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WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? is the Question that Eventually Gets Answered
“We all need other people. There’s no weakness in that.”
4772_WHATSLOVE_29JAN21RV.tif Recently, my boyfriend decided that he was going to introduce me to 90 Day Fiancé, the reality show in which two people from different countries unite to presumably get married and spend the rest of their lives together. I was reluctant to watch, but out of love for him, I gave in. To my surprise, the show is refreshingly low on the kind of drama that makes me stay away from reality television in general and the cultural conflicts that arise between the couples have admittedly been interesting, even with the kind of manufacturing that comes with the reality TV territory. But the show is a lesson in what happens when love is pitted against compatibility among two people from different backgrounds. Little did I know, but the show was the perfect background for What’s Love Got to Do With It?, the new film from director Shekhar Kapur, who in a way, takes the concept of 90 Day Fiancé and expands on it by exploring it in a thought-provoking manner that works…for most of the time.
5694_WHATSLOVE_02FEB21RV.tif British documentary filmmaker Zoe (Lily James) is stuck in a personal and professional rut. Her mother Cath (Emma Thompson) keeps trying to set her up with one unsuitable guy after another, while the new project she’s trying to pitch is going nowhere. The one comfort in her life is best friend Kazim (Shazad Latif), who drops a bombshell when he tells her that his parents have arranged a marriage for him with a woman from India (Sajal Ali). On a whim, Zoe decides to document the entire process of Kazim’s wedding, from the couple’s first meeting to the big day itself. In the process, she comes face to face with unexpected insights into her own life.
As much as What’s Love Got to Do With It? tries to be everything a romantic comedy wants to be and more, it cannot help but fail in quite a few areas. The film must sense its got a lot of ground to cover since it jumps right into things, barely even giving us time to be properly introduced to the main characters. The hurried quality never lets up, with most of the movie coming off as choppy and uneven. A lot of this has to do with elements that almost have no business being in the film at all, including and especially Zoe’s b-plot of wanting to become a mother very soon. With so much to say, however, the plot mechanics almost instantly take a backseat to the movie’s ideology, which is interesting and does manage to ask some very probing questions. But the plot’s shakiness cannot be ignored and shows itself so much, it’s almost a wonder that a releasable movie came out at all. The most glaring plot weakness is the actual romance between the two central characters, which could have used some serious fleshing out since it feels as if these two people are only falling in love solely because the script is telling them they have to.
1897_WHATSLOVE_08JAN21RV.tif If it sounds like I’m saying that What’s Love Got to Do with It? isn’t worth an audience’s time, forgive me. The fact of the matter is that it is very much worth viewing. Kapur’s film offers up plenty of parallels between Zoe and Kazim’s individual love lives that speak to their respective cultures, namely their parents trying to choose partners for them based on who they think they are. Elsewhere, the somewhat fluid definition of an arranged marriage is explored, specifically the difference between an “arranged” marriage and an “assisted” one. The infamous Charles and Diana quote about love is even given a reference in one of the movie’s telling moments and the act of putting yourself out there to find a spark that isn’t there emerges as a key theme. At the end of the day, this is a story about tradition in the modern world and how members of different cultures can reconcile themselves with each other. Where does one’s loyalty lie? In the culture they proudly claim to be a part of, or in the actual person they are that is not wholly defined by said culture. The movie doesn’t succeed at answering every question it asks, but it always gives its audiences plenty to ponder.
5610_WHATSLOVE_01FEB21RV.tif James has never been more endearing than she is here. She is able to pinpoint Zoe’s vulnerabilities and present them in a way that’s right for the character. The woman she’s playing is a tricky one and at times can come across as closed off or aloof, but James gives her enough humanity that allows us to accept her various flaws. Latif also does solid work as the film’s male lead, oozing the kind of charisma that movies like these hinge on. In a way, it’s his role that’s the more challenging as he’s tasked with showing the conflict of having to balance tradition and modernity in such a huge way. The actor pulls this off by honestly presenting his character’s struggle with the choice he feels he must make and what he actually wants from his life. As for the rest of the cast, all help drive the movie’s points home, save for Thompson, who is less miscast here and more a victim of a character than shouldn’t exist beyond two scenes.
To its own detriment, What’s Love Got to Do With It? doesn’t know when to stop. Besides the obligatory romance everyone is expecting to happen, there’s a subplot introduced involving Kazim’s sister who was excommunicated from the family for marrying a white British man, and the social difference between being “British-born” and simply “British.” None of these topics are given the full weight they deserve in a film whose aims are all over the place. But the movie does get a lot right in the comments it does take the time to make and even offers up lovely sequences to boot. Kazim’s wedding is a beautiful affair that’s shot exquisitely and made even more poignant thanks to all the mixed emotions running rampant during it, especially between the couple themselves. Flaws aside, What’s Love Got to Do with It? is a success in the way it doesn’t choose progress over tradition, but in how it shows that in 2023, there’s room for both.
