Friday, 24 September 1999

WEEKEND SADNESS

How could Buck Tergidson be killed by anything less than a nuclear device?

And yet, the man behind the character is dead. But Dr. Strangelove was only a part of the truly brilliant career of George C. Scott. His first act included The Hustler, The List of Adrian Messinger, Patton and a TV series considered by many to be the best drama ever, "East Side/West Side". In his fifties, the second act, the old guy, emerged. Movie Movie, Hardcore and a return to his roots in TV, returning to "The Last Days of Patton" plus such classics as "A Christmas Carol" and "Oliver Twist". He also did an enormous amount of theater during this period. His last decade (12 years, really) was filled with smaller bits of magic. Mostly on TV sets where roles like Cus D'Amato in Tyson or a return to 12 Angry Men could get him to work, despite being ill. He still showed he could hold the big screen in small parts in Malice and Angus. But when I saw him in Inherit The Wind, the incredible focus and power that was Scott's truest trademark, was gone. And now, so is the man. He will be missed so, so much.

WEEKEND PREVIEW

Normally, the weekend preview is what starts Friday's column, but the loss of George C. Scott was more important. Sorry.

Because of my festival travels, I've only seen two of the four films opening this weekend. Jakob The Liar is not one of them and, darn it, I had the chance to see the film at Toronto, but got caught going to another screening instead. The buzzers all seemed to be saying "mixed," yet I haven't personally spoken to anyone who actually saw the film who didn't at least like it. So, I will be curious to see it too. The studio is sure busy trying to separate the film from Life Is Beautiful. The ads with the little girl didn't help.

The two I have seen are Mumford and Double Jeopardy. Both are beautifully shot.

La, la, la, la, la, la...Oh! You were expecting more than that? Well, so was I. Double Jeopardy is the easier film to dismiss outright. The themes that drew Bruce Beresford to the project are interesting. But sadly, the director lost the battle with the screenplay, the studio and whatever forces conspired to make this film La Femme Fugitive. Any movie in which you can not only explain the entire story, but give away all the surprises in less than 30 seconds can't be to good, now can it? Well, it ain't! If you are an Ashley Judd obsessive - and I can understand that - this movie is going to be your favorite ever. Beresford takes better care of her, in terms of how he shoots, than any director ever has. I loved her work in Heat, for instance. But you won't be getting any acne close-ups here. She is a diva, even in prison garb. Tommy Lee gets big hunks of scenery to chew in a role that is so far beneath his talent that it's not even worth discussing. And any film that can waste Annabeth Gish and Roma Maffia in badly underwritten cameos is going to piss me off. (I'm just full of salty language today, ain't I? No way to try for the New York Times job.) Like the car stunt that you've seen in the trailer and the ads, this movie makes almost no sense and should, if there is any justice, sink to the bottom of a body of water never to be seen again.

Now, Mumford isn't nearly that problematic. This is not Kasden's best work. But it isn't torture either. It is a gentle comedy about people trying to connect. Kind of a kinder Grand Canyon without the power of the Steve Martin character to give it some heft. Of course, it also doesn't have the kind of warmth that develops between Alfre Woodard and Danny Glover in Grand Canyon either. G.C. is not one of my favorite movies, but there are many memorable moments. "Is there love going on out there" still haunts my thoughts at times. There has been an ongoing joke about the actor/cypher. Loren Dean, in many ways, defines the role. As does Hope Davis on the woman's side. And they are perfect casting, because besides missing the anger of Grand Canyon, this film is missing the passion of joy. It always seems to me that sitting on a rock watching the beauty of the planet is the human opportunity to find inner peace and focus...so you can bring a renewed vitality to your life. Here, it's just a place to mellow out, man. By far the most interesting character in this Kasden comedy is Jason Lee's Skip Skipperton. He is both of the world and above the world...a kind of kinder reflection (again) of the Steve Martin character in Grand Canyon. I would have loved a whole movie about Skip. Skip is the Wizard of Oz. He owns the town. Yet, he is truly benign. He doesn't have any real conflicts with his unintended but enormous power. But that's this movie all over. All it is saying is give peace a chance. Not enough for me.

Finally, I didn't see Simon Sez and I bet that there is a very good reason for that. "Dennis Rodman! Your 15 minutes are over! Go grab a rebound!" Also, Caligula is being re-released this weekend. They don't make it clear whether this will be the version that Bob "Penthouse" Guccione added extra pornography to or if it is the "director's cut." (Just how many directors were there on this film?) Either way, it does get ugly. But as I recall from my last viewing, almost 20 years ago, there are a few scenes that are absolute genius. Just a few.

Also, word has it that American Beauty is spreading out faster and wider than originally planned. To know for sure and for the full box office perspective on the weekend, come read Box Office Extra at 3pm, e.s.t. by clicking here.

