Stand And Delivered

I hate math but I loved Jaime Escalante and the movie he inspired, STAND AND DELIVER (1988), featuring Edward James Olmos in his fantastic, Oscar-nominated performance as Escalante. RIP.

Retro-View: Spider-Man 2 (2004)

In keeping with last year’s inaugural comic book spirit, I thought it’d be fun to take on a more recent, less cultish film such as SPIDER-MAN 2, an average title for an above average superhero comic book movie — it should have been called THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (as in Michael Chabon’s unused early draft). After the ka-ching global success of the first film, director Sam Raimi found his rhythm and bearings in the second film. I thought Raimi nailed the heart and soul of Peter Parker in SPIDER-MAN, while the comic book spectacle felt lacking (except for the Green Goblin’s macabre death). While I was unsure of Tobey Maguire at first (I had wanted Wes Bentley from AMERICAN BEAUTY, who has a darker edge), he fit well with the character, giving him a real empathy and his transition from geek to super-hero is one of the best in the genre. Sony made a wise decision when they hired Raimi, a lifelong fan of the web-slinger, to helm the films. His DARKMAN (1990) proved he could pull off a live action comic book, and his kinetic style is perfectly suited to the graphic and cinematic medium. I could think of no better director for SPIDER-MAN.

Sam Raimi has an appreciation for the geeks and also knows how to pile on them, the better to engender sympathy. His mid-Western innate sincerity, like David Lynch, allows him to sell the “gee whiz” quality of Peter Parker’s humble home life with Aunt May. How often do you see superheroes worry about getting 50 dollars to pay rent? Strangely, the subtext of SP2 is how our economy is hardwired into our daily lives, such as the sad scene of Aunt May being turned down for a loan. Although I wonder why magnate and haunted pal Harry Osborn doesn’t give him a few bucks (even though Spider-Man killed his villainous father). Screenwriter Alvin Sargeant finds the desperate soul of the character, highlighting Peter Parker’s unlucky attempts at life and especially love with Mary Jane Watson. While Kirsten Dunst isn’t at all the medusa siren of the comics (her first appearance and line, “Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot” is one of the great Marvel moments), she captures the confused longing of her character. Likewise James Franco makes a good transition into his father’s green boots, particularly his look of genuine shock when he discovers Spider-Man’s real identity.  J. K. Simmons again nails J. Jonah Jameson, one of the coups of the first film as his portrayal is the only one that need be, another rare example of perfect comic book casting. Rosemary Harris and Cliff Robertson make a welcome return as well. And Bruce Campbell’s funny cameo is possibly his best ever.

To that end, while I thought William Dafoe was a terrific Green Goblin (despite the immobile mask), Alfred Molina brings even more power and charisma as Doctor Otto Octavius to his admittedly slim role. He maximizes his every line, and I don’t think anybody could have gotten away with smirking, “Butter fingers” and making it work in a classic manic Raimi moment. He’s one of the best cinema super-villains and a worthy opponent to Spider-Man. And whatever reservations I had about Tobey Maguire were dissipated by SPIDER-MAN 2. I fully accepted him as the longing, beleaguered Peter Parker, and Maguire not only pulls off his character’s sense of regretful heavy burden, I believe he is Spider-Man, even during the more CG moments, which work wonderful here since they seem alive with colorful, almost stop-motion, apropos dynamics. I think his quips are great (especially in his confrontation with Doc Ock at the bank) and synch up with the Stan Lee version; I just wish they had given Spidey a few more battle lines. But maybe this was just enough to keep the tension during the action. And these are easily the best action scenes in the history of American comic-book movies. Only SUPERMAN 2′s city fight can compare to the bank robbery and train battle sequences — though I’d also throw in Irvin Kershner’s spectacular fight at the climax of ROBOCOP 2 (a comic-book movie if ever). Raimi is at the peak of his directorial skills along with Bill Pope’s crisp cinematography as every composed shot is logically choreographed like a brutal ballet. Here are the super-hero set-pieces writ cinematic that fans have been waiting to see for decades. Major kudos to John Dykstra and his team for these thrilling effects shots.

