American Madness

‘American Madness’ truly an American film

WEEKENDER VIDEO VIPER for July 17, 2009:
WALTER HUSTON tries to calm the crowd in "American Madness."

It was the Fourth of July.
After a day of picnicking, I was in the mood for something all-American.
Maybe my pristine, Blu-ray version of "Independence Day?" No, too obvious.
Ah, what can be more American than Frank Capra, the holder of the American dream when it comes to films of the 30s and 40s?
“The Premiere Frank Capra Collection” includes “American Madness,” “It Happened One Night,” “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” “You Can't Take It With You,” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
I decided on “American Madness,” the depression-era story of a bank and its good guys and bad guys.
Like other Capra films, I wasn't disappointed. Capra had a talent of telling a story, showing the inherent goodness of people and wrapping it up without getting too schmaltzy in the process.
"American Madness" is the story of an American bank whose manager, played by a young Walter Huston, knows how to lend money to better his community. He can sense who will use the money he lends most effectively.
The crusty board of directors disagrees. It thinks the Huston character is too liberal in his decisions, even though he has never had a bad debt.
Yet the directors want him to merge with the New York Trust and resign.
Huston's character, Thomas Dickson, won't go along and the board doesn't have the votes to force him.
But a bank employee has gambling debts and tampers with an alarm, allowing the mob he owes money to get in and rob the place of $100,000.
Pat O'Brien is Matt Brown, an ex-convict that the Dickson character believes in and makes head teller. When the robbery goes down, a security guard is killed. The Brown character is suspected.
What's worse, rumors quickly spread as the result of the robbery, that the bank is no longer solid. We see as word spreads of the $200,000 robbery, then $500,000, then $1 million and finally several million.
Employers allow their employees off work so they can go to the bank and withdraw their money.
Yes, it is a run, just like what we see more than a decade later in a Capra favorite, “It's A Wonderful Life.”
Capra works his magic, using a dolly shot of a sea of people — make that a sea of hats — as nervous patrons get frustrated and pushy, trying to get their money out.
Dickson works to get more money to the bank, knowing if it runs out of money, the bank is finished. This is 1932, before government insurance.
Something happens to shake Dickson's confidence in mankind, or to be exact, womankind, and he decides to give up and allow the board its sale.
But can it end this way? Not in a Capra film. You will see more similarities to “It's A Wonderful Life.”
From the depths of despair comes a miracle. Hey, this is America.
The entire Capra collection is worth viewing. It is suitable for the entire family and preaches what another director, Spike Lee, emphasized in another film decades later: “Do the Right Thing.”


AMERICAN MADNESS
• Directed by Frank Capra
• Story by Robert Riskin
• Runtime: 75 minutes
• Suitable for entire family
• 4 stars out of 4

American Teen

‘American Teen’ interesting documentary
JAKE TUSING is the geeky bando in "American Teen."

ROBERT LEBZELTER / Video Viper for July 10, 2009

f you are a fan of those fictional movies about life in an American high school, you should be fascinated by the real thing.

That's because Nanette Burstein's documentary following five teens in a Warsaw, Ind., high school almost looks like a fictional teen drama, rather than a documentary. It's called “American Teen.”

She follows the kids during good times and bad, from the most popular girl and the king of the basketball court to the acne-faced band geek.

Each has his or her cross to bear. Each has pressures, placed externally or internally.

Some of their problems don't seem that crucial to adults, but to these kids at this time, they are.

Hannah Bailey loses her first boyfriend when she agrees to have sex. She becomes so distraught she can't bring herself to return to school, jeopardizing her graduation.

Colin Clemens is the basketball star pushed harder and harder by his father, who by night is an Elvis impersonator. (Could anyone make this stuff up?) Dad tells Colin he must perform on the court to get that scholarship or there will be no college. It will be hello Army.

Mitch Reinholt is handsome and popular and becomes drawn to the messed-up Hannah.

