What happened to Lambert?

Like many moviegoers in 1979, I was not prepared for “Alien.”  The film relentlessly burrowed into my brain the same way the titular creature stalked and killed the ill-fated crew of the Nostromo.  I had nightmares for years.  I drew the alien compulsively in an attempt to define its features and therefore reduce my paralyzing fear.  It helped a little.  Though the slavering star beast rarely haunts my dreamscape anymore, any sight of it will always produce a brief yet electric thrill of terror as I instantly relive my first harrowing experience of watching this benchmark sci-fi fright fest in the forbidding darkness of the theater.

There are many things that make “Alien” an iconic film:  the excellent cast, the superlative set design, the quiet yet haunting score and the slow, inexorable build up of white-knuckle tension.  However, above all these great things is the work of Swiss surrealist Hans Rudi Geiger.  There can be no doubt that his artistic contributions resulted in the most distinctive and disgusting alien creatures ever to explode onto the cinema screen.  The deeply disturbing hybridization of biomechanical and sexual overtones in Geiger’s work achieves a level of instinctive repulsion as yet unmatched by any other science fiction monster.

The alien is an implacable force of death; but it is the creatures’ method of attack that incites such utter panic.  It rapes you.  It literally rapes your brain to death.  Both Brett and Parker are mercilessly skull f*cked by the fanged tongue which bears no small resemblance to a penis with a mouth full of metal teeth.  This terrible tongue erupts from a giant curved cranium that further embodies the phallic threat.  It’s a double dose of male aggression and forced penetration.  Worst of all, the alien appears to enjoy the effect that its appearance has on its victims.

The death of Lambert near the end of the film is the one that affects me the most.  She is one of only two females in the Nostromo crew, and from the very beginning she displays a pensive mood that suggests that she can feel the impending doom awaiting herself and her crewmates.  As they descend to a godforsaken planetoid to investigate a purported distress signal, Lambert is afraid. We can see it on her face.  We just don’t know yet how right she is to be frightened.  Lambert's subconscious is thinking what the audience is thinking:

“We’re all fucked.”

As the individual crew members fall prey to the extraterrestrial invader, Lambert’s rising terror renders her useless.  When the alien finally appears in front of her, it doesn’t attack her immediately as it did Dallas.  It rises slowly, as if knowing that by merely revealing its hideous majesty Lambert will be petrified into immobility.  It is only Parker’s vain attempt to save Lambert that the alien breaks off and kills Parker rather quickly before returning its attention to its initial victim.  Still unable to move, Lambert remains frozen in place as the alien slides its tail between her legs.  This is the last time we see Lambert alive.

Now I know that this shot of the alien’s tail was borrowed from the attack on Brett, but it has a particular significance here, especially when taking into account the implicit sexual aggression of the creature’s nature.  Lambert is the only female crew member that the alien kills, and it seems to take a unique approach to her demise.  What is most lasting about the horror is that we do not see how Lambert is undone.  We only hear hyperventilating, and then her final scream merges with a roar from the creature.  Alien orgasm, perhaps?

Lambert’s now naked feet swing freely above the floor while rivulets of blood trickle down and drop off her toes.  How did her shoes and socks come off?  How is she hanging from the ceiling?  Was she hung there by the alien or did her death throes lock her muscles into a post mortem grip?  Ripley’s reaction to seeing Lambert's corpse suggests a visceral revulsion that can only be expressed in quaking shudders and unintelligible gasps.  Ripley's brain cannot believe what her eyes are telling her, and she bolts like a rabbit from the hastily glimpsed carnage.

Part of the lasting allure and terrifying mystery of “Alien” is what we don't see.  The film knows exactly what to show us in order to scare us out of our minds.  More crucially, it knows what not to show.  Sometimes suggestion is more potent than the literal.  Sometimes all that's needed is to hint at the horror, and the mind unwillingly delves into psychological depths previously undared.  At the bottom, we are assaulted by the acknowledgement of the basest instincts of human nature.  We are confronted by our Id, and it wants to kill us.

