JawsOfJosh Reviews

Ed Wood (1994)

Burton's grand masterpiece, too bad so few have noticed

[10/10 · 25 February 2004]

As one of the most overlooked films ever made, "Ed Wood" does for Tim Burton what "Malcolm X" did for Spike Lee and "JFK" did for Oliver Stone, it ruins any expectations one can have of Tim Burton, because he has set a standard here that he will never achieve again. An interest in the period in which it is set is essential, given the set decoration is the film's greatest triumph. It's not surprising that Burton's first "biopic" is about someone revered in the b-movie heyday of the 1950s - that spawned Burton himself. Burton must have felt he had to make this picture because without filmmakers like Ed Wood, Burton himself would have never existed. Set in seedy B-movie Hollywood in the mid 1950s - and wisely and beautifully shot in black-and-white, Johnny Depp plays the titular character; a young, talentless, but optimistic auteur who dreams of being a film director; going so far as to model himself after his idol, Orson Welles. Despite an over-reliance on stock footage, a tin ear for dialogue, and a fondness for wacky, exploitative horror and sci-fi fare, Wood wiggles his way into B-moviedom. Casting anyone willing to step before his camera, Wood cranks out a series of cheesy movies.

When he has a chance encounter with horror film legend Bela Lugosi, now a 74 year-old, foul-mouthed morphine addict wrecked by his lost fame, Ed sees his meal-ticket. Quick for his next fix, Lugosi doesn't seem to mind that Wood is also an out-and-proud transvestite with a particular fondness for Angora sweaters, and soon begins starring in Wood's features. Lugosi, played by Martin Landau, gives the story its biggest jolts of energy. Landau is hysterical in scene after scene utilizing the "dirty old man" routine. Remember, there is nothing funnier on earth than an old man who likes profanity. A gentle - albeit somewhat fictionalized - bond forms between Wood and Lugosi. Depp does a spectacular job of fleshing out Wood's quirky innocence and unbridled passion for moviemaking. This may also be the only Johnny Depp film where you actually see him smile!

What ultimately makes this film so stellar is the impeccable production and costume design and the crisp B&W cinematography; it literally transports you back to the clean-cut, wide-eyed days of the 1950s. I cannot recommend this film enough if you have an interest in the world of 1950s B-movies that produced titles like "Teenagers From Outer Space" and "Project Moonbase". This film functions quite well as a time warp. I liken "Ed Wood" to epics like "JFK" because like those films, this movie doesn't seem to be about what happens as much as how it FEELS to be there; and that's what draws me to the film every time I see it. With "Ed Wood", I'm not always interested in following the story, but I'm totally fascinated with being inside that world. Tim Burton did the best job that anyone could in taking you there.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Woody's more mature rumination on Manhattan life & love with an impeccable ensemble cast

[4 September 2002]

While I am a Woody Allen fanatic, I'm not sure if I agree with the minority of Woody fans who claim this is his best film, instead of "Annie Hall". Sure, I would be quick to elect "Annie" as Woody's best, but then I regard "Manhattan", "Stardust Memories", "Crimes & Misdemeanors", as well as "Hannah And Her Sisters", and I become unsure. This is certainly one of Woody's most mature films, and I would freely place it in my top five of Woody's works. It nicely balances comedy with drama, and it also began a new era of high accomplishment for Woody. Functioning as an ensemble drama loosely organized around three sisters, "Hannah" chronicles several stories at once. The film has an incredibly warm, intimate feeling about it, as people talk in their earth-toned apartments over J.S. Bach or stroll through the city's crisp autumn air. What rings most true about this film is that it doesn't end quite the way you thought it would (the words "too tidy" and "unpunished" get unfairly used a lot), yet it ends as it should.

Ironically, Hannah (played by Mia Farrow) doesn't fare too deeply in the film. The eldest of three, she's the family matriarch soothing her aging parents, a showbiz couple reluctantly settling into old age and blaming each other for it. Her husband Elliot (Michael Caine expertly stuttering & flushing) is consumed with guilt over his heavy crush on Hannah's sensuous, down-to-earth sister, Lee. Lee is slowly pulling away from her failing relationship with Frederick (the always excellent Max Von Sydow), a horribly misanthropic curmudgeon whose reliance on her as his last link to humanity becomes suffocating. The youngest sister, Holly (Dianne Wiest - kicking ass as usual), is a nervous, impatient actress whose insecurity and lack of success lead to competing with her best friend April over work and men. Meanwhile, Hannah's ex-husband Mickey (Woody), a severe hypochondriac, is trying desperately to accept his eventual mortality and still find some meaning in life, which it what it seems all the other characters are trying to do. I won't say where the stories are going or where they all end up, but I will say the ensemble cast is all-around great, Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest are definitely the stand-outs here (their Oscars were well-deserved), but Max Von Sydow and Barbara Hershey do quite fine as well. As for Woody - Mickey is the kind of character that fans were probably waiting for him to play for years, and he pulls it off with his classic ticks & twitches.

Woody's evident genius is shown here by juggling the separate stories back & forth so fluidly. Most attention seems to be focused on Elliot and Lee during the first half (both conflicted & confused), while the second half slightly centers around Mickey and Holly (both nervous & unsure). Mickey operates mostly as an outsider and the strength of his story doesn't pertain too much to "the sisters" (although there are two hysterical flashbacks sequences, one involving Hannah and the other detailing a disastrous date with Holly). Another masterstroke on Woody's part are the internal voice-overs. Woody is too smart to know that there are certain thoughts a person has that will exist only in their head, and extracting these feelings into some kind of dialogue with another person would seem forced. It's casual pacing, novelistic endeavors, vivid characters, cozy settings, heartfelt music and sharp, candid dialogue are what makes this film hold up beautifully for me after dozens of viewings. It's an absolute Woody Allen film.

Bananas (1971)

Another funny "rainy day movie" from the Woodman

[28 August 2002]

I pity those who cling and clamor towards the more intellectual works of Woody Allen and neglect the few early slapstick comedies he started out making. Woody's second directorial effort, "Bananas" - just as much as "Take The Money And Run", "Play It Again, Sam", "Sleeper", and "Love & Death" - is ninety minutes of complete stupid, laugh-out loud comedy. There is not much of a plot and little in the way of character development or storytelling. The story is just a set-up for Woody to pour out his endless bundle of jokes. As consumer products tester Fielding Mellish, Woody falls in love with Nancy, a political activist looking to enroll him in an upcoming protest march. The two strike up a romance, but Nancy soon finds Fielding is not dedicated enough to his political beliefs and leaves him. Looking to impress her, Fielding leaves America for the fictional Latin country of San Marcos where he finds himself embroiled in a revolution and unintentionally becomes their leader (replete with a fake beard a-la Fidel Castro).

I've noticed other comments criticizing the [political naiveness] of the film and it is again a sad reminder of the touchy-feely, overly-sensitive times we are living in. The film isn't meant to stir your emotions or awake any political apathy you may hold, the movie just wants to make you laugh! It's easy for comedies that use sight gags to hold up over repeated viewings, but the verbal barbs in "Bananas" still crack me up over and over. Like all of Woody's pre-"Annie Hall" films, this movie is perfect for rainy days. Just stretch out on the couch, turn off your brain, and laugh away. So, you've got problems? Well this film won't solve them, but it's bound to make you forget them for an hour-and-a-half.

Maybe part of the joy of watching this film over and over is just to laugh at the familiar jokes I've seen one hundred times already. The near-climax where Woody cross-examines himself in a courtroom is hysterical, as well as a scene in San Marcos where Woody enters a local diner and orders lunch for 1,000 army troops in complete dead-pan manner. There is also Woody's fantastic reaction to hearing someone utter the word "castration". The one-liners never quit either, whether Woody is trying unsuccessfully to sweet-talk Nancy during lovemaking ("I can't speak French, how about Hebrew?") or when he tries to invite himself to a party where coworkers are going to watch porno films ("You need an usher?"). It's also worth noting that in his early days, Woody was one of the great physical comedians of his time. I savor Woody's early films so much - even if they don't carry the weight of his later work - simply because this slapdash kind of moviemaking has since become extinct in today's cinema. Like I said, this is a funny, insignificant, little film; great for a quick escape. "So long suckers!"

The Big Lebowski (1998)

The Coen Brothers deliver a hilarious journey through the weirder side of L.A.

[25 February 2002]

For the life of me I couldn't understand the acclaim the Coen Brothers achieved over the years. I could tell their films were well-crafted and executed, but they didn't strike me as anything remarkable. I was particularly puzzled over the success of "Fargo", which I initially found monotonous and flat. Then I saw "The Big Lebowski", and my attitude about the Coen Brothers changed 360 degrees. This explained to me perfectly that - in my estimation - the Coen Brothers films are not about stories as much as they are studies of culture and characters. However lively or lazy the plot may be - it's beside the point. The joy is to be found in the dialogue of the characters and the world they inhabit. The Big Lebowski has easily make itself one on my favorite films of the 1990's.