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GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3. is a Muddled Misfire
James Gunn’s MCU swansong lacks rhythm, and features some upsetting sequences of animal cruelty
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe has continued to engorge, one corner has always stood out. Writer/director James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy has set itself apart as a uniquely creative and colorful endeavor. Featuring a morally gray band of misfits, whose painful pasts have been alleviated by the forging of familiar bonds, and heroic acts. Gunn’s capper to the trilogy (alongside writers Dan Abnett, and Andy Lanning) delivers similar emotional themes and wild visuals, however is a altogether more muddled affair. One hampered by emotional baggage, disjointed construction, and some unnecessary scenes of animal cruelty that are sure to alienate some of its audience.
The film sees the group’s current roster having setup base on the outpost of Knowhere. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Drax (Dave Bautista) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), along with a whole host of other ruffians having settled here as a community. Interrupting their mission prep, and Quill’s melancholic drinking, is an attack by Adam (Will Poulter), the engineered, superpowered son of Vol. 2 villain Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki, who is allowed to be tall). Causing devastation and injury, he is eventually driven away, but not before Rocket is badly injured. Efforts to revive him worsen his condition, revealing that some of his implants are programmed to block any exploration of his unique physiology, or modifications to it. Stuck in a coma, and with time running out, the Guardians set out to uncover the mystery of Rocket’s origins, setting them on a collision course with The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). A megalomaniac whose God-like aspirations to create the perfect society have fueled his technological and genetic research, and perverse experimentations.
If it wasn’t clear, this is Rocket’s movie. Despite being sidelined, his failing health drives the team on. Flashbacks, unceremoniously dropped at intervals, reveal his origins, his torturous past, as well as the motivations of the Machiavellian High Evolutionary. This all aligns perfectly with Gunn’s ongoing exploration of this disparate band’s past. Their loss, the abuse they have endured, and the strength and solace they have found within this off-beat family unit. Vol. 3 hammers home these themes, while also speaking to how an individual’s potential can be met if nurtured rather than neglected. Through healing and growth, tt’s a finale that looks to the future as well as the past. It’s still a Marvel film, and there is action aplenty and sure there’s genocide on a planetary scale, but the stakes here feel very intimate with how the villain and the journey of the crew is framed.
As you’d expect, Gunn brings his more offbeat sensibilities to bear, with exotic creations and locations. From the bright and colorful to gruesome body horror, notably an Island of Doctor Moreau medley of monsters that could come from under Sid’s bed in Toy Story or even right out of the Doom video game. Despite the surface level creativity, what felt refreshing and unique in his previous outings, here starts to wear a little thin. Vol. 3 is unfocused and indulgent, and that goes beyond the two and a half hour runtime. Recycling old themes, character quirks, upping the cloying slow-mo setpieces that drag the film to a halt, while musical selections, typically a stronger part of these film, range from the fantastically fitting to the fumbled. The emotional heft that Gunn carefully curated in previous outings feels lost here as these characters get written into a corner, or get positioned as caricatures of themselves. Part of this is down to this burgeoning MCU, and it’s clear from some of the dialogue that Gunn is not too happy with the creative choices in other films, impacting his own. In other ways the paths these characters are taking feel well trodden, or are at an end. Quill is in something of a mopey state that drags down the other crew members. Rocket’s wicked humor is largely missing. Groot feels only required for action sequences (curios from a narrative point of view due to his strong ties to Rocket). Mantis and Drax are largely (brilliant and most welcome) comedic relief with token nods to their unacknowledged depth and capability. Perhaps the only real exception is Nebula (an MCU best performance from Gillan), whose villainous past was more recently shaken off, leaving her extra steps to take. A time-ripped version of Gamora (a brilliantly scathing Zoe Saldaña) is a perfect summation of the issues. On one hand she provides conflict, and a counterpoint to show how far this crew have come. On the other, she shows how cyclic these stories and arcs have become. Adam and Ayesha are a bumbling (and entirely unnecessary) presence, but at least Iwuji adds a fanatical volatility to the main villain. One welcome addition is Maria Bakalova’s take on Cosmo the spacedog. A good girl indeed, and adding just the right amount of silly this film needs more of.
