Cinema Obscura: The Fixer

There's no doubt director John Frankenheimer loved to expose the vagaries of pain and suffering. One of the most cringe-inducing sequences of his long career occurred in his sequel to "The French Connection" in 1975, where he spent 15 minutes in a locked room with detective Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) who 'spazzed' and kicked through a nasty heroin habit withdrawal. Though it wasn't even remotely central to the rest of the story, it provided Doyle with some pent up aggression towards the criminals he pursued, as well as creating a guttural feel to the already grimy police procedural. Imagine that sequence stretched out to over 90 minutes and one gets the sense of persecution and savagery inflicted upon Yakov (Alan Bates) in Frankenheimer's very hard to find 1968 film "The Fixer".


In turn of the century Russia, Alan Bates stars as Yakov, Jewish handyman who gives little regard to his faith, simply trying to earn a living while the Czarist government around him is corralling Jews into ghettos. While walking home one winter night, he rescues a drunk who has fallen into the snow. This man is of high regard in the community and with Yakov's non-Jewish features, he takes him in and offers him a job. It's not long before the jealous workers he supervises concoct a tale of rape and child murder, bringing Yakov's Jewish heritage to light. Yakov serves years in jail, refusing to confess to any crime and becoming the whipping boy for a turnstile of Russian jailers and tunnel-visioned lawyers (the main persecutor being a young Ian Holm). Reminiscent of Joan of Ark (without the burning at the stake part), Frankenheimer elicits a suffocating atmosphere as the walls slowly close in on Yakov over the years and he turns into a beaten, demented and martyred figure of Jewish hope. It's to the credit of lead actor Bates that the film doesn't devolve into something unwatchable and punishing. It is both those things, yet Bates enriches the character with glimmers of humanity and a wry sense of humor that pushes the viewer to hope for the best. In addition, some of the film's best moments come between Bates and appointed defense lawyer Bibikov, played to perfection by Dirk Bogarde. The men discuss philosophy, innocence and the various facets of religious identity. Based on a script by Dalton Trumbo, the allusions to his blacklisted life are streaked throughout the dialogue without becoming overpowering and Frankenheimer does a thorough job of opening up the sometimes stage-bound film in visually exciting ways, such as the moment when Yakov envisions the walls of his cell closing around him.


Lost on home video release and rarely shown on television, "The Fixer" was one of the few John Frankenheimer films I'd been unable to see. It's certainly not an easy watch, but an important footnote to a stream of 60's hits that feels tonally out of place with the rest of his challenging and genre-induced work including "The Manchurian Candidate", "The Train", "Seconds" and "Gran Prix", followed by easier tales of small town life and edgy criminal shenanigans such as "The Gypsy Moths" and "I Walk the Line". In all regards, "The Fixer" is a very serious religious and political work that deserved more than the throwaway actor nomination for Alan Bates that year, if for nothing more than its unrelenting gaze on a period of history often overlooked.

Small Town Malaise: The Killer Inside Me

Michael Winterbottom's twisting Texas noir, "The Killer Inside Me", is a chilling and repugnant adaptation of the great Jim Thompson's pulp novel, sending waves into the pop culture universe for its unflinching violence towards two pretty starlets Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson) and not really giving a damn about it. I use words like repugnant above in the best sense. This is a great film for the way it buries so many emotions, none more so than the quiet facade led by Texas sheriff Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) as he deviously sacrifices everything he loves to satisfy the demons within. "The Killer Inside Me" doesn't wink at the audience or service any post-modern demands for the neo-noir genre.... it's a film that simply observes it characters strutting around in the well manicured southern locations, quietly tracking the serial killer sheriff with a voice over that almost lulls one to sleep and making one's skin crawl when the inevitable violence does overtake the narrative. In the varied oeuvre of British director Michael Winterbottom, he upholds his chameleon streak with a stifling portrait of small town Texas life in the 50's as if he's always lived here.


Affleck, as he did in "The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford", tackles the central performance like a soft spoken Jekyll and Hyde. If one were to go into "The Killer Inside Me" with no preconceived ideas of the story, Affleck sells his genteel southern sheriff in the opening moments as a true good 'ol boy... someone we could easily see as a hero. But when the shoe drops and Affleck presents Sheriff Ford as a masochistic sex addict and killer, he turns the performance into something altogether tragic, most wince-inducing after the brutal fist beating of local prostitute Joyce (Jessica Alba) in the film's first 30 minutes in an effort to unwind himself from family secrets and a complicated blackmail plot. From there, Winterbottom and screenwriter John Curran slowly spin their tale as the noose tightens around Ford's neck and he attempts to hold together his 'other' life, namely his impending marriage to local girl Amy (Kate Hudson) while a suspecting federal agent (Simon Baker) works to pin the guilt on Affleck.

If the violence shown against women is the central point of contention for so many people, what seems to be missing is the idea that Winterbottom and Curran have done nothing but adapt a story that is 50 years old. In it's updating, there's nothing titillating about the violence, which only strengthens the craftsmanship of the film. Definitely the most radical and consuming of Thompson's novels, "The Killer Inside Me" still feels radical and consuming today, especially in it's apocalyptic ending.

