Spring Break
"The Big Empty" - Lion's Gate Pictures - Starring Sean Bean, Jon Favreau
Issue date: 4/29/04 Section: Entertainment
After Neely is found dead, an eccentric member of the cast is introduced with Kelsey Grammer's performance as FBI agent Banks. Banks is a slightly crazed investigator who stops at nothing to prove Person is tied to Neely's disappearance. With Sean Bean's Irish Cowboy, who is the mysterious leader behind a cult of track suit wearing wannabe alien abducts, the main cast of eccentrics is complete.
The character interactions in the first half of the movie showcase first-time director/writer Steve Anderson's knack for creating quirky and interesting characters that dominate the screen and intrigue the audience. Every line of dialogue contains quietly subdued hilarity.
With one scene, the movie's tune changes dramatically into a mix between a bad "Repo Man"/"X-Files" clone and "The Big Lebowski." Mixing bowling with an alien conspiracy, the movie's final plot borders on pretentious. Offering few answers and lacking initiative for audiences to create their own images, the film's final scene seems like a bad art house film created for the Sci-Fi Channel. With such a wonky mishmash of genres, it's easy for many potential viewers to be turned off. Clever dialogue and great acting will keep audiences watching, but the 'vague for vagueness sake' ending will leave audiences with an empty feeling as big as the desert the movie is set in.
The DVD comes with deleted scenes, including a plotline - featuring the excellent character actor Danny Trejo, a director's commentary, a making of featurette and a combination music video/picture gallery.
The character interactions in the first half of the movie showcase first-time director/writer Steve Anderson's knack for creating quirky and interesting characters that dominate the screen and intrigue the audience. Every line of dialogue contains quietly subdued hilarity.
With one scene, the movie's tune changes dramatically into a mix between a bad "Repo Man"/"X-Files" clone and "The Big Lebowski." Mixing bowling with an alien conspiracy, the movie's final plot borders on pretentious. Offering few answers and lacking initiative for audiences to create their own images, the film's final scene seems like a bad art house film created for the Sci-Fi Channel. With such a wonky mishmash of genres, it's easy for many potential viewers to be turned off. Clever dialogue and great acting will keep audiences watching, but the 'vague for vagueness sake' ending will leave audiences with an empty feeling as big as the desert the movie is set in.
The DVD comes with deleted scenes, including a plotline - featuring the excellent character actor Danny Trejo, a director's commentary, a making of featurette and a combination music video/picture gallery.
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