Not The Flick of The Day: Rock of Ages

Hey YOU! Do you like spandex? Do you like poodle haired soft rock from the 1980's? Do you enjoy the particular visual triumph of singing sunset strip hookers? Wanna see Alec Baldwin (now) in the denims he wore in the 80's? Do you think Tom Cruise can play whatever role he wants? Well Hollywood has the movie for you, Rock of Ages, the big screen adaptation of the boundlessly popular stage musical.

 Rock of Ages

With a plot seemingly taken from an old Guns n Roses video (I am being facetious of course, Axl Rose would never use a plot so mundane when swimming with dolphins was an alternative), a pretty young thing named Sherrie played by Julianne Hough of the recent and even more risible Footloose remake arrives in Los Angeles (On a Greyhound no less) seeking fame and fortune. Unfortunately her baggage  is robbed almost as soon as she arrives and penniless she gets a job working at a famed rock club owned by Alec Baldwin's Dennis Dupree. It is harsh doses of reality like this which give this film its best moments. Ah, I remember the time I was mugged, Alec Baldwin gave me a job too and then sang a great Foreigner tune. Anyway, Sherrie meets  an equally vacuous male companion in the form of Diego Boneta and before long the pair are an item. Of course, there is trouble in paradise in the form of right wing mayor Mike Whitmore, played by a slumming it Bryan Cranston and his batty wife Catherine Zeta Jones. Together they plan to clean the city of its undesirable elements starting with migrant workers. Oh wait, that's real life sorry, no they want to start with the poodle haired rockers. Into this veritable feast of nonsensical bullshit steps quite aptly Tom Cruise. Tom is Stacee Jaxx, a rock god of the confused variety. Cruise plays Jaxx as a kind of perma-stoned demonic messiah who exudes befuddlement and craziness in equal measure. This is Tom Cruise by the way. No irony there at all.

At one point a reporter asks Stacee what the real him is like which causes him to burst into a version of the old Bon Jovi number "Wanted Dead or Alive". This happens quite a lot in Rock of Ages. In lieu of actual plot development characters burst into another soft rock classic. Perhaps this is how modern musicals are supposed to be. Maybe somewhere in the world somebody is sitting in a theatre waiting for a musical to start and saying to their partner "Thank god there is none of that difficult plot stuff, just songs". There is nothing wrong with the musical numbers, nobody makes a fool of themselves, well not any more of a fool, but it just seems at times likes many of the songs are shoehorned in for no good reason other than: 

"Ooh, we've paid for that Journey song, better use it here. "

"But it's a scene where somebody is throwing up?"

"Yeah, a bit of Don't Stop Believing will work"

Maybe I'm just not being fair? Maybe this is exactly what the people of earth wanted to spend their 7 quid on? Maybe the world hasn't tired of Russell Brand? Maybe the world wants to see Tom Cruise singing "I want to know what love is" while face to face with a woman's rear end? That being the case, this is your film world, enjoy it.

Anyway it all comes to a climax in an orgy of Journey and Starship tunes. I know, Starship! I thought they were tied up in a basement somewhere for crimes against music. If there is a ray of light in an otherwise depressing two hours of my life, Paul Giamatti is excellently sleazy as Stacee's manager.
To finish then, rather than the usual trailer which would give this risible trash too much credit, below is Starship's We Built This City (On Rock and Roll) in full.

Flick of The Day: The Ides of March

The political thriller is very much a phenomenon of the 1970's when films like All The Presidents Men, The Parallax View and The Candidate took advantage of the cinema going public's cynicism and lack of public trust in the wake of the Watergate scandal. For the first time, people began to question the character of their political figures with a degree of circumspection. This kind of introspective and downhearted view of America gradually disappeared during the Reagan era, when the enemy was no longer within but in the left wing ideology of films like Salvador and a former flick of the day, The Killing Fields. Today's flick of the day, The Ides of March, then is very much a throwback to a different era from its stark opening credits to its dark hearted ending, and all the better for it.

