Revenge exacts a terrible Price

Shocktober Theater returns to CineVerse on October 1 with “Theatre of Blood ” (1973; 104 minutes), directed by Douglas Hickox and starring Vincent Price, chosen by Farrell McNulty.

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Creating movie magic

"The Illusionist" proved to be an exceptional costume drama/period piece with twists and turns that aren't easy to predict. Here's our group's take on this picture:

WHAT IS INTERESTING, NOTEWORTHY AND DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU EXPECTED ABOUT THIS FILM?

·       Uhl serves as the audience surrogate; as he learns, we learn, and what he experiences, we experience.

·       The filmmakers don’t attempt to explain many of the tricks/illusions, suggesting that Eisenheim is, perhaps, using real magic.

·       Roger Ebert summarized the intelligence behind this film’s storytelling methods: “The Illusionist places the very film you’re watching at the center of the illusion. There’s an irony inherent in making a movie about magic, since the photographic medium is discontinuous and subject to post-production manipulations beyond those that can be created before a live audience.”

·       Actor Edward Norton has an enigmatic, mysterious quality to his acting style and appearance that makes him the ideal casting choice.

WHAT VISUAL EFFECTS AND LIGHTING TECHNIQUES ARE USED IN “THE ILLUSIONIST” TO CONVEY A VINTAGE LOOK AND FEEL?

·       The film image is given a consistent sepia tone in which greens and golds are particularly accentuated.

·       Iris fades are used, such as the kind popular in silent film days; and a concluding montage is employed that harkens back to the works of genius director Sergei Eisenstein, particularly his “Battleship Potemkin”

·       The frame has a flickering quality to it, almost as if the film itself was being passed through an antique projector.

·       The filmmakers use the technique of “vignetting”, a photographic method employed to constrict focus by dimming/darkening elements on the edges of the frame.

WHAT THEMES ARE AT WORK IN “THE ILLUSIONIST”?

·       The interplay between art and politics, art and religion, and religion and politics; writer Thomas A. Horne said the film “draws our attention to the role that art plays in maintaining political power and explores the way that art, in particular film art, can also undermine political power. It is, then, an extraordinarily self-conscious film that defends the filmmaker who wants to play a role in political life.”

·       The deceptive nature of perception and reality, and the fine line between reality and illusion. Director Neil Burger said in an interview that the film is “less about how he does the tricks than the idea that nothing is what it seems.”

·       The magical power and mystery behind new technology (consider how the audience is unfamiliar with the new art of motion pictures), and how things can appear mysterious and unknown to those who lack the science and sophistication to understand what’s causing the illusion or magic.

OTHER FILMS SIMILAR TO THE ILLUSIONIST

·       “The Prestige” and “Next,” two other films, also from 2006 and also about magicians/illusionists; the Prestige is particularly similar in that both movies concern magicians competing with a rival and who wear fake beards and a bowler hat.

·       Orson Welles’ “F For Fake”, a movie also concerned with art and trickery

·       Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo”

·       Tim Burton’s “Big Fish”

OTHER FILMS BY DIRECTOR NEIL BURGER

·       2002 Interview with the Assassin

·       2008 The Lucky Ones

·       2011 Limitless

·       2014 Divergent 

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Abracadabra cinema

Watch actor Ed Norton perform movie magic in “The Illusionist” (2006; 110 minutes), directed by Neil Burger, chosen by Jeanne Johnson, which is slated for CineVerse on September 24.

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Back in the U.S.S.R.

CineVerse strolled back to the dawn of the Reagan era with its exploration of "Moscow on the Hudson" last night. While it was fun to see now-dated early 1980s product placements for Sanka coffee and Sergio Valente jeans, the film still possesses a resonance that can be appreciated by today's audiences. Here's what we concluded:

WHAT DID YOU FIND INTERESTING, DIFFERENT OR SURPRISING ABOUT “MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON” THAT PERHAPS YOU DIDN’T ANTICIPATE?

·       The film is replete with racial and ethnic minorities, including an African American friend, an Italian girlfriend, a Cuban lawyer, a Korean taxi driver, a Chinese anchorwoman, etc.