I think Raimi found his superhero groove with this film, throwing in two moments that illustrate his extremes, the wild horrifying scene with Doctor Octavius taking out a team of doctors in a tribute to his EVIL DEAD days; and the inspired montage set to “Raindrops Keep Falin’ On My Head” (placed there on a whim by editor Bob Murasawki) after Peter Parker decides to become Spider-Man No More — and Raimi does what comic book directors should do more often, which is recreate an actual John Romita frame from the comic as in the iconic shot of the web-slinger’s costume hanging out of a garbage can, the silhouette of Parker in the background. He also understands the tragic adolescent poetry of the character as in the lovely, haunting image of Spider-Man swinging forlorn through the city after Mary Jane’s wedding announcement. It’s also hard not to be moved by the subtle 9/11 tribute to New York when our hero’s unmasked, unconscious body is carried aloft by the brave train passengers. There’s a lot of sadness in this film, especially in the painful moment where Parker tells Aunt May that he failed to stop Uncle Ben’s killer. Whenever people accuse comic book movies of escapism, I know they don’t read that many.

While Danny Elfman’s score for SPIDER-MAN lacked his usual melodic weight, I responded to his controversial soundtrack for the sequel. The Spider-Man theme seems more grand, operatic and I especially like the music cues over the clever Alex Roth drawn credits retelling the origin story. The final scene plays beautifully, with Mary Jane telling Peter Parker to “Go get ‘em, tiger” and for one glorious moment, he assumes his great power and responsibility as Spider-Man with a triumphal swing into the concrete jungle of New York set to Elfman’s stirring orchestral theme. SPIDER-MAN 2 is the distillation of Sam Raimi’s cinematic skill and an American pop movie masterpiece.

Happy Birthday Austin Pendleton

Along with Quentin Tarantino’s birthday, we must celebrate the 70th birth of one of my favorite actors, the unique versatile Austin Pendleton, who made his debut in, er, uh, some film called SKIDOO (1968) — but who had actually briefly appeared in PETULIA (1967) — and who first came to my attention as the scene-stealing chess wizard in THE THIEF WHO CAME TO DINNER (1972), which I watched devoutly every single time it came on HBO. I was happy to see him show up as “Max” in THE MUPPET MOVIE (1980), an utterly charming and wonderful film that perfectly projected Jim Henson’s creations onto the silver screen. Here’s a wonderful clip to savor in its whole, featuring Austin and Charles Durning trying to convince Kermit to become spokesfrog for…well, you know. I love Paul William’s infectious songs, particularly during this jaunty road theme, “Movin’ Right Along.” Make a wish!

Saturday Afternoon Matinee ’75

Friday Song: Love

It took me a long time before I discovered the dark ethereal beauty of LOVE, or at least Arthur Lee’s musical version. They first hit the pop scene in 1965, scoring a hit cover of Burt Bacharach’s “Little Red Book” from WHAT’S UP, PUSSYCAT? and branching off as a more complex, jangly pop psychedelia of fantastic LA. The band and Arthur Lee’s intense songs were a big influence on The Doors, who often played together on the Strip. Lee also held court in his famous Hollywood hills retreat, “The Castle,” where Bob Dylan and the cream of the 60′s crop gathered (Harrison Ford was their carpenter) and where Roger Corman shot a few scenes for THE TRIP (1967). Sadly, Lee did not like to tour and this hurt the band’s burgeoning popularity, keeping them on the critical fringes. This was doubly sad given their 1967 masterpiece, “Forever Changes,” stands as one of the musical monuments of the decade. It wasn’t until around 2000 that I picked up a copy of the disc and was suitably blown away. I was fortunate to have seen Arthur Lee (with a band of excellent youngsters providing note-perfect back-up) when he blasted back into the limelight with a global tour of  “Forever Changes” at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco in 2002. The best part of the show was when Arthur Lee crept into the audience and had an intimate sing-along with the crowd to this sweet, melancholy tune, “Old Man.” He passed on in 2006, but the changes remain forever.

Robert Culp RIP

He was a very unique, savvy actor among other pursuits. Now where is the wide-screen release of his fascinating 1972 directorial debut, HICKEY & BOGGS, also starring Bill Cosby and written by Walter Hill?

