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17Jun

Freaks (1932)

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You are walking down the street and you suddenly catch sight of the most morbidly obese woman you have ever seen. She must weigh 600 pounds. As you pass by her, how do you react? Do you snicker at the fat lady? Are you filled with compassion, thinking: “There but for the grace of God …”? Or maybe you feel disgust, wondering how many of your tax dollars, through this woman’s welfare check, went to McDonald’s.

Now let’s say you are deformed yourself; you have lost your arms. When you pass by the fat lady, how do you react this time? According to people who know and have worked with sideshow “freaks,” your reaction, whatever it might have been when you were “normal,” would be unchanged. We are all of us curious about the unusual.

Tod Browning’s Freaks might be the most curious movie ever made. It is a study in contradictions. The plot, about a circus midget who is used and abused by a wicked, physically beautiful aerialist, is old-hat soap opera – but it’s absorbing stuff. The actual sideshow performers Browning imported for his movie – Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, “Half Boy” Johnny Eck, et al – reportedly enjoyed their brief flirtation with the Hollywood lifestyle, circa 1932 – but nearly all of them were upset with the final film. Browning’s script seems to exploit the freaks for sordid thrills, especially near the end – but the movie’s message of tolerance resonates 80 years later. The climactic shot in Freaks is preposterous – but it’s a visual you won’t soon forget.

Freaks was made just before the Hays Code was introduced in Hollywood, during a brief period when the “talkies” dared to be different. The story is simple, some of the acting is amateurish, and the film quality leaves much to be desired. But it’s an astounding movie; there’s never been anything else quite like it. Grade: A-

Director: Tod Browning Cast: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Henry Victor, Harry Earles, Daisy Earles, Roscoe Ates, Rose Dione, Daisy Hilton, Violet Hilton, Johnny Eck Release: 1932

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11Jun

Sweet Sweetback’s Baad Asssss Song (1971)

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Some movies are like discovering, in the attic, a box with brittle, eight-millimeter film footage shot by a long-dead relative. The movie is grainy, the camerawork is amateurish, and the color is faded – but the content is fascinating. Hey, who knew that your Uncle Zack was such a wild guy?

Melvin Van Peebles’ Sweet Sweetback’s Baad Asssss Song is like that. Everything corny and dated about 1970s cinema is on display: self-conscious, artsy camera angles; reverse negatives; split screens; cheesy music; clunky fashion and some god-awful acting. But the movie is never dull. In fact, were it made today, some of it might be downright illegal.

Sweetback was embraced in 1971 by the Black Panther Party and other militants because of its ostensible message of “sticking it to The Man.” Van Peebles, who wrote, produced, and directed, also stars as Sweetback, a black street hustler who rebels against the oppressive white establishment in Los Angeles. He assaults some cops and spends the rest of the movie on the run – that’s the plot. But it’s Sweetback’s outrageous sex scenes, not so much its politics, which resonate 40 years later.

The film opens in a whorehouse. Young Sweetback (played by Van Peebles’s real son, Mario, then 14 and decidedly underage) loses his virginity to one of the working girls in a bizarre scene in which the woman simulates passionate sex while young Mario seems to be thinking, “What the hell?” In a jump-cut, Mario is replaced from his position between the woman’s legs by father Melvin.

In an interview about his X-rated movie, the elder Van Peebles is refreshingly honest about “my most infamous scene”: “The critics are giving me credit for this scene as ‘a well-thought-out metaphor, a tableau of the rites of passage.’ That wasn’t what happened. The truth of the matter is … I was just being my horny self,” he says. “What the hell, I’m only human.”

That’s evident in several later scenes, especially in what is likely Sweetback’s second-most infamous sequence, when Van Peebles does some unsimulated pumping of a white biker chick in front of an appreciative crowd of Hells Angels. Uncle Zack was never that outrageous. Grade: C+

Director: Melvin Van Peebles Cast: Melvin Van Peebles, Simon Chuckster, Hubert Scales, John Dullaghan, Rhetta Hughes, John Amos, Niva Rochelle, Lavelle Roby, Mario Van Peebles, Sonja Dunson, Marria Evonee, Joni Watkins, Maggie Bembry Release: 1971

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26May

The Queen (2006)

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How you feel about The Queen will likely depend on how you feel about a whole host of issues: What do you think of the British monarchy? What did you think of Diana Spencer? The Prince of Wales? Do you think movie “biopics” do a good job depicting real people? Are projects like The Queen hopelessly biased?

