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Intersection
Paramount // R // February 19, 2002
List Price: $24.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
A little-seen 1994 drama, "Intersection" has a fair amount of star power and a relatively simple plot. Yet, somehow, the filmmakers have managed to fail at the most basic element of filmmaking - writers David Rayfiel and Marshall Brickman have not created a single character that is even basically interesting. The reason? This is another in a long line of films that bounces the characters from crisis to crisis, circling itself till one begins to realize that it's really not headed anywhere in particular. The main plot? Richard Gere plays an architect who can't decide whether he wants to be with his icy wife (Sharon Stone, at her chilliest) or his lover (Lolita Davidovich).
The film starts with Gere's architect driving down a winding road in what appears to be the American Northwest, or maybe British Columbia. He remembers the time he's spent with his lover before regaining his senses and focusing on the road ahead - unfortunately for him, the road ahead contains a truck coming quickly towards him. The main part of the film involves flashbacks - we don't find out what happened to Gere for about 80 minutes.
Speaking of those 80 minutes, it's rather (read: very) difficult to care about any of the characters because of several reasons. While Gere has improved his acting ability remarkably in recent films like "Mothman Prophecies" and "Primal Fear", he doesn't seem to be interested in providing an even slightly energetic portrayal of this character. Stone's performance isn't lively, either, but she's hardly got much of a role, nor does Davidovich, who at least is warm and interesting in the role. Jennifer Morrison, as the daughter of the Stone and Gere characters, earns the most sympathy. While she has problems that are hinted at, she seems like a normal girl who would like parents that are not as cold as these two are.
But, the root of all problems in this film is the screenplay, which seems more concerned with generating Problems for the characters to wade through rather than developing the characters and their relationships. We don't know why these characters are together or what they see in each other or much of their history. None of the characters are developed and the dialogue they have to offer is often poor. The film throws out flashback after flashback, often not really bothering to tie them together in some way. It's difficult to sympathize with an entire movie (a melodrama, no less) about a guy trying to choose between Sharon Stone and Lolita Davidovitch.
When it's not playing out like stale melodrama, "Intersection" moves at a pace that could best be described as a standstill. While not a total failure, it's a very weak film that few will likely find much interest in.
The DVD
VIDEO: Paramount offers "Intersection" in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen edition. The film's main asset is cold, but crisp and attractive imagery from master cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond ("Ghost and the Darkness"). The film's presentation remains a bit inconsistent in terms of sharpness; some grain and softness appear during some interior scenes, while outdoor scenes remain exceptionally crisp and well-defined.
A few noticable problems kept the presentation from being as good as it could be. Some scenes showed a mild amount of edge enhancement. Grain also appeared in mild amounts during some stretches of film, as well. Yet, the print seemed free of all but one or two specks. Colors remained subdued throughout the film, appearing low-key during the majority, but occasionally warmer during a couple of the interior sequences. Overall, a nice transfer.
SOUND: Paramount presents "Intersection" in Dolby Digital 5.1 (given this is a 1994 film, I'd guess it was 5.1 theatrically, as well), but the film hardly seems to find use for the surrounds. The rear speakers provide some slight ambience at times, but hardly were used otherwise, even for James Newton Howard's score. Nearly everything comes from the front speakers and most of the film is dialogue-heavy. Audio quality remained satisfactory, as dialogue and music came through clearly.
MENUS: The cover art is reused for the main menu.
EXTRAS: As with a few other Paramount titles in recent weeks, "Intersection" does not even include a trailer.
Final Thoughts: "Intersection" is a dull, weakly written drama that contains mediocre acting and stretches with extremely slow pacing. Paramount's DVD contains fine audio/video quality, but no supplements. Not recommended.
A little-seen 1994 drama, "Intersection" has a fair amount of star power and a relatively simple plot. Yet, somehow, the filmmakers have managed to fail at the most basic element of filmmaking - writers David Rayfiel and Marshall Brickman have not created a single character that is even basically interesting. The reason? This is another in a long line of films that bounces the characters from crisis to crisis, circling itself till one begins to realize that it's really not headed anywhere in particular. The main plot? Richard Gere plays an architect who can't decide whether he wants to be with his icy wife (Sharon Stone, at her chilliest) or his lover (Lolita Davidovich).
The film starts with Gere's architect driving down a winding road in what appears to be the American Northwest, or maybe British Columbia. He remembers the time he's spent with his lover before regaining his senses and focusing on the road ahead - unfortunately for him, the road ahead contains a truck coming quickly towards him. The main part of the film involves flashbacks - we don't find out what happened to Gere for about 80 minutes.
Speaking of those 80 minutes, it's rather (read: very) difficult to care about any of the characters because of several reasons. While Gere has improved his acting ability remarkably in recent films like "Mothman Prophecies" and "Primal Fear", he doesn't seem to be interested in providing an even slightly energetic portrayal of this character. Stone's performance isn't lively, either, but she's hardly got much of a role, nor does Davidovich, who at least is warm and interesting in the role. Jennifer Morrison, as the daughter of the Stone and Gere characters, earns the most sympathy. While she has problems that are hinted at, she seems like a normal girl who would like parents that are not as cold as these two are.
But, the root of all problems in this film is the screenplay, which seems more concerned with generating Problems for the characters to wade through rather than developing the characters and their relationships. We don't know why these characters are together or what they see in each other or much of their history. None of the characters are developed and the dialogue they have to offer is often poor. The film throws out flashback after flashback, often not really bothering to tie them together in some way. It's difficult to sympathize with an entire movie (a melodrama, no less) about a guy trying to choose between Sharon Stone and Lolita Davidovitch.
When it's not playing out like stale melodrama, "Intersection" moves at a pace that could best be described as a standstill. While not a total failure, it's a very weak film that few will likely find much interest in.
The DVD
VIDEO: Paramount offers "Intersection" in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen edition. The film's main asset is cold, but crisp and attractive imagery from master cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond ("Ghost and the Darkness"). The film's presentation remains a bit inconsistent in terms of sharpness; some grain and softness appear during some interior scenes, while outdoor scenes remain exceptionally crisp and well-defined.
A few noticable problems kept the presentation from being as good as it could be. Some scenes showed a mild amount of edge enhancement. Grain also appeared in mild amounts during some stretches of film, as well. Yet, the print seemed free of all but one or two specks. Colors remained subdued throughout the film, appearing low-key during the majority, but occasionally warmer during a couple of the interior sequences. Overall, a nice transfer.
SOUND: Paramount presents "Intersection" in Dolby Digital 5.1 (given this is a 1994 film, I'd guess it was 5.1 theatrically, as well), but the film hardly seems to find use for the surrounds. The rear speakers provide some slight ambience at times, but hardly were used otherwise, even for James Newton Howard's score. Nearly everything comes from the front speakers and most of the film is dialogue-heavy. Audio quality remained satisfactory, as dialogue and music came through clearly.
MENUS: The cover art is reused for the main menu.
EXTRAS: As with a few other Paramount titles in recent weeks, "Intersection" does not even include a trailer.
Final Thoughts: "Intersection" is a dull, weakly written drama that contains mediocre acting and stretches with extremely slow pacing. Paramount's DVD contains fine audio/video quality, but no supplements. Not recommended.
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