NIGHTWATCH & DAYWATCH

Nightwatch & Daywatch (2004-2006) dir. Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Konstantin Khabensky, Mariya Poroshina, Vladimir Menshov, Zhanna Friske

** and ***1/2

If you saw the film “Wanted” this summer and couldn’t believe the over-the-top ridiculous carnage, perhaps you were wondering who was the brains behind that film. Genre-junkies know Timur Bekmambetov well by his a pair of audacious Russian fantasy action extravaganzas “Nightwatch” and “Daywatch”. A final film completing the trilogy will likely be made a released soon.

There was much as acclaim for the first film as there was confusion and bewilderment. While there is an achievement in creating a Hollywood-style fantasy blockbuster (Russia’s answer to “Lord of the Rings”) in Russia, Bekmambetov failed to condense the massive literary glut of the Russian novel into a coherent two-hours. It recalled David Lynch’s “Dune” – another visually stunning but incomprehensible sci-fi failure.

“Nightwatch” establishes the world of the “Light” and “Dark”, two opposing forces which, for centuries, have been in conflict. Apart from regular humans, there’s a race of people called “Others” with special abilities like telekinesis, or vampirism, or shape shifting etc. There’s been a truce since the middle ages thanks to mutual policing on each side by a group called “Nightwatch” and “Daywatch”. Our point of view into this world is Anton (Konstantin Khabensky), who we see in a flashback as he gets turned into a vampire (I think) and thus brought into the world of the “Others”.

In the present, while on the job Anton gets into a fight with a group of Dark Others and accidentally kills one of them – a major no-no and an act which threatens the peace. But Anton discovers that the Others were trying to kidnap a young boy who Anton learns is his son, Yeager. At the end of the first film Yeager is taken in by the Dark Army and thus becomes an enemy of Anton.

Which brings us to “Daywatch”, a completely different film in look and tone. With the rules of the world established Bekmambetov finally is allowed to let loose with the action extravaganza the series wants to be. “Daywatch” is bathed in a sumptuous blanket of saturated colours and a cornucopia of neon. It’s an eye-popping design, which feels like an audition tape for Jerry Bruckheimer.

The story starts a year after “Nightwatch” left off – for newbies, there’s no obligatory ‘recap’ lesson either. The structure follows the first, a flashback to ancient times tells of a magical piece of chalk with the ability to allow its user to travel back in time. From the audacious opening action scene, we know Bekmambetov has stepped up his ambition and directorial skills. Anton’s goal in this film is to find the magic chalk and use it to correct his mistakes and reunite with his long lost son.

Bekmambetov develops his supporting characters with greater care. There’s Svetlana (Mariya Poroshina), a stunningly gorgeous blonde who longs after Anton, but is put off by his coy, ‘hard to get’ attitude. She is also learning to use her powers, and can be absolutely badass when she wants to be. The femme fatal is the alluring Alisa (Zhanna Friske), a brunette, with a wolverine-like hairdo. The design of her outfit seems to be an influence on Angelina Jolie’s character in “Wanted.” Friske is just as badass as Jolie. Watch her character’s introduction – a fantastical set piece of action, which has her driving her car up the side of a building, crashing through a window, then through the hallways and crashing through the doors into the office of her boss.

Unlike “Wanted” we actually care for the supporting characters. Alisa longs to be with Kostya, an Other who is forbidden by his father from taking part in these dangerous activities. Unfortunately Alisa is married to the leader of the Dark Army, but with the magic chalk maybe she can change history and be with Kostya forever.

Bekmambetov’s attention to his characters means there’s greater stake in the action, which translates to deeper involvement and enjoyment of the film. “Daywatch” is one of the most ambitious action films ever made. He goes wildly over-the-top, but unlike “Wanted”, this extravaganza is in service an ever-involving story rooted in characters we love. Enjoy.

“Nightwatch” and “Daywatch” have been released on Blu-Ray by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

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REDBELT

Redbelt (2008) dir. David Mamet
Starring: Chiwetal Ejiofor, Emily Mortimer, Tim Allen, Ricky Jay, Joe Mantagna

***1/2

One of the best films of the year is David Mamet’s “Redbelt” – part con film, part sports film. It’s always fascinating, evolving and unpredictable. It’s a unique hybrid film combining Mamet’s fascination with mind games and deception with some traditional structure of the classic sports genre.

Though it’s not the first film to showcase Mixed Martial Arts as its central concept, it’s by far the best, and I doubt there will be any better. It turns out that the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mamet and badass of the Chicago theatre scene has a brown belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. His dedication and passion to the sport translates on screen as he delivers one of the best sports films in recent years, and in my opinion his best film as director.

It’s a fascinating set up. Laura Black (Emily Mortimer) an attorney is driving erratically at night, she accidentally hits Mike Terry’s car (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who is teaching a jiu jistu class in his studio. When she walks in she’s on edge and after a series of small events accidentally grabs an off duty police officer’s gun and shoots out Mike’s store window.

Mike’s wife is angered because they now have to pay for the window with money they don’t have. This event, so accidental, is the beginning of a journey of a survival for Terry. Along the way a Hollywood star and director ingratiate him into their world. But when things are looking up they easily crash down, which forces Mike to make decisions which challenge his personal ethics and beliefs about fighting and jiu jitsu. Mamet is careful to drop this other shoe, and it all unfolds masterfully.