THE GOOD: Actually, great. Saw Fight Club and The Insider as a double feature on Wednesday. To be honest, I'm not really ready to reflect on them for public consumption yet. I'm going to see Fight Club again this weekend and by Monday, I should have come up with the right words for both films. At least, the right advance words. But these are two special movies.

THE BAD: The loss of George C. Scott. `Nuff said.

THE UGLY: Trying to get back into the groove after a few weeks out of the rat race is a surprising challenge. Just getting used to thinking about box office and corporate malfeasance and trying to focus on making sure to show up where others want me to show up...wow, man. I need to see Mumford again, dude. Thing is, a day like Wednesday, where two works of art from two true film artists (for better and for worse, I might caution) makes it all worth it. I am lucky to be wondering (still) about what part of this party I want to be a part of. At least, I know the depth of this particular love. My apologies for any continuing fumbling I might be doing. It is the one great thing about being a daily columnist. Every wave is sure to break and the next one is always just a day or two away.

THE CHAT: This Sunday, roughcut.com & Yahoo! Chat will be at A Family Celebration, a major charity event here in L.A. Names like Nicholson and Eastwood have been bandied about as guests, but I don't want to promise too much. But I will promise you, it sounds like a great time. Check it out on Yahoo! Chat at 10:30p EST/7:30p PST this Sunday night.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: Not every golden opportunity has to be seeing a great old movie, does it? (If it does, check out Telluride by the Sea again. Me, I'm going to be most excited to see John Kricfalusi's spin on Yogi Bear tonight on The Cartoon Network. For the sake of disclosure, Cartoon Network is a Turner Company. But no one told me about this one. I had to catch it in the paper this morning. And I consider it about as exciting as any media event this year. John K. is one of the true generation-bending artists in the film medium. Bakshi's Mighty Mouse was always beyond expectation and I can't wait to see what Kricfalusi does to stealing pic-i-nic baskets. Don't "But, Yogi!" me! Just watch if you want a little anarchy in your weekend diet.

JUST WONDERING: Where are those pants I left on the chair in the bedroom? I know they were there when I left.

BAD AD WATCH: I haven't gone quote whore chasing in a long, long time. Here Mr. Brewington ("Super Hillarious" for Blue Streak, a movie that I gave a thumb up to, but didn't mine for a quotable quote on.)...here Mr. Wunder ("Outlandishly Funny" for Mumford)...here Mr. Dittman ("A nail biter that will leave you breathless and begging for more" for Double Jeopardy. I was begging...to leave the theater)...here Bill Zwecker ("The Most Inspiring Film Of The Year!" for For Love of the Game)...and coming up quick on the leaderboard, Jeff Craig, Neil Rosen, Bill Diehl, Bobbie Wygant, Adrianne Stone (who must have been to write: "Probably the season's best film."), Jeanne Wolf, Mose Persico, Jim Ferguson and so many others.

READER OF THE DAY: From DC: "Dear David Poland, I read what you wrote about Kevin Spacey coming out straight for Playboy and I find this kind of thing just as depressing as people having to take loyalty oaths in the 1950s. Sexuality is such a highly personal part of a person's life that I don't see why anyone should be under an obligation to clear him or herself, so to speak. (If any exhibitionists like macho rock stars want to brag about their exploits in print, that's their business.) This seems to me just an another instance of the accelerating erosion of privacy in American life.

Also, I don't share your enthusiasm for Jonathan Demme. (My wife) and I both detested Silence of the Lambs -- and not because of the violence. We're both connoisseurs of schlock thrillers like Dressed to Kill and we thought it was just ineffably stupid. I also thought Philadelphia couldn't hold a candle to Longtime Companion, which in my opinion was a genuinely dramatically effective picture. The latter is a generally pedestrian job of directing but the final scene when the dead friends reappear on the beach is filmmaking at a very high level. Philadelphia, by contrast, seemed unforgivably manipulative to me -- like a gay Camille but without any of the romantic grandeur or the original story. Everything has been studiously laundered in advance to make it acceptable to mainstream audiences--the character played by Tom Hanks comes across as so straight I could believe he must have contracted AIDS by sitting on an infected toilet seat. Even the reprehensible gay-bashing of Cruising is more honest than this kind of soap-operish fooling around with a serious subject, which in its own way is just as vile as the white-washing of the Stalinist Purge Trials in Mission to Moscow. Last but not least, everything of Demme's I have ever seen is at a uniform level of stylistic mediocrity, like a made-for-TV movie. A film like Coppola's Dracula is dreadful but it still has touches worthy of its director.

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E ME: Anyone going to fight for Demme? I know I will. But here's not the time or the place. This is a smart, carefully crafted column, worthy of The New York Times. (Who the hell am I kidding?!?! PARTY!) Hit me with your best shot.