Film

When Your Friends Treat You Like a Guest

2009-11-12T21:25:13+00:00

During the closing credit roll of “A Serious Man,” the Coens insist that “no Jews were harmed” in the making of their bleak and brilliant film. This piercing reminder of Joel and Ethan’s particular worldview also points to the filmmakers’ finely tuned ability to deftly integrate the deadly serious and the ridiculously comic. Few auteurs can match the siblings’ willingness to explore tragedy and personal failure with unrelenting laughter, and while many have posited that “A Serious Man” is their most “personal” film, it is simply one more in a chain of intimate and distinctive treasures stamped with unmistakable originality.

Michael Stuhlbarg, expertly cast, plays nerdy academic Larry Gopnik, a cautious and careful man whose life unravels with alarming speed just ahead of his doubtful bid for tenure. In short order, Larry is besieged by a manipulative student insistent on a passing grade, learns that his wife wants a divorce in order to marry a smug acquaintance, copes with his lazy brother’s protracted habitation on the living room couch, and fights lustful urges for the seductive nude sunbather who lives next door while fearing the anti-Semitic encroachment of another neighbor. Meanwhile, Larry’s son Danny spends more time getting high, listening to Jefferson Airplane, and squabbling with his older sister than studying for his Bar Mitzvah.

Along with the major obstacles in Larry’s life, the Coens introduce several minor annoyances, ranging from auto accidents to pestering phone calls from the Columbia Record Club. One of the movie’s funniest blow-outs observes Gopnik’s mounting exasperation at being sent the featured album selection “Santana, Abraxas.” He repeatedly spits the title as if it were a curse, and one can picture Joel and Ethan fighting back tears of laughter behind the camera. Of course, the film’s 1967 setting makes “Abraxas,” which was not released until 1970, an anachronistic choice, but Larry’s emphatic rejection – he does not want “Abraxas,” he did not order “Abraxas,” and he will not listen to “Abraxas” – parallels his spiritual deafness and demonstrates the dizzying skill with which the Coens layer their parable.

Like their best work, which has now grown to a sizable collection of titles, “A Serious Man” capitalizes on the deadpan talents of a top-notch ensemble equipped to speak absurd Coen Brothers dialogue in earnest. The excellent Richard Kind slithers through his role as freeloading Uncle Arthur. Arthur constantly locks himself in the bathroom to drain the pus from a particularly stubborn sebaceous cyst, but his facility for complex mathematics has led to the design of the Mentaculus, a complex, mystical numerology that Arthur uses not to understand the workings of the universe, but rather to cheat at card games.

Arthur’s Mentaculus serves perfectly as a metaphor for the metaphysical considerations the Coens explore with vigor. An ability to know the divine is impossible given the human impulses toward acquiring tangible, earthly rewards. As Larry’s troubles multiply, he seeks counsel from rabbinical authorities, and each of the visits vibrates with superbly calibrated comic timing. In one of the meetings, Larry is told a fanciful story about a mysterious inscription on the teeth of a goy, and is chided by the rabbi for wondering aloud what happened to the gentile. “Who cares?” comes the response, adding another quintessential Coen moment to their wondrous archive.

Questions and comments: gregcarlson1@gmail.com

“Bad Seed,” Good Play

2009-11-12T05:55:16+00:00

Grand Forks is in the middle of its fall theatre season, with “The Bad Seed” currently running at the Fire Hall and “Two Rooms” opening next Tuesday, Nov. 17 at UND.

The Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre production of “The Bad Seed” opened last weekend and continues Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. both this weekend and next at the Fire Hall Theatre in downtown Grand Forks. There’s also a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. on Nov. 15. Tickets are $15, or $12 for students and senior citizens.

“The Bad Seed” is a classic of mid-20th century literature exploring various psychological explanations for behavior and especially criminal behavior. The original novel was adapted to the Broadway stage by UND alumnus Maxwell Anderson, which was in turn adapted (with some key changes to the ending) into an Oscar-nominated film in 1956.

The debate over whether people’s personalities are influenced more strongly by their environment or their heredity or something else continues to go on. “The Bad Seed,” as its title implies, follows the argument of a possibly latent but definitely hereditary tendency.

Loving parents Christine and Kenneth Penmark’s daughter Rhoda is a sweet, thoughtful, well-behaved, almost too-good-to-be-true little girl of about 11 years old. She is not only devoted to her parents, but excels at all her schoolwork. The problem is, she is also intensely devoted to herself and has an increasingly sinister preoccupation with getting whatever she wants by whatever means possible.

When another boy in class wins the medal for penmanship that Rhoda feels she deserved, he suddenly is found drowned at a school picnic and his medal is mysteriously missing. The school has its suspicions, and as things begin to unfold, Rhoda’s mother soon begins to realize that her perfect little girl may well be a perfect little serial killer.