Set in Los Angeles in the early 1990's, Jeff Bridges seems to smile and grimace with delight as Jeff "The Dude" Lebowksi, a lofty, 40-something pothead who wastes his days smoking pot and drinking White Russians while practically living inside his regular hangout - a bowling alley. The Dude is accompanied by his buddies Walter (John Goodman in a hysterical performance of an angry, trigger-happy veteran) and the babbling, clueless Donnie (Steve Buscemi). The Dude is soon mistaken for a millionaire with the same name as his whose trophy wife Bunny has racked up a debt with a local pornographer. It seems Bunny has been kidnapped for ransom and the real Lebowski (hence the title) would like The Dude to serve as his courier for the pay-off. The Big Lebowski's daughter - a pretentious performance artist played by the always-reliable Julianne Moore - intervenes, suggesting that the instructions The Dude has received from her father may be misleading. A series of complications ensue that involve a private eye, a missing toe, a sacred Jewish holiday, a trio of bumbling Germans, and the Dude's beloved rug that "really tied the room together".

Damn, I may never tire of seeing this film. The ingenuity the Coens' display here is endless and tireless. Have you ever noticed that so many Coen Brothers films feature characters you love to watch but would probably hate to know in person? Jeff Bridges totally re-defines his breadth as an actor by completely disappearing beneath The Dude's shaggy beard, sloppy wardrobe, profane vocabulary and rotund pot belly. For a character who seems pretty clueless, we have an easy & enjoyable time following The Dude through his travails. Employing John Goodman again, the Coen Brothers put him to terrific use as a gun-loving veteran obsessed with making a spectacle to enforce his point no matter where he is, as well as honoring the religious duties of his ex-wife, despite the fact that he's not Jewish but nonetheless pledges himself to it ("Shomer f**king shabbus!!!"). Most great filmmakers have themes and / or an era they tend to re-visit over & over. This is not evident with the Coen Brothers. Like Stanley Kubrick and Mike Nichols, the only re-occurring element in all of their films are that they are well made and very unique from all others. If you're not sold on the idea of seeing "The Big Lebowski" yet, it's worth viewing just for seeing the view from inside a bowling ball as it travels down an alley. This is a wild, wacky movie that's nonetheless intelligent and crafty. Basically, "The Big Lebowksi" is a dumb comedy for smart people.

Casino (1995)

The dizzying climax to Scorsese's Mafia trilogy

[9/10 · 25 February 2002]

Like Oliver Stone's "JFK" and Tim Burton's "Ed Wood", Scorsese had created a bit of monster for himself when he released "Goodfellas" in 1990. He created an undisputed, instant classic for which all of his subsequent films - as well as all other Mafia films - would be measured against. As magnificent as "Goodfellas" is, it can be considered a curse. This is evident in "Casino", Scorsese's more-or-less follow-up to the life depicted in "Goodfellas". It is an impressive achievement, even more dense and visceral than "Goodfellas", but it has received some derision over the years by those who have accused Scorsese of "copying himself." (How can a filmmaker "copy" himself anyway? Nobody has moaned about Spielberg constantly re-visiting the days of WWII.)

Merciless in presenting his strict attention to detail, Scorsese chronicles the rise and fall of Las Vegas under the grip of the Mafia from the early 1970's to the mid 1980's. Utilizing endless freeze-frames, multiple voice-over narrators, incessant music, swirling cinematography and eye-bruising set decoration, Scorsese brings us deep into the diamond-crusted bowels of the big business of Las Vegas and how the mob "skimmed" all they could from it for over a decade. Robert De Niro brings a subtle gravity to the role of Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a genius gambling pro from Chicago recruited by the Mafia to manage and operate the four largest casinos in Vegas. Rothstein's insurance arrives in the guise of childhood friend Nicky Santoro - now a hotshot Mafia captain (and rendered with crushing brutality by Joe Pesci). After years of successful slumming as a mid-level gambler, Rothstein sees Vegas as his shot at legitimacy. He tries to solidify his dream by marrying a high-class Vegas prostitute, Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), who despite her glamorous exterior and sturdy attitude, is ultimately emotionally lost and still desperately hung on her greasy pimp / boyfriend, Lester Diamond (nicely underplayed by the eternally sleazy James Woods). Ginger tires to escape Ace's marital clutch while still enjoying the perks of being the wife of the most powerful man in town, while Nicky disregards Ace's "nice-and-neat" policy of running business in favor of violent extortion and rampant thievery over everyone else in town. Ace sees the coupling together of his rocky marriage to Ginger with Nicky's aggressive attempts at taking over Las Vegas as problematic, but pride & greed prevent him from acknowledging the true severity of the situation. When Ginger and Nicky's frustrations with Ace inadvertently turn them toward each other, all hell breaks loose.

There are probably very few other films that hit the three-hour mark and fly by as quickly as "Casino". Longtime Oliver Stone cinematographer Robert Richardson gives Scorsese's Las Vegas a polished, glossy look; bathed in neons, pastels and solids of every color imaginable. God's gifts to Editors - that being Scorsese's number-one partner in crime, Thelma Schoonmaker, creates a smooth but frenetic pacing in Scorsese's storytelling. The music - which encompasses a bizarre brew of blues, swing, classical, doo-wop, rock and even punk - works wonders. Only Spike Lee is as skilled as Scorsese at utilizing music to re-create an era instead of merely advertising the film's accompanying soundtrack. De Niro's take on "Ace" Rothstein - who's obsessed with doing the job right - allows Scorsese to splurge on showcasing the in's-and-out's of Vegas. We see Ace chastise reckless dealers, slightly overweight dancers, and beleaguered chefs in excruciating detail. This is not limited to Ace's perceptions, Scorsese explains how money is won and lost, and how it is stolen - whether by the mob or by the players. The first hour of "Casino" could easily pass as a documentary on the mechanics of operating a gaming establishment.

Aside from the usual mainstays, De Niro and Pesci, Scorsese has assembled a stellar cast. Both Sharon Stone and James Woods give fiery interpretations of their tortured characters. Stone really surprised everybody with her performance here, but really - how many people would agree to act in a Martin Scorsese picture and sleep through it anyway? Vegas comedy legends Alan King and Don Rickles also appear in straight roles as a casino manager and a mob front, respectively. The great character actor/comedian Kevin Pollack also offers his talent as the mob's squeaky-clean front man. No performance falls flat here.

One way to angle the film for yourself if you're at all put-off by its structural similarities to "Goodfellas" need only regard this - "Casino" is basically an explanation of what would have happened to the characters in "Goodfellas" had they succeeded beyond the middle-class comfort of where they roamed. The film also contains the novelty value of displaying De Niro's ability to juggle! I try to be concise when writing reviews and not ramble as I have done here, but it is difficult to do so with a film like "Casino", because it is a film so crowded in its presentation. It's a traditional American Mafia story about gluttonous, reckless, greedy people. Nonetheless, it is another Scorsese masterpiece.

Deconstructing Harry (1997)

The culmination of Woody's comeback in the 1990's

[10/10 · 22 February 2002]

Wow! Who would have thought Woody Allen would have ever produced this kind of movie? Extending the returning winning streak of great films he began with in 1993 after spending the late 80's and early 90's mired in morose drama, "Deconstructing Harry" is both a swipe at his detractors as well as himself. This is NOT your average Woody Allen film. It is profane, obscene and vulgar in its content and dialogue. As the main character, Woody is unlikable, selfish and morally bankrupt. However, it boasts an all-star cast put to great use. There is a unique editing and narrative method employed, great one-liners, and it is executed with Woody's usual comfortable confidence. Overall, it is an absolutely hilarious journey.

Woody portrays Harry Block, an alcoholic, pill-popping, whore-frequenting writer whose thinly-veiled books that account the lives of his family & friends provide for successful stories but leave him at great odds with nearly everybody in his life. Harry soon learns that the college that once expelled him (for giving the Dean's wife an enema, it seems) is now honoring him for his literary contributions to the world. Harry brings along a sympathetic hooker, an ailing friend, and his son, whom he has half-heartedly kidnapped from school. Upon driving to the university, Harry begins to evaluate his life. Communicated in flashback, Harry reflects on the numerous relationships he's wrecked with his gluttonous ways and how he shamelessly incorporated those experiences into his novels, at the expense of others (the film showcases how these events happened in his own life, or how they appeared in the book - with different actors playing the fictional equivalents of his friends & relatives. It is a fantastic device, and Allen utilizes it to frenetic effect).

Only the truest of Woody Allen fans will recognize this as one of his best films. Supposed fanatics clamoring for the sophisticated insights of "Manhattan" and "Hannah & Her Sisters" may be disappointed here. This is Woody Allen in a raw, unpolished form (which may account for the jerky, quick-cut editing). This is a battle-weary Woody emerging from the wreck that was his personal life in the early 1990's to give a big middle finger to his interrogators. The stellar cast does wonders, especially Woody regulars Caroline Aaron and the always-hysterical Judy Davis. Billy Crystal serves up his usual dry humor in a dual role as Harry's best friend as well as his fictional vision of the devil ("You ever f**ked a blind girl? Ah, they're so grateful.") Allen does a great job of examining a man who is a failure at life but a success in his art. We'll never truly know how much of this is autobiographical, but it is a rare, fierce achievement for Woody Allen. Proceed with caution!

