Stars:
Ben Affleck,
Matt Damon,
Linda Fiorentino,
Salma Hayek,
John Simm,
Lorraine Pilkington,
Shaun Parkes,
Danny Dyer,
Christopher Eccleston,
Ewan McGregor,
Kerry Fox,
Ken Stott
Director:
Danny Boyle
Summary: This triple feature of cult films presents DOGMA, HUMAN TRAFFIC, and SHALLOW GRAVE in one specially priced box set. See individual titles for more details.<BR>DOGMA: Imaginative theology and a bigger-than-usual budget make Kevin Smith's (CHASING AMY, CLERKS) fourth film a kind of post-Catholic fantasy that only a comic-book enthusiast of his caliber could dream up. It concerns banished angels, Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck), who, after a few millennia in Wisconsin, discover a loophole in Catholic doctrine that would allow them back into heaven--but prove the fallibility of God and destroy the universe. As they make their way to New Jersey to receive a plenary indulgence, God dispatches a seraphim (Alan Rickman) to recruit lapsed-Catholic Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) to stop the angels. She finds help in muses, prophets (Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Smith respectively), and the forgotten 13th apostle, Rufus (Chris Rock). Before long, all hell breaks loose--literally--and God (Alanis Morrisette) has to put in an appearance of her own. Smith's controversial and quirky film is powered by his trademark dialogue, ripe with observations on pop culture, religion, and bodily functions.<BR>HUMAN TRAFFIC: The Ecstasy-fueled youth culture of England is examined in this buoyant, good-natured film from 25-year-old newcomer, Justin Kerrigan. A group of young Welsh revelers, including Jip (John Simm), Lulu (Lorraine Pilkington), and Koop (Shaun Parkes) endure their mundane jobs all week, and then cut loose on a typically wild Friday night of dancing, drinking, drugging, shagging, and then recovering in order to deal with their parents come Sunday. Kerrigan fills the film with lots of surreal and fantastical digressions, direct addresses to the camera, and quote-worthy bits of slang. Energetic electronica pulses throughout for a dynamite score, which combines with the high-spirited performances of the cast and makes for good time, whatever your buzz may be.<BR>SHALLOW GRAVE: After three Edinburgh roommates (Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, and Kerry Fox) finally choose a new roommate they can live with, they find him dead on the floor with a suitcase full of cash. While trying to remove the body and extricate themselves from the situation, they wade hip-deep into a world of drugs, greed, and madness. Danny Boyle's first feature film is a delightfully circuitous, nail-biting, and unpretentious noir, with the director--and screenwriter John Hodge--focusing on the gradual psychological disintegration of the roommates. Boyle and Hodge would gain even greater acclaim across the Atlantic with their hit follow-up, TRAINSPOTTING.