"Joker" - review

Literally soul-shattering

They finally did it.  They finally made a comic book movie so rooted in a stylized yet relatable reality that if you were to remove the comic book elements, the tone, message and themes of the film would not significantly change.  Since "Joker" wisely deviates from canon throughout most of its narrative, the movie has a far greater freedom to be its own unique story.  Instead of yet another recitation of the same tired tale, "Joker" becomes one of the best DC films and one of the best comic book movies ever.  It's an incisive and potent origin story of one of the most volatile, infamous and unpredictable literary villains.

Director Todd Phillips was inspired by the complex character studies of such 1970's films as "Network", "Dog Day Afternoon" and of course "Taxi Driver."  Phillips succeeds brilliantly in translating the gritty vibe of New York's infamous crime wave into the sinister streets and malevolent mobs that terrorize Gotham.  We are here to witness the birth of a madman, to see the Joker becoming, and Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Arthur Fleck is colossal.  Joaquin writhes and sways in deep mental anguish, and his corrosive laugh is like battery acid in the ears.  Arthur Fleck is doomed, and we must watch him fall utterly from grace.

We know how the story ends, but getting there can be the worthier part if you tell it right, and I'm thrilled to say that Phillips and Phoenix have f*cking nailed it.  The sickening spiral into which Arthur Fleck plummets is relentless and brutal.  He suffers every indignity.  Arthur loses it all, and then he loses some more.  Watching Joaquin as Arthur implode into the Joker is staggering.  He contorts his body in ways that seem inhuman, and his face becomes a mask struggling between gleeful guffaws and wails of pain.  At its core, "Joker" is about how the callous cruelties of the world can finally break a person's spirit.

The score is phenomenal.  A tremendous piece of work on its own, and a perfect emotional enhancement for every scene.  The cello is especially sublime.  Certain themes make several nods to previous films, but since they are so low-key they don't distract.  Hildur Guðnadóttir will be someone to watch.  Her choice of instruments, melodies and the succeeding combinations are superb.  The elegiac doom of the strings and the pulsing throb of the synths hybridize into an infernal and infected sound.  Through the surges of instrumental insanity, you hear the inevitable disintegration of Arthur's mind.

The time that is taken to detail Arthur's descent into amoral oblivion is absolutely crucial, and the film inexorably builds toward an ending of propulsive and galvanic psychological impact.  For Joaquin Phoenix, it's a career-defining performance.  I was trembling during several scenes.  The Academy will likely nominate Joaquin again, but I'd be amazed if they gave an Oscar to any actor for playing a character so directly and violently opposed to what so many Academy members represent and hold dear.  For decades, the Academy has consistently failed to choose winners based on actual merit, but I believe that the Joker would know how to handle that.

"Why Can't I Be Me? Around You" - review

A harrowing and tremendous journey of self

Les Blank is a legendary name in documentary film, and his son Harrod has capably carried his father's mantle forward with superlative success.  Harrod's latest film, "Why Can't I Be Me? Around You" proudly continues the family tradition of finding fascinating subjects and bringing their stories to a wider audience.  Few people will know who Rusty Tidenberg is, but open-minded viewers who are curious about the myriad and complex lives being quietly led by so many intrepid souls will find Rusty's story utterly beguiling.

At 53, Rusty Tidenberg came out of the closet and began to transition.  He got breast implants and started to openly wear women's clothes.  This critical decision threw his life into chaos, and Harrod's film examines Rusty's tumultuous existence with an intimacy that is deeply moving and consistently inspiring.  Most of Rusty's family and friends initially abandon her, and despite being a brilliant mechanic, Rusty barely gets by financially while also valiantly striving to be true to her new, more complete self.  She knows who she is, but will that be enough?

At first, seeing a masculine face, rippling biceps and calloused hands complimented by red lipstick, blue glitter eyeshadow and ample cleavage can be a shock, but as the film unfolds, these seemingly contradictory things begin to mesh as Rusty's being is further revealed.  She has found happiness in herself, but Rusty's trials continue as most people find it difficult to accept her, especially after having known Rusty for so many years prior to her change in appearance.  As neither man nor woman, Rusty's mental mettle is sorely tested by staking a claim upon a new sexual space with only herself to defend it.  The isolation and loneliness are terrifying.