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

A great ensemble-character study amidst World War II

[22 February 2002]

Grand director David Lean delivered himself as one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation in 1957 with the WWII epic "The Bridge On The River Kwai". Addressing the effects of racism, insanity and pride upon humans in war, Lean easily transcends the typical "anti-war" story and creates a great character study that defines one of the most subtle examples of 'battle of wills' ever seen on film. Decades later, this film still looks and plays wonderfully. The film progresses at a measured, decaffeinated pace, and may put-off those used to state-of-the-art explosions that are (nowadays) supposed to occur every 15 minutes in a war film.

Set in a Japanese prison camp - simply named Camp 16 - in southeast Asia in 1943, a group of British military prisoners, led by Alec Guinness' dry Colonel Nicholson, are forced to build a bridge on the River Kwai. The bridge will link the cities of Bangkok and Rangoon, thus enhancing the Japanese's war efforts against Britain and their allies. Colonel Nicholson, a reserved but willful officer, rejects Commander Saito's instructions under the Geneva convention policies, but soon gives way to Saito's orders when he realizes the construction of the bridge will serve as an example of British supremacy over the Japanese. Meanwhile, Major Shears, portrayed by William Holden, is an American soldier who has escaped from Camp 16 and poses as an officer to gain sick leave from a British military hospital. The British army soon discovers Shears' true identity and blackmails him into joining a secret raid to demolish the bridge.

Here in the new millennium, where less-than-stellar locations and tepid cinematography can be compensated for with digitally created sunsets and skylines, this film is a cinematic marvel. Shot in Sri Lanka, the forests, deserts, streams and waterfalls that Lean captures are simply breathtaking - and completely genuine! Given the primitive state of filmmaking in the late 1950's, the attention this film and Lean initially received is totally warranted, and it remains beautiful today. Most impressive is a sequence where we see an extended group of bats fleeing a tree when a gun shot is fired. Lean navigates back and forth between the British prisoners forced to build the bridge and the covert crew assigned to demolish it, unaware that the first train to cross the bridge contains said prisoners. Also impressive is the lack of music, even the assured climax transpires without score.

As for the performances, it's understandable that an American film star like William Holden receive first billing, but the film clearly belongs to Alec Guinness (who won the Best Actor Oscar that year). Guinness' interpretation of Colonel Nicholson is brilliant. We witness Nicholson gradually descend into obsession with the completion of the bridge, while all the while retaining his mannered, stiff-necked British demeanor. His battle of wills with Commander Saito - ashamed and suicidal that the British are building a bridge his army could not do properly - is much more engaging than the journey through the jungle that Shears and his crew experience, which may be why we spend more time watching Nicholson. A great triumph for David Lean and Alec Guinness, and one of the best war films ever made.

Stardust Memories (1980)

Certainly one of the most autobiographical films from the Woodman

[10/10 · 24 August 2001]

Woody Allen likes his privacy. He rarely gives any access to the media or his audience, yet he's aware they exist, and once in a while he makes a movie like "Stardust Memories", where he speaks to them. Following the maturing success of "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan", Woody decided to address the segment of fans who were clamoring for his "early, funny" films. As filmmaker Sandy Bates, Woody attends a film festival in his honor where he reflects back on his cinematic career and love life, the latter of which concentrates on two French women. As usual, Woody claimed years after that this film was not autobiographical. It's probable that some details in the story were constructed or exaggerated for dramatic effect. Still, with Woody's evident evolving as an artist, coupled with references to his own life (studying magic as a child, the numerous fans praising his "early, funny" films), it's clear that some of these thoughts mirror Woody's real life. These inner-reservations may not be as incendiary as the ones presented in the wonderfully blistering "Deconstructing Harry", but they are genuinely honest - and resentful.

There are two types of Woody Allen films; his "New York" films and his experimental, European-influenced films (perhaps a third style would be when he blends the two together). "Stardust Memories" would definitely qualify as one of his experimental European films. Despite the lush black-and-white photography of "Manhattan" cinematographer Gordon Willis, and the all-around nuanced performances (most certainly Jessica Harper and Helen Hanft above all others), this is a strange journey the viewer takes in the film. What transpires is essentially a film within a film within another film, but Woody rolls it out wonderfully (especially the ending, or rather, the ending-within-an-ending-within-an-ending). Given the usual intelligence and intellectualism in Woody's films, criticizing the audience may seem off-putting but he should be allowed to once in a while. Sandy is a relatively normal person whose fame and success breeds hangers-on and freeloaders. Critics are rightfully portrayed here as self-serving media whores (a critic asks a cutting question that implies plagiarizing Vincent Price and then gives a "I've-got-him-now" wink), and Sandy's fans are seen as selfish, inarticulate leeches ("Would you sign my left breast?" "I love your films sir, you have such a degenerate mind!"). It is not lost on Woody for a moment that "Stardust Memories" may be criticized as the work of a narcissist documenting his personal pain and "fobbing it off as art", so he has someone say so within the first ten minutes of the film. Smart move!

What is so strange about this film are the facial features of several characters. Many of the critics and audience members appear with elongated beards, pudgy noses, raised eyebrows and oversized glasses. It always makes me curious when I see the film whether Woody is implying that he only remembers the strange-looking people in his audience or if he sees all of them in a skewered manner. In a way I hope I never learn which is the truth, I enjoy the mystery of it, and it's always a good sign when a movie raises questions. The Q&A sequences, the discussion with the aliens, and Sandy's crashing of a Sci-fi convention are absolutely genius. This is definitely a film for the more hard-core Woody fans, but I think it remains of of his most essential (and so does he).

Celebrity (1998)

A muddled but enjoyable spin on the effects of fame

[13 July 2001]

After continually bringing his audience through one high after another with a brilliant comeback in the 90's, Woody Allen has a little bit of a letdown - but still manages to entertain - with "Celebrity". There are many components of the film that make sense, but the whole balance between showcasing the pratfalls of fame and chronicling his usual neurotic-Manhattan marital fallout don't always work. Why Allen cast Branaugh to play "Woody" is puzzling. Perhaps Woody is all too aware of the audience's despondence with him cuddling up to women one-third his age, or maybe Branaugh was used just to see what kind of response it would provoke. Either way, Branaugh does well; it just depends if you can stomach him playing Woody.

There are as many good jokes here as any other Woody film, but the frame of reference is different. His jokes don't exclusively concern the absurdity of fame, but also how ridiculously far it extends into American culture and how it's now seen as the ultimate power play. The fame of religion, sex, excess, the lack thereof and the just plain fame of fame ("It's all showbusiness!" Branaugh complains). Allen acutely demonstrates how fame corrupts a person (Branaugh shamelessly hawking his screenplay) and how some seem to find normalcy in life despite it (Joe Mantenga's easy-going TV producer). We also see how the culture of celebrity affects everyday people and how they think. Witness the scene where a group of rabbis, appearing on a talk show, calmly ask beforehand "Have the skinheads eaten all the bagels?" Meaning it didn't matter to a group of Jewish clergymen that they were sharing a green room with Nazis, because they're about to be on TV. Also consider the scene where the wonderful Judy Davis (somewhat reprising her excellent role in the fantastic "Deconstructing Harry") seeks out a high class hooker with nervous, star-struck adoration in search of sexual advice.

Just when the film starts to sag (or seem in search of a plot) we are given a brief jolt by the crafty Leonardo DiCaprio. Woody may have predicted the attention DiCaprio was about to attract with "Titanic" and offered him this role out of sympathy. DiCaprio gives a frenetic cameo as Brandon Darrow, allowing him to lampoon his public image before the press ever constructed it: that of the young, spoiled movie star. With this bit part, DiCaprio joins Woody in extending his middle finger towards the media (as Woody had been doing in his work throughout the late 90's). Overall, the film is quite puzzled in its presentation. The black-and-white cinematography is a nice touch, it's doubtful Woody chose B&W for the same panoramic methods he held in the late 70's / early 80's. I assume the B&W photography was designed to impress you with more of a behind-the-scenes feel. Maybe some of the humor got lost in Woody's determination to hold contempt for the famous high life, but "Celebrity" is worth one look if you consider yourself a mild Woody fan.

SLC Punk! (1998)

Frenzied, electric coming-of-age / punk rock story

[7 July 2001]

Wow! This film is a jolt of lightning! What a surprise to see the sometimes annoying Matthew Lillard carry this story. Writer-director James Merendino puts Lillard's maniacal geekiness to intensely good use in this coming-of-age story for punk rockers. Set in Salt Lake City in 1985, Lillard is Stevo, an intellectual punk rocker devoted to anarchy, who, alongside his best friend Heroin Bob, takes us through his post-college array of nutty friends as he searches for a purpose in life, egged on by his yuppie-lawyer father, who wants Stevo to follow in his footsteps. Mostly they party and ride around town causing mild trouble, and there's plenty of frustration vented towards living in a city repressed by religious influence.

