Swimming Pools, Movie Stars...

Because you asked for it... In 2005, I made my acting debut in two movies: Memory and All The King's Men. Both films are now on DVD. If you decide to follow the links and pick up a copy, all profits will go to Autism Research.

Review of Memory (a film by Bennett Davlin) from IF Magazine: "Okay, noting that MEMORY is better than PREMONITION is arguably not saying much, but in fact, this little genre thriller is better than a lot of similar flicks that have come before.

Part of the charm of MEMORY, directed by Bennett Devlin and written by Devlin & Anthony Badalucco from Devlin’s novel, is that it has a sense of real independence. For one thing, it’s doubtful that a major studio would go along with the mystery that our hero winds up investigating – a string of child abductions/murders perpetrated by someone whose memories are leaking into the hero’s mind.

Billy Zane plays Dr. Taylor Briggs, a medical researcher who, in an odd accident at a none-too-tidy hospital, winds up with a strange substance introduced to his bloodstream. Taylor, rational fellow that he is, at first thinks he’s hallucinating when he begins without warning to jump into experiences that are not his. Gradually, little clues pile up to indicate that Taylor is in fact having flashes of someone else’s memory – but whose? And how can Taylor find the person, who seems likely to keep killing?

There’s a pleasing air of freedom here. It’s rare in this sort of genre film to have character moments that are real character moments instead of having everything add up as clues – the filmmakers clearly enjoy creating all aspects of Taylor’s world, some of which tie into the main plot thread and some of which are just there to supply color. It’s a nice change from movies where, if we’re told anything, we can safely assume we’re meant to instantly add it to our store of knowledge (which often results in the audience figuring things out far sooner than the filmmakers intend). There are some good plot twists here and, even for those who can see the last one coming far in advance, everything seems consistent within the film’s mythology.

Zane is appealingly rueful and understandably apprehensive as Taylor, who goes through a visible personality transition throughout the course of the story. Tricia Helfer (Number Six on BATTLEATAR GALACTICA) makes a likable, distinctive romantic and eventually investigative partner and Ann-Margret and Dennis Hopper (the latter underplaying urbanely) contribute good supporting performances.

MEMORY is the kind of funky, mildly trippy psychic thriller that used to turn up far more regularly in theatres in the days before DVDs. It doesn’t remotely reinvent the wheel, but it’s got its own identity, the filmmakers actually care about their storytelling and it is ultimately both sincerely creepy and reasonably enjoyable."

Update: Swimming pool planned for next summer.