Perhaps the biggest misstep in GotG Vol. 3 is in tone. Gunn has time and time again proven adept at balancing the goofy and the gruesome, but here the balance is off. A significant portion of the film is devoted to the ‘creation’ of Rocket and the other animals that make up The High Evolutionary’s ‘Batch 89’. Joining Rocket is a walrus (Asim Chaudhry), a rabbit (Mikaela Hoover) and an otter (Linda Cardellini). Adorable creatures, horrifically ravaged by technology and experimentation. CGI or not, scenes of animal abuse must be delicately approached. Even someone who has a predisposition toward gnarly genre fare, it made for uneasy viewing. For my partner joining me at the screening, she tilted towards wanting to leave the theater. These darker moments might fare better if the rest of the film was actually funnier, but as they stand, a warning is warranted before viewing. Sure these scenes go a long way to explaining the walled off, damaged nature of Rocket, but their execution felt at odds with the series as a whole. It’s one aspect of the film, but it is notable in terms of how indelible these scenes are in the mind, and how they exemplify the muddled and disjointed feeling of the film as a whole. Vol. 3 certainly feels like a thematic end to this group. A natural one for the characters, and perhaps a necessary one for the creative forces behind the series.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, hits theaters on May 5th
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GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 Review: A Worth-the-Wait Trilogy Capper
The third time remains the charm with James Gunn’s trilogy ender.
There’s a moment in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, writer-director James Gunn’s goodbye to the comic-book characters he introduced to audiences nine years ago and the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) itself, where Rocket (voiced once again by Bradley Cooper), the cybernetically and genetically enhanced raccoon we’ve followed across multiple MCU entries and phases, tentatively asserts his agency for the first time by giving himself something he never had: his own name. Especially in the context in which the scene unfolds, it’s an incredibly poignant, even heartrending scene, a canny mix of deft, layered writing, skillful voice acting, and realistic CGI (courtesy of Framestore). Almost as importantly, the scene remains thankfully free of the ironic or sarcastic quips that typically undermine most Marvel productions.
While this particular scene, like much of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, centers narratively, thematically, and emotionally on Rocket’s uncertain fate, it also includes three other “uplifted” mammals who also choose names for themselves, Lila (Linda Cardellini), a badger, Floor (Mikaela Hoover), a rabbit, and Teeths (Asim Chaudhry), a wheelchair-bound walrus, each one subject and victim of cruel, callous experimentation at the hands of the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a millennia-old, megalomaniacal super-scientist with a God complex. A longtime comic-book villain making his first MCU appearance, the High Evolutionary has devoted his life to creating the “perfect” society, the “perfect” civilization, and he’ll unmake (i.e., destroy) anything that compromises, subverts, or negates his utopian vision. As a flashback to Rocket’s heretofore unknown past (one of many), it’s filled with genuine feeling, compassion, and ultimately, tragic inevitability.
That moment, since released online as a standalone preview, serves as the emotional fulcrum for everything that precedes and follows it, beginning with a brief respite that sees everyone’s favorite a-holes, Peter Quill / Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and, of course, Rocket (but no Gamora), chilling and grilling in their new HQ, Knowhere, the free-floating, fossilized head of a long-dead Celestial. Knowhere also doubles as the home to hundreds of alien species, thousands of humanoid inhabitants, and a familiar Soviet-era space-bound canine, Cosmo (Maria Bakalova).
Before the Guardians can help a sad, pathetic Quill, still lovelorn over the loss of Gamora (see, e.g., Avengers: Infinity War), Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a prematurely born, superpowered super-being with the temperament of a toddler, appears out of the deep recesses of spaces and attacks each member of the team. That unexpected encounter with Warlock leaves everyone worse for wear. Rocket, however, takes the brunt of the battle with Warlock: He ends up comatose, dying, and dreaming in conveniently timed and placed flashbacks that fill in Rocket’s previously unexplored backstory. His friends can keep him alive temporarily, but they can’t fully save him without external help.
Out of desperation, the Guardians temporarily reunite with Gamora -2.0 (Zoe Saldana), now a member of the Ravagers. As a Ravager, this iteration of Gamora puts profit over people, not the other way around. Gamora’s lead sends the newly reformed team to a corporate-owned, organically based space station where one of the answers to saving Rocket’s life can be found. Unlike anything else put on film in or out of the MCU, the space station takes weird with a capital W to the next level and beyond, a sure sign that Disney/Marvel, in their finite wisdom, decided to give returning/departing writer-director James Gunn almost limitless rein to put his vision of the concluding chapter/trilogy capper on film.