What strikes me so deeply about the film is not only Merendino's Scorsese-on-acid cinematography and editing, but the varied, goofy cast of characters in this film. Trish, Sandy, Chris, Jennifer, Mark and John the Mod were just as interesting as Stevo and Heroin Bob and I wished so much that we could have spent more time with them. They also reminded me of the strange, slightly older punk rock teenagers I sometimes hung around with when I was growing up - during the 80's, of course. The north side is the only place in Chicago where you'd find such hooligans; guzzling pot and acid just like these characters, but also puking malt liquor at the beach. It pleased me to see this movie have the same sordid sort on the other side of America. From the album cover opening credits through the "ass-beating food chain" sequence to the Dungeons & Dragons flashback, I thought Merendino's methods for telling his story were endlessly inventive, even if he slowed the pace of the film at times to concentrate on strange details in order to introduce characters (Sean's knife-wielding acid trip, Heroin Bob's hospitalization, Mark's gun-toting house tour). My favorite detail in the whole film was the scene where Stevo finally meets the beautiful Brandy while Blondie's "Dreaming" waves around in the background. A gorgeous touch!

The soundtrack is nicely devoid of punk rock cliches, there's no "Rock The Casbah" or "Holiday In Cambodia" included. Matthew Lillard's hyper face-on camera narration is so intense he makes Woody Allen seem sedated. Annabeth Gish is wonderfully mercurial as Trish, whose certainty that she is a "goddess" rings true even though the clueless Heroin Bob is the only one who agrees (and also because, as Stevo tells us, everybody worships her steely sexiness). Jennifer Lien is also good as Sandy, the grimy hippie-punk who Stevo holds much affection for. James Duvall as the hip John the Mod character was a cool addition too (love that haircut!). Merendino has clearly never lost memory of how teenagers talk and think, as this film is one of the few to get it's details right with adolescent dialogue. There's no deep revelation or conclusion made at the end of the film, although the sad climax is magnified by Lillard's gravely honest interpretation of it. In a craft ripe with Scorsese wannabes, James Merendino proves he's no novice (even if his previous efforts are embarrassingly laughable). A crazy movie, very much alive and in your face!

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

Woody's lighthearted caper brings many laughs

[8/10 · 30 May 2001]

After spending much of the 80's making films of a much darker tone (even when it was a comedy), Woody returns to fine, goofy form with "Manhattan Murder Mystery". Despite involving the grisly subject of murder; it's a funny, silly story and very casual for Woody's standards. Gleefully reuniting with the unflappable Diane Keaton, his ex-girlfriend and the co-star of many of his 70's masterpieces, Woody and Diane play Larry & Carol Lipton, a slightly neurotic, married couple living in Manhattan (surprise!). One evening, Larry & Carol have coffee and cake with the elderly couple next door, Paul & Lillian House. The following evening, Carol & Larry learn that Lillian has died of a heart attack. Days later, the casual demeanor of their new widower neighbor arises suspicions in Carol. She soon proposes that Paul murdered his wife, but Larry dismisses such a crazy idea and thinks they should mind their own business anyway. Carol bends the ear of her friend Ted (Alan Alda), to toss around scenarios as to how and why her neighbor killed his wife. Ted is happy to participate; he has a deep but respectable crush on Carol. When Carol's conniving & snooping sways the opinion of Larry, aided by his jealously of her budding friendship with Ted, he reluctantly joins in on "the case".

Larry, a book editor, shares his wife's adventures with Marcia Fox, a sexy client/writer of his (played with long-legged confidence by Anjelica Huston), who wants to do much more with Larry than just have him edit her book! Marcia is soon involved in the conspiracy theory, and brandishes even more impressive ideas as to how Paul House may have ended and disposed of his wife - much to the dismay of Carol, who is intimidated by her sexy presence and sharp mind. Carol, Larry, Ted, and Marcia soon find themselves constructing a scheme to trick Paul into admitting he murdered his wife, even though they're not completely sure he did. What's makes this film so enjoyable is that it's a very slight return to slapstick for Allen. Woody is hilarious sitting on a sofa entangling himself in miles of cassette tape while the others try to create a mock telephone conversation with Paul using tape recorders. Carlo Di Palma's jerky cinematography and Susan Morse's twitchy editing combine to create a rickety, but intimate look. Woody's predictable reliance on old jazz standards works well (although it doesn't in a few of his other films).

The funniest thing about this film is its structural resemblances to Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window". The premise of both films regard a couple investigating the possibility that a neighbor murdered their spouse. The two main characters in "Rear Window", L.B. Jeffries and Lisa Freemont, are mirrored by the characters of Carol and Marcia, respectively. Carol is the imaginative idealist who demands that her morbid theories come true, and Marcia is the cool beauty who seems to have solved the puzzle once presented with all the clues. It's also interesting that Woody chose to reunite with Keaton for this film. The basic plot of "Manhattan Murder Mystery" was originally constructed for what eventually evolved into "Annie Hall", Allen & Keaton's most famous collaboration (the murder mystery story was dropped when the love story sub-plot developed). This is a giddy, impromptu Woody film, but it's just as sophisticated as everything else he's done.

48 Hrs. (1982)

Walter Hill's dark cop drama doubles as Eddie Murphy's propulsive film debut

[30 May 2001]

Only a privileged few who remember "48 Hrs." acknowledge it as the primary influence of the buddy-cop films of the 80's ("Lethal Weapon", "Miami Vice"). Nick Nolte plays Jack Cates, a rusty, cranky, tough-guy cop working the homicide department in San Francisco. When a violent chain-gang escape reunites two hardened criminals (the greasy-looking Ganz and a towering Indian named Billy Bear) who subsequently murder two police officers and a prison guard, Cates is assigned to babysit paroled convict Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy), an old member of Ganz's gang. Reggie has been released for one weekend (hence the title) to aid Jack in capturing these two cop-killers. Unbeknownst to Cates, Ganz & Billy Bear are not simply out on a killing spree but rather in search of a very important briefcase that belongs to Reggie.

I can't think of another film debut as explosive as Eddie Murphy in "48 Hrs.", even though Murphy's work on "Saturday Night Live" already tossed him into the public's consciousness. It's also worth noting that because director Walter Hill is known for casting interracial leads in his non-western films ("Brewster's Millions", "Crossroads", "Supernova"), never before had we seen a black man act like this in a movie; assured, aggressive and confident to the point of being cocky. It would be easy to dismiss Murphy's character as a black stereotype; well-dressed, horny, smooth-talking, bantering, but Murphy pulls his character away from stereotype cobwebs with unfiltered charisma and instinct. Think of it, most people who now wail away the chorus to "Roxanne" are invoking Murphy instead of Sting (and what a hilarious introduction that is). Also, there is the unforgettable sequence where Reggie takes over a redneck bar, posing as a cop! It's the most magnetic scene in the film, and Murphy delivers ("You know what I am? I'm your worst f***in' nightmare! That's right I'm a nigger with a badge and I got permission to kick your f***in' ass whenever I feel like it.")

Obviously, this film wasn't written as a comedy. Nolte spends much of his time hurling every kind of racial epithet imaginable at Murphy when he's not chain-smoking or guzzling from a flask. Murphy injects his humor into the story without disrupting the movie's violently grim tone, and Murphy & Nolte are excellent at creating an oil-and-water duo that keeps them at odds for most of the film. There are no stylistic explosions, but there are some tense gunfights including a chase scene in a train station and a shootout that employs a convertible and a public bus. Composer James Horner, who would come to prominence in the 90's as one of the more reverent film composers, creates an unusual, percussion-driven score heavy with Caribbean flavor. It's works well, adding an element of heat while Jack & Reggie cruise San Francisco with the top down. The film has thankfully dated pretty well, and sometimes even holds the faint resemblance of a 1970's cop film (I'm sure interracial blaxploitation movies like "Across 110th Street" served their influence). Of all of Walter Hill's work, "Crossroads" remains closest to my heart, but this is certainly his most mature effort. Expect to laugh, but expect to be shaken too.

Jackie Brown (1997)

The true Tarantino masterpiece; delivered deftly

[9/10 · 23 May 2001]

Who could predict that Quentin Tarantino would shrink the filmmaking skills he displayed in "Pulp Fiction" - arguably the most influential film of the 1990's - by releasing the decaffinated masterpiece "Jackie Brown"? This is simply his best film yet. Sure, Q-Heads were expecting another wild "Pulp" ride, but Tarantino is too savvy to repeat himself. Set in L.A. in 1995, the eternally sexy Pam Grier stars in the title role; a struggling, middle-age flight attendant who earns extra income as a cash courier for Ordell Robbie, a loathsome gun dealer (portrayed with usual excellence by Samuel L. Jackson). Michael Keaton - in an unusually dry but great performance - is an ATF agent who intercepts one of Jackie's deliveries and threatens her with prison if she doesn't agree to help catch Ordell in action. Reluctantly serving as an open ear for Jackie's fears is Robert Forster as Max Cherry, her bail bondsman. Meanwhile, Ordell is coordinating one last transaction with his newly paroled partner, Louis Gara, played with stone-faced reticence by Robert De Niro. Unknown to Ordell, his last big deal is the one Jackie is banking on to help catch him, get herself out of trouble, and fatten her wallet with half-a-million dollars in the process.

