By Christopher Stipp
May 28, 2004
CURES FOR THE SUMMERTIME BLUES
This week, like a crazed mutant toddler hopped up on kiddie Quaaludes, consisting of a 64 oz. big gulp of Hi-C Fruit Punch and a couple packets of Pop Rocks, washed down with a box of Nerds, I’m taking the room down a notch to bring you all some out of the way fare. I have some new stuff from Spike Lee, a movie in the vein of the Coen’s (when they were good), a new flick from Doc Ock, an indie about Mexicans that’s actually supposed to be funny, and a gritty crime flick starring The Punisher.
That brings me to a good point. While not having seen THE PUNISHER (many telling me to simply wait for video) I still am wondering why there hasn’t been more of Tom Jane. Or is it Thomas Jane. T.J.? Whatever the hell he’s called (Lawrence Fishburne will always be Cowboy Curtis to me no matter how coyly he tries to escape his past) Thomas Jane looks exceptionally good in STANDER. I chose this as the trailer of the week simply because of how well he throws his charisma around on the screen. I am still enamored of that one scene in BOOGIE NIGHTS when I knew everything was going to roll down the hill in a very bad way for all concerned as he and Marky Mark sat on that couch near the end of the picture. Hopefully this older flick from 2002 will remind everyone that there are other players in this Hollywood game who deserve a couple more inches of love to prove what they can do.
With that little soapboxery out of the way I have to publicly say thank you to all the indie movie guys who have been submitting their trailers to me to pimp their projects. I have seen some great things come through here and just in case you’re sitting on one let me say this: send it in. I am usually just twisting in the wind here on Fridays as I wonder which direction I’ll go for the following week. Just between you and me I’m a lazy bastard at heart. I would like nothing more than to not have to scour for five good (or bad) trailers for the week when I know there’s one waiting for me. I know that some of you are done with film school for the summer and might have made something worth watching. Let me off light for the week, people.
Hopefully this week’s doesn’t bore any of you, but we all can agree that we all could use a little more variety in our lives before we all descend into the frenetic pace of the summer movie season. Don’t believe the hype that summer is a wasteland for those who want their babes buxom and their explosions frequent. There are good antidotes to the mainstream that will be trickling in this summer and these are some morsels you all can look forward to in between viewings of SPIDER-MAN and ALIEN VS. PREDATOR.
A DAY WITHOUT A MEXICAN (2004)
Director: Sergio Arau
Cast: Caroline Aaron, Melinda Allen, Frankie J. Allison, Yareli Arizmendi, Todd Babcock, Maria Beck, Brian Brophy
Release: May 14th, 2004 (California)
Synopsis: One day California wakes up and not a single Latino is left in the state. They have all inexplicably disappeared. Chaos, tragedy, and comedy quickly ensue.
View Trailer:
* Various (Flash)
Prognosis: Positive. Damn, that was funny.
The very idea of a social satire, especially one put onto film, is something that hasn’t stirred me since seeing THE WIZARD OF OZ; having to be told what things represented and meant in the metaphorical sense revealed a whole new layer of the film to me many years ago. What I like, them, about this trailer is its absolute obnoxiousness and the way it is operating on more than one level. When I think of how subtle or coy one could be with something like this, something that shines a light on an obvious problem in America today, a movie like this looks like it could easily shoot down the pink elephant that is blocking my view of the 52†plasma on the wall in the living room. The things that aren’t said outright are only hinted at in this trailer.
With views of L.A. sweeping across the screen, a serious announcer says that California has another crisis on its hands. I initially begin to think this is going to a documentary about immigration that looks at things in an objective, serious manner as the announcer is leading one to believe that this is going to be a true deconstruction of the issue. I wonder what could possibly be at the center of a debate that causes one talking head to declare that, “this is a real serious disaster.“ It’s a state of emergency. The state of California has lost all their Mexicans.
The image of a hooptie bouncing down the street by itself, a leaf blower twirling around in a circle with no one around, and an abandoned wife who is visibly distraught that her Mexican husband has left without a trace is well done. The concerned wife goes on to say, after an image of floating dentures in a glass is shown, that he, “would never leave without his teeth.†I like it. It’s whip smart comedy. We then are treated to small snippets of film about how life would be like at the car wash, a restaurant, the valet stand, et al without the presence of our Latino brothers. Everywhere a Mexican would usually be invisible is shown as a center of the city’s chaos. They then cut away to a man who declares, very seriously, that if Mexicans weren’t really aliens to begin with then why does a Mexican sombrero look awfully close to a floating UFO?