The Fire Hall’s production, directed and designed by Ben Klipfel, is nicely staged. The costumes, props and set evoke the 1950s beautifully, except for the 1970s-era telephone and its 1990s-era electronic ringtone. A cast of nine plays the eleven characters effectively, with generally good performances that get better as the play goes on, and a couple of notable ones.

Megan Lonski is outstanding and truly moving as Hortense Daigle, the grieving mother who has turned to alcohol after the drowning of her only son. The rest of the cast delivers appropriate but more theatrical performances. Young Claire Thompson demonstrates a strong stage presence and obviously relishes her role as the evil little Rhoda, helping carry the show. Jenny Morris also does a good job throughout as Rhoda’s troubled mother Christine, who is really the central character of the script.

Jeff Weatherly is fine as Kenneth, Christine’s husband and Rhoda’s father, but shows a bit more depth in his second-act role of Richard Bravo, the father of Christine. Mare Thompson (real-life mother of Claire) provides some much-needed comedy relief as Monica, the Penmarks’ landlady, a devotee of Freudian analysis, unabashedly devoted to little Rhoda, and perhaps just a bit too attached to her own brother Emery. Ben Klipfel gives a jovial performance as mystery writer Reginald Tasker, and Nicole Quam makes the schoolmistress Miss Fern a believable blend of well-practiced concern and self-serving domination.

Ralph Swendseid is somewhat lower-key but quite effective as the apartment’s janitor who makes the mistake of teasing Rhoda about some incriminating coincidences. Some of the play’s best scenes are between the two of them, such as his comments about the blue electric chair awaiting bad little boys and a pink one for bad little girls. Santos Casarez III takes on the roles of both Monica’s brother Emery, and Mr. Daigle, Hortense’s husband. He seems more comfortable in the role of Emery, but his underplaying and quieter voice in both parts tend to contrast with the more theatrical style of the other actors.

“The Bad Seed” is one of those plays that have become a part of American culture, and the Fire Hall Theatre’s production provides a welcome opportunity to see the uncensored stage version rather than the more sanitized movie version. The North Dakota connection of the playwright is just one more reason to see it.

Questions and comments: christopher.jacobs@und.edu

INFO:

What: “The Bad Seed”
Where: Fire Hall Theatre, Grand Forks
When: Nov 12-14, 7:30 p.m; Nov 15, 2 p.m. matinee
How much: $12-$15

This Is It

2009-11-05T23:20:31+00:00

For Michael Jackson believers, especially those who held tickets for one of the 50 planned O2 arena live dates, “This Is It” will stir up strong feelings of ecstasy and heartache. Because the footage used to compile the movie was not intended for public presentation beyond the possibility of some extra DVD content, “This Is It” simultaneously hints at the dazzling spectacle being rehearsed and thrills with its unguarded, rough-around-the-edges status as a work in progress. Far from ghoulish exploitation, “This Is It” refocuses attention on Michael Jackson as a ferociously talented performer in his element.

Directed by Kenny Ortega, Jackson’s principal creative partner in the conception of the stage show that was scheduled to debut on July 13, 2009, “This Is It” blends aspects of the traditional concert film with several familiar tropes of the backstage musical. The opening of the movie introduces many of Jackson’s grateful backup dancers, but before any individual personalities might be established in the style of “Madonna: Truth or Dare,” Ortega focuses intently and unwaveringly on the solo superstar, at one point reminding the members of the ensemble that they are there to function as an extension of MJ.

Ortega smartly resists the urge to truncate songs, offering full-length versions of most tracks even if they must be stitched together from several different video takes. It is impossible to know whether the sequencing of the tunes in the movie follows the proposed concert program, but “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” makes for a blistering opener. The classic fourth single from “Thriller” –- which never had a music video -– sets the tone for “This Is It,” taking viewers through a meticulously crafted arrangement that honors the song’s integrity without merely duplicating the recorded album version.

This pattern continues on most of the subsequent numbers, drawing heavily from “Thriller” and “Bad.” The “Dangerous” and “Invincible” albums are also well represented, but curiously, the brilliant “Off the Wall” is thoroughly neglected. Standout sequences include an elaborate 3D overhaul of “Thriller” with zombies crawling out of what appears to be a Napoleonic necropolis, a sultry “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” and a stirring “Human Nature.” Along with “Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal” receives substantial pre-production attention, merging Jackson into film noir scenes with Hollywood legends like Rita Hayworth and Humphrey Bogart.
Not all the production numbers sustain the spine-tingling magnificence of Jackson’s undisputed benchmarks. A syrupy “Earth Song” is light years from “Billie Jean” in both intellectual acumen and musical quality, and the accompanying imagery of a cherubic moppet caught in a burned out nightmare of ecological decimation numbs viewers with its cloying, scolding prophecy. Jackson’s socially minded work was never accused of subtlety, but alongside “Earth Song,” “Man in the Mirror” is a model of sophisticated restraint.