The Ides of March

George Clooney makes a welcome return to form as a director after 2008's misbegotten Leatherheads with this extremely well acted old school thriller. The cast is stellar, Clooney himself is the idealized Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Morris on the cusp of victory in the primaries. His campaign is guided by the hard bitten campaigner Paul, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman and the idealistic Stephen Myers, played by current Hollywood golden boy Ryan Gosling, most recently seen in Drive. Together they are engaged in a bitter war with the opposing strategist played by the ever reliable Paul Giamatti. A great ensemble cast but this is very much Gosling's movie. He holds the screen in a manner that at once confirms him as an actor of note, if his previous performances in Blue Valentine and Lars and The Real Girl were not enough.  Stephen is approached by Giamatti to switch sides in the final days of campaigning for the Ohio primary and neglects to tell his boss Paul about it. He soon finds himself on the outside looking in but not before discovering a dark secret involving a staffer played by Evan Rachel Wood with tragic consequences that could derail Mike Morris's campaign.

Adapted from a play called Farragut North by Beau Willimon, this film's theatrical origins are evident from early on with some long dialogue heavy scenes. This is no bad thing though for it allows the actors to really put some meat on the bones of their characters, something so often missing from modern thrillers. Gosling gives a very powerful performance as an idealistic young man, a true believer who sees his innocence completely dispelled. The best scenes are the one on ones between Gosling and each of the other leads. A tension filled scene in a Hotel room between Gosling and Hoffman, a look behind the curtain of idealism between Giamatti and Gosling and finally a dark late night game of verbal chicken between Clooney and Gosling. Each scene gives the sense that Clooney deliberately built the film around his actors, giving them the opportunity to show off their considerable talents. 

Ultimately though this is a drama, and a downbeat one at that. By the end, everyone including the audience is stripped of their innocence and the films ends quietly and ambiguously. Indeed, at the screening I attended nobody moved as the credits began to roll which I have always taken as a sign of a film hitting its dramatic targets. 

Tom Duffy: Get out, now. Or otherwise... 

Stephen Meyers: Otherwise, I'll end up like you? 

Tom Duffy: Yeah, you end up being a jaded, cynical asshole, just like me.

It could be argued the film is deeply cynical about the American election system though my personal view is that it is if anything more realistic than one would care to imagine. A fine drama, backed up by a superb male cast who make the best of their roles and Clooney deserves credit for having the gumption to cast himself as the slickly packaged candidate, a role so perfect for him that  you could easily see it ruined by casting somebody else. A fine film and well worth your time.

Flick of The Day: Man on the Moon

It is 27 years since celebrated American comedian and performer Andy Kaufman passed away aged 35. By an conventional measures, Kaufman was an oddity. Not really a comedian, indeed it was a tag Kaufman himself shunned, his often bizarre performances combined music and outlandish complex practical jokes that only he was in on. His life story was made into a film starring Jim Carrey, Man on the Moon, which is today's flick of the day.

Man on the Moon

It would be hard to find an actor more suited to portraying somebody as wilfully different as Kaufman than Jim Carrey. Carrey long known for his rubber faced comedic roles, gives his best performance in a serious role by becoming fully immersed in the all too brief life and times of this American icon. The film skirts all the major incidents in Kaufman's life, from his beginning as an improvisational stand up that didn't do jokes to his elevation to Saturday Night Live and the incredibly popular sitcom Taxi, a role incidentally which Kaufman detested. It is a classic tale of rise and fall, Kaufman was the kind of performer whose style boggled the minds of your average audience in the late 70's and early 80's and as his performances became more outlandish, his star waned. Perhaps best remembered for his wrestling matches and feud with Jerry "The King" Lawler, the film reveals that it was another one of Andy's in-jokes and that he and Lawler were firm friends. For a man so in love with life, it was a tragic end when he succumbed to cancer.

While Carrey's is a justly lauded performance, this is a fine cast all round. Courtney Love continues on from her fine work in The People Vs Larry Flynt as Kaufman's devoted partner, reminding us all that once upon a time she was more than the perpetually addled widow of Kurt Cobain. Kaufman's former Taxi colleague Danny DeVito is equally strong as the manager who made him a star while Paul Giamatti shines as his comrade in arms.

