Those of you who were disappointed in this year’s most recent killer-ventriloquist-dummy-horror movie, “Dead Silence”, might be interested in checking out “Magic” starring Anthony Hopkins which was recently unearthed on DVD. Much more of a psychological thriller ala “Psycho” or “Rosemary’s Baby” and less of a gratuitous “killer toy” movie like “Child’s Play” or “Dolls”, “Magic” actually tells a very unnerving and engaging love story with a very solid cast you wouldn’t expect to see in a movie such as this.
Corky Withers (Anthony Hopkins) is a ventriloquist who’s moving up in the world of show business thanks to his manager, Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith). However, Corky is a bit too attached to his loud and crass dummy, Fats (voiced by Hopkins), and when he is required to take a psychological exam before taking a television contract, panics and flees to his old home town. He takes up residence at a lakeshore motel run by his old high school crush, Peggy (Ann-Margret), and the two immediately hit things off. However, Fats’ personality begins to dominate Corky’s and he views Peggy as competition. Corky undergoes even greater psychological stress when Peggy’s violent husband begins threatening him and Ben Greene tracks him down, determined to get to the bottom of his mental disorder. Corky eventually snaps from the stress and under Fats’ guidance, deals with his problems one after another.
For a movie that typically gets relegated to the silly horror movie bins alongside “Rock and Roll Nightmare” and “Troll 2”, “Magic” has an incredible cast. You’ve of course got the likes of Anthony Hopkins in the lead role, back before he really hit it big. But you’ve also got then-bombshell Ann-Margret and the ever-talented Burgess Meredith filling out the ranks. The all-star cast alone should tell you that this is more than some goofy movie about a killer ventriloquist dummy.
“Magic” is a psychological thriller at its core. Fats is never actually “alive” in the sense that his dummy-body isn’t animate; he exists only within Corky’s delusional mind. It’s rather similar to an episode of The Twilight Zone (“The Dummy”) in a few ways, so if you recall that popular episode then you might have an idea of how this movie was handled. While Fats is never actually alive, Hopkins delivers such a strong performance you actually find yourself forgetting he isn’t at times. Despite being an inanimate doll, Fats truly steals the show in this film. It’s amazing how frightening he can be. He never actually moves on his own (save for one scene where the dummy operator screwed up), yet he becomes such an entirely separate character from Corky, that you discover yourself finding Fats scary and Corky not, despite them being the same person.
“Magic” provides some very tense and memorable sequences. My favorite is the scene where Burgess Meredith tells Hopkins to shut Fats up for five minutes. The movie then moves along in real time as Hopkins nervously tries to keep Fats quiet. A very uncomfortable sequence done extremely well, to Oscar-winning Director Richard Attenborough’s credit.
If you’re in the mood for a wacky horror flick about killer ventriloquist dummies then you’re not going to find it here. However, if you’re in the mood for an extremely well-crafted and well-acted psychological horror film then you’ve come to the right place. “Magic” really delivers and belongs on every cinema fan’s shelf.
Grade: B+
I Think I Love My Wife – Review
I can’t say I was anxiously counting the days of this film’s release, because then I’d be lying. And I can’t really say I’m a fan of Chris Rock, because then I’d also be lying. And I certainly can’t say that I’m into Fox Searchlight Pictures artsy comedies, because then I’d be lying hard enough to make Baby Jesus flood Heaven in tears. So then why one Earth did I go see this ill-marketed Fox Searchlight Pictures artsy comedy starring Chris Rock? Beats me.
Richard Cooper (Chris Rock) is your painfully average every day suburbanite male. He has a pretty wife (Gina Torres), two kids, a high-paying white collar job…the works. And he hates it. It’s not the kids or the job or the house that he loathes, but the monotony of it all. Oh, and the fact that his wife (who loves him) no longer wants anything to do with him sexually. The temptation of a single life is driving poor Richard mad, but what finally sends him over the edge is the arrival of an old flame, the ravishing Nikki Tru (Kerry Washington). Richard is drawn to Nikki not only for her charms and all they share in common, but for the shear adventurous curveball her presence throws into his life. However, deep down inside, Richard’s appetites battle with his conscience for dominance, as he’s not sure whether he prefers a stable, boring life with his loving family, or an uncertain future with the sultry girl of his dreams.