The musical performances throughout the documentary are frequently interrupted by glimpses of Jackson critiquing and calibrating the tiniest of details, and these pauses offer a stark turnaround from popular images of Jackson as a weak, addled, spaced-out weirdo. Far from the incomprehensible, out-of-touch naïf seen in the media for years, Jackson commands the stage in “This Is It” like he was born on it.

Questions and comments: gregcarlson1@gmail.com

In Search of Ms. Earhart: Still Can’t Find Missing Pilot

2009-10-29T20:05:46+00:00

Reviewers should have a grand time coming up with all manner of clever aviation metaphors as they trash “Amelia,” a handsome but empty biopic of iconic pilot Amelia Earhart. One might say that Mira Nair’s film fails to take flight, that the script by Ron Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan crashes shortly after takeoff, and the dull experience of suffering through the feature will cause potential audiences to vanish without a trace. Nair, whose hit-or-miss career as a filmmaker contains a substantial number of clunkers along with bright spots like breakthrough “Salaam Bombay!” and critical high point “Monsoon Wedding,” never gets a grip on her subject. The result is the very nadir of the fictionalized biography: a superficial highlight reel that fails to connect us to an extraordinary life.

“Amelia” stars two-time Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank as Earhart, and the casting is only one indicator among many that the filmmakers had set their sights on Oscar recognition. Swank certainly embraces the challenge with fierce determination, but the off-putting accent—which never even flirts with credibility—and the thudding repetition of the scenes, do the performer no favors. Neither does the glib voiceover narration, in which Earhart describes her passion to be airborne as if practicing greeting card writing.

Earhart’s personal relationships with the various men in her life dominate the drama and siphon attention from her drive to empower women as pilots. Nair flirts with the idea that Earhart’s fame was the result of calculating self-promotion, but the script resolutely paints the aviatrix as a sun-kissed saint disdainful of the product endorsements she made to help finance her expensive avocation. Richard Gere, as Earhart’s publisher and husband George Putnam, plays the realist to Earhart’s idealist. She reminds him that she just “wants to be free” so many times that “Amelia” might have inspired a drinking game were it not so crushingly insipid.

Alongside Gere, Ewan McGregor appears as commercial aviation pioneer Gene Vidal, who purportedly entered into an affair with Earhart. McGregor’s character exists to service the dramatic structure as the third side of a romantic triangle, but save for one prolonged kiss in an elevator, the movie offers no hint that Earhart felt passion for anything but flying. Christopher Eccleston, as Earhart’s navigator Fred Noonan, is reduced to an alcoholic liability, giving Earhart one more opportunity to convince Putnam that she can “handle it” when her husband fears the worst. Supporting women fare even worse: Cherry Jones plays Eleanor Roosevelt in a fleeting cameo and Mia Wasikowska barely registers as rival pilot Elinor Smith.

Even though “Amelia” zips through many of Earhart’s notable accomplishments in advance of her ill-fated around-the-world attempt, Nair handles the disappearance with piety. The decades-long public fascination with Earhart has much to do with the unsolved status of her almost certain death. Unwilling to entertain any of the durable conspiracy theories many of us heard about as children (including legends that Earhart spied for FDR and/or was executed by the Japanese after surviving a crash landing), Nair stages the final moments of Earhart’s life with stoicism and reverence. With the exception of these final scenes, however, the application of so much careful obeisance melts dynamic history into tiresome lecture.

Questions and comments: gregcarlson1@gmail.com

“Godspell” on UND Stage

2009-10-28T20:14:49+00:00

The popular pop-rock musical updated interpretation of the New Testament was performed just a year ago by East Grand Forks Senior High School, and it’s now the first fall production at the University of North Dakota. “Godspell” opened Tuesday and runs at 7:30 nightly through this Saturday, Oct. 31, on the main stage of Burtness Theatre on the UND campus. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students.

The fast-moving 1971 show by Stephen Schwartz tells the parables and magnetic influence of Jesus Christ on the common people, as well as his betrayal and death, all in a setting of a modern urban slum. The timeless message of peace, love, forgiveness and common sense, as opposed to hypocritical application of the letter of the law and ostentatious displays of supposedly good works by those in power, can just as easily be applied to today’s political scene (both domestic and international) as to the religious hierarchy of 2000 years ago.

Director Gaye Burgess and choreographer Lon Hurst handle an enthusiastic cast of 15 with effective staging and dance numbers that often extend down off the stage into the auditorium. It even begins in the audience, with cast members rising from seats and moving onto the stage. A fine live backstage four-piece band (piano, drums, guitar, and bass) provides the music.