As expected Mamet crafts some wonderful dialogue. It’s largely bereft of his showy profane laden Glengarry Glen Ross style. At times the actors deliver their lines in this familiar voice, but Mamet tailors his dialogue to the characters. Mike Terry is first a student of the discipline of Jiu Jitsu and honourable and idealistic to the core. Terry is full of Sun Tzu-like philosophies, “A man distracted is a man defeated“ and “There is no situation you could not escape from.” Ejiofor expresses these lines with honour, integrity and believability. But nice guys finish last right? So we know his morals will get compromised somehow.

So can we start talking about Chiwetel Ejiofor as one of the best actors in Hollywood now? Well, he’s British of course, but he’s being cast by just about everyone in every kind of role.

Mamet is also an expert at skewering Hollywood as well (“Wag the Dog”, “State and Main”) and there’s a running theme of the corruption of the art by the television industry which has made MMA such a success. MMA owner Dana White has a featured interview on the DVD Special Features and legendary fighter Randy Couture has a role, yet, ironically Mamet is clear to show how sanctioned rules, fame and money easily and quickly corrupts the philosophy and grounded ideals of the art. This is the inner conflict for Mike. No one expounds or confesses these ideas in a speech, it’s subtly fed to us through background dialogue, nameless unimportant characters and throwaway lines. And so, after the problems compound on Mike and he’s forced to make his decision, we understand the weight of his choice.

“Redbelt” gets a little sloppy in the end as it wraps up its subplots. And the tone of climax may divide some audiences. It moves closer to genre than what we would expect from the first half. But in a movie about fighting it’s inevitable that the film would come down a fight. Thank you though David Mamet for not making the audience applaud. “Redbelt” is a great film. Enjoy.

Check out the Sony Pictures Blu-Ray edition which showcase’s Robert Elswit’s pristine cinematography.

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ROAD HOUSE

Roadhouse (1948) dir. Jean Negulesco
Starring: Ida Lupino, Richard Widmark, Cornel Wilde, Celeste Holm

***

No, this isn’t the Patrick Swayze cult classic, it’s a 40’s noir genre film which is soon to be available on DVD for the first time. Its part of 20th Century Fox’s “Fox Film Noir” series, one of a continuing series of well packaged resurrections from their vaults.

The film stars Ida Lupino as Lily Stevens, a singer who is hired by small town bar owner Jefty Robbins (Richard Widmark) to be their new attraction. Jefty has ideas beyond mere entertainment, as he intends on courting and marrying the gal. But Lily falls in love with Jefty’s business partner Pete Morgan (Cornel Wilde). When Jefty finds out, he takes revenge by cooking up a trump burglary charge on Pete. Pete is legally trapped by Jefty’s conniving games and it will take a violent confrontation for Pete and Lily to free themselves from his web of entrapment.

Negulesco introduces Lily with classic noir mysteriousness. She’s a smart talking gal who loves to play solitaire. She loves it so much she carries a pack and starts up a game on the bar. In the noir language this means she’s a loner, who plays really hard to get. She’s coy when asked about what her act is. She’s silent at one point I thought she was a prostitute – disguised under the production code. She’s not. She actually is a singer, short on talent but has a natural stage charisma. At one point Susie the waitress says, “She does more without a voice than anybody I've ever heard!”

In the opening Negulesco establishes a sumptuous noir atmosphere. He blankets the nighttime bar in cigarette smoke and a myriad of shadows crossing the frame. Negulesco intercuts Lily’s swooning tunes with the reactions of an internally seething Pete. It’s an unspoken tension elevated to great melodramatic heights.

After Pete and Lily meet they provide some fun unintentional comedy. There first courtship is in a bowling alley. It's so completely ridiculous from fresh modern eyes, but perhaps in 1948 the thought of a man teaching a beautiful lounge singer to bowl is natural. It was probably as silly then as now, but it serves to provide some great sexual tension and piercing sexual dialogue and double entendres.

The second act plays as sordid melodrama. The film devotes it’s screentime to establishing Pete and Lily’s love affair. It needs the time as well, because of their extreme antagonism in the opening. Their attraction grows naturally – rare for a high speed genre film - and by the time Pete is framed we desperately want the two loverbirds to get away and live in bliss.

The elephant in the room is the character of Susie Smith (Celeste Holmes). She appears to have a relationship with Pete at the beginning, but when he starts courting Lily, she voluntarily steps aside. Maybe it was platonic all along – either way it is unclear. Susie continues to get in the middle of the love triangle, and I assumed her participation and relevance will be revealed later on. It never comes and so she remains the fifth wheel throughout the entire film.

“Road House” is Ida Lupino’s film, a Brit working in Hollywood. Her strange attractive quality causes the fight between friends – an indirect femme fatal. A central and strongly developed female character is a rare commodity in modern Hollywood, but back in the hey-day of film noir, the female lead was the engine which drove all drama and conflict. Enjoy.

“Road House” is available on DVD from 20th Century Fox on Sept 2.

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MARRIED LIFE

Married Life (2008) dir. Ira Sachs
Starring: Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Rachel McAdams, Patricia Clarkson

**

There’s much good talent wasted in “Married Life”, a 50's period film about a philandering husband who conspires to off his wife. Hitchcock or the Coen Bros would make mince meat with the script. Mr. Sachs’s film is just an unformed slab of raw beef.

Harry Allen (Chris Cooper) is unhappy in his marriage. In fact he already has a mistress, a gorgeous gal half his age, Kay (Rachel McAdams). Harry confides in his buddy, Richard (Pierce Brosnan), about his other woman. But when Richard first meets Kay, he is instantly smitten with her as well. Unbeknownst to Harry, Richard quietly subverts their relationship by befriending Kay and gradually stealing her away from him.