Megan Krizmanich is the super popular girl who is pressured to make the grade in order to attend Notre Dame University. The only member of her family who didn't make Notre Dame was her older sister, who went down in the basement and killed herself.

Jake Tusing is the bando who is terribly shy, has a perpetually broken-out face, but vows to find himself a girlfriend.

He finds one with a new girl to the area who doesn't know his reputation for geekiness. But that relationship quickly falters.

Burstein gets to know her subjects. We learn nobody has it as good or as bad as it is perceived.

You also wonder how she got such full access to the school. We are there when the school counselor tells Hannah she needs to be back in school or she won't make it.

There is a riveting scene where her dad gets her in the car and they head for the school. Hannah tries to convince him one more day and she will be ready to go back. But he perseveres. He gets her to the front of the school, gets out and opens the door. But she simply can't face the school.

We see the kids talking and having fun. We see them drinking.

We learn what happens when one girl sends a topless photo of herself to two different guys and how the picture is sent and resent and resent and resent to many, many, many others.

Burstein also incorporates little bits of animation into the film which really aren't necessary. Her documentary skills and the kids' stories carry this movie nicely.

Find out about what high school is like, not in trendy California or New York, but in the heartland of the nation. Heck, it's almost Ohio. It's Indiana!

AMERICAN TEEN

• Written and directed by Nanette Burstein

• Rated PG-13 for language, drinking, smoking and sexual material

• Runtime: 95 minutes

• 4 stars out of 4

Salt of the Earth

'Salt of Earth' banned, but you can see it

JUAN CHAON was an amateur actor in "Salt of the Earth."

Video Viper for July 2, 2009

The 1954 film "Salt of the Earth" was given the trailer: Banned! The film the U.S. government didn't want you to see!
Now this wasn't because of heavy sex or violence. It's because most of the people involved in it were labeled Communists for their pro-labor stance.
The film has almost a documentary style that may put you off at first. It is a sort of grainy black and white.
What's more, many of the actors are amateurs. The only person you may recognize is Will Greer of "Waltons" fame. He plays the sheriff of a New Mexican mining town where the Hispanic workers strike to gain parity with Caucasians.
The film may be more than a half-century old, but its themes of racial equality and equality of the sexes remains contemporary.
The movie is about the actual Empire Zinc Mine strike. Hispanic workers were concerned about cuts (sound familiar) in workers that could result in even unsafe conditions. Hispanic workers were paid less and weren't given proper safety considerations. Miners worked alone and there weren't proper lookouts to warn people about possible cave-ins.
To the men, there was a less-important consideration as well, the lack of proper sanitation, that is, hot water.
The women, subservient to the men, spent much of their days chopping wood to make a fire to heat water for washing, bathing and cooking.
But the men didn't want to add it to the negotiations because it wasn't as important as safety.
But when an accident happens, the men go on a long, struggling strike and things change.
First off, the site of all of those miners on the picket line kept scabs away. But still, the company didn't negotiate.
It had the sheriff's department and the judicial system in its pocket.
Rosaura Revueltas plays Esperanza Quintero, the wife of a miner. She stays in the background but when the company gets an injunction banning picketing by the miners, the women realize they can go on the picket line instead. She suddenly finds herself a leader in the cause.
Revueltas, by the way, was branded a Communist and deported. She was a popular actress in Mexico. This proved to be her only American film.
Her husband was played by Juan Chacon, an amateur actor who was part of the strike
The women proved tenacious in their quest. When the company plowed into their ranks with Jeeps, they remained stoic. They sang and chanted in jail until released.
Meanwhile, the macho men had to care for the children and do the washing and yes, learn that hot water is important.
The company tried evicting them from their homes, dumping their belongings outside. But thanks to the women, they were again thwarted.
The film was added to the National Film Registry in 1992. It went into the public domain in 1982 and can be watched on the Internet Movie Dataplace web site, www.imdb.com. Just do a search for the film.
The amateurs and professionals do a stellar job in this compelling story. You really feel like you are watching this take place.
If you are in a union and need to rally the troops, this would be a fine choice to handle the task.
In today's economic times, "Salt of the Earth" is a great choice to see what life could be like a half-century ago.

