Missed it by THAT much

The above line perfectly encapsulates Peter Segal's recent modernizing of the Mel Brooks and Buck Henry collaboration Get Smart. I liked Get Smart but I wanted to love it. The film pitches itself too broad, too mainstream. It does physical comedy well, even very well at times, but the editing often feels disjointed. The film zings in its character humor but I would've enjoyed more satire on the interplay of intelligence agencies rather than vomit or nut-shot jokes. Also missing is the rat-tat-tat of Borscht Belt style humor that only picks up every once in a while like when Steve Carrell's Maxwell Smart gives the alias of Nudnik Shpilkes.

Mind you for my qualms about the over-reliance on physical comedy are undone when that physical stuff focuses solely on Carrell. Carrell is a deft physical comedian, he manages to spin laughs out of something as simple as slowly moving his eyes while at a urinal. Carrell though is hardly the films only asset. The film utilizes it's ensemble very well (way better than Indiana Jones and the Old People Standing Around) everyone gets a chance to shine which is fitting given that one of the themes that seems to be running through the film is that every person has value. Alan Arkin will no doubt make Peter and Frank stand up and cheer when he sails a cross a boardroom to beat up the petulant vice-president. He also has a line at the end that is absolutely killer. Anne Hathaway gives just enough fun, slink and eventually warms into something resembling the incarnation of Barbra Feldon's Agent 99. Dwayne Johnson is fun as super Agent 23, though I wish given the twist about his character he had even more to do. In addition to these core four there is a never-ending parade of comic ringers who all get some good moments. Ken Davitian redeems himself for Meet the Spartans as the sidekick of the slick Sigfried. As for my favorite cameo? It's a two way tie between the shocking appearance of Agent 13 (played by a certain Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch regular) who is pretty sad about being stuck in a tree and then Patrick Warburton RULING COMPLETELY in an all too-brief appearance as a Brock Sampson-esque Hymie the Robot.
If there is one scene that perfectly encapsulates what works about the film it is a scene at about the film's midpoint that features Hathaway and Carrell competing on the dance-floor. She's with a Russian arms dealer and he is with a significantly larger female dance partner (Lindsay Hollister, who was actually at my screening at the Sherman Oaks Arc Light, I KNOW). A lesser film would make Max's partner weight the object of the joke. Instead it becomes a matter of which partnership can dance more impressively and we're on Hollister and Carrell's side. It's sweet and underlines an ongoing theme of rooting for the under-dog that the film has a penchant for.
In the end Get Smart is a good natured, solidly funny but not a classic. It rather smartly plays it's action straight so when Carrell does gun down a baddy or Alan Arkin heroically pilots a bi-plane, you can't help but chuckle. If the characters were constantly winking at the audience it would get pretty tedious pretty fast. Get Smart works more than it doesn't and that is enough for me.

You don't have to be an A student to be an A-List Star Part 1: The Men

Ah nothing like basking in the afterglow of a reference like three people will get in the title.

This past week's Entertainment Weekly (#997 June 13, 2008) featured a cover-story about their picks for the next Hollywood A-listers. As my friend Etan pointed out at the Academy Awards several years ago we're well into the beginning of a transitional period where the big stars of yesterday; the DeNiros, Pacino, Nicholsons and Fords (or what have you) are giving way to the Seymour Hoffmans, the Crowes, the Phoenixs and so on. So now ET is making some predictions about the names you'll be seeing above the title in coming the years and here are my thoughts about them.
Dwayne Johnson-Having officially (and seamlessly) retired his "Rock" moniker Johnson seems primed to really tackle the worlds of action, comedy and hopefully drama. Even back in his wrestling days the Rock was one of the most charismatic and articulate of brawlers (I've been a fan for a long time). I've maintained that ever since he got into movies that had the Rock been around in the 80's he would've been the most successful of all his action peers and subsequently become one of the biggest stars in the world. He's ten times more charismatic and amusing than Schwarzenegger, Segal, Van Damme or any of those guys. Also the guy is sexy. Yeah that's right, I said it. Johnson has not been in the best movies but he never gives less than 100% in them and I still maintain that the Rundown is one of the better pure action films of the twenty first century. Johnson has had his first major success in The Game Plan (which I skipped because I saw the movie for free in a three minute nugglet known as a trailer) so now he's going to be in family films for a bit (hence the forthcoming Escape from Witch Mountain, I guess he plays the mountain). Johnson's appearance in Southland Tales wasn't enough to save the film but it showed me that he doesn't always have to be the tough guy and that he's willing to do unconventional material. I have high hopes for his work in Get Smart (a movie I'll be writing about with great enthusiasm shortly). If he can get a little more selective in his scripts and stretch once in a while he could be like no performer we've seen before.
Is he A-List?: Not quite yet, but if Get Smart does well (and no reason it shouldn't) then he's well on his way.
Shia LaBeouf-LaBEOUF! In two disappointing hours LaBeouf went from beinga decent young actor to my favorite thing about the new Indiana Jones movie. Breathing more life into Harrison Ford then any other actor on screen, the new Spielberg wunder-kid has real presence and two huge potential franchises under his belt. I like this kid, but I'd like to see him in some indie (not to be confused with Indy) films. I don't mean Hitchcock retreads but a Fox Searchlight sort of thing.
Is he A-List? material: Very close, but he needs to do a quality film where he is the main attraction, not an energy cube.
Seth Rogen-At the moment he can do no wrong. His projects always feel fun, cutting edge and tend to be hilarious. I've heard that he doesn't have much of a presence in Kung-Fu Panda but then again the movie is hardly his to own. Pineapple Express looks sensational and both Rogen and Gordon Green are benefiting from each-others company. Zak & Miri looks cute and Monsters versus Aliens sounds incredible. Then there's the Green Hornet that he and friend and co-writer Evan Goldberg wrote. Rogen is constantly making cool, exciting creative choices, I just hope he doesn't neuter himself like Will Ferrell was doing for a while there.
Is he A-List material?: Yes and has been since 40 Year Old Virgin as far as I'm concerned.
Robert Downey Jr.-He's the elder statesman of this list but he definitely belongs on it. He's straightened out his life AND he looks poised to make 2008 the summer of Downey. Let's see, a colosally successful on all accounts franchise (Iron Man)? Check. Fun, edgy looking comedy he looks poised to steal from more accomplished comedy co-stars (Tropic Thunder)? Check. Schlocky sounding awards bait ready for the fall (The Soloist)? Check. Just stay clean and keep being awesome.
Is he A-List material?: If you look up A-List in the dictionary do you know what you see? A picture of Robert Downey Jr? No, the definition of the word a-list, idiot.
James McAvoy-I love him in press conferences and award shows where he seems fun and impish and playful. His movies are a bit of a mixed bag though. I like him in Atonement but he mostly just walks around looking dour. Last King of Scotland was good to him but in the eyes of the public that's Forest Whitakers movie. I'll see Wanted but I'm going to be pretty pissy through it because it looks NOTHING like the comic. As of right now the movie that best shows off what he can do is Starter for 10, but like three people saw it. Maybe he should try to hook up with the Apatow guys or another comedy clique.
Is he A-List material?: Not for another three or four successful movies at least.
Michael Cera: I talked a lot about what makes Cera great a few posts ago. I think that right now if you're an even remotely media savvy person between the ages of 15-28 you love this guy. His upcoming film slate looks pitch-perfect.
Is he A-List material?: Unquestionably. I hope he has a very sexy time.

Well that's it for the men. Tomorrow (or Thursday) I'll write up my thoughts on the women (and hopefully have a review up of Kung-Fu Panda). Stay awesome.

Why are you wearing that stupid movie suit?

Let me begin with a few qualifiers lest I should be flamed in the comments. I really enjoyed Donnie Darko (like many I caught it on DVD), though I think that Richard Kelly's script for Domino (and the ensuing picture that came from it) are a mess. I hope against hope that his yet to be produced Bessie script gets made and since he's he's providing James Marsden with his next lead role in The Box I'm generally a fan. But I don't care how big a Kelly fan (or apologist) you are, Southland Tales is a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad mess.

One can see the beginning granules of good ideas but I am floored that executives allowed for any of the elements to get past the script stage. It's just, ugh, unbelievably frustrating film-making. Kelly packs too much into the films and bogs it down with so much exposition you'd think it was a Uwe Boll film. The film takes aim at too many targets all at once and subsequently misses all of them. Jut to run-down a checklist; celebrity culture, the energy crisis, homeland security, election tampering, Communism, war in the Middle East, religion and the nature of reality. Weaving through these myriad bits is Kelly continuing his interest with time travel, which is EXACTLY what this movie needed to seem less convoluted.
So in the midst of all this what is the movie about? The movie follows right-wing action star Boxer Santoros (Dwayne Johnson) who after a bout of amnesia has now started a new life and he may be the Messiah. Or maybe it's just the Messianic, apocalypse preoccupied screenplay that he co-wrote with porn-star-cum-reality-TV-star Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Boxer's screenplay may indeed hold the secret behind how the world ends, which seems to mysteriously sync up to an evasive scientist's (Wallace Shawn) plan to use the power of the oceans as a renewable energy source. Meanwhile Boxer needs to research his role in the script as an undercover cop so he rides along with Roland Taverner (Sean William Scott) a member of L.A.'s newly fascist police regime (well...maybe not SO new). Except Roland is really Ronald, Roland's twin brother (OR IS HE? [he isn't]) a member of a Neo-Communist cell that is looking to royally screw over the newly instated USIdent (the US Government now owns the internet and is using it for purposes of homeland security). Did I mention that the cell is stock full of former SNL cast members and Avon Barksdale? Also Justin Timberlake performs a musical number based around The Killers "All These Things that I've Done."

With all these unique elements you may think that this is an interesting movie. It isn't. There's so much to keep track of (I haven't even mentioned the election or any other number of "twists" the movie throws at you) that you can never sit back and enjoy or even ponder the film. The acting is fine but the casting is distracting. I will say that Sarah Michelle Gellar is pretty spot-on as a former porn star and that as usual the Rock gives 100% to a movie he's much better than.
Ugh, what a mess. I guess no one wanted to say "no" to Kelly. Maybe he just layered in too many ideas in one script. Maybe the movie just got away from him. I applaud any filmmaker that wants to tackle the issues of the day and really put his own spin on them, but damn it, a film should at least cohere even if it doesn't make complete sense. I will say this in the films favor, stylistically the film matches up with one of its reoccurring motifs, this is the way the world ends, not with a whimper but with a bang. Stop the banging Mr. Kelly, please.

Southland Tales is now available on DVD. I'd recommend it only to Kelly completists or film sadists.