Meanwhile Harry’s wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson) is also having an affair with a local studmuffin played by David Wenham. Unfortunately, Harry, thinking Pat is dedicated to him and couldn't take the news, decides to poison and kill her instead of just telling Kay the truth. Since no one knows each other’s true feelings, it becomes a complex game of domestic deception.

The central plot point is Harry’s decision to kill his wife. But it’s not an act of desperation, it stems from his lack of courage to tell Pat he’s not in love with her. It’s a big stretch of reality, which isn’t surmountable for Hollywood, but a dose of humour is needed to smooth over the logic.

This is Alfred Hitchcock territory. “Strangers on a Train” or “Dial M for Murder” were not comedies, but had a cinematic cleverness to their murder plans which elevated the situation beyond common sense reality. Sachs doesn’t have the chutzpah to pull it off. The story is designed to be character-driven, except Harry, Kay, Richard and Pat are portrayed as 'movie characters' as opposed to real people, and so there's a major disconnect.

Chris Cooper, a great actor, is unfortunately trapped with a fine performance in a bad film. Harry is deeply conflicted and frustrated, and so his decisions are clouded by his personal frailties. It’s a great characteristic for a protagonist to have, but the events are executed by Sachs with dullness, Cooper’s talent is wasted. Cooper gives a tremendous performance in the climatic scene as he’s about to find out if his wife is dead or not. His reaction is astonishing – something which will unfortunately be lost and little seen by anybody.

Sachs is careful with his mood and tone, setting the period atmosphere and getting the cadence of the quiet conversations just right at the expense of really hitting the film out of the ballpark. Perhaps it's too much Douglas Sirk, and not enough Coen Bros or Alfred Hitchcock.

"Married Life" is available on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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CELEBRITY

Celebrity (1998) dir. Woody Allen
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Winona Ryder, Melanie Griffth, Leonardo Di Caprio, Judy Davis

**

You may remember the great hype “Celebrity” received, buoyed by the superstrata stardom of post-Titanic Leonardo Di Caprio. He was top billed in the film’s lead up, only to disappoint the fans with a mere 10mins of screen time. The disappointment with "Celebrity" is more deeply rooted than Di Caprio mis-marketed appearance though. In fact, Leo has the best scenes in the film. No, the problem lies with Mr. Allen himself who lazily places Kenneth Branagh in a role clearly intended for himself, but doesn't allow the actor to take the film to the level his talent is capable of.

Kenneth Branagh is the lead, playing Lee Simon, a hack journalist living through a midlife crisis. Lee feels the best part of his life has passed him by, “fucking blink and you're 40, you blink again and you can see movies at half price on a senior citizen's pass.” Deep down though, he wants to sleep with more women (a common Woody Allen dilemma). And so Simon separates from his wife Robin (Judy Simon) and begins to date a number of hot women whom he meets via his celebrity-crossing job.

There’s Melanie Griffith, a married actress who “depends on the kindness of strangers” and who’s only off limits 'below the waste - everything above is fair game'. There’s Charlize Theron, a supermodel, who is attracted to Lee’s Aston Martin more than him. There’s Winona Ryder, a movie extra, but someone who has remained close to his heart despite refusing to be monogamous. Leonardo Di Caprio, despite the screentime, makes a memorable cameo as an actor as big as himself who abuses his girlfriend (note for Adrian Grenier who plays a member of his “Entourage”)

As mentioned Kenneth Branagh acts like Woody Allen playing, well, Woody Allen. Arguably Allen’s presence in his own films, especially as the sole protagonist, is a cumbersome weight to carry. Like Jerry Seinfeld, Woody doesn’t play a character, he plays himself. I welcome the non-Woody Allen acted films because it gives us a chance to watch the talented writer/director unencumbered by his non-abilities as an actor. And so, to be forced to watch Branagh act like Allen is just a waste of talent and it taints the entire film.

“Celebrity” is shot in beautiful black and white by Sven Nykist. And as Lee roams the nighttime streets encountering the weird and wonderful supporting characters along the way we’re reminded of Marcello’s journey in “La Dolce Vita”. Something Allen should get more credit for is his skills as a visual stylist. Whether it's influenced by a European classic or a completely new concept he's also supremely skilled at changing his visual style to suit his material.

But at best there’s only about four stand alone scenes of interest – Di Caprio’s star-powered meltdown, Charlize Theron’s teasing, an awkward break-up scene in Famke Jansson’s apartment in front of the moving help and a demonstration of oral sex by Bebe Neuworth. But Allen’s attempt to disguise his personal neuroses under our noses in the form of Kenneth Branagh is a tired and lazy characterization and reduces much of the comic potential in every other scene.

By the nature of it’s title, the film purports to be about celebrity. Allen never unifies his story with a theme other than Lee’s personal crisis. But of course, it’s Allen’s crisis, not Lee’s, which is just excruciating.

“Celebrity” has been repackaged along with six other Allen films from the 90’s by Alliance Films.

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CHICAGO 10

Chicago 10 (2007) dir. Brett Morgen
Documentary

**

One of the most significant political events in the U.S. of the 60’s is the Democratic National Party protest of 1968. Unlike the peaceful protests of Martin Luther King, this rally had a much more militant and aggressive approach from both sides of the conflict. And the ensuing trial of the organizers was equally spirited. Brett Morgen (“The Kid Stays in the Picture”) has constructed a documentary both documenting and dramatizing these tumultuous events. The Paramount DVD release is timed perfectly with the current Democratic National Convention occurring this week, 40 years after 1968.

