Tropic Thunder

(2008, 110 min) While Friedberg and Seltzer are off making yet another shallow Hollywood movie, Ben Stiller steps up to the plate and reminds us all just how funny a good parody can be. Equal parts Hearts of Darkness and Rambo, with the plot of The Three Amigos thrown in for cohesion, Tropic Thunder demonstrates remarkable maturity by Stiller, especially in his enthusiasm to let the spotlight shine on his terrific costars.

That's not to say that, as meatheaded action star Tugg Speedman, Stiller doesn't give it his all. He's remarkably ripped, and Tugg is ready to create his masterpiece: An epic Vietnam movie that will leave men cheering and women weeping. His last movie, Simple Jack, was an epic failure despite his immersive performance. As multiple-award-winning Australian actor Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey, Jr.) points out, "You went full-on retarded," and you have to only be kinda retarded like Forrest Gump to win Oscars.

Lazarus would know about great acting. He's so far into his character that he's sporting full-on blackface and won't stop talking like Shaft even when the camera is off. The joke of an American playing an Australian playing an African American is perfect enough, but the great Downey, Jr. not only pulls it off on a comic level but also an artistic level. No wonder he gets the most screen time.

The third amigo actor is Fats Portnoy (Jack Black), popular among kids but attempting his adult breakthrough despite his crippling heroin habit. Thrust into the jungle for their epic, things go so badly that they end up battling druglords and don't realize that it's not part of the script. Black has a grand time as heroin addict facing a mountainous raw supply, with typical comic demons in tow.

Remarkably, Stiller also finds plenty of time for Matthew McConaughey to satirize Jerry Maguire, playing Speedman's protective agent (complete with a kinetic Simple Jack standee in his office). Last but not least, the great (yes I said "great") Tom Cruise one-upping his performance in Magnolia as a vile, balding, fat studio head who at one point tells one of the druglords to "take a giant step back and FUCK your FACE!!!" Hollywood has plenty of room for creative vulgarity, and Cruise delivers.

No scattershot comedy is perfect, however, and there are weaknesses: Steve Coogan seems lost as the snivelling director, and Brandon T. Jackson wastes space as the moral compass, seemingly an apologia for the intentionally offensive blackface (and his closeted gay subplot doesn't ring true either). But there's so much good stuff (I didn't even get to Nick Nolte as the hypocritical inspiration for the movie, or Danny McBride as the too-eager munitions expert, or the legitimately frightening druglord played by 11-year-old Brandon Soo Hoo) that you will probably laugh harder than at any other movie this year. And seriously, look for Downey, Jr. at the Oscars this year... for real.

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group

The Bank Job

(2008, 110 min) Fans of hard-hitting, gritty '70s films rejoice! Hell, even the title is efficient. Now, The Bank Job doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but it's easy to forget that some of my favorite films from my favorite decade (including, say, Prime Cut and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three) didn't do that either. They just deliver straight-up, smart thrills and snappy dialogue in a refreshingly adult package. And if Jason Statham isn't quite the new Lee Marvin, he's just about the best we have right now.

Statham plays a lovable rogue who, acting on a tip from his sultry ex (Saffron Burrows), assembles a scrappy crew for a massive heist of safety deposit boxes. It's all based on a real story, with emphasis on the word "story." Nobody really knows what went down during the heist, and details have been embellished over the years thanks to urban legendry. But the version that longtime writing team Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais invent could hardly be more entertaining.

Renting a shop two doors down from a massive bank on Baker Street, the Statham's crew conspires to dig a tunnel into the safety deposit area over a weekend and be gone by the time anyone notices. As if that wasn't enough, the contents of the boxes present a new problem... one that goes so far up the chain, that the actual facts in the case wound up sealed by the government for decades to come. It's a procedural, a conspiracy story, even a romance of sorts, all addressed without fluff and with respect for the audience's intelligence. The only false note I can detect is a brief foray into traditional Statham superhero mode near the end, though even that is exciting enough to tempt me into giving it a pass. It's surely more fun than whatever happened in real life, the details of which may be revealed sometime around 2054.

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group

Kenny

(2006, 103 min) Speaking with a mealy working-class accent so thick that it requires subtitles, Kenny invites us into his world of port-a-loos and septic systems with the razor-sharp, self-effacing wit it takes to survive one of the dirtiest jobs in the world. You may find yourself gasping for air between his constant barrage of quotable observations ranging in topic from marriage ("I once heard a wise man say, Find someone you hate, cut out the middleman and give 'em a house.") to his daily routine ("There is a smell in here that is gonna outlast religion."). But the job, coveted by a precious few, does take its toll. "When you spend more time with other people's poo than your own missus, then I guess you gotta pay the penalty." It's so truthful, so genuine, that it's easy to forget that it's all made up. Shane Jacobson, under the direction of his brother Clayton, is so convincing and likable as Kenny that it's a shock when the closing credits remind you that this is in fact a sophisticated mockumentary. Underneath the explosively funny potty humor (who knew there was still such originality to be found in bodily functions?) lie the daily struggles of the proletariat: the need to work constantly, the limiting of one's dreams and the disappointment of elders. As his dad says, "I didn't put you through school to become a glorified turd burglar." But it's men like Kenny who make the world tick, and you'll have a splendidly profane time with him. He's the shit!