SALT OF THE EARTH
Directed by Herbe J. Biberman
Written by Michael Biberman and Michael Wilson
Runtime: 94 minutes
In English and Spanish
Not rated but has intense moments, rock throwing, no profanity
3.5 stars out of 4

Gran Torino

Clint still able to make your night

VIDEO VIPER with ROBERT LEBZELTER for June 26, 2009

Warner Bros.

CLINT EASTWOOD with, in back, left, Bee Vang, Brooke Chia Thao, Chee Thao and Ahney Her in "Gran Torino."

I wonder why when 78-year-old Clint Eastwood decided to direct and star in "Gran Torino," he didn't simply make the character Dirty Harry Callahan.
You remember Dirty Harry back in 1973. He was sexist. He was set in his ways. He didn't like those new police procedures which gave all of those rights to the bad guys.
He skirted the law. He took short cuts when battling the crooks.
He also meted out punishment when necessary.
Callahan could have easily aged into Walt Kowalski, the Korean War veteran who hates what the world has become.
"Gran Torino" opens with the funeral of his wife. But Walt doesn't mourn so much as sit there, teeth gritting, because of the piercings of his grandchildren, the fact that they text-message in church, because they make fun of aspects of the church. Not that Harry, er Walt, had much to do with the Catholic Church himself. He just went because of his wife.
Christopher Carley, looking like a young Spencer Tracy, plays Father Janovich, who pledged to Walt's dying wife that he would look after him and make him go to confession.
Walt is an interesting character. He wants to live out his days on his porch with his dog, chain smoking and beer drinking.
But he is disgusted with the changes in the neighborhood. It has been taken over by Hmong immigrants from Vietnam. They have taken over the homes of his old friends but they don't keep the property up.
One major gang emerges. Walt keeps his rifle handy. He also has a gun.
When the gang forces the leader's shy cousin to join, the boy's initiation is to steal Walt's beloved 1972 Gran Torino. Walt, of course, thwarts the theft and forces the gang on the run.
The quiet boy, played by Bee Yang, is hassled by the gang until Walt puts a stop to that, too. He earns the respect of the Asian community and slowly gets to know his neighbors, including the perceptive sister, played by Ahney Her.
Walt teaches the Yang character about tools and craftsmanship. He gets him a construction job. But the gang keeps getting in the way until Walt, estranged from his own family and in failing health, decides to take real action.
The plot is fairly predictable and the ending not as satisfying as I would like, but for the most part the characters and the storyline are worth the experience.
There is speculation this will be the last film for Eastwood. Not certain why. Maybe it is similar to every tour being the last for the Rolling Stones.
But you get a lot of Clint in this film and he's just as you want him to be, stoic, unyielding, determined.
If you are an Eastwood fan, you've already seen this movie. If you are not, you will want to see it anyway. There are plenty of imitators, but only one Clint.
Why not make it a double-feature with "Dirty Harry" or "Sudden Impact?"
Go ahead, make your night.

Quo Vadis

Return to ancient Rome, via Poland
VIDEO VIPER IN WEEKENDER for June 19, 200

PAWEL ELAG and Magdalena Mielcarz in "Quo Vadis."

