The Human Stain (2003) - Stellar cast drives Benton's Roth adaptation

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Two major stars drenched in sensual blue make up this poster for Robert Benton's The Human Stain

 

Coleman is a college dean who lectures in classical literature, until he is one day accused of racism and decides to quit. His wife passes away, but he finds a young, exciting woman - with a heavy personal baggage. It turns out that he is also carrying around quite a load himself.

 

The Human Stain is written by Nicholas Meyer (Medici (2016-18)), based on the same-titled 2000 novel by Philip Roth (Exit Ghost (2007)), and directed by Texan master filmmaker Robert Benton (Bad Company (1972)), whose 10th feature it is.

Anthony Hopkins (Chaplin (1992)), Ed Harris (Virginia (2010)), Gary Sinise (Bruno (2000)) and Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole (2010)) is a tremendously strong cast, and they carry this stained drama home. Kidman's character suddenly evolves to an incredible degree; and the entire storyline with beautiful Wentworth Miller (Underworld (2003)) is mysterious and may seem overly American to some audiences.

Related posts:

Robert Benton: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) - Benton's amazing, truthful divorce drama

What's Up, Doc? (1972) - Screwball comedy revived for a wonderful show (co-writer) 

Watch the 2-minute 'accusation' scene from the film here

 

Cost: 30 mil. $

Box office: 22.9 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.76 times its cost)

[The Human Stain premiered 29 August (Venice Film Festival) and runs 106 minutes. Shooting took place from March - May 2002 in Massachusetts, Illinois, including in Chicago, and in Québec, including in Montréal. The film opened #15 to a 1 mil. $ first weekend in 160 theaters in North America, where it widened to 388 theaters but never attained a higher position, grossing 5.3 mil. $ (23.1 % of the total gross). The film's biggest market was Italy with 6 mil. $ (26.2 %); North America was the 2nd biggest, and Spain was 3rd biggest with 2.4 mil. $ (10.5 %). The film won an AFI award. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Benton returned with Feast of Love (2007). Hopkins returned in Shortcut to Happiness (2003); Kidman in Cold Mountain (2003). The Human Stain is rotten at 42 % with a 5.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The Human Stain?

Mission to Mars (2000) - De Palma's awful space turkey

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A beam of light strikes down in what looks to be the very orange planet of Mars on this poster for Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars

The first manned mission to Mars is launched, out searching for alien life.

 

Mission to Mars is written by Jim Thomas (Executive Decision (1996)), John Thomas (Predator (1987)) and Graham Yost (Justified (2010-15)), with Lowell Cannon contributing story elements, and directed by great New Jerseyite filmmaker Brian De Palma (Murder à la Mod (1968)).

Mostly good effects and typically ambitious De Palma-style camerawork cannot save this stinker, which grows completely intolerable after the first half hour or so: The script and dialog are the main crooks: SPOILER When sand monsters attack and kill one astronaut, the spaceship-bound colleagues are still giddily romantic, led on by the crew's women, who seem to mentally be around the age of fourteen.

This goes on with pointless, exhausting scientific mumbo-jumbo, and one soon has had enough of Tim Robbins (Arlington Road (1999)) and Gary Sinise (Open Season (2006)) also, while the film's scientific part also fails to convince, as for instance the US flag flaps in the Martian wind...

SPOILER Mission to Mars ends with typically designed aliens and a spaced-out ending. It is an awful film. Ennio Morricone's (Money (1991)) score remedies parts of it.

 

Related posts:

Brian De Palma: Carlito's Way (1993) - De Palma's best gangster movie

The Fury (1978) - De Palma's telekinetic powers run amuck! 
Carrie (1976) or, Don't Bully the Strange Girl!  

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 100 mil. $

Box office: 110.9 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.1 times its cost)

[Mission to Mars premiered 6 March (USA) and runs 114 minutes. De Palma boarded the already written and cast film at a late stage, when the originally hired director bowed out. Shooting took place from July - October 1999 in California, Vancouver, British Colombia and in Jordan. The film opened #1 to a 22.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for another two weekends (#2-#4) and grossed 60.8 mil. $ (54.8 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave it a 2.5/4 star review, translating to two notches higher than this one. De Palma returned in Femme Fatale (2006). Sinise returned in Bruno (2000); Robbins in High Fidelity (2000). Mission to Mars is rotten at 24 % with a 4.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Mission to Mars?