This is clearly Tarantino's most realized film, and it took guts for him to adapt an Elmore Leonard crime novel (Leonard has cited "Jackie Brown" as his favorite film adaptation). After all, like Scorsese, crime is his cinematic canvas. The film doesn't serve solely as another crime epic from Tarantino, but it doubles as his valentine to blaxploitation movies. It's so evident in the slow, 70's style pacing, obviously Tarantino's favorite era of filmmaking - once you take away the cell phones & pagers the settings, cars, music, and wardrobe smack of the 70's completely. Casting blaxploitation queen Pam Grier was an obvious hint, as well as the fact that half the music in the film was lifted directly from Pam Grier's 1973 classic "Coffy" (Tarantino also used blaxploitation regular Sig Haig in a cameo as Jackie's judge). Like Scorsese's crime films, as well as in "Pulp Fiction", themes of redemption are abound. However, in this film there is a heavy regard towards aging. Jackie's fears throughout the film center heavily on adversities she's overcome that would be nullified if she doesn't pull herself out of this mess alive. A question she asks early on in the film - "How do you feel about getting old?" - seems to be running over in her mind the entire time.

I've saved the best part for last. The best element of this film has got to be the performance of Robert Forster. He, without a doubt(!), steals the film as the world-weary Max Cherry. Max knows all too well of life's trappings & pitfalls, but still tries to get ahead when possible, never forsaking the straight & narrow. Only Burt Reynolds' performance in "Boogie Nights" could rival Forster's for best performance of 1997. Probably the best scene in the film is the morning coffee table scene where Max & Jackie share their feelings on growing old. It is a slow scene, played out to wonderfully lingering effect by Tarantino and I cherish his desire to focus on this couple every time I see it. Not to spotlight Forster alone, the entire cast is wonderful. This may be Jackson's most malevolent character ever, and De Niro never seems to bore us despite him looking comatose throughout the entire film. Bridget Fonda is quite sexy as Ordell's dense, pot-smoking surfer girl, and the brief appearance of Chris Tucker brings uncomfortable laughter. The soundtrack, Tarantino's usual stew of funk, country, R&B and surf music, is his best ever - a complex mix of styles. Maybe people were turned off by this film because of its lack of visceral impulses. An "art-house popcorn" movie it ain't! This is a grown-up movie, for ADULTS. The 2 1/2 hour length may test some viewers, particularly given it's so dialogue driven while you're expecting ear-slicing, adrenaline-shooting, finger-chopping fun. But, if you're willing to give Tarantino your due patience and accept his proposed journey, you'll be rewarded with a great story and masterful performances. Tarantino's best film.

Nashville (1975)

Altman's assured but slow & hollow attempt at mosaic storytelling

[10 May 2001]

I hope the few fans who hail this film as some kind of masterpiece don't hide behind the overused defense that because they are such a vocal minority in their praise of this film, the rest of us just don't get it. Indeed, Altman introduced a new method for executing multi-character storytelling with his slice-of-life stories centered around one weekend in a country music festival, but the film is so dense with characters it's hard to invest emotions in anybody, given none of them are allowed to stretch out on screen for as long as we'd like them to. The performances are all-around great, even though some of these actors are not given much to do in the first place. Jeff Goldblum's tricycle/magician, as well as the young singing couple, exist nothing more than for window dressing. Keith Carradine does well with an underwritten but compelling role as a womanizing rock singer (his performance of the folkish "I'm Easy" is outstanding and worth seeing the film for alone ). Ronee Blakley, Gwen Welles and Lily Tomlin give great performances as singers who are all suffering for one reason or another, and Henry Gibson is terrific as country legend Haven Hamilton, portraying the typical southern gentleman - flag-waving, repressed, conservative, and bitchy.

My complaint of this film is how bland it's appearance and pace is. For all it's grand splendor of a country music festival, this film is stamped hard with tepid cinematography, Scorsese's dirty underworld of "Taxi Driver" looks more appealing than the "wide-open" heartland Altman is supposedly including us in on. Everything is this film looks and feels so tiring! It's almost surprising that for all of Altman's cross-cutting editing, the film borders on boring at many times. As for its dramatic climax, I'm sure Altman was considered prophetic by the mid 80's when the efforts of Mark David Chapman and John Hinkley came to fruition, but by today's standards the finale resembles the (average) evening news, and therefore dates the film horribly. Like many 70's movies, the film has a slow, deliberate pace which hinders its ability to expound on some two dozen characters. It's possible another hour of storytelling would have cleared that up; but sitting through 2-and-a-half hours of "Nashville" already required a considerable digestion of cigarettes and soda on my part, and I wouldn't want to examine what Altman would have done were it any longer. Although many of you Altman lovers may gripe at hearing this, when I want to watch a "mosaic" storytelling type of movie, I'll stick with P.T. Anderson. I'll take disco & funk or Aimee Mann over country music any day.

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

Travel deep inside the mind of Coppola & the craft of filmmaking

[18 April 2001]

How lucky can a master filmmaker get when the tide is against you smacking you & your new movie deliberately in the face? Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola certainly knows. This documentary, probably one of the most fascinating & insightful examinations into the craft of filmmaking and the creation of art, chronicles Coppola's three year odyssey filming the surreal Vietnam War epic "Apocalypse Now". Directed & narrated by his wife Eleanor, who accompanied her husband throughout the entire shooting of the film, this is THE most splendid "making-of" documentary I've ever seen. The finished version of "Apocalypse Now" that we've come to know is a strange, mystical journey - which probably evolved out of Coppola's own bizarre experiences while making the film.

Most of these strange occurrences on the set of "Apocalypse Now" served to hinder the completion of the film. The fact that such a brilliant film was even salvaged from the wreckage that was Coppola's life at the time is a miracle, but the film also serves as a testament to the genius of Coppola that was already established with the massive success of the first two "Godfather" films. Plagued by constant typhoons, a mercurial Marlon Brando, an unreliable Phillipine army, a cast of actors whacked out on drugs & alcohol (especially the maniacal Dennis Hopper), endless financial woes, and Coppola's own self-doubt & inner demons ("I don't have the movie yet!"), there is no surprise in the eventual photo shown of an exhausted Coppola standing on the set of his film in a damp raincoat, pointing a revolver at his own head. This may be an experience other directors have experienced (many David Lean films were logistical nightmares), but how many directors can testify to enduring these types of repeated misadventures for three years, and still manage to find the light at the end of the tunnel?

The entire cast is interviewed (years afterward) about the making of the film - except, of course, for Marlon Brando (Larry Fishburne doesn't get much screen time in the documentary, but his character was relatively small anyway). Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper, and Frederic Forrest provide the most insight. Sheen & Hopper seem particularly direct at disclosing the grim nature of their excessive drinking at the time. Actors Robert Duvall, Sam Bottoms, Albert Hall, co-screenwriter John Milius, and the Coppolas themselves also reflect back on the construction of the film. The film is loaded with deleted scenes, extended takes, and much behind-the-scenes footage (Coppola angrily berates a stoned Dennis Hopper for forgetting his lines). Eleanor Coppola must really love her husband, because it takes a strong person to document - on film, nonetheless - three years worth of strife & turmoil as you watch your spouse in their craft, fearful they are creating the genesis of their own demise as an artist. A powerful, absorbing documentary on the creation of one of the greatest films ever made.

Stand by Me (1986)

An intimate, enlightening journey into the Oregon woods, circa 1959

[18 April 2001]

"A Few Good Men" and "When Harry Met Sally..." may present good arguments for the best Rob Reiner film, but I still find myself wandering back to "Stand By Me". Despite its brief length (only an hour and 27 minutes), this is probably one of the most endearing coming-of-age films ever made, and it makes the 1950's seem like fun while still acknowledging the cultural limitations of the time. Set in late summer 1959 in a sleepy town in Oregon, an adult named Gordie tells in flashback the story of when he was 12 years old and first saw a dead body. As the level-headed, sensitive member of his gang, Gordie's pals are tough-guy Chris (as the leader), army-obsessed Teddy (the wild one), and chubby Vern (the picked-on guy). They spend a day-and-a-half traveling through the Oregon woods looking for the body of a local boy their age named Ray Brower who has recently disappeared. They are readily expecting to find his body after being hit by a train, and for discovering his body, they are also expecting generous rewards; replete with cash, TV appearances, and medals.

