8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 29, 2004 ARTS el Marc Forster whisks viewers to 'Neverland' My contract stipulates that I must wear an eyepatch in all of my films. 'FINDING' MEDIOCRITY DEPP, WINSLET COAST IN BIOGRAPHICAL FAIRY TALE By Zach Borden Daily Arts Writer Sitting in a dully painted Ann Arbor hotel suite on a rainy autumn morning, it is clear that director Marc Forster is a long way from the sunny, fantastical world of Neverland. Forster, the tal- ented young filmmaker who broke out with 2001's Oscar-winning "Monster's Ball," has just released his much-antici- pated follow-up "Finding Neverland." The movie, which focuses on playwright J.M. Barrie's inspirations for his master- piece "Peter Pan," is a stark contrast to the gritty and melancholy saga of Leticia Musgrove. Even though the weather is foggy, Forster's spirits aren't dampened and his cheerfulness is as clear as Neverland's blue skies. The director spoke with The Michigan Daily about his latest film and the timeless appeal of Barrie's creation. "When I read the script for 'Find- ing Neverland,' the movie really (appealed) to me since it had a lot of heart and soul," Forster said. Find- ing Barrie's own life story filled with allegories, the concepts of growing into adulthood struck a chord, as well as the nature of personal inspiration. "I believe the film has high crossover (appeal)," he said, referring to audi- ences of all ages who can relate to the ideas of uninhibited imagination and the darkness of mortality. Sporting a smoothly shaven head, piercing dark eyes and unique, point- ed ears, Forster could easily pass as a Lost Boy. Somewhat ironically, For- ster wasn't familiar with the Peter Pan story until he was much older, when he saw a performance of the play featur- ing Mary Martin. While it is typical for American children to be familiar with Barrie's quixotic tale, Forster - who spent much of his childhood in Switzer- land - grew up with the Heidi stories, which have become symbolic of the country's literary culture. In preparing for the shoot, Forster read Barrie's work as well as biogra- phies about the author. He also watched numerous Peter Pan movies, citing the 1924 silent version as one of the best versions of the story put onto celluloid. It's easy to see just how shrewd of a filmmaker Forster is. Saying with much apathy that "I don't mind special effects," it becomes clear that having visual tricks in his movies is not one of his top priorities. Ultimately though, Forster had to use special effects in "Finding Neverland." "They were helpful in supporting my vision," he explained as there are several sparse sequences in the movie that feature some eye-opening visuals. Forster used computer artistry and technology dur- ing some of Barrie's fantasy sequences when playing with the Davies children (to give a "childlike, naive feel") and for some impossible camera moves dur- ing one of the theater sequences. Something that is becoming a trade- mark of Forster's films is that not only does he get great actors to appear in them, but he also gets such breathtak- ing performances out of the actors. Forster candidly revealed that "I only rehearse with the actors for about a day or two," and because every actor has a different style, he lets his players fol- low their instincts. While he says that a lot of it comes down to good casting, Forster also sits down with his actors to talk about his thoughts on the char- acters they are playing and hear their input as well. Forster has nothing but praise for his cast in "Finding Neverland." Offering the most for Johnny Depp, the director said he was "humble, kind, creative and had plenty of great ideas." Despite find- ing Depp to be down-to-earth, Forster mentioned there are some similarities between Barrie and Depp, particularly in how they can be childlike. The wildly popular thespian often did impressions of Forster on the set. Forster was also thrilled to have the "iconic" screen legend Julie Christie in the movie. Although he originally didn't think she'd appear in the film, he was desperate to cast her as Sylvia Davies's mother after he found her name on a cast- ing list. "People don't really think about casting her anymore," he said. Forster was ecstatic that Christie enjoyed the film, but said she prefers to spend time out of the spotlight. Despite the long journey to bring Barrie's psyche to the screen, Forster happens to be quite proud of his latest project and the tone he has achieved with it. "It's a sentimental movie, and we don't see movies like ("Finding Neverland") anymore since the world is going through such hard times. It's nice. It's a nice kind of thing." 0 U By Amanda Andrade Daily Arts Writer For most holiday filmgoers, there are two very good reasons to see "Finding Never- land" - Johnny Depp and Johnny Depp with a Scottish accent. But if a few audience members managed to survive the Depp frenzy which has swept the post- Finding "Pirates" world, they're Neverland apt to find "Neverland" a At Showcase perfectly acted, sweet and and Quality 16 innocuous little movie in Miramax its own right. The film tells the story of author J.M. Barrie (Depp) and a widow (Kate Winslet) with her four sons who inspire Barrie's greatest creation, "Peter Pan." Also making an appearance are Dustin Hoffman (who appeared as Peter's arch-nemesis Cap- tain Hook in "Hook") as Barrie's producer and the beautifully-preserved Julie Christie ("Dr. Zhivago") as Winslet's stern mother. All of the principal actors give wonderful performances. Winslet conveys strength and independence, mingled perfectly with vulner- ability in a subdued performance. Hoffman and Christie are luminous in their small roles, and make the occasional trite or melodramatic line reverberate like Shakespeare. The true revelations of this movie, however, are the four young actors: Joe Prospero (Jack), Nick Roud (George), the adorable Luke Spill (Michael) and most of all Freddie Highmore (Peter) who gives a more authentic and captivating perfor- mance at the age of 12 than most movie stars have given in their lives. Unfortunately, the