The trailer ends with the Border Patrol on screen asking for the Mexicans to come back. A couple do arrive on scene and are then surrounded by a cadre of officers who, instead of arresting them, hoist them on their shoulders and celebrate. If there was any contention at all with this trailer it would have to be that it has a very “indie†feel to it. Those used to the high powered companies crafting the trailer for SPIDER-MAN 2 need not expect much in terms of production values.
What is nice about this trailer, apart from the premise, is that this film has none other than John Getz in it. If the name doesn’t strike you swiftly in the cerebral cortex fast enough, he is not only the man responsible for Carl and James’ near demise in MEN AT WORK but he is also the bearded hero who attacks a transformed Brundlefly in, well, THE FLY; p.s., if any dude puts their schmingy in a jar for safe keeping a shotgun blast to the temple, I believe, is an acceptable mode of behavior modification. Also, the material of this picture has a very interesting premise, an absurdist take on a hot button issue, but it’s something that people will either really enjoy for its view or feel encroached on for the posits it might make about how some Americans view the issue. The fact that someone explored this part of the American social and economic landscape, and in this manner, is something that should be considered nothing less than bold in today’s political climate.
Director: Nick Hurran
Cast: Brenda Blethyn, Alfred Molina, Naomi Watts, Christopher Walken, Lee Evans, Robert Pugh
Release: July 2nd, 2004 (New York)
Synopsis: UNDERTAKING BETTY is an outrageous comedy set in a small Welsh town about a funeral parlor owner (ALFRED MOLINA) whose life is about to turn upside down. The woman he’s loved since she was a young girl (Academy Award nominee BRENDA BLETHYN) is about to become available… by staging her own untimely demise! And the business he’s always loved is about to come under attack, from a flashy American competitor (Academy Award winner CHRISTOPHER WALKEN), who wants to “put the fun back in funerals” with theme burials, Vegas-style ceremonies and a whole lot of neon lighting. Neither our leading man nor this small town will ever be the same again. UNDERTAKING BETTY also stars Academy Award nominee NAOMI WATTS as the hilariously scheming mistress whose diabolical ways add even more fuel to the comedic fire.
View Trailer:
* Small (Quick Time)
Prognosis: Positive. There are a few reasons why this movie looks good enough to recommend to the older sect, as well as those looking for an “offbeat†rom com, but no other excuse could be better than for the reason that has Christopher Walken playing another one of his crazy-enough-to-be-funny caricatures.
There is, however, the inclusion of Alfred Molina, Naomi Watts, and even the guy from that movie, whatzit called, the pizza guy from THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, Lee Evans.
To start, the voice-over isn’t as nearly as intrusive as it could be as it tells us about the town in which all the events are about to unfold. This is a good example of how the unseen face of the announcer can be used to good effect and can explain enough of the plot well without having to give away every pivotal scene, visually, of the film.
I was unsure if this was a trailer worthy enough of this readership but when I saw this movie had Doc Ock himself representing an undertaker that is synonymous with dignity and then showing Walken, with a coif worthy to champion his ‘do from A VIEW TO A KILL, as the man who is the used car salesman of the funeral business I was sold. Walken, in a crème colored turtleneck sweater and light jacket, fires on all cylinders as he’s initially shown showing a grieving man his dead wife’s corpse, letting the bereaving husband know he has fully realized his wife’s passion for Star Trek at this, her hour of passing. The dead wife is clothed in a Trek uniform, has Spock ears attached to her head, and her casket is lined with a shimmery silver lining worthy of any space traveler off to their final destination. As Spicoli would have said: Awesome.
The twist in this story is not the rivalry between competing funeral homes, although there is more than enough amusement to be had in that vein, but it is the oddly complicated, but amusing, love story between a wife who is burnt out on a loveless marriage with a husband who is cheating on her with Naomi Watts and a dignified undertaker who has probably always have loved her in that clichéd movie kind of way. In order for the jilted wife to flee her marriage to her husband, however, and considering that divorce is not an option, the undertaker proposes making it seem like she’s gone to the great beyond in order for the two of them to be together. As a sidebar, if you are going to have a man step out on his wife in a flick, for believability’s sake, make sure she’s Naomi Watts. I may be speaking from the minority but, on the whole, (and if you just envision the scene from THE RING when she’s down in that well with her hair all slicked back and wearing that clingy, wet sweater), you would be hard pressed to find any married man who is powerless against Watts’ tempting temptress treats. Just an observation.