Micro-fest of two emerging directors! "Mean Streets" and "Manhunter"

While house and cat sitting for my folks recently, my wife and I decided to treat ourselves to a couple of movies courtesy of their ample DVD collection.  My East Coast-born Sicilian girl had a yen to watch “Mean Streets” again, and also fancied revisiting “Manhunter.”  Suddenly we realized that we had constructed a double feature that was a micro-fest of two emerging directors.  “Mean Streets was Martin Scorcese’s second studio feature, and “Manhunter” was Michael Mann’s third.  Although rough around the edges, both films are excellent examples of each filmmaker’s nascent yet distinct style.

“Mean Streets” immediately establishes one of the foundations of Martin Scorcese’s visual storytelling.  The opening credit sequence is comprised of Super 8 footage of Little Italy in New York shotgun wed to the song “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes.  Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” and Martin Scorcese’s gutter of heartbreak starkly contrast the romantic fantasy of this classic early sixties love song against the gritty reality of modern city life.  This heady concoction creates a striking visual and audio contradiction that would become a Scorcese signature for many years.

Another distinct artistic piece is the long tracking shot which often follows one character or set of characters through an entire scene without any edits.  Several sequences in the neighborhood bar trail just in front of or behind Harvey Keitel’s character Charlie as he struts or staggers his way through the leering, blood-red atmosphere.  Charlie is torn between his gangster ambitions and his Catholic upbringing, and the slo-mo delirium in these shots beautifully yet repulsively evokes his emotional and spiritual conflict.

Though it is an early Scorcese film, “Mean Streets” boasts a terrific cast, with Robert De Niro erupting in a volcanic display of self-destructive narcissism as the compulsive gambler and perpetual loser Johnny Boy.  Charlie’s Catholicism has dug deep roots of guilt into his conscience, and Charlie feels compelled to save Johnny over and over even though both men are ultimately doomed by their flaws.  While some dialogue scenes feel rushed or incomplete, the vitality of the performances and the fresh yet rotten stench of the decaying urban milieu are no less captivating.

As the executive producer of “Miami Vice”, Michael Mann displayed a mastery at combining austere modern architecture, high contrast monochromatic lighting and a simple, throbbing synth soundtrack.  He established an iconic visual style that would make "Miami Vice" a major pop culture trendsetter for over a decade.  This moody but sleek style reigns heavily over “Manhunter”, and it perfectly suits the story of a former FBI profiler lured reluctantly back for one last job.  William Petersen is Will Graham, the man who caught Hannibal Lector, but was nearly gutted during the capture.  Beside the physical pain, Will is also wary of being psychologically compromised by once again adapting his consciousness to the maniac he is pursuing.

Few people knew that Jonathan Demme’s “Silence of the Lambs” was not the first film in which the character of Hannibal Lecter had haunted the cinema with his withering wit and scalpel-like stare.  For “Manhunter”, Michael Mann chose Brian Cox to play everyone’s favorite cunning cannibal, and his portrayal is just as terrifying as the indelible turn by Anthony Hopkins.  Hannibal never leaves the confines of his cell, but his calculating intelligence makes the possibility of escape seem a very real and immediate threat, and the implacable malice that Cox exudes lurks in the shadows of every scene.

Tom Noonan’s role as the current killer-on-the-loose Francis Dolarhyde is mesmerizing, and it is not just his towering physicality and the subtlety of his performance that leaves so potent an impression.  Despite his compulsion for serial murder, Dolarhyde’s character becomes surprisingly sympathetic when it is shown how heartbreakingly close he comes to living a normal life.  Dolarhyde asks a blind co-worker on a date, knowing she cannot see and judge him by his disfiguring harelip.  Yet the decades of self-imposed isolation have made Dolarhyde’s fantasy world too powerful to be subsumed so quickly.  Whether the victim is innocent or guilty, Dollarhyde’s demons must be fed.

"Super" review

One of the best “Super” hero films ever!

With “Guardians of the Galaxy” raking in cosmological cash, no doubt aficionados of this film will seek out the earlier works of writer/director James Gunn.  They will likely be surprised to discover that Gunn only has two previous directing credits to his name, and those two tiny films stand in stark contrast to his recent big budget mega-success.  While “Slither” managed to develop a devoted following on home video, “Super” failed at the box office.  It then quickly vanished into obscurity upon DVD release, a real shame since “Super” is one of the best superhero movies I’ve ever seen.