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group

In the Arms of My Enemy

Reviewed at the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival

(2007, 85 min) A ruthlessly efficient, thinking person's action film that sometimes goes over the top but has a great time going there. It's the story of two sets of brothers (Cossacks and Gypsies) in the early 1800s who cross paths in bloody conflict and, like Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, tells the tale from both sides, eliciting empathy for each. How it all happens in under 90 minutes is a wonder to behold.

The first part of the story (titled "Us") is from the Cossacks' perspective. The identification as "Us" makes sense as these brothers are ostensibly the civilized ones, but the original title of the movie (Voleurs de Chevaux aka Horse Thieves) suggests that the true protagonists are on the other side. In any case, the two brothers Jakub and Vladi decide to sign up with the vicious Cossacks as they're sick of being hungry, and at least get a square meal from the marauders. But their initiation is brutal, as are their battles with the "enemy," resulting in a tragic loss.

A mere half hour into the proceedings, perspective shifts to "Them," Gypsy brothers Roman and Elias, who live by stealing horses and hiding underground. Parallels are drawn between the sets of brothers, with the youngest learning trades from the elders, the elders protecting the young, and much topless frolicking in the river. Events eventually coincide, leading to the climax ("The Chase"), where exposition is cast aside, the convoluted chronology is cleared up, and several tense set pieces follow in rapid succession. There's no shying away from the brutality of battle, nor the many complications (mostly negative) of war and vengeance. It even ends with a glimmer of hope for the brotherhood of man.

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group

Cloverfield

(2008, about 80 min) The highest of high-concept monster movies, Cloverfield purports to be just one video in the Department of Defense's library chronicling an unspecified disaster. The film starts out as a homemade video made by a gang of well-to-do and good looking late-twentysomethings of a friend's going away party. But, anyone who has seen the trailer knows that this video doesn't remain a birthday party for long. The ravaging of New York by an unexplained (and until late in the film unseen) monster is seen entirely through the eyes of a small group of people struggling to save themselves and each other from the sudden onset of total destruction. Credit is due to director Matt Reeves for never straying from this singular concept and, for the most part, maintaining its believability.

Certainly, there are moments when the boundaries of "suspension of disbelief" are stretched, perhaps even crossed. But Reeves overcomes these flaws from Drew Goddard's script by never relenting from the sheer terror and from his central premise. The shaky camera work and the limited information that the audience is given access to only serve to create a sense of panic not only on the screen but throughout the audience as well. Those with weak stomachs might do best to wait for the DVD, not for any excess of gore, but the combination of a nauseating camera with the emotional terror that the film serves up relentlessly would be likely to make one physically ill. Following in the footsteps of last year's The Host, Reeves has created a truly horrifying monster movie, one that cuts right to the core of contemporary political and environmental fears. It just might be the best American monster movie in many, many years.

– Daniel Reed

© TLA Entertainment Group

Lars and the Real Girl

(2007, 106 min) Really, this film shouldn't work at all. I have built-in defenses for quirky, independent romantic comedies with unbelievable storylines and relentlessly sweet characters. My BS detector, in fact, was registering off the charts when I read the synopsis. But an expertly written screenplay by Nancy Oliver (who previously achieved a similar balance on her "Six Feet Under" scripts), well-paced direction by Craig Gillespie (who inexplicably is also responsible for Mr. Woodcock), and incredibly winning performances by the cast had me sold. I want to live in this town, in this movie, even if everyone there is batshit crazy.

Ryan Gosling plays Lars, the psychotically reclusive town misfit who, when not at his mundane desk job, lives in his brother's garage. His sister-in-law (Emily Mortimer) tries to coax him out, and the new girl in town (Kelli Garner) has a thing for him, but to no avail... Lars will have to figure things out on his own. Which he does, by purchasing a sex doll, naming her "Bianca," and parading her around town as his girlfriend.

The town psychologist (Patricia Clarkson), who is also apparently the only doctor around, tells everyone to go along with the ruse, and Lars becomes more outgoing than ever. He's a good Christian, and they sleep in separate beds, but soon Bianca becomes almost too well-liked (she's even elected to the school board). Garner is possibly the cutest thing on the face of the earth, and Gosling is the second-cutest thing, so of course we all root for Lars to come to his senses, and his personal journey is deeply satisfying and oddly believable.

