May (2002)
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| Universal (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 5.1, English DD 2.0. 89 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Lucky McKee
Starring: Angela Bettis,
Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris
Screenplay: Lucky McKee
Country: USA |
It is very easy to become a jaded horror fan.
You find that after a while everything seems to
become a bit same-o same-o. Sure, you still watch
horror movies for the violence, blood, guts and
the nudity, but all you are really waiting for
is something different and original to come along. May is here, and May is different.
Written and directed by newcomer Lucky McKee,
his previous film being All Cheerleaders
Die, May has been the
recipient of many awards, including Best actress
for Angela Bettis at the Catalonian International
Film Festival 2002, Brussels International Festival
of Fantasy Film 2003, and the Malaga International
Week of Fantastic Cinema 2003 where it also won
Best Film, Best Screenplay and the Youth Jury
Award for Best Feature Film. May stands out as an unusual and interesting, and
somehow, almost touching and beautiful horror
film.
May (Angela Bettis) is an odd soul. Singled out
as a child because of her lazy eye, May became
a loner, who with an oppressive mother, came to
believe her only friend was a doll named Suzy.
Her alienation gave birth to a love of making
and collecting dolls, and her seamstress skills
flourished. Now an adult and working at a veterinarian
clinic, May starts to meet new and interesting
people, co-worker Polly (Anna Farris) and her
friend Ambrosia (Nichole Hiltz), local mechanic
Adam (Jeremy Sisto) and punk Blank (James Duvall),
all of whom she starts a dangerous series of obsessions,
which of course, breaks her easily broken heart.
She realizes that not all people are like her
lifeless best friend Suzy, and she is reminded
of her mother's favorite saying "If
you can't find a friend, make one."
With influences ranging from Mary Shelly, to
Argento and Taxi Driver, May is an amazing foray into horror, with an unexpected
viewpoint with horrific results. Lucky McKee has
this film oozing atmosphere and has really dragged
the best possible performances from all the players.
The casting choices are clearly what make this
movie shine. Angela Bettis' brilliant portrayal
of May is at times almost heartbreaking, but at
the same time comical, which makes her evolution
to her final state more terrifying. Anna Farris
as the oversexed Polly is worth a mention, playing
against her usual comedic roles (like the Scary
Movie series) she really shines. |
| Video |
| May has a 16:9 anamorphic widescreen
transfer and looks great. |
| Audio |
| There are two options for sound on this one: Dolby
Digital 5.1 and Dolby Stereo 2.0. The 5.1 soundtrack
sounds good and shows off some nice subtleties of
the film. |
| Extra Features |
| This disc starts with two trailers: one for Elvira's Haunted Hills and the other for Secretary.
These trailers are shown before the menu comes
up.
May has two audio commentaries.
The first is with Lucky McKee, Angela Bettis,
Nichole Hiltz, Chris Sivertson (editor), cinematographer
Steve Yedlin and Bret Roberts who plays the Distraught
Man in Vet's Office. It is their first commentary
track, but it makes for an unprepared, fun commentary
with a few interesting tidbits along the way.
The second commentary is more a crew commentary
that features Lucky Mckee, musician Jaye Barnes-Luckett,
production designer Leslie Keel, editor Rian Johnson
and Benji, craft services (who may be a joke ring-in).
This commentary looks a little more at the technical
side but again is fun and insightful. Lucky McKee
really leads both commentaries with thrown in
comments by the other members of the teams.
The trailer for May runs for
1 minute 41 seconds.
The photo gallery has 14 stills from the movie. |
| The Verdict |
May is an excellent film, that
at first seems slow, but is actually very deliberately
paced. Those interested in whiz-bang effects or
extreme gore may find this movie not quite to their
liking, but those who appreciate a carefully constructed
horror story will love it.
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Hyden Ky.