Forgotten Films: Who Is Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971)

Between AIP’s THE SAGA OF THE VIKING WOMEN AND THEIR VOYAGE TO THE WATERS OF THE GREAT SEA SERPENT (1957); DR. STRANGELOVE OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1963); OH DAD, POOR DAD, MOMMA’S HUNG YOU IN THE CLOSET AND I’M FEELING SO SAD (1966) and THE EFFECTS OF GAMMA RAYS ON MAN-IN-THE-MOON MARIGOLDS (1972), the film that holds its own in the longest title ever sweepstakes might be WHO IS HARRY KELLERMAN AND WHY IS HE SAYING THOSE TERRIBLE THINGS ABOUT ME? from 1971. In William Froug’s essential book of interviews, “The Screenwriter Looks At The Screenwriter” Nunnally Johnson (THE THREE FACES OF EVE; THE DIRTY DOZEN) says, “I don’t care how good a movie is, if it has a title like WIHKAWIHSTTTAM? I know that fellow is not a secure man who wrote that.”

Well, he has one point but playwright Herb Gardner (A THOUSAND CLOWNS) probably did not consider his jangled script “secure” when he wrote and co-produced this rarely-seen or screened 1971 Cinema Center Films release, a late lamented production company from CBS in the heyday of New Cinema. Stylishly helmed by the unique stage director, Ulu Grosbard, the very theatrical writing of Gardner combined with Grosbard’s obvious love for actors makes this a very New York Off-Broadway movie. I’m enamored of its crisp early 70′s look, featuring sleek penthouse production design by Harry Horner and well-shot by the one of the best City Grit chroniclers, Victor J. Kemper (THE HOSPITAL; DOG DAY AFTERNOON). Along with the cool credits, there are vivid, memorable character moments among an elliptical, distant, languid film that received scant praise upon release and another fallen through the reels of time. Until now.

The story is classic 8 1/2 cinematic metaphoric, dealing with the suicidal breakdown of songwriting superstar George Soloway and his hunt for one “Harry Kellerman,” an invisible foe causing havoc in his personal life, sending Soloway on a fantasia through his past and future with his psychiatrist Dr. Moses (Jack Warden) as guide. We watch George go from cynical hit-maker louging in a Manhattan skyscraper and back to idealistic troubador strumming on the “E” train. Ulu Grosbard is an intelligent director who lets scenes breathe, possibly to the detriment of a certain rhythm here, but that could also be due to the stagey dialogue (“I was 18 and knew how to live forever”) that favors repetition for effect and pop quips for depth. I find the ending too easy and oblique, but hey, it was the 70′s, man.

WIHKAWIHSTTTAM? is more sedate than you might imagine given the subject matter and my main critique is that Soloway doesn’t represent an actual cultural persona or attitude. He writes army marches, protest songs and ad jingles yet is somehow seen as a “man of the people.” Gardner has deliberately or unintentionally fudged any real pop or rock sensibility with a broad theatricality that probably worked against the film’s success. The songs by Shel Silverstein aren’t all that memorable and the scene where Soloway comes up to jam with Dr. Hook in concert (prior to an actual Grateful Dead show) doesn’t have any emotional verisimilitude. We never bond with Soloway since he’s such an abstract construct. As Nunnally Johnson said, “I would have found some reason for the audience to be concerned…to have some feeling about this man.”

Actually, WIHKAWIHSTTTAM? resembles and plays like ANNIE HALL minus Woody Allen’s witty satirical observations. Still, it’s a minor tour-de-force for the versatile Dustin Hoffman, one of my favorite actors, and while I never quite believe the character of Georgie Soloway, I believe in Hoffman’s whimsical portrayal. He’s always a pleasure to watch, particularly in a role that most people don’t even know exists. Fortunately, his next film with Grosbard, the superior STRAIGHT TIME (1978), might be Hoffman’s best onscreen performance.

