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DVD Hide and Seek (Full Screen Edition)
Dakota Fanning--the elfin star of Uptown Girls, The Cat in the Hat, and Man on Fire--trades in her blond locks for a semi-gothic brunette do in Hide and Seek. Fanning plays Emily, a young girl whose mother commits suicide. To help Emily through the trauma, her father David (Robert DeNiro), a psychologist, takes her to an isolated house in upstate New York. But instead of healing, Emily gets dark circles under her eyes, mutilates her favorite doll, and develops an imaginary friend named Charlie. In no time at all, things get spooky and David suspects this imaginary friend isn't so friendly. Hide and Seek owes a lot to The Shining, but whether the creepiness is borrowed or not, there's a decent dose of it (though the twist at the end is unlikely to surprise many viewers). DeNiro does his job with professional gloss, but Fanning carries the movie; she's got the kind of charisma that goes beyond acting ability--that ineffable glow that makes an audience want to watch her. Hide and Seek also features Famke Janssen (X-Men), Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), and the ever-dependable Dylan Baker (Happiness). --Bret Fetzer
Review(s): DVD Hide and Seek (Full Screen Edition)
Inventive plot but not really very suspenseful
Hide and Seek is the kind of story that would no doubt have made a gripping read. The basic plot has all the elements of a great thriller.
However with Jon Polsen's latest feature film, something happened between page and screen that resulted in a film that falls just short of
the mark. Robert De Niro is psychiatrist David Callaway who, following the suicide of his wife, moves to the countryside with daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning). Amongst the quiet secrets of this semi-rural community David struggles to protect his daughter whilst searching for an assemblance of life.
After inventing a new friend who goes by the name of "Charlie", sweet and effected Emily becomes withdrawn and sullen. Strange messages written in blood are found by David along with the occasional corpse turning up in the bathroom. Emily claims Charlie is responsible and David is beside himself as it seems his daughter is not only losing her mind but is perhaps even becoming psychotic.
Hide and Seek will have you guessing to the end. The final twist is a rather ingenious resolution to the story and does have its merits, even if a suspension of belief is needed.
De Niro is a pack-horse in this production, carrying a great deal of the film on his own. Fanning is endearing and odd enough to make us curious to the end. A supporting cast of Elizabeth Shue, Famke Janssen and Amy Irving do what they can with available material.
Don't expect Hide and Seek to scare you witless, but you will be on the edge of your seat for at least some of the time.
Why are people so dissapointed in Bob these days?
First of all i'm from Australia so I don't know if that has anything to do with my difference of opinion in my review compared to the reviews of the American people. This is a movie you need to watch twice before having a real opinion of it becuase there is so much stuff you pick up the second time once you know how the movie ends from watching it the first time. In relation to my review title "Why are people so dissapointed in Bob these days?" I think he was brilliant in this film, i'm reading so much negativity from people who are angry about the movies he's been making of late and what for, we all know the man can act, he's done the epic movies, he's done the gangster-mafia movies, he's 62 years old now, let him do a bit of comedy, let him try other things, what else does he need to prove. Sure not everybody has to like his films but his acting ability is a diffrent matter completley, in my opinion you cannot fault the man's acting, he does every scene perfectly and you couldn't change it and make it better, especially in this film. I also thought Dakota Fanning was amazing, she was only 9 at the time of making this film and she matched the talents of one of if not the greatest actor of all time brilliantly. In closing I loved this film so I do recommend it but I will say it is a little slow but well worth watching till the end and must be watched more than once.
Hide and Seek not childs play...
Since the release of the thriller THE SIXTH SENSE, more viewers feel it is their duty to figure out any `big twist' ending ahead of time. We all know someone who, within an hour and a half, has come up with 100 theories - 99 of which are wrong - yet still claims credit for figuring it out. A large portion of them will call the film a failure if they did figure it out! This is unfair to the filmmakers as any well constructed thriller intentionally leaves enough clues to support that twist, but hopes you overlook them. All in all, making an engaging thriller is a tough business. Which brings us to HIDE AND SEEK.
This entry in the genre follows a single father and his daughter looking to escape the memory of the mother's apparent suicide. They seek haven in a back woods small town, peopled with suspicious characters. To say more specifics about the plot, would be filled with spoilers or inaccuracies. Thematically, the story bounces you around from one creepy scene to another and does a good job of keeping you unsettled.
Many of the performances are enrolling, the standout being Dakota Fanning (WAR OF THE WORLDS). She seems to have channeled Wednesday Addams into her aura. Robert DeNiro (RAGING BULL) puts in a somewhat phoned in performance. For this viewer, he comes through as too old to be Dakota's dad, and too old for a young mother (LEAVING LAS VEGAS'Elisabeth Shue) to have such a sudden attraction. Since I see nothing story wise calling for a man of his age, rather someone a good 15 years younger, it feels like miscasting.
"Hide and Seek" has a good production value for its small budget. The viewer never gets to settle into their seats as if this story took place in Amityville. Unfortunately, some elements of the storyline don't come across as true by story end. Meaning it is possible to figure out the twist, but not why it always works until information given near the end.
The DVD has a good audio/video transfer. It includes a running commentary that you'll enjoy if you really like the film. If you weren't too hot on the film, you should skip the commentary. The Special Features also includes FOUR ALTERNATE ENDINGS. Actually, its just four different interpretations of the same conceptual ending, none of which effects the overall story, just what happens afterward.
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