The Good Heart (2009/Magnolia DVD)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: C- Film: C
Though Paul Dano and Brian Cox are two of the most gifted
actors around, Dagur Kari’s The Good
Heart (2009) is a big disappointment, the latest of the always-tired cycle
of mumblecore independent films that (combined with the rise and fall of
boutique companies) killed indie filmmaking.
This somewhat smug entry from the writer/director offers a tied tale in
which “everything goes wrong” for all involved to a fault… a very predictable
one.
Cox is a reckless, unhealthy, smoking, drinking bar owner
who is not well and when he meets the homeless Dano, thinks he could be a
candidate for successor to own his hole-in-the-wall business, but the
relationship is not automatically a good one and they both have their
issues. They get along enough, though
friction happens when Dano’s Lucas expects Cox’s Jacques to help a young lady
(Isild Le Besco) the way he helped him.
From there, it is condescending, idiotic and ultimately has nothing to
say or do about anything. Save the
actors, this is a waste of time.
The anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image was shot in
Techniscope, or what is now being called 2-perf Super 35mm, which is the same,
except the color is not Technicolor and certainly not three-strip, dye-transfer
Technicolor. The color has been somewhat
gutted here by Director of Photography Rasmus Videbaek and is soft throughout,
as well as detail-challenged and just not that good looking. The Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby 2.0 Stereo are
both poor, from being poorly recorded and the 5.1 version makes that more
obvious. Extras include a
behind-the-scenes featurette and HD Net episode promoting the film.
- Nicholas Sheffo