Even better, Grosbard and Hoffman are generous with the supporting cast, allowing the pixie powerhouse Barbara Harris to fully steal the movie as an anxious actress auditioning for a Soloway show on her 34th birthday. Dismissed as old fashioned, she ponders aloud her stagebound life and Where Did The Time Go? It’s a poignant paen to actors who willingly sacrifice to the machineries of time; Hoffman gives great silent support and Grosbard frames the shots around Harris’s heartbreaking face and performance — that ironically gave her a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Among the others, Jack Warden is terrific as Dr. Moses and his Ray Charles lip-sync is the funniest moment of the film. Dom DeLuise plays Soloway’s sleepy accountant, who must answer if he thinks of George as a friend or just a business. It’s nice to see DeLuise and Hoffman work together and you’re reminded how subtle an actor can be given the right role and direction. Also memorable is Soloway’s 5 am visit to his dying father’s restaurant. David Burns is excellent as the pragmatic business owner who feels cheated out of time. Since the paperback script edition is dedicated “To Pop,” there’s no doubt this is indeed a gentle tribute. These empathetic key-hole speeches are Herb Gardner at his best and quiet, thoughtful scenes like this are what make WIHKAWIHSATTTAM? worthy of a visit along with a proper DVD release.

More Like Little Big Horn Bitches

“If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.” – Jim DeMint (R)

The Obama Way

Friday Song: Lulu

In honor of the 23000 teachers being laid off today in California as our state slips closer into the ocean:

Sci-Fi Dystopia Theatre: Rollerball (1975)

The natural cinematic progeny of the sci-fi drive-in roller derby 70′s era remains ROLLERBALL, a film that seems to gain in stature over the years if only for its prescient glimpse at a hi-tech world led by corporations not countries. In the year 2018, war is a costly and outdated waste of resources, so the global battlefield has been downsized to a violent sporting event on wheels designed as “breads and circuses” for the masses. At the peak of his fame, Jonathan E (James Caan), the greatest player of all time, is forced by the Houston Energy Corporation into an early retirement for reasons he doesn’t understand. Jonathan E is a standard jock-type, not an intellectual, but he’s savvy enough to know when he’s being played. His burgeoning self-awareness (the ultimate cinematic theme of the 70′s?) is admirable as he tries to navigate the behind-the-scenes machinations of Rollerball. He soon realizes that he is but a pawn in a multinational fishbowl; his investigation into the nature of the sport and his ultimate rebellion against the corporate system leads to a suitably fiery, violent conclusion.

ROLLERBALL, written by William Harrison and based on his 1973 Esquire short story, is a genuine oddity in the Norman Jewison directorial canon (his previous film was JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR), but archetypal for the early 70′s, when studios weren’t afeared to release films that didn’t play to easy audience expectations. Like other movies of the era, the story isn’t out to provide a noble hero with a cathartic victory, though that theme runs between the wires here. How visionary is it that Jonathan plays for the Houston team, symbol for the Texas monopoly on energy and entertainment. The opening scene is unforgettable if you saw this film as a lad or lassie, the ominous chords of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor as it leads us from the stark entrance of the Rollerball teams to the audience rising for the Corporate Anthem. I dig how Jonathan taps his spiked fist against his leg; he’s ready to skate and bash. I also like the image of the well-suited business giants led by Barthlomew (John Houseman in a terrific performance) in their box seats savoring the deadly brawls on the rink above the hoi polloi. Jewison expertly directs the Rollerball games using a verite camera to capture the tics and mannerisms of the eager players and bloodthirsty audience, mimicing the raw spectacle of ABC’S WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS. This whole almost wordless opening is a testament to the 70′s era of subtlty. Until the steel ball shoots out and the players take to the rink in fierce battle.

As Jonathan E, James Caan turns in one of his most interesting performances of the decade. Caan is a tough actor who doesn’t project much warmth, specifically because he is tough, and his quiet inner-rage suits the character well. He doesn’t completely alter his personality as he discovers the smoke and mirrors bottom-line manifesto of 2018, and it’s not clear if Caan merely resents his beloved death sport being twisted by corporate manipulation or if he has realized the whole system is bankrupt and an enslaving illusion. The scene where Jonathan E lets Moonpie get revved up against the Tokyo team shows that he still revels in the competitive bloodlust of sports. Still, it’s better that he never speechifies about his societal confusion as Caan lets us see him awaken. Harrison’s sparse script and Jewison’s clinical direction keep these ideas bubbling under the story’s cold surface. This is a very 70′s film: the characters are flawed, unlikable and emotion is kept at spiked arm’s length. They’re even addicted to tiny pills that induce a Soma-like calm and reverie.

