Paper Chase

Smart TV series finds way to DVD
Video Viper for May 1, 2009




JOHN HOUSEMAN in "The Paper Chase."

In some ways, television really hasn't changed much.
Back in 1978, CBS rolled out a new series, “The Paper Chase.” John Jay Osborn, Jr. finished Harvard Law School back in 1970 and promptly wrote a novel about his experiences called “The Paper Chase.”
In 1973 the book was made into a motion picture with Timothy Bottoms as James T. Hart, a first-year law student at a university that appears much like Harvard. The frightful, no-nonsense, powerful and respected Prof. Kingsfield was played by John Houseman.
The film was so respected it became the CBS series. Fortunately, Houseman reprised his role as Kingsfield, even though he was 76 at the time. James Stephens took over the role of Hart.
Unfortunately, the series was well written, well directed, with good characters and solid, varied plotlines. So of course, ratings were low.
And even in 1978, ratings ruled television, despite the lack of a myriad of cable rivals and only three commercial networks.
CBS said it would give the show a chance, but after one season and 22 episodes, it was gone. “Paper Chase” was dubbed “The series too good for television.”
But the series wouldn't die. PBS picked up the first season and ran the reruns for awhile, but didn't have the money to produce new episodes.
Eventually, in 1983, Showtime pay TV picked up the series, reran the first season and produced three more seasons, concluding with “Paper Chase the Graduation Year.”
Houseman was well into his 80s by the time series concluded. He owned the role for more than 10 years.
His crusty Kingsfield accepted no excuses. He was rigid in his methods. He expected perfection and would accept nothing less. Houseman was born to play the role and it is truly one of the most stunning roles ever on television.
The first episode introduces us to Hart, a boy who grew up on a farm and loved it, but yearned to become a lawyer. He ends up at an Ivy League school surrounded by legacy would-be attorneys who wear sweaters and bowties.
It is a TV series about who makes Law Review and scenes taking place in study groups.
It opens with Hart, late for school, because his new alarm clock fails to work. Like those who have nightmares about waking up and having to go to class for a big test unprepared, Hart doesn't realize he is supposed to know certain material for his first class.
Of course the gruff Kingsfield calls on Hart, mostly because he stumbles into class late and looks bewildered. When Hart admits he doesn't know the material, Kingsfield places a ceremonial shroud over him, declaring him dead in his class.
Hart eventually finds a way to make himself unshrouded, something never done before at Harvard, er, wherever this takes place. The little smirk on Houseman's face at end of Show 1 is priceless. What an actor!
If you want to sample a series about smart people talking about and doing smart things, that first season is out on DVD through SHOUT video.
It's worth researching.

PAPER CHASE
• Directed by Georg Stanford Brown, Mark Cullingham and others
• Written by John J. Osborn Jr. and many others
• Runtime: 57 episodes, 60 minutes each, the first season minus commercials
• Not rated. Good for children to watch to introduce them to academics and studying
• 5 stars out of 5

Stuck

‘Stuck’ takes off with bizarre, bloody plot




STEPHEN REA in "Stuck."