The frenzied opening animated sequence is a jubilant musical montage, and all the characters are introduced dancing to the power pop of "Calling All Destroyers" by Tsar.  Despite the euphoric atmosphere, the lyrics of the song and the gut-splattered cartoon mayhem allude to the amoral oblivion that awaits. There is a cost to be paid for revenge, and it is painful and lasting.  “Super” has everything a comic book movie for adults should have:  it’s absurd, psychotic, and very dark.  The sexual fetishism of cosplay, the crushing pall of mundanity and succeeding delusions of grandeur are all mixed together into a roiling concoction that is whimsical yet harrowing.  “Super” perfectly balances the childhood fantasy of righteous vengeance against the often tragic repercussions of those actions in the real world.

Frank Darbo is a short-order cook who only has two good memories; his marriage to Sarah, and once showing a cop where to pursue a purse snatcher.  Crayon drawings of these moments hang on Frank’s bedroom wall for daily inspiration.  However, Frank's wife Sarah is a recovering addict, and while Frank has enjoyed their tranquil domestic life, Sarah’s boredom causes her to become seduced and once again hooked on drugs by Jacques, a sleazy strip club owner.  Frank vows to get Sarah back, but gets pummeled for his efforts.  After watching a cheesily sanctimonious TV show on the All-Jesus Network, Frank has a dream.  He sees a mask.  Frank fashions a bright red costume and embarks on a holy crusade against crime.

As the Crimson Bolt, Frank’s attempts to right the wrongs of the world within reach of his brandished crescent wrench quickly devolve into the aberrant rages of a bludgeoning lunatic.  Anyone who butts in line at the theater is clearly an asshole, but do they deserve to have their forehead split open?  Yet this is not the worst impact that Frank’s bone-crunching judgments have.  Libby, a young comic shop employee whom Frank comes to for “research” sees through Frank’s masquerade and she begs to be his sidekick.  Libby’s infatuation with superheroes is soon revealed to be so violent that she doesn’t care who gets hurt or whether they’re guilty.  Even Frank cannot condone Libby’s indiscriminate bloodlust.

Frank tries to dissuade Libby, but when she saves Frank from Jacques’ thugs and treats his wounds, he agrees to be a team again.  Their final assault on Jacques’ country house is an explosive and brutal rampage.  Now armed with guns, knives and pipe bombs, Frank and Libby commit murder after murder.  While all of Jacques’ goons likely have a long rap sheet, the severity of their crimes is moot.  All are mercilessly mown down.  However, our heroes have no super powers, and are just as subject to the finality of bullets.  Frank manages to save Sarah, but not their marriage.  She leaves him and creates a new family.  Frank is left alone again, but at least now he has more than two more good memories on his wall to look at for inspiration:  the crayon drawings from Sarah’s children addressed to Uncle Frank.

What sets “Super” apart from almost all other comic book-style films is its examination of the real devastation wrought from attempting to exact justice according to your own set of rules.  Though Frank was bullied as a kid, in the guise of the Crimson Bolt he becomes someone whose physical assaults far exceed the psychological shame suffered in childhood.  Frank’s brutal path of retaliation results in physical scars that will never fade, and he also incites further suffering by allowing Libby to trick him into beating those who have not done anything wrong.  While “Super” does not have any answers, it percussively and hilariously documents the consequences of taking up arms against a sea of troubles that cannot be plumbed with merely a crescent wrench.

'Guardians of the Galaxy" review

Happiness is a warm Gunn

I have been a BIG fan of writer/director James Gunn from the beginning.  His first film, “Slither”, was a raucously revolting and hilarious horror debut.  With Hollywood’s laser vision greedily focused on tween wallets, it’s rare to find a horror film for adults that’s rated “R” for wicked practical effects instead of a plastic parade of fake pneumatic breasts.  Talk about a horror show!  Yet underneath the filth and slime, there is a love story that hurts because we recognize the compromises that adults sometimes make.

