Buscemi bleakly navigates his way through kidnapping, "Fargo"

When you are dealing with the Coen bros telling a story about a struggling car salesman who arranges to have his wife kidnapped, you know that it's probably going to be quirky, strange, and desolate. Billed by Siskel and Ebert as their favorite movie of 1996, "Fargo" shows us the story of Jerry Lundegaard, who is under pressure from his boss at a car lot to upsell features; and it's all really not working for him. He is cast perfectly as someone who no one seems to care about; his problems are real but his father in law (Harve Presnell) and wife (Kristin Rudrud) naively think he will keep plodding along.

As his pressures escalate, he talks a convict at his car lot into introducing him to introducing him to two criminals who will kidnap his wife, while pocketing some of the ransom from his rich father in law. Steve Buscemi and Peter Stromare play the two crooks that are hired, and their dual combo of sleaziness is rigidly perfect.

Buscemi plays the ultimate con man, not nearly channeling the dominance or organization of his role in "Boardwalk Empire". Stromare is a Nordic, angrier, more pissed off criminal who really does not say much. A cop is killed after stopping them for not having license plates, and immediately afterwards a couple who witnesses this is shot by the criminals as well.

Enter Marge Gunderson, (Frances McDormand), who shows up at the homicide. She is very pregnant and has the true northern accent; this is her signature role as a woman who is painfully simple but has her police wits entirely intact. One of the real treats of this movie is watching her navigate the case while having to be utterly physically uncomfortable.

 Her candor is perfect and her charm is so subtle it's like taking a strange pleasure in scraping the ice of your windows. And in the locale of this movie, there is plenty of ice to scrape. The first meeting with the ransom gets utterly botched, and Buscemi is shot in the face. Jerry's father in law is shot here, and things escalate into madness. The best things about this movie are Marge's persistent persona of investigation, and watching Jerry try to hide a secret.

We are led to believe that he does love his wife; that this was probably just a scheme to get money. The real element of choice film here is watching things get worse for Jerry. A tale of a man's problems takes extra craft to spin this well, and it is a signature role for Buscemi as a crook whose main nuance is having no real care for anybody in the world.

This is a top notch film; and it's themes of desolation are Paralleled by "No Country for Old Men". The two films would be great to watch together on the same evening, to expose yourself to the true quirks that make the Coen recipes taste so good.

Coming Back Cinema Presents the Road Warrior screening in LA

At Los Feliz 3 Cinema in Los Angeles, they are showing "The Road Warrior" on Wednesday, July 10th. This would be a chaotically pleasant outing indeed, to re visit the mohawk brandishing thieves who terrorize the survivors inhabiting the Australian desert landscape. Filled with action and car stunts that are respected to this day, the movie is one of a kind and one of the funnest sequels ever. Full of fuel rationing, apocalyptic messages and bits of very stark violence, it's one of the greatest cult classics ever made. Brutal in many ways and with a simple plot; it's still easy to re visit multiple times, and have a blast on each return. Easily one of the best films of 1981, experiencing it on the screen would be a film lover's supreme treat.

Surfing without Paddling; attractive even if Cheating

Everyone on a surfboard has imagined at one time not having to do the hard work of paddling out, turning around and sometimes.... just waiting for a long time for a wave. Even though it could be considered not purist, so could the use of jet skis, which really enable pros to go where they want to in the water right away. This battery powered motor is built into some surfboards, at a cost of close to five thousand dollars. A bracelet remote controls the motor, which also kills automatically upon wipeout. Long ago the valiant riders of the South Pacific and California would have scoffed at this, but at speeds of up to 12 mph; you'll have a little bit of arm power left to sling the cooler of beer close to the campfire later.

Depression Era Gem: "Road to Perdition"

Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law are at the forefront of this story about a connected man and his son who are on the run and in search of those who murdered the rest of their family. After finishing "American Beauty", director Sam Mendes wanted to have something that focused more on imagery and not as much diolouge; this was part of it's criticism, but also part of it's acclaim. Tom Hanks is Michael Sullivan, who works in Rock Island, a smaller city in Illinois crime ridden 1930's. Tyler Hoechlin is the child actor who plays Sullivan's son, a twelve year old who witnesses a murder.

The party who was in charge of the witnessed murder kills Sullivan's wife, and other son, and the two head out to Chicago to seek work with Al Capone and find the wherabouts of the murderer, named Connor. Before all this we get a glimpse of life before the incident, and Paul Newman is excellent as the local Rock Island crime boss. When the Capone crew is asked permission to work for and kill Connor, they do not oblige, putting Michael and his son is a predicament. They begin robbing banks that house Capone's laundered money, in hopes of making an exchange.

Some people did not enjoy Jude Law cast as a henchman hired by Capone to kill Sullivan, who broodily photographs his victims. For a few reasons I highly enjoyed him in this, he seemed a little crazy and not as hard edged as some gangsters. There is a scene in a diner where he begins to actually talk to Sullivan and his son, and they quickly realize its a setup. Sullivan teaches his son to drive the getaway car, and the movie shifts gears into a bit of a father/son classic. When i first saw this, I did not know it was based on a graphic novel, which has got to be kind of a nice specimen, a gangster novel instead of monsters and superheroes for a brief change.

Sam Mendes had attempted to make a gangster film here that avoids the same themes as others, and I widely think that he has. It is a bit hard to re watch because of the somewhat surprise ending and some drawn out moments. Some critics felt detached from it, like they did not have the ability to care about the characters. 2/3 of the way through, Sullivan is injured and the two have to stay with a couple on a farm; at this point we see some wonderful things happen; that engrossed me a bit more in the relationships. This is one of my favorite roles for Tom Hanks, who is known as a a take him or leave him actor.

There are some great scenes of the 1930's car rolling through the Midwest, and with that moving car, there is a theme of comfort, as if Sullivan, the boy, and the car are one. The best thing about this is that if you are able to be pulled into it quickly enough, it sticks with you; and there are some cold sensations that the winter, rain, and robberies conjure up in you. When you as the viewer ride with Sullivan and his son in the old car, there is a bit of foreboding doom. But there is also a glimpse of a land with promise; that was being eaten by the economic and criminal cancers of the era.

Like Catnip for the Sci-fi Connoisseur, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" still amazes; 35+ years later

Released in November of 1977, "Close Encounters" is one of those movies that invoked so much magic and awe in the audience, it left them driving home wistfully thinking of their own origins; and the entire galaxy. Richard Dreyfuss plays Roy Neary, an electrician in Indiana who sees UFOs while on a night call and is mesmorized by them completely, following them until it even derails his marriage. Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, and Gene Hackman all turned down the part, originally thought by Speilberg to be played by Steve Mcqueen. While on the set of the masterpiece "Jaws", Dreyfuss slowly coaxed Speilberg into being the leading man for this gem as well. In the beginning we are shown some ww2 planes left in the desert strangely, minus the pilots.

Then, we are shown the predicament via air traffic control of two planes having a near collision with a UFO, startled. 3 year old Barry in Indiana is woken up when his battery operated toys start moving on their own, and goes out the door to chase the beings. In one of the best moments in movie history, Roy is stuck at a railroad crossing looking at his maps when a ufo slowly buzzes over and shines a light directly on him. the crossing sign shakes, the truck battery goes awry, and he is genuinely terrified. Some highway patrolmen chase the UFOs, and another grand scene with them flying through the toll booth is shown. Eventually Roy becomes so obsessed that he makes a model of Devil's Tower in his basement, where the United Nations has constructed a communications center and landing pad. Roy is accompanied by Jillian, a woman who also is interested in the UFOS, to the landing site to witness a final spectacle of interstellar wonder.  

People in the industry joked that the 3.3 million dollar effects budget at the time could be used to make an entire other film, but if you go revisit this classic, you will be glad they stuck with it. Jillian is Barry's mother, who has been taken by the aliens. When they sneak onto the landing site, the night sky by Devil's Tower with the lit landing pad looks like a perfectly painted surreal setting, and hints of global governance tell us that even back in 1977; the whole world would attempt to join over events concerning interstellar peace. When the craft lands, the beings are somewhat like the "grey" aliens portrayed in later films, but curiously friendlier. The missing airline pilots along with young Barry are released, and a few other choice events happen.

Said to be a homage to his younger days when Speilberg saw meteor showers with his father in New Jersey, this film is almost like a child's dream; wherein all elements of hostility are ruled out in the end. If you revisit this film you undoubetdly may drag along a bit in the middle; but as many masterpieces the beginning and end are essential. "ET" was a bit more lovable and may have had more heart, but "Close Encounters" is the big daddy of the alien genre; and many buffs will raise a glass to it for decades to come.   

"Heat" by Michael Mann: The City Of Angels' Epic Saga bathed in blue

Bathed in a sea of blue, Los Angeles has almost never looked better. This epic crime drama from Micahel Mann is said to be his best, what he wanted to do with "Thief" from 1981, with a bigger budget. Al Pacino is Vincent Hana, a cop who is in another failed marriage, burnt out yet still on overdrive. Robert De Niro is Neil McCauley, a man who did time in Folsom who still takes down scores from safes and banks. Val Kilmer has a good supporting role as one of De Niro's henchmen, and these guys really do not mess around. In the beginning we see Neil steal an ambulance and the first score is an armored truck. They hire some help that goes a little crazy and kills the driver, and sparks start to fly left and right.

Many did not like the length of this film, and at almost three hours that is understandable. A very ambient musical score, and McCauley's hard nosed desire for one last retirement plot make this picture sizzle. The layers of blue are shown to us in perfect form, when Val Kilmer is asleep on McCauley's floor after a fight with his wife. De Niro sets his gun on the counter, gets coffee for them both, and we see the Pacific Ocean behind them in it's early morning glory as Kilmer stumbles up. Michael Mann also achieves these perfect shots in "The Insider", in which he shows us Russel Crowe standing by a lake getting ready to testify against big tobacco. The simple, modern apartment which still has no furniture is the homage to the man who has everything but wants just a little more.

Amy Brenneman plays Eady, the lonely artist who McCauley meets in a bookstore. At first completely snubbing her, he falls for her lost persona, a delicate woman who moved out West. His desperation for companionship is a wonderful theme, and the real treats in this movie happen when Pacino and De Niro sit down together for Coffee. McCauley is told that "now that he has been sat down with in person, I am not going to like it when I am going to have to take you down". He returns the qoute by telling Pacino he neither will like it; and the stage is set for climax. a portrait of the busy highways, secret information being sold, banks letting themselves be ripped off for insurance money, and shoot outs in broad daylight, "Heat" is a modern winner of a film. Taking from some of the best dramatic scenes of his TV series "Miami Vice", Michael Mann shows us what the big boys do here when they sit down to making an epic gangster movie.