![]() It's a jammed track as you can imagine ranging from critical reactions and the release to the intended mood created with the soundscape and visual choices. After it was a long period of complete unavailability for this film apart from a scarce New Zealand DVD in 2008 featuring a new commentary with Maxwell, Smuts-Kennedy, actress Elizabeth Hawthorne, costume designer Ngila Dickson, film editor John Gilbert, composer Chris Neal, and cinematographer Donald Duncan, plus additional written thoughts from other participants who couldn't make it in person. It ended up hitting VHS in 1994 from Triboro in a cropped, soft, and murky transfer that fared slightly better when it got bumped up to DVD from Image Entertainment in 1999. distributor essentially fading out around that time). by Cinevista, Jack Be Nimble didn't end up showing on a lot of screens (with its U.S. Picked up for theatrical release in the U.K. ![]() The film loses a bit of its potency in the final third, but otherwise the striking imagery and unusual plot twists make this a refreshing change of pace from standard slasher and pretentious arthouse fare. Lawrence, one of New Zealand's finest actors, really has little to do but nevertheless comes off as capable and assured in his limited role, while Kennedy artfully balances hysteria and sisterly affection. Late LGBT icon Arquette ( Bride of Chucky) may seem an unexpected casting choice for a battered, vengeful lad, but his subdued and sometimes creepy work here proves his abilities as an actor extended well beyond his more famous comic roles. Some horror fans may be stymied by the blend of Lynchian surrealism and unexpected moments of pathos here, but Jack merits a look for adventurous viewers willing to go along with its quirky mindset. ![]() Dora senses Jack's predicament, and the two embark on an unnerving odyssey reminiscent of Night of the Hunter, aided by Dora's older lover, Teddy ( The Quiet Earth's Lawrence) and pursued by the wicked stepsisters. ![]() Jack devises a unique machine capable of hypnotizing an observer, so naturally he turns his invention on his adopted parents and commands them to go kill themselves. Unfortunately, Jack's adopted family leaves a lot to be desired in fact, the poor boy often winds up on the wrong end of a belt and receives nothing but scorn from his three evil stepsisters. Dora (Smuts-Kennedy) winds up in a decent home and grows up to be a stable young adult who happens to possess a psychic link to her brother (Arquette, doing a good faux-Kiwi accent). As children, Jack and Dora are separated after the deaths of their parents. Director Garth Maxwell, who went on to work on the popular Hercules and Xena TV series as well as the overlooked gay indie When Love Comes, displays a keen eye for color and detail here despite the slim budget, and the performers all do an effective job of pulling off a potentially goofy storyline and pushing the material into surreal and often fascinating territory. Its release was trumpted in some horror zines at the time as a new terror classic, a claim easy to believe based on the truly chilling trailer, but in fact the film is more of a bittersweet fable with some effective horrific elements along the way. Starring: Alexis Arquette, Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, Bruno Lawrence, Tony Barry, Elizabeth Hawthorneġ993 / 96 min / 1.85:1 / English 5.Starring Alexis Arquette, Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, Bruno Lawrence, Tony Barry, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Brenda Simmons, Gilbert GoldieĪltered Innocence (Blu-ray) (US R0 HD), Jigsaw Entertainment (DVD) (New Zealand R0 PAL) / WS (1.85:1) (16:9), Image Entertainment (DVD) (US R0 NTSC)Ī rare '90s horror export from New Zealand that has nothing to do with Peter Jackson, Jack Be Nimble never really caught on with the midnight movie crowd but, thanks to video, has gained a small but loyal following. Both twins feel the pull to find each other again as they grow older, but violence threatens their joining from all sides. Jack ends up with a sadistic family who bullies and controls him whereas Dora is raised by a quite normal family, but starts being tortured by extra-sensory powers. A gothic horror gem from New Zealand returns in a brand new 4K restoration! From the twisted mind of Garth Maxwell comes the tale of separated twins Jack (Alexis Arquette) and Dora (Sarah Smuts-Kennedy), abandoned by their parents as children and separated by adoption. ![]()
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