Gunn’s next film, “Super”, was a surprisingly dark and disturbing descent into superhero dementia.  Rainn Wilson plays a man whose dreamland delusions compel him to stitch up a homemade costume and wield a crescent wrench in the name of justice.  However, the cost exacted for this vengeance is heartbreaking, and “Super” reveals a bitter after taste underneath its candy coating.  Despite Crimson Bolt's good intentions, his bloody crusade quickly becomes corrupted by the consequences of his actions.

For more than a decade I was a comic reader and collector, and although I knew of the Guardians of the Galaxy, I’d never read the series.  When the film was announced, what reservations I may have had were banished when I heard that James Gunn was set to write and direct.  That gave me faith.  I had a feeling that Gunn would be able to balance the tween desire for epic action with the adult necessity of real pathos, and I was confident that he could weave these often disparate elements together into one helluva fun ride.  I was right.

As a glib mercenary whose most recent theft has suddenly surrounded him with enemies, Chris Pratt evokes an intergalactic Indian Jones in his hangdog portrayal of a cocky kid just making it up as he goes along.  The character’s charm and lackadaisical attitude keeps the audience grounded, and the sly wink behind every gesture lets us know to not take things too seriously.  While the film begins with family heartbreak, it ends with the joy of a family newly forged.  The journey is breathtaking in its scope, eye-popping in its action and tear-inducing at its emotional core.  And it’s a helluva lot of fun!  Did I mention that?

Of course, much of the screen time is spent introducing characters and storylines that will only come to fruition in succeeding movies, but James Gunn knows this.  He also knows how to make origin stories interesting and exciting even though we’re not quite sure what the kerfuffle is all about.  I have a vague notion of why the Infinity Stones need to be kept away from the bad guys, but beyond that, I'll keep the faith in Marvel's grand plan.  James Gunn knows this plan and is thankfully aware that the audience doesn’t need a long lecture on the history of this galaxy.  That can wait.  For now, let’s just relax and let the kids play.  Grown up time will come soon enough.

"Life Itself" review

What a Wonderful Life

Having eagerly read Roger Ebert’s biography “Life Itself” about a year ago, I was surprised by the many discoveries that lay within its pages.  I didn’t know Ebert had been an alcoholic for years.  I didn’t know his wife, Chaz, is African American.  I didn’t know that Ebert’s formal education focused on English and Journalism rather than film.  Yet Roger Ebert loved the movies, and he was a whiz with the written word.  These traits enabled Ebert to become one of the most iconic film critics in the world, all because his boss at the Chicago Sun-Times gave Ebert the job.

Life is like that.  Sometimes little events will alter the course of existence in ways that are only understood years later.  In Ebert’s case, it led him down a path to great fulfillment and even greater challenges.  I was gravely impressed by the bravery Ebert displayed in publishing the picture of his face after his failed jaw surgery.  My respect and admiration trebled, as I now saw a man with great passion for film, but an even greater passion for life.  This image loudly trumpeted: "I will not give up."  Though he had been through the wringer, Ebert's joie de vivre remained unbounded.  “Life Itself” was directed by Steve James of “Hoop Dreams” fame, and it chronicles Ebert’s last years along with many flashbacks and interviews.

The film starts by immediately showing us Ebert in the hospital, gracefully enduring grueling physical therapy.  It is a perfect way to begin.  Ebert's condition is shocking to see at first, but as the film returns to him repeatedly we begin to see the person and not just the injury.  Ebert's mind and personality are unchanged, it is only the physical aspect that is different.  We are encouraged to look beneath the surface at the unique human being within.  I think Ebert would have liked this, as it is one of the reasons why he chose to marry Chaz.

The various reminiscences from family, friends and celebrities are insightful, poignant and very funny.  I especially enjoyed seeing various clips revealing the contentious friendship Ebert had with Gene Siskel.  Their intense rivalry was equaled only by their mutual passion for film and their absolute belief in the validity of their own opinions.  Yet Siskel and Ebert loved each other.  Siskel’s death from brain cancer affected Ebert deeply.  The bittersweet mixture of the loving families both men had and the heartbreak felt after their passing affected me more than I anticipated.  I wept openly and proudly.

