My Brother’s Keeper
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: C
Playing
twins is usually a doomed proposition and Aaron Ashmore falls into that trap
for the worse in Jordan Barker’s film, My
Brother’s Keeper, set in a small industrial town suffering the usual
post-Industrial Age decline as he works as one brother works at a metals
factory. The way out here is the sport
of Rowing, which both brothers are good at, but only one gets the scholarship
based on the sport to go to a college they would not afford otherwise.
The
biggest problem is that it is the same story we have seen a thousand times
before with the same tired gimmick.
Ashmore simply cannot make enough of a distinguishing performance
between the two characters and Barker simply is clueless as how to direct him,
possibly too distracted by making the visual effects look good to handle the
acting properly. Acting is actually flat
throughout, as is the David Wiechodrek screenplay. This is aimed at a young teen audience and we
have seen worse, but My Brother’s Keeper
ultimately is unable to row itself out of boredom and the lack of energy
throughout does not help matters.
The
letterboxed 1.85 X 1 image was shot on Fuji film stock, but this transfer does
not do enough with Levko Mojsovski’s at least profession film work is lacking
detail that is definitely something that would be there in the film print. Color is not gutted and shots are clean. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mix has some Pro Logic
surrounds, but they are weak. Extras
include the original stage play, original theatrical trailer, Pylons Music
Video, on-camera interview with producer Jeff Deverett & director Barker
footage from the Twinsburg promo screening and Animatic storyboards of selected
scenes.
- Nicholas Sheffo
