Moviereviews.org Review
Sleepy Hollow & Dogma
3 Stars (Out of 4)
By Mac VerStandig
critic@moviereviews.org
http://www.moviereviews.org
November 15, 1999
USA Release Dates: Dogma: Out & Sleepy Hollow: November 19, 1999
A copy of this review can be found at http://www.moviereviews.org/sleepy_hollow_and_dogma_-_reviews.htm
Sleepy Hollow and Dogma are two very different films dealing with death. Dogma is most effective because of its hilariously dark comedy and ensemble cast. Sleepy Hollow finds its success in a classic horror story, grizzly images and two remarkable performances. Both stand out as solid works with minimal faults and can consequently expect mid-range box office.
Dogma's Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck) are angels famous for Sodom and Gomorrah, Noah's Ark and several other acts of skilled labor. However, they have been ejected from heaven because of their sins on earth (not mass-murder, but quibbling with the Lord, consuming liquor and assorted others). They discover a loophole that may allow them back "home" when Cardinal Glick (George Carlin) decides to rededicate a New Jersey church as part of a newer, hipper Christianity called Catholicism Wow! (no mention of olestra is made). They fail to realize that their returning to heaven could trigger a small side affect: the end of all existence.
Sleepy Hollow's Headless Horseman (Christopher Walken in a deliciously chilling yet relatively small performance) is rejected from his grave because his head was severed from his body with his own sword and stolen shortly thereafter. He decapitates his victims and takes their heads to use in place of his own.
Dogma was condemned by The Church early on and consequently changed studios a few times before finally settling in at Lion's Gate. Director Kevin Smith makes light of this in his opening disclaimer which describes itself as "a statement made to save one's own ass" and includes a few below-the-belt shots at Disney, the original studio. Those without a sense of humor may have trouble dealing with a mass-shooting of company executives who make golden calves, a muse who strips for money because of writer's block and a pop singer, Alanis Morisette, playing the Big Guy (Gal?) in the sky.
Sleepy Hollow is a time revered horror story that has only been slightly modified for the film. Much of the light-fright is dependant on a 1799 setting which provides candle-lit rooms, no automobiles and strong gothic elements.
The killing sprees in both films are highlighted by grizzly images and excessive amounts of blood. Whether a mass-slaughter at church or head-spitting tree is more disturbing, I leave up to you.
Washington Irving's classic tale, directed by horror master Tim Burton, is complemented by two key performances from Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci as Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel respectively. For Depp this is another dark role in the tradition of his title character in Edward Scissorhands and role in Nightmare on Elm Street. For Ricci this is an amalgamation of her career to date and testament to that fact that she is one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood. The similarities to her classic portrayal of Wednesday Adams are obvious, but a closer look reveals that her character's love affair with Crane soon after her boyfriend's death show similarities to her role as Dee-Dee in The Opposite of Sex. The darker and more frightful elements can be compared to her part in the star-studded independent film Hurlyburly.
Dogma's cast is as endowed as Ricci's Hurlyburly. Affleck and Damon team up for the first time since their award winning Good Will Hunting. Other than the persistent use of the "F-word," the two films have little in common, showing how versatile the couple can be. George Carlin, a dignified legend in the world of stand-up comedy, gives a performance as funny as Walken's is frightful and equally sized (leading you to wonder how he got billing over Matt Damon, the film's co-star). Linda Florentino (of Men in Black fame) plays Bethany, the film's heroine who is sent to stop the rejected angels from entering the New Jersey church. She is a pleasure to watch and seems to be establishing herself as a solid actress. Other delights include Chris Rock reprising his traditional "'cause I'm black!" role, Selma Hayek as a much better muse than Sharon Stone, and the film's director, Kevin Smith, as Silent Bob the unknowing prophet.
Both films have faults, albeit minor ones. Dogma's audience is too busy laughing to put aside time for some meaningful and serious scenes towards the end. Sleepy Hollow has trouble developing its characters early and consequently you aren't sure of some victims' identity. But these are small flaws and in today's Hollywood both Dogma and Sleepy Hollow stand out as being well above average.
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