Film Notes: SAMURAI COP; JEANNE AND THE PERFECT GUY; SMILEY FACE; SEXUAL LIFE

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9474763.post-13088348421020907812008-05-07T23:12:00.000-07:002008-05-26T21:29:43.484-07:00Film Notes: SAMURAI COP; JEANNE AND THE PERFECT GUY; SMILEY FACE; SEXUAL LIFESAMURAI COP (Amir Shervan, 1989) USA Perhaps a step-down from the equally-as-ridiculous HOLLYWOOD COP because of the sheer absence of classic Hollywood tough guys Aldo Ray and Cameron Mitchell, but it’s still basically the same hazy, stereotypical-laden plot with a generic LETHAL WEAPON cop team comprised of a white hero (Matt Hannon, whose long golden locks put him in the good graces of seemingly every female co-worker) and his black comic relief partner (Mark Frazer). Shervan’s major deficiency is in his inability to call cut, with scenes going on far longer than needed; actors shuffle and sometimes improvise an activity or a line to overcompensate, and the spectator can always, always tell. JEANNE AND THE PERFECT GUY [Jeanne et le garçon formidable] (Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau, 1998) FRANCE Virginie Ledoyen, with her dark, piercing features and raven locks, makes for an atypical lead in this realist-musical evidently inspired by (thematically, but not visually) the poppy, colorful song-and-dance films of Jacques Demy (and the lineage doesn’t end there: it co-stars Mathieu, Demy’s son, as the HIV-positive boy Ledoyen becomes enamored with). Candid depictions of spontaneous sex (Ledoyen beds nearly every male in the picture), overdubbed singing on the part of the actress in the heavy-on-the-long-shot musical numbers, and a handful of party scenes bombarding us of the clear contrast between Ledoyen’s rich suitor and his embarrassment of her proletarian existence fill up the remaining particulars of the 98 minutes. SMILEY FACE (Gregg Araki, 2007) USA Another buried treasure that further proves that the critically established, well-regarded indie directors of today (David Gordon Green, with his upcoming PINEAPPLE EXPRESS) have a deep ambition and desire to film ambling, stoner comedies. SMILEY FACE seems to be a lot less plot-driven than EXPRESS (if the trailer is any indication), as Anna Faris, perpetually high and hustling all over Los Angeles en route to Venice, attempts to complete randomly self-assigned tasks. Besides a second act that briefly involves her running afoul of the law, the biggest posing threat being that her pot dealer may steal her brand-new $995.00 super-comfy mattress. Araki playfully and skillfully interjects potent Marxist axioms (part of the plot involves a first-edition copy of “The Communist Manifesto”), making it his film’s purpose to not just partake in random non sequiturs and clueless, shambling, blusterous monologues, but to also be critical of Capitalist factions. Supporting roles are filled up by John Cho (Harold without Kumar), John Krasinski, Danny Masterson, Adam Brody, and smaller comedic riffs for familiar faces like Jane Lynch, Brian Posehn, Rick Hoffman, Jim Rash, and – last but not least - an inspired voice role for Roscoe Lee Browne (as himself). SEXUAL LIFE (Ken Kwapis, 2005) USA Criminally buried Showtime indie division release is an unofficial adaptation and reworking of Arthur Schnitzler’s “La Ronde”, the granddaddy of the revolving door sexuality-based drama that aims to succinctly seize and arrest the attitudes of the era by swapping and contrasting eight stories and protagonists. Kwapis updates it all with a knowing, charming simplicity, cinematic odes (to Godard’s 2 OR 3 THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER’s legendary dissipating-liquid in a coffee cup; a back-of-the-head dialogue scene captured in homage to MY LIFE TO LIVE), and an amiable cast of thirty and fortysomethings. Azura Skye is an end-of-the-road escort; Tom Everett Scott her john, Elizabeth Banks is Scott’s hesitant, brand-new girlfriend; James LeGros is a married businessman – to Anne Heche – in the throes of an affair with Banks; Steven Weber – in one standalone scene - is Heche’s old flame/would-be cheating partner; Eion Bailey is Heche’s hasty replacement for an adulterous encounter; Kerry Washington is HIS girlfriend, and Dule Hill is her fiancée. Which, in turn, circles back to Skye, who’s hired to perform and sleep with Hill on the night before he’s to take his vows. Breezy, old-fashioned, and harmless, this didn’t even get accidental notice or play as part of its salaciously inviting title.aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11988034390125865431noreply@blogger.com