Choke
2008, dir. Clark Gregg. 89 minutes.
Starring Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly MacDonald, Bijou Phillips, and Clark Gregg.
Choke is the story of Victor, played by Sam Rockwell, who dropped out of medical school to support his Alzheimer's-afflicted mother (Anjelica Huston), but frequently abandoned him throughout his childhood and would then kidnap him from his various foster homes. Victor is also a sex addicted, and we see various quick flashes of all the women he's had sex with as he sees them again in the hallways of his mother's hospital, or at the Colonial Recreation Park where we works. To pay for his mother's medical care, Victor pretends to choke on food at restaurants, after which the people who rescue him feel obliged to send him money from time to time. If I ever give you the Heimlich maneuver, don't expect a cheque afterwards. In fact, you should be writing me a cheque.
I have to confess that I have not read Choke, the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, but I have read some of his other novels, such as Survivor and Fight Club. So after watching the film version of Choke, I have the distinct impression that what I saw on screen was not a completely accurate adaptation of Palahniuk's novel. To give you an idea of what I mean, imagine if David Fincher had changed the end of Fight Club (the movie) so that Edward Norton realized he was Tyler Durden, and this gave him a new lease on life which allowed him to reacquire all his success, get his job and old apartment back, and become a well-adjusted member of society. I'm thinking that film would not have had the same impact. But that is how I'm guessing actor Clark Gregg, in his screenwriting and directorial debut, has changed Choke. It ends with a message, yet as Gary said to me after the movie was over, "I'm not sure it's supposed to."
That all of course leads to a few questions of film reviewing in general. One is, can you (or should you) review a film based on how it's different than its origin novel, especially if you haven't read that novel? I want to say no, whether you read the novel or not, because deep down I feel a film should be critiqued on its own merits, and not on any external sources. That said, this lingering feeling that Choke was missing something will not go away. And since I have some experience reading novels by Mr. Palahniuk, I can't help but thinking that there is far more to the novel than there is to the film. Is that fair to the film? Maybe not. But on a more selfish note, if there is stuff missing, is the film fair to the audience?
Leaving that feeling aside for a minute, I will say that despite its patchiness, Choke is a very funny, sometimes off-puttingly so, film. I laughed out loud throughout the film, and never got bored of it (though no 89 minute film should ever bore you). Sam Rockwell is always better when he plays weird or off-balanced characters, and he's no different here. Anjelica Huston in particular impressed me, and I thought that this was some of her best work in years. In the end though, I think the acting elevated a weak script and even weaker direction by Clark Gregg, who gave it a good try, but should probably stick with acting, where I've always liked his work.
2 1/2 stars out of 5
Saw Choke Tuesday night at the Mayfair (where the heat was working better) with Gary, Kris and Ryan. Had some popcorn and a can of diet Pepsi.
Showing posts with label Mayfair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mayfair. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Dancing Ain't F__King
Showgirls
1995, Paul Verhoeven, 131 minutes.
Starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plumber
As a disclaimer, I should say that I carry more respect for filmmakers who try really hard and take risks in the hopes of making a good film, but fail, than I do for directors and producers who make merely make by-the-numbers films that always ok. When I played baseball, I always swung as a hard as I could. Most of the time, I struck out. Occasionally, I hit home runs. Some people hit the ball everytime, but never got more than a single.
Showgirls is for me in the upper pantheon of cinematic swings for the fences, up there with Heaven's Gate, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Spike Lee's 2004 film She Hate Me. Don't get me wrong, Showgirls is an awful film, but underneath its dreck, I feel that there are massive piles of potential.
Starring Saved By the Bell sweetheart Elizabeth Berkley, Showgirls is about a girl who hitches in to Las Vegas with only a suitcase to her name, and within an hour has even less than that. Her dream is to become a dancer in one the extravagant Casino dance shows, but of course ends up at a sleazy strip club. A series of chance encounters eventually gets her a shot at the big show, where she eventually realizes how much the classy dance performance, the strip club, and even prostitution are all really the same thing.