Any musical, especially one like “Godspell,” requires a consistently high energy level to be effective, and UND’s cast excels in this. Tyler Rood as Jesus and Eric Voigt as John the Baptist and Judas are strong focal points, but everyone else is so deeply involved in his or her character it’s often a tough choice deciding which ones to watch at any given moment. Interestingly in this production the ten main characters are assigned names, whereas in many productions the actors simply use their own names on stage.

Of course with a musical, the songs are a major factor. While everyone in the cast does a fine job dramatically, there are only a few true standouts vocally. The others all do decent renditions, but their voices don’t always have the range or power for the specific songs they’re singing. Luckily the best songs (at least my personal favorites from the show) are performed by the best singers.

Rood and Voigt are both great in their “All for the Best” vaudeville-style duet. Especially memorable are Victoria Bertness’s performance of “Turn Back O Man,” Michelle McCauley’s performance of “Day by Day,” and her “Light of the World” with Oen Walsh. Ryan King also does an admirable job with “We Beseech Thee.” The last several minutes, with Christ’s death followed by the group finale, are powerfully moving theatre, a major reason that “Godspell” is so often revived.

UND’s production of “Godspell” may not be perfect, but it remains rousing entertainment, effective sociopolitical and spiritual commentary, and a night well-spent in the theatre.

Questions and comments: christopher.jacobs@und.edu

Living up to a Clichéd Genre: “Paranormal Activity”

2009-10-27T20:19:33+00:00

Long story short: The independent horror film “Paranormal Activity” was shot in 2007 for $11,000 inside the director’s house during a single week. Soon it was screening at a scant few colleges, then blew up at festivals, Steven Spielberg watched it, next thing you know some producers are launching a viral marketing campaign, and before you know it the dang thing is making all kinds of millions.

Sound familiar? Welcome to all comparisons of shaky camera—on the cheep—one-man-band film-making this side of “Blair Witch Project,” which producer J.J. Abrams solidified as a genre with “Cloverfield.” This genre involves unknown actors, realistic/improvised dialogue, handheld cinematography, lo-fi special effects, and actual “documented” scares through a handheld recording device. And “Paranormal Activity” lives up to all of the staples of this relatively new genre.

You have a couple of late 20-year-olds that have been together for 3 years and are currently living in a fairly new “non-haunted” house. The lady of the house (Katie Featherston) has started to feel that she is once again being haunted by an unknown “entity” which has followed her from house to house since childhood. This excites her boyfriend (Micah Sloat) and gives him a reason to become obsessed with documenting the situation with his new expensive video camera. The boyfriend is more than skeptic about the situation until (you guessed it!) the situation escalates and his girlfriend is suffering from unexplained supernatural bite marks on her stomach! OMG! Scary!!! Yes, those last exclamation marks are intended to imply sarcasm.

“Paranormal Activity” is a good movie if you are a teenager with a group of friends that don’t know any better. “Paranormal Activity” is a good movie if you are older and are looking for something dumb. “Paranormal Activity” is good if you are easily scared. “Paranormal Activity” is good if you prefer your movies filled with the same clichés inside the same box, but with slightly different wrapping paper.

What I am trying to express my frustration at is this: “You are obviously in a haunted house. GET OUT.”

No matter how you use the camera, horror films are currently stuck in the death throes of any genre: instead of being innovating and creative like they once were, they just get more and more entrenched in their own clichés until they turn into spoofs like “Hot Shots” and the wonderful “Scary Movie” franchise. If it’s anything like the film noir, movie musicals or the Westerns, “Paranormal Activity” is proof that horror is on its way to the same grave.

I want a horror flick where when there’s an unexplained loud noise, the characters don’t descend the stairs with nothing but the light of their digital camera. Do what a real human would do and turn on the stairwell lights before doing so. I want a movie where when you witness several unexplainable and horrifying things happen over 20 nights, you don’t decide to stay just “one more night” just to see what happens.

I want a horror movie that doesn’t fit an equation. That equation being: The quality/originality of a movie is lesser than or greater to the number of teenagers sitting in the seats on opening weekend. Not to mention the other equation: Horror movies are made in proportion to the mean amount of disposable income that teenagers carry for that fiscal year.

Although there are several movies over the past decades that lie within this genre, the one by far the best is “REC.” from Spain. It has the best reason for some idiot trying to hold onto a camera no matter what while people are being murdered around him or her. Not to mention by far the best ending. The ending of these “doc” horror films is a staple unto itself: The cameraman/camera being destroyed by what ever evil the cameraman/camera was filming. Do NOT watch the American remake.

I know there is a reason the couple doesn’t leave the house and it is a cop-out. Had they actually left the house, maybe something original could have happened. “Oh hey honey, you totally got bit by some invisible thing in the middle of the night. Nah, don’t call anyone. Nah, we’ll stay here, it’ll be fine….”

