Andy Garcia Movie:

Editorial Review:
British thespian and sophomore director Kenneth Branagh follows up his adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V with this abrupt change of pace, a slick, stylish thriller evocative of Hitchcock, classic film noir, and gothic shockers. Sporting an exaggerated American accent, Branagh stars as L.A. private eye Mike Church, a hard-boiled but softhearted detective who takes on the case of a mysterious amnesiac (Branagh's then-real-life wife, Emma Thompson). With the help of an offbeat furniture dealer and part-time hypnotist (Derek Jacobi), Grace (as Mike has named her) dredges up her hidden memories. Little do they realize that her recollections are of a past life in L.A.'s recent history, and as she recounts the details of a famous marriage that ended with a notorious murder (played out as black-and-white flashbacks starring Branagh and Thompson), events of the present begin to mirror the past, as if fate were pulling the two into fatal replay of history. Branagh's flashy, flourished direction echoes with an array of '40s and '50s classics and near classics (most notably Hitchcock's Rebecca and Spellbound) and drives the story with an edgy urgency, all the better to distract from some of the sillier elements of the plot. But while this film may not make literal sense in the harsh light of day, in the twilit, shadowy world of classic Hollywood this slyly inventive thriller is a bravura bit of old-fashioned entertainment, done up with modern flair. --Sean Axmaker

Dead Again [Region 2] Reviews:
Dead Again... Zombie Hitchcock
2009-10-21 - Dead Again: 5 out of 10: On-screen chemistry is a funny thing. Some couples simply have it. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan make a cute believable couple; William Powell and Myrna Loy in their fourteen films together are in my mind the silvers screens best pairing.

On the other hand, Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson have no onscreen chemistry whatsoever. One might say despite the fact they were married, yet I would argue that too often whatever chemistry causes an off-screen couple to hook-up simply does not translate to the movies. In fact in many cases it seems to create a negative chemistry onscreen. (Think Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.)

Since Dead Again is at its heart a love story, the lack of chemistry is deadly. Branagh and Thompson play two couples. The first, filmed in beautiful black and white, are an angry World War 2 refugee and opera composer and his murdered wife. He goes to the chair for her murder and we flash forward to Branagh as a missing persons detective and Thompson as a crazy mute lady with amnesia. They may be connected to the previous couple and both stories are told alternately throughout the film.

The film itself (in particular the black and white flashbacks) is gorgeous, yet Branagh as a director plays too many tricks for his own good. He cribs so liberally from Hitchcock that the film threatens to turn into High Anxiety 2 rather than an original work.

Without the chemistry between the leads we are left with little more than a hundred film school in-jokes and a strange sci-fi mystical story that we simply have no stake in.


These are for you
2009-09-27 - This movie is a cut above the standard reincarnation story.

A mysterious woman (Emma Thompson) shows up with amnesia. Instead of committing her to a lively hospital, Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh) is a Los Angeles private detective and his photographer friend (Wayne Knight) help search for her past. Along comes a hypnotherapist (Derek Jacobi) to unleash a past life memory and Doctor Cozy Carlisle (Robin Williams) confirms it. So now we are stuck with two mysteries; who are you and what happened in your previous life?

You may want to watch this twice to see the clues you missed.

Just a note: the Japanese on the scissor box translates to "These are for you"

I, Claudius

Hamlet [Blu-ray]

Five Stars For Fun!!!
2009-09-18 - Was this film great Art? No.
Was the plot plausible? Hardly.
Was the acting stellar? No, but it was solid.
A fun evening? YES!
Five stars for that!

A NICELY TWISTED NOIR
2009-05-24 - Branagh, and Thompson were at the top of their game in this delectably stylish tale of reincarnation, and murder. The story is crisp, a little convoluted, but quickly-paced, with wonderful characters ( Andy Garcia is excellent as a lovesick journalist ), and an abundance of often unexpected turns. It is a very atmospheric film, with several nods to the great noir films of the 1940's, and 1950's. The music by Patrick Doyle lends superb support to this evocative thriller. It's well worth the price.

Good Melodrama
2009-05-10 - With the help of Derek Jacobi, Branagh makes the most of a modest screenplay to provide a watchable film. Reviewers have more than adequately summarized the film; one hardly knows what it is legitimate to say about any film of this genre since giving away plot lines is contrary to the code of ethics of the Mystery Story League. At any rate, suffice to say that Jacobi is his customary masterful self, the female star is more than a bit beautiful, and the character actors have a chance for some decent bits. I see I am about 18 years late in seeing this film but my enjoyment should be a small clue that it still has something to offer for the small (comparatively speaking) screen viewer.