DVD
Review | On_Line
Written by: Kage
Alan
There have been movies about using the Internet
for every crime in the book, not to mention the horror and Science
Fiction genres, yet most of them don’t really do their stories
justice. After all, what is the Net used for? Spying? Murder?
Please…sex. Not even love; sex. Now, instead of going out to the
local store that charges a “browsing fee” or feeling all hot, secret
and sweaty looking at things we wouldn’t in the company of our family
or friends, we can look at everything in the luxury of our own homes
on a computer screen and order whatever service strikes our fancy at
any given time. Such is one of the plot elements of “On_Line.”
Internet guru John Roth (Josh Hamilton) and his
roommate, Moe Curley (Harold Perrineau), start up their own little Net
porn business while he (John) is recovering from a severely bad
relationship breakup. The entire on-line community is a fairly close
knit group with some knowing more about each other than others and
keeping it that way. For all intents and purposes, it functions like a
surrogate family. The unspoken rules are all well and good, only John
finds himself falling for Jordan (Vanessa Ferlito), a young woman who
plays out men’s on-line fantasies for money. Mo, meanwhile, is
attracted to Moira (Isabel Gillies), who helps people through depression
since she herself is a victim and survivor of the problem.
Secondary characters include Al (John Fleck), an
older gay friend of Jordan’s, and Ed (Eric Millegan), a young college
student seeking help from Moira for depression. The connection? Ed is
also playing out his on-line sexual fantasies with Al and discovers the
two might just have a very real connection. Relationships collide in “On_Line,”
nobody is who they necessarily seem and not everybody has the same
motives. Who is looking for what, who is sincere or not and just who is
this mysterious individual named Angel (Liz Owens)? Watching is the
only way you’ll find out.
From playing the uptight son in a couple of
episodes of “Absolutely Fabulous” to porn king, Josh Hamilton certainly
has a definite acting range. Aside from him, Vanessa Ferlito, Isabel
Gillies, John Fleck and Eric Millegan all stand out and I expect to see
them in the spotlight again very soon. While the performances are
solid, the film is kept visually interesting with its constantly
changing representations of the Net, what viewers see, the impersonality
of it all, falsely erotic and (at the same time) sexually charged
images. This is a whole different world and can’t sustain people in the
way we’d like to think. Sooner or later, our drama catches up with us.
Wolfe has released “On_Line” in its original
Widescreen ratio. Picture quality isn’t bad and only has a hint of
grain here and there, but that might be cleaned up in the final version
of the DVD (I only have a promo disc). Audio quality also sounded fine
here, so no real complaints about that. As for extras, this disc
doesn’t have any. However, the product for sale in stores is slated to
have a Technical Commentary and an Artistic Commentary, “The Making of
On_Line,” “6 Camera Simulcast Featurette,” “Deleted Scenes” and some
trailers. It sounds like a decent package anyway.
To a typical Friday or Saturday night film renter,
“On_Line” isn’t going to fit the bill for a mindless action film with
lots of explosions, corny dialogue and groan-inducing heroics. This is
more for the “I want to get lucky” crowd of 20 something viewers
experiencing angst. Fortunately, it’s an effective drama and one that I
sat back and enjoyed, especially the performances. Director Jeb
Weintrob makes the most of his budget, story and cast and I look forward
to suggesting this title to friends.
Film Rating:
B
DVD Special Features: TBD
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