As my wife and I exited the theater, I still had fresh tears running down my face.  I just wanted to go home, have a drink and mourn this wonderful man who had lived a tumultuous yet wonderful life.  I kept hearing a line of dialogue in my head from a movie I couldn’t quite name.  The memory flitted around in my brain like a moth around a candle.  Always coming close, yet always eluding capture.  I felt that it was the perfect summation of Ebert’s life.  At home I finally tracked it down, and it was from Shakespeare, although Steve Martin paraphrased it in “LA Story.”

“Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful and yet again most wonderful.”

We’ll see you at the movies, Roger.

Five Terrific Teen films

“La Promesse” - 1996

The Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne wrote and directed this subtle and absorbing tale of a boy named Igor who is on the cusp of adulthood.  Igor’s father, Roger, runs a dilapidated boarding house for illegal immigrants.  In exchange for keeping them hidden from authorities, Roger exploits them for free labor.  Igor is aware of the situation, but seems too young to understand the full import of his father’s clandestine schemes.  Then the accident happens.

Amidou, one of Roger’s tenants, becomes injured in a fall on Roger’s property.  Roger knows that he cannot seek medical help and fears that Amidou will report him.  Amidou’s wife, Assita, is fully aware of the danger, and fears for the safety of her baby as well as herself.  Igor’s passive stance becomes untenable and he decides to help Assita return home.  This promise is the nexus of a new path in Igor’s life.  The beauty of the film is how these events unfold with so little dramatization.  There is a very strong documentary feeling, though the emotional undercurrents are deep and surge behind ever scene.

“The Exploding Girl” - 2009

Oscilloscope is a label to watch as the quality of films they have released has so far been exemplary.  “The Exploding Girl” is a perfect example of Oscilloscope’s superb taste in selecting top notch independent movies that deserve to be seen by a wider audience.  Written and directed by Bradley Rust Gray, “The Exploding Girl” tells the quietly compelling story of a young woman’s summer of transformation.  Ivy is a shy teen, not only because of the awkwardness of these years, but also because she is an epileptic.

Ivy begins her summer grappling with the recent separation from her boyfriend, who must spend time in another city for a new job.  Ivy’s longtime friend Al accompanies her, and Ivy slowly begins to realize who really cares for her.  While Ivy’s epilepsy doesn’t play a major part in the story, at one point she endures an episode with Al present.  This scene is shot and acted with such intimate tenderness that I felt like an intruder, and the whole film throbs with an impending immediacy that captivated me as few films have.

“The Spectacular Now” - 2013

With the theatrical and pop culture dominance of the “Twilight” and “Hunger Games” franchises, finding a modern teen film that even remotely resembles actual human experience is a rare thing.  That is why “The Spectacular Now” is such a pleasure.  Instead of fighting vampires, werewolves or oppressive paramilitary governments, the youngsters in “The Spectacular Now” are battling a much more relatable foe, their insecurities.

Sutter Keely is one of the popular, party-hardy dudes of his high school, but his drinking is a sign of a bigger problem than peer pressure.  Shy Aimee Finicky is awed by Sutter’s sudden attentions, and her common sense is momentarily dulled by their mutual boozing.  However, once Aimee takes stock of the situation she helps Sutter to confront a dark family secret.  This allows Sutter to see a chance for hope in his future, and we see two people who now have a chance to become a couple.

“Manny & Lo” - 1996

Writer/director Lisa Krueger crafted this dark yet comic tale of orphaned sisters on the run.  Manny (Amanda) and Lo (Laurel) were adopted by different families, yet they escape, team up and survive by shoplifting convenience stores and sleeping in unoccupied condominiums.  But Manny is pregnant, and now these two children must decide how to prepare for the arrival of a third.  Their solution makes perfect sense, if you’re a kid!

Manny and Lo kidnap Elaine, an employee of a baby clothing store, and take her to a remote cabin in the woods that is empty for the summer.  What follows is a sweet yet sometimes profane bonding that results in some shockingly hilarious plot twists.  Elaine sees through Manny’s rages and understands how terrified Manny is of her pregnancy.  Elaine also realizes how much both sisters need her help and she goes to some surprising lengths to keep things calm until the baby can be born.  The end is yet another beginning, but the journey is fulfilling and very funny.