·       Roger Ebert suggested one of this movie’s strengths is: “It’s a comedy that finds most of its laughs in the close observations of human behavior.”

·       Ebert also noted that the picture is “a rarity, a patriotic film that has a liberal, rather than a conservative, heart. It made me feel good to be an American.”

·       They actually have the actors, including Williams, speak in authentic Russian, as opposed to some films where the ethnic types speak in English but we’re supposed to believe they’re talking in their native tongues.

·       This feels like a well-researched movie, and it was: Mazursky and his team prepped for the film by interviewing Russian immigrants about their experiences and by visiting Russia. Mazursky was quoted as saying: "Most Russians are just trying to survive. Yet, all Russians who leave their country leave behind something they treasure and love. It's a terrible conflict for them, so the act of bravery is overwhelming."

·       This is not a gag-a-minute, silly comedy that tries to overexploit Williams’ manic talents; it arguably could be funnier. However, the filmmakers were going for more than big belly laughs here: their aim was to make you think about the immigration experience, which has comedic elements, but is also meant to be dramatic, poignant, and emotional.

WHAT ARE SOME THEMES EXAMINED IN “MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON”?

·       The film posits the question: What does it mean to be an American? After all, no one is truly an original American except for the Native American Indians; the rest of us had ancestors that came from other countries, like Vlad.

·       The U.S., and the world for the matter, is one big melting pot and collective spirit, or at least it should be; New York is a great backdrop in which to play out this multicultural message of positivity.

·       We need to stop taking our liberties, freedoms and American way of life for granted and think about how envied we are by less fortunate foreigners, many of whom are simply looking for the same chances and opportunities and simple joys we are provided.

WHY IS ROBIN WILLIAMS THE RIGHT CASTING CHOICE FOR THE PART OF VLADAMIR?

·       While this isn’t an acting tour de force worthy of an Oscar, it does showcase Williams’ range a bit early in his career as more than a funnyman.

·       He possesses Slavic features, including a very hairy body that is surprisingly fully on display in the lovemaking scene—American audiences typically think of hairy bodies as unattractive and gross, which is why we rarely see them except in gross-out comedies (think Borat). Williams also pulls off the Russian accent pretty well.

·       Vladamir is a likeable character, and Williams, with his infectious energy and enthusiasm, is easy to like, so it’s a good match.

SOME ISSUES VIEWERS MAY HAVE WITH THIS FILM:

·       We don’t see any particular catalyst or trigger point that explains why Vlad suddenly decides to defect; previous to the defection scene in Bloomingdales, we see him try hard to dissuade his circus performer friend from defecting; also, Vlad is depicted as relatively content and accepting of his oppressed and predictable life in Russia. It becomes hard to understand the motivation for his impulsive decision to remain in America.

·       By the time the Russians arrive in New York, it becomes a bit implausible that they’re speaking such fluent English and also talking in English to each other (instead of Russian) when they don’t have to. Small point, but also unrealistic.

·       Vlad appears to become Americanized a bit too quickly to be believed; consider how well he can dance at the discotheque, how fast he learns the lingo, etc.

OTHER FILMS STARRING ROBIN WILLIAMS

·       1980 Popeye

·       1982 The World According to Garp

·       1987 Good Morning Vietnam

·       1989 Dead Poets Society

·       1990 Awakenings

·       1991 The Fisher King

·       1993 Mrs. Doubtfire

·       1997 Good Will Hunting

·       2002 One Hour Photo

·       2002 Insomnia

OTHER FILMS BY DIRECTOR PAUL MAZURSKY, WHO ALSO PASSED AWAY IN 2014

·        1969 Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

·       1974 Harry and Tonto

·       1978 An Unmarried Woman

·       1986 Down and Out in Beverly Hills

·       1989 Enemies: A Love Story 

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Film rookie Robin plays a Russian

Make plans to attend CineVerse on September 17, as we pay tribute to the late Robin Williams and celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Moscow on the Hudson” (1984; 115 minutes), directed by Paul Mazursky, chosen by Larry Leipart.