I have strong opinions about a number of those questions, but I’m willing to concede that – being no English historian, and certainly no royal insider – I could be dead wrong on a number of counts. All I can do is go by what I see. What I see in The Queen is a captivating performance by Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II, a woman charged with upholding tradition in a changing world. When Diana dies in a car accident, Elizabeth is faced with a dilemma: honor traditional protocol, or cave in to the will of the people?

Is Mirren’s portrayal accurate? I have no idea. Is it eminently watchable? Oh, yes. In fact, Mirren’s Oscar-winning turn is the best reason to watch The Queen. Most of the other characters are either unbelievably white (Michael Sheen as a too-good-to-be-true Tony Blair; you can practically see his teeth sparkle), or implausibly black (James Cromwell as a homophobic, misogynistic, bombastic Prince Philip). Director Stephen Frears, who generally handles this material well, indulges in a bit of heavy-handed symbolism involving a hunted animal; who knew that traditional England had so much in common with a doomed stag?

For the record, I personally think that the monarchy is a ridiculously outdated institution. But there are worse things. The world has changed, whether we – and the queen – like it or not. But as Elizabeth puts it to Blair: “That’s the way we do things in this country: quietly, with dignity. That’s what the rest of the world has always admired us for.” If you buy that, is it something you really want to change? Grade: B+

Director: Stephen Frears Cast: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Alex Jennings, Roger Allam, Sylvia Syms, Helen McCrory Release: 2006

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14May

Bridesmaids

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The makers of Bridesmaids are going to great lengths to convince prospective ticket buyers that their film is not one of those dreaded “chick flicks.” Don’t let them fool you, fellas, because Oh. Yes. It. Is.

Bridesmaids brings to the table nearly everything clichéd about the much-maligned wedding movie: the self-pitying heroine (Kristen Wiig), who watches in horror as her best friend dumps her in favor of material bliss; the caddish lover (Jon Hamm); the long-suffering “good guy” (Chris O’Dowd) who puts up with all manner of female foolishness; the wisecracking girlfriends. In other words, Bridesmaids is a female version of a Judd Apatow movie – and that’s not a good thing.

Apatow, perhaps stung by criticism of the string of male-oriented Porky’s clones on his resume, produces this vehicle for Wiig (she also co-wrote the screenplay) and, I’ll have to admit, on the few occasions that I actually laughed, it was during scenes that featured an Apatow specialty: gross-out humor.

But this movie is no step forward for the romantic comedy. Showcasing actresses who behave just as immaturely as the boys do in movies like Superbad and The Hangover is not exactly an advancement for feminism in Hollywood. Proving that girls can do everything boys can do only matters if what they do is worth doing. Alas, just as The Hangover insisted it was the bachelor party that matters most, in Bridesmaids it’s the wedding that is all important – not marriage itself.

Despite what the promoters of Bridesmaids would have you believe, this movie is not about “relationships” between anyone – male or female. Each character is there to serve a simple function: set up the next (usually lame) comedy sketch.

Whatever happened to the good “chick flick” – movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Terms of Endearment? Grade: C+

Director: Paul Feig Cast: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jill Clayburgh, Jon Hamm, Ellie Kemper Release: 2011

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05May

Stake Land

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The vampire (or zombie) movie, when it falls flat, is almost too easy to pick apart. But let me do it anyway.

Story: “Mister” (Nick Damici) and young Martin (Connor Paolo) drive north in hopes of finding a better life in New Eden (Canada), but on the journey they clash with religious fundamentalists, vampires, and a low budget.

What’s Rotten: Damici has all the charisma of a wooden stake and the magnetism of garlic breath. He is the “strong, silent type,” which is a good thing because at least that means he doesn’t have much dialogue.

Soaring violins are no substitute for real drama, mellow piano music doesn’t trump genuine pathos and, most of all, LOUD sound effects are a cheap way to make the audience jump.

Director Jim Mickle aims for a grim, gritty ambience, a la The Road, and mostly he succeeds. But you need interesting characters to populate such a dreary, apocalyptic universe.

What’s Fresh: There are a couple of cool scenes, both of them, interestingly enough, involving aggressive female vampires. Or maybe that’s just me.

When the stereotyped “small group of survivors” expands to include women, it’s refreshing that Mickle eschews the usual Megan Fox-type and instead includes a pregnant woman and a middle-aged nun (played by Kelly McGillis, of all people).

If you’ve seen The Road, I Am Legend, The Walking Dead, or any other zombie/vampire movie, then you’ve already seen Stake Land. Grade: C+

Director: Jim Mickle Cast: Nick Damici, Connor Paolo, Danielle Harris, Kelly McGillis, Michael Cerveris, Bonnie Dennison Release: 2011

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03May

Bobby Fischer Against the World

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I believe I finally know enough about Bobby Fischer.

