Dragonfly [WS]

Director: Tom Shadyac Tom Shadyac

Overview

"Kevin Costner stars in the supernatural thriller Dragonfly. Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, Universal has done a very presentable job at making sure this transfer is sharp, clean, and nearly flawless. With deep dark black levels and a plethora of solid colors, the image for Dragonfly looks to be almost reference quality. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in English and French, as well as DTS 5.1 in English. Both the DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 track include a wealth of directional effects and lots of spooky background ambiance noise. Each track is clear of any hiss or distortion that might otherwise mar the mix. Also included on this disc are English and French subtitles. Dragonfly features a number of extra features, starting with a commentary track by director Tom Shadyac. Affable and entertaining, Shadyac comes off as a very likable fellow with a lot of stories to share from the production and shoot. Next up is a 13-minute ""Spotlight on Location"" featurette which is fairly fluffy fare. This piece includes interviews with star Costner, director Shadyac, producer Mark Johnson, and more pontificating on the film and what it took to bring it to the screen. Eleven minutes' worth of deleted scenes are included, though they are in rough form and don't add up to very much. Finally, there is an interview with author Betty Eadie (who had a near-death experience herself), some production notes, cast and crew info, and a few promotions for other Universal movies."

Product Details

Release Date:	07/30/2002
UPC:	0025192197826
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	12,721

Special Features

Closed Caption;Deleted scenes; The making of "Dragonfly"; Commentary with director Tom Shadyac; Cast and filmmaker bios; Production notes; Best-selling author Betty Eadie on her near-death experience; Theatrical trailer; DVD-ROM

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kevin Costner	Joe Darrow
Kathy Bates	Miriam Belmont
Joe Morton	Hugh Campbell
Ron Rifkin	Dr. Charlie Dickinson
Linda Hunt	Sister Madeline,Priest
Susanna Thompson	Emily
Robert Bailey Jr.	Jeffrey Reardon
Jacob Smith	Ben,Waitress,Ben
Jay Thomas	Hal
Lisa Banes	Flora
Matt Craven	Eric
Casey Biggs	Neil Darrow
Leslie Hope	Charisse Darrow
Jacob Vargas	Pilot
Peter Hansen	Phillip Darrow
Chea Courtney	12-Year-Old Girl
Dylan Johnson	8-Year-Old Boy
Anne Betancourt	A Mother
Mary Beth Fisher	Eulogist
Kim Staunton	Intake Nurse
Liza Weil	Suicide Girl
Nigel Gibbs	Paramedic
Heidi Swedberg	Surgical Nurse
Jamie Sue Sherrill	Surgical Nurse
Andy Umberger	Doctor
Nicholas Cascone	Doctor
Judith Moreland	ICU Nurse
Jennifer Parsons	ICU Nurse
Oni Faida Lampley	Private Duty Nurse
L. Scott Caldwell	Head Nurse
Kent Faulcon	Paul Reardon
Deirdre O'Connell	Gwyn
Justina Machado	Oncology Desk Nurse
Tom Keevers	Cop
Rich Komenich	Cop
Terrell Clayton	Colleague,Actor
Lise Simms	Nephrology Desk Nurse
Joseph Will	Medical Tech
Michael Manuel	Tough Paramedic
Henry Gerardo Cariban	Yanomami Native
Gilberto Herrera Chipiaje	Guard
Ana Garcia	Elderly Native Woman
Lina Patel	Airline Official
Meg Thalken	Guest
John Lordan	Guest
Rolanda Brigham	Guest
Gillian Vigman	Guest
Matt Champagne	Paramedic
Maz Jobrani	Paramedic
Benjamin John Parrillo	Paramedic
Mone Walton	Paramedic
David Doty	Hospital Chaplain
David Correia	Bus Driver
Tom Shadyac	Actor
Kathryn Erbe	Actor
Paul Gutrecht	Simon
Jimmy Leeward	Actor
Alison Lohman	Megan
John Debney	Composer

Technical Credits

David Seltzer

Brandon Camp

Mike Thompson

Tom Shadyac	Director,Producer
Gary Barber	Producer
Roger Birnbaum	Producer
Michael Bostick	Executive Producer
Susie Brubaker	Special Effects,Executive Producer
Mickey Gilbert	Stunts
Mark Johnson	Producer
Elizabeth Marx	Casting
Dan Sudick	Special Effects
Debra Zane	Casting
David Seltzer	Screenwriter
Brandon Camp	Screenwriter
Mike Thompson	Screenwriter
Odin Benitez	Sound Effects
Paula Fairfield	Sound Effects
Dee De Antonio	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

In Dragonfly, Tom Shadyac stays in the medical milieu he first visited in Patch Adams, but instead of syrupy comedy, this time he's dosing out Sixth Sense-style chills. The director's genre shift from broad comedy to horror lite is comfortable enough, but don't expect to see this one ringing up the cash registers like his previous efforts. Despite a fine performance by Kevin Costner as the unraveling widower and a number of effective startle scares, Dragonfly must be seen as a very minor work, lacking in specific urgency. It is nice, though, to see Costner playing within himself, ditching the botched accents and period garb and being willing to go grumpy and temperamental. While Dragonfly has a reasonably unpredictable and fulfilling payoff, it takes a lot of interchangeable scenes of cancerous children acting as spooky mediums to get there. And, let's be honest, some of the startle scares are obvious retreads, like the lifeless hand springing awake to clutch the nearest arm. Shadyac may have closely followed M. Night Shyamalan's blueprint for postmodern spiritual horror, right down to having veteran cameraman Dean Semler emulate those bluish hues from The Sixth Sense. But the story of Joe and Emily Darrow is not quite involving enough, despite all those effortful scenes of supernatural symbolism. For the more sentimental viewers, the end will probably justify the means, but others may feel trifled with.