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Overall Rating : 4/10
Directed By : Terry Gilliam
Jodelle Ferland (Silent Hill)
Jennifer Tilly (Bride Of Chucky)
Jeff Bridges (Arlington Road)
Brendan Fletcher (Freddy Vs. Jason)
Supplied By : THINKFilm
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : Feb. 20, 2007
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| PLOT To cope with her mother’s death and her father’s drug addiction, Jeliza-Rose escapes into a world that exists only in her imagination. Befriended by her odd neighbours, she delves deeper into her fantasies to escape her increasingly strange life. |
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| THE REVIEW In TIDELAND, Jeliza-Rose is a young girl whom is the Daughter of 2 hopeless junkies. After the death of his wife, due to a Meth overdose, Noah takes he and his Daughter Jeliza-Rose, to a rural farmhouse that was previously owned by his Mother years ago. Even with the death of his wife due to drugs, that isn't enough to stop Noah from continuing to due them - and when he does, he passes out - leaving young Jeliza-Rose to fend for herself. It is with the loneliness that Jeliza-Rose creates a world all her own, where her doll heads and squirrels talk to her. she even meets a mentally challenged man named Dickens, whom she grows quite fond of and his somewhat strict Sister Dell - whom seems to share a connection with the girl. It is through these two diverse individuals that she is thrown into various situations and bizarre adventures, she gets so caught up in them that her sense of reality is lost. This film from Director Terry Gilliam has been receiving praise from seemingly every corner of the earth it seems, so when it was my turn to check it out, I expected something of utter brilliance - unfortunately I got something that stirs up utter confusion instead. The film starts off by displaying a life at home for a young girl girl named Jeliza-Rose, I life of filth, and drugs as she watches her parents shoot up - she even assists them in the deed. This portion made me think of the JT LeRoy autobiography turned sham THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, in which a young boy grows up with a reckless mother(whom was portrayed by Asia Argento). To escape the madness of her life, Jeliza-Rose makes up her own little world in which she escapes, this has the film feeling more like an ALICE IN WONDERLAND epic - the only difference is, there is really no plot nor purpose put forth in TIDELAND. What is given here is a two hour avenue for the imagination, and great high end effects, that I admit are a joy to watch and are definitely eye catching, but as much as the scenery and all are flashy it does little to nothing to benefit the story, or even shed light on what's going on - just has Jeliza-Rose becomes confused by what is a dream and what is reality - so do we. The acting in TIDELAND i'd say is very mixed... our well know veterans in Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Tilly are pushed center-stage as the two misguided junkie parents - I can't give you a proper evaluation of the performance of Ms. Tilly, as she isn't in the film for too long. But as for Bridges he is great as he always is that is until his character passes gas on numerous occasions, an element of the character that is intended to be funny... but unless you are a pre-teen...it just isn't. I did enjoy the character of Dickens, as portrayed by Brendan Fletcher however. Fletcher, seen in films such as FREDDY VS. JASON and RV, is usually seen in various non important roles, which is a shame, because he is quite entertaining. Here in this film he transforms himself into someone the complete opposite of himself, and if you didn't know it beforehand you might not be able to recognize him. Perhaps the only rewarding and "worth it" reason to take in this film, is the show stealing performance of young child star Jodelle Ferland. From her southern dialect, to the many voices she portrays(she is also the voice of the doll heads) it shows how versatile she can be which is amazing for her age - she makes the character of Jeliza-Rose the most likeable character at all. All in all, without straining to say it intelligently, I will say, I just don't see what all the hype surrounding this film is all about. The quote on the cover art by a certain online critic states that it "blew their mind" and that Gilliam "has returned to form" - it just goes to show you that some critics (but never me) will say anything just to get their name on a box.....this is a great example of that. |
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| GORE
METER N/A |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 4/10 The score is comprised of orchestrated "adventurous" tracks, nothing that stands out but quite decent. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM This happens a lot - I see a film that is praised up and down by everyone, yet I am not as impressed...such as the case with TIDELAND. I just don't get it, maybe it is the green screen special effects? As I said the effects are great, but where is the plot?(which seems to get lost along the way) For the viewers that just want effects this is great, but for the people whom want a thought provoking drawn out story, you are least likely to find one here, Jodelle Ferland is great as Jeliza-Rose, and shows that she is going to be a star, I was impressed, but other than her performance I can't say that I fully recommend this one. This DVD will be released on February 27, 2007 |
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