The Illusionist
REVIEWED 08/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Fifteen years after gifted young peasant cabinet maker's son Edward Abramovitz was torn from the loving arms of teenaged Duchess Sophie Fantasia and fled to learn the ancient mysteries of the 19th Century's known world, he returns to his Vienna birthplace as the enigmatic stage illusionist Eisenheim (Edward Norton; 'Fight Club' (1999), 'Kingdom of Heaven' (2005)), in this marvelously clever mystery from writer/director Neil Burger ('Interview with the Assassin' (2002)) that's based on Pulitzer Prize winning author Steven Millhauser's short story Eisenheim the Illusionist published in his 1990 compilation The Barnum Museum, where a chance meeting with Sophie (Jessica Biel; 'Ulee's Gold' (1997), 'Stealth' (2005)) during Edward's packed theatre performance attended by the treacherously pompous Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell; 'A Knight's Tale' (2001), 'The Legend of Zorro' (2005)) is soon followed with Sophie's untimely murder investigation by the city's slightly corrupt Inspector William Uhl (Paul Giamatti; 'Man on the Moon' (1999), 'Lady in the Water' (2006)), that threatens to scandalize the Prince's reigning Hapsburg Empire when intensely brooding Eisenheim begins to conjure what appears to be the Duchess' accusatory ghost for an increasingly stunned and outraged populous. Wow, this is such an incredibly intriguing film from beginning to closing credits. Unsurprisingly, the entire primary cast is outstanding here, with Norton's effortless performance superbly captivating a paying audience throughout. Burger's screenplay is sheer genius, allowing this hundred and ten minute picture to meticulously unfold at a consistently strong yet subdued pace, while it masterfully misdirects your amateur sleuthing skills with an astounding attention to detail. You're led to believe that 'The Illusionist' is about watching Inspector Uhl hesitantly collect homicide evidence against his volcanic regent Leopold while dutifully attempting to end Eisenheim's phantom act with threats of fraud and imprisonment, but this movie is really about something else entirely - a secret that's obvious in hindsight, but that I'm not going to tell. As with any high caliber mystery well worth experiencing, the truth deserves to be revealed at the very end.

This script's slight of hand is absolutely dazzling, even if some of the minor points revolving around Eisenheim's more elaborate tricks seem slightly anachronistic. Don't be surprised if you find yourself leaving afterwards still wondering how some of the other feats of impressive prestidigitation were accomplished within the context of this tale, but that's really part and parcel of seeing a successful magic show anyway. You're never quite sure if the spirit of Houdini or Merlin is in the seat beside you. The appropriately subtle CGI effects are gorgeous, and it's clear that a certain amount of effort was made to shoot a lot of the minor magical moments live. Good stuff. Visually, 'The Illusionist' is somewhat of an experimental Art House film as well, where cinematographer Dick Pope's oftentimes blurry, richly sepia toned lens tends to evoke stylish, almost hand tinted cues to the work of Vaudeville magician and pioneer French director Georges Méliès (1861-1938) and other bygone film makers from the Dawn of Cinema. Sometimes it works, as enjoyed elsewhere in David Lynch's albeit black and white gem 'The Elephant Man' (1980), where the technical aspects of how each scene is shot to look old enriches the entire Period atmosphere of the piece, but sometimes the technique unnecessarily overwhelms and distracts a contemporary paying audience from thoroughly enjoying what's transpiring on the big screen. There's a definite feeling that the artsy quality of 'The Illusionist' is also partially inspired by Lynch. However, parts of this one look like the camera was unwittingly set out of focus, the studio mistakenly released a bad print, or something in the booth malfunctioned while the projectionist was elsewhere during the screening. Save the complaint forms for another day, the imperfections seen here are supposed to be there (unless it's all out of focus or you see a boom mic).

Definitely check it out for its incredibly talented cast and a superior story that's memorably spellbinding.

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Invincible
REVIEWED 08/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

... And you will never make a name for yourself, were the last words in the hurtful handwritten note that thirty year-old South Philly part-time bartender Vince Papale's (Mark Wahlberg; 'Boogie Nights' (1997), 'The Departed' (2006)) now estranged wife Sharon (Lola Glaudini; 'Blow' (2001), '7 Songs' (2003)) had ended their five-year marriage with, and Vince kept that note and he carefully read her words and he let her disappointed rage punch into his bruised guts, every time he suited up as his team's shunned under dog rookie solely picked from the floundering Philadelphia Eagles' contentious open try outs held by its new NFL coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear; 'As Good as It Gets' (1997), 'Little Miss Sunshine' (2006)) a few days earlier during that bleak summer of 1976, in this rather simplified yet powerfully inspiring big screen adaptation from cinematographer/director Ericson Core that reportedly loosely reenacts Papale's first tumultuous season as a professional football player with the Eagles throughout that brutal comeback year. The feat of humbly overcoming insurmountable odds in such a way that it reaches beyond personal achievement to bring hope to the lives of many during hard times is pretty well the overriding theme of this hundred and four-minute live action Disney film. What makes it work so convincingly well more often than not is that Brad Gann's screenplay wonderfully focuses on the small humanizing details surrounding Papale, Vermeil and the people in their lives during this compressed moment in time.

'Invincible' acknowledges that the game itself is larger than any of these characters and has an awe striking, all consuming life of its own. It's a tangible feeling here, once they eventually arrive and the first Pre-Season coin is tossed in centre field. Everything leading up to that scene over-all masterfully encompasses a rich wealth of character development. Wahlberg seems tailor made for this role, effortlessly conveying a truthful sense of pained humility in the face of so much surrounding enthusiasm, invasiveness and skepticism. Unsurprisingly, top marks should also go to Kinnear, for his impeccably personable take on what any new coach facing overwhelming expectations from his boss and loyal fans has likely gone through in private and in plain sight. Awesome. Sure, much like with it's obvious cinematic predecessors 'Rocky' (1976) and 'Rudy' (1993), this feature does teeter on the brink of heavily relying on wince inducing cliché throughout. It's unavoidable. However, a portion of that is potentially bothersome - especially if you rely on movies to learn about real people or history (but, does anyone seriously do that anymore?) - considering it's apparently not a totally faithful depiction of how actual events transpired for the real Papale.

The reported reality that doesn't exist anywhere in this otherwise impressive script is that he was already a WFL hometown wide receiver, shortly before being drafted to the Philadelphia Eagles. Here, a paying audience is led to believe that the only times Papale ran with a pigskin before meeting Vermeil were on a muddy back lot with friends, beside the bar he tended. I guess the powers that be decided making him an unassuming Every man plucked from the shadows for greatness makes a better story. Frankly, they're right. It does. This is an exceptionally satisfying flick from beginning to closing credits, despite it apparently being a selective Hollywood concoction. The fact that the names of actual people are used might have been done in order to lend this effort some credibility, but what transpires in the final cut makes that point entirely inconsequential to your enjoyment of it. The soundtrack of immediately familiar songs from that era pleasantly and immediately transport you back to that world for the duration, and Core's camera deftly frames and captures each significant experience with astounding versatility. It's tough to believe the quiet, insightful glimpses that pull you further into this one have been shot by the same hand that locks onto the frenetic non-stop action mixed with archive footage that all roars across the playing field later on.

Definitely check out this wonderfully effective, character driven ride into the big leagues that's absolutely more than just another sports movie.

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Idlewild
REVIEWED 09/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

The untimely retirement of Idlewild, Georgia's gentleman bootlegger Uncle Spatz (Ving Rhames; 'Pulp Fiction' (1994), 'Mission: Impossible III' (2006)) throws Rooster (Antwan "Big Boi" Patton; 'ATL' (2006)) - a life long philandering huckster and headlining Church night club heir - under the dangerous shadow of merciless gangster Trumpy (Terrence Howard; 'Mr. Holland's Opus' (1995), 'Crash' (2004)), while Rooster's childhood best friend and that speak easy's shy pianist Percival (André Benjamin; 'Four Brothers' (2005), 'Be Cool' (2005)) becomes torn between living under the stern thumb of his elderly mortician father (Ben Vereen; 'Sweet Charity' (1969)) or following his true calling as part of newly arrived and oddly secretive St. Louis stage singer Angel Davenport's (Paula Patton; 'Hitch' (2005), 'Déjà Vu' (2006)) show biz dreams, in this oftentimes bewilderingly disjointed montage of 1930's inspired music videos vaguely laced together by debuting feature writer/director Bryan Barber. Yikes, what a disaster this surprisingly boring and drawn out ninety-minute picture is over-all. Blatantly swiping familiar elements from the likes of 'Lady Sings the Blues' (1972), 'The Cotton Club' (1984) and 'Harlem Nights' (1989), 'Idlewild' is an unnecessarily strange experiment that merely seems to exist as a result of misguided egos coming in contact with far too much disposable cash. It can only barely be considered an actual motion picture as is, considering Barber's screenplay is really just a series of overtly long and aggravatingly indulgent, Period costumed theatrical seguays awkwardly shoved between each tune. Of course it could be argued that Oscar winning 'Chicago' (2003) is the same thing, but at least that stage-to-screen story was coherent enough and the music actually fit. None of that is evident here, to any memorable extent.

Every potential opportunity to captivate a paying audience with drama that's inhabited by interesting characters is repeatedly sabotaged by Barber's and cinematographer Pascal Rabaud's rather amateurish reliance on overwhelmingly pointless and distracting artsy visuals. Sure, even The Beatles were notoriously propped in front of a movie camera and handed half baked scripts that left room for them to perform songs from their latest albums, just so that studios could further capitalize on their growing fame, but what arguably passes for enjoyable music cranked out by Benjamin and Patton's popular Pop band Outkast here is hardly in the same league, and they're both completely incapable of holding together this big screen mess of dubiously lazy anachronisms as otherwise untested starring actors. Just as the relentlessly droll narrative that's retooled from Shakespeare suggests, they're merely playing. It's as though the primary story for 'Idlewild' suddenly evaporated, leaving this duo of hastily penned peripheral stories no choice but to step into the spotlight without being reworked accordingly. Terrence Howard, Paula Patton and much of this tush numbing turkey's supporting cast obviously try their best to squeeze the most out of their respective roles by bringing much more to the set than was likely handed to them, but it's absolutely clear that their attempts are ignored by an unsure director who's bereft of the stamina and attention to detail that's required throughout. Ironically, the most disappointing aspect of 'Idlewild' is the soundtrack. Apart from Macy Gray's cameo tune near the beginning, the music throughout is unforgivably terrible - whether it's a supposedly heartfelt ballad or questionably crowd pleasing croon, or simply the incidental tracks that seem disinterested in what ever's happening. Awful.

Even diehard Outkast fans are probably better off steering clear of this surprisingly unpleasant, coma inducing futile fiasco.

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Infamous
REVIEWED 10/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Notoriously gossipy Manhattan celebrity author Truman Capote (England's Toby Jones; 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' (2002), 'Mrs Henderson Presents' (2005)) quickly turns his attention from his cloister of fawning socialite friends to the gruesome murder of a respected Kansas farming family, and then to their brutal killers Perry Smith (Daniel Craig; 'Elizabeth' (1998), 'Layer Cake' (2004)) and Dick Hickock (Lee Pace; 'The White Countess' (2005), 'The Fall' (2006)) who would inspire his greatest novel, In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences, eventually published in 1966, in this somewhat odd character study from writer/director Douglas McGrath ('Emma' (1996), 'Nicholas Nickleby' (2002)) that reportedly adapts famed celebrity author George Ames Plimpton's (1927-2003) 1997 biography Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career, where Capote's obsession with creating a new form of non-fiction writing using elements of fictional story telling evolves into his budding yet unsated love affair with Death Row inmate Smith over the course of five emotionally tortured years. I suppose the first thing that comes to mind before screening this hundred and ten-minute film is that it's already been done fairly recently in the Oscar-winning 'Capote' (2005). It's the same story. It involves many of the same characters, all revolving around a stylized impersonation of Truman Capote (1924-1984). Judging one film against the other is unavoidable, regardless of how unfair that might be. However, 'Infamous' tends to take more delight in focusing on the details of Capote's flamboyant persona throughout, interspersing those scenes of unabashed name dropping dinner parties and tender purposeful betrayals, with staged interviews of some of Capote's friends and acquaintances throughout.

From what I can gather, it's like Plimpton's book, where high society "swans" Babe Paley (played by Sigourney Weaver; 'Alien' (1979), 'The Village' (2004)) and Slim Keith (Hope Davis; 'Flatliners' (1990), 'Proof' (2005)), as well as long time peer Nelle Harper Lee (Sandra Bullock; 'Speed' (1994), 'Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous' (2005)) and Kansas Homicide Detective Alvin Dewey (Jeff Daniels; 'Dumb & Dumber' (1994), 'Good Night, and Good Luck.' (2005)) offer candid and anecdotal insight while the primary story clicks along at a fairly good pace. These asides are interesting, but they don't really work because you know these aren't the actual people. It becomes a novelty of sorts. Unlike 'Capote', this entire feature is essentially anecdotal in scope, often distracting itself with peripheral stories that are definitely entertaining but don't really seem to do much. McGrath saturates his screenplay with humourous asides and a rich wealth of embellished dialogue, and does give a paying audience a deeper view of what might have transpired between Capote and Perry during their prison cell interviews, but any lasting access to these characters seems more reliant on this cast's individual screen presence rather than anything in the script. Jones pretty well camps his role as a flaming queen, to the point where he seems more interested in presenting a superficial pantomime that fails to inspire audience empathy or clear understanding of Capote's systematically corrupted motives towards capturing truth for his book. He definitely more closely resembles the physical appearance of Capote than Philip Seymour Hoffman did in 'Capote', but the complicated essence of the man himself seems far less carefully realized in this final cut. Sure, the quips are consistently hilarious here, but Jones' more serious dramatic moments feel forced and hollow by comparison to his comedic stuff - especially opposite the tremendous strength of Craig's electrifying depiction of Smith. Craig throws himself into his part, even though the editing has a tendency to deflate some of his character's underlying mind set. Perhaps that's the primary flaw with this one. It wants to stuff in these little side stories to amuse you, without giving any of them a strong foundation of relevance. As a result, you almost get the impression that Capote was entirely incapable as a writer - or as a manipulative scoundrel - towards accomplishing what he'd set out to do, when that wasn't the case in reality. Book ended by absolutely fascinating performances from Craig and Bullock, Jones' contribution just gets smaller and less interesting. Don't get me wrong, 'Infamous' is still a thoroughly worthwhile character examination - just not of Capote. The story doesn't seem to hold together, feeling more like an ensemble work inhabited by disproportionately capable actors. Even Gwyneth Paltrow's brief cameo, where she sings her heart out to a Cole Porter classic as El Morocco night club singer Peggy Lee, pulls you in more succinctly than its star player does over-all. So, by the time Capote inevitably faces witnessing Perry's execution, it's tough to care that he's torn between really seeing his love's blunt death and noting things such as the rainy night that will bring impact to his manuscript.

It's worth a rental, but it quickly becomes obvious that if 'Infamous' had featured exactly the same cast, yet had been about Perry Smith instead of Truman Capote, it likely would have been a far more memorably effective movie.

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