Trailers I love

Produced and Abandoned #6

Ten more titles that should see the light of day on region 1 DVD:

1. The Brave (1997)- A real oddity. Directed by and starring Johnny Depp, the film says its about a Native American (Depp) whose offered a chance to take part in a snuff film. It was shown briefly at several international film festivals and brutally panned by critics. Depp then pulled it from distribution deals and has refused to release it. I did stumble across a copy the other day, and I'm seriously considering making the purchase. If anyone thinks differently, please let me know.
2. 99 and 44/100% Dead (1974)- John Frankenheimer's pop art gangster film shows up on TV from time to time, and it recently received a showing at the New Beverly in Los Angeles, so maybe someone, somewhere finds enough value in it to give us a proper release. I've only seen the film once... years ago in a shitty pan and scan version on Bravo (or a similar channel) and still loved it.
3. To Live and Die In LA (1987)- A bit of a cheat, but this title has been tantalizingly offered then pulled on Blu Ray, leaving us with a pretty shoddy pan and scan version on DVD.
4. Last Summer (1969)- Read the IMDB board for this film, and there some pretty fervent admirers of Frank Perry's film out there. Lined with a cast of young stars including Barbara Hershey and Bruce Davison, "Last Summer" sounds like an honest coming of age film that nailed the spirit and authenticity of its time. Warner Archive initially announced its release, then declined it due to a bad print.
5. Kings of the Road (1976)- Like many of Wender's early 70's films, I once had my hands on a worn out VHS copy, only to have it be eaten in the machine after 6 or 7 minutes. I've never been able to find it again. Clocking in at 3hours, this is widely considered the high mark for Wenders pre-1990 work, encompassing the best of his themes and adopting a leisurely tone without becoming boring. The search will go on.....
6. Secret Sunshine (2007)- Chang dong-lee's 2007 film garnered quite the buzz on the festival circuit a few years ago, opened quietly in select metro markets (not Dallas) and has since retired from the grid. Lee has already made another film that captured good buzz at this year's Cannes fest (titled "Poetry") but "Secret Sunshine" is curiously MIA.
7. Robbery Homicide Division (2002-2003)- Anyone besides me remember this Michael Mann produced TV series? Originally airing on CBS for a few weeks, it eventually was shuttled around in their hectic schedule. When I first got HD in 2005, the show was run regularly on HD NET, and I understand the Sleuth channel (which seems impossible to find on my current provider) aired the show in 2008. Filmed in stark Hi-def, "Robbery Homicide Division" starred Tom Sizemore and Mann regular Barry Henley as Los Angeles cops on the prowl in what was seemingly a hi-def experiment for Mann two years before "Collateral". Still, the brio and ambiguous story lines crossed with Mann's flair for representing an electric city were great.
8. The Amsterdam Kill (1977)- Late 70's bad assery with Robert Mitchum as a disgraced DEA agent trouncing across Europe. Very little is out there about this flick, but it sounds enticing.
9. Away With Words (1999)- Any fan of Asian cinema will recognize the hearty contributions of cinematographer Christopher Doyle, and "Away With Words" was his first stint as director. Described as a moody intersection of three people in modern Hong Kong, it sounds highly reminiscient of his work with Wong Kar Wai... a film that emphasizes place and arty visuals over content. That's not always a bad thing.
10. House (1977)- Campy Japanese horror. But don't believe me. Just do some google searches and discover the pure joy people have experienced with this film. I imagine a proper DVD release is on the way.

Revisiting the Favs: The Claim

Michael Winterbottom's "The Claim" ranked as my number 5 film of the year in 2001.

With the anticipation of British filmmaker Michael Winterbottom's latest cinematic excursion brewing in the air ("The Killer Inside Me"), I went back and visited "The Claim", his intimately epic western from 2001 that stands as his most beautifully realized film to date. Starring Peter Mullan as a land baron who founded the town of Kingdom Come high in the snow-covered Sierra Navadas, "The Claim" follows his intersection with two groups of people who arrive in his town at the same time: a group of railroad surveyors, led by a stellar Wes Bentley, and an ailing woman (Nastassja Kinski) and her daughter (Sarah Polley). There's a history between the two women and Mullan that's explored in oblique flashbacks, fleshing out Mullan's character as an absolute beast of a man, attempting to reconcile the decisions he made in the past while holding out for real world connection in the construction of the railroad. In typical Winterbottom fashion, "The Claim" is a kaleidoscopic character piece that swirls around Michael Nyman's melodic score as the railroad men lounge in the local whorehouse (led by a great Milla Jovovich), fall in love with the whores, and carry out their dangerous mission in one spectacular sequence that shows the brutal result of nitroglycerin taking a dip across a bumpy river.