As background, in 1968, the Vietnam War was in full force which caused much political debate between the Government and it’s youthful citizens who were being drafted into the military. In August of ‘68, the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago. A protest was assembled by a group of eight known as the ‘Yippies’, led by, among others, Abbie Hoffman, David Dellinger, Jerry Rubin and Bobby Seale. After some mutual agitation from both sides, the protest turned ugly, people were beaten and arrested, including the eight leaders, who came to be known as “The Chicago 8”. They were all tried in an equally raucous public trial.

Morgen has a two-pronged approach to the story. He recounts the events leading up to and during the protest using traditional archival footage. And intercut with the events is the trial, which is dramatized using animation with celebrity actors’ voices playing the parts of the key players.

The influence of the Chicago 8 has remained with the protest movement beyond 1968. The events in Chicago is a reminder, good and bad, of the action taken to disturb the WTO talks in Seattle in 1999. And so instead of using tired old 60’s protest songs to set the tone, Morgen uses a range of aggressive protest songs to bridge the past 40 years – Rage Against the Machine, Beastie Boys, MC5.

In “The Kid Stays in the Picture” Morgen used a distinct stylized visual design at a time when docmakers were still stuck using an uncreative Ken Burns-style stills and archival footage approach. Morgen once again attempts to break some new ground with his animation recreations. It’s a mixture of Bob Sabiston (“Waking Life”) and Ralph Bashki (“American Pop”) styles and so there’s more familiarity than innovation.

And unfortunately these trial scenes are the downfall of the film. They don’t merge completely with the traditional elements and so there’s a major disconnect between the protest events and the trial. While some of the actors give wonderful voiced performances (Jeffrey Wright as Bobby Seale and Mark Ruffalo as Jerry Rubin) other performances such as Roy Scheider’s Judge Julius Hoffman and Nick Nolte’s attorney Thomas Foran feel like a bad Saturday morning cartoon. Unfortunately these sequences are half the film and it’s more than just mere distraction.

I still don’t why the film is called “The Chicago 10” and not “The Chicago 8”, perhaps I missed that. In any case, Morgen’s film is an interesting technical experiment but in the end won’t entertain anybody other than an ideologically interested audience.

“Chicago 10” is available on DVD from Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment

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WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? (2008) dir. Morgan Spurlock
Documentary

***

Morgan Spurlock’s “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?” arrives on DVD this week. His easy-going and accessible style fits in well with his new topic of discussion, 9/11 politics. The story is framed around his futile ‘search’ for Osama Bin Laden, but in doing so we get us a surprisingly frank and informative lesson on 'the war on terror' from all sides of the conflict.

Like “Super Size Me” before he gets going, Spurlock tells us what his journey is and shows us the preparations required. It makes for a great sequence as Spurlock learns about survivalist training in case he’s kidnapped, interrogated, or caught in a gunfight. His poor wife is once again part of the story, this time she's pregnant and has to go through pre-natal procedures alone while Spurlock's off combing the globe for terrorists.

Spurlock's agenda includes travelling to 5 different Islamic countries if not to discover where Bin Laden's hiding, then to get a sense of how the war on terror is viewed by the rest of the world. He goes to Tunisia, Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia. Each country is different, some liberal and laid back, some up tight and strict. Spurlock reveals many misconceptions about attitudes towards America, which hopefully could filter up to the American government and help make the world a safer place.

Morgan Spurlock makes his documentaries like he was dared into them. He's able to connect his audience to his subject matter because his discoveries are our discoveries, which allows us to learn about big business, international politics, war, science and all other topics from his point of view. A cinematic guinea pig of sorts. Important to this technique is his image - his printed t-shirts, his ironically stylish handle-bar moustache, and a regular domestic life which often comes into conflict with his work.

In Hollywood terms, he’s the ‘everyman’ character. A regular guy, like you or I, put into extraordinary dramatic situations. Jimmy Stewart was that guy, Harrison Ford was that guy. Morgan Spurlock is that guy. Michael Moore used to be that guy too. Arguably Moore’s schtick doesn’t hold as much weight as it did ten years ago.

What Spurlock has over Moore, aside from youth and good looks, is what appears to be a neutral point of view. Perhaps it's a façade, but before he embarks on his journeys both in “Super Size Me” and this film, we never get the sense of an agenda, or proselytizing or manipulation. In this film Spurlock’s journey stems from a genuine curiosity about what people in Islamic countries think of America, Americans and its ‘war on terror’.

Ironically Spurlock experiences the greatest hostility in Israel when he tries to ask the same questions he's asked everybody to some orthodox Jews on the street. Of course, Israel is an American-backed country, and one of the reasons for the fundamentalist backlash against America. The mere presence of Spurlock and his cameras causes a major incident of conflict against the crew. There’s no faking the fear and shock on Spurlock’s face at the resentment.

Contrast against these moments is a common man’s comic sensibility. Spurlock uses animation and fun videogame-like graphics to visualize the important information. Like a mother who gives her child the nasty medicine disguised with some yummy ice cream, Spurlock purposely avoids all intellectual barriers from the discussion and gives us the statistics and information with a healthy chaser of humour.

Spurlock makes difficult subject matter fun and exciting. He'd make a good schoolteacher, and most certainly a great dad. The denouement offers us a wonderful moment for Spurlock, a newborn child of his own born into a complex and often contradictory world he's continually trying to make sense of. Enjoy.

"Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?" is available on DVD from Alliance Films

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THE DOORS

The Doors (1991) dir. Oliver Stone
Starring: Val Kilmer, Kyle Maclachlan, Meg Ryan, Kevin Dillon, Frank Whaley

***

For ten years between 1985 and 1995 Oliver Stone produced a remarkable amount of culturally significant and highly creative cinema endeavours. During this time he set standards, broke rules and established new ones as his storytelling skills evolved. Smack dab in the middle is “The Doors” his dreamlike rollercoaster ride through the late 60’s of Jim Morrison and his L.A.-based psychedelic superstars.

The film opens in the mid-60’s during Morrison’s time at UCLA film school. Even there he was a rebel poet misunderstood by his fellow students and teachers. We see him connect with one though, Ray Manzarek (Kyle Maclachlan). While walking on a beach philosophizing about art and politics they come up with the idea of a band called The Doors. Stone then fast-forwards through an influential six-month period where the band is formed, songs are written and their first gigs are played.

When they become famous we see a number of their benchmark career moments – the famous Ed Sullivan show where Morrison was asked to sing ‘girl you couldn’t get much better’, instead of higher; Morrison’s arrest at the New Haven show; and his experiences with the New York Andy Worhol scene. Morrison is torn between two women in his life, Pam (Meg Ryan), whom he falls instantly in love with on sight, and Patricia (Kathleen Quinlan) a journalist who introduces Morrison to sadomasochism and witchcraft. But it’s the boozing and excessive behaviour which causes the most conflict in his life, something which would eventually cause his self-destruction and untimely death in 1971.

Part and parcel with Stone’s successful films is his key collaborators. Namely, his trusted director of photography Robert Richardson. Stone’s style evolved alongside Richardson’s skills with lights and the camera. The psychedelic subject matter allowed Richardson to experiment with colours, exposures and film stock and push all kinds of cinema-boundaries. Watch for his trademark hot overhead highlights, rimmers and hotspots around the frame and watch his colours dissolve in and out of his frames. On Blu-Ray Richardson’s detailed brushstrokes are glorious to behold.

Stone worked with a number of editors many of who started off as assistants and got promoted over the course of these ten years. They include David Brenner, Joe Husting, Pietro Scalia who all worked on “The Doors.” With this film, watch for the seeds of their innovative montage style of editing which Husting and Scalia would win an Oscar for later that year for “JFK.

At 135mins it’s a lengthy journey. But we are always kept interested and stimulated with either the kaleidoscope of lights or the hypnotic trance of the Doors’ music. What starts to go limp is Stone’s characterization of Morrison. We don’t really get a chance to know or love the man while outside of his stage personality. In fact, Stone portrays his on stage and off stage personas as one in the same. It’s Stone’s interpretation, but it results in a monotony of dazed behaviour and flakiness.

But “The Doors” succeeds over its faults, because as a music biopic it successfully visualizes the power and influence of the music against the time, period and location. And few have done that better than Oliver Stone. Enjoy.

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EASY LIVING

Easy Living (1937) dir. Mitchell Leisen
Starring: Jean Arthur, Edward Arnold, Ray Milland, Luis Alberni and Franklin Pangborn
Comedy

***1/2

Guest Review By Greg Klymkiw

Inventor, writer and director Preston Sturges was, without a doubt, one of the brightest, funniest and most original entertainers in motion picture history. As a storyteller he was blessed with a very distinctive style wherein he blended savvy social satire into a sparkling romantic comedy soufflé, but with the sort of frankness not common to stories of that period (or many others, for that matter). Most importantly, he brought a common-man’s lowbrow sensibility to the pictures and was never afraid to add (when required) healthy dollops of slapstick to his deliciously varied concoctions reminiscent of the prat-falling-pie-in-the-face Mack Sennett variety.

As a writer-director, his style truly had no equal – he was one of a kind. And that, of course, is why it’s always fun and interesting to watch the movies he wrote, but didn’t actually direct. Watching them, they still feel like Sturges pictures, but they’re definitely missing those two key ingredients that announced his authorship (or for those so pretentiously inclined – auteur) with a capital “A”.

But before we get to those two ingredients or, if you’ll allow, two delectable, uh … “sturgeons”, let us briefly examine the elements of the trademark Sturges narrative in “Easy Living” – as bright and wonderful a picture as any he would eventually write AND direct, but instead directed by the somewhat reserved, though visually savvy and definitely classy Mitchell Leisen.

In “Easy Living” we’re introduced to business tycoon J. B. Ball, the Bull of Broad Street (played by Edward Arnold in one of his trademark renditions of boardroom royalty) who is disgusted (in spite of his wealth) that his wife has purchased yet another expensive fashion garment, a gorgeously opulent mink coat. In anger, Ball hurls the coat out the window of their suite high above the lowly street and it sails down and lands – plop – on the head of junior magazine editor Mary Smith (the bubbly, gorgeous Jean Arthur). This is about the only manna from Heaven in Mary’s life as she’s had to make her own way on her own steam, which, of course, is only appropriate when she falls for a klutzy, well meaning young man called John (a handsome, charming and very young Ray Milland) who works in an automat diner and conspires to provide Mary with a free meal as she’s down to her last nickel. John is, of course, no mere working class klutz – he’s none other than John (J.B.) Ball JUNIOR!!!