Stuart Gordon directed a bloody B-type horror picture called “Re-Animator” back in 1985.
It was so over the top and goofy, it turned out to be a lot of fun, once you got past the blood and gore.
It's sort of the same way a generation later with his film “Stuck.”
I didn't plan to like this picture, oh those of us with preconceived ideas.
But like “Re-Animator,” Gordon went over the top. But then he went down the next valley and to the top of the next hill and by then, by gosh, it started working.
It would probably make a great cult film, much like "Re-Animator." Even more interesting, it is grounded in fact. Bizarre fact, but fact just the same.
The film opens with two stories that soon converge. Mena Suvari is a young woman working in a nursing home who wants to advance. She doesn't mind handling the problems of senile-old men who can no longer control their bowels. When a supervisor asks her to work another Saturday with the promise of a possible promotion, she agrees.
Outside the nursing home, this seemingly dedicated and responsible young lady enters a different world.
She starts drinking heavily at a bar where she meets her drug-dealing boyfriend who pops a pill in her mouth, presumably to get her in the mood for some later bedroom activity.
Meanwhile, we have everyman Stephen Rea, who plays Thomas Bardo, a seemingly intelligent guy who had been downsized from his job and is about to be evicted by his nasty landlord from his crummy apartment.
It doesn't matter he has a job interview. Landlord won't let him take anything out of the apartment until the rent is paid. So the Bardo character grabs his clothes and runs out, with landlord in tow.
The poor guy goes to the interview carrying his clothing. He doesn't have anywhere to put them.
That night, he is homeless, walking the street. A bum gives him a spare shopping cart to push his meager belongs around in.
Suddenly the Suvari character careens down the street in a drunken stupor, trying to call druggie BF while Bardo is crossing the street. The two plots literally merge at that point.
Bardo flies into the windshield of the car while the drunken lady drives home, with Bardo's head bleeding onto her seat and his feet hanging out the front of the car.
You may recall a woman actually hit a man and like the Suvari character, drove home undetected to place the car and the wounded victim in her garage. The real story had the man begging the woman to call an ambulance because he was bleeding to death and she refused. In real life, the man died. It was also the topic of a "CSI" episode.
In this version, the victim tries every way imaginable to break free and get help while coping with pieces of jagged, bloody glass hanging from his body.
He seems to get a break when he finds a cell phone on the seat or when a young boy discovers him in the garage or when a young dog finds him and thinks he might make a nice meal. Yeah, it gets gross. But each time his hope for rescue is trounced.
Russell Hornsby plays the drug-dealing boyfriend who isn't as tough as he would like to be.
There are twists and turns and unexpected events. Nothing is too bizarre. Nothing is too crazy.
Just be warned. Don't watch this movie the night before you donate blood.

STUCK
• Directed by Stuart Gordon
• Written by John Strysik and Gordon
• Rated R for strong violence, disturbing content, sexuality/nudity, language and drug use
• Runtime: 85 minutes
• 3 stars out of 5

The Visitor

‘Visitor’ nice break from car chases, sex comedies

Overture Films 

RICHARD JENKINS and Haaz Sleiman in "The Visitor."

You may have heard about the film “The Visitor” because Richard Jenkins was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a depressed college professor.

It was a rare instance where you could watch an Oscar-nominated film being streamed to your computer via Netflix before the awards were held.

Jenkins didn't win but it was nevertheless an outstanding performance in a beautiful, thought-provoking film that deals with the complicated world of illegal aliens.

Jenkins plays Walter Vale, whose piano virtuoso wife has died. He tries to learn to play but just doesn't have the talent. In fact, one of his piano teachers tells him nicely that it doesn't always work out for untalented people and if he decides to give up, she'd like to buy his piano.

You can tell immediately what you need to know about Walter from Jenkins’ acting ability and the talent of director Thomas McCarthy.

Walter is a professor at a Connecticut college who has no love for the job. He's been teaching exactly the same way for 20 years. He is set in his ways. He is supposedly working on an “important” book so has a reduced teaching load.

We know instantly the book isn't important and he's not really working on it, but resists a request to take over some classes of a fellow teacher.

He has a Manhattan flat he hasn't visited in two months. When he does, he discovers a woman taking a bath there!

He remains unruffled and even apologetic that he has disturbed the woman, played by Danai Jekesai Gurira. Her character's husband, Tarek, (Haaz Sleiman) and herself had been duped into subleasing the apartment by a crook. Tarek is at first angry but when he learns they are in the wrong, agrees to quickly leave. But Walter takes pity and allows them to stay. Walter is very much the meek, mild, no-humor scholarly type, but takes an interest in Tarek's drum playing. He becomes fascinated by musicians who line up outside to play each day.

Ever so slowly, he loosens up. He and Tarek become unusual friends, although wife seems creeped-out by the middle-aged prof. 

When a misunderstanding results in Tarek being arrested, there is no easy solution. The couple are illegals and he is held in a detention center. There we learn people are abruptly moved from one place to another. Walter hires an attorney. Tarek's mother, wonderfully played by Hiam Abbass, comes from Michigan to stand vigil.

