Eccentric Visions Old and New

Reviews for the next two films in Anchor Bay’s 5 Films by Dario Argento tin, The Card Player / Il Cartaio (2004) and Trauma (1992), have been uploaded, and in a quirky coincidence, we just added Boarding Gate (2007), the latest corporate espionage eroto-thriller from art house writer/director Olivier Assayas, released by Magnolia in the U.S.

Both Trauma and Boarding Gate star Asia Argento, but in one film she’s a novice 17 year old actress giving a spastic performance under her father’s tutelage, and in the other she’s a mature actress delivering an eerie low-key performance as a messed-up, wannabe drug smuggler on the lam from the police. Or is it as the harchetwoman of high-up corporate goons who force her to hideout in Hong Kong. Or maybe the victim in an elaborate plan by the wife of her boss/lover. Or maybe –

Boarding Gate is muddy, not that erotic, not that thrilling, nor very coherent, but like Assayas’ prior work, it’s its own thing, and it makes way more sense than Demon Lover (2001), which took a right turn into Looneyville and alienated whoever was still watching the movie’s last reel.

Filmed in Paris and Hong Kong, Boarding Gate has some fine cinematography, and probably offers Michael Madsen his first decent role in years, given he’s been trapped in direct-to-video hell for a while now, if not appearing in amateurish gunk like Bloodrayne (2005).

Coming next: Doc Martin (Seasons 1 and 2) PLUS an interview with the show’s composer, Colin Towns!

And imminent: More soundtrack reviews!

- MRH



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