Questions and comments: aredsheep@gmail.com

HPR Exclusive Interview: Guerrilla Indie Filmmaker Patrick Coyle

2009-10-22T18:46:04+00:00

Writer-director Patrick Coyle’s Minneapolis-based “Into Temptation” will open at the Fargo Theatre on Friday, October 23. The 7pm screening on Friday evening will include a special appearance by Coyle, along with critic and writer James Lileks. Contact the Fargo Theatre for information. Greg Carlson interviewed Coyle about his experiences making “Into Temptation.”
HPR: You mentioned that a significant inspiration for “Into Temptation” came from your own family. Your father considered going to seminary and you wondered what kind of priest he might have been. How much of your dad ended up in the character of John Buerlein?
Patrick Coyle: My dad informed the creation of the character of Fr. John during the writing phase. Jeremy Sisto then put his own spin on the character after picking my brain about growing up Catholic. He also did a lot of his own personal research. Although not Catholic, he began attending Sunday mass every week and struck up a fast friendship with Fr. Monaghan, 40 years his senior, the longtime pastor of Incarnation Church in South Minneapolis where we shot most of our church scenes. They sat together at lunch everyday, off in a corner by themselves, talking, laughing, arguing… I stayed away because whatever it was they were discussing, it was working on camera. Sometimes the best thing you can do as a director is nothing.

HPR: John Buerlein (Jeremy Sisto) and Ralph O’Brien (Brian Baumgartner) take unexpected approaches to their vocation as Catholic priests. Both men can be funny, brutally frank, and even caustic. How have your Catholic friends responded to your spin on the contemporary clergy?

PC: The response has been overwhelmingly positive and has caught me completely by surprise. My Catholic friends, the practicing and the disaffected, have embraced the film for its authenticity. Much of what has been said cinematically about Catholicism lately has been pretty sensational and negative. Many tell me they haven’t seen a film about Catholicism that resonates truthfully like “Into Temptation.”

Most gratifying, though, is the response I am getting from Catholic Priests, who tell me they love that I have shown priests in a human way, capable of good and bad, like all of us. My favorite e-mail was from a former priest who told me the film made him really miss what he loved most about the profession: working with others.

HPR: Buerlein’s search for Linda takes him to the heart of the sex industry. How did you balance the sensational aspects of the story – peep shows, porn shops – with the priest’s spiritual commitments and vows?

PC: Going back to the question about my dad, I was most drawn to his ability to talk in the exact same, forthright way to everyone: a CEO or a homeless person. Fr. John is the same way. His mission to help a troubled woman who crosses his path, although a little obsessive, takes him to some bad, dangerous, uncomfortable places.

He handles it by treating everyone he encounters with dignity, and they respond to him in kind. His non-judging tone was what was most important to me. I think it quietly dominates the tone of the film, which is what I intended.

HPR: “Into Temptation” is your second feature as writer/director and the second to be made in the Twin Cities. Would it be easier to make your movies somewhere else? What draws you to production in Minnesota?

PC: I made both of my films on tiny budgets. When you do not have a lot of money to throw at problems you need to be creative and think on your feet. I can do that best in Minneapolis, where I am very connected and I know the city intimately, all its secrets. I have lived here 22 years. Choosing locations becomes very important on a small budget. I was able to get nearly everything I wanted.

Also, great actors and crew live here and I was able to get the best of the best. I have made a living as an actor and a writer in the Midwest and I am proud of that as I do not want to raise my little family in L.A., a place I love to visit.

HPR: How much local casting took place?

PC: Except for my leads, Jeremy Sisto, Kristin Chenoweth, and Brian Baumgartner, all of it.

HPR: Minneapolis emerges as a real character in the movie. Which of the locations and landmarks were “must use” places for you?

PC: Not trying to shock, but getting Sex World, a garish, lurid, perfectly art-directed adult bookstore and video arcade in a bad corner of downtown Minneapolis was a coup. I was told they never allow filmmakers in there so I asked my talented, first-time location manager to get me a place as close to it as she could find and we’d have to make do. She came back and said “I got you Sex World, don’t ask how.” That being said, I never wanted to spend ten hours in the joint, but you do what you have to do on a guerrilla indie shoot. Also, Minneapolis’s stunning Stone Arch Bridge. I had to have that as well.

HPR: You play a small but significant role in the movie, and have worked as an actor for years. How does your understanding of performance inform the way you direct actors?
PC: I love actors. Without good actors a filmmaker is nothing. But over the years I have come to understand that some need a friend, some need a parent, some need a shrink, and some just need you to get out of the way and stay out. So I think the psychological wisdom I have gained over the years has served me more than anything. As for the very unsympathetic character I played, my wife made me do it to keep my SAG insurance alive.

HPR: As an independent filmmaker, can you talk a little bit about the challenges of putting together a feature without the support of a major studio?