Walter comes to grips with his life. He learns what is truly important. He learns life is more than what he has done for the past 20 years. And Tarek's mother and wife learn about humanity and unselfishness from Walter. 

There are many outstanding performances in this warm, fluid drama.

It could well be a different type of film to watch with older children, too. Suitable for discussion afterward.

If you are ready for a break from car crashes and serial killers and grossout comedy, even for a bit, give "The Visitor" a try. It's worth the visit.

THE VISITOR

• Written and directed by Thomas McCarthy

• Rated PG-13 for strong language

• Runtime: 104 minutes

• 4.5 stars of out 5

Pinocchio

‘Pinocchio’ looks great in high-def

Walt Disney
PINOCCHIO and Jiminy Cricket and friends in "Pinocchio."
WEEKENDER for April 3, 2009

A quarter of a century ago, when the Viper had hair and Ronald Reagan was president, those masters of marketing, Walt Disney Co., released my favorite animated film, "Pinocchio," in those ancient formats of VHS and Beta.
The cost was $89 and for some reason, back then there were no discounts. The thing really cost $89.
And for that price you got the movie and that is it. No commentary, no extras. Zilch.
Heck, I was ready to pluck the money down for it, but Mrs. Viper yelled "Noooooo" and threw herself between me and the store clerk.
Months later I came across an advertisement that there would be yet another rerelease of the film. The only difference this time, the price was $29.98. Baby, that film was mine.
Well, recently I plucked down a penny more at Conneaut Kmart for the 70th anniversary edition in Blu-ray with an excellent commentary, Disney Live, which lets you discuss the film with others over the Internet, deleted scenes, alternate ending, trivia and a making of video.
The film is available for about $10 less on standard DVD. What is cool about the Blu-ray version is it includes a second copy of the movie in standard definition.
If you have a high-definition TV and Blu-ray player, you can watch the film in its gorgeous high-definition splendor. But maybe the kids want to watch it in the family room or the DVD player in the van or one of those portable DVD players that keeps them quiet at the doctor's office.
That's where the standard disc comes in handy. I understand adding a standard version of a film will become a regular part of Blu-ray, much like the now extinct HD-DVD used to have a high definition version on one side of a disc and standard on the other.
You know the story. Papa Geppetto carves a boy out of wood and a fairy turns it into a living puppet. But the puppet, Pinocchio, must prove himself brave and fearless to become a real boy. The guy who helps move the story along, our narrator, is none other than Jiminy Cricket.
Pinocchio gets involved in the wrong crowd. He ends up on Pleasure Island, an amusement park where kids can smoke and drink and shoot pool and smash up a luxury house. What happens there gets pretty scary.
Then there's the unforgettable part when Pinocchio saves Geppetto from Monstro the whale.
The animation, long before computers, is absolutely stunning. You see subtle shadows in the background. Scenes we enjoy and take for granted took much talent and timing and planning, we learn from the commentary.
And speaking of commentary, this one is a beaut. Leonard Maltin and film historians appear as inserts around the screen during the movie, discussing what is going on. When they discuss how a character evolved, we see original drawings. We see and hear people who worked on the film.
Did you know Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and so many Warner Brothers character, was an uncredited voice in "Pinocchio?"
I watched this film the first night possible, watched it again with the commentary and viewed it a third time the next morning.
The cliché it is great for young and old alike really, really holds true in this instance. The scenes on Pleasure Island and escaping Monstro may be a bit much for very young children the first time around, but once they realize Pinocchio and company escape, they will enjoy subsequent viewings.
"Pinocchio," Disney's second fully-animated film effort, is a true triumph and this new Blu-Ray and DVD version makes it that much better.

PINOCCHIO Directed by Hamilton Luske and Ben Sharpsteen Written by Carlo Collodi and Ted Sears Runtime: 88 minutes Rated G for general audiences 5 stars out of 5

Cadillac Records

It all began with guys in ‘Cadillac Records’
WEEKENDER, March 27, 2009

Eric Liebowitz/Tristar Pictures
Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess in "Cadillac Records."

