In ‘Possession’ of love, mystery

Love, that emotionally laced elixir that fans the flames of

deepest desires and passions in adults has resurfaced in Hollywood

after a long season of shoot ‘em up action thrillers and a steady

diet of kids’ “gotta see it ma” blockbuster hits.

“Possession” is a combination of romance and mystery set in both

the modern and Victorian age, crisscrossing the paths of a pair of

academic-minded sleuths in 2002 with a pair of artistically minded

poets in the 1850s.

The discovery of a love letter written and tucked away in a

journal by the Victorian author Randolph Henry Ash more than 100

years earlier seems to be intended for a woman other than his wife.

Such a revelation would be scandalous, as well as generate a flurry

of activity among the collectors, experts and caretakers of the

archives and properties of the poets if a love affair did indeed

occur between the unlikely pair. It seems Randolph Henry Ash was

completely devoted to his wife, his famous love poems were assumed to

be about her. As for the woman in question, Christabel LaMotte, her

lifestyle also indicates her affections lay elsewhere. Though Ash and

LaMotte live and work within the same village at the same time, no

proof ever connected the two socially or intimately -- that is, until

the unsent love letter is found. However, only a novice scholar would

leap to such a rash and impossible theory of a clandestine affair.

Roland Mitchell, the American studying Ash’s life in England on a

fellowship, is the novice scholar who accidentally stumbles upon the

love letter, setting the student off on an adventurous investigation

to prove his theory. First stop on the journey is to learn more about

LaMotte, which brings him to Dr. Maud Bailey, respected expert on

Christabel, as well as being her great, great, great

niece.”Possession” blends the past and present together cleverly by

having Roland and Maud travel to the homes of Ash and LaMotte. The

parallels between each couple, past and present, reveals differences

in their relationships. Though Ash and LaMotte are from the Victorian

age, it’s Roland and Maud who are the more cautious about getting

involved with each other. Aaron Eckhart, (“Erin Brokovitch”) plays

the brash and eager Roland Mitchell. Gwyneth Paltrow as Maud Bailey

delivers a reserved, prim and proper persona, resulting in a bit of

entertaining humor between the Americans and English.

The romantic detective story has many emotional layers that get

revealed and peeled back as the story progresses, resulting in

surprise and satisfaction for viewing audiences who suspect they know

just how the love story will end.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 39, produces commercial videos and

documentaries.

‘Simone’ fails to make emotional connection

Writer/director Andrew Niccol’s “Simone” has an interesting

premise with a quick hook: a film director, Viktor Taransky (Al

Pacino), creates a computer-generated star named Simone (played to

perfection by none other than ... Simone) to resuscitate his

withering career. The pop-culture-obsessed public embraces Simone

with fervent, open arms, clamoring with a desperation-fueled

infatuation. Taransky’s lie grows into a perilous and tangled web of

deceit; the more he claims that Simone values privacy, the more he

refuses to answer the intrusive media’s questions, the more Simone’s

star rises. The quandary is that even if Taransky decides to come

clean, his career will be over. He’s nothing without Simone.

“Simone” is a high-concept film totally enamored with itself. You

can feel it winking at you from the screen, as if to say: You’re in

on the joke, right?

This approach causes two big problems: First, how do you buy into

a movie that doesn’t take itself seriously? Second, the movie’s tone

jumps erratically across the emotionally spectrum. At varying

intervals, “Simone” is a broad comedy, farcical social commentary and

hard-hitting drama. It is much too clever for its own good. It’s

carefully constructed wall of cynicism prevents the audience from

making any kind of emotional connection.

Instead, we get an endless assault of the same redundant,

rapid-fire jokes, each self-congratulating its witty sharpness. It’s

a fun premise, but when stretched out over two hours, it’s obvious

how thin it is. “Simone” is not a film about emotions or people, it’s

about intellectual ideas. Typically, that’s not the formula for

inspiring audiences.

“Simone” attempts to humanize the film with a subplot involving

Frank’s daughter Lanie (Evan Rachel Wood) trying to reconcile him

with his ex-wife, Elaine (Catherine Keener). Unfortunately, this

thread isn’t convincingly integrated into the main story line. These

scenes feel hurried and unsure of themselves. Niccol doesn’t seem

focused on what he wants us to feel. Keener’s character feels

downright neglected; the movie wants us to like her, but she comes

off as frigid and detached, which happens to be Keener’s specialty.

It’s Wood that is the ray of sunshine in “Simone.” She’s an immensely

talented young actress who provides much needed balance. Pacino

underplays Viktor, often tossing his lines off like a food order at

McDonald’s. Pacino tries hard to ground the story, but with each

improbable plot development growing more ludicrous than the last he

winds up lost in a forest without a compass.

Actor Jason Schwartzman, so fantastic in Wes Anderson’s

“Rushmore,” is another criminally underused asset. Even Winona

Ryder’s unbilled cameo is some of the best work she’s done lately.

The cinematography is over stylized and obvious. Shades of blue

are shoved down our throat to suggest the cold, steely, antiseptic

nature of technology. This approach worked for Niccol’s last

directorial effort, “Gattaca,” because the look fit the tone. Here,

it’s overkill.

Sure, there are some fun moments of biting humor. I almost fell

out of my chair when Simone does a live satellite talk show from a

poor Third World nation where she’s doing volunteer work (because

obviously, a computer-generated person can’t appear in person, it

would ruin the ruse). The idea of stars exploiting others’ misery to

get some good press is amusing, but the image of Simone looking

flawlessly gorgeous when set against the background of a war-torn

village complete with scavenger dogs and the faint sound of machine

guns is a truly inspired parody of today’s news reporting.

These are smart observations. However, a few great scenes doesn’t

ensure a great film.

* ALLEN MacDONALD, 29, is working toward his master’s degree in

screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.