I remember when Fischer, in 1972, defeated the Russian Boris Spassky and became world chess champion. In the years since that historic match in Iceland, I’ve read many articles about the strange boy wonder from Brooklyn. Earlier this year, I consumed Endgame, a 416-page biography of Fischer’s evolution from chess prodigy to infamous anti-Semitic, anti-American, radio-ranting fugitive from the law.

And now, thanks to Liz Garbus’s documentary, Bobby Fischer Against the World, I even know what Fischer’s backside looks like in the shower. Other than that unexpected visual, the movie didn’t really show me anything new about the person Life magazine dubbed “The Deadly Gamesman.”

But the film is still intriguing, mostly because its subject remains such an enigma. Nothing I’ve read and nothing in this documentary really explains the reason behind Fischer’s intense drive. Bobby Fischer became the world’s best chess player because, basically, chess was all he did. No football games with the boys for young Bobby, and no girls in the backseats of Chevys. Just Bobby and a chessboard – thousands and thousands of times, for years on end.

Fischer simply fell in love with the game and, whenever possible, used it to escape from the outside world. Ironically, that obsession eventually brought the outside world to him. If Fischer were alive (he died in 2008), he might say the makers of this movie got the title backwards – he would probably prefer The World Against Bobby Fischer.

Fischer’s single-minded drive cost him a chance at a well-rounded, balanced life – and quite possibly his sanity. That’s enough for me to know. Grade: B

Director: Liz Garbus Release: 2011

Watch Liz Garbus Discuss Her Film (click here)

02May

Project Nim

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When the end credits began to scroll for the new documentary Project Nim, I rose from my seat to leave but found the aisle blocked by a young boy and his family. I tapped the kid on his shoulder, made a slitting gesture across my throat, and said a single word to him: “Dirty.” The kid smiled, stood up to let me pass, and asked his parents to do likewise.

The kid and I had communicated like Nim Chimpsky, the “star” of Project Nim. Nim, a chimpanzee born in captivity, was the subject of a famous – or infamous – scientific experiment that began in 1973 when a Columbia University behavioral psychologist and his students began a sort of English immersion project for Nim. The idea was to place the chimp with a New York City family – husband, wife, kids and pets – and to raise the little fella exactly like a human infant. The goal was to determine whether chimpanzees can learn language – not just symbols and memorization, but real grammatical communication.

Depending on whom you believe, the experiment did or did not go well. After years living with the LaFarge family, Nim was transferred to a string of unpleasant new homes, including an animal medical research lab.

Project Nim is a remarkable movie. It tells the sad story of Nim, certainly, but it also reveals a lot about the people in his world, including project leader Herbert Terrace, a man seemingly more interested in bedding female undergrads than in making good science and who, probably to his regret, allowed director James Marsh to interview him for this film. There is very little humor in Project Nim, but the audience broke out in derisive laughter whenever the unctuous, clueless Terrace attempted to justify his self-centered behavior.

Some people love animals, and some do not. I’d call myself a “dog person.” I’m not all that crazy about other creatures, including cats, birds … and chimpanzees. Face it: Chimps grow monstrously strong, frighteningly aggressive and, as demonstrated in the movie, disturbingly horny. Nim was no exception – he was no Old Yeller, and he wasn’t Bambi, either.

But when Nim is torn from his human environment and consigned to a lifetime of caged isolation, you have to be pretty cold-blooded not to feel for him. One episode near the end of the film, when a former “family” member comes to visit Nim in his pen after years of absence, took me completely by surprise with its emotional power.

Oh, yeah. You might be wondering about that business between the kid and me at the end of the movie; the boy who let me pass after I gestured at him and said, “Dirty.” What was that about? I could tell you, but I don’t want to. You’ll have to see Project Nim to find out for yourself. Grade: A-

Director: James Marsh Release: 2011

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02May

Hesher

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I’m guessing Hesher will look great in its promotional spots: See zany Hesher, the long-haired, tattooed stoner, teach granny how to smoke a bong! See Hesher freak out and hurl furniture, grills, and people into a swimming pool! Watch as Hesher teaches dirty words to a little kid!

But here’s the problem: People who buy tickets hoping to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the title character doing all of those wild-and-crazy things will get their wish, but they’ll probably be mildly disappointed, as well, because this movie wants nothing so much as to tug at the heartstrings, and as a mixture of comedy and drama, Hesher is a mess. It’s an admirable, interesting misfire, but a misfire nonetheless.

