Piggybacking upon the most recent reviews I have given to you, I now present the latest edition of "Short Takes," as I have reached into my archives to deliver four shorter reviews that delve into the horror and rock films genres.
"HEAD" Directed by Bob Rafelson (1968)
***1/2 (three and a half stars)
If there were an alternate title to this movie starring Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith, it could be called, "The Death Of The Monkees." This surreal escapade is NOTHING like their television show as it takes a flying leap into psychedelia, satire against the Vietnam war and the dismantling of their prefabricated image. There is no story or plot; just one vignette crashing into the next. From Mickey Dolenz's suicide leap into mermaid filled hallucinogenic waters, to the foursome becoming specs of dandruff to their repeated attempts to escape the confines of a box (get it?), this is one film where you could begin watching it at any point for 99 minutes and it wouldn't matter (despite ending credits)--and that's a good thing. Co-written with Jack Nicholson, this cult film is completely worth seeking out.
Originally written sometime in 2007
"PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE" Written and Directed by Brian DePalma (1974)
***1/2 (three and a half stars)
On Halloween night, nearly a week and a half ago, I saw a vision on the Fox Movie Channel so bizarre that I actually sat through it twice!! Yes friends, I now present to you "Phantom Of the Paradise," a freaky rock opera written and directed by Brian De Palma, who would later create cinematic landmarks like "Carrie" (1976) and "Scarface" (1983) starring Al Pacino.
The plot is a dark satire of the music business crossed with horror as well as an amalgam of "Faust" and "The Phantom Of the Opera." We are introduced to mild mannered songwriter, Winslow Leach who begins his nightmarish odyssey by having his pop cantata of "Faust" stolen by the satanic record producer/mogul of Death Records (think Led Zeppelin's label Swan Song), known throughout the land only as Swan (played with Machiavellian relish by the diminutive songwriter Paul Williams who also wrote the film's songs and score).
Leach's continuous attempts to retrieve his stolen work not only results with him falling in love with the innocent songstress Phoenix (Jessica Harper in her debut performance), but also by being framed by Swan as a dope peddler, incarcerated, having all of his teeth extracted and replaced by metal chompers, having his face disfigured by running afoul of a record press machine and ultimately, selling his soul to Swan.
Wanting to exact revenge--and to somehow, someway, protect the integrity of his music opus--Leach dons a bird-like mask and cape and with his electronically altered vocals, he begins to terrorize the Paradise, Swan's new theater in which he hopes debut his bastardized version of "Faust," starring the coked out, homosexual, glam rock singer Beef!
Songs are wailed and tragedy ensues through a kaleidoscopic audio/visual feast that actually PRE-DATES 1975's "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and one of my absolute favorite films, Ken Russell's "Tommy" also from 1975. What is there to really say about all of this except that this is a film with confidence, high style and doesn't blink for a second, no matter what is tossed at the viewer. The songs, which I have discovered were nominated for Oscars (!), do find a way to burrow into your subconsciousness. And upon further rumination over the movie itself, De Palma has issued a heartfelt and impassioned plea against a business that is willing to suffocate the life out of art in pursuit of the dollar--a message I feel resonates even more in 2008.
But hey..are you going to watch this film for the message or for the crazy songs and visuals? Like I said, I sat through this film twice that night--mostly because I just couldn't believe what I was watching. Now I realize that I wasn't tricked and I'm surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this wild, subversive treat!
Originally written October 31, 2008
"ACROSS THE UNIVERSE" Directed by Julie Taymor (2007)
**1/2 (two and a half stars)
I am a lifelong fan of the rock musical and one featuring some of the best songs ever written would just have to be an obvious winner. Unfortunately with "Across The Universe," the possibility is just not meant to be but not for lack of trying...and trying very hard.
Director Julie Taymor creates a not terribly convincing love story with the events of the '60s as backdrop and Beatles songs as soundtrack. While there are many scenes that work (including a pastoral sing-a-long of "Because" and a flat out gorgeous underwater sequence), there are other sequences that are simply dreadful (Eddie Izzard's "Mr. Kite" is an embarrassment). Ultimately, there are too many points where the film just drags due to the inclusion of songs that feel monkey-wrenched into the plot, even when they make absolutely no narrative sense whatsoever.
And perhaps I am over-thinking this film but it felt odd to me to have a story that takes place in a very real 1960's where Vietnam and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. figure strongly into its' plot yet The Beatles are nowhere to be seen or even mentioned. It's like the film is taking place in an alternate 1960s where the Beatles never existed despite the fact that most of the film's characters are named after Beatle lyric characters and their songs are sung from one end to the other.
That said, it is a unique film that was unlike anything else in 2007 and that has to count for something. But, I'm afraid (and I am certain that I am alone with this opinion) that the universally maligned 1978 "Sgt. Pepper" film with Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees fares better.
Originally written November 2007
"SWEENEY TODD" Directed by Tim Burton (2008)
**** (four stars)
"I don't have dreams. Only nightmares."
-Johanna from "Sweeney Todd"
Director Tim Burton has always danced with the dark side but with his latest film, he takes a flying leap into the abyss, with his greatest collaborator Johnny Depp, and emerges with a beautiful nightmare cloaked with the cold bleakness that is also on display in The Coen Brothers' "No Country For Old Men." There are no sentiments extolling that "Evil is vanquished," or "Everything will be alright." There are no glimpses of hope or loopholes for the audience to cling to. Throat slashings and cannibalism aside, everyone is corrupt able, violated, punished and tormented to varying degrees.
While this all sounds like an ugly filmgoing experience, the disturbing nature (which is still sinking in for me) is lifted by the grandeur of the music, the epic set design and Johnny Deep's seething and vengeful performance. Of course, most credit belongs to Tim Burton who has not only crafted a challenging musical (I'd say about 80% of the film is sung.) but has allowed the source material to assist him with the presentation of a tight narrative-not always Burton's strong-suit. If his achingly heartfelt "Edward Scissorhands" (1990) represents one end of Burton's pendulum, "Sweeney Todd" is its dark equal. Man...they should've called THIS movie "There Will be Blood"!
Originally written December 2008
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