Not Forgotten DVD Review
Not Forgotten DVD Review
Oh, yeah. I'm going there: Forget it.
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I did have sort of high hopes for Not Forgotten though, because his costars are Paz Vega, Chloe Moretz, and Claire Forlani. They're all usually good and also the subject matter — Mexican Paganism — is intriguing. But I should have known: That is where the intrigue ends, and the plodding begins.
The story starts by introducing us to blonde and buff Jack (Baker), his young and gorgeous new wife Amaya (Vega), plus adorable 11-year-old Toby (Moretz), Jack's daughter from a previous relationship (with downtown stripper Katie, played by Forlani). They live in a Texas border town, everything's beautiful, and the most of their worries amount to whether or not Toby should be allowed to wear lipstick yet.
The family is torn apart when Toby is kidnapped by a stranger driving a white van. Leads are slim until Amaya persuades Jack to visit the local psychic (a predictably creepy elderly woman with rheumy eyes and a mouthful of dire warnings). Cut to a montage of rituals involving chickens, blood, crucifixes, and the like. Cue the slo-mo, creaking floorboards, and urgently whistling tea-kettles forgotten on the stove top. And now it's time for the obligatory gratuitous nudity in the scene where Jack goes to the barrio brothels, down in stripper-town, looking for answers. Ho-hum.
On the positive side, the acting is decent. A bit wooden at times (and who can blame the players? They were given a pretty listless palate), but overall I liked the casting. Moretz is always welcome, but like Baker she is much better in comedies (see: 500 Days of Summer, and Sex & Death 101, respectively). Some of the cinematography is really nice, with pretty composition and good use of red and white (Paul Naschy fans, take note!) in key scenes… and some of it is just drab as a dishrag. The visuals are uneven to say the least.
I wouldn't have minded if Not Forgotten were a worse movie than it is, if it were at least entertaining on a cheesy level. Or if it had some really horrific, memorable moments involving the religious cult's nefarious, bloody sacraments. But Not Forgotten's worst sin is it lacks punch on any level.
Additional features on the DVD include a commentary (I didn't listen), a behind-the-scenes featurette (standard stuff, the filmmakers praising each other and their 'twist' on the story), and the trailer (which shows only the gory and thriller aspects, not the by-the-numbers kidnap main plot).
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson