#debbie harry
Day 19
Reflections on Anamorph(2007)
- This is the movie’s synopsis is “A psychological thriller based on the concept of anamorphosis, a painting technique that manipulates the laws of perspective to create two competing images on a single canvas.” With this plus the all-star cast of Willem Dafoe, Scott Speedman, Clea DuVall, Peter Stormare and many other loveable character actors - how could you go wrong?! Allow me to list the ways:
- The concept of anamorphic painting is not introduced until the 1 hour and 19 minute mark.
- The opening credits list Mick Foley (AKA Mankind) and Debbie Harry (AKA Blondie) in the cast, yet they are both have less than 10 seconds of screen time - combined! YOU DON’T LIST CAMEOS IN THE OPENING CREDITS!!
- Maybe the director was trying to distract the viewer from how much the opening credits looked like a bad teen art project?
- Sadly this has no relation to the Animorphsseries.
- Willem Dafoe plays a straight forward alcoholic detective with OCD who is also an expert murder / art professor too? He looks especially dorky in this - they’ve maybe dyed his hair? He looks like an anamorphic painting of a toad ape.
- Lots of gross shots of body parts arranged in elaborate tableaus as art. Why are so many movie serial killers just frustrated installation artists??
- All the detectives in this dress terribly in ill-fitting suits. Scott Speedman looks BAD and this is only 5 years after Felicityended.
- The line “uncle Eddie” is used WAY too many times.
- Bizarre visual effects are used to denote scenes taking place 4 years in the past (see first photo above).
- The hardened-detective-working-a-serial-killer-case-with-an-annoying-younger-partner story is so clichéd that I kept expecting a twist - something, anything - even a stereotypical twist! Maybe Scott Speedman was a figment of Willem’s imagination, or maybe they were in love? Maybe Willem was investigating… himself?! Alas, it’s just unimaginatively written and feels like it was intercut with a first year university art history lecture.
- If this review is too negative I’ll end on a positive note: There are a lot of scenes where characters notice smells. So I guess there was good smell acting.
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