In its simplest form, "The Claim" is a film of heartfelt connections against a bitter landscape. Not since Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" has the stark delineation of the warm interior been juxtaposed against the brutally white snow covered exterior. Winterbottom and cinematographer Alwin Kuchler illuminate the interior shots with deep hues of gold and green, while action outside is constantly plagued by howling winds, blowing snow and a deep feeling of bone chilling coldness. Likewise, the human drama in "The Claim" is also drawn in opposing factions. Bentley, not a popular figure in town if he decides the railroad should be built away from town, falls in love with Sarah Polley's character... and part of the story lies in her name, Hope. Mullan's history with Nastassja Kinski pit his former lover against current girlfriend, and in the end, Winterbottom's vision is unapologetically bitter and destructive. Young love may proliferate, but for Mullan, a man who sold his soul for riches, ends up as one of the more tragic figures in Winterbottom's oeurve.

I would count Winterbottom as one of my ten favorite directors working today. I'll never forget walking into a screening of "Welcome To Sarajevo" in the mid 90's and emerging stunned. It happened again three years later with "Wonderland", so by the time "The Claim" was released in early 2001, I was a bit more prepared. That the film blew me away as much as it did speaks to the poetic manner in which Winterbottom infused a seemingly standard western with such grace and fragility between its characters. Even the cliched secondary characters, such as the hooker played by Winterbottom regular Shirley Henderson, blazed across the screen with believability. And that final moment (seen in the clip below), as a hoard of greedy men and women rush the bank for riches, is an ironic spin on the overriding theme of the movie... a grand allegory for an America built on complex terms of sacrifice and eventually destroyed by greed and personal gratification.

What's In the Netflix Queue #28

1. The Exiles- Rescued from obscurity thanks to its clips used as part of Thom Anderson's wonderful documentary "Los Angeles Plays Itself", Kent Mackenzie's 1961 film details a slice of life in the Bunker Hill section for a family of Native Americans.
2. Lake Tahoe- I really admire the Film Movement label. Not everything I've seen is terrific, but their micro-budget predilections and sometimes challenging subject matter are a cut above other indie production companies. "Lake Tahoe" is described as an odd journey for a youth after a violent car accident.
3. 35 Shots of Rhum- Claire Denis' latest received a lot of buzz last year. Her work is hit or miss with me, but always worth seeking out.
4. Harvard Beats Yale 29-29- Documentary about a 1968 football game between... well Harvard and Yale. I love odd little sports commentaries like this.
5. The Big Sleep- 70's remake of the classic Humphrey Bogart noir starring an equally iconic actor, Robert Mitchum, and helmed by authentic 70's workmanlike director Michael Winner. I'm sure I've caught this on cable before, but it's due for another view.
6. Silent Movie- One of the only Mel Brooks comedies I've yet to see.
7. Coup de Grace- Netflix descrption: "A young Russian woman (Magarethe von Trotta) becomes involved with a sexually repressed Prussian soldier. When the soldier refuses her, she spirals into a psychosexual depression and begins sleeping with numerous men while championing the cause of Bolshevik revolutionaries in the days immediately following the fall of the Czar." Directed by Volker Schlondorff.
8. Eyes of a Stranger- Cheap sounding thriller.... no other excuse than that. Oh, and it features a young Jennifer Jason Leigh!
9. The Betrayal- A slew of documentaries on the horizon, for some reason, but this Oscar nominated film by cinematographer Ellen Kuras charts the nasty business of war in Veitnam.
10. Underworld USA- A second viewing of the great Sam Fuller crime thriller recently released on DVD.

Dennis Hopper and the Texas Connection

The passing of Dennis Hopper over the weekend brought out alot of RIP pieces... and rightly so. Hopper was a maverick of his generation, a laid back provocateur and diverse actor who (mostly) infused every role with something fierce. Even in some of his very bad direct to video releases, he maintained an edge that is always watchable.

One of the more illuminating pieces on his lifetime was this article in the Dallas Observer, detailing the decades long pissing match between Hopper and Dallas wild child native writer Terry Southern over some copyright issues with the breakthrough late 60's film "Easy Rider". Along the way, the article links out to some rare Dallas photos when Hopper visited in the early 70's for an appearance to the USA Film Festival and details some out of control actions by Hopper during his time here. If one is looking for accolades, look elsewhere. What this excellent article does give is a wide-eyed view of a man kinda lost in the haze of the 70's and unwilling to admit any mistakes after emerging from that haze. As an all encompassing addition to the index of lovingly recreated RIP articles, this one lays out the bad and sometimes ugly. It's only fair that a man's life is remembered in all its aspects.

70's Bonanza: The Last Run

The plot is simple: an aging criminal getaway driver stumbles out of semi-retirement for one last job and ends up getting more than he bargained for. It's the stuff film noir writers have dreamed up for years. But in Richard Fleischer's "The Last Run", released in 1971 and starring George C. Scott, it feels refreshingly original and brash. A troubled production from the start, "The Last Run" barreled through several directors (including John Huston) before Fleischer came on board. It probably wouldn't have been quite as successful without the star status of Scott... an interestingly low budget choice for an actor spring boarding off his home run performance in the blockbuster "Patton" a year earlier. And it is Scott who gives the film its grizzled pessimism... portraying his character Harry Garmes as a guy who understands the consequences of a lifetime on the fringes. He doesn't wink at the audience and for that, "The Last Run" is a seriously overlooked film that ranks with "The Outfit" and "Prime Cut" as three no-nonsense early 70's examples of the crime picture done amazingly right.