Of course you're probably rolling your eyes at all this, and honestly I can't explain why it works so well. There's definitely something in the sincerity of the performances, especially the always-impressive Gosling, and the healthy skepticism of the surrounding characters helps to keep things from getting too saccharine. The enthusiasm is contagious, and the dialogue is sharp enough that you won't hate yourself afterward. If nothing else, you'll never look at a sex doll the same way again.

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group

Superbad

(2007, 113 min) I've spent five years now trying to convince my wife that, though possessing a sometimes juvenile sense of humor, I am indeed a mature, responsible, caring, sensitive, romantic and giving guy. All that work went down the shitter when, leaving the theater, I remarked that Superbad may well be the most honest film about the mind of an adolescent male. Good thing the film came out in August, because trust me, that doghouse gets mighty cold in the winter.

In a word, "dick." Seth (Jonah Hill) is obsessed with dick. He claims to be obsessed with pussy, but of course, since he's never actually seen one, he's concentrated on what he knows. His total BFF Evan (Michael Cera) seems to have matured in the years between puberty and high school, and with precious little time before graduation, has his sights set on college... a college from which Seth was rejected.

Enter into this scene a golden opportunity: A popular girl throwing a party, and inviting these outcasts... as long as they can bring the booze. Seconds later, they scramble, finding Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), an outcast among outcasts, who happens to be wielding a fake ID, famously emblazened with a single word: McLovin. The day sets forth Ferris Bueller style, a series of vulgar misadventures, sex on the brain, and realistically marginal character growth.

Though capably directed by Greg Mottola (his first feature since The Daytrippers), there is no mistaking that this is a Judd Apatow movie. Unfortunately, it seems more bloated than his previous productions, especially surrounding an out-of-place subplot concerning McLovin and two immature police officers. One of those officers is played by Seth Rogen, who cowrote the screenplay with Evan Goldberg while they were in high school, and any guesses about the autobiographical nature of the characters can be answered by looking again at their names.

Yet the outrageous situations are grounded by these very real, very flawed and very open protagonists, with reams of quotable lines such as "You know how many foods are shaped like dicks? The best kinds" and "Nobody has gotten a BJ in cargo shorts since 'nam." As a bonus, the two-disc DVD promises to have even more outtakes that they couldn't cram into the movie. Sure, the movie is too long as it is, but I wouldn't want to miss any of the jokes from this immensely talented team.

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group

Inland Empire Special Features

This review covers only the extra content on the 2-DVD set.

(2007, 211 minutes of extras) As any David Lynch fan would agree, quality bonus features in regards to his DVD releases have been few and far between. Tight lipped about his projects, Lynch isn’t the most candid subject when it comes to insight into the genesis of his films. However, with the DVD release of Inland Empire, Lynch himself is in the driver's seat, and the two-disc set comes loaded with goodies.

The most intriguing for fans of the Inland Empire feature would be the 75 minutes of bonus footage not included in the theatrical release. While these extra scenes reveal no new insight into the complexity of Inland Empire as a story, they do provide more instances of damaged interpersonal relationships which are the heart and soul of this (and really any) Lynch film. Be sure to catch the scene between the character known as The Phantom and a young prostitute for possibly the creepiest, most predatory scene yet in the Lynch filmography.

Also included are just over seven minutes of photo stills backed by a beautifully ominous white noise-cum-industrial-terror soundtrack. Most of these are screen captures from the film itself, however, there are some nice behind the scenes shots as well.

Beautifully, Lynch walks the viewer through a cooking lesson in the fine art of preparing quinoa. How this relates to Inland Empire in any way is beyond me. However, this peek into Lynch’s home and his retelling a story of traveling from Greece through Yugoslavia in the late summer of 1965 should be on any Lynch fanatic’s must see list.

In Ballerina, what seems to be an experiment using the new digital format medium, Lynch features a single dancer in a red dress dancing to the now very familiar Inland Empire score while fading in and out of smoke. While not completely satisfying as an extra, it does provide some time for me to stop and wonder when Absurda might release Industrial Symphony, No. 1 on DVD.

Stories, similar to an inclusion on the Eraserhead set, provides Lynch an opportunity to tell several stories about the creative process while opening up about his opinions on many of Hollywood’s inner-workings. Definitely some great stuff included here. Make sure you check out Lynch’s rant on the technological advances in films being streamed via the Internet and over hand-held devices. Classic.

However, the most valuable of the extras would have to be the Lynch 2 micro-documentary that provides a true behind the scenes look at the production of Inland Empire. As opposed to a prepared and thoroughly edited BTS, this documentary shows a cross section of the director at work and reveals the depth at which Lynch is willing to go for his art. From his true hands on production nature, to his frustration in trying to do it all Lynch is by all definitions a renaissance man capable of speaking in many mediums to present the vision he has as an artist.