Yes, in grand romantic comedy tradition, the son of the Bull of Broad Street (trying to make his own way in the world rather than relying on his Dad’s money and power) falls for the woman who was the unwitting recipient of J.B. Ball Senior’s extravagant window-toss. The burgeoning romance finds its way rather innocently (in truth), but scandalously (on the surface) behind the closed doors of a grand hotel owned by the impresario-styled-chef-turned-hotelier Louis Louis (the hilariously overwrought Luis Alberni) who is in deep debt to none other than J.B. Ball Senior. Louis, using a sleazy gossip columnist, creates a controversy that results in an explosion of business for his faltering hotel, but also results in the typical all-hell-breaking-loose series of events that such a story demands.

Will the love of John Jr. and Mary survive? Will John Sr. come to respect his son and cut his wife some slack? Will Louis get his grand hotel back? The answers to these questions are probably obvious, but the ride getting there is a delightful one indeed.

As noted earlier, Mitchell Leisen is a class director all the way. He brings a kind of elegant panache to the text that is all his own. He hangs back with beautifully composed frames and a marvelous sense of height (those who mistake widescreen as the only way to make the most of a motion picture frame need to spend more time studying someone like Leisen or William Wyler or Clarence Brown or F.W. Murnau or James Whale or, uh … Orson Welles or any other visual stylists who knew how to make the most out of that magnificent standard frame aspect ratio). In fact, one wishes Leisen had had a shot directing some of the sparkling MGM comedies like “Dinner at Eight” or “Ninotchka” – not that there’s anything wrong with those great pictures OR their direction, but Leisen’s sensibilities seem so suited to them that one can almost imagine what might have been more (or at least equally) magnificent with his visual elegance. Leisen’s trademarks not only included his fine eye, but a nice even pace and a restraint – one might even say “good taste” – when it came to capturing visual humour.

This, of course leads us back to the two “sturgeons” we began with at an earlier juncture in this review since it is entirely conceivable that “Easy Living” would have been a very different picture if Sturges had directed it himself. The picture is Sturges all the way in terms of content, but the two elements it doesn’t have are the break-neck pace of dialogue delivery – Sturges had his actors delivering their dialogue so quickly it made, for example, Howard Hawks’ dialogue delivery seem snail-paced – and a manic quality that occasionally bordered on utter insanity – the Coen Brothers have tried to emulate this, but only half-succeeded in “Raising Arizona”. The lowbrow slapstick of the automat sequence in “Easy Living”, which begins with romance and ends in pratfalls, is a perfect place to compare Sturges and Leisen’s styles. In terms of content – it’s pure Sturges, but in terms of style, it’s Leisen all the way. If one used dance to equate how each director handled slapstick, Leisen would have been Astaire and Rogers while Sturges was clearly the Nicholas Brothers – ballroom vs. shuck n’ jive all the way.

“Easy Living” is a terrific 30s romantic comedy – a perfect blend of sensibilities that would, on the surface seem to be in diametric opposition, but deep down, with Sturges writing and Leisen directing, making (as it were) beautiful music together. And that is something to cherish.

“Easy Living” is available on DVD from Universal Studios Home Entertainment

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IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG

It’s All Gone Pete Tong (2004) dir. Michael Dowse
Starring: Paul Kaye, Kate Magowan, Mike Wilmot, Beatriz Batarda

****

In the 90’s there were a horde of “rave” films, films capitalizing on the popularity of the clubbing culture – that is youngsters who spent their nights in a drug-fueled haze of dance and electronic music. Though it missed the wave slightly, the absolute best film of the bunch of Michael Dowse’s “It’s All Gone Pete Tong”.

Its Michael Dowse’s second film after the instant cult classic FUBAR. It’s a marvelous sophomore success. “Pete Tong” is still a comedy, though much different in tone. There’s a tragic and melancholy quality which contrasts well against the hyper-activity of the rave scene. But what makes the film a standout is the increased production value at all levels of production.

The film was shot in the Mecca of the rave scene – Ibiza. While FUBAR was shot as a mockumentary with a handheld cheap videocamera, “Tong” is a glossy, slick 35mm beautiful film to behold. The landscape of the Spanish island is gorgeous no matter where Dowse puts his camera, and his indoor rave scenes capture the awesome beauty of a thousand revelers dancing in sync behind a myriad of coloured lights and lasers. The high energy excitement of the scene is as authentic as being there and Dowse bottles it all.

Paul Kaye play Frankie Wilde in one of the most underappreciated and little seen great performances of the 00’s. Paul Kaye is a British comedian who disappears into the skin of the film’s tragic and flawed hero. His character is introduced via a series of interviews with real DJs and celebrities talking about the legend of Frankie Wilde. He is one of the world's great DJs who spins his records in a giant arena-sized nightclub. He lives with his trophy wife Sonja (Kate Magowan) and their young son, who going by his skin colour, is probably not his.

Wilde has a major cocaine problem though and his drug-addicted life gets in the way of a proper domestic lifestyle. But then again, it's Ibiza and everyone is high on something. But when Wilde discovers he is going deaf, a piece of him dies. He gets a hearing aid, but that is only delaying the inevitable. Indeed, very quickly Wilde is completely deaf. But with the help of a sign language teacher Penelope Wilde picks himself up and learn to communicate despite his disability. But will he ever be able to play music again? Will he ever be able to hear music again? His one true love in the world appears to be lost. But when a glimmer of hope reveals itself, he ceases it and makes a comeback worthy of the legend of his name. 

