(Credit: www.buy.com)
Director:
Charles Russell
Cast:
Jim Carrey……….Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask
Cameron Diaz……….Tina Carlyle
Peter Greene……….Dorian
Peter Riegert……….Lt. Kellaway
Amy Yasbeck……….Peggy Brandt
Richard Jeni……….Charlie Schumacher
New Line Cinema in association with Dark Horse Entertainment presents The Mask. Story by Michael Fallon and Mark Verheiden. Written by Mike Werb. Running Time: 100 Minutes. Classified PG-13 (for some stylized violence).
The movie:
In 1994, Jim Carrey starred in two movies that were catalysts for him becoming a twenty-million-dollar man. Fresh off his stint as Fire Marshall Bill on In Living Color, Carrey starred as a pet detective named Ace Ventura. The movie was panned by critics but well liked by moviegoers. Ace Ventura may have been his big breakout movie; but he surpasses his zaniness and hysterics as Stanley Ipkiss in The Mask.
Stanley Ipkiss is a bank teller and a natural born loser. When Stanley buys two concert tickets to share with a woman he works with, she convinces him to let her have both tickets so she can take her sister who’s coming into town. Of course, Stanley gives her both tickets free of charge. He’s so concerned with pleasing others that they exploit the situation, walking over his backbone – or lack thereof.
After a long series of humiliations – the latest being bounced from the Coco Bongo nightclub – Stanley stares into the dark waters running underneath a city bridge and contemplates suicide. But as his eyes drift with the ripples he sees a mask floating with some garbage. He thinks it is a drowning victim so he jumps in trying to save someone.
Digging through the rubbish all he finds is a wooden mask. So he takes it home…and plugs in a Tex Avery cartoon?? Stanley is an avid fan of those classic Avery cartoons featuring the sexually deprived wolf with bulging eyes and the buxomly redheaded lounge singer.
Curiosity gets the better of him and Stanley puts the mask up to his face; the mask affixes itself firmly around his head and Stanley is instantly transformed into a Tasmanian devil of energy. The outcome has him sporting a canary yellow zoot suit and exuding the personality of a man who is completely looney tunes.
Jim Carrey’s lunacy and rubbery face are perfect for situations involving him as the Mask character. With the help of makeup artists and Industrial Light & Magic, they were able to transform Carrey’s facial features and extremities to mimic those of Tex Avery cartoons. The result is him as a caricature who appears half real, half animated. Just imagine Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? but with substantially superior special effects.
Computerized effects may seem commonplace with today’s movies, but there was a time when digital technology was just an idea. Films like Star Wars or Indiana Jones used digital effects to some extent, but The Mask pushed a company like ILM to its limits. Still, director Charles Russell is no stranger when it comes to special effects. His direction of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors was a precursor to his work on The Mask. Like Freddy Kruger, for the Mask character he is able to use special effects to move between what is possible and what is imaginary.
As Stanley Ipkiss, Carrey is the genial bank teller who is also a hopeless romantic. Then one day a potential customer catches his eye, Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz). She is a natural flirt who comments on Stanley’s tie thinking of it as one of those “inkblot tests.” Stanley quickly corrects her saying it’s like a Rorschach test. While flirting with him she is secretly videotaping the bank vault for her boss, Dorian (Peter Greene), who just happens to run the Coco Bongo Club.
If this film played a role in jumpstarting Jim Carrey’s career, then it is also responsible for introducing Cameron Diaz to the rest of Hollywood. Only nineteen at the start of production, Diaz is a genuine sexpot. Using her brief modeling skills as a reference, she shows off her beautiful face and wide smile with aplomb. Diaz also has the gift of comedic timing, which is very hard to find.
Filling out the supporting characters is Richard Jeni as Charlie, Stanley’s best friend at the bank. He’s the one who sizes up Tina before Stanley can set eyes on her. “She will rip out your heart, put it in a blender and hit frappe.” Peter Riegert as Lieutenant Kellaway and his partner Doyle are two buffoonish police officers who look like they just missed auditions for the Keystone cops. And then there’s Milo, Stanley’s dog, who has a deadpan sensibility, especially when barking isn’t a requirement.
An aspect of the film that is undervalued is the art direction. Four years prior to The Mask‘s release Touchstone Pictures released Dick Tracy, a picture whose art design is a work of art. The setting of Charles Russell’s film is reminiscent of that earlier film, stuck somewhere between the 1940s and 1960s with modern technology thrown in. The Coco Bongo Club is very indicative of The Ink and Paint Club used in Roger Rabbit.