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Face to face with fear

Join CineVerse on on September 10 for the return of World Cinema Wednesday and a specail import from Japan: “Onibaba” (1964; 103 minutes), directed by Kaneto Shindô, chosen by Peggy Quinn, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

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Taking a page from Pat's "Playbook"

Let's face it: Romcoms often come with a lot of baggage, be it expectations for a storybook romance, desires for female wish fulfillment, or preconceived notions of sexy thespians flirting and bed-hopping. But "Silver Linings Playbook" doesn't exactly play by the book that romantic comedy fans know by heart. Here's what distinguishes this picture above many of its predecessors:

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A TYPICAL ROMCOM (ROMANTIC COMEDY)?

·       They almost always demand a happy ending that is almost always delivered; in this sense, they are predictable, schmaltzy, implausible and derivative.

·       They usually involve the meeting of two people who are mutually attracted but who each have personal problems that impede them from fostering a healthy relationship; there are often a series of misunderstandings, bad choices and mistakes that help them improve and develop, and which bring them together by the end of the movie.

·       Romcoms almost always cast attractive, likable actors, and this is no exception.

HOW IS SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK DIFFERENT AND UNEXPECTED, PARTICULARLY AS A ROMANTIC COMEDY?

·       It shifts in tonality and mood throughout the picture: you see moments of comedy, violence, tenderness, darkness, and more.

·       It brings the decidedly sobering topic of mental illness into the romcom formula, which is a risky proposition that can derail lesser pictures into maudlin, over-generalized cliché approaches to psychiatric problems in characters.

·       Salon critic Andrew O’Hehir summarized it nicely: “It’s a rom-com that succeeds in revitalizing that discredited genre where so many others have failed, injecting it with the grit and emotion of realist drama rather than with amped-up whimsy or social satire or montages of people walking on the beach while whiny emo-pop plays on the soundtrack. As he did with the boxing movie in “The Fighter,” Russell proves that you can breathe new life into one of the hoariest forms in the Hollywood lexicon. He takes a movie where everyone in the audience knows how it will end and makes us suspend our disbelief and fall in love all over again.”

·       It’s not overly cute, sentimental or completely predictable like many romcoms.

·       It casts two increasingly popular actors in roles that challenge their typecasting: Bradley Cooper often plays pretty boy characters and in gross out comedies; Jennifer Lawrence has demonstrated more range, but we see a different, more diversified side of her here.

·       Interestingly, many of the characters in this picture have mental challenges: Pat and Tiffany suffer from bipolar disorder; Pat’s dad has OCD and anger issues; Ronnie thinks about suicide, etc.

·       It does a good job of depicting a family near its breaking point and of portraying flawed characters who each seem to have a hangup or disorder.

·       This film turns the gender dynamics around; instead of the man pursuing the woman, it’s the other way around: Tiffany likes Pat and aggressively pursues him.

DOES THIS FILM DO A DISSERVICE TO VIEWERS IN ITS DEPICTION OF MENTAL ILLNESS?

·       This movie has been criticized as whitewashing the issue of a challenging mental issue like bipolar disorder, suggesting perhaps the conservative, faith-based view that mental illness can be managed or overcome through sheer force of will (Pat’s initial attitude). However, we see that he finally does take his medications and sticks to them, and that by the end of the film he’s more balanced and in control of his illness.

·       Psychologists have also complained that the movie wraps up too neatly all the loose ends, insinuating that a dance contest and mutual love can overcome psychological disorders.

·       On the other hand, Dr. Skip Dine Young wrote: “The reason that Silver Linings Playbook is nominated for an Academy Award is not because of its innovative narrative but because of its unusual characters placed in an otherwise cliché narrative. The typical flaw of a rom-com hero is that he is “afraid of commitment” while the heroine is often “too needy.” In this movie, we have a hero who nearly killed a man and a heroine who had sex with everyone in her workplace. These behaviors are a challenge to the comfortable identification that often accompanies “normal” flaws. The movie’s primary virtue lies in how it manages to include such atypical characters in the hopeful dreams of the romantic comedy tradition.”

OTHER MOVIES THAT COME TO MIND AFTER VIEWING “SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK”

·       As Good As It Gets

·       Dirty Dancing

·       Friday Night Lights

·       Benny and Joon

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY DAVID O. RUSSELL

·       Three Kings

·       I Heart Huckabees

·       The Fighter

·       American Hustle

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