Word: dahl
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...broken by a cold, metallic telephone ring. The film Joyride attempts to revive this tired cliché by moving its potential victims from an old creaky house to a car in the rural Midwest. Unfortunately, even with this unconventional twist, there is no novelty to Joyride. Director John Dahl (Rounders) is good at creating moods by carefully manipulating color and lighting, and at building suspense with his use of dramatic irony, but these qualities cannot hide the fact that the movie is merely another teen thriller—an average imitation, clichés and all, of so many that...
...While the young stars of Joyride’s cast possess talent, their abilities are somewhat misused in the film. In an interview, Dahl explained that he chose Walker for his appeal and charisma. While these particular qualities shine through the character of Lewis, the actor is much less convincing in scenes requiring fear or tension. Dahl also described Zahn as dramatically gifted and incredibly funny. However, while comic relief is a device welcome to thrillers, many scenes dominated by Zahn’s admittedly funny comedy divert the path of the plot’s progression. Sobieski, whose talent...
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...
Other relatives of people on Flight 93 have spoken up too and assigned their loved ones a heroic narrative. Those of the captain, Jason Dahl, say he would never have allowed hijackers to take control of his plane without a fight. But there is something about the similarities of these three passengers that makes the portrait of them as confederates perfectly imaginable. All three were large, athletic, decisive types. Bingham, 6 ft. 5 in., played rugby when at the University of California, Berkeley, and still played for the San Francisco Fog, a gay amateur team. Glick...