Stars: Al Pacino, Benjamin Salisbury, Winona Ryder

Director: Andrew Niccol

Summary: A film producer finds himself in difficulty when his leading lady walks off the set. He decides to digitally create an actress 'Simone' who becomes the first synthetic film star...

Viktor Taransky (Al Pacino) is a washed-up director. The beautiful Nicola (Winona Ryder), has just walked off the set of his last film, and the head of the studio--who also happens to be his ex-wife (Catherine Keener)--has just cancelled his contract. Just as a virtually hopeless Taransky is left wondering what is wrong with Hollywood, inventor Hank Aleno (Elias Koteas) presents him with a bombshell: a virtual actress. Created from computer code, Hank's invention--deemed S1M0NE from the abbreviated Simulation 1 and morphed into Simone for the masses--is beautiful, talented, and breathtakingly real. Soon, Taransky is editing Simone's image into his films and creating masterpieces. He devises elaborate schemes to make Simone appear to be human, all the while masterminding her every move. As Simone becomes an international superstar, a bewildered Taransky is left to wonder how real Simone actually is and how much power she has over him. But his attempts to sabotage her career only drag him further into the media frenzy that his creation attracts. Written and directed by Andrew Niccol (GATTACA), S1M0NE proves to be an interesting and insightful look at the movie business and the star-hungry media.

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If the concept of a TV drama set in a woman's prison was one potentially fraught with cliché, the critical and commercial success of Bad Girlsis a testament to fine writing, performance and production. With no preamble or scene setting, Series 1 immediately plunges the viewer into the world of Larkhall Prison, its inmates and staff. This approach leaves the characters to reveal themselves at varying pace, with each episode bringing new details about their life on the outside. Given the nature of the setting, it is unsurprising that the show is an ensemble, female-dominated piece. Simone Lahbib, Mandana Jones and Debra Stephenson are all excellent in the three key roles, with impressive support throughout the cast. Male characters are generally relegated to the sidelines, with the exception of sleazy warden Jim Fenner (played with skin crawling accuracy by Jack Ellis). The sexual realities of the environment are handled realistically and sensitively, and not for nothing is the word "uncut" splashed across the cover: there are some quite disturbing scenes, especially in the earlier episodes.

On the DVD: The DVD enhances the show's attempts to capture the atmosphere of prison, with sharp contrast between light and darkness and the constant barracking, cat-calling and snide asides sounding crisp, clear and suitably nasty. Of the impressive 70 minutes of extra features much will only be of real interest to absolute devotees. A documentary examining work on the forthcoming third series may go into admirable detail, but how much interest a costume truck can actually be is perhaps debatable. The footage itself is a little unpolished, but does provide the cast members with an opportunity to reveal themselves, as does the extensive interview section. Not only do the main actors give valuable insights into their characters, but it is also interesting to see how the process has influenced their opinions on the prison system. A feature on a book signing in London certainly puts the show into an audience context, but the collection of outtakes (presented in a, supposedly intentionally, amateurish and tacky manner by Lahbib) is at best superfluous. There is more than a hint of trying to find material to fill the space, but overall this is an impressive effort. --Phil Udell

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Alternate And Deleted Scenes, Cyber Stardom Documentary, Simone FX Documentary, Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer
Year:	2002
Release Date:	July 28, 2003
Runtime:	117 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	E D V 9141
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Simone, S1m0ne
Genre:	Comedy