If you didn't know any better, one would imagine "The Last Run" was another hard boiled script by Donald Westlake, but its not. Chock full of brisk exchanges such as:
"I wasn't in for crackin' safes. I don't blow boxes, I blow heads. When I say so, the lights go dark."

Alan Sharp, a great writer in his own accord with titles such as "Night Moves", "The Osterman Weekend", "Rob Roy" and "The Lathe of Heaven", penned the script and infuses the three way dynamic between con, girlfriend and getaway driver with grit and surly intentions.

Beyond the bristling screenplay, "The Last Run" codifies itself as the netherworld walk for a past his prime wheel man. With the exception of a few cops and border patrol guards (plus one unlucky hippie hitchhiker), "The Last Run" is populated by killers, cons, sympathetic girlfriends and whores... all spinning towards a nihilistic conclusion that seems to fall in line with the very bad luck of Harry Garmes' previous nine years. Yet this is an anti-hero of the highest order. Before leaving for the final job, Garmes goes to see a priest and confesses for what he might do... and whether the confessional box is occupied or not is besides the point. His next act of contrition is to leave a load of money with his favorite madame, then visit the grave of his dead 8 year old son. Did I mention how nihilistic "The Last Run" is? In 1971, this may have felt like leading storytelling, but in 2010, we can only see these actions as a rendezvous with the regrettable. And that's exactly what gives "The Last Run" its unique drawing power. There's muscle cars and several well edited chase sequences across its European mountainside settings, but the real motivation behind watching the film is to wonder (and most of the time root) if Garmes will somehow escape the inevitable.

"The Last Run" does get the very occasional television run, but its yet another mysterious curiosity in the binges of where-the-hell-is-it-on-dvd.

Quick Takes

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

I don’t belong in the cult camp of Niels Arden Oplev’s “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”… a Swedish import based on some sort of best-selling trilogy novel (much like “Twilight” I suppose) that already has its fangs in legions of readers. I’m always so disconnected with this type of thing, so I only have the film itself to judge, and it’s a fairly compelling murder mystery that digs into some deep, dark family secrets. With its central narrative concerning the disappearance and possible murder of a beautiful, blond girl 40 years ago, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” treads on the stuff of obsessive murder-mystery-kinsmen such as David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks”, James Elroy novels or “The Black Dahlia”. Less successful is the ancillary parts of the story that deal with the torturous aspects of the titular character (Noomi Rapace) and just exactly how she comes to help journalist Mikael (Michael Nyqvist) delve into the investigation of a very powerful family. Seeing as how the alternative title for the film is “Millenium 1: Men Who Hate Women”, the lecherous ordeals of the tattooed and pierced tough girl seems a bit more central, yet still off-putting, against the more soundly realized whodunit aspect of the film. All in all, it’s well made and involving, but ultimately a bit trivial.

Robin Hood

Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” is a prime example of slick commercialism that fails to excite or energize. There’s nothing inherently wrong- the acting is fine… Scott can clearly direct action scenes in his sleep… the story of Robin Hood before he morphed into a pop culture reference of the great defender of the poor is compelling- yet the whole film just ceases to really satisfy. Just when it begins to take off, it sputters and leaves the viewer with an anti-climactic feeling, none more so than a scene towards the end when Scott begins what could be an amazing sweeping shot as a group of horses descends into the final battle, then safely cuts away just as the emotion of the grandeur builds.

Take Out

Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou’s “Take Out” is a film of quiet beauty, employing a fly-on-the-wall immediacy as it follows the adventures of a Chinese food bike delivery man struggling to come up with the cash to pay off a loan shark. Over the course of one soggy New York afternoon and night, Ming Ding (Charles Jang) solemnly trudges from delivery to delivery while Baker and Tsou slowly ratchet up the tension into something unbearable. With every new door opening and food delivered, there’s a small slice of life revealed or different personality explored. Likewise, the banter and daily process of the small shop where the food is prepared emanates a striking portrait of the immigrant lifestyle. Highly reminiscent of the films by the Dardennes Brothers or Ramin Bahrani, “Take Out” is an uber-indie that succeeds in dutifully presenting the American experience in all its highs and lows, stretching a simple act of daily work into an earth-shattering event.

Blogathon Note

One blogathon of note (these things are really slowing down, no?)- run on over to He Shot Cyrus for three days of great reading as various bloggers post links to the entries they feel are their best.

Revisiting the Favs: Sunshine

Danny Boyle's "Sunshine" ranked number 7 on my favs of 2007 list.