Andy Kaufman: You don't know the real me. 

Lynne Margulies: There isn't a real you. 

Andy Kaufman: Oh yeah, I forgot

The film eschews any attempt to get to the bottom of why Kaufman was man he was in favour of a run through of his life. This lack of insight lets down the hard work put in by Jim Carrey, though it is hard to critique too much given that he never wrote about himself or revealed very much during his life. 

Perhaps the most poignant moment of the film is the night when Saturday Night Live hold a phone poll to decide whether Andy would be allowed to return to the who and he loses. The film-makers play around with history, with the implication being that his fellow cast members did not want him back though as Eddie Murphy put it on the night:

"Now Andy Kaufman is a friend of mine. Keep that in mind when you call. I don't want to have to punch nobody in America in the face"

Ultimately this is a tale of regret, of a life cut short in the prime. Those who burn brightest, burn the shortest. That said, the film is genuinely funny and at times I felt baffled by the audiences who would stare agog at Kaufman's antics and not see the joke in front of them. Perhaps he would have found a deeper and longer lasting fame in the modern world where increasingly bizarre is the new normal.

A worthy film about the life of an extraordinary man, this is definitely worthy of your time for the performances alone. Of the man himself, perhaps comedian Richard Lewis summed him up best:

"No one has ever done what Andy did, and did it as well, and no one will ever. Because he did it first. So did Buster Keaton, so did Andy"

Flick of The Day: Barney's Version

Last week we reviewed Sideways starring Paul Giamatti, which was an adaptation of a 2004 novel by Rex Pickett. Today's flick of the day is another Giamatti film and another literary adaptation, Barney's Version. Based on the celebrated work by Canadian author Mordechai Richler, it is a story of some breadth and humour.

Barney's Version

Giamatti is Barney Panofsky, a Canadian Jew who is recounting his life story to us in flashbacks as his mind falters in old age. It begins as a young man in Rome in the '70s where he hangs out with a loose group of arty intellectual friends while he works as a salesman. We see his doomed first marriage to the mentally unstable Clara, his return to Montreal to become a low rent TV producer and his equally unstable second marriage to the bitchy princess referred to only as The Second Wife and played ably by Minnie Driver. He has the misfortune of meeting and falling for the love of his life Miriam at his marriage ceremony. As he extricates himself and pursues Miriam, he is accused of the murder of his best friend who goes missing though there is no evidence of this. Throughout all this his endearing working class father Izzy, played by Dustin Hoffman stands by him and is always there to offer sound advice. As we see Barney in old age, his good humour and a life well lived carry the film through.

The dry humour of Richler's novel really shines through as the film takes a satirical look at Montreal's Jewish community. In Giamatti, they have the perfect actor to play Barney. With anyone else, Barney could come across as a bit of a depressive and Giamatti really drags the life of the character to the fore, something important in a biographical tale. Barney is passionate in his pursuit of Miriam and loves her to the very end, he enjoys a fine cigar and a drop of whiskey and is religious about the ups and downs of his favourite ice hockey team.

Barney Panofsky: ...and I'm just gonna keep talking here, 'cause I'm afraid that if I stop there's gonna be a pause or a break and you're gonna say 'It's getting late' or 'I should get going', and I'm not ready for that to happen. I don't want that to happen. Ever.  
 [they pause]  
 Miriam: There it was. The pause. 
 Barney Panofsky: Yeah.  
 Miriam: I'm still here.

The film is a love story and a life story and as Barney moves from the vitality of his youth to the complacency of middle age and ultimately his mental decline, the film becomes less humorous and more sentimental. This is not meant as a criticism however as it never wallows in it and yes when Barney's end comes, it is sad and a downbeat ending but ultimately the message comes through that Barney gave life his all and enjoyed himself.. This is a powerful lesson and a satisfying ending.

Miriam: We can be friends now, can't we?  

 Barney Panofsky: No. We can't.  