PC: You need to be a little crazy and it is not for everybody. It’s a three to five year commitment, at least. The chances of your film seeing the light of distribution are about 1 in 500. One person has to be the passionate force that will see the film through pre-production, the shoot, post-production, then into the hardest phase of all, marketing and distribution, and that person has to be you.

You cannot take no for an answer because you will get it early and often. You will want to quit and you can’t because others have backed you financially and you need to take that trust they have placed in you very seriously. It is not just about you. You have to be willing to wear a dozen different hats; I drove the grip truck on my first film and parked it in my alley every night. It is decidedly not glamorous. On the other hand, you have complete control and your vision actually has a shot of making it to the screen. If you succeed, this makes it all worthwhile.

HPR: “Detective Fiction” was shot on 35mm and “Into Temptation” originated on the digital Red Camera system. As a director, what kind of adjustments did you make to deal with a different technology? Did you prefer one format over the other?

PC: I have a bias for film and wanted to shoot “Into Temptation” on film in the worst way. Money drove our decision to use the Red Camera, the best alternative out there, or at least that is how my DP pitched it to me. Both of us have a fear of under-covering a film and that possibility existed if we used film.

The Red proved to be really versatile and suited David Doyle’s voyeuristic style of cinematography beautifully. The Red is a new, emerging system and workflow issues arose often. We did more troubleshooting than I would have liked, but I would recommend the Red. The proof is in the pudding and I am very proud of the way my film looks.

HPR: The DVD release for “Into Temptation” is coming up. What else is on tap for the film?

PC: First Look Studios has a deal with Warner Brothers, so video on demand will be extensive. It continues to roll out theatrically which makes me happy. I love the way it plays on the big screen. And we have a foreign sales company making deals around the world. It will also land on cable some day but I am not sure when or where.

Questions and comments: gregcarlson1@gmail.com

INFO:

What: “Into Temptation” Opening Night, with Patrick Coyle and James Lileks
Where: Fargo Theatre
When: Fri, Oct 23, 7pm
How much: $10

Hi-def Halloween: Selected Horrors on Blu-ray

2009-10-21T18:18:45+00:00

Halloween season always brings out fans of horror films, and there’s no lack of them at area public screenings, on cable TV, or on home video. While there are many horror movies available on Blu-ray, unfortunately the high-definition home video format is still so new that there is not a single classic horror film from the golden era of Hollywood horror on Blu-ray as of yet. The iconic titles from the 1930s-40s Universal Pictures horror cycle and the 1960s Roger Corman color and widescreen drive-in classics all need Blu-ray releases.
The closest thing to “classic” horror on Blu-ray would be a few scattered examples from the sci-fi monster cycle of the 1950s, such as the original 1954 Japanese cut of “Gojira” (but not its 1956 re-edited and redubbed American vesion known as “Godzilla, King of the Monsters”).
There are also three of Columbia Pictures’ 1950s monster movies with stop-motion animation by Ray Harryhausen on Blu-ray in reasonably good transfers: “It Came from Beneath the Sea” (1955), “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956), and “20 Million Miles to Earth” (1957). There’s a superb Blu-ray of the original 1951 “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” but that’s even more of a sci-fi than a horror film.
A half-dozen relatively recent horror films on Blu-ray might arguably be considered “classics,” although they were all made within the past 15-35 years. All are substantially more effective in their Blu-ray editions on a large 1080p screen than with standard video on a typical TV set. Better yet, each is available on Blu-ray in the $10-$15 range if you look around.
The oldest true horror films currently on Blu-ray seem to be Tobe Hooper’s original 1974 version of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and Brian DePalma’s “Carrie” (1976). Each was an unexpected hit that spawned numerous imitators, and each had truly unsettling social subtexts that later formula films rarely if ever bothered to explore in their quest for ever increasing quantities of on-screen gore. “Carrie” is also notable for a breakthrough Oscar-nominated performance by Sissy Spacek and early screen roles of John Travolta, Betty Buckly, Amy Irving and Nancy Allen.
“Texas Chainsaw” was shot on grainy 16mm film, and “Carrie” originally had a soft ‘70s look to it. So far I’ve seen them only on film, but one should expect that look to come through on the Blu-ray versions. Some young fans have actually complained about their Blu-rays’ grainy look as if it were undesirable to preserve the films’ original intent. While the “Texas Chainsaw” Blu-ray has a fair amount of extras and is only $11 at Amazon, the “Carrie” Blu-ray has only a trailer as a bonus feature, so shop for sale prices of $10 or less. Prices are usually 50 percent to 150 percent higher at local stores.

An obvious film for late October is John Carpenter’s original “Halloween” (1978). Stylish and suspenseful, it made a star of Jamie Lee Curtis and almost single-handedly kick-started the cycle of bloody psychotic-slasher films that continue to this day, although ironically it showed very little blood itself. Perhaps a bit dated, it’s still effective.