It's doubtful that with director Danny Boyle winning the Oscar two years ago that any stock for his previous film, "Sunshine", will find itself on the rise. Pretty much left for dead at the box office and ignored critically, "Sunshine", quite simply, took my breath away the first time I saw it. Ostensibly a science fiction film that veers madly into the territory of slasher flick, this abrupt genre shift was too much for many viewers to handle. I personally found its verve exhilerating. Not only did Boyle manage to nail the science fiction part of the story (the race to repair parts of the ship.... moments of tension as people scatter towards the hatch doors... a genuine sense of camradarie with the astronauts etc) but when the film does morph into something darker and bloodier, it does so with violent purpose.


Starring an eclectic cast typically assembled by Boyle (Cillian Murphy and Rose Byrne), the idea that Earth's sun is fading is straight out of a 1930's comic book. The crew's mission is to launch a nuclear device on the sun to invigorate its energy... or something like that. Based on a script written by another Boyle alum, Alex Garland, "Sunshine's" plot is pretty outrageous, yet the cast sells it. There's the aged doctor (Clifton Collins in a really haunting performance), the botanist (Michelle Yeoh) and the strong military type (Chris Evans) who have to learn to adapt and eventually survive as one disaster after another strikes the ship. And just when one thinks outer space can't get any more strenuous, writer Garland injects a bit of "Nightmare of Elm Street" into the mix, creating a high-wire act that walks the line between cosmically poetic and grindhouse exploitation.

Holding the entire project together is Boyle's stylistic direction, full of disorienting lens flares, moments of suffocating darkness juxtaposed against light, and distorted camera angles that mimics the extremes of the story. Along with JJ Abrams' "Star Trek", its becoming hip to infuse the sci-fi genre with a visually aggressive template.


Boyle has long been the reviver of genre. His two 'zombie' films, "28 Days Later" and "28 Weeks Later" are pitch perfect examples of a tired genre getting a much needed shot to the arm. I suppose it was only a matter of time before his efforts could be applied to the sci-fi genre. Give it a chance.

Track Record

There are three or four recently released cds that are (already) true contenders for best of the year. First there was Thee Silver Mount Zion's "Kollapse Tradixionales", then Broken Social Scene's "Forgiveness Rock Record" that feels like their best work to date... and now The National reach back and serve up a tremendous album of soaring stuff. It's days like this I thrive on music....

Top 5 List: The Long Tracking Shot

With all apologies to films as diverse as "Children of Men", "Touch of Evil", "The Player", most dynamic Scorsese films and "Atonement", these five films below feature a pretty stunning tracking shot that rank as my five favorites.

5. The Longest Day- Clip unavailable. Zanuck's ambitious war drama, which features a dual director's credit and a laundry list of stars, does fit the mold nicely for early 1960's rah-rah war dramas, but its also uniquely well made. While it may reside as the shortest tracking shot on this list, it's nonetheless a technically stunning example of just how massive in scope and breathtakingly encompassing the cinematic technique can be. Starting as an aerial shot in close-up on a group of American soldiers as they invade a French town, the shot carries on overhead as waves of soldiers flock in from all sides, overtaking a bridge and meeting resistance from German soldiers. The sheer scope of this particular tracking shot, progressively higher and higher, is one of the best moments in the film.

4. Weekend- The best work of Godard post 1966, "Weekend" is an outright masterpiece in an era where his films were becoming more and more programmatic and cryptic. As a visual repose on a collapsing society, it's almost humorous... as his now legendary traffic jam scene reveals. And as a person who has to fight his own downtown Dallas traffic every day, I empathize:





3. Hard Eight-= One of the great joys of the last 15 years was stumbling over a VHS copy of a little movie called "Hard Eight" after watching Siskel and Ebert talk about it. Full of great moments, the one that's stayed with me the longest is its ominous "motel room" scene. Gambling protege John C. Reilly calls mentor Sidney (Philip Baker Hall) to a motel room for help. In a mysterious long take, director P.T. Anderson keeps the camera trained on Hall's entrance to the room, building tension around his befuddled questions and denying us (initially) an explanation as to exactly what has happened in that cheap, darkened room. The problem is "dealt" with, followed by a tense exodus from the scene of the crime. With one sweeping tracking shot, we follow the three characters out of the room, down a flight of steps and into their respective vehicles where the camera ends up in the middle of the street as the cars disappear. A bit superfluous, yes, but not an unnecessary shot as it emphasizes the mounting tension experienced by all in the scene. Of course, an entire list could probably be made of P.T. Anderson's dynamic scenes.

2. Breaking News- I hope by now everyone's aware of this blog's unabashed love for all things Johnny To, and the opening scene from his 2004 film "Breaking News" is just mind blowing:



1. I Am Cuba-

Filmed in 1964 but not released until the mid 90's through a joint effort by filmmakers Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, "I Am Cuba" is a director's paradise. Much celebrated for its dazzling cinematography, its a film about the various denizens of Cuba before and during the rise of Fidel Castro, made by a Russian director (Mikhail Kalatozov), dubbed in Russian and subtitled in English. Whatever its mixed politics evoke, Kalatozov's visual schematic cannot be denied. Each moment seems to be upped by another moment. It's opening tracking shot, beginning on top of a building with the camera somehow floating down the length of the building's side, wandering around a pool, then following a bikini-clad woman into the pool and underwater has been imitated, but it's the funeral tracking shot that really impresses. How did they do this?? A must see film. Note- the shot begins at about the 1:50 mark.