One of the most noble things Reiner did with this film is NOT tarting it up for kids. It is a story for adults about kids, and it appropriately reflects back on how an adult would remember his childhood, rather than how we feel about our adolescence as we experience it. There are no "aww, how cute" jokes abound, yet these kids still engage in typical teenager talk about TV shows, comic books and cartoons and it doesn't ever seem trite. These characters are typical 12 year-olds who like to spit, swear & smoke cigarettes like the older guys do. Not surprisingly, many years later people are still enjoying the sensitive performance of River Phoenix, whose skills as an actor far exceed his age. Although he's playing the tough guy in the group, his gentler moments always seem genuine. It's fair to assume that the Gordie character - an aspiring writer & storyteller, is somewhat based on the author, Stephen King. There are deeper moments in the film when the guys examine their own family life, and they are unpleasant for them all in some way - Chris' father is an abusive alcoholic, Teddy's father an insane war veteran, and Gordie is still mourning the sudden death of his older brother. In particular, Gordie's memories of his brother tell him saddening truths about his father. The soundtrack, a combination of 50's doo-wop & rock, mixes both rarities and popular hits to pleasant effect (this wouldn't of happened if the film were made 10 years later, it would have been some kind of American oldies collection).

As the adult Gordie narrating the story in flashback, Richard Dreyfuss gives a solemn voice-over performance. Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland and a briefly-seen John Cusack also never miss with their performances. A great summation Reiner chose to include in the film is Gordie explaining what happens to everyone in the gang and how his memory led him back to the summer of 1959. Despite the horrible abundance of crap films produced in the 80's, "Stand By Me" still shines, and because it plainly documents the late 1950's so well, it looks as if it may never date.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

An absorbing film that still resonates today, but only for those who were there...

[6 April 2001]

A chilly Saturday morning at a suburban Chicago high school. Five students from different social groups spend a day of detention together. Over the course of 8 hours, they learn about each other, themselves, and life. This film, lumped into the maliciously titled "Brat Pack" genre of movies, exceeds far beyond the expendable category it's been branded into. It is an uncommonly moving film about the hardships of growing up, but where it differs from other coming-of-age/slice-of-life stories is that the film has NOTHING to do with adults, including an adult's perception on the problems that these five characters confront, avoid and examine in "The Breakfast Club". It is a film for teenagers, written & directed by John Hughes, who clearly never lost touch of the teenage heart that still beats inside him. It's possible that if you don't get this film, it may simply be because you are now an ADULT, an adult who forgot what high school was like. John Hughes is talking to kids in this film, it isn't a story that's going to stir emotion in middle-aged film critics and suburban professionals. He communicates the problems of teenagers with an almost meditative pace that employs a heavy amount of dialogue and little music or fanciful editing. Hughes does a fine job of injecting comedic touches into this drama without ever sacrificing its overall somber tone.

In retrospect, the film vaguely solicits sympathy for the teenager growing up in Reagan-era America, where children are dealing with a sudden, yuppie-corporate world that stole away their baby boomer parents who were only too happy to trade in their disco balls & hippie beads for foreign cars & pasta machines. These are children of parents who simply don't care (Allison and John), of parents who are too busy making money (Claire) or of parents who funnel all their failed ambitions into their overachieving children (Andy and Brian). Sure, Andy, Claire and Brian are easily identifiable characters, while John and Allison hint at many more layers existing beneath their surface, but they collectively present the different faces of adolescence.

Many detractors of "The Breakfast Club" complain about its sentimentality and lack of insight. What are these movie lovers expecting, these characters are teenagers! They don't have the experience yet to make bold, all-encompassing musings on the hardships of adult life. They are your typically angry, impatient, confused kids, yet they are still unusually aware of themselves. They are trying to make sense of a time in their life where society begins to assign them many of the responsibilities of adulthood but few of the privileges (which is why teenagers will always be seeking out late nights of sex & alcohol). It's funny how people regard this film as a great "80's" movie because it implies how many people think what a culturally bankrupt decade it was, probably the tackiest in 20th century America (sorry, it wasn't the 70's, at least that decade had Martin Scorsese, Marvin Gaye and Led Zeppelin). Further irony is apparent considering this film isn't as dated-looking as many other films of that decade. Sure, the two dancing scenes and brief bits of the synthesizer-laden film score are cheesy, not to mention the fact that these kids nowadays would be under much more duress. Claire (the rich princess) would have some sort of eating disorder, Andy (the athlete) would have date-raped somebody, Allison (the goth introvert) would have a severe psychological disorder, the kind where you see her in the school cafeteria scratching her wrists and incessantly mumbling to herself. John (the stoner rebel) would have dropped out already, gotten someone pregnant, and be relegated to bagging groceries or fixing cars. As for Brian (the nerdy brain), it's quite obvious he's the one who will arrive at school one morning with a firearm and shoot his classmates (Hughes prophetically hints at this, more than a decade before it would come to fruition).

The performances are all-around perfect and very understated, including Ally Sheedy as Allison, the "basketcase" who skillfully played an introvert without being boring. Over the course of the film, Hughes very slowly peels away as Ally's layers, although by the end we still don't really know her too well or where she will end up. Only Judd Nelson, as the infamous trash-talking John Bender, really goes appropriately overboard. Hughes has this character chewing the scenery almost every chance he gets. Nelson is a quick actor when it comes to being confrontational, especially the "seated circle" scene where he berates Molly Ringwald for lacking the courage to judge people by character instead of appearance - wow, is he good there. You've got to accept that films like "Gandhi" and "Out Of Africa" are NOT going to be revered as epics of their era. It's "The Breakfast Club" that will be remembered because it defined its time so thoughtfully, and it has held up considerably well given the era it was filmed in. Like it or not, it's a modern classic.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

An auspicious, electrified debut for Guy Ritchie

[3 April 2001]

There are few debut films as relentless as this one. Guy Ritchie submerges his sepia-toned cameras into the bowels of London's notoriously shady East End in "Lock, Stock...". It's his first film, so it's just a baby, but a baby tiger with teeth & claws ready to bite you. It's a labyrinth plot of drug dealers, thieves & wanna-bes, supposedly paying homage to the British gangster films of the 40's and 50's but still taking a chunk from the book of Tarantino (cross-cutting stories, a thin black guy with a big afro and a sharp suit, lots of funk music, excessive weaponry & profanity). Hey, that's OK - Quentin made gangsters cool again, so why not try and expand on it? Ritchie certainly does. Mostly devoid of "pop culture" dialogue, this film instead dives into Cockney slang (making me want to visit England even more) with a sordid cast of characters.

Tom, Bacon, Soap & Eddie are four amateurish wiseguys who find themselves in deep debt when Eddie loses a fixed card game with the local porn king, Hatchet Harry. Harry's collector, Big Chris, has been assigned to make sure the boys pay within a week or start sizing up their fingers for amputation. Meanwhile, Harry is in search of two antique shotguns, and has sent his right-hand man, Barry the Baptist (the reason for Barry's nickname is both funny & frightening) to hire two bumbling, arguing thieves to retrieve it. Tom's neighbors, a quartet of loathsome criminals, are looking to rip off a prominent marijuana house. The pot dealers in danger are in the midst of finalizing a deal with a miniature "madman" known as Rory Breaker (played by scene-stealing Vas Blackwood who shines most among the large cast). Eddie figures if his gang can rip off his hoodlum neighbors they can pay back Harry and sell the pot via Nick the Greek, the local fencer, who is known to most of the previously mentioned characters.

There are more twists, turns & intersections in this story, but it's useless to illustrate them. It's difficult to absorb this dense film in one viewing, especially for Americans not familiar with deciphering heavy British accents (the sprinkles of Cockney in the dialogue may not help, either). However, this is still a wildly engaging film. There are all-around great performances, including the younger characters, who never seem to feel out of their league going up against the sizably older gangsters. They do look out of place though and most of their fortune in the film is brought about more by luck than resiliency. Likewise, the older actors (namely P.H. Moriarty, Lenny McLean, Vinnie Jones and a brief role by Sting) bring more meat to their performances than the remainder of the cast. With exception, of course, to Vas Blackwood's attitude-in-an-afro Rory Breaker. As a director, Ritchie seems floored with the art of making movies, and incorporates a lot of stylish cinematography into his work. Some scenes actually use slow motion, freeze frames, and zooms all in the same shot (the card game is deftly composed and obviously takes place in the center of a boxing ring to allow more camera movement). Hard to believe he shot this film without the benefit of playback monitors. A thrilling joy ride, full of testosterone & vinegar, that definitely makes it a guy's movie (no pun intended).

Boogie Nights (1997)

A brilliant journey through the late 70's porn industry in SoCal

[3 April 2001]

What a breathtaker. God bless P.T. Anderson's for creating a film that rockets the sockets. With a brilliant screenplay, set design, wardrobe, cinematography, editing, soundtrack, and most of all casting; Anderson plunges head-first into the world of pornography in California's San Fernando Valley, circa 1977, chronicling its rise and fall over 6 years. Burt Reynolds, delivering one of the finest and most unexpected performances ever in film, plays Jack Horner - a middle-aged, world-weary porn director who sees his work as true art and not simply as a masturbation device. He plucks busboy Eddie Adams - already suffering from a horribly comfortable middle-class existence - from inside a discoteque, due to his particularly large endowment. Eddie christens himself Dirk Diggler, begins a career as a porn actor while we ride with Dirk to the top of the porn mountain and down to the cocaine-addled mess that becomes his life. As Dirk, Mark Wahlberg delivers a captivating performance that probably no one was expecting at the time. Wahlberg more or less carries the film both as a suave, schoolyard bully and a fragile, wounded child.

