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Rhinoceros Eyes (2004)
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Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:10
Rotten:12
Average Rating:5.3/10
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some sexuality, drug use and violent images
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Apr 23, 2004 Limited
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
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Reviews for Rhinoceros Eyes
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.
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.
What about those fundamentals of engagement that keep filmgoers in their seats?
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.
Smacks of upscale student work with a command of atmospherics but a script mixed in a blender of concept doodles.
As weird and off-putting as portions of the film are, the most serious problem is Pitt's performance.
Utterly wrongheaded and indistinctly creepy, in that yawn-inducing way of pretentious twaddle...
Quirkiness alone can't substitute for a compelling story line, interesting themes or real characters.
A movie that doesn't always work but certainly earns high marks for weirdness.
For too much of the film's running time, quirkiness stands in for genuine wit, and the screenplay is most notable for its derivativeness.
The surprise is how utterly original [Woodley's] gorgeously mounted curiosity seems.
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.
A thriller that shamelessly rummages through other movies in search of shocks.
Most of this weird-for-weird's-sake film is set inside a cluttered store for movie props where a pathologically shy young clerk (Michael Pitt) lives and works.
A film about a guy with a fantasy life so rich it could make Walter Mitty envious.
A film rich in depth and texture, “Rhinoceros Eyes” should give avid cinéastes a pleasurable time at the theatre.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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