Of course the most interesting thing about ROLLERBALL next to its ingenious sport is the science fiction elements and how they are portrayed in an era before STAR WARS (1977), when the genre tended towards somber brooding cautionaries in the cinematic dystopic age. Special effects tended to be bland opticals done by faceless departments. One of the common mistakes of the period was to neglect fashion projections in favor of more extreme styles of 1974. The polyester jumpsuits and the feathered hair along with “futuristic” numbers are in abundance here, but that’s cool, maybe by 2018 we’ll have come full circle back into the leisure suit age (that would be true dystopia). Fortunately, there are many visual pleasures in ROLLERBALL, courtesy of cinematographer Douglas Slocombe (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK), whose stark wide-screen vision complements the minimalist sets and design. Art director Robert Haig’s “Multi-Vision” big home screen is apropos and the “television and crystals” look is consistent with the new-age era. Since Haig did similar duties for ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (1969) he gets an approving pass. The film’s German locations definitely give it an otherworldly ambiance. And what can be said about the classical score, conducted by Andre Previn and featuring one of the funkiest Moog tracks (“Executive Party”) to ever come out of that wondrous soundboard (of course it’s become a favorite of modern hipsters).

The actors are all game, and it’s interesting to note that in the post-feminist future, women like Maud Adams can be replaced like stock options and the ultimate goal is to marry an executive, a few who were former Rollerball players. Moses Gunn is good as Jonathan’s sincere, confused coach and John Beck makes an effective Moonpie, who seems just right as a Texas-sized bruiser. And I do love John Houseman here, a corporate guru who feeds pills to his players as he gives them locker-room pep-talks.  “Stupid Game. Awful game,” Bartholmew later tells Jonathan E. in the last breach with his company-induced reality. He also informs him that “Corporate society was an inevitable destiny” in a line that sums up the major theme of the film. Ralph Richardson provides the film’s only intentional levity as the absent-minded overseer of “Zero” the world’s super computer who sadly has no more memory. Although this scene is tonally different, as are Peter Ustinov’s scenes in LOGAN’S RUN (1976), it adds a nice comedic respite in an otherwise grim, steely film.

ROLLERBALL is certainly one of my favorite genre films and I pine for the day when complex thematic questions could be asked but necessarily answered (the less said about the pitiful 2002 remake the better). But that’s not to say that the movie doesn’t engage us on a primal and visceral level, which certainly accounted for its box-office success — without which we wouldn’t have DEATH RACE 2000 (1976) — asking us to check our responses to the onscreen carnage. As a child I responded by putting on hockey gloves, a football helmet and my skates so me and the neighborhood kids could find out for ourselves. Norman Jewison’s direction is just right for the outrageous material (roller derby as arbiter of world conflict? If only!). The Rollerball scenes are fast, ferocious, and the stuntwork is still amazing. Also effective and disturbing is when a group of corporate elites burn a row of towering trees in one of the seminal moments of 70′s sci-fi dystopia theatre. I also love the bloody, apocalyptic battle at the end, with fires burning and bodies lining the arena as Jonathan E makes his final stand to the world audience. What that means for their future can only be conjectured but if you see the endless line-up of reality shows that have blurred the line between voyeurism and exploitation, you might think 2018 is right around the rink.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day From The Leprechaun

For some reason, I think this is one of the funniest moments in motion picture history:

When Monday Feels Like Friday

Gun Out Of Control

WASHINGTON — Two guns used in high-profile shootings this year at the Pentagon and a Las Vegas courthouse both came from the same unlikely place — the Memphis police and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and court system.

Law enforcement officials said both guns were once seized in criminal cases in Memphis. The officials described how the weapons made their separate ways from an evidence vault to gun dealers and to the shooters. The use of guns that once were in police custody and were later involved in attacks on police officers highlights a little-known divide in gun policy in the United States: Many cities and states destroy guns gathered in criminal probes, but others sell or trade the weapons in order to get other guns or buy equipment such as bulletproof vests.

Saturday Song

Here’s a rare clip from a 1967 episode of THE MONKEES that was later removed. One of my favorite 60′s tunes.