I've been a fan of Melanie Lynskey ever since her first appearance in Peter Jackson's classic,
Heavenly Creatures. Unfortunately, in mainstream American movies (
Ever After,
Coyote Ugly,
But I'm a Cheerleader,
Sweet Home Alabama), she always seems to get supporting roles. I'm still waiting to see
the New Zealand film Snakeskin come out on Region 1 DVD so that I can watch it. She, apparently, has quite a role in that film. Well, she finally gets a good role in
Foreign Correspondents. Sure, the stories and the film production are a little amateurish (somewhere between home movie and full-blown Hollywood production), but the acting is solid, and the storylines interesting enough, even if they don't fully resolve. Corin Nemec does a great fake British accent (you may remember him from
Parker Lewis Can't Lose), and
Wil Wheaton is appropriately annoying in his role opposite Lynskey. It's a fun, refreshing film with a certain, comfortable calm about it, amidst the mystery. It won't
wow anyone, but it's worth a look, particularly for those tired of the usual Hollywood garbage.
--A.Y.