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Movies / On DVD / Rhinoceros Eyes
Rhinoceros Eyes

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Rhinoceros Eyes (2004)

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Reviews Counted:22

Fresh:10

Rotten:12

Average Rating:5.3/10

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: With sequences of stop-motion animation in which a tiny doll made of buttons, plastic toys, and other doodads speaks to the main character, RHINOCEROS EYES is a moody fantasy film brimming with... With sequences of stop-motion animation in which a tiny doll made of buttons, plastic toys, and other doodads speaks to the main character, RHINOCEROS EYES is a moody fantasy film brimming with magic and imagination. It takes place in the cluttered prop house inhabited by Chep (Michael Pitt), a twentysomething idiot savant. Living among the set pieces--50-pound cherries, mannequins, strings of tiki lights, costumes, and rusted highway signs--Chep rarely digs himself out of the maze of junk. But one day he is called to the front of the shop by his foulmouthed boss (the hilarious Matt Servitto, known for his role on THE SOPRANOS) where he meets Fran (Paige Turco), who is working on a local movie shoot and requests very specific, hard-to-find props like rhinoceros eyes. Chep is devoted to fulfilling Fran's needs, and develops an alter ego and slight schizophrenia in his attempts to please her. Wildly amusing scenes of Chep stalking through the night in a Tor Johnson mask, or having fantasies about his alter ego (the toy-parts doll) making love to Fran are only half the fun. The creative camerawork (scenes filmed inside a doll house) and darkened red and green lighting do the rest. Director-writer Aaron Woodley is the nephew of David Cronenberg, who is admired for his creepy, gory films. While Woodley carves out his own niche with this entry, the promising influence of Cronenberg cannot be denied. [More]

Starring: Michael Pitt, Gale Harold, Paige Turco, Matt Servitto

Starring: Michael Pitt, Gale Harold, Paige Turco, Matt Servitto, Jim Allodi, Victor Ertmanis, Nadia Litz, Jackie Burroughs

Director: Aaron Woodley

Director: Aaron Woodley
Screenwriter: Aaron Woodley
Producer: Tom Gruenberg, Eva Kolodner
Studio: Madstone Films

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Rhinoceros Eyes

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Has its own peculiar sensibility, a sort of magical grotesqueness. . . . It's too bad that Woodley doesn't push his themes and ideas further, blurring reality and dream more profoundly.

Full Review Source: Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada) | comment Comment
06/15/06
Brian Gibson
Brian Gibson
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

A film rich in depth and texture, “Rhinoceros Eyes” should give avid cinéastes a pleasurable time at the theatre.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
04/18/04
Edward Havens
Edward Havens
FilmJerk.com

A film about a guy with a fantasy life so rich it could make Walter Mitty envious.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
04/20/04
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Von Trotta's look at the women's standoff is fascinating for its hints of feminism, and a radiant performance by Katja Riemann as a woman whose compassion is her only weapon.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
02/14/04
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY

Part comedy, part horror and part stream-of-consciousness, the low-budget film betrays influences ranging from retro-maven Guy Maddin to Woodley's own uncle David Cronenberg, all held together by Woodley's own unique spark.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
05/27/06
Jim Slotek
Jim Slotek
Jam! Movies

The surprise is how utterly original [Woodley's] gorgeously mounted curiosity seems.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/23/04
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

... I've come to appreciate the comic side of it.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/10/06
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail

Michael Pitt, the baby-faced actor who recently played a more sophisticated cinephile in Bertolucci's "The Dreamers," holds the film together just by being himself.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
04/23/04
Marcy Dermansky
Marcy Dermansky
About.com

A disturbing movie with new talents to watch ...

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
03/10/06
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

A lovely, dark fairy tale told in unembarrassed allegory with verve and intelligence.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
02/15/04
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Smacks of upscale student work with a command of atmospherics but a script mixed in a blender of concept doodles.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
05/21/04
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

A parable on cine-enchantment that itself fails to enchant.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
04/21/04
Dennis Lim
Dennis Lim
Village Voice

What about those fundamentals of engagement that keep filmgoers in their seats?

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
11/13/04
Doris Toumarkine
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International

What is the film in the end but a string of mediocre, sometimes humorous non sequitors?

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
04/08/04
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

Reeks of film-school, 'Donnie Darko'-inspired weirdness. It's the sort of movie that would be pretentious if it were smart enough to figure out how.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
05/27/04
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

For too much of the film's running time, quirkiness stands in for genuine wit, and the screenplay is most notable for its derivativeness.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
05/04/04
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As weird and off-putting as portions of the film are, the most serious problem is Pitt's performance.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
05/21/04
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

A movie that doesn't always work but certainly earns high marks for weirdness.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
05/07/04
John Monaghan
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press

A thriller that shamelessly rummages through other movies in search of shocks.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
04/22/04
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

Utterly wrongheaded and indistinctly creepy, in that yawn-inducing way of pretentious twaddle...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
05/18/04
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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