There is a lot of debauchery and decadence in the film. Canadian comic Mike Wilmot is wonderful as Max Haggar, Wilde’s manic manager. He's a fast-talking obnoxious cliche, spewing many of the funniest raunchy gags. Paul Kaye's performance is over-the-top and often involves a lot of shouting, lewd behaviour and a lot of nasty cockney f-bombs. "Pete Tong” must also set the record for the most cocaine featured on film, making "Scarface" look tame. In fact Wilde’s nemesis is a fantasy badger which tosses buckets of cocaine on him to keep him off the wagon. There have been many cold turkey, 'kick the drug habit; scenes on film, but Wilde's battle with the blow becomes a truly horrific violent nightmare, as excessive as his habit.

“Pete Tong” is such a satisfactory experience because over the course of the 100mins the tone and mood flows from bass-pumping rave action, to drug-induced cocaine paranoia to ridiculous high energy comedy and at the end the film reveals it’s gentle bittersweet heart which trumps all the debauchery before it.

You may not have even heard of the film before. It was a minor success in Canada and the UK, but only a brief theatrical release in the U.S., means it's off the radar for most people. Find this film and spread the word. It's not too late. Enjoy

Other related postings:
FUBAR

The trailer makes the film out to be a mockumentary, but it’s not:

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DESTRY RIDES AGAIN

Destry Rides Again (1939) dir. George Marshall
Starring: James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Mischa Auerm, Brian Donlevy, Samuel S. Hinds

***1/2

Earlier this summer I discussed another Jimmy Stewart western – “The Far Country”. That was a late Jimmy Stewart film. “Destry Rides Again” showcases Mr. Stewart in one of his earliest starring roles. As a spry 29 year old, Mr. Aw Shucks is as amiable, compelling and undeniably a star as he ever was.

The film portrays a typical situation in the western genre. A corrupt frontier town (appropriately called ‘Bottleneck’) has difficulty maintaining law and order. The local sheriff is completely ineffective and his beholden to the local criminal syndicate. Even the mayor is under the corruptive influence of the malfeasants. Marlene Dietrich plays Frenchy the local saloon owner who quietly helps the criminalS cheat and steal their way to money and power.

When the new Sheriff is knocked off by cheating gangster, Kent (Brian Dunlevy), Mayor Slade gives the badge to the town drunk Washington Dimsdale. Instead doing Slade and Kent’s bidding, Dimsdale considers the appointment as an opportunity to make something of his life. And so he hires an old friend and son of a legendary lawman, Tom Destry Jr. (James Stewart). Destry arrives in town gunless and is ridiculed for his passivity toward armed violence. But beneath his easy-going demeanour is a stone cold hombre who refuses to back down against the local tyranny.

The film takes it’s time establishing the situation. In fact, Jimmy Stewart doesn’t appear until 30mins into the film. George Marshall, a stock studio director, with over 150 directing credits, but few classic titles, directs the film with utmost studio perfection. Watch the scenes from the opening titles to just after Destry arrives into town. Though most of the film takes place in the saloon through camera movement, shot selection and creative staging Marshall manages to sustain 45mins of high cinema energy and action.

After Destry's introduction, Marshall stages one of the all time great cat-fights in cinema history. It’s Marlene Dietrich as Frenchy versus Una Merkel who plays the wife of her husband who was cheated out of his money. The fight starts out as a fall down, hair-pulling match between the gals, but when Destry breaks it up Frenchy continues to battle the new deputy for a total of 5 mins of bottle-throwing and chair-smashing action. The sequence is a lengthy but exciting and inspired duel of wills. Of course, it’s played for humour, but Marshall’s staging is invisible to the extensive stunt required to make the scene look real.

Though Stewart refuses to carry a gun and uses intelligence to best his opponents, the filmmakers are clear to tell us that Destry is no sissy. In fact, he’s crack shot with a gun. At one point he picks up a pistol and non-chalantly shoots six targets with his six bullets. But in a genre where the attitudes toward violence are defined by the liberal 'western code of honour' Destry's 'non-violent' approach is a smart nod toward pacifism. These themes would be reworked and remade a number of times after "Destry". Marshall would remake the film again in 1954 with Audie Murphy, and "Support Your Local Sheriff" with James Garner borrows its central concept of a lawman with guns. Enjoy.

"Destry Rides Again" is available on the James Stewart Westerns Collection from Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Oher related postings:
THE FAR COUNTRY

Here's the classic catfight scene:

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NO RESERVATIONS

No Reservations (2007) dir. Scott Hicks
Starring: Catherin Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson

***

Remember that restaurant-themed romantic-comedy starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart? I could barely remember it even though it only came out last summer, and on DVD this February. The marketing campaign screamed throwaway romantic comedy. In fact, “No Reservations” is based on the 2001 German film “Mostly Martha”, and many of the criticisms (an unwarranted 39% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes) were in comparison to the original. Since I hadn’t seen the original, it was a fresh experience for me. "No Reservations" is actually a really good film, a rare intelligent ‘drama’ (not romantic comedy) featuring a strong female lead character.

Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is an executive chef at an esteemed Manhattan restaurant. Her career has trumped any family aspirations. She is single but living her self-important ‘Sex and the City lifestyle. When her sister dies in a tragic car accident she becomes the legal guardian of her niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin), which quickly turns her life upside down. Though she tries her best, mothering is difficult. She forgets to pick Zoe up from school, feeds her haute cuisine dishes instead of kid-friendly meals and often leaves her alone in her apartment while she’s working at the restaurant.