“The Man in the Moon” - 1991

No, not the Andy Kaufman biopic with Jim Carrey!  “The Man in the Moon” is a fantastic family film about the deep bonds of sisterhood, and how this powerful connection can survive even death.  Reese Witherspoon was only fourteen when she appeared in the starring role of younger sister Dani, but her performance is a portent of the career that would quickly follow.  The supporting cast of Sam Waterston, Jason London and Tess Harper also contribute wonderful performances.

It’s summertime in Louisiana in the 1950’s, and one of Dani’s favorite things is to go swimming in the creek near her family’s home.  One day, an older boy named Court interrupts her solitude with a splashy cannonball, and the two become friendly.  Dani becomes infatuated, but keeps her passions to herself, even from her older sister Maureen.  However, when Court and Maureen meet for the first time, the thunderbolt of real love hits them both.  At first Dani seethes with betrayal, but then a real tragedy strikes and the estranged sisters rediscover how important their relationship really is.  The bittersweet tone is perfectly maintained throughout, and is absent any tawdry sentimentalism.

Five Fantastic Filmmaking Documentaries

Documentaries about film-making are one of my favorite kinds, and I have George Lucas to thank for that.  “Star Wars” was a seminal cinematic event from my childhood, and I was mesmerized when the first “making of” special that aired on television.  My passion for film documentaries was ignited and still burns to this day.  As the process of making films is often as epic as the films themselves, I anticipated each succeeding entry with just as much excitement.

The five films profiled below are all excellent, in-depth examinations of the travails of filmmaking.  It’s not an easy business, and anyone who’s ever picked up a Super 8 camera knows that you can never fully anticipate the amount of work involved until the final cut flickers across the screen.  The journey may begin simply, but finding the path to the end may cost more than money.  However, if the final result is a film like the ones examined below, is the price really too high?

Directors often have periods of suffering and doubt during the course of their careers.  Some endure psychological torture on the level of a Lovecraftian protagonist.  However, it’s rare for such experiences to be filmed, and even more unlikely for that material to eventually comprise a theatrical release of such power that the documentary rivals the original film in its cathartic intensity. I can think of no better cinematic example of art imitating life than “Hearts of Darkness.”

Francis Ford Coppola’s wife Eleanor shot a lot of home movies during the making of “Apocalypse Now.”  She also secretly recorded her husbands’ conversations with herself as well as his many arguments over the phone with nervous studio execs.  What emerged years later in the editing room is likely the greatest film about filmmaking.  “Hearts of Darkness” chronicles Coppola’s descent in the green hell of the Philippines, and the emotional and psychological torment of the struggle to complete “Apocalypse Now” suffuses every frame.

The combination of heat & humidity, cost overruns, script rewrites and borderline insane actors was dangerously volatile, and the production constantly teetered on the verge of collapse.  Only the sheer force of Coppola’s will kept things moving forward.  “Apocalypse Now” is a remarkable examination of the futility of war, and alongside “Hearts of Darkness” both films are testaments to the ability of the human spirit to survive in the midst of absolute chaos.

James Cameron’s passion for telling epic stories is rivaled only by his absolute commitment to making them as best he can.  Cameron’s vision for “The Abyss” was daunting to say the least, and his insistence on shooting as much of the film with real equipment, submersibles and sets resulted in one of the most famously arduous productions in Hollywood history.

The largest underwater set was actually constructed inside an unfinished nuclear reactor chamber, and it is no small irony that the long grueling hours everyone spent submerged created almost as dangerous a situation as a radioactive core on the brink of meltdown.  The emotional challenges were already enough to exhaust even the most seasoned professional.  Combine that with the physical drudgery of suiting up in real deep sea diving gear and going through descent and decompression on a daily basis and you’ve got a harrowing experience that few could face, much less see through to the end.

Cameron’s unswerving focus on finishing the film despite all the drastic setbacks is tremendously admirable, and it resulted in one of his best films (Director’s Cut only!).  As for the actors, you can hear the pride in their voices when they recount their stories.  All of them passed through a major crisis in their lives and emerged with a more profound sense of self.  They survived their descent into “The Abyss.”