As a whole, the Inland Empire two-disc set is a real treasure for fans. While a complicated and challenging film, the set is worth every penny and should be added to your collection.

– Brian Sokel

© TLA Entertainment Group

The Cincinnati Kid

Our poker series continues in anticipation of the televised WSOP main event. Did you know they don't even have 5-card stud at the World Series?

(1965, 103 min) If Steve McQueen is the ultimate man's man, and Edward G. Robinson is the ultimate man's villain, and Ann-Margret is the ultimate man's woman, and poker is the ultimate man's man's game, well, it's easy to understand why The Cincinnati Kid is so freakin' awesome. Hell, they even play 5-card stud at the climax. No one has the balls to play that game anymore. One can only wonder how much testosterone this film would have contained had Sam Peckinpah not been fired and replaced by Norman Jewison.

There are twin stories of machismo at the core of this story: A poker rivalry between "the kid" (McQueen) and "the man" (Robinson), with the implication that whoever is tougher at the poker table will win the money. There is also a soap opera, with Melba (Ann-Margret) likely shacking up with whoever wins the kitty.

There are also plenty of diverting subplots along the way, notably the kid's apprenticeship under Shooter (Karl Malden)... who also happens to be Melba's husband. There's plenty of backroom cardsharpery, and an enjoyably tense atmosphere leading to a fairly unpredictable ending. Poker fans will be howling in disbelief at the final hand, which is played just horribly by at least one of the parties, but in this movie, poker is a metaphor for life and not a game of math. And that's just the way it should be, dammit.

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group

Hot Fuzz

(2007, 121 min) If you think you know what Hot Fuzz is going in, you're probably wrong. The easy answer is to call it a spoof of '80s action buddy movies, but like Adaptation before, it also wholeheartedly becomes the very movie it spoofs... right down to its 121-minute running time, and its creation of an irresistible new catchphrase ("Yarp"). The presence of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost ensures a steady stream of droll British humor, while the direction of Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) leaves plenty of room for shockingly gory violence. Hot Fuzz is simultaneously very familiar, and unlike anything you've seen... and it puts most of the American franchises to shame.

Pegg plays the prototypical tough cop. Perhaps he's a bit too eager to use his gun, but he always gets his man. He's so good at his job that he's showing up the rest of the crew in his London office, and earns himself a "promotion" to the sleepy town of Sandford, where crime is nonexistent. This brings to mind the old adage that the safest place to be is in a restaurant with a mob boss. Surely there's something sinister to uncover; does anyone trust Timothy Dalton nowadays?

The plot is a most elaborate macguffin, a mere excuse to shower the screen with blood and guts at the most hilariously unexpected moments. But like any good buddy movie, the entertainment is propelled by Pegg's pairing with his new portly, dim but action-starved partner, played by the utterly delightful Frost. (Their character names of Nick Angel and Danny Butterman are priceless.) The best aspect of their relationship is their emulation of Point Break... note to reader: this would make a most excellent double feature. Fans of guilty pleasure '80s cop movies should make this a must-see. The question is, after dismantling this genre as well as the zombie movie, what's next for this immensely talented team?

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group

Sunshine

(2007, 107 min) In his latest endeavor, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Millions) pays homage to (and, of course, steals from) a plethora of popular cinematic outer-space excursions. Included are 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, Solaris and even the less heralded Event Horizon. Combining some of the best of what each of these films has to offer with an original premise, Sunshine plays like a greatest hits compilation of the cosmic thriller genre while establishing a place of its own within the canon.

The journey begins 50 years in the future aboard the appropriately named Icarus II, an artificially intelligent spacecraft (imagine a female HAL 9000) designed to deposit and detonate a Manhattan-sized bomb – referred to as “the payload” – inside the Sun. If all goes according to plan, the payload will regenerate particles and destroy a fusion-stopping form of matter left over from the big bang which is causing our natural light to fade. If the Sun dies, so will all Earthly life. Seven years prior, the Icarus I made the same journey, but lost all contact with Earth shortly before reaching its destination. The crew of Icarus II (capably portrayed in part by Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Troy Garity and martial-arts mega-star Michelle Yeoh) are both fully aware of the fatal dangers that their mission presents and prepared to give their lives in an effort to save the human race. Their plans are eerily altered, however, when they receive a distress signal from Icarus I. This presents them with two options – they can stay the course with no guarantee of triumph or investigate the ill-fated Icarus I – and face a wealth of potentially disastrous variables – in hopes that salvaging the original payload will duplicate their chance of success.