film around them just isn't quite as inspired or ambitious as the cast. The direction by Marc Forster is too safe and calculatedly inoffensive to be remarkable. Still, his attempts to go for the heart rather than the tear ducts are admirable, especially in a genre traditionally saturated in cheap sentimentality. Forster also has to work around the very large impediment of real life - that label "inspired by true events" comes at a significant cost to the cohesion and narrative flow of his movie. Nonetheless, the filmmakers manage to extract from Barrie's life a message about the place of imagination and play, which though almost undoubtedly inauthentic to the story, lends the film dramatic weight and purpose. On the lighter side, the full color palette as well as the clever touch (employed to best effect in "Shakespeare in Love") of showing imagined day-to-day inspirations for characters and events in the play add a nice contrast to the seriousness of the story, keeping the film in a pleasant balance. And then, of course, there's Johnny Depp. Narratively and commercially speaking, this is unquestionably Depp's film, and it lives or dies on the strength of his performance. It's fitting, therefore, that like the film itself, Depp's per- formance settles for better than average rather than shooting for greatness. After spending the better part of the last decade cornering the market on unusual mov- ies that no one saw ("The Ninth Gate," "The Man Who Cried" etc.), Depp has tasted the sweet narcotic of Hollywood success. If "Find- ing Neverland" is any indicator, he's hooked. It's a shame because although Depp is effec- tive at playing soft-spoken, subtle and conven- tional, he also happens to be amazingly dull doing so. Depp's greatest talent is in finding the unexpected and bizarrely beautiful in his characters. This film only allows him to give the same performance a dozen other actors could have executed with comparable success. I. 'Kurnks' serve up tasteless holiday fare, Br Jeffrey Bloomer, ~ I Daily Arts Writer MOVIE REVlEW "Christmas with the Kranks," the big screen's latest foray into yuletide comedy, is a flat and uninspired collection of situational gags that are astonishingly unfunny. It never feels like a film, but rather a disingenuous ploy designed to cash in on every last penny the holiday crowd has to offer. "Kranks" is based on "Skipping Christmas," John Grisham's bestselling novel about a couple fed up with the cost and stress of Christmas, that they refuse to celebrate it the year their daughter leaves home. They plan to go on an exotic cruise instead, but their holiday- obsessed neighbors have other plans and spare no expense to stop them. Christmas Directed by Joe Roth ("America's with the Sweethearts"), the film follows the same Kranks setup but makes the massive error of replacing the neighbor's amusing zaniness Atd Shoucase in the novel with a group of neighbors (led a by Dan Aykroyd) that is maddening and Columbia even creepy in the film. They protest on the Kranks' doorsteps, linger outside their windows and stalk them in a series of events that fail miserably at garnering laughs, instead leaving the audience feeling inappropriately uneasy. If these people actually existed, they would be the type that prompt you to purchase tall privacy fences and keep the blinds drawn to avoid them. They are infuriating, not funny, a fact that "Kranks" can't seem to grasp. Screenwriter Chris Columbus (director of "Home Alone") knows the ropes of holiday comedy. However, with "Kranks," he has written a screenplay that is shapeless and without heart. With numerous annual offerings, Christmas has become a tired and torpid source for material. These movies are no longer required I Tim Allen was arrested with 1.4 pounds of cocaine. to be unconventional, with their success merely hinging on their ability to generate some warmth and sentimentality. "Kranks" is cold and empty where it should be sweet and heartwarming. The inevitable final scenes, in which the characters discover the "true" meaning of Christmas, have rarely felt so contrived and void of genuine meaning If the film does anything right, it's the casting of Jamie Lee Curtis as the female lead. "Kranks"' tepid brand of situational humor does its best to subdue her, but Curtis's comic resilience manages to rise above the material and provides a few meager laughs. Her costar Tim Allen, on the other hand, offers only his usual wide-eyed inanity. As Luther Krank, he demonstrates once again an uncanny ability to give every film in which he appears the distinct feel of a stale sitcom running past its prime. Alas, it's just that time of year. The holiday season invariably brings with it an onslaught of derivative, like-themed films for the masses. Even as an obligatory genre offering, though, the lifeless "Kranks" is mind-numbing cinematic hell. 'Rising' examines Pullman porters' lives By Khepra Akanke Daily Arts Writer George Pullman, the founder and pres- ident of the Pullman Company, revolu- tionized railway travel with the unveiling of his luxury trains in the 1850s. His cars were considered to be hotels on wheels, and the struggles they had to go through to receive the right to unionize, earn fair wages and gain respect. He explains how their struggle laid the foundation for many of the battles blacks had to later endure. The book gives extensive descriptions of the humiliation Pullman porters were made to endure in the hope of a small tip from riders. Pullman porters were cham- bermaids, shoe shiners, nurses, media- tors, entertainers, nannies and overall manservants to every passenger. A por- ter was to always be available and able to do any task asked of him. There was a perception that being a Pullman porter was transformed into a distinguished job, given the same regard as being a doctor or lawyer because of porters' ability to filled with the lav- ishness of a five- star establishment but considered to be as comfortable as home. To go along with this grand image, Pullman visualized Rising from the Rails By Larry Tye Henry Holt & Company a car porter with I ,