The Blu-ray of “Halloween” is generally a good transfer, but since the film was low-budget to begin with, a number of scenes seem accidentally a bit too soft-focus. Audio is good if not particularly outstanding. There is a nice audio commentary with the director, star and producer. A halfway decent featurette (in standard-def) and trailers round out the modest bonus features.

“HALLOWEEN” ON BLU-RAY
Movie: B+ Video: B+ Audio: B+ Extras: B+

Stanley Kubrick’s film of Stephen King’s “The Shining” (1980) is another iconic horror thriller from the past 30 years. It has a very leisurely pace, especially during its first half, but Kubrick’s slow, deliberate approach tends to be more moodily disconcerting than off-putting. The basic premise of the mental strain caused by being isolated in the middle of a quiet, lonely winter may have even stronger resonance with people from North Dakota and Minnesota. Jack Nicholson is at his best when he goes insane, a truly immortal moment from American cinema.

The picture quality is lovely, the audio is fine and there are some good featurettes and an audio commentary.

“THE SHINING” ON BLU-RAY
Movie: B+ Video: A Audio: A- Extras: A

When it came out, horror writer Clive Barker’s directing debut “Hellraiser” (1987) was one of the most disturbing films released to mainstream theatres, and indeed may have helped inspire today’s trend for body piercing. Most horror films are sadly lacking in both writing and acting, but “Hellraiser” was a definite step above average for the genre, never matched by its sequels. Revisited today, it remains memorable, despite having been copied so often since (the curse of any bursts of originality).

Someone notes in one of the bonus interviews on the disc that the script was trying to be more like Ibsen with monsters than the standard action-effects oriented gorefest, and of course the story and characters are what still set it apart from the rest. The visual and makeup effects hold up quite well against today’s horror schlock, despite and perhaps because of the traditional use of makeup/props/animation in the years before CGI special effects.

The music, too, is quite effective for its relatively low budget, reminiscent of John Williams blended with Bernard Herrmann and Danny Elfman. “Hellraiser’s” only real drawback is a sometimes campy performance by Andrew Robinson (better remembered as the psychotic killer in “Dirty Harry”) as its all-too-earnest lead.

Picture quality is exactly as I remember seeing it in the theatre, and audio quality is also very good. There is a fine selection of extras, including a good (but 7-year-old) commentary track and a number of interviews with various cast and crew members (unfortunately all standard-def).

“HELLRAISER” ON BLU-RAY
Movie: A- Video: A Audio: A Extras: B+

Vampire movies are again in vogue, but one of the best was Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire” (1994), adapted by Anne Rice from her own best-selling novel. An excellent condensation of her extremely literate and literary book, it captures the vampire’s melancholy and philosophical fate as few films ever have (other than Werner Herzog’s 1979 “Nosferatu”) and offers moments of wickedly dark comedy as well.

Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise immerse themselves in their roles of Louis and Lestat, and young Kirstin Dunst is absolutely amazing as the vampire child Claudia. Rice’s metaphoric revisionism of the vampire myth made her series of novels hugely popular and inspired other variations on the genre. It’s unfortunate the same cast and director never attempted any of the sequels, which expanded Lestat’s character to cult hero proportions (he’s mainly an antagonist in this first of the series).

The Blu-ray has a beautiful picture quality and fine audio but disappointing extras. The decent audio commentary almost makes up for the very cursory “introduction” mini-documentary that precedes the feature, a brief featurette and a trailer, all in standard-def.

“INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE” ON BLU-RAY
Movie: A Video: A Audio: A Extras: B-

Questions and comments: christopher.jacobs@und.edu

Roaring Their Terrible Roars: Jonze Finally Brings “Wild Things” to the Screen

2009-10-20T18:32:42+00:00

So potent is the alchemy of Maurice Sendak’s 1963 “Where the Wild Things Are” that writers, critics and bloggers have recently generated the equivalent of several monographs addressing its potentialities of meaning: J. Hoberman notes John Cech’s “Angels and Wild Things: The Archetypal Poetics of Maurice Sendak,” Jack Shafer visits Sendak’s longstanding animosity directed against Bruno Bettelheim, and Dana Stevens mentions a Bill Moyers interview — one of several places where Sendak revealed that the inspiration for the design of his hallmark creatures bubbled up from indigestible memories of his grotesque relatives demanding food, attention and kisses.