As is the case with most space-based genre films, a suspension of disbelief is required to truly enjoy Sunshine. Nuclear physicists – both established and aspiring – may find it difficult to accept a man-made vessel that can withstand the Sun’s heat or a scene in which humans – wrapped in makeshift thermal insulation, mind you – survive in temperatures more than 2,000 degrees below Celsius. Less nitpicky fans, however, should find enough engrossing qualities to forgive Boyle and frequent screenwriting collaborator Alex Garland’s creative licensing. They employ captivating cinematography and visual effects set to a perfect other-worldly score by John Murphy and electronic/techno staple Underworld to showcase their sci-fi allegory’s many compromising twists and turns – some of which are sure to please horror fans as well. This is a must-see for any of many with state of the art home entertainment centers. Dim the lights, flick on the surround sound, (spark up?) sit back and let it sink in.

– Robert O'Neill

© TLA Entertainment Group

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

(2007, 138 min) There’s no doubt about it – Harry Potter has grown up. The only question is how much has he matured? That’s at the heart of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth, entertaining entry in the vastly popular series based on the J.K. Rowling novels. In the hands of yet another director, this time British helmer David Yates, whose last film for HBO, The Girl in the Café received good notices (and whose critically acclaimed mini-series Sex Traffic has yet to play in the U.S.), the film is a lot more talk than action. But the characters have matured so well over the years, and Yates gives such attention to the big and small things, you can’t help but enjoy sitting through what is basically a build-up for the final confrontation between Harry and the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the next two chapters.

It’s like waiting to see Anakin Skywalker turn to the Dark Side in Revenge of the Sith – you know it’s coming. You know it’s inevitable. It’s the how that you want to see. Only this is more satisfying.

Ready to begin his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry has just been expelled for using magic in front of a muggle. From the start, it appears that the suspension, spearheaded by the Minister of Magic, is acting upon his own agenda. And the court is clearly divided between those who believe Harry’s story that Voldemort has returned, and those who don’t and who are quite ready to silence the young wizard any way they can. This sorcerous congress could very well be taking sides on the Iraq war or whether there were weapons of mass destruction. Torture of suspected plotters, violations of long-standing civil rights (or in this case wizardry rights) – there are many shadings of George W.'s administration in this Ministry.

And their Cheney is marvelously played by Imelda Staunton, who gives what may be the best performance in any of the Harry Potter films to date. Her Dolores Umbridge is a classic creation of contradictions: a superficial mouthpiece who speaks in homespun certainties but whose smiling façade masks sinister intent. And when Dolores comes to Hogwarts to take over the department of Defense Against the Dark Arts, the smell of napalm is in the air as she gets ready to battle both Harry and Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon).

She is only one foe that Harry must face. For Lord Voldemort is an ever-present danger, and Harry is plagued by dreams of the dark wizard that are threatening his own sanity. How he handles these and other obstacles clears the path for the showdown to come, and comments on how far Harry has come over the last five years. This includes the student becoming the teacher, as Harry commands a covert team of witches and wizards called “Dumbledore’s Army” in preparation for Voldemort. And, yes, Harry also receives his first kiss, though it's a minor affair.

A great majority of the characters from the last four films are here, as are the quirky and charming magical antics that have long characterized Hogwarts and the series. Director Yates brings back a lot of the humor that the first two films featured, while not ignoring the darker, more fearful story aspects that made the third and fourth films stand out. For the first time, a regular character will die, and the safety of others will be in great doubt.

Being a smattering of all the films, Order of the Phoenix doesn’t quite have the identity and velocity of the two best films, Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire. But between the laughs and the thrills, the plot developments and the wicked scene-stealing of Staunton, this lively fifth entry goes to some lengths to ensure that Harry Potter is, and remains, one of the best film series of all time.

Has Harry matured? You bet he has. Just as Daniel Radcliffe now wears his role with a regal authority and seemingly unflappable verve. Just as Hermione and Ron and their counterparts Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are integral parts to the whole, and act every bit the troubleshooter and best friend. And now the promise of adulthood and the next chapter – bring on the next course.

– David Bleiler

© TLA Entertainment Group

The Lookout

(2007, 99 min) Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was the king of high school: a senior, star of the hockey team, basking in strong friendships and the love of a beautiful girl, his future seemed secure. Son of a wealthy town father, he was known and liked throughout his community. Four years later, he’s living in a decrepit apartment in a seedy part of town. He needs to check a list every morning to make sure he takes care of the most basic, banal tasks (like having breakfast). His life imploded when his speeding car ran into a threshing machine. He now spends his days in rehab classes, retraining his mind after a catastrophic head injury; his nights are spent as the janitor of the town bank. He aspires to be a teller. He misses his friends.