The best part of this trailer, apart from the setup, is how would a movie about a woman, who is trying to leave her husband and has to fake her death to do it, is so damned funny. It is. I have no problem with saying that the ensuing scenes of Molina trying to convince the town that Brenda Blethyn is indeed dead are enough for me to want to see this film. With Blonde’s “One Way or Another†in the background and Christopher Walken asking Molina, upon seeing the “dead†Blethyn, if he used a collagen spray or even a clear varnish to make her look so alive it sells this movie very well to me.
While this film looks like it will just skim a wide release and most likely hit the art house it would behoove the average moviegoer to either pimp this to one’s own parents (a demographic in serious need for good film and not the average crap that BRUCE ALMIGHTY gets praise for) or use this as a date flick when one’s options are limited to either the new Lindsay Lohan flick about girls who love the fact they’re girls or a Julia Roberts vehicle where she is changing the world one woman at a time. Pick your poison but this one looks like you get a little romance, a little Watts, some comedy, and a whole lot of Walken. Those in the know realize that the two things in life you can never have too much of are Walken and cowbell. The two are simply synonymous.
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Dania Ramirez, Ling Bai, Ellen Barkin, Monica Bellucci, Jim Brown, Ossie Davis, Brian Dennehy, Woody Harrelson, Q-Tip, John Turturro
Release: July 23, 2004 (Limited)
Synopsis: Wharton-educated biotech executive John Henry “Jack†Armstrong (Anthony Mackie) gets fired when he informs on his bosses, launching an investigation into their business dealings by the Securities & Exchange Commission. Branded a whistle-blower and therefore unemployable, Jack desperately needs to make a living. When his former girlfriend Fatima (Kerry Washington), a high powered businesswoman and now a lesbian, offers him cash to impregnate her and her new girlfriend Alex (Dania Ramirez), Jack is persuaded by the chance to make ³easy² money. Word spreads and soon Jack is in the baby-making business at $10,000 a try. Lesbians with a desire for motherhood and the cash to spare are lining up to seek his services. But, between the attempts by his former employers to frame him for security fraud and his dubious fathering activities, Jack finds his life, all at once, becoming very complicated.
View Trailer:
* LARGE (QuickTime)
Prognosis: Positive.
Spike Lee.
Immediately, the name conjures up images of Rosie Perez doing her “expressive†dance from DO THE RIGHT THING, one that even I would fear to try and match on the dance floor and even the sounds of “Fight the Power†by Public Enemy fill the memory as well. It’s been 15 years since DO THE RIGHT THING landed and it still remains a staple in moviedom as the go-to film of 1989. It encapsulated a lot of things about our culture at the time, some of it still relevant and prevalent, but it also showed how well Spike could direct. While I believe it was a great film, his career has had more elevating moments than there are bombs. Sure, movies like the 25TH HOUR don’t get the kind of love from audiences it should, but those in the know see the power in every inch of celluloid for that picture.
What is remarkable, then, is the amusing premise of SHE HATE ME. At first glance it seems this is a film based on the office life of a common worker bee. Woody Harrelson looks to be the boss we all wish we never have, Ellen Barken as another boss of the same company who looks like she eats men’s egos for breakfast, but things rapidly change. It appears to be that our protagonist, Jimmy, has his bank accounts frozen and his life turned upside down on the charge he was dabbling in insider trading. As our man Jim is convalescing on the floor of his apartment, down on his luck, a couple of his lesbian friends drop by to say hey, have a chat and then proposition him to help them have a kid. If this wasn’t odd enough, and our leading man does protest too much, the plot is sweetened by the idea that many other women, namely, lesbians, would like to buy Jimmy’s power of fertility for $10,000 a pop. Or orgasm, however the case may be. This whole scenario is confessed to his friend who is about to drop the S-bomb when “it†happens.
Now, I like Spike Lee. I would say love, but we’re just getting to know each other in this trailer. I like Spike but dammit all to hell if, once again, we get the needle scraping across the vinyl record sound effect again. Please. For the love of all that isn’t tired and busted, even though someone is about to say or do something that needs punctuation with a sound effect isn’t there something else (the Wilhelm Scream comes quickly to mind) that can be used? Do what he will, but there are those of us who recognize the record scratch is a lazy way to bleep out a cuss word.
/End of rant
Things do get made up to me, however, in the very sultry siren form of Monica Bellucci; she is the reason why more women should eat a friggin’ sandwich or two. The mere idea that she plays a lesbian should make most fanboys of the Italian starlet line up in deck chairs at their local theaters. Woody Harrelson (where the hell have you been, man?) looks great as the evil brother of Bill Lumbergh and even John Turturro gets a chance to look great if only for a moment. The supporting cast is stacked and it’s nice to see everyone, from what I can see, playing their parts well.