The film “Cadillac Records” uses a phrase I was unfamiliar with: "race records."
That means music by African-American artists. It hardly evokes a positive image.
“Cadillac Records” brings up a lot of different topics in its nearly two-hour run.
It's main shortfall — and that's probably because of the time element — is it doesn't give us much of the background, the motivation for the talented artists who eventually form the core of what becomes rock 'n roll, rap and hip-hop.
“Cadillac Records” chronicles the life of one Leonard Chess, played by Adrien Broady, who operates a Chicago junkyard in 1941 but decides what he really wants to do is open a club and eventually a legendary recording studio on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
The club spotlights African-American artists whose ancestors were slaves and truly know the blues.
But they also know how to play guitar. Boy can they play guitar.
Among the early artists are Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer, who narrates), Little Walter (Columbus Short) and Jimmy Rogers (Kevin Mambo.)
The club is a mecca for the blues. It is frequently the scene of fights, gunfire and the place is a haze of smoke.
Much of the film takes place during years of racial tension and inequality.
While in the South, black artists had to pretend to be Chess' chauffeur, since blacks and whites couldn't hang out together.
As lively and fun as the music is, the film really takes off with the introduction of Mos Def, one of our great young actors, playing a dead-on Chuck Berry. Berry isn't really a bluesman and in the mid 1950s, nobody really knows for sure what he is. Is he country?
When a white nightclub owner accuses him of trying to pass for white in his posters, a seething Barry smiles and says he's Indian, before pulling down the poster and leaving, losing the gig.
It is Berry who breaks the color barrier. In one tremendous scene, he is singing and duck-walking across the stage. A barrier keeps blacks to the left, whites to the right. But the flimsy barrier is soon shredded and the races are dancing and enjoying the music together, much to the disdain of the police.
The police are very much the villain in this film.
The time element is somewhat bothersome. In midfilm we seen five guys who are supposed to be the Rolling Stones but look nothing like them shaking hands with Muddy, saying they got the name of the band from one of his songs.
We then hear some of the Stones’ cover of Muddy's “I Can't Be Satisfied. “(It's not to be mixed up with the Stones' own “I Can't Get No Satisfaction,” released a year later.)
OK, the Stones visited Chess Records in Chicago in 1964. Later we see film snippets on TV of Elvis joining the Army. That was 1958. In the film, Chess sells his record company and dies. Afterward, Howln' Wolf (Eamonn Walker) is amazed as he visits England and sees all of his fans, or as many fans as a film on a budget can afford to have.
Except the film has him going to England in 1967, but Chess doesn't die until 1969.
Still, the film works. Beyonce Knowles is very credible as the drug-addicted, troubled Etta James, a tremendous talent who somehow escaped an early death and is alive today.
The movie title comes from the fact that owning a Cadillac was considered a real sign one has arrived as an artist. So Chess gave them out to his artists in lieu of real cash. They were happy and it was cheaper for him.
See "Cadillac Records" for the music, for the history. It is like a 1-hour, 49-minute crash course on rock 'n roll.

CADILLAC RECORDS • Directed and written by Darnell Martin • Rated R for pervasive language, drug use and some sexuality • Runtime: 1 hour, 49 minutes • 4 stars out of 5

Changeling

Tony Rivetti Jr./Universal Pictures
Angelina Jolie in "Changeling."

Eastwood remains one great director

March 20, 2009 Weekender

You are pretty much certain if Clint Eastwood is involved in a film, it will be pretty good.

The guy is 78, a time in which many artists have discovered their best work is long gone.

But Eastwood continues to churn out quality stuff, one of the most recently being "Changeling."

Wow! And it is based on a true story.

First off, the film takes place in the 1920s and 30s and you can just absorb the authenticity.

It starts in 1928 but main character, Christine Collins, in many ways is a modern woman, just wearing shapeless clothing of the period and unbelievably red lipstick, at least in Blu-ray.

Played by Angelina Jolie, Collins was a single mother who was a telephone operator. In fact, before her tragic story unfolds, she is offered a supervisory position, even though her boss admitted he was getting heat for even considering a woman.

(Note the supervisory job is so intense, she is required to wear roller skates to quickly get from one side of the room to the next.)