It’s tough to classify The Mask. It’s not just a love story. The film is a surrealistic romantic comedy. Besides Tex Avery cartoons, the film references classic James Cagney gangster flicks, Dirty Harry, the Nutty Professor and Elvis. As the Mask character, Jim Carrey proves that he was meant to play this part. Maybe it is his rubberface, or his manic comedic ability. Either way there is a pure joy in watching him perform.
Score: 6.5/10
THE DVD
VIDEO: How does it look?
Having never seen the original DVD release of The Mask it’s tough to contrast the video transfer on this new-and-improved release. For the most part, the video looks good. Good use of lighting – especially, the cobalt blue diffusion – and the production design is a nice touch. The film has its theatrical widescreen presentation (1.85:1) and it is enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions.
Score: 8/10
AUDIO: How does it sound?
DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound, are you kidding me? Wow! There is a Dolby Digital EX 5.1 and stereo sound option as well. So if your sound system does not have DTS capabilities, don’t worry. Jim Carrey’s zany antics as the Mask character give your home viewing experience a movie theater feel. Sounds bounce off the front, back and side speakers. You can also view the feature with English or Spanish subtitles.
Score: 8.5/10
SPECIAL FEATURES: Two commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, and trailers!!!
In this special edition re-release of The Mask, New Line Cinema has ported over extras from the last release and added a few more.
There are two deleted scenes that have optional Charles Russell commentary. Both were better left on the cutting room floor. The first scene is an alternate opening that was never fully completed. The other deletion is a morbid death scene by Amy Yasbeck’s Peggy Brandt character.
Up next are feature commentaries. One audio commentary features director Charles Russell, co-chairman of New Line Bob Shaye, writer Mike Werb, and various producers, a visual effects and animation supervisor, and cinematographer John Leonetti. This commentary was pieced together in post and is basically a compilation of different topics and comments. It is interesting to note that actors such as Martin Short, Rick Moranis and Matthew Broderick were once considered for the role of Stanley Ipkiss.
Charles Russell recorded the second commentary in 1996. Unlike the first track, this commentary isn’t as exhaustive. You have the benefit of not listening to eight different guys. Russell is good on the mike, telling stories about the production that viewing (listening) audiences are sure to enjoy. While the credits run, Russell admits he has no idea what was is in store for the sequel. Sadly, years and years went by before New Line Cinema tried to pass off Son of the Mask as a passable sequel. Wrong!!!
The bulk of the supplemental material is four featurettes. Return to Edge City is a 27-minute look back at the film. Having listened to the group commentary track, most of the material is a bit repetitive. It explores the origin of the Dark Horse Comics character and how it became a film. The featurette makes great use of incorporating film clips from other New Line Cinema titles. Like when talking about Charles Russell they show clips from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3. Unfortunately, neither Cameron Diaz nor Jim Carrey appears in the feature. Actually, there is one comment by star Jim Carrey, but it was recorded during the film’s production.
Introducing Cameron Diaz (13:15) is a look at how labor-intensive it was to cast the role of Tina Carlyle. Charles Russell, casting director Fern Champion and casting associate Mark Paladini, explain how the film’s budget was a factor in why an unknown actress was the best way to go. (Most of the budget was used for ILM special effects). If Cameron Diaz had not been discovered, it is a strong possibility that Anna Nicole Smith could have been Tina. Zoiks!!!
The greatest influence to this film, of course, is classic cartoon shorts by Tex Avery. In Cartoon Logic (13:40), animation historian John Canemaker and visual effects guru Scott Squires show how Avery played a role in the creation of the Mask character. Jim Carrey helped as well. With his rubber face and limbs he was able to help Industrial Light & Magic save time – and New Line save money – when it came time to create special effects.
The last featurette is about Stanley Ipkiss’s lovable dog Milo. What Makes Fido Run features three animal trainers and the process they go through when teaching a dog tricks. Brandon McMillian of Hollywood Animals remarks on a particular scene involving Milo. The scene has Milo trying to get a set of jail cell keys from a sleeping guard. What is most impressive is the expression the dog makes while looking at both Stanley and the unresponsive guard.
Completing the extras for The Mask DVD is the film’s theatrical trailer and more New Line Cinema trailers, including: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Elf, and Raise Your Voice.
The extras for this DVD are hit-or-miss. “Return to Edge City” and “Cartoon Logic” are fun to watch but the other two are less than desirable. The same goes for the audio commentaries. Definitely not tracks you will listen to more than once.
Score: 5/10