If you have a Netflix account, you probably have had movies arrive and wondered, Did I really order this?
For the uninitiated, as a Netflix member, you go to your online account and add movies to your cue as you think about it or you learn of movies you might want to see.
Then, as you watch movies and return them, you get more movies. It isn't uncommon to have a couple of hundred films in your cue, so the movie you get tomorrow you might have added to your cue months ago.
The other day, I received a copy of “Quo Vadis,” Nobel Prize winner Henry Sinkiewicz's sweeping love story, taking place in Rome 64 AD, with crazy Nero as emperor.
I must have been in a "Quo Vadis" mood, because I ordered two versions, the 1951 Hollywood version, and a TV miniseries.
I got the 6-part miniseries first. Released in 2001, it comes from Polish television no less and offers English subtitles.
But the more I watched, the more engrossed I became.
Now this all takes place 60 years after Jesus is placed on the cross. Some of the original figures are still alive and there is a growing Christian movement.
Marcus Vinicius (Pawel Delag) meets the gorgeous Lygia (Magdalena Mielcarz) in Rome and falls in love. But Lygia is one of those new Christians and when the two meet at a party, he comes on way too strong. She can't stand him.
But of course she ends up falling in love with him, too.
Central to the story is Emperor Nero, played very well by Michal Bajor. Nero believes himself to be a great musician, a great writer, a great poet. Of course, all of his yes men agree with him. They even manage to dab their eyes at the beauty of Nero's work.
Later in the film, when Nero recites one of his poems, Petronius, played by Boguslaw Linda, decides to play a few mind games with the emperor, whom we get the feeling is a bit, well, dense.
While the other hangers-on are ooing and ahhing over the poetry, Petronius essentially says it is darn good, but for Nero, it needs to be better. The poem is about the burning of Rome. Petronius says Nero must live the event in order to translate it. Wrong thing to say. Nero burns Rome. People die. People are angry. They want someone to blame.
Nero decides, hey, why not the Christians?
So Christians are rounded up, including the beloved Lygia. Marcus is able to visit her in prison, in which the Christians are housed next to the lions and can see the hungry cats pacing back and forth.
The miniseries really builds your interest. It would almost be worth it for a church group to see, except for its length, the nudity and graphic violence.
But it shows the early Christians and their persecutions. The camera doesn't pull away when the Christians are brought to the coliseum and the lions are let lose. They attack. They tear off pieces of flesh. A baby is torn from its mother by a lion whom we see tearing and shaking it. We see lions chowing down on severed feet. Very realistic for a television production.
Later, as Nero and his court travel the countryside, we see Christians being burned at the stake, bodies blackened but still alive.
People like the Apostle Peter are intricate and positive characters.
For a TV production, this is very well done and compelling. When I could only watch the first four episodes one night, I was ready to delve into the final two acts the next night.
It is long but it keeps you thinking. When you have a spare night or two, rent it.


QUO VADIS • Directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz • Written by Jerzy Kawalerowicz and Henry Sienkiewicz from his novel • Runtime: 274 minutes • Not rated, but much gore, dismemberment, blood, orgy scenes, nudity • Polish with Engish subtitles • 4 stars out of 5

The Wrestler

Mickey Rourke excels as washed-up wrestler
WEEKENDER for June 12, 2009:

Searchlight

Evan Rachel Wood and Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler ."

Slowly, I've made my way through this year’s best picture nominees.
I just hit “W” for “The Wrestler” and what a phenomenal picture!
Mickey Rourke contributes an unforgettable performance as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a famous wrestler in the 1980s who has fallen on hard times.
He was the stuff of legends in his day. There were The Ram action figures.
Today, he performs at little venues with much younger wrestlers-turned-actors. Seconds before they go on stage, they decide how it will be done.
It is invariably the same. Randy is beaten almost to an inch of his life. His face is bloodied, mostly because he whips out a razor-blade and slits his forehead. Somehow, he rallies and defeats the upstart young thud.
The crowd goes wild. The ring is covered in blood. All is well.
Except Randy's life is a mess. He is battered and beaten. His face looks like chopped meat, both before and after he fights.
He can't see anymore. His hearing is gone. He lives in a battered trailer park. He tries to make time with a stripper played by Marisa Tomei. His daughter, played by Evan Rachel Wood, hates him.
The battering he takes in the ring doesn't even cover the cost of the extensive line of painkillers and other drugs he buys. He also sells his autograph and charges to have his picture taken.
Oh yeah, he also works part-time at a grocery store, begging for extra hours, but not on weekends. Weekends are when he slits open his forehead.
There are many priceless scenes in this unforgettable movie, from the choreography of the wrestling to trying to make time with Tomei, whose character tries to convince herself while she is a stripper, she considers herself a mother first who wants to buy a condo. Messed-up, washed out, highly troubled wrestlers only add to her problems.
Rourke's character endures many indignities. After having a heart attack, he decides to end his wrestling career and reconnect with the daughter he has ignored for years. He also agrees to work weekend hours at the store. There the sadistic manager takes great pleasure in making him wear a hairnet over his long locks and sell half-pounds of honey-glazed ham to clueless old ladies. He also must wear a nametag with his real name on it, Robin Ramzinski.
I have two faults with the film. Wood doesn't have enough screen time and the film ends too soon. You want to know more about what happens to Randy next.
Rourke is exceptional. His character endures many indignities but retains a real eloquence.
If you are working your way through best picture nominees, don't stop before you get to “The Wrestler.” You will miss a real gem.