Even though the story repeatedly jumps forward and backward in time, it works beautifully.  Editor Sjoerd Dijk has done a masterful job piecing together many bits and pieces of Rusty's life to help create a film that could easily come off as a chaotic mess with no cohesion or focus.  However, The stream of consciousness flow from scene to scene feels utterly natural, and Rusty is a captivating subject.  Her emotional vulnerability is matched by her psychological strength, and the film is a mesmerizing, heartbreaking and thrilling chronicle of one person's Herculean struggle to be themselves.

"The Cruise" - review

Fascinating journey, underwhelming destination

I distinctly recall when Bennet Miller's "The Cruise" arrived on DVD back in 1998 as it was an extremely popular rental at the time, especially for a low-budget, independent documentary.  Miller's subject is Timothy "Speed" Levitch, who made a living for years as a tour guide in New York.  Right from the start, Timothy is entertainingly enigmatic.  He spits historical anecdotes about the Big Apple like a slam poet, and his high nasal voice, which is off-putting at first, quickly becomes another charming aspect of Timothy's quirky personality.  He is a perfect subject for intimate intrigue.

There are many funny and philosophical moments where Timothy waxes rhapsodic about his relationship with New York, and it's clear that this love affair has undergone many fluctuations over the years, but no personal stories come to light.  At the end, it still remains unclear why Timothy was inspired to immerse himself in all of the myriad details and anecdotes of the city's storied past and how he came to care so deeply about all the unique people who have lived and died there, leaving behind legacies of potential interest to the next busload of assorted tourists.

However, the film is ultimately unsatisfying as a character study because it never digs below the surface of its initially alluring main character.  Timothy was born and grew up in New York, so it easily follows that he would know the city well.  Yet we never learn anything revealing about Timothy.  His knowledge of the places and people of New York is extensive, yet Timothy's own past remains largely unexplored.  What was Timothy's childhood like?  How did his parents raise him?  We're never told.  Unlike the rapid-fire facts in his various tour narrations, Timothy preserves his personal mysteries.  

One brief scene shows Timothy ascending a staircase and opening a door to an apartment where a friend has allowed him to crash.  In another scene in conversation with one of his co-workers, it's suggested that Timothy sometimes only works 20 hours a week, so at the very least, his lifestyle seems fairly hardscrabble, especially given the cost of living in such a major metropolitan area.  The black and white cinematography beautifully echoes this meager existence, but again, hard truths fail to surface.  "The Cruise" is breezy and fun, but overall it's like a beautiful and ornate frame around a nascent painting that is urgently awaiting further brush strokes.

"Johnny Guitar" - review

High Plains Camp in Glorious Color

While director Nicholas Ray is probably most well-known among film fans for the seminal tale of teen angst "Rebel Without A Cause" and many excellent Film Noirs, he is also acclaimed as one of several industry icons for his mastery of melodrama.  Ray's second take on the Western, "Johnny Guitar", is an excellent example of the kind of story that shoots for the rafters with soaring, energetic emotions as well as blistering barrages of bullets.  Joan Crawford is also no stranger to the exuberant exaggerations of camp, and she has always been highly regarded by such aficionados for her brooding and often explosive performances.  As lead actress in "Johnny Guitar", Joan makes the film both a hilarious and yet equally dramatic delight.

Crawford plays Vienna, a strong, independent and pistol-packin' Frontier woman who runs her own saloon and casino in a small, nameless town.  Vienna knows that the railroad will be coming through soon, and that the land she now occupies will make her wealthy when the trains start to regularly bring in more people, supplies and ever-increasing business.  However, a cabal of cutthroat locals doesn't want to share these riches, and they band together to force Vienna out, dragging the seemingly spineless sheriff along behind them like a frightened dog on a leash.  The head of this avaricious hydra is helmed by Mercedes McCambridge as the venomous firebrand Emma Small, whose obsessive hatred of Vienna teeters on the precipice of full-blown mania.

While Vienna consistently presents an unwavering and cool exterior despite to the increasing pressure put upon her to abandon her plans and get out in 24 hours, Emma is barely able to contain her deep and nearly deranged loathing for every single begrudged breath Vienna takes.  Mercedes McCambridge's erotically enraged performance is a sumptuous pleasure. It's not only a feast for lovers of camp, but also for its gay subtext as the intense rivalry between these two characters is widely interpreted as arising out of Emma's secret lesbian lust for Vienna.  Being firmly closeted, Emma abhors her private passions and since she also cannot express them, they transform into a white-hot fury that corrosively compels Emma to destroy Vienna in a vain attempt to purge her own Sapphic desires.

