Cine

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When it comes to horror icons, Freddy Krueger is arguably the top enchilada. The “Halloween” films feature the featureless masked murderer, Michael Myers, who spends each movie lumbering about, splaying teenagers open with an assortment of weapons. There’s no style to it, no personality. “Friday the 13th”’s Jason is merely a Michael Myers clone who wears a cooler mask. He roams the woods that surround Crystal Lake splaying teenagers open with an assortment of weapons. He is boring and trite and is, in almost every sense of the word, a hack.

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El reciente repunte de  popularidad de las películas en tercera dimensión se debe al deseo de la audiencia de estar completamente inmersos en su entretenimiento. Queremos conectarnos. “Océanos”, el nuevo documental sobre la vida debajo del agua de Disneynature, es un maravilloso recordatorio en dos dimensiones de cómo efectivamente un filme puede transportarte completamente a un mundo extranjero sin el uso de efectos especiales. El único efecto especial en la pantalla aquí es la Madre Naturaleza en todo su esplendor.

Leer más: “Océanos” te transportará

We (as Americans) are consumed with consumption. We (as Americans) want the super colossal and extravagant toys and accessories and we want them pronto. We (as Americans) are constantly slapped in the face with billboards splashed with images of too-skinny models parading the latest cheese snacks to purchase by the mega-case at your local supermarket. Our celebrities are constantly touting what jeans they are wearing and who designed their wristwatches. Bright and blazing brand names fill our television programs and movies in a practice known as “product placement”. We (as Americans) are unceasingly being sold something.

“The Joneses” presents a world where these practices are taken to the next logical level. What if a walking, talking commercial moved into your neighborhood? This is a high concept film with outlandish ideas that aren’t too far from reality.

Meet the Joneses. Steven Jones (David Duchovny) and his beautiful wife, Kate (Demi Moore), have just moved into an affluent gated community with their two perfect children. They have lovely furniture and gigantic televisions and sports cars to make the neighbors go gaga. And that is just the point. The Joneses are actually salesmen of the 21st century employed by a sly organization who have pioneered the idea of “Self-Marketing”.  The idea is that if the beautiful and popular people buy it then it must be good, and the rest of the sheep will follow along. Steven is fresh to the game and seems a natural at it once his sales figures come in. He soon finds that manipulating people is the easy part. It’s avoiding actual human connections that is difficult.

First time director Derrick Borte does a masterful job with this material, and shows no signs of being a novice. Everything starts off light and fanciful, and takes some serious and dramatic turns that really focus the film. Borte shows real skill in changing gears and tone seamlessly. The performances from Duchovny and Moore are first rate as well. Duchovny is playful and natural as Steve, and hit the somber stuff dead on. Moore seems genuine as a corporate shill lost in her ambition. The two stars share a tangible chemistry that gives the film its heart. There is a notable performance by Gary Cole as a sad and secretive neighbor to the Joneses. Cole has done some wonderful comedic work in the past (“Office Space” “Talladega Nights”), and here he gives an uncharacteristically reserved performance that really resonates.   

Not everything is golden here. Amber Heard and Ben Hollingsworth as the two “children” in the family don’t really add anything to the proceedings. Both are given subplots that bog down the film and serve only to complicate matters. Both roles are merely underdeveloped.

“The Joneses” is loaded with “product placements” that are pulling double duty. As you watch a movie about an unsuspecting populace being bombarded with brand names, you are also unsuspectingly being bombarded with brand names. This is a film making a statement about manipulation that can’t help but manipulate a bit itself. It would be interesting to see what these companies paid to have their products “placed.” It all about “the numbers,” you know.