THE WRESTLER
• Directed by Darren Aronofsky
• Written by Robert D. Siegel
• Runtime: 111 minutes
• Rated R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use
• 5 stars out of 5

Happening

OK if you happen to miss ‘Happening’

20th Century

FoxZooey Deschanel and Mark Wahlberg in 20th Century Fox's "The Happening."

“The Happening” fails to add anything to the terror genre.
Past films have had small groups of people racing to survive aliens from outer space or terrorists or some other deadly matter.
Alfred Hitchcock may have done it the best with “The Birds” back in 1963.
In M. Night Shymalan's deadly effort, an airborne virus threatens to wipe out the eastern United States in a bit different way, mass suicide.
The film opens in Central Park in New York City, where life freezes for a few seconds. When motion resumes, people start killing themselves. A woman takes out a knitting needle and plunges it into her neck.
A bunch of construction workers on the ground are yukking it up over a joke when suddenly a worker above comes crashing to the ground.
Bloody with legs and arms that just shouldn't be at such angles, one of the workers on the ground starts to summon help. But then he sees another worker fall. And another, and another. It literally rains human bodies.
This and many other unsettling scenes in this film are done very well.
We get a reprieve from the suicides for awhile as the film switches to science teacher Elliot Moore, played by Mark Wahlberg. Now Elliot tries to be the cool teacher. He understands the students. He jokes, he cajoles them to think.
He asks the students their theories on why bees have suddenly disappeared from the planet. Will this be significant later?
Elliot and his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) eventually hear about the chaos and decide to take a train to Philadelphia. It becomes evident this mass suicide is more prevalent in areas with more people.
The pair aren't especially getting along well. She feels guilty. She lied and said she had to work late one night, when actually she was having dessert with another man. No really, it was just dessert.
They make the trip with Julian (John Leguizamo), a math teacher, and his daughter, Jess, played by Ashlyn Sanchez. Julian and Alma clash. After all, in the best disaster films, we must have secondary conflicts that don't really matter anyway. Remember "Towering Inferno?"
Eventually the train comes to a halt because (cue suspense music) the train operators have lost contact with the outside world.
So our heroes, wh0 are pared to Elliot, Alma and young Jess, finally resort to seeking food and shelter while staying away from groups of people. You see, progressively smaller and smaller groups become susceptible to this "suicideitous."
Meanwhile, people keep offing themselves.
Nothing says entertainment like a guy going into the lion's den at the zoo and putting his arm out for the cat to tear off, then stroll with one limb missing until the cat gets the other one.
And tell me, how does a guy start a tractor and lie down in order for it to ride over him, blades a whirling? My tractor shuts off if you get off of the thing with the motor engaged.
And what is causing all of this. A natural phenomenon? Government chemical experiments gone seriously wrong? Revenge of plant life?
Don't expect a definitive answer. Don't expect a big payoff either.
This is one of those films not worth seeing in the theater. It is OK at home while maybe reading e-mail or organizing your pictures.

THE HAPPENING
• Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
• Rated R for violent and disturbing images
• Runtime: 91 minutes
• 2 stars out of 4