 Miriam: I'm here for you if you'll let me. We had a beautiful marriage, but it's over. I want you to be at peace with that.  

 Barney Panofsky: Have I ever given up when it comes to you?  

 Miriam: Never.  

 Barney Panofsky: So what makes you think I would start now?

In the end, this is a very good film and a worthy adaptation. Giamatti dominates the picture and quite rightly won a Golden Globe for his performance. Dustin Hoffman deserves plaudits for his down to earth portrayal of Izzy. Funny, poignant and true, this is as good a story as you will see all year. Giamatti's performance is such that you can't but fall for him and care about the decisions he makes, genuinely hoping for the best. That is film-making.

Flick of The Day: Sideways

Paul Giamatti is perhaps my favourite actor working in American cinema today. From small roles in blockbusters to the quirky star of independent films like American Splendor, he has built a reputation as talented actor with a no nonsense attitude to work. This has seen him work with some of the best and the worst of Hollywood, from George Clooney to Martin Lawrence, Today's flick of the day is one of his best performances, Alexander Payne's Sideways.

Sideways

Failed novelist Miles, played by Giamatti, is a long suffering friend of Jack, played by Thomas Haden Church an equally failed TV actor. Jack is getting married on Saturday and for his final week as a batchelor, Miles is taking him on a trip around Californian wine country. Both have different motivations for going on the trip with a depressed Miles looking to relax and Jack more concerned with sowing those last few oats. Before long they meet two interesting new women, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh. As the week progresses, they have to reassess their own relationship and their lives as they look toward the oncoming train of middle age.

For a film about something generally considered as a downer topic, dealing with growing up and old, this is a very funny film at times. This is largely because of the fine chemistry between the leads. Giamatti brings a dark manic streak to Miles, and you can sense that a breakdown is only ever just below the surface. Haden Church is the perfect foil as the unbelievably crass and conniving Jack. 

Jack: If they want to drink Merlot, we're drinking Merlot. 

Miles Raymond: No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!

There is something about sad sack characters that brings out the best in Giamatti as an actor. Who could forget his equally entertaining portrayal of cartoonist Harvey Pekar in American Splendor?

Like so many of Alexander Payne's films, it is held together by some great dialogue which draws such performances from the cast. Madsen and Oh are no less interesting for being out of the films spotlight, in a particularly fine scene they each explain their love of wine and how it has shaped their life.

" I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it's an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I'd opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive. And it's constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is, until it peaks, like your '61. And then it begins its steady, inevitable decline."

The rise and fall of a good wine is surely a metaphor for life itself with its peaks and troughs. If there is another important character in the film, it is the Californian countryside. The vineyard lined roads and the sun dappled fields are at the heart of the story as these people enjoy one last week of fun in this modern Eden.

A really lovely film, it is a fine portrayal of male friendship and of the perils of growing old or in Jack's case of never growing up in the first place. It is worth the price of admission for the early morning burglary scene alone. It is moving at times and you would have to have a hard heart not to fall for the characters. Each actor went on to bigger things and it was very much a stepping stone movie. Haden Church and Madsen were both nominated for Oscars and Sandra Oh became a TV star with Greys Anatomy. All in all, a film you just have to see.

Flick of The Day: Too Big To Fail

Finance is not something that ordinarily makes for interesting viewing. Oliver Stone's Wall Street was very much the exception that proved the rule. Indeed the sequel proved this beyond any doubt. However the crisis which engulfed the global economy in 2008 is to good a tale not to make it to the screen. Based on Andrew Ross Sorkin's bestseller of the same name, today's flick of the day is the best attempt thus far to tell that story.

Directed by Oscar winner Curtis Hanson, whose LA Confidential we reviewed recently, the film focuses on the short few months from the failure of American giant Bear Stearns to the collapse of another banking giant Lehman Brothers as seen through the eyes of the men who experienced those heady days. Hank Paulson, the US Treasury Secretary is played by William Hurt, just one of a star studded cast including Paul Giamatti as Chairman of the Fed Ben Bernanke, James Woods as a maniacal version of the head of Lehman Brothers Dick Fuld. The cast is rounded out by the solid Topher Grace, Billy Crudup, Bill Pullman and Cynthia Nixon. The film manages to make what is a dry topic entertaining and tension filled as the clock counts down to oblivion. The leads are well cast even if it is a stretch to imagine Giamatti as Ben Bernanke. 