Vienna knew that Emma's malignant ardor will soon evoke a desperate and mortal assault, and so she sends for Johnny Guitar, a former lover and gunslinger, to protect her.  Sterling Hayden is perfect as the seemingly laconic Johnny, yet the turbulent history that he and Vienna share results in a love/hate relationship that vacillates wildly.  However, as Emma's irrational and emotional outbursts increase in ferocity, Vienna and Johnny finally unite to stand their ground.  The scenery is gorgeous, the writing is taught and biting, the performances are superb and the climatic battle is near-orgiastic in its final release of so many long-held and roiling tensions.

Was it good for you, Emma?

"The Andromeda Strain" - review

A little too cool, but wonderfully calculated

Michael Crichton is a name well-known in literary and film circles these days, but back in 1971, the adaptation into film of his first novel "The Andromeda Strain" attracted little fanfare.  It wasn't until the box office juggernaut of Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" in 1993 that Crichton truly became a household name.  However, despite the absence of modern visual effects, I prefer director Robert Wise's more measured approach to Crichton's work, and "The Andromeda Strain" is still a frighteningly relevant and prescient story.

The United States has secretly sent out a satellite to literally scoop something extraterrestrial from the vacuum of space and return it to the Earth for examination.  Naturally, the trouble starts when they are successful and the organism, upon accidental release from its capsule in a small desert town, threatens to destroy all human life.  However, such contingencies have been anticipated, and the procedures for dealing with such a deadly threat within a massive underground laboratory comprise the bulk of the story.

From the opening credits, the pacing is tense.  Director Robert Wise succinctly sets the stage, introduces the characters and constantly reminds us that the clock is loudly ticking.  When the scientists are gathered to deal with the organism, there is barely time for goodbyes.  They are called and must go immediately.  Time is critical to solving what could be an extinction level event and the assembled team is starting from scratch as they know absolutely nothing about their subject.

While the character development isn't the strongest, the film is still quite gripping via the detailed and layered scientific protocols that are deployed to try and determine what the Andromeda Strain is and how humankind can possibly survive it.  While the rigorous processes employed sometimes outweigh the emotional and psychological components, this is a part of what is demanded of the people who must calmly persevere if they are to prevent a potential apocalypse.

As with many films from several decades ago, "The Andromeda Strain" may feel dated in some ways, but it stands as a unique science fiction story because it relies mainly upon science for its drama instead of fiction.  Some may find the story tepid or the pacing too slow, but because it's a more realistic approach to a crisis situation, I find the film to be a very credible and enthralling story compared to the usual callow and CGI-splattered spectacles that the cinema usually offers.

"Coneheads" review

A funny, silly and yet beautifully heartfelt film

In my opinion, Saturday Night Live's run of theatrical efforts are quite variable in quality.  Most don't have a strong enough story to feasibly stretch a sketch into feature length, and the main characters are often not well-developed enough to be interesting, much less compelling.  However, "Coneheads" has been one of my favorite SNL films from the very first viewing, and the main reason for this is that the story and characters are superb.

The raucous sketches on SNL mostly revolved around contrasting the cultural differences between the coneheads and their often confounded human guests.  The film continues this trend, and on the surface, "Coneheads" appears to be a breezy comedy, but it also deftly interweaves deeply affecting themes about family and identity which are just as enduring and relevant almost thirty years later.

Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin reprise their roles and Beldar and Prymatt, but this time we are introduced to them before they have had their daughter.  Marooned on Earth before they can conquer the planet, Beldar and Prymatt must blend in amongst us lowly bluntskulls if they are to survive.  This fish-out-water scenario has many excellent comedic moments, but it also addresses the current and white-hot issue of immigration, especially when it comes to empathizing with people who will do anything to build a better life for themselves and their children.

In order to pass as human, Beldar needs documentation.  He's so good at electronic repair that his boss, wonderfully underplayed by Sinbad, hooks Beldar up with "a guy" so that Beldar can become Donald R. DiCicco.  However, immigration is aware of this, and Michael McKean as Gorman Seedling becomes Beldar's nemesis.

Aided by David Spade as Eli Turnbull, the perfect office toady and unctuous underling, Gorman Seedling doggedly pursues Beldar and Prymatt but is continually stymied by their narrow escapes.  However, Beldar and Prymatt's need for stability becomes paramount when Prymatt reveals that she is pregnant.