This rollercoaster has an extremely colorful cast of characters that become Dirk's surrogate family. Jack is Dirk's new father, ripe porn queen Amber Waves serves as Dirk's mother. Other porno actors, including the impressionable Reed Rothchild, clueless Buck Swope, roller-skating Rollergirl, and chocolate-breasted Becky Barnett become Dirk's brothers & sisters. All the while Anderson pumps out a nicely varied collection of 70's musical gems; equally mixing rock, soul, funk, disco, R&B and even folk. The entire cast of this film is flawless - EVERYBODY performs superbly. Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, Phillip Baker Hall, Luis Guzman, William H. Macy, Ricky Jay, Nicole Ari Parker, Robert Ridgely, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Melora Walters, Alfred Molina - these actors are all wonderfully fantastic in this film.

I won't waste time saying who plays who, enjoy the discovery (or rediscovery) yourself; they all shine marvelously. You cannot blame Anderson for reuniting most of these actors for "Magnolia" - they work uniformly under his eye. Anderson is a triple threat because he's an actor's director, a writer's director and a director's director - all in one. If "Boogie Nights" is only his second film, we are bound to witness greatness from this guy for years and years to come.

Certainly the best film of 1997, Anderson's frenetic storytelling skills works wonders as he doses all his characters with a healthy fraction of empathy; we even understand the bad guys (and their motives), yet we're still not made to feel sorry for them. What particularly impresses me about this film is Anderson's ability as a writer to express the thoughts & feelings of characters who would be considered less than intelligent by many people. You may be quick to call them "dumb", but Anderson isn't so harsh; he feels they are simply people who cannot articulate themselves very well. I love the ever-present sympathy he has. Many detractors of this film claim the cinematography borrows too heavily from Scorsese while the editing technique employs the work of Altman a little too often. Indeed, like many Scorsese "disciples", Anderson wears his "Scorsese Camera Badge" a lot more heavily than Spike Lee or Oliver Stone. Still, it's used to such dizzying effect in accordance with a fantastic screenplay & cast that after a while you forget he's doing so (unless you spend the entire film judging it as it goes along). I really felt like I was in the 70's throughout this movie, immersed in everything beautiful & wonderful it had to offer, as well as its consequences, even though I was born in the middle of that decade. What a glorious spin from P.T. Anderson and his ENTIRE cast & crew - they created the perfect time warp. This film is a sign that all of us can be rescued from the Jerry Bruckheimer hell that is Hollywood.

Rear Window (1954)

Hitchin' a ride through the camera lens of L.B. Jeffries

[3 April 2001]

Like "Taxi Driver" and "Citizen Kane", "Read Window" is and will always be a film that draws endless debate & discussion. Is the film an examination of voyeurism or feminism? Both themes appear strongly throughout. As L.B. Jeffries, a wheelchair-bound photo-journalist with a broken leg, James Stewart delivers a carefully nuanced performance of a man whose morbid fantasy comes to life only to haunt him. Whereas we all usually enter peoples homes through the front door to coat racks, arranged book cases and coffee tables, Jeffries looks out the rear window of his living room to witness the "private" worlds, full of negative energy, at the apartment complex across the courtyard. Here we see Miss Torso, a young, curvaceous ballerina thwarting off the advances of young men. Miss Lonelyhearts, a spinster in search of that special guy. A frisky newlywed couple and a middle-aged musician are among the other neighbors. Raymond Burr, as Lars Thornwald, draws Jeffries' attention the most. Jeffries suspects that his neighbor Thornwald may have killed his nagging but invalid wife.

Playing audience to Jeffries' impressions is his girlfriend Lisa - played by Grace Kelly in her usually elegant Ice Queen mode. Lisa at first is put off by Jeffries' homicidal theory, hoping rather to focus on a potential marriage between the two. Lisa, an urbane socialite, doesn't consider any possible lifestyle clash that Jeffries, the nomadic adventurer, fears will happen. Lisa is soon convinced by Jeffries ideas and becomes just as obsessed as he does with the neighbors across the courtyard. Lisa & Jeffries conspire, mostly at night under dim lamp light, to solve the mystery, despite the warnings of Jeffries' stern detective friend as well as his nurse.

While considered to be more commercially inclined than the much more revered "Psycho" and "Vertigo", "Rear Window" is still equally adept at sizing up the private passions of its protagonist. Another facet of the film that escapes many minds is Hitchcock's subtle but perverse use of claustrophobia. "Rope", the much overlooked 1948 experimental film that serves as the the first Hitchcock-Stewart collaboration, also makes use of the inherent tension of dangerous situations occuring in close quarters. The entire film takes place in one room with only 5 major characters! Yet, you're never bored for a minute. How many filmmakers can accomplish this? The claustrophobia serves as a quiet catalyst to justify Jeffries' efforts - in his "plaster cocoon" - to spy on his neighbors, becoming a sleuth and a snoop through sheer voyeurism. Hitchcock never judges Jeffries' for spying on his neighbors (by association he would be judging the audience too). Hitchcock knows it's much more fun & interesting to abandon any taboo of Jeffries' actions and just let us all spy in on a man whose spying on everyone else.

Hitchcock's great gift in this film are the buried themes of feminism; virtually all of the female characters in this film are oppressed by men in some fashion (Miss Torso's randy guests, Miss Lonelyhearts' one futile date, Lisa's unheard pleas for marriage & stability, a helicopter hovering over nude sunbathers in the opening credits). All of the women prevail in the end, but by interesting means. In an odd move towards role reversals, the men are the creatures who spend the duration of the film analyzing & questioning everything, unsure of how to play the game; while the women are unusually aggressive. Another fact that supports the feminism slant is, given the obvious phallic symbolism of Jeffries' telephoto lens, it could be interpreted that Jeffries spends the entire film seeing & thinking with his penis. The feminism of the film exists slyly because it's never conscientiously examined by any of its characters. The film is also testament that blood & guts or cats jumping into frame from nowhere are not the best ways to scare people. I still get chills toward the end when Jeffries' stares at the sliver of light from the bottom of his front door and he can hear those footsteps coming towards him - that soon stop, to unscrew the light bulb in the hallway, and then proceed slowly towards his front door. Whoo! By 1954, Hitchcock still had plenty of steam & fire left in him, but by then he had already created his greatest masterpiece. A spooky, scary movie.

Almost Famous (2000)

Cameron Crowe's signature sweetness drowns out an engaging story

[2 April 2001]

Cameron Crowe is a genuine master at creating films that convey the complexities of being a gentle person in a harsh world - people with warm hearts challenged by callous, calculating brains. "Almost Famous" continues with his thematic ambitions, but he falls a little short this time. This film was simply too sweet. Not to discredit it altogether; it is definitely worth seeing once, but it does not remain with you like "Jerry Maguire" or "...Say Anything". Despite some stellar details in the film, it feels as if every scene is constructed to make you tilt your head sideways and say "Aww" like you were looking at a newborn kitten. The film is too saccharine and too cute when its story and many of its characters suggest something darker & deeper.

Based on his own experiences as a teenager, Crowe's alter-ego William Miller finds himself a 15 year-old rock critic under the wings of the legendary critic Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman's brief performance is the best one in this film as he continues to prove that his talent alone is reason enough for going to the movies). William is assigned by Rolling Stone magazine to tour with the fictional mid-western rock band Stillwater (a composite of Crowe's travels with Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers Band, and the Who, among others). He is befriended by Stillwater's somewhat mercurial songwriter-guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup makes great use of an underwritten role supposedly based on Glenn Frey of the Eagles), and Russell's groupie-du-jour, Penny Lane, who prefers to think of herself as a "Band Aide" (Kate Hudson gives a dynamic treatment to a character written without a past or a future). William is desperately trying to pin Russell down for just one interview, but while on the road William has trials. The sort of trials that others may share, but never in the manner he has them (how many guys can say they lost their virginity in a hotel room orgy when they were 15?)

This is certainly more of a coming-of-age story than a rock star story, although many are quick to hail this the greatest 70's rock 'n roll movie (I'm quicker to claim "Boogie Nights" for its accurate depiction of sex, drugs & fashion - despite the lack of actual rock music). It seems a little trite that a 70's rock band on the verge of fame engage in little more recklessness than drinking beer and fondling teenagers. The absence of such decadence makes this film seem a little softer than Russell's character sometimes suggests. Even though Crowe's focus is on the characters and not the lifestyle, I really didn't care for anybody, including William - simply because it's so obvious he's too smart and too earnest not to land on his feet. The relationship between Russell & Penny is kept a mystery to both William and the audience. While William's young age may prevent him from understanding what connection the pair have, the audience isn't so clueless. Crowe never fully divulges what Russell & Penny share, and any mystery surrounding their union never builds because the characters are underwritten to begin with. Russell & Penny are arcane people only because rock n' roll lore dictates that illusive groupies and moody guitarists are supposed to be mysterious, but its never actually fleshed out in their behavior or dialogue. Otherwise, Frances McDormand and Jimmy Fallon give good supporting roles, as does Jason Lee as the typical loud-mouthed, ego-driven lead singer Jeff Bebe (although Lee's character is not a far cry from those he's played in Kevin Smith's films). The best bit of the film - and one of the most accurately honest scenes I've ever watched - is the airplane sequence, where the threat of a potential crash gradually sends the band into horribly specific confessionals. It is one of Crowe's finest achievements in movie moments.

