MUST SEE: JCVD Opening at the Alamo Ritz on Friday
Another crowd pleaser of Fantastic Fest 2008 was JCVD, opening this Friday (11/21) at the Alamo Drafthouse. If you aren't reading the Alamo blog, and haven't seen the rave review from Tim League, you probably weren't at Fantastic Fest. It was so good applause broke out during the film. JCVD is the cautionary tale of past celebrity and surreal crisis of a has-been action star named Jean Claude Van Damme played by the man himself. Unlike Being John Malkovich only brings in that titular character as a plot point, JCVD centers on a fictionalized reality of the man himself and those like him, with all the regrets and real consequences of a life on the downslide after a meteoric rise.
What's surprising is the fact he's actually good in the role. NOt that he hasn't had screen presence, but you won't expect the subtlies you'll see in this role. You feel like this was not just a casual decision, but an informed one of a man who's actually taken a look at his life, and while he doesn't like all that he sees, is trying to find his way back to a more authentic life, to use some new-agey idiom. It was a brave choice. The soliloquy alone is worth the price of a ticket.
This is one of those films you'll either love or it will leave you cold. Give it a chance and check it out. If nothing else, it'll give you lots to talk about. If you're an Alamo geek, you'll love it.
Check out all the Van Dammedness at the Alamo this week, starting tonight:
Wednesday - Master Pancake does BLOODSPORT
Thursday - BLOODSPORT/JCVD Double Feature
Friday - JCVD Opens at the Alamo Ritz
Posted by Jennifer Brown at 19 Nov 2008, 11:03 AM 
Categories: Film, Events and Premieres, alamo, Film Festivals, ALERT
Categories: Film, Events and Premieres, alamo, Film Festivals, ALERT
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