The film has a cute premise. Party animal Hesher meets 13-year-old TJ (Devin Brochu), invites himself into TJ’s home and life … and then refuses to leave. This new arrangement does not bother TJ’s father (Rainn Wilson), a man so lost in grief over the car-accident death of his wife that everything escapes his notice, including the fact that he’s been staring glassy-eyed at Wild Kingdom on the TV screen for weeks. TJ’s sweet-natured grandmother, played by Piper Laurie, takes an instant liking to her grandson’s new “best friend.”

Hesher turns out to be the anti-Mary Poppins for this family of three still reeling from the loss of the mother. Rather than offer a spoonful of sugar, Hesher prescribes a bongful of weed for granny, and a crash course in arson for TJ. That might sound amusing, but Hesher also tackles somber issues, like grief and schoolyard bullies, with clumsy shifts in tone. It doesn’t help that 20-something Hesher’s “bond” with young TJ is less than convincing. (Natalie Portman, cast against type as a bespectacled, accident-prone cashier, is surprisingly good.)

This mix of madcap stoner and mopey mourners might have looked good on paper (and in trailers), but Hesher is too often a kegger with flat beer. Grade: C+

Director: Spencer Susser Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Rainn Wilson, Piper Laurie, Devin Brochu, John Carroll Lynch, Brendan Hill Release: 2011

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25Apr

No Return

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The last time I watched a film co-produced by Spain and Argentina, the result was one of the best pictures of the year – from any country. That was in 2010, and the movie was the romantic thriller, The Secret in Their Eyes.

So when I walked into a theater a few nights ago to see another Spanish-Argentinean project, my expectations might have been too high. Director Miguel Cohan’s No Return is intelligent, well-acted, and has an intriguing story … but it feels flat.

No Return depicts the consequences of a tragic car-bicycle accident. Young Pablo is struck not once but twice – the second time fatally while he is tending to his broken bicycle on a street in Buenos Aires. Like the spokes of the wheel on Pablo’s battered bike, the repercussions of the accident spread out in multiple directions.

Three families are affected: Hit-and-run driver Matias (Martin Slipak) and his parents; the father (Federico Luppi) of the accident victim; and entertainer Federico (Leonardo Sbaraglia), who is falsely accused of the crime. As each group deals with the fallout from the accident, which becomes a media event, No Return is compelling – but not particularly moving. I think this is the case because Cohan’s script asks the audience to invest emotionally in too many characters over a short period of time.

No Return is one of those films you are happy to have seen, but will probably not revisit. Grade: B

Director: Miguel Cohan Cast: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Martin Slipak, Barbara Goenaga, Luis Machin, Ana Celentano, Arturo Goetz, Agustin Vazquez, Federico Luppi, Pedro Merlo Release: 2010

Watch the Trailer (click here)

22Apr

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

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Tucker & Dale vs. Evil has some of the funniest sight gags I’ve seen in a long, long time. Rookie director Eli Craig’s horror-comedy takes the redneck-slasher flick, hangs it upside down from a meat-hook, and invites us to laugh at the fallout.

Outside of a Three Stooges short, it’s probably not possible to make a movie with nonstop visual jokes, but that’s a shame because there are some doozies in this farce. After watching Tucker and Dale do their thing, seeing Leatherface brandish a chainsaw will never again seem so threatening. Alas, there is also bad news: Tucker & Dale has a plot.

Dale (Tyler Labine), one of our two hillbilly heroes, is fat and slow on the uptake, but blessed with a heart of gold. He and buddy Tucker (Alan Tudyk) want nothing more than some peace and quiet on their vacation at Tucker’s woodland cabin. When some college kids – airheads who’ve seen way too many movies – invade the boys’ West Virginia mountain retreat, we know nothing good will come of it. There will be blood – just not in the ways you might think.

One of the college kids is super-sexy-smart Allison (Katrina Bowden), a psychology student, and Dale is instantly smitten. If you’ve seen any Judd Apatow movie, you know exactly how this will turn out: In the fantasy world that Hollywood regularly offers to teenage audiences, every slob gets his girl.

Tucker & Dale runs out of steam at about its midpoint, when plot gets in the way and the movie devolves into the same kind of silly slasher flick it has been lampooning so admirably. My advice to you: Whenever the story gets talky and the dialogue turns “serious,” saunter out to the lobby and buy some popcorn, or have a smoke in front of the theater. Just try to be back in time for the sight gags. Grade: B-

Director: Eli Craig Cast: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss, Philip Granger, Brandon Jay McLaren, Christie Laing, Chelan Simmons, Travis Nelson Release: 2010

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