Word: dahl
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...witty, brisk dialogue? Her tongue-in-cheek humor? Her vivid descriptions? Her fantastical names and whimsical jargon? Or, more likely, have kids simply exhausted the worlds of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Ring Fellowship and even that staple of childhood fantasy, Roald Dahl, welcoming J.K. Rowling’s more approachable—and more marketable—Hogwarts...
...resembles an English “public school” in its grammar—but has an enchanting meter all its own. These works follow in the tradition of youth-skewed authors like Susan Cooper, John Bellairs, Phillip Pullman, C.S. Lewis and the maestro of macabre gentility, Roald Dahl...
However, the flaws of the film lie more in plot than in its direction and acting. Peripheral storylines of love triangles, financial problems and familial bonding may bring depth to the characters, but not when they are introduced and immediately abandoned. Furthermore, some scenes are completely unnecessary. Dahl did not view his film so much as a teen thriller than as part of the great tradition of “road movies,” including films likeEasy Rider and Steven Spielberg’s Duel (similarly about a crazy, road raging trucker). However, this movie’s plot...
...Dahl has a history in the business of directing thrillers, having done films of cultish followings such as Red Rock West, The Last Seduction and Unforgettable. Therefore, his direction does not disappoint. Dahl establishes an ominous atmosphere using a variety of unique color and light. Note that a painting of a stormy sea fills a room with its sickish green hue and the glow of fluorescent bulbs outside a motel illuminate a suspenseful scene in red. Furthermore, Dahl savors situations in which his audience knows more about a tense situation than his heroes and heroine do. Viewers are aware...
...director, John Dahl has said of her, “I was impressed with what a thoughtful, articulate, beautiful young lady she was. And I believe my jaw hit the ground when I found that at the time of our first meeting she was 16. Leelee is potentially a very good dramatic actress and given the right opportunities she will have a long career ahead of her.” But one with her ambition, intelligence and level-headedness will most likely have a long career ahead of her regardless of her success in Hollywood...