For an actor directing his first movie, thespian-novelist-filmmaker Ethan Hawke has remarkable patience and an intrinsic knack for creating personal, candid, lingering moments between well-drawn characters. Comprised of a handful of interwoven vignettes about denizens, new and old, of New York's Chelsea Hotel--a legendary (and now somewhat unkempt) residential haunt of artists, poets and other bohemians for more than a century, Chelsea Walls is a film in which body language and what's left unspoken play a much more important role than the dialogue. As Hawke's camera wanders from room to room, Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kris Kristofferson, Robert Sean Leonard, and Steve Zahn all give strong performances as the creatively and/or romantically frustrated Chelsea inhabitants. Sometimes blindly enamored of his avant-garde project, Hawke does make a few rookie mistakes, but by film's end you understand the essence of the place--or at least how Hawke feels about it. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary from director Ethan Hawke, an extended scene, and interviews with Hawke (about five minutes) and actor Robert Sean Leonard (about three minutes). Bottom line: a solid extras package for a solid film.] (R. Blackwelder)
Chelsea Walls
Lions Gate, 109 min., R, VHS: $69.99, DVD: $24.99, Aug. 6 Volume 17, Issue 5
Chelsea Walls
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