Page 31 - ATODAY
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PEOPLE & ARTS A31
Wednesday 6 April 2016
Review: Grief gets weird in Vallee’s ‘Demolition’
LINDSEY BAHR This image released by Fox Searchlight shows Jake Gyllenhaal in a scene from “Demolition.” lenhaal find the dark hu-
AP Film Writer Associated Press mor in this man’s odd be-
What if a young man who havior. Davis might not be
just lost his young wife in a any emotion as her griev- he only got this job at a $6 the vending machine com- someone who exists in the
car accident experienced ing father (Chris Cooper) billion investment firm be- pany on the regular, and, real world, but Gyllenhaal
none of the stages of grief? breaks down. And then at cause of his father-in-law, in his free time, decides wears his unconvention-
What if he felt nothing? the wake, instead of social- about his daily routines in to take everything apart alities well. We’ve seen
What if he, instead, started izing, he goes into a study his magazine ready glass including, but not limited this character type before
writing letters to a vending to compose a letter to the and steel cube of a house, to, a fridge, a bathroom in slightly different itera-
machine company and vending machine com- about the time he lied to stall, a bathroom light fix- tions — the man with the
dismantling every object pany whose hospital unit a fellow passenger on the ture and a random house. wild look in his eyes who is
in sight? Perhaps that’s just failed to give him the Pea- commuter train about Of course his life falls apart just disconnected enough
a person coasting in de- nut M&Ms he paid for. It’s in what he did for a living, with it. Subtlety is not what from reality, as though
nial, but, to buy that, you this handwritten complaint and about how he never this movie is going for. he’s the only living person
would have to believe that letter where Davis starts to really loved his wife. It’s quirky but also menac- who can see the truth of
the person also had some really dish — about how Davis starts writing letters to ing and Vallée and Gyl- our daily hypocrisies. Gyl-
sort of humanity in the first lenhaal elevates it too, but
place. In the case of Davis that should be no surprise
Mitchell (Jake Gyllenhaal) at this point from one of
in director Jean-Marc Val- our most talented leading
lée’s ambitious, flawed and men. Then the eccentric
whimsically sinister “Demo- working class side charac-
lition” let’s just say that’s ters arrive — Karen (Naomi
not entirely clear. Davis, Watts), a customer service
for much of the movie, is rep at the vending ma-
like the Patrick Bateman of chine company who was
widowers. He is incredibly moved by his confessional
wealthy, cold, unfeeling letters, and her angst-rid-
and vaguely sociopathic. den pre-teen son Chris (Ju-
Instead of bodies, though, dah Lewis). Suddenly Davis
it’s objects he’s dissecting. is finding solace in this single
At first, it’s actually quite mom stoner with a heart of
captivating as you drift gold and a young boy with
with Davis in the aftermath glam rock predilections
of his wife Julia’s (Heather who is questioning his gen-
Lind) death. He was in the der and sexuality. It’s a bit
car with her when it got much for something that
broadsided. He came out had been so focused and
without a scratch. She died streamlined at first.
that night. The movie is infinitely more
He can’t even muster up interesting when Davis is
Judge: Porsche not at fault in just an unredeemable so-
ciopath, but it turns out the
story has a different idea
crash that killed Paul Walker about that and things be-
gin to unravel. Cloying plot
revelations aside, the film is
ANTHONY McCARTNEY lacked a crash cage and Los Angeles Superior Court. a stimulating step forward
AP Entertainment Writer fuel cell. Meadow Walker’s attorney
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The “Plaintiff has provided no said in a statement that for Vallée, who, with “Wild”
widow of a man driving competent evidence that while Rodas was killed in-
the Porsche that crashed Rodas’ death occurred as stantly in the crash, Walker and “Dallas Buyers Club,”
and killed actor Paul Walk- a result of any wrongdoing was still alive when the car
er cannot prove the car- on the part of defendant,” caught fire. has inadvertently become
maker is responsible for the Gutierrez wrote. “Meadow will continue the
accident, a federal judge Walker was riding in the fight to hold Porsche ac- the go-to director for ac-
said. Carrera GT driven by his countable for selling a de-
There was not enough evi- friend Roger Rodas when fective product that kills,” tors craving that Oscar
dence in Kristine Rodas’ the car spun out of con- attorney Jeff Milam wrote.
claims that her husband trol, struck three trees and Porsche has denied wrong- nomination.
died because the Porsche burst into flames on a street doing in the design, manu-
Carrera GT he was driving in Santa Clarita in Novem- facture or marketing of the Perhaps “Demolition”
lacked several key safety ber 2013. Walker was on Carrera GT. The company
features, U.S. District Judge a break from filming the also contended in the law- This March 21, 2013 file photo should have stuck with its
Philip S. Gutierrez ruled seventh installment of the suit by Walker’s daugh- shows U.S. actor Paul Walker
Monday. “Fast & Furious” franchise ter that the car had been wearing a creation from the original premise until the
He said there was no evi- when he died. altered and improperly Colcci summer collection at
dence the Porsche’s sus- The ruling has no bearing maintained and that those Sao Paulo Fashion Week in bitter end, or made Davis
pension failed before the on two other cases against factors contributed to the Sao Paulo, Brazil.
crash, as Rodas’ lawsuit Porsche filed by Walker’s crash. An email to Porsche just a little more human
claimed. She also had al- daughter and father, seeking comment was not day.
leged the rare sports car which are both pending in immediately returned Tues- An investigation by the Los at the outset. As it stands,
Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department and Califor- “Demolition” doesn’t quite
nia Highway Patrol con-
cluded that unsafe speed, come together, but it’s far
not mechanical problems,
caused the crash. Inves- from a wreck.
tigators said the Porsche
was going up to 94 mph “Demolition,” a Fox Search-
(151 kph) when it crashed.
light Pictures release, is rat-
ed R by the Motion Picture
Association of America for
“language, some sexual
references, drug use and
disturbing behavior.” Run-
ning time: 100 minutes. Two
and a half stars out of four.