Crowe for certain, has got his heart in the right place and has also done some of the details right as well. Early in the film, William listens with wonder to the Who's "Tommy" album while a candle burns at the suggestion of his sister, a signature rock n' roll gesture when someone hands down a particularly "important" album. There is also the hyped-up teenager who roams a hotel hallway worshiping a magic marker that was recently blessed by the hands of Led Zeppelin. These are infinite rock n' roll moments for thousands of people that Crowe lovingly splurges on! Its just too bad he didn't do it more often with his characters.

Annie Hall (1977)

Another Woody musing on love & life

[10/10 · 1 March 2001]

Long after its release, "Annie Hall" has certainly earned all the accolades it's received over the years. I don't disagree with the Oscar attention it garnered in 1977, but I am surprised; given how Woody has always been an acquired taste for many. I don't consider this to be Allen's best film (neither does he), but it certainly is one of his accomplished, entertaining films. Here, Woody plays Alvy Singer, a professional comedian reflecting on his relationship with the title character (wonderfully played, as always, by Diane Keaton), as well as reminiscing on his own WWII childhood in Cony Island and how it's molded him into the person he is today.

This truly is one of Allen's most ambitious works from the 70's. It molds together many different stylistic elements (split-screen, animation, directly addressing the camera, "mental" sub-titles), which is unusual for Allen. His popularity over the years has been partly built on the construction of intricate worlds & relationships conveyed heavily through rapid dialogue, without an abundance of visual & musical elements to take in (with the exception of "Manhattan" and a couple of others). What also makes Woody such a unique talent is that his films are so urban, the people in his work and the discoveries they experience do not regularly occur in Ohio or Texas. That may make many corn-fed Americans understandably weary of the Woodman. Many people also think they're seeing the same film over and over, Woody so often plays neurotic, Jewish New Yorkers whose occupation typically has literary or cinematic connotations, and the strengths of his films deal with adult relationships. This all may be true theme-wise, but Woody rarely repeats himself. He's always exploring different facets of the urban adult life. Always very adult and very urban.

The narrative strength of this film isn't as cohesive as other films partly because Allen jumps back and forth time-wise, detailing his childhood, women of his past, Annie's own adolescence, as well as Annie & Alvy's first meeting and their eventual split. "Annie Hall" has been credited with being the chief influence on late 20th century romantic comedies, and it's influence is quite evident. Even if some scenes seem out-of-place or too long, they have their moments. Who doesn't love the scene in line at the movie theater that culminates with the classic statement "Oh, if only life were like this!" One reason why Woody's films are so easy to enjoy is because he presents his problems and complexities in a comfortable manner, you feel as if you're participating in his world instead of spying on it, he's always quick to let the audience in on the joke (for example, the sub-title sequence). If you love Woody's vernacular, you could pretty much love anything Woody does. "Annie Hall" is a great laugh.

Dead Presidents (1995)

Harrowing follow-up from the Hughes Brothers

[4 November 2000]

I thought I had seen one of the most intense horror films ever when I saw the Hughes Brothers' debut "Menace II Society" (yes, I do mean 'horror' in the figurative sense). Then I saw "Dead Presidents," and I saw they took it up a notch. This film is set in Harlem in the mid 60's, a young man named Anthony Curtis, who's unsure of what to do with this life after high school and is not really interested in the usual route of college. He decides to enlist in the Marine Corps and no doubt ends up in Vietnam, in a special armed forces unit. Although he makes it out alive unscratched after four years of service, he returns home to find himself, his Marine buddies and their families - including his own new growing family - ravaged physically, emotionally, psychologically and economically by the war. When things seem to really go bleak, Anthony and his friends decide to rob an armored bank truck to get themselves back on track.

"Dead Presidents" confirms the suspicions that were aroused by "Menace" that the Hughes Brothers are without question going to become master filmmakers. There is an obvious graduation in their skills here, look at the brilliant way they segue into Vietnam by showing Anthony hop over backyard fences with dogs barking in the background that suddenly fade into shotgun blasts and officer commands, then with one pass over another fence Anthony is suddenly is Vietnam blasting his shotgun. Be warned, the Vietnam sequence in the film contains the most grotesque war scenes ever filmed (much more brief in length than "Saving Private Ryan" but just as intense).

Larenz Tate gives a strong performance as a man with a do-good heart but a warped mind that's been tarnished by war. Keith David is also skilled as Kirby, the neighborhood elder who serves as Anthony's mentor. N'Bushe Wright is miscast as a Black militant activist who entices Anthony towards the heist, she's a really bad actress and the Hughes Brothers were smart for cutting her screen time. "Dead Presidents" speaks volume about Black Americans' involvement in Vietnam and the consequences they suffered for doing so. Not a happy film, but an honest and skillful one.

Cop Land (1997)

Despite its flaws, see it simply for the cast

[3 November 2000]

Touted as Sylvester Stallone's return to acting, "Copland" ends up a flawed film. But not because of its acting. In fact, "Copland" should be seen simply for its impressive cast. Like Barry Levinson's "Sleepers," its ensemble cast of stars are used to paint a quiet story instead of some bombastic all-star show. Stallone plays Freddy Heflin, the ineffectual deputy of a New Jersey suburb whose residents are primarily New York City police officers. When a famous cop accidentally kills two motorists in what appears to be a racially motivated misunderstanding, his brutish Uncle Ray - played by Harvey Keitel in his usually satisfying a**hole mode - and his crew of crooked cops try to cover it up. Stallone's help is sought out by a by-the-book investigator (De Niro) to unravel the case. Warning Stallone to avoid any involvement is Ray Liotta as Figgsy, an isolated officer and concerned friend, who knows all too well what Uncle Ray and his crew are capable of.

James Mangold - whose first film "Heavy" was a film so powerful I couldn't watch it more than once - has a wealth of talent and material here. The number of stories told here are almost Altman-esque in how their intertwined. The problem is, he doesn't share enough time with all the actors to really develop many of the sub-plots. Quite simply, the film is over written. Either that, or Mangold could have easily extended this film to three hours (or even more if he wished). Still I'd recommend this film for the performances. Everybody is great, Stallone pulls out a dim-witted version of Michael Corleone's 'suffering in silence' routine, and Ray Liotta spends the whole film in his "Goodfellas" Helicopters-are-following-me haze. De Niro, Keitel and everybody does fantastic.

I especially loved the three schools of thought professed by the characters. Stallone and De Niro adhere to the belief of always doing the right thing no matter what the consequences are, Keitel and his cops believe in sticking up for your friends regardless of whether they're wrong or not, and Liotta's character demonstrates that no alliances should be formed at all, and you should only look out for yourself. A flawed film, but worth at least one viewing.

Get on the Bus (1996)

Spike Lee's morality statement on Black America

[3 November 2000]

Armed with 16mm cameras, a miniscule budget financed independently by 15 different black businessmen, and a wonderful script, Spike shot "Get On The Bus" and released it to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the 1995 Million Man March. Set on a bus bound for Washington D.C., this film examines the problems and opinions of various of black men on racial issues in the 90's.

Family, misogyny, homosexuality, religion, violence, education, and economics are all addressed here as well as other issues. Spike does not only shed light on issues that pertain to black peoples involvement in White America, but the film also attacks color-consciousness among light-skinned and dark-skinned blacks (as he did in "School Daze"). Like "School Daze," this may be the only other Spike Lee film that seems to be aimed directly at Black America, and Spike shows the varying degrees of complexity with his cast of characters. There is a rage-filled actor, a homosexual couple in the midst of separating (one out-and-proud, the other closeted), a sensitive cop, a level-headed family man, a gangbanger turned Sunni Muslim, a naive filmmaker, and a tired, defeated elderly man. There is also an estranged father who sees the March as an opportunity to re-connect with his resentful, bound-for-crime teenage son. His son has been recently convicted of burglary and has been ordered to remain "chained" to his father for 48 hours, the irony of which does not escape the other members on the bus.

Given the film is almost set entirely on a bus, Spike restrains himself in dispensing out his evolving camera and editing styles, using only a brief sequence set in a desert to bleach the screen with a heavy yellow tint. Many Spike Lee regulars are in the film, like Ossie Davis and Isaiah Washington who give sound performances (Davis' "I lost everything" monologue is especially moving). The real notable acting is provided by Andre Braugher as an angry, egocentric actor whose rage is fortunately balanced for him with a healthy dose of articulated intelligence and Roger Guenever Smith as a sensitive, bi-racial cop who works in South Central Los Angeles. Those two really are the stand-outs in this film.

The dialogue is so flowing and casual in this film despite its topic matter, that you could listen to this film instead of watch it! I can't recommend this film enough for fans of Spike Lee or fans of great dialogue. As a Spike Lee worshipper, I rank this film in his top 5. Potent.