From there, it’s only a hop, skip, and a space-time-warping portal jump to the next destination, Counter-Earth, the High Evolutionary’s world-sized experimental lab where all sorts of uplifted mammalian races live and co-exist. Contrasting the shabby, if homey, environs of the makeshift Knowhere home, Counter-Earth represents an idealized, romanticized version of Earth, right up until several members of the Guardians take a trip outside the perfectly manicured lawns of a suburban paradise and into the grimy, dirty anti-paradise of a crumbling city. Event utopian-minded gods like the High Evolutionary can’t avoid the messy problems associated with giving his creations free will or its approximate equivalent.
With Rocket’s plight front-and-center, his backstory, doled out in a series of flashbacks that move chronologically closer to the present timeline, becomes increasingly urgent. The time spent with a pre-Guardian Rocket and his furry friends will move even the most cynical of filmgoers to identify with their treatment and by a form of alchemical transformation, find themselves, however temporarily, sympathizing with animal rights activists. Setting aside the ironic distance typical of both the MCU at large and writer-director James Gunn’s previous work, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 often feels like both a stealth adaptation of Grant Morrison’s WE3 mini-series and, more importantly, a plea for the humane treatment of the supposed lower life forms that share the planet with us.
Thematic seriousness aside, placing one last bet on Gunn turned out to be the best choice Disney/Marvel could have made. Filled with the quirky, love-hate banter between the Guardians, perfectly timed needle drops that only Disney’s sizable coffers can afford, and a compelling storyline that gives the Guardians a chance to shine individually and collectively, and the result might just be, if not the best trilogy quality-wise in the MCU, then certainly somewhere in the vicinity.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens theatrically on Friday, May 5th.
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Criterion Review: TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (2023) 4K UHD
A polarizing Palme-winning polemic from Ruben Östlund splits sides on 4K UHD
An auteur who’s fashioned himself as Cannes’ latest Palme-winning provocateur, Ruben Östlund’s recent films have taken hilarious sledgehammers to the absurdities of class and human behavior. Force Majeure is an uncomfortable examination of familial roles and patriarchal expectations; The Square rivetingly lampoons the values we place on art and human life, and the accompanying actions we take to preserve and champion those values. In both films, class and power are arbitrary, awkward, and absurd concepts–all of which are ripe for equally bizarre and gut-churning satire.
In Triangle of Sadness, Östlund’s latest target is squarely aimed at the leisure life of the rich and powerful, which is more often than not built on the backs of those in the caste of serving or enriching the elite. Across a triptych structure, Influencer/Models Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean) revel in the free pleasures that society bestows upon them as beautiful people, including comp tickets on an exclusive luxury yacht filled to the brim with industry magnates and tastemakers. When gruesome disaster strikes–blending stormy seas, weak stomachs, and pirates (of course)–those left must fend for themselves on a remote island, clinging to the arbitrary notions of power that previously granted them idle safety.
Hot off the heels of other award-winning “eat the rich” skewers like fellow Palme-winner Parasite and The Menu, Triangle of Sadness is a timely and hilarious takedown of capitalist culture at each of its echelons. Östlund’s film is off to the races in its opening moments, as a peppy TV program profiles one of Carl’s modeling auditions with all the bourgeois superficiality such events inherently possess. A following scene at a runway show is delightfully bizarre as apocalyptic issues are turned into meaningless buzzwords wallpapering a flashy yet unremarkable fashion show, with a somber cello ceding to pulse-pounding poppy noise. It’s a world rich with hollow, of-the-moment moralism, where earnest causes are turned into mere status badges or viral hashtags. The subsequent act extends this further, with the central Yacht as an effective bubble free from the ills and failures plaguing everyone else; it serves as an environment where the cluelessness of the elite is able to metastasize to absurdly comedic proportions.
It’s also within this bubble that Östlund demonstrates how any sense of morality or empathy evaporates the further one ascends the social strata. Here, weapons manufacturers bemoan how a percentage of their business (land mines) is under investigation for human rights violations; Carl and Yaya role-play forbidden trysts between yacht crew and rich passengers; an heiress commands the yacht crew to abandon their posts to swim in the ocean and enjoy as much frivolity as her. The passengers believe little separates them from the crew, that their positions in society can be swapped like winning positions in a game. The crew, however, know the bitter truth of the toll their employers’ whims take on them–and it won’t be long before the passengers learn how precarious their lofty positions truly are.
The yacht’s American communist captain (Woody Harrelson) and Russian agri-capitalist Dmitry (Zlatko Buric) are the two souls on the ship who seem to possess anything resembling a strong moral position–yet a memorable sequence where the pair trade quippy jabs to take each other down reveals how hollow their ideologies truly are. Each resorts to looking up quotes by their respective idols (Marx, Reagan, Twain) to make their points, reducing the complex ideas behind the quotes to mere debating points or bludgeons against each other. Much like their usage of these quotes, both men’s actual practice of their ideologies