In addition to the idea that Jimmy is a human sperm bank to the lesbian ladies of the world there also brews the accusations into insider trading that started him out on his path to poverty. There is a great story inside this picture and I hope it lives up to everything this trailer makes it out to be. Hopefully, in much the same way that DO THE RIGHT THING did 15 years ago, Spike interjects some of the same sharp social consciousness that usually elevates his pictures above the usual fare and exposes some things that others would just as soon gloss over.
Director: Nicholas Racz
Cast: Rob LaBelle, Jan Rubes Allan Rich, Bill Meilen, David Paymer, Seymour Cassel, Linden Banks, Jeff Seymour, Bill Mondy, Nathaniel DeVeaux
Release: May 28th, 2004
Synopsis: Sheldon Kasner, a man of quiet desperation who works as a loan manager at the Hebrew National Bank is overworked and under-appreciated. He struggles to surpass the limitations of his mundane life. Sheldon, the most unlikely of criminals, is drawn into the underworld of money laundering in a desperate attempt to overcome his mediocre existence. Unfortunately for Sheldon, events don’t unfold as he expects and the missing two million dollars has him begging for his life as he’s dangled from a bridge in the opening sequence of THE BURIAL SOCIETY. Forced to reconsider his strategy, Sheldon concocts an elaborate plan involving the Chevrah Kadisha or Burial Society – devout Jewish men who prepare dead bodies for burial. THE BURIAL SOCIETY is a gripping, plot-twisting tale of murder and intrigue – a non-stop suspense thriller that will have audiences doubting themselves at every turn.
View Trailer:
* Small (Quick Time)
Prognosis: Nice. Real Nice.
What the hell happened with the brothers Cohen?
They went from BLOOD SIMPLE, to RAISING ARIZONA, to MILLERS CROSSING, to FARGO, and even THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE before the wheels started to come off one by one. INTOLERABLE CRUELTY (there’s one…), THE LADYKILLERS (there’s the other) are good examples of a slide but, obviously, maybe it’s just a creative slump. Those in need of a satisfying caper, in the vein of a David Mamet production, could find it in THE BURIAL SOCIETY.
“One day, if you’re lucky enough, you’ll be confronted by the truth. You’ll see your life in front of you and you’ll realize how much you hate it.â€
As the trailer begins, a guy, obviously in the throes of something deeper than his conscious self will let him ignore, is trying to come to grips that the people he works for are filtering money through the company he works for in a much illegal way.
“People give us money and we give it back.â€
“You launder money.â€
“No, we launder money.â€
Not since the money talk from Danny Devito in HEIST have I been sucked in by the premise of back dealings that could end up in double crosses. Before I get too entrenched in the narrative, however, I am taken out of things by a black screen telling me this movie has been an official selection at over 50 film festivals. Once I’m back into things our protagonist, looking like he was ripped from the role of Jason Bateman’s brother, Buster, from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, starts to grow a heart and wants to get away from the seedy underpinnings of his current line of work. Black screen. Winner of….ok ok I got it, already. You’re film is all knowing and wonderful now get back to it.
Our man, Sheldon, decides to become involved with a group that prepares dead bodies for their final voyage into the next world. Based on the Jewish Chevrah Kadisha, or burial society, it is, “comprised of volunteers who aid the bereaved and ensure that appropriate practices are followed. When a member of a community dies, it is the community’s responsibility to lovingly assist the deceased’s family in this final act of respect.†Taken at face value, then, the man who is now ensnared in profiteering of the highest, and illicit, order tries to find solace in a group that helps the dead. Apart from the intriguing juxtaposition of stories it is nice to see a film have to get by, or fail, on the merits of its writing. The cinematography catches your eye as well and the acting seems to be there, but it is the last half of this trailer that really ropes you in.
TV screens fill the frame as Sheldon is suspected in a double murder and the theft of two million dollars. The quick scenes start interspersing. He gets told he has 48 hours to get the money (From who? From where? What money? And why do these guys always get 48 hours to produce something?); a foot chase ensues; random quotes about how super duper this film is are shown from odd papers (The Eye Weekly?); bearer bonds flash briefly on the screen for a moment; a gun appears out of nowhere; some scroll says, “Sometimes The Truth Won’t Stay Buriedâ€; someone’s upside down over a bridge; and then a coffin where I believe our man is going to be shipped out of harm’s way takes our hero aback as he realizes it is his only path to freedom.