Adding fuel to her discontent is a new sous chef who filled in for Kate during her grieving period. Nick (Aaron Eckhart) has quickly made himself comfortable in the kitchen and ingratiated himself with the staff more than Kate ever could. He’s also impossibly goodlooking and charming. Kate tries her best to antagonize him, but just can’t help herself from falling in love. Of course, with love comes some pain too, especially with the two working closely together. When Nick’s career goals eventually conflict with Kate’s each of them must make a crucial life-changing decision for the good of them and Zoe.

Watch the opening credits carefully, because it’s none other than Phillip Glass who scores the film. I thought Mr. Glass was picky about his projects? I don’t know the man but going by his work he seems to choose films with either a clear artistic direction, or a subject close to his heart (ie. his work with Tibet). If “No Reservations” has the stamp of approval of Phillip Glass, it’s good enough for me. Though it’s not “the Hours” or “Kundun”, Glass has chosen an intelligent and entertaining film to collaborate with.

Scott Hicks directed the film. Remember him? He was once a coveted director after his successful Aussie film “Shine”. A couple of failures later (“Hearts in Atlantis” and “Snow Falling on Cedars”) he dropped off the buzz radar. Though it’s more conventional than his other films, he’s still has a talent for storytelling and character. It’s a fine looking film too. The anamorphic widescreen frame opens up the small confines of Kate's restaurant kitchen and apartment locations.

The DVD cover sets the wrong tone for the film. It's a shame. Hicks is clear to establish a melancholy and reflective mood. The tragedy in the first act never leaves the film. The presence of Zoe reminds us of Kate’s loss and the importance of her decisions in the present.

If anything Aaron Eckhart’s character is too perfect. He’s an idealized partner for Kate – no such person in Manhattan exists (especially in the cutthroat restaurant business), but Nick's purpose is to challenge Kate and force herself to change for the better. Don't let this smart and entertaining film disappear, you will be surprised. Enjoy.

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ALL THE RIGHT MOVES

All the Right Moves (1983) dir. Michael Chapman
Starring: Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson, Christopher Penn

***1/2

“All the Right Moves” is a great sports movie, because, well, it’s not really about sports. Before “Friday Night Lights” there was “All the Right Moves” – not so much a film about the sport of high school football, but the effect of football on its characters. It features a solid Tom Cruise performance, an important film in his career, one which showcases the tremendous star power and acting skills of a man who would soon be a mega-movie-star.

Stefan Djordjevic lives in Ampipe, a dreary Pennsylvania town named after its primary local business, American Pipe and Steel. He seems to have it all, a star cornerback for his high school football team, a beautiful girlfriend and a supportive family. Unfortunately the self-imposed pressure to leave the town for bigger and better things causes him to make some bad decisions which threaten his chances for a coveted college scholarship. He continually butts heads with the ball-busting coach (who else, but Craig T. Nelson) and many of the obsessed townsfolk who live and breathe football.

For a film which combines two cliché-heavy genres (sports and high school), “All the Right Moves” remarkably avoids almost most of these clichés. Sure, it’s familiar teritory, but each character makes intelligent choices without the pressure of artificially creating drama and conflict through cliché.

For example, Stefan has just been kicked off the team, and he takes out his anger on his girlfriend in front of a number of her friends. It’s an embarrassing moment which angers Lisa. Of course, Stefan’s in the doghouse. At this point in the film I expected a break-up which, according to screenwriting 101, would further his despair, thus causing more conflict etc etc. But an intelligent and rational conversation between the two the next day patches things up. As well, when we first meet Lisa, I immediately deduced that Stefan would cheat on her at some point in the film. He never does. Though he has his faults, Stefan doesn’t become the ego-football maniac we expect him to be.

In fact one of the most truthful aspects of the film is Stefan's clearly defined goals. He aspires to get a scholarship and play college ball, not to make the NFL, or get rich, but to get an education and become an engineer and do the work of his family with greater creative satisfaction. We learn this right off the top, and so we know Stefan is not just another sports cliché.

"All the Right Moves" is not just a Tom Cruise movie either, there's some major talent behind the camera which adds some extra prestige. It's the directing debut of Michael Chapman, the great DOP who shot some of the early Martin Scorsese pictures - "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull". And Chapman hired the great Dutch cinematographer Jan de Bont ("Basic Instinct") to lens the film, one of his first American movies. It's not the glossy style we would see in his later work, but he gives us a flawlessly composed, classic widescreen look.

Style would be all wrong here. The environment of the town is important to the story and the look. Chapman and de Bont shoot the film in the fall, mainly because that’s football season, but because the falling leafs, dulled autumn colours and permanent cloud cover establish the tone. And looming over everything is the gargantuan steel factory with it’s elaborate piping, smoke stacks and blackened exterior. It acts like a gothic castle from a horror film weighing heavily on it's characters.

The working class milieu is dramatized with the same authenticity as Michael Cimino’s “The Deer Hunter” (1979). Like that film, many of the townsfolk are of Polish or eastern European descent. And so, without overt reference, underpinning the main story is a commentary on the death of the American dream. We all know what happened to many cities like this in the 80’s. The industry that fueled towns like Ampipe fled for abroad leaving a number of ghost-like towns dotting the American industrial landscape.

Look past some really cheesy and dated 80’s music and you’ll see “All the Rights Moves” as one of the most honest and truthful films about high school football – and in my opinion a step above Peter Berg’s muscular, bravado-heavy dramatization of “Friday Night Lights.” Enjoy.