

Review by Bobby Nashville

Classic science fiction movies never seem to fall out of style: Blade Runner, 2001, even The Matrix seems like a movie that will age gracefully. On the other hand, the "asteroid colliding with Earth" flick Deep Impact has fallen apart so quickly in just five years that I have to think that ten years from now, people will watch this piece of crap just to laugh at it.

First off, and this really ticks me off when I see this, they might as well have called this film "Deep Impact Sponsored By MSNBC". The lead character (Tea Leoni) in Deep Impact works as a reporter for MSNBC so they continually plug MSNBC throughout the film. The "special reports" that show her on air for MSNBC are shameless "isn't MSNBC cooler than CNN?" promo bits. Strangely enough, their on air chyrons (news graphics) now look so idiotically dated that it gives the impression that MSNBC is run by farm animals.

Did I mention that Tea Leoni can't act? I didn't? Well she can't and nowhere is this more apparent than in this moronic disaster of a disaster movie. For someone that's supposed to be playing a tough talking journalist she sure seemed nervous, confused and stiff doing her job. Her awkward scenes as a news anchor actually come off as pretty funny, but the bad news is that this isn't supposed to be a comedy.

Morgan Freeman does his best to work through the cliché riddled material (he plays the President of the United States) but even he can't lift this train wreck off the tracks. I liked Elijah Wood (Lord Of The Rings) until I saw this performance, now I might have to rethink my stance on this kid. Robert Duvall, shame on you.

What saved this movie from an F? Well, the special effects (which come way too late in the movie by the way) are pretty cool. But when the script, acting and direction are this bad, I was left rooting for the asteroid. And to think, with the budget spent on this Hollywood debacle, 50 good independent films could have been made.

Buy Deep Impact On DVD From Amazon.com

DVD Confidential's Ten Favorite DVDs Of 2002

We reviewed a lot of movies in 2002 (over 100 titles). But when it came to choosing our ten favorites we made only one strict rule: the DVD had to have been released during calendar year 2002.

Let's get right to it.

1) The Piano Teacher (2001)
Winner of the best actor, best actress and best film awards at Cannes Film Festival, The Piano Teacher is a shockingly frank glimpse into the mind of a woman with twisted sexual ideas. (Released to DVD December 2002)

2) Mulholland Drive (2001)
With this incredible film, David Lynch has retaken his deserved crown as America's greatest living film auteur. Mulholland Drive is entertaining, thought provoking, bizarre, mesmerizing, and at times, very funny. (Released to DVD April 2002)

3) Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
The wisest choice by Director James Foley (and his producers) certainly was hiring the original author (David Mamet) to write the screenplay. Mamet beefed up his remarkable tale of a sales office in turmoil by adding the new character Blake (played extremely well by Alec Baldwin) to the mix. (Released to DVD November 2002)

4) In The Mood For Love (2000)
This is a fantastic movie packaged into a stunning DVD presentation from Criterion. On initial release, In The Mood For Love did not get as many U.S. screens as it deserved, but with this DVD, hopefully more people will be able to see this remarkable film. (Released to DVD March 2002)

5) Sunset Boulevard (1950)
The dark and delicious classic from Billy Wilder only gets better with age. Gloria Swanson is absolutely incredible in the lead role and you can never go wrong with William Holden, one of our favorite actors from yesteryear. (Released to DVD November 2002)

6) Basquiat (1996)
Basquiat is a highly underrated film that continues to hold up well as time goes by. If you aren't familiar with Basquiat's work, you will still find this story fascinating. If you are a fan of Basquiat, you will not be disappointed in this excellent portrait of an artist ahead of his time. (Released to DVD September 2002)

7) The King of Comedy (1983)
When released back in 1983, The King Of Comedy received rather negative critical response, in fact People Magazine named it their Flop Of The Year. But time has served this dark comedy well and like all classics the subtle nuances of each actor's performance seem to come out with repeated viewings. (Released to DVD December 2002)

8) Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
The reviews for this movie have been off the chart and with all of the buzz out there, I was concerned that this film might not live up to the hype. Fortunately, Y Tu Mama Tambien is everything that everyone has said, and more. (Released to DVD October 2002)

9) Ghostworld (2001)
Terry Zwigoff and Daniel Clowe's witty and assured script was nominated for a best screenplay Oscar. Funny, tragic, insightful and hip, Ghost World is definitely one of the best teen comedies to come out in years. (Released to DVD August 2002)

10) Scratch (2001)
For those that have no clue what the whole fuss is about, watching these scratch djs or "turntablists" as they sometimes called should prove to be a revelation. All the legendary djs are featured here (Grandmaster DXT from Herbie Hancock's band, Bambaataa and many more) and they get to tell their stories in their own words. (Released to DVD September 2002)

Honorable Mention: Vampire's Kiss (1989)
A bizarre yet fascinating tale of psychosis and twisted boss/employee relations, Vampire's Kiss is a darker than dark comedy that, like it's lead character, constantly straddles the fine line between genius and insanity. (Released to DVD August 2002)

Here's wishing all of our readers a happy 2003!

- Scott Standish, Ellyn Elm and Bobby Nashville (The DVD Confidential Staff)

DVD Confidential's Ten Favorite DVDs Of 2002

DVD Confidential's Ten Favorite DVDs Of 2002

DVD Confidential's Ten Favorite DVDs Of 2002

DVD Confidential's Ten Favorite DVDs Of 2002