This is the kind of film that has been absent from the screen for a little while as those with a need for pulp crime capers got their fill from SPARTAN, but it’s nice to see filmmakers looking to make a name for themselves do it with this kind of genre. A plot like this, to keep things interesting, needs to be smart, witty and sharp. Without knowing for sure if this film has what it takes it is hard to tell whether this is a great success or a great selection that should run nicely someday on UPN affiliate stations at midnight right before the infomercial for Carlton Sheets real estate program and right after Don Lapre tells me how I can make thousands from my home using tiny, classified ads.
Director: Bronwen Hughes
Cast: Thomas Jane, Ashley Taylor, David O’Hara, Dexter Fletcher, Deborah Unger, Marius Weyers
Release: January 16th, 2004 (Sundance Film Festival)
Synopsis: “Stander” is based on the true story of André Stander (Jane), a South African homicide/robbery police captain who became one of the most notorious bank robbers in the country. After participating in the brutal killing in a riot in the line of duty, Stander decided to defy the very system he was part of, and set off on an audacious crime spree; robbing banks during his lunch hour then returning to the scene of the crime to lead the investigation. Finally, caught by the same police force he worked with, he was jailed and, subsequently befriended Allan Heyl and Lee McCall. After a daring jailbreak, the ‘Stander Gang’ committed a large number of robberies, which grew increasingly bold over time. In the eyes of the public, their blatant disregard for authority made them South Africa’s most popular anti-heroes. In reality, however, Stander and his gang were the most wanted men in the country.
View Trailer:
* Small (Windows Media, Real Player)
Prognosis: Positive.
Tom Jane looks better than Willis in THE JACKAL and much more believable as a shape shifting badass than Kilmer in THE SAINT.
What is remarkable, then, about the above statement is that Jane is able to exude all this all without saying one, single, word in this trailer. Even though the music is easily forgettable, a seventies era riff that keeps recycling itself, almost feeling like it could descend into a porno-esque wakka-wakka-wow, the scroll is nicely used here, and the use of the multiple shots within a shot, utilized nicely in STARSKY AND HUTCH and even BEFORE SUNSET, is a great effect with what’s happening on the screen. And what’s happening on the screen is all Jane.
The shots open up with a mustachioed Jane (coming real close, again, to invoking the porn vibe with that thing) sticking up a bank. What you don’t really notice, but comes across real well, is the way Jane isn’t slick and dolled up for this robberies. In movies like POINT BREAK and even HEAT (my apologies for putting them so close together in the same sentence) the baddies are in masks or are looking real good in their suits while robbing a joint. Jane is frumpy, a little sleazy, but it works.
Unrecognizable.
The next thing you notice about this trailer is the way it feels. To say it has a gritty feel, like washing your hands with sand, would be a disservice to the cinematographer and director who have some great ways of showcasing Jane’s prowess as a charismatic actor.
Uncatchable.
When all this is going on and you think that this is all about the OG thug life of a straight shootin’ thief we get a helicopter view of some desert landscape with police, people and pistols all in chaos, almost like we’re being tossed inside BLACK HAWK DOWN, and you barely have a moment to process what in the hell is going on before we get more Jane action. And by Jane action, I do mean that it looks like there might be the possibility of the porn coming to life, however soft-core it may be as he gets it on with a faceless hootchie.
Unknowable. Unbelievable.
Lest you believe that’s all we’re gonna get, shots of firearms, car chases, more of Jane’s mug, and the implication that this is all based on a true story gets pushed as quick as it can be before this thing ends. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen films based on true stories but that qualifier alone, and you know who you are, makes the buy-in for some people that much easier. Not that reality based films are all good mind you, as evidenced by the kiddie groin kick that was PATCH ADAMS, but this looks light on the schmaltzy crap and heavy on putting people into the ground rather than preventing them from going in it.
As a side note, Bronwen Hughes, the woman behind the lens, was also responsible for bringing FORCES OF NATURE, among other things, into our cinematic lives. Now, while I know the din could reach high levels, I cannot tell you how much I still like that film. In a movie where Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock play opposite each other in a tête-à -tête of repressed passion I thought it one of the best rom coms ever put to the screen. I know that doesn’t say much but I am not easily wooed by the BIG FAT FRIENDS WEDDING IN NOTTING HILL WHO HAPPENS TO BE A WEDDING PLANNER IN SWEET ALABAMA makers of the world. So color me impressed.
Comments: None
Leave a Reply |