September 19, 2003

Sorry I disappeared for a couple of days…

I was spirited down to Mexico with almost no notice to visit the rather remarkable set of Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy, which started production almost a year ago in Malta and is about to wrap down in Cabo San Lucas. I’m not ready to write about the trip quite yet, but I did catch Couple of the Moment Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth and their new dog, which was an on-set rescue now headed for a life in SoCal, on their way out of Cabo on Tuesday afternoon. I took no photos because, after all, even the beautiful people deserve to be treated like normal human beings now and again.

On the way there, I finished off the Toronto wrap-up, which is now up, complete with my comments on the big disappointments and more. Finding a working computer in Cabo is a challenge. Thus, my absence.

Fortunately, nothing much happened while I was missing. Time-Warner finally pulled their head out of their AOL… Jerry Lewis got a film festival that wasn’t in France… the Vatican gave Mel Gibson a thumbs up… yawn…

This weekend, five niche films arrive in theaters, each one battling to rise above the reviews and to find an audience that just wants its itch scratched. People who have seen Secondhand Lions seem to like Secondhand Lions… it’s just that that entire demographic consists of seven preschool teachers in the Midwest. Underworld is not the best vampires versus werewolves movie ever, but people who like those things will walk away bemused, if not excited. The Fighting Temptations is a movie that should have been a major feel-good winner, but feels more like a jigsaw puzzle put together with a sledgehammer. (Paramount should be happy to know it has School of Rock nearing the starting gate… one out of three ain’t bad… well, it is bad… but it’s better than zero for three.) Because of the trip, I was forced to miss Woody Allen’s Anything Else, but Jeff Wells’ recommendation is enough to make me sure that it is unwatchable, since he hates all good comedy. And Cold Creek Manor… missed that too. However, the trip to Troy was oddly Figgis-y, with Saffron Burrows and Sean Bean both part of that picture. (If only they had room for Julian Sands..)

There is better news in limited release. Bubba Ho-Tep, the picture that wins the award for most screenings I’ve missed in the last year, but which has a strong cult following already, opens on a few screens. And John Sayles Casa de los Babys is arriving on the coasts. But best of all, it’s time to say hello to Al Pacino’s little, old, shriveled friend… Scarface is back and I can’t wait to see it. You may not be surprised to know that Larry David spent many hours in his pre-Seinfeld days as an unhappy writer at Saturday Night Live perfecting his “I'm Tony Montana! You fuck with me, you fuckin' with the best!” And I believe it was Rene Rodriguez of The Miami Herald who said to me as I headed to the Miami Film Festival, “This town like a great big pussy just waiting to get fucked.” It may also have been Rene who on my way out of Miami said, “You die, Motherfucker! Look at you now, you piece of shit.” (Just kidding on the second quote… he just thought that.) So make way for the bad guy… you won’t find a better double feature this year than the upcoming Alien re-release and Scarface.

READER OF THE DAY: MR TORONTO writes: “Thought I'd write in about a few of the flicks you mentioned in your list ...

DISTANT was a very good film. It was about a man who lived in Istanbul who's cousin from small-town-turkey comes to stay with him in hopes of finding a job in the city so that he may send money back to his family who seem to be in financial troubles. The film becomes about these two men, their relationships to themselves and to each other. They are from different worlds (one is cultured, the other isn't), however maintain very similar themes of loneliness. It's through their loneliness that they try and connect, however due to their differences, they seem to only be able to isolate themselves from each other and the world even more-so. A very quiet film, focusing heavily on space and body language, which ultimately climaxes with an altercation, leading to their separation, and ultimate understanding of the kinship that they actually shared. Hope you get a chance to see it ... perhaps on video somewhere, which is too bad as the Turkish landscapes are rare and beautiful.

I walked out of JESUS, YOU KNOW. Catholic Confessions, but to the camera. They were interesting, but ultimately the film just ended up being one of those "boy, religious people are crazy" films. blech.

TRIGGERSTREET.COM. -- Wanna know why nobody cared? Because the films were amateur and unimpressive. 10 best films from an online festival. A fine break, but could have just asked my friends to dig into their some of their old films.

ELEPHANT was great. Nice to see Van Sant stay away from Saccharin ala Good Will Hunting.

And I hate to say it, cause I know you love the film, but I thought Matchstick Men was TERRIBLE. Nicholas Cage was doing WAY TOO MUCH, and Ridley Scott directed the film as if it were an action flick. Cage needs a good director these days to keep his ego in check, or he'll do anything to get attention on screen. I wanted to punch him repeatedly in the fact every time he winked at me.

Saw about 30 films in all. Was a good fest for me.

p.s. THE COMPANY was a good film, but boring. Does that make sense?”

E ME: You have five movies and more to choose from this weekend… or will you stay home with a good DVD?