REEL CRITICS

‘Angel Eyes’ should ditch the trailer

Movie trailers are our only defense from a bad movie and a good movie.

Sure you have reviews and exclusive interviews, but what really gets you

in that seat is the one to two minute collection of footage tied with a

baritone-voiced narrator and selections from other soundtracks. The movie

trailer pays off when it fits the film . . . you feel like you got a fair

deal. But when it does not, it’s like introducing your fiance to Mom and

Dad but later discovering that he is really a she.

After watching “Angel Eyes,” my husband and I realized that the film

was given the short shrift from its marketing strategy. Judging from the

trailer, we thought we were seeing a story about “mystery man in a trench

coat” (Jim Caviezel) who saves and falls for a “tough female cop”

(Jennifer Lopez) with an ending that reveals he is a guardian angel

earning his wings, a ghost, or a superhero.

It turns out that “Angel Eyes” is one of those movies you wish

Hollywood made more often.

The story is about two people whose love depends on their courage to

peel away their protective outer layers and make amends with their pasts.

Lopez’s Sharon Pogue is not just a baton-wielding cop; she’s a survivor

of a family ripped apart by abuse; Caviezel’s Catch is a lost soul who is

restarting his life from scratch.

Based on its box office performance -- finishing at No. 4 with $9.5

million of the weekend kitty - “Angel Eyes” may join a long list of

Hollywood movies that fell prey to lousy marketing. Just last year,

“Wonder Boys” (featuring Michael Douglas and directed by Curtis Hanson)

was such a film. The privileged minority, who were smart enough to ignore

the trailer, enjoyed a story with unexpected turns and a cast whose

talent (not salary) is worth more than the budget of “Pearl Harbor.”

If you pay any attention to the trailer for “Angel Eyes,” you will

miss the only movie this summer that is 100% story -- as opposed to 60%

merchandising, 20% special effects, 15% of what looks like acting but it

is really posing, and 5% story. I implore you, don’t be a victim of poor

marketing! Don’t hold out for the fall releases. Don’t hear your friends

rave about “Angel Eyes” only to discover that it’s coming out on video in

six months. Relish a Hollywood rarity: a good movie.

o7 “Angel Eyes” is rated R for language, violence and a scene of

sexuality.f7 * MARY A. CASTILLO, 27, is a Costa Mesa resident.

Don’t overlook this wonderful film

“Angel Eyes” is a refreshing alternative to the action blockbusters

that are beginning to fill the marquees at the local theater this time of

year. Although this film has been promoted as an action thriller with

possibly a supernatural twist, it is actually none of the above. The

director, Luis Mandoki, whose work includes such films as “When a Man

Loves A Woman” and “Message in a Bottle,” paints a compelling love story

between two individuals who must overcome the pain of past events before

they can find happiness in themselves and with each other.

Jennifer Lopez portrays Sharon Pogue, a tough Chicago cop who must

overcome the challenges of being a female police officer and the

alienation imposed by her family for a decision she made years ago to

have her father arrested for domestic violence. Pogue is not presented

here as an action hero, but rather as a real person dealing with the

problems that often accompany life as a police officer. Alienated from

her family and unable to connect with anyone on a personal level, Pogue

only finds companionship with her fellow cops, with whom she must project

a macho image in order to maintain their respect.

Pogue’s life is turned upside down when a mystery man who refers to

himself as Catch, played by James Caviezel, risks his own life to save

hers. Caviezel, who was recently in the films “The Thin Red Line” and

“Frequency,” portrays what seems to be a simple-minded drifter who

wanders the city trying to do good deeds for strangers. Pogue is

intrigued by this odd character and cautiously begins a relationship with

him.

This film thankfully avoids the cliches of a supernatural savior who

falls in love with a mortal woman or a Forrest Gump-like simpleton who

shows people how to make the world a better place with simple acts of

kindness. Instead, the audience learns that Catch is a man who is

drifting through life like a ghost because he is unable to move beyond a

horrible tragedy from his past. As Catch begins to face the tragedy, he

slowly comes out from behind a mental fog that he had created as a means

of dealing with his guilt and grief.

As Pogue and Catch begin to learn more about each other, they also

take a closer look at themselves. The film carefully avoids another

cliche by not having the characters “save” each other. Instead, the

characters realize that ultimately they must face their demons alone.

This film has many great qualities, among them a compelling story line

and well-delivered performances by Lopez and Caviezel. The only obvious

weaknesses were a couple of musical montage scenes that are often

associated with sappy love stories, which felt jarringly out of place in

this dark romance.

Overall, this is a wonderful film that I fear will be overlooked

because of its misleading advertising campaign and its blockbuster summer

competition.

o7 “Angel Eyes” is rated R for language, violence and a scene of

sexuality.f7 * RYAN GILMORE, 27, is a Costa Mesa resident.