Unintentional Double Bill: Homicide and Kapo

David Mamet's 1991 film "Homicide" and Gillo Pontecorvo's "Kapo" are separated by nearly 30 years, yet both films represent Jewish faith and guilt in startling ways. Though I'm not Jewish myself, I can appreciate the religion's inherent foundation in symbolism and history, and both films tackle not only the question of one's place in that sprawling system of belief but one's identity when moral conviction is put under tremendous (and violent) stress.

In "Homicide", Joe Mantegna plays a Jewish cop who stumbles across the murder of an elderly Jewish shop keeper in a dilapidated part of New York. Her family, embedded with a very rich and suspicious Jewish organization fighting... something, believes it was more than a murder of opportunity. As Mategna digs into her past, he discovers ties to post war gun running and backroom Neo Nazi propagandists. Yet the real crux of Mamet's film- and it is a Mamet film, full of his razor sharp dialogue and crassly poetic exploration of the curse word- is the dissolving identity of lead cop Mantegna. Years of cop rhetoric and snide racial swipes at every possible race, including his own, have rendered him a mute practitioner of the Jewish religion. In one wince inducing scene, he talks on the phone to his partner (William H. Macy) in an office he thinks is vacant, tossing out every possible Jewish slur because feels the current assignment of investigating the Jewish woman's death is holding him back from stardom in catching a cop killer on the loose. Mamet's camera slowly pulls back to reveal the granddaughter (Mamet regular Rebecca Pidgeon) sitting on a couch in the corner, over hearing every remark. It's not only a pivotal scene in revealing the depths of Mantegna's self-imposed distance from his religion, but the caustic root of the entire film with a red herring title such as "Homicide". Through his investigation and conversations with more of the family, Mamet draws the cop as a prodigal son slowly and violently returned to the fold. Though Mantegna's steep escalation from hardcore cop to religious militant is less than believable at times, "Homicide" is one of his more potent works, largely due to its moral gravity and stunning finale.

If "Homicide" is a modern day attempt to exemplify the guilt experienced within a besieged religious group, Gillo Pontecorvo's 1959 Holocaust drama "Kapo" is a time capsule document of where it came from. Starring Susan Starsburg as Edith, a young Jewish girl led to a concentration camp, she is given solace and a new identity by a generous doctor. She manipulates the ravages of the camp initially by her beauty, becoming the lover of a German officer. She then graduates to a position of "kapo", given charge to keep order over the rest of the camp prisoners. It's only when a group of military POWs enter the camp and initiate the idea of escape that Edith falls in love and dares to reveal her true Jewish identity. "Kapo" isn't near the masterpiece that Pontecorvo would go onto helm several years later with "The Battle of Algiers", but it's a very good film that's been strangely absent on video until now. Watching it immediatedly after "Homicide" gives a three dimensional perspective on both films. In an alternate universe, Edith could easily be the old Jewish shop keeper in "Homicide", staunchly proud and driven to outlaw gun running via immense guilt for ignoring her faith during those young years of her life. We've seen numerous Holocaust tales of survival, and it would be a great disservice to condemn a film (or character) for their lack of aggressiveness. For every Resitance fighter, there were 3 or 4 people who were forced to turn their back on their families and moral values to survive. How would anyone of us react today? In watching "Homicide" and "Kapo", this question is raised to even deeper proportions, both in artistic and stylistic different ways, but powerful nonetheless.

Hiatus

Not that I've been a fountain of information around here lately, but vacation is upon me so things will be quiet around here for two weeks as I visit with friends and family on the East Coast. Philadelphia, DC and Pennsylvania, here I come.

Fantasy Baseball and all that

As I've said before, ESPN's 30 For 30 series is better than 90% of the films I've seen since the ambitious series began back in November of last year. Last night's episode focused on a silly little game called fantasy baseball and its (obsessive) humble beginnings in 1980 by a group of fervent baseball fanatics. While I can honestly say I've only jumped into the fray of the fantasy leagues a year ago, as a kid (also obsessed by baseball, both playing it and watching it), this type of interaction with a sport I dearly love is beyond words. I can remember spending endless hours playing old baseball board games as well as inventing my own: placing my baseball cards on the ground with the players in their respective positions and rolling dice for results. One was a single,two double, three triple, four out, five strikeout and 6 homerun, calculating the stats on pieces of paper over a month long period. Oh, if only these kids today could get off their cell phones.....

So I find myself in a very enjoyable league this season with some dear friends and some complete strangers, but it's just as time-consuming and possessive as "Silly Little Game" purports it to be. I log in 5-6 times a night to study the stat lines. I watch Baseball Tonight (after a Rangers loss, I'm sure) and closely watch for 'my guys' and their results. Really, what other reason would I have to care about how the Milwaukee Brewers do on a Tuesday night? Bottom line... its a helluva lotta fun. And depressing. I was in a solid fourth when I went to bed last night, and find myself eight out of ten tonight. A 3 point slide can do that type of destruction. As I type this post right now, listening to the Rangers/Red Sox in the background, I've checked my stats twice! But, if that's all I have to lament about, then I suppose I should be a very happy guy.