So I’ve established that this isn’t my type of movie, but that aside, there were things I enjoyed about this film. For a romantic comedy without any explosions or buckets of blood, it wasn’t half bad. It states at the very beginning of the film that in order to fully appreciate the story and the situations, you kind of have to have experienced married life. So right then and there I knew the movie wasn’t really aimed in my direction. However, I found its portrayal of married life and the various temptations that accompany it to ring quite true, even as someone on the outside looking in. So all you married men out there who have suffered similar slings and arrows as Richard Cooper, you’ll probably spend the flick nodding your head and chuckling at all the little things.
The cast is strong and carries the film from beginning to end with very few slip-ups. Kerry Washington’s portrayal of the gold-digging wild girl, Nikki, was quite good. Nikki is an interesting character as you’re not sure you want to love her or hate her. Steve Buscemi plays a supporting role as Richard’s coworker, George, and does his usual excellent job. I can’t say he did anything to stand out, though, and while he delivers some funny lines and provides a few memorable moments, he’s just sort of there.
Now this is a Chris Rock movie through and through. He wrote it, he directed it and he starred in it. Your enjoyment of this film will likely ride entirely on whether or not you can stand Chris Rock. I can stand Chris Rock, sure…I just don’t really like him all that much. From a writing and directorial point of view, he does an excellent job. Even though the movie is a remake of an earlier film called “Cloe in the Afternoon”, his script (co-written by Louis C.K.) is still quite strong with a lot of subtle humor and several memorable lines (I especially liked Mr. Landis’ line about chasing women and chasing money). The script and direction were solid, so that just leaves Chris Rock as the leading man…
Chris Rock can be funny. He can be very funny, which is one of the reasons why I don’t hate the guy like I do other loud and obnoxious comedians (Chris Tucker). However, in true Chris Rock fashion, he can’t go ten minutes in any role without insulting white people and portraying all black people as hideously oppressed. I know it’s your “thing”, but c’mon, Chris. You had a strong, engaging script; did you really need to draw a few cheap laughs at the expense of alienating and entire skin color?
Why am I even asking this? We’re talking about Chris Rock, here. Making fun of white people is his claim to fame.
Anyhow, endless “white people suck!” jokes aside, was this movie very funny? Sometimes, but not often. It was more a drama than a comedy, honestly, and wasn’t sure what kind of humor it wanted to use. Sometimes it was the aforementioned stale anti-white stuff, sometimes it was lowbrow sexual humor of the nasty variety, sometimes it was bizarre “wha?” humor and sometimes it was just plain old witty dialogue. It felt a bit inconsistent and went long periods without even cracking a single joke. At other times it included completely unnecessary gags that did nothing to enhance the story and felt tagged on at the last minute, such as the entire Viagra segment.
For what it was, “I Think I Love my Wife” was okay, but there was far too much wasted potential. If Rock could have stuck with the strength of his script, cast and story rather than hurling unnecessary penis and cracka jokes then the entire film would have been better for it. As it stands, “I Think I Love my Wife” came out rather luke warm.
Grade: C-
Black Snake Moan – Review
There has never been a more bizarre story of romance and surrogate father-daughter bonding than “Black Snake Moan”. Judging from the premise and the trailers, I had anticipated a bad soft core porn film with some wacky comedy interspersed between shots of Christina Ricci’s breasts and Samuel L. Jackson’s screaming. Instead, what I got was a strange tale about a man seeking a purpose by helping a troubled young woman set her life straight, albeit through the most unorthodox method imaginable.
Lazarus (Jackson) has just seen his wife of twelve years walk out on him with his younger brother. Feeling helpless, the farmer and former blues musician spirals into alcoholism. Elsewhere, Rae (Ricci) watches helplessly as her boyfriend, Ronnie (Justin Timberlake), leaves her to join the National Guard. Rae has some serious mental health issues, and no sooner than Ronnie leaves, Rae begins slathering herself all over anything that says “yes”. This inevitably gets her into trouble and a brutal ass-kicking which leaves her out-cold in the middle of a rural road. Lazarus finds her and nurses her back to health, only to learn in town of the girl’s self-destructive behavior. Believing he’s found a new purpose in life, Lazarus dedicates himself to helping Rae find a better path. Unfortunately for Rae, Lazarus’ lessons involve a chain and a radiator.
There was something rather unsettling about watching Wednesday Adams spend the first half of this film running around topless and screwing everything that moves. An interesting career choice on her part. While at a glance “Black Snake Moan” may look like nothing but material to jerk-off to, it honestly has a very solid script, strong characters and excellent performances (even Justin Timberlake’s).
The movie is almost entirely character-driven, with everything riding on the actors and their performances. Samuel L. Jackson has to be one of my favorites. Only he could do something as goofy as “Snakes on a Plane” one minute and then something as deep as “Black Snake Moan” the next. I found Lazarus to be the better character of the film; watching him find the strength to weather his crisis by helping Rae conquer hers was very moving. And anyway, there’s something very satisfying about seeing him scream some sense into a crackwhore.
Christina Ricci’s character starts out nearly impossible to like; an absolute tramp with a bad attitude and a personality so ugly you’re aching for someone to pop her in the mouth. Her nymphomania at the start of the film seemed rather gratuitous, like it was only there as an excuse to watch her get naked and turn all the guys and lesbians in the audience on. Be sure to watch where you sit when you go to the theater to see this, folks. However, it was necessary, since, well, she is a nymphomaniac and that’s what they do, after all. As the movie progresses you of course learn that there’s more to her than meets the eye and the usual tragic sort of history that would turn a person into that. It was a bit textbook, character-wise, but her gradual transformation into someone of decent mental health as well as the hardships she faced trying to atone for her past behavior eventually made her a more endearing character.
Justin Timberlake’s role as Ronnie in this film is a bit smaller than Jackson’s or Ricci’s, but still rather important. Ronnie is a pathetic kind of guy who needs Rae to take care of him. While this may make him seem unlikable, he isn’t evil or anything, and he was also the only source of stability in Rae’s life. He also develops throughout the film, coming to terms with his own weaknesses. I’m no Justin Timberlake fan by any stretch of the imagination, but there was nothing particularly bad about his performance. He plays the sickly, pathetic type very well.
This movie takes place down south, and I’m talking way down south. Writer/Director Craig Brewer manages to capture the backward, filthy American deep south exceedingly well, not just in location, but in the people who play townsfolk and supporting characters. These people don’t look like they were churned out of a Hollywood cast factory, but act with exceptional skill and prowess. I think some words of praise should be especially sent to John Cothran Jr. (who plays Reverend R. L.) and S. Epatha Merkerson (who plays Angela) for their wonderful performances that were on par with any of the “big name” actors.
“Black Snake Moan” surprised me, and this is the kind of surprise I like. It’s more a romance/drama than a comedy, so don’t go in expecting a laugh-a-minute (though there are some hilarious parts). Nevertheless, it’s an excellent film with strong characters and an equally strong cast.
Grade: B+
Norbit – Review
I think I’m gonna be sick.
It’s hard to put into words how diabolically atrocious this Eddie Murphy “comedy” really is, but I get the feeling most of you reading this came to the same conclusions about its quality after watching the 30 second television spot. Let me tell you, if it wasn’t my job to review movies, I wouldn’t have poked this thing with a stick just to see if it were still alive.
Norbit (Eddie Murphy) is a soft-spoken, easily controlled little man who is forced into marrying a loud, obnoxious, overweight ethnic stereotype, Rasputia (Eddie Murphy). Norbit’s life is pretty much miserable, as both his wife and her three mobster older brothers (Terry Crews, Clifton Powell, Mighty Rasta) treat him like dirt. Then one day, Norbit’s lost love, Kate (Thandie Newton), walks back into his life. Norbit is overjoyed to see her again…until Rasputia finds out and makes his life considerably more painful. The plot thickens when Kate’s fiancé (Cuba Gooding Jr.) shows up, as he is really a sleazy conman looking to grift Kate out of her fortune and turn the local orphanage into a strip joint.
The main “draw” of this film, at least, what the producers and director thought would entice the general audience to donate $10 and 80 minutes of their time, is that Eddie Murphy jumps around in a fat-suit. No, this isn’t “The Nutty Professor 3”, but it might as well have been. At least then it would have had some name recognition. No, “Norbit” is your typical run-of-the-mill PG-13 comedy where minimum effort was expended in writing the script in hopes that it could float on star-power and cheap laughs alone.
I use the term “star-power” loosely, of course, since Eddie Murphy hasn’t contributed anything of worth to the world of comedy since…jeez…the mid 90’s? Or is that being much too generous? I suppose if there was one, mildly humorous aspect to the film, it would be the third character Murphy plays: Mr. Wong. He’s actually rather good at playing a stereotypical Chinese man, and the make-up effects were effective-enough that it took me a while to realize it was him. Unfortunately, the writing for this movie is so resoundingly sub-par that even the “funniest” part of the film leans mostly in the direction of annoying.
To try and interject some more humor into the film, Eddie Griffen and Katt Williams play a pair of good-natured pimps who run a barbecue joint on the side. Again, annoying. Another side character is Buster, played by Marlon Wayans. Anything involving a Wayans brother is by nature obnoxious and stupid, so I won’t even go into detail on how irritating his character was.
The writers also thought it would be a good idea to hurl in catch phrases, since those are always a surefire means to success. Unfortunately, rather than come up with their own, they just stole one from Friends and added some black sass to it: “How you doin’!?” Cuba Gooding Jr.’s character also has his own phrase: “I’m out!” Hilarious. Tell me again why they gave this guy an Oscar?
Did you really need me to tell you this movie was awful? I know there’s that “you can’t tell if a movie’s bad just by watching the trailer”-rule, but in the case of “Norbit”, you most definitely can judge this book by its cover. Eddie Murphy continues to prove that he’s another one of those irritating celebrities who should have disappeared a decade ago and put themselves out of our misery.
Grade: F
The Fly (1986)
David Cronenberg is the master of the truly weird. With movies like “Videodrome”, “Naked Lunch”, “the Dead Zone” and “Scanners” under his belt, it’s hard to argue that point. Cronenberg’s remake of the classic Vincent Price horror film, the Fly, is one of his strongest accomplishments, departing enough from the original to keep from being a retread but maintaining enough aspects so as not to alienate fans of the original. And on top of that, it’s *really* gross.
Scientist Seth Brundle (Jess Goldblum) has a terrible motion sickness problem. To rid himself of vehicular travel once and for all, Brundle has built a teleportation device which he calls a “telepod”. He invites journalist, Veronica Quaif (Geena Davis), to document his progress. But there’s one problem, the telepod can’t transport living matter. Brundle eventually believes he’s worked the kinks out of the telepod, and in a moment of *very* bad judgement, sends himself through. Unfortunately for him, there happened to be a fly in the pod with him. Brundle comes out feeling like a million bucks, but the positive effects don’t last long. Gradually, Brundle begins to decay and transform into something inhuman.
Cronenberg goes all out with this film, taking every opportunity he can come up with to make the audience cringe in their seats. From fingernails falling off, to oozing pus to gratuitous gore. Brundle’s ailment is very reminiscent of cancer, albeit to the maximum extreme, and this gives the film an almost realistic vibe. You know that out there, there are people suffering a similar (though much less hideus) fate and you can’t help but really feel for Brundle’s character.
Though often recognized for being an excellent science fiction and horror film, at its core, the Fly is a romance film. The love between Brundle and Veronica is extremely strong and her dedication to him even after his predicament takes a swing for the worse is beautiful. It leads into one of the most tragic and depressing endings of any film I’ve ever seen.
The casting of Jeff Goldblum as Brundle was just absolute genius. Goldblum is well known for being so fidgety and high-strung, he was ideal to play a man turning into a fly. His natural mannerisms and charisma only add to the believability of Brundle’s decay. The monster of the film, the fully transformed Brundle-Fly, doesn’t appear until the very end. However, it’s very much worth it, and even after he has transformed into a hideus creature, you still have a strong enough emotional investment in the character to continue caring for him, puppet or not. The effects are excellent in the most disgusting ways possible, such as ears falling off, or just plain impressive, like great sequences where Brundle climbs walls and ceilings like Spider-Man.
The Fly is one of the best films from the 80’s and a remake that truly trumps its predecessor. I can’t rate this film any lower than an A, it’s just too perfect.
Grade: A