When she must go to work unexpectedly one night, she settles her young son Walter (Gattlin Griffith) in for the night and tells him to see the neighbor if he has any problems.

When she gets home, Walter is gone. She eventually calls police and a few months later, they say they have good news, Walter has been found.

She immediately says it isn't her son, but police say kids change rapidly at that age and it is indeed her boy.

So what can she do? She takes the boy home but discovers he isn't circumcised. Walter is. This boy is three inches shorter than Walter was when he left. His teacher doesn't recognize him. The boy doesn't know where his desk is at school. The dental records don't match.

Armed with this information, Collins confronts authorities. But the police are plagued by allegations of corruption by the Rev. Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich), who has his own radio show. They aren't about to lose face after “solving” this high-profile kidnapping case.

So they throw Collins in a mental hospital where the key to leaving is admitting the new “Walter” is her son and she had been delusional.

She isn't the only “political” prisoner in this gripping drama. Others are drugged and undergo horrible shock therapy.

Meanwhile, a more sensitive detective, Ybarra (Michael Kelly), hears a fascinating story from a young man who tells of being kidnapped and helping a depraved man kill and bury 20 boys at a chicken ranch. The boy identifies Walter as one of the victims.

But there is more to the tale then this. The scandal is so pervasive, the community actually changed its name because of bad publicity.

The scenes, the costumes, the sets, the story all make for an eerie, top-notch movie experience.

You won't believe "Changeling" could have happened, but it did.

CHANGELING

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Runtime: 141 minutes

Rated R for violence, disturbing content

4 stars out of 5

Deception

Plot twists keep ‘Deception’ interesting

20th Century Fox
Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor in"Deception."

If you want to see an excellent, smart, popcorn-munching film, check out Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman in “Deception.”
The intricate plot, the situations, the characters, the actors jell very nicely in this suspense drama. Oh yeah, and there’s lots of sex, too.
Then again, that’s because there’s a sex club thrown into the plot.
McGregor plays Jonathan McQuarry, an accountant who lives, well, an accountant’s life. He’s nice but quiet, and it looks like his days are relatively uneventful.
His job requires him to review the books of various big companies around Manhattan. So every few days, he picks up his laptop and is ushered to the corner office of this or that business.
At an attorney’s office, he meets a guy who calls himself Wyatt Bose, played by Jackman. He’s handsome, he’s flashy, he’s friendly.
They strike up a conversation. They share a joint. They play tennis.
Nerdy McQuarry seems flattered this guy is interested in him.
But soon the film turns darker.
Jackman’s character, as they eat lunch in the park, says he must go to Europe for a time for his law firm.
When they part, they accidentally switch cell phones.
McGregor’s character gets a phone call, which was supposed to go to Bose. It’s a sexy-sounding woman who asks, “Are you free tonight?”
Wyatt’s influence has made McQuarry less inhibited, and he decides to meet the woman in a hotel, where they leave no doubt they have done the deed in any number of positions.
It seems McQuarry has stumbled onto Bose’s membership in a sex club.
With his friend apparently in Europe, he takes advantage of the situation — no lonely accountant nights with TV dinners for him.
This film weaves many different layers.
McQuarry is captivated by a beautiful blonde he sees while getting onto a bus. The woman, played by Michelle Williams, by coincidence turns out to be a member of the sex club, too.
McQuarry is smitten. This girl might be the one. He can’t bring himself to have just sex and lose her forever.
They meet outside the sex club. His life has changed so much since he met the friendly Mr. Bose.
Ah, but is Bose who he says he is? Is the beautiful blonde whom she appears to be?
What started as an interesting film turns compelling, like shivers down the spine.
OK, the ending starts to get a little far-fetched, but the journey to get there is great.
And you have seasoned actors, who certainly know their stuff.
Kudos to Mark Bomback for his screenplay and Marcel Langenegger for his tight directing style.
Sex, suspense, romance, thrills, surprises.
Hey, this film gives you a lot. Don’t be deceived. Rent it.
DECEPTION
• Directed by Marcel Langenegger
• Written by Mark Bomback
• Runtime: 107 minutes
• Rated R for sexual content, language, brief violence and some drug use
• 4 stars out of 5