Don't kid yourself, the film is truly awful, and is known as much for being the highest grossing NC-17 film of all time as for anything else. Berkley can't act, that's for sure, but I can't help think that beyond Berkley's piss poor lead performance, and the occasionally painful dialogue, the film does get across exactly what it is trying to say about Las Vegas, and by extension, the entertainment industry as a whole. It's probably not inconceivable that the Hollywood system is not different, and I think that that may have hit too close to home for many people, which probably lead to some overly harsh reviews. MacLachlan, Gershon, and Plumber do credible jobs in their roles, and the set design and choreography is appropriately cheesy. The films does drag on longer than it needs to, and the ...
SPOILER ALERT
... rape scene near the end is more graphic than it needs to be ...
SPOILERS OVER
... but overall it's not a bad film, and one wonders what a more credible actress might have brought to the role. Widely available on DVD, Steph and I saw this on Saturday night at the Mayfair, where they may not have had any more heat, but at least they had some popcorn.
2 1/2 stars out of 5.
1995, Paul Verhoeven, 131 minutes.
Starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plumber
As a disclaimer, I should say that I carry more respect for filmmakers who try really hard and take risks in the hopes of making a good film, but fail, than I do for directors and producers who make merely make by-the-numbers films that always ok. When I played baseball, I always swung as a hard as I could. Most of the time, I struck out. Occasionally, I hit home runs. Some people hit the ball everytime, but never got more than a single.
Showgirls is for me in the upper pantheon of cinematic swings for the fences, up there with Heaven's Gate, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Spike Lee's 2004 film She Hate Me. Don't get me wrong, Showgirls is an awful film, but underneath its dreck, I feel that there are massive piles of potential.
Starring Saved By the Bell sweetheart Elizabeth Berkley, Showgirls is about a girl who hitches in to Las Vegas with only a suitcase to her name, and within an hour has even less than that. Her dream is to become a dancer in one the extravagant Casino dance shows, but of course ends up at a sleazy strip club. A series of chance encounters eventually gets her a shot at the big show, where she eventually realizes how much the classy dance performance, the strip club, and even prostitution are all really the same thing.
Don't kid yourself, the film is truly awful, and is known as much for being the highest grossing NC-17 film of all time as for anything else. Berkley can't act, that's for sure, but I can't help think that beyond Berkley's piss poor lead performance, and the occasionally painful dialogue, the film does get across exactly what it is trying to say about Las Vegas, and by extension, the entertainment industry as a whole. It's probably not inconceivable that the Hollywood system is not different, and I think that that may have hit too close to home for many people, which probably lead to some overly harsh reviews. MacLachlan, Gershon, and Plumber do credible jobs in their roles, and the set design and choreography is appropriately cheesy. The films does drag on longer than it needs to, and the ...
SPOILER ALERT
... rape scene near the end is more graphic than it needs to be ...
SPOILERS OVER
... but overall it's not a bad film, and one wonders what a more credible actress might have brought to the role. Widely available on DVD, Steph and I saw this on Saturday night at the Mayfair, where they may not have had any more heat, but at least they had some popcorn.
2 1/2 stars out of 5.
In Heaven, Everything Is Fine
Eraserhead
1977, David Lynch. 90 minutes
starring Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Jeanne Bates, Jack Fisk
If you've seen Eraserhead, and you're talking to someone who hasn't, their inevitable question will be "what is it about?", and that will probably be a question you dread. Most people who have watched the film will probably argue that it is also an irrelevant question, but for the sake of simplicity, let's just say that, loosely, Eraserhead is about a man who finds out that he fathered a child prematurely, so he moves in with the mother and the child, and discovers that the child is severely deformed. And yet as I write that, the plot seems even more irrelevant than ever.