The Coneheads move to the suburbs.  Beldar finds a profitable career as a driving instructor, Prymatt becomes the perfect homemaker and their young daughter grows up.  Connie Conehead, born and raised on Earth, is a typical teenage girl aside from her prominent dome, and she soon finds romance with auto mechanic Ronnie, played by Chris Farley.  Their scenes together are adorable, and it's wonderful to see Chris Farley break free from his usual boorish, clumsy characters and play someone normal.  Even more appealing is that even though Ronnie is fat, he is still presented as an attractive and lovable person.

However, teenage romance has its troubles, and here is where Prymatt gets a chance to shine as she lovingly counsels her daughter, providing reassurance, encouragement and validation.  While many of these scenes are still humorous as they play out through the unique conehead style of dialogue, they still move the heart with their truth and kindness.  What a sublime combination to be moved to tears and laughter at the same time!  I love it when comedies make you smile for multiple reasons!

Beldar and Prymatt have their emotional struggles as well.  Beldar has a driving client who repeatedly tries to seduce him.  Beldar quickly rebuffs her, but Prymatt privately worries whether Beldar still loves her.  When Prymatt finally asks Beldar, his response is of course, VERY conehead in its dialogue, but again, the depth of feeling behind the seemingly stilted and silly words is very moving and Prymatt's fears are utterly banished.  While their communication style is different, it still perfectly expresses the affection, trust and love that is necessary makes any relationship last for many years.

The theme of family runs strong through the entire film, and it reaches its apex when the Coneheads are finally rescued and return to their home planet.  While Beldar is ecstatic at finally seeing Remulak again after many long years of waiting, Connie is now miserable because she misses her boyfriend and the only home she's ever known.  To Connie's dismay, Beldar appears to be ready to lead another conquest of Earth, but he ultimately makes a different choice because Beldar understands and respects his daughter's needs.

Having struck a deal with Gorman Seedling over his immigration status, Beldar decides to remain on Earth because he wants what is best for his daughter.  While this comes at the cost of cutting Beldar and Prymatt off from their culture entirely, they have lived on Earth so long that they have become comfortably adapted to their new home and so can happily wave to Connie and Ronnie heading out for the Senior Prom while they gaze at a fresh picture of the blushing young couple.

"Aaaah, memories!  We will enjoy them!"

"Brawl in Cell Block 99" - review

A gore-splattered grindhouse flick with heart

Movie fans are probably most familiar with writer-director S. Craig Zahler's bleak Western "Bone Tomahawk", starring Kurt Russell and Richard Jenkins.  However, Zahler's follow-up film, "Brawl in Cell Block 99" starring Vince Vaughn and Don Johnson, is very similar in its focus on tersely written character drama interspersed between scenes of increasingly volcanic violence.  Zahler loves pulp films, both in style and in bodily destruction, but thankfully he is able to balance the aortic explosions with sincere, intimate exposition that gives the grisly proceedings meaning beyond mercilessness.

Vince Vaughn is Bradley Thomas, a former drug mule struggling to live a clean life.  Recently fired from his auto body job, Bradley regretfully returns to running meth in order for him and his newly pregnant wife to have a chance at being a happy family.  However, Bradley is gifted and/or cursed with a functioning conscience and when a delivery goes bad, he stays instead of running.  Bradley shoots some of his cohorts to prevent local cops from being murdered, but Bradley's criminal history overshadows this one selfless act, and he is sentenced to seven years in prison.

Bradley's wife is kidnapped, and their unborn child is threatened with prenatal dismemberment unless Bradley kills a man in another prison.  The slow and inexorable descent into brutality upon brutality reaches nearly nonsensical heights as getting to that man requires Bradley to leave a trail of broken bones and crippled guards behind him.  This is NOT a film for the squeamish, but the increasing chiaroscuro style of the cinematography makes Bradley's persistent plunge into amoral oblivion take on a painterly elegance and composition.  Filth and darkness has rarely looked so repulsively and yet classically gorgeous.

Vince Vaughn's performance is restrained and quite credible.  There's nary a flash of the witty, quip-laden and fast talking character he is wont to play.  Vaughn also does most of the stunt work, and that combined with his imposing height and the long takes makes the fight scenes as impactful upon the mind as they are on the bodies.  The effects are all practical as well, which lends another level of veracity and ferocity to the melee.  There is one shot at the very end that while brief, does not work well, but overall if you're in the mood for a "Sin City"-styled fight to the death, "Brawl in Cell Block 99" will definitely get your blood pumping.  Just try to keep it inside your body!