The real strength of the film is managing to tell its story without oversimplifying the facts. The decisions made in those few months will have repercussions for years to come. If there is one criticism it is the constant focus on New York ignoring the events in London and Asia which were well covered in Sorkin's book.

Henry Paulson: The Fed can lend to non banks under unusual and exigent circumstances, we're thinking of taking over 80% of the company. 

Jim Wilkinson: Hank we can't! This morning we were lecturing the entire country on morale hazard. 

Henry Paulson: AIG has collateral, they have assets, Lehman didn't, we couldn't lend into a hole, its not the same story! 

Jim Wilkinson: Nobody is going to care, its another bailout, with no legislation, the Hill is gonna go crazy, the country is gonna go crazy. 

Henry Paulson: The plane we flew in on this morning leased from AIG, construction downtown AIG, life insurance 81 million policies with a face value of 1.9 trillion. Billions of dollars in teachers pensions, you want to big to fail here it is! You got a better idea -the suggestion box is wide open!

Another fine production from HBO Films, it is a testament to the quality of that channel's output that Sorkin's book was adapted  there rather then in a large Hollywood studio.

Overall this is a worthy account of a very interesting period in modern history told well by a talented film-maker. Hanson makes good use of an equally talented cast with William Hurt particularly strong as Paulson. Well worth a look for anyone still trying to comprehend the events of those days and has much to offer even those with an interest in the topic.

Flick of The Day: American Splendor

On July 12th 2010, the American underground comic book writer and music critic Harvey Pekar passed away, aged 70. He worked most of his adult life as a filing clerk in a veterans hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. He was of course better known for his creation of American Splendor, a series of comics which documented his day to day struggles and achievements on the streets of Cleveland.

American Splendor

The film stars the ever brilliant Paul Giamatti as Harvey, documenting his life and his thought and how he came to write an autobiographical comic about an average life. The film is narrated by Harvey himself and is interspersed with archive and modern footage of Harvey and his friends and colleagues and interviews he gave for the film. While jarring at first, it quickly grows on you because you get to see all of the weird and wonderful people in the flesh and compare them to the actor playing them. It is a minor triumph. It quickly becomes apparent, even if you are unfamiliar with Harvey's work, that he is a morose and naturally depressive character, even in his own words.

The real heart of the movie and what makes it a little gem, is that while Harvey is a depressive grouch, he  comes to realize that it is the little moments of ordinary life that make it worthwhile. This is what he sought to portray in his work, the ordinary struggles of an everyday man just to live. In his own words:

"Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff"

American Splendor, the comic, is unlike anything else out there. Its real, there are no super heroes who will save the day. Indeed, Harvey went on to document his struggles with cancer which I think was a particularly brave move. The scenes with his wife and collaborator, are touching and at times very funny. They seem to have been made for each other, though of course they had their ups and downs and this is borne out by the interview with the two of them in the film and Hope Davis is excellent as Joyce, portraying her. as somebody who was half frustrated, half in love with Harvey. The funniest scenes are between the two of them with Giamatti delivering some great deadpan lines.

I have to say I loved this film. Harvey Pekar was a very engaging character and Paul Giamatti captures him perfectly by all accounts. He captured the simple nobility in living an ordinary life, working hard and hoping that something good will come of it. Though even at the end, Harvey refuses to see the bright side of life, but then I suppose that's what made him how he was, made American Splendor what it was. As the man said:

"The theme is about staying alive. Getting a job, finding a mate, having a place to live, finding a creative outlet. Life is a war of attrition. You have to stay active on all fronts. It's one thing after another. I've tried to control a chaotic universe. And it's a losing battle. But I can't let go. I've tried, but I can't"