Eraserhead isn't really a narrative film, per se, and yet it does have a fairly straightforward plot line. In that way, it's one of the mot narrative surrealist films. If you were having a party and wanted weird video installations throughout your home as decoration or art, Eraserhead might be a wise DVD to purchase. David Lynch shot it on a shoestring budget over a period of 5 years, which adds to its disjointed feel. Upon this viewing, for the first time on a big theatre screen, it struck me how much its style and plot foreshadowed most of Lynch's later work, for everything from Blue Velvet to Lost Highway to INLAND EMPIRE. If you do get a chance to ever see this film on the big screen, be sure to check it out.
4 stars out of 5
Steph, Gary and I made our first trip to the new Mayfair, where I wanted to have popcorn, but they were sold out, something I've never seen in 23 years of going to the movies. Poor form Mayfair, poor form. Also, someone please turn on the furnace in that place ... it's freezing.
Fun Fact of the Day: The general rule of thumb for film screenplays are that one page of script equals one minute of film. So, for example, a 90 minute film should have a script between 90 and 100 pages. Eraserhead's script was about 18 pages long.
1977, David Lynch. 90 minutes
starring Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Jeanne Bates, Jack Fisk
If you've seen Eraserhead, and you're talking to someone who hasn't, their inevitable question will be "what is it about?", and that will probably be a question you dread. Most people who have watched the film will probably argue that it is also an irrelevant question, but for the sake of simplicity, let's just say that, loosely, Eraserhead is about a man who finds out that he fathered a child prematurely, so he moves in with the mother and the child, and discovers that the child is severely deformed. And yet as I write that, the plot seems even more irrelevant than ever.
Eraserhead isn't really a narrative film, per se, and yet it does have a fairly straightforward plot line. In that way, it's one of the mot narrative surrealist films. If you were having a party and wanted weird video installations throughout your home as decoration or art, Eraserhead might be a wise DVD to purchase. David Lynch shot it on a shoestring budget over a period of 5 years, which adds to its disjointed feel. Upon this viewing, for the first time on a big theatre screen, it struck me how much its style and plot foreshadowed most of Lynch's later work, for everything from Blue Velvet to Lost Highway to INLAND EMPIRE. If you do get a chance to ever see this film on the big screen, be sure to check it out.
4 stars out of 5
Steph, Gary and I made our first trip to the new Mayfair, where I wanted to have popcorn, but they were sold out, something I've never seen in 23 years of going to the movies. Poor form Mayfair, poor form. Also, someone please turn on the furnace in that place ... it's freezing.
Fun Fact of the Day: The general rule of thumb for film screenplays are that one page of script equals one minute of film. So, for example, a 90 minute film should have a script between 90 and 100 pages. Eraserhead's script was about 18 pages long.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Pink Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
1968, dir. George Roy Hill. star. Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Katherine Harris, Strothers Martin.
1 h 50 min
This was the second part of last night's double-bill at the Mayfair, and the last film I will ever see at the Mayfair in its current incarnation. Still had some diet pepsi from The Sting, so I didn't refill.
My joke blog entry title is a double reference. The first is that the film print seemed to have absolutely no yellow left in it (only red and blue, or magenta and cyan for those you who want to get technical). Being a western, with the usual western tones of brown and beige, this meant that the whole film had a very pronounced pink hue to it. I don't really feel like this changed my impression of the film, however, though some might be inclined to feel that it emphasizes the latent homosexuality between Butch and Sundance. Overwall though, this is a great Western, and seeing as how not many of those get made these days, I was glad that I got to see it.
4 stars out of 5 (5 out of 5 if you were to get up to pee during two of the musical montages).
1968, dir. George Roy Hill. star. Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Katherine Harris, Strothers Martin.
1 h 50 min
This was the second part of last night's double-bill at the Mayfair, and the last film I will ever see at the Mayfair in its current incarnation. Still had some diet pepsi from The Sting, so I didn't refill.