Director Ridley Scott’s early film career contains many accomplishments, but “Blade Runner” is one of the most significant.  This movie is regarded by many as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time, and it certainly set a benchmark that has yet to be approached, much less surpassed.  Scott’s steely determination to realize this dark vision of a possible future was by turns a source of inspiration and exasperation for all involved.

“Dangerous Days” is one of the most thorough documentaries of its kind, and it’s blessed by having a wealth of archival material to use.  The documentary is a feast of behind the scenes photos and video footage of conceptual paintings, sketches, set construction and props created to realize the dystopian world of Los Angeles in 2019!  The cast and crew were subjected to many long night shoots, often under the icy spray of rain machines.  Sets were constantly being built, detailed and repaired, and there were repeated delays.

The anecdotes and stories from the director, actors, writers and prominent production designers contrast a warm, human center against the cold, amoral world of “Blade Runner.”  Though the theatrical feature is a decidedly bleak rumination on the value of human life, it is not without hope, and “Dangerous Days” further shows us that these somber stories are necessary, especially when they demonstrate that if we can work together through dark times that, brighter, less dangerous days will come.

The backstreets and alleys of Hollywood are littered with human failures, but Tinseltown is not the only city where would-be stars have fallen to Earth.  Every town in every state has an “I coulda been somebody” story, but it would be a rare thing for the teller of the tale to confess that it was their own hubris that brought them down.  Troy Duffy will never admit it, but that’s exactly what he did.

Boston native and bartender Troy Duffy had an extraordinary stroke of luck.  He wrote a script about two gun-slinging Irish brothers who take on the mob called “The Boondock Saints” and the Weinstein brothers of Miramax wanted a piece of the action.  What is more incredible is that the Weinsteins agreed to let Duffy direct the film and for his band of actual brothers to compose the soundtrack!  It was the most generous and exclusive deal ever offered to an unknown, and that’s when the swelling started.

Troy Duffy’s ego soon rivaled the Rock of Gibraltar in its mammoth size and absolute unwillingness to budge for anyone or anything.  Duffy’s delusions grew to such mythical proportions that he saw no harm in taking the entire monetary advance from the Weinsteins and blowing it all on a bender in Vegas!  Despite this, Duffy was able to finish the movie on a drastically reduced budget.  The film did not fare well in theaters, and Duffy became a pariah.  “Overnight” has two major lessons to impart: don’t let money and fame go to your head, and don’t forget who your friends are.

In case you were wondering, there was eventually a sequel!  “The Boondock Saints” developed a strong cult following on home video, and ten years later Duffy was approached to write and direct.  And the exact same scenario played out again.  He blew his entire advance and again had to finish the second on a much smaller budget.  After a decade to reflect on his wrongs, Duffy had learned nothing, and apparently, neither had the studios!  Once bitten, twice dumb?

I had not seen this famous film until very recently, and the experience was quite surprising.  It took Werner Herzog more than four years to make “Fitzcarraldo” because of logistical problems, major cast changes and unpredictable weather.  Shooting on location in the Peruvian jungle was threatened by an impending conflict with the neighboring nation of Ecuador.  “My Best Fiend” showed what a histrionic madman actor Klaus Kinski could be become.  With all this, I expected “Burden of Dreams” to be a maelstrom of frustration, rage and suffering.

Instead, this documentary reveals a serene atmosphere of stoicism much like its main character.  While there are heated discussions, setbacks and lots of starting over from scratch, Werner Herzog maintains a calm that would earn the admiration of Buddhist monks everywhere.  This is partly because Les Blank, who made the documentary, chose not to include certain fiery scenes.  Kinski’s explosive tirades against Herzog were so volcanic that the Peruvian natives approached Herzog and offered to kill Kinski for him!  Yet, none of this is in the film.

What emerges is a meditation on the value of patience and determination.  Narration provides some details of the onscreen action, but there also many shots of the river or the jungle and the creatures that live there which have little to do with the film production.  The visual parallels are delightful.  Like ants, the tiny humans scurry through the mud, relentless in their desire to get the ship over the mountain.  When the goal is finally achieved, it is not a monumental moment.  Rather the viewer comes to realize that the time and effort it took to reach the end of this long journey is the more valuable part.