Spike Jonze’s lavishly budgeted adaptation contributes another chapter to the media history of the Wild Things, joining Gene Deitch’s 1973 animated short and Oliver Knussen’s 1980s opera. Following an intimate and keenly observed opening section that introduces the painful isolation of Max (Max Records), the wolf-suited child sets sail for the titular domain. Upon arrival, he encounters the Wild Things, is quickly appointed king and sets about declaring the start of the wild rumpus, which involves more tree smashing than the book. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, and Max morphs from mischief-maker to harried parent, navigating the strange grievances of his subjects and intervening in their squabbles.
Jonze and his collaborators commendably respect the essence of Sendak’s original, even as they enlarge to feature-length running time a work that takes about seven minutes to read. Do not, however, expect an exact replica. In “Heads On and We Shoot: The Making of Where the Wild Things Are,” a beautiful companion book to the movie that offers pleasures distinct from the film watching experience, Jonze and co-screenwriter Dave Eggers share the anecdote that Sendak was adamantly opposed to the film’s omission of the bedroom-to-forest transformation scene. Sendak’s objection proves correct, and despite Jonze’s self-defense, many aficionados will sorely miss the treasured sequence.
Additionally, something is lost in the act of assigning names to the unnameable Wild Things, who remained mystically anonymous in the original text. Sendak’s application of the names of relations for the Knussen opera (Moishe, Tzippy, Bernard, Bruno, and Emile) are jettisoned in favor of new monikers Carol, KW, Judith, Ira, Alexander and Douglas. The human-sounding appellations ground the creatures in the kind of realism identified by Jonze as a crucial component of his version of the Wild Things. Identification through naming can also impart unanticipated consequences related to classification, assimilation and limitation, narrowing possibilities by ruling out all the things that Things are not.
Sendak, credited as one of the film’s producers, has been publicly supportive of Jonze’s vision, and the director’s melancholy — some have said depressing — construction of Max’s imaginative odyssey is strikingly bold and clearly personal. Perhaps the Wild Things, voiced by performers including James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper and Paul Dano, say too much, too often. Considering, however, that so many other directors might have made a garish, instantly dated hash of the source material — “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) and “The Cat in the Hat” (2003) jump immediately to mind — “Where the Wild Things Are” exists in a unique class.

Questions and comments: gregcarlson1@gmail.com

“It Might Get Loud” Amplifies Three Guitar Heroes

2009-10-15T02:56:05+00:00

As beautiful and exciting as the music made by its trio of subjects, “It Might Get Loud” is a warmly engaging documentary that will please and delight longtime fans of Led Zeppelin, U2, and the White Stripes.

The movie will also most certainly create new admirers. Conceived by producer Thomas Tull, “It Might Get Loud” manages a fresh take on the rock movie, focusing attention on the intimate relationship between musician and instrument instead of the sometimes caustic connection between obsessive fan and egomaniacal, self-indulgent superstar. What unfolds is a character-driven portrait of the working methods, inspirations, and personal histories of Jimmy Page, the Edge, and Jack White.
Elegantly assembled by director Davis Guggenheim, “It Might Get Loud” alternates between individual vignettes and a Los Angeles soundstage meeting dubbed the “Summit”—an unscripted guitar clinic/conversation that progresses from tentative and guarded conference to full blown jam session. In some of the most thrilling scenes in the movie, the guitarists take turns teaching signature riffs. The Edge rings out “I Will Follow,” White takes apart “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” and Page blows the minds of his younger counterparts with the monstrous grind of “Whole Lotta Love” as Edge and White break into broad smiles.
Outside the “Summit” and the visits to each player’s home turf, Guggenheim and his collaborators dish up a wealth of archival material. Short animated segments illustrate anecdotes including a tale about White’s cluttered bedroom and a visual expression of the Edge’s fascination with return echo that, as he describes it, “fill[s] in notes that I’m not playing, like two guitar players rather than one.” Mindful of the age and generational differences among the artists, Guggenheim contrasts their attitudes and styles, most noticeably how the Edge’s multilayered special effects wizardry departs from White’s insistence on self-imposed primitivism (even though the film makes clear that all three of its participants embrace invention and experimentation).
The strong personalities of Page, Edge, and White complement the movie’s focus on the power of song; at various points the men identify tracks of deep personal impact in their artistic journeys. The startlingly personal snapshots –- Page launching into impromptu air-guitar to Link Wray’s glorious “Rumble,” Edge’s epiphany at the raw intensity of do-it-yourself bands like the Ramones, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks, and White’s revelatory bewilderment at the Flat Duo Jets’ interpretation of “Froggie Went a Courtin’” and Son House’s “Grinnin’ in Your Face” –- have an oddly moving way of reminding viewers that all masters were once beginners.
In the final scenes, Page, Edge, and White morph into a howling Cerberus as they tear through “In My Time of Dying.” Then, following a brief coda that salutes the value of fortune and timing, they get together on the Band’s “The Weight,” the kind of sturdy ballad beloved by listeners and practitioners alike. One imagines that while all appreciated the results of the “Summit,” relative youngster White left feeling good about standing shoulder to shoulder with a veteran sonic innovator and an elder statesman who carries living legend status. With those kinds of influences close at hand, I can’t wait to hear the next White Stripes record.

Questions and comments: gregcarlson1@gmail.com