My joke blog entry title is a double reference. The first is that the film print seemed to have absolutely no yellow left in it (only red and blue, or magenta and cyan for those you who want to get technical). Being a western, with the usual western tones of brown and beige, this meant that the whole film had a very pronounced pink hue to it. I don't really feel like this changed my impression of the film, however, though some might be inclined to feel that it emphasizes the latent homosexuality between Butch and Sundance. Overwall though, this is a great Western, and seeing as how not many of those get made these days, I was glad that I got to see it.
4 stars out of 5 (5 out of 5 if you were to get up to pee during two of the musical montages).
The Sting
The Sting
1973, dir. George Roy Hill. star. Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
2h 9min
Saw this last night at the Mayfair with Paddy. I sat in the balcony because those are the only seats I find comfortable, so hopefully once the "new" Mayfair opens up with new seating, I can sit closer to the screen. Ate some popcorn and a diet Pepsi. The print was in decent shape, though the sound was a bit muddled. I'm not sure whether that was the print, or the sound system at the Mayfair (also being redone by its new operators). The film has some good laughs, and some homosexual subtext between Newman and Redford (if you're into looking for that sort of thing), but not nearly as much of either as the evning's second flic, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
3 stars out of 5
1973, dir. George Roy Hill. star. Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
2h 9min
Saw this last night at the Mayfair with Paddy. I sat in the balcony because those are the only seats I find comfortable, so hopefully once the "new" Mayfair opens up with new seating, I can sit closer to the screen. Ate some popcorn and a diet Pepsi. The print was in decent shape, though the sound was a bit muddled. I'm not sure whether that was the print, or the sound system at the Mayfair (also being redone by its new operators). The film has some good laughs, and some homosexual subtext between Newman and Redford (if you're into looking for that sort of thing), but not nearly as much of either as the evning's second flic, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
3 stars out of 5
Friday, November 21, 2008
New Movies this Weekend
A couple new movies this week, and a few classics as well:
Friday:
Synedoche, NY
2008. dir. Charlie Kaufman. star. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan
This is the directorial debut of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who wrote Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Human Nature, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. I am told that you will not understand this on your first viewing, so we'll see. Steph and I checking this out tonight.
exclusively at the Bytowne
Heaven and Earth
2008. dir. Deepa Mehta
I've seen a preview a couple of times. Seems like it's an India-Canada immigration drama. Mehta's last film was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
2008. dir. Mark Herman. star. David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga
The story of two young boys interacting through opposites sides of a concentration camp fence during World War II in Germany. Expect tears.
exclusively at World Exchange Cinemas
Bolt
animated crap, with the voices of Hannah Montana (or whatever the fuck her real name is) and John Travolta. It'll be shit. You know I'm right.
Twilight
As I'm not a 15 year old girl, I have no comment on the vampire tale. I bet it'll suck, though (hahahahahahahahahahah ... I am funny)
Monday through Wednesday:
Check out the Mayfair before it becomes something else (though hopefully something better)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1968)
The Sting (1973)
both dir. George Roy Hill. star. Paul Newman, Robert Redford.
Butch Cassidy is a great western with awful fucking music and a stupid bicycle scene. Without that crap, it'd be one of my favorite westerns.
The Sting is considered a classic (and it won the 1973 Best Picture Oscar, though I feel that The Exorcist and Cries And Whispers are far better films).
Wednesday
Australia
2008. dir. Baz Luhrman. star. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman.
Big Aussie epic centering around the bombing of Darwin. I'm sure it'll be the feast for the eyes, though I have no idea whether it'll be any good. A warning though, it clocks in a a whopping 2 hours and 44 minutes.
Four Christmases
2008. dir. Seth Gordon. star. Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon.
The premise is that Vaughn and Witherspoon play a couple who have to visit all of their families on Christmas. Since both of their sets of parents are divorced, that means 4 christmases. Hence the tile. The trailer has some laughs in it, though don't all trailers? We'll see, I guess.