My Fantasy team in all its 2010 splendor:

Ivan Rodriguez- as a fan of Carlton Fisk since I was 10, I refuse to use the "Pudge" moniker! A week into the season, I dropped Geovany Soto and picked up Rodriguez. A great choice, as he currently leads the NL in batting average.

Ryan Howard

Dan Uggla

Ian Stewart- hopefully a small hidden homerun secret that will help me this year. Playing in Colorado helps too.

Erick Aybar

Jose Lopez

Adam LaRoche- really hurting me so far... under performing due to injury.

Jayson Werth

Shane Victorino

Jason Kubel- damn that new Target field looks nice. Maybe if work takes me back up there eventually, I can score tickets.

Jason Heyward- a steal on my part, if I may be so humble. My jaw dropped open when I drafted him for my last pick, stunned he was still there.

David Ortiz- had him on the bench since game 3. Big Papi looks to have lost it.

Carlos Gomez

Rickie Weeks

BJ Upton- steals mean so much in fantasy baseball

Jason Bay- man, he's gotta get thing going. I snapped him with one of my first picks, thinking a hot NY deal will energize him.... plus the low left field in Mets stadium when he was bashing homers over the Green Monster last year? Still early though...



Pitching:

Jon Lackey
Naftali Feliz- if only he'd get a chance over Frank Choke-sisco right now.
Mariano Rivera
Jake Peavy
James Shields
Octavio Dotel
Edwin Jackson
Darren O Day
Barry Zito

my WHIP is giving me great results. If you don't know WHIP, then this whole post probably made your eyes glaze over.

Comedies, Anyone?

Hot Tub Time Machine

Godard once said the best way to criticize a movie is to make another movie. Steve Pink’s “Hot Tub Time Machine” certainly takes valuable swipes at the 1980’s, and the amazing thing is that for two-thirds of the film, it does transform itself into a highly enjoyable 80’s romp. It’s just that the other third, obsessed with that displeasing state of “now” humor (which equals improvised comedy full of vulgar, mean spirited put downs and gross out sight gags) high jacks some of the fun. Still, for an hour or so, “Hot Tub Time Machine” is a sharp comedy with cosmic overtones. Starring the always likable John Cusack- who established himself in 80’s comedies and seems to feel right at home as one of the four modern men who find themselves trapped back in 1986 on one eventful night that- “Hot Tub Time Machine” also develops a sweet relationship between him and music writer April, played to dizzying perfection by Lizzy Caplan. It’s this peripheral romance that gives the film its zeal. Caplan, who is a newcomer to me but has obviously been around on the small screen for years, hits the perfect mixture of 70’s hippiness and 80’s sweet girl persona. From the first time they meet on-screen at a party, Cusack and Caplan make their connection feel real and inspired. I almost wish the entire film could have been about them. But, director Pink has more important things on his mind, such as a male-on-male blowjob and hand soap designed to look like ejaculate on someone’s face. I understand today’s comedy has to reach a certain shock value (which is depressing), and “Hot Tub Time Machine” has that built in for audience acceptance. It’s just the film really soars when it tries to connect on a smaller level. That’s the kind of comedy film we could use more of today.


Greenberg

And speaking of independent comedy, Noah Baumbach’s “Greenberg” certainly qualifies as that. Yet it’s probably more ugly and unappealing than the problems I had with the big budget “Hot Tub Time Machine”. Baumbach’s films have always been a niche commodity, dealing with upper class growing pains and intelligentsia. But with this film and his previous one, “Margot At The Wedding”, Baumbach has apparently given up connecting with anyone in middle America- or really anyone outside the ledges of New England or uber-pretentious Los Angelites. Ben Stiller is Roger, a cynical and troubled man just released from a mental hospital who travels to Los Angeles to house-sit for his brother. Once there, he begins an on-again-off-again relationship with Greta Gerwig, his brother’s personal assistant. If you thought Nicole Kidman was a psychological terror on wheels, just wait until you see Stiller as Greenberg. Continually pushing everyone away at a moment’s notice and constantly complaining about the minuscule habits or ticks of other people, Baumbach has created a genuinely chaotic protagonist that alienates with full force. I felt as if maybe I should’ve donated my 9 bucks for Baumbach to visit a therapist instead of working out the problems of his upper class life with such virulent cinematic skills. It wasn’t always this way. “Kicking and Screaming”, while meandering a bit much on the sours of love, was an absorbing ensemble. Likewise, “The Squid and the Whale” gave us a young man confused and pessimistic, wrapped in a cloak of growing up awkwardness which allowed the viewer to review the awkwardness of our own teenage years. With “Greenberg”, there’s nothing but a wasteland of pretension and West Coast grunge. The one thing I did like- Stiller making a grocery list with two things on it, whiskey and ice cream sandwiches.

Trailers I Love

So not safe for work......