Chris meets Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode, a long way from “Miss Marple” and Match Point), who says he briefly dated Chris’ sister. Gary zeroes in on the empty, unfulfilled spaces in Chris’ once privileged life — friendship, intimacy, pride — and acerbates his dissatisfactions to manipulate and control. Chris feels empowered by the sudden rush of apparent camaraderie and goodwill, but his roommate Lewis (Jeff Daniels) smells a rat . . . Lewis is blind, but sees what Chris can’t. Or won’t. Then Gary starts talking bank heist.

First-time feature director Scott Frank also wrote the script (as he did for The Interpreter, Out of Sight, Get Shorty and others), and delivers an immediately involving and tightly structured thriller. The ensemble deliver concise and potent performances, and the film moves with focused intent, without extraneous baggage. The Lookout is satisfying and reflective, an intelligent examination of loss and betrayal and possible redemption.

– Ann Yarabinee

© TLA Entertainment Group

Offside

(2007, 93 min) A man searches frantically outside Azadi Stadium in Tehran. Iran is playing to qualify for the 2005 World Cup, and his granddaughter is trying to sneak in. Since she is Iranian, she will need to disguise herself as a male: Iranian women are not allowed to attend sporting events. She is found out and placed in a holding pen with other women who made the same attempt. They spend the game able to hear every roar and cheer, just yards from a view of the action.

As they wait in confinement to be sent to jail, they talk about the Gender Apartheid Law and Islamic texts, about foreign women allowed access to the stadium they cannot legally enter, about Iranian spectators killed during matches, about the differences between city living and country living, and, of course, about soccer. The soldiers, not much older than the girls they guard, spout the official line regarding their attempts to enter the stadium; but their declarations of policy are often rote and ambivalent. It becomes evident that not all Iranians support the incarceration or the laws which dictate it.

Director Jafar Panahi successfully executes a comedic treatment of a serious subject. Shooting during the actual event with non-professionals lends a documentary feel to the film; Panahi's reputation in Iran (his films are banned there) added production complications and a wary energy to mirror that of the corralled young women. He portrays an environment simultaneously so alien in its societal mores and so familiar in its human element. Offside doesn't require a knowledge of soccer to be appreciated.

Offside could be double-billed with the slighter but heartfelt Gracie, the story of a Jersey girl's desire to play competitive soccer in 1978.

– Ann Yarabinee

© TLA Entertainment Group

The Italian

(2005, 99 min) Six-year-old Vanya is just another commodity in the profitable Russian orphan trade. His orphanage exemplifies the open market of the former Soviet Union, replete with infinite, intermingled layers of corruption and bureaucracy, and graft an accepted and acknowledged factor of any business transaction. The orphanage is a repository for the rejected, the marginalized and the lost; it is its own maladapted family, from the youngest child to the oldest caretaker. Indeed, some of the caretakers have been in this system their whole lives.

Vanya has been chosen for a wealthy couple from Italy, garnering him the nickname "The Italian." He worries that his mother won't be able to find him if she comes for him after he moves, a possibility that others tell him is highly improbable. But when another mother comes for her child after he has been adopted, Vanya's trepidation grows. He learns to read so he can examine his files, looking for any information that will help him find his mother. With opportune help from sympathetic sources, he begins his odyssey to find his mother, a woman who is only a name and an ephemeral emotion to him.

The Italian is an effective and unexpected blend of quasi-documentary grit and fairy tale hyperrealism. Kolya Spiridonov is remarkable as young Vanya, whose journey encapsulates the eternal struggle for the survival of both body and soul. His trek takes on the aura of pilgrimage as he encounters the best and the worst of humankind: ogres and penitents, sinners and saints. The Italian is an involving revelation, another filmic glimpse into the tormented Russian psyche.

– Ann Yarabinee

© TLA Entertainment Group

Bug

(2007, 102 min) Based on the off-Broadway play by Steppenwolf Theater actor and writer Tracy Letts, Bug uses dialogue and a claustrophobic atmosphere to present a relatively short, socially conscious allegory of psychological horror and paranoia in the Bush Administration’s America. It proves to be one of the most engrossing and well-executed films from director William Friedkin since The Exorcist and showcases extraordinarily brave and appropriately over-the-top performances from Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon - a frequently unrecognizable character actor who originated his role on stages in New York and London.

Judd plays Agnes, a haggard alcoholic waitress living in a drab motel room in the Oklahoma desert. She carries a heavy nervous energy. Her son went missing in a supermarket years prior and she begins receiving mysterious phone calls just after Goss (Harry Connick Jr.), her egomaniacally abusive husband, is released from prison. She finds much comfort after meeting and shacking up with Peter (Shannon), a sweet-natured veteran who shares a similarly hopeless outlook on life. As the two get to know each other, Agnes reveals the devastating sadness of her past. Peter, in return, informs her that he was used as a lab rat in experiments by the US government, is absent from his military duties without proper leave and is likely being sought by Army intelligence. He believes that the government has implanted near-microscopic aphids under his skin and that Agnes, through contact, is in an equal amount of danger.

Soon set into motion is a chain of drastic actions inspired by extreme paranoia and a desperate loneliness that is healed only by the fact that each gives validation to their many combined suspicions and fears. Culminating within the deepest levels of schizophrenia, Agnes and Peter turn her room into a safe haven using aluminum foil, antiseptic and precautionary self-mutilation. By the time the film reaches its disturbing final act, the pair will stop at nothing to protect one another from the malevolent authority figures that they believe are watching and waiting from just beyond the front door.

Audiences expecting the creepy crawly horror outing that Lions Gate Films offered through a somewhat manipulative and misleading marketing strategy are better off renting 2006’s Slither. Bug is, above all else, a character study and a remarkably thought-provoking one at that. Due to the unapologetically violent nature of the film and its late-May theatrical release, neither Judd nor Shannon is likely to receive Oscar® nominations, though countless statuettes have been awarded to actors for far less effort. Also notable in the only supporting roles are Connick Jr., Lynn Collins (The Merchant of Venice) and Brian F. O’Byrne (Million Dollar Baby).

– Robert O'Neill

© TLA Entertainment Group

Elephant

(2003, 80 min) Continuing to film with the minimalistic style of Gerry, writer-director Gus Van Sant hauntingly distills the events surrounding a Columbine-like high school shooting to its most basic elements. In taking the time to get to know several sets of interlinked students, the tragedy becomes more profound yet even more senseless. Perhaps echoing the frustration of endless news coverage that demands explanations, however superficial, Van Sant introduces many possible causes and debunks them: deficient parents, peer pressure, drug use, insecurity, sexual issues (gay and straight) — in short, life in a typical high school. The easy availability of guns and violent entertainment may be contributors, but are they triggers, facilitators, or mere conveniences? Much of Elephant is shot from a first-person-shooter video game perspective, but it's hard to imagine a movie so grueling being an inspiration to violence. The identity of the shooters isn't even revealed until halfway through, forcing the audience into a fruitless guessing game, a search for nonexistent answers. These are misunderstood kids, and there's no way an 80-minute movie is going to understand them either. Instead, Van Sant lets us watch, intimately, and maybe experience just a little bit of what it was like for an entire generation to lose its innocence. And that's more than enough.

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group

Zero Day

(2003, 92 min) Somewhat lost amid the hype surrounding Gus Van Sant's Elephant (which was released about a month later), Zero Day is an equally accomplished look at school shootings and troubled youth that takes a completely different formal tack.

The first hour or so is simulated home video footage of two high school students who are planning a school massacre. Andre and Cal, the "Army of Two," have calculatedly set a countdown to the "Zero Day." Yet even while stockpiling weapons and planning the most efficient routes through the school halls, director Ben Coccio never lets you forget that these are just kids... whether they're getting their braces removed or using toys and dolls for target practice. Even tortured minds need a reprieve from time to time, and Andre and Cal get their release from spectacularly dark humor. They're smart enough to destroy their video games, movies and books so that their pop culture won't be blamed for the massacre, but not reasoned enough to figure out a better way to deal with their angst. Their considerable charisma makes them even scarier.

On Zero Day itself, Coccio makes a startling transition in perspective, utilizing security cameras to provide a different verité perspective to the proceedings. If the choice was made to present an omniscient, unbiased eye on the shootings, it only serves to demonstrate that there's no possible way to empathize with Andre and Cal's decision to carry out the massacre. As much as you can identify with their emotions, their actions are unconscionable.

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group

Zardoz

Ed note: Please welcome Rachel J. Cox to the blog. We're resurrecting the old "TLA Rewind" brandname for her regular insights into classics that are languishing on the dustier shelves of our video stores.

(1974, 105 min) Last week I watched Zardoz, the latest in a long series of post-apocalyptic movies from the '70s that I have enjoyed. Why are they so great? More specifically, why are they so much greater than the post-apocalyptic movies from oh, say… every other decade? Were those ten years really so bleak and full of despair? Disco was dying, and perhaps in the hearts and minds of an entire generation the earth was, too.

Let me start by saying that I will watch or read anything that is set in the future…anything. I openly admit that there is little uncharted territory left when it comes to the "speculative fiction" genre (the hot, smarter cousin of the science fiction genre). Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men was the most unique vision of the future to come out in years, but of course it was based on a novel from 1992 and greatly diverged from the original storyline. (We can immediately dismiss A.I. as having any original content; it might as well have been titled Pinocchio 2001.) Nevertheless, I personally find any creative work of speculative/post-apocalyptic/dystopian/science fiction worth watching.

Although today it has achieved a cult status, Zardoz was hailed as both a failure and a joke when first released in 1974. It was written and directed by John Boorman, a notoriously uneven director, right after his critical and commercial success with Deliverance. The two endeavors at first glance seem disparate, but both films utilize the ideas of societal breakdown and emotional detachment as central themes.

Zardoz is most often criticized for its low production values. The larger sets are comprised of minimally altered pastoral farmland and country estates, while the interior scenes are typical campy sci-fi fare: rooms draped in fabric, a maze of mirrors, props constructed of papier mache. The colorful and somewhat comical costumes could have come from a child's collection of play clothes. These meager surroundings completely escaped my notice, perhaps because I look at all special effects before Terminator 2 as pathetic but well-meaning. Nice try, I think, but that is clearly rubber. Although the visual techniques of Star Wars were groundbreaking at the time, today they have been far surpassed and the film barely stands apart from its peers Flash Gordon and Tron. To me, Zardoz seems appropriately dated and its simplicity intentional, as it fits in with the desolate scenario.

In the year 2293 the world is populated by pockets of Eternals, highly evolved humans who have achieved immortality and shed themselves of the more animalistic qualities of their ancestors. They have little to no interaction with Brutals, the unevolved humans that live like scavengers in the wasteland outside the Eternals’ protected enclaves. The main character, Zed, is played by Sean Connery and wears a red loincloth throughout most of the picture. (He also has a long braid, and both are mildly distracting at first. This is post-James Bond, people. He wasn't a spring chicken then, either.) Zed belongs to a warrior class that exterminates Brutals at random and has recently forced them to begin farming, at the behest of a giant, flying stone head known as the idol Zardoz. The film opens with Zed meeting his god and actually manages to get more interesting.

This is all I will give away of the plot, since most of the pleasure of watching Zardoz comes from the deliberately paced developments regarding Zed’s background and intentions. Like many science fiction films of its generation, Zardoz attempts to tackle some important questions about the nature of religion and the extent of its power. In Beneath the Planet of the Apes the apes worship a nuclear bomb and in Logan's Run the religious ceremony known as Carousel falsely promises resurrection.

I won't say that Zardoz blew my mind, that it made complete sense from start to finish, or that the denouement takes place in a timely fashion. I will say that it is inventive, unique and thought-provoking. Certain people will enjoy the random female toplessness, while almost no one will enjoy the loincloth.

And that's all that anybody can really want from a movie.

– Rachel J. Cox

© TLA Entertainment Group

Grindhouse

(2007, 191 min) An unambitious epic, a carefully orchestrated piece of trash, an auteurist brain dump... whatever you want to call it, this unapologetic pulp is nonetheless the most entertaining three hours you're likely to spend at the cinema this year. If you're going to watch two brilliant directors squander their talent, this is probably the way to go.

In watching Tarantino and Rodriguez recreate the seedy Times Square style of late-night filmgoing, it's important to remember that there were no rules in these movies. It was a genre created out of economics, not form, with budgets so threadbare that only two results were reliable: There would be exploitation, and there would be peculiar auterist visions that creep out, with producers interested more in churning the fare out than reshooting and making the films perfect. On those counts, Grindhouse succeeds beautifully.

In a way, Robert Rodriguez has been making grindhouse films for most of his career. From the fake trailer for Danny Trejo in Machete (please turn this into a feature!) to the obsession with balls and pus in Planet Terror, he obviously would have been right at home in the '70s. Yet he uses digital photography and special effects to great effect, and has a blast turning as many actors as possible into bubbling pools of blood. Rose McGowan stays in wry, campy "Charmed" mode as a peglegged stripper (strike that... go-go dancer) with unlikely superpowers. And how wonderful is it to see Jeff Fahey, Michael Biehn and Josh Brolin taking on iconic roles so late in their careers.

The trailers that follow are pure brilliance. Rob Zombie's Werewolf Women of the SS has an air of familiarity about it... hard to believe no one thought of it sooner. Edgar Wright's Don't would make William Castle proud. And Eli Roth's deeply sick Thanksgiving makes Texas Chainsaw look like a Beach Party movie. Ironic that critics are eating up this trailer, whereas if it were actually a feature they would tear it to pieces.

Quentin Tarantino took a different tack, making a self-indulgent car-chase movie in the Monte Hellman realm. And if Two Lane Blacktop was self-indulgent, at least it was never boring. Unfortunately, Quentin decided to make about 70 minutes of his 80-minute movie filled with realistically mundane dialogue, mostly surrounding young women with little to say (Godard he ain't). Thank goodness when his girls get on the road, chased by a merciless Kurt Russell, he delivers the most exciting car chase since Ronin. Yet he's so enamored with his own images, he neglects to scratch up the print in the same way as Rodriguez. Good thing there are no rules, eh?

– David Gorgos

© TLA Entertainment Group