Friday:
Synedoche, NY
2008. dir. Charlie Kaufman. star. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan
This is the directorial debut of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who wrote Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Human Nature, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. I am told that you will not understand this on your first viewing, so we'll see. Steph and I checking this out tonight.
exclusively at the Bytowne
Heaven and Earth
2008. dir. Deepa Mehta
I've seen a preview a couple of times. Seems like it's an India-Canada immigration drama. Mehta's last film was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
2008. dir. Mark Herman. star. David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga
The story of two young boys interacting through opposites sides of a concentration camp fence during World War II in Germany. Expect tears.
exclusively at World Exchange Cinemas
Bolt
animated crap, with the voices of Hannah Montana (or whatever the fuck her real name is) and John Travolta. It'll be shit. You know I'm right.
Twilight
As I'm not a 15 year old girl, I have no comment on the vampire tale. I bet it'll suck, though (hahahahahahahahahahah ... I am funny)
Monday through Wednesday:
Check out the Mayfair before it becomes something else (though hopefully something better)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1968)
The Sting (1973)
both dir. George Roy Hill. star. Paul Newman, Robert Redford.
Butch Cassidy is a great western with awful fucking music and a stupid bicycle scene. Without that crap, it'd be one of my favorite westerns.
The Sting is considered a classic (and it won the 1973 Best Picture Oscar, though I feel that The Exorcist and Cries And Whispers are far better films).
Wednesday
Australia
2008. dir. Baz Luhrman. star. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman.
Big Aussie epic centering around the bombing of Darwin. I'm sure it'll be the feast for the eyes, though I have no idea whether it'll be any good. A warning though, it clocks in a a whopping 2 hours and 44 minutes.
Four Christmases
2008. dir. Seth Gordon. star. Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon.
The premise is that Vaughn and Witherspoon play a couple who have to visit all of their families on Christmas. Since both of their sets of parents are divorced, that means 4 christmases. Hence the tile. The trailer has some laughs in it, though don't all trailers? We'll see, I guess.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Upcoming movies in the next week
Moulin Rouge - 2001, Baz Luhrman; Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor. Playing at the Mayfair on Thursday (probably won't see, though I've never seen it, and I'd like to).
I've Loved You For So Long - 2008. Kristin Scott-Thomas. Opening at the Bytowne on Friday. Not sure who the director is, but Kristin Scott-Thomas is supposed to be really good as a woman reunited with her sister after having been in prison for 15 years for a brutal murder. Was playing at Starcite in Gatineau for the past few weeks, but without English subtitles. (will probably see)
Role Models - 2008. Paul Rudd, Stiffler, McLovin. [I figured those names would mean more than the actors' real names]. Opens Friday at any theatre near you. There's a few good laughs in the trailer, so who knows, I might see it.
Shoot the Piano Player - 1960, Francois Truffaut. Truffaut's second feature demonstrates his love for old Hollywood crime films. Playing at the Bytowne next Monday, and if you're a fan of French new Wave, you have to go see it. (Will definitely see)
I've Loved You For So Long - 2008. Kristin Scott-Thomas. Opening at the Bytowne on Friday. Not sure who the director is, but Kristin Scott-Thomas is supposed to be really good as a woman reunited with her sister after having been in prison for 15 years for a brutal murder. Was playing at Starcite in Gatineau for the past few weeks, but without English subtitles. (will probably see)
Role Models - 2008. Paul Rudd, Stiffler, McLovin. [I figured those names would mean more than the actors' real names]. Opens Friday at any theatre near you. There's a few good laughs in the trailer, so who knows, I might see it.
Shoot the Piano Player - 1960, Francois Truffaut. Truffaut's second feature demonstrates his love for old Hollywood crime films. Playing at the Bytowne next Monday, and if you're a fan of French new Wave, you have to go see it. (Will definitely see)
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