70's Bonanza: The Jericho Mile

It's ironic that in a career of films whose main criminal masterminds take extraordinarily intelligent measures to avoid prison, Michael Mann's first film would be a study of incarceration. He starts there and never wants to go back. "The Jericho Mile" could be placed in that vein of inspirational sports movie, but it plays much better as a gritty prison film with humanistic overtones. Not available on DVD, Mann's first film is everything I've been anticipating.

Starring Peter Strauss as convicted murderer Larry Murphy stationed at Folsom Prison, he spends his idle days running in the yard. Somehow managing to avoid the racial squabbles and nationalistic sects that buoy the prison's population, Strauss is the strong silent type that will make up a majority of the figures in the rest of Mann's muscular career. Like Neil Macauley or James Caan's Frank in "Thief", Murphy is an articulate, studied man who speaks without contractions. In two of the film's best scenes featuring conversations between him and prison shrink Geoffery Lewis, Strauss lays out the reasons why he's in prison with a determined, steely gaze. And he finishes his outlook with the typical zen Mann outlook on life- "what went down went down... and I belong here." But all is not tranquil for Strauss as his best friend (Richard Lawson) is eventually murdered due to some shady dealings with prison gang leader Brian Dennehy. Strauss then throws himself completely into a regiment set up by the prison brass who see something special in the inmate's afternoon yard dashes and hope to propel him into an Olympic qualifying event.

Written and released as a television movie in 1979, "The Jericho Mile" was filmed inside Folsom Prison, mixing up the actors and utilizing real life inmates. Never shirking away from the tension and violence that exists behind bars, Mann and writer Patrick Nolan wrap a compelling story around territory that could turn mawkish. In large part, the success of "The Jericho Mile" is attributed to lead actor Strauss- who reminds one of a young bulky Mickey Rourke- and who inhabits his character with real depth and intelligence. Often times, prison movies minimize the characters into types, and "The Jericho Mile" avoids those pitfalls, eventually emerging as a personal story of conviction and defiance that has one rooting for the idea of a man who could literally run away from his guilt-ridden past.

Independent Gaze: Azazel Jacobs' The GoodTimesKid

Filmmaker Azazel Jacobs (son of pioneer avant garde filmmaker Ken Jacobs) only has two films under his belt, yet his unique way of dealing with whimsical romanticism and mid life crisis are achingly real. His debut film, "The GoodTimes Kid", completed in 2005 and given a cozy (i.e. very limited) release in 2006, succeeds in spite of its art-house pretensions... which is to say it's full of unbroken long takes and a distinctively muted emotionalism that lingers in the mind far longer than expected.

Opening with a case of mistaken identity, Rodolfo Cano (Gerardo Naranjo) receives a letter stating his application to the army has been accepted. He shows up to the recruiting office and observes the other Cano (played by Jacobs himself) before following him home. Curious as to this other Rodolfo's life, he knocks on the door and, mid raging fury at her boyfriend's passive dismissal of her, meets the girlfriend, Diaz. Played with deceptive sexiness and charm by Sara Diaz, she's a gangly, magnetic screen presence highly reminiscent of a Latina Olive Oil (which has to be some sort of inspiration). After settling down and a messy bout of refrigerator punching, Diaz and the new Rodolfo strike up an almost non-verbal relationship that lasts through the night and into the next day.

Jacobs paints his portrait of this floating trio with a stunning sense of connectedness. The influence of Cassavetes is tactile. At once playful via its long takes and body language comedy, "The GoodTimesKid" veers into honest realism on a dime. When the two Rodolfo's eventually meet, the battle for the heart of Diaz is not won by fists (although there is a hilarious scuffle that begins and ends abruptly) but through a touching walk down the street at night and the spurned Rodolfo recalling how scared he was the first time he saw Diaz. Just like a previous scene where the new Rodolfo and Diaz connect in the dark with a flashlight illuminating their grinning faces, Jacobs is clearly not afraid to allow the uneasy messiness of life to shine through in quiet moments.


Closing with an act of self sacrifice, "The GoodTimesKid" naturally segues into Jacobs' second film, "Momma's Man". Gone is the loopy attitude around new found attraction. It's replaced with a bout of mid-life crisis where husband and new father Mike (Matt Boren) visits his parents in New York, then finds himself afraid to leave his childhood home. "Momma's Man" is the film where the youthful revolutionaries of "The GoodTimesKid" are forced to grow up. I had the misfortune to watch these films in reverse- with "Momma's Man" being a respectable but average view over a year ago while "The GoodTimesKid" was a lightning bolt experience last week. It's safe to say Jacobs is a filmmaker whose cinema of loneliness, anxiety and anger complement each other in mysterious ways. And the final image of "The GoodTimesKid", with Diaz slowly absorbing the action taken by the new Rodolfo and filmed with an unwavering three minute static shot as a source tune by Gang of Four echoes over the image, is haunting in more ways than one. Facing the future, the expression of confusion and bewilderment on her face exemplifies that maybe, just maybe, we'll get a later film that dares to explore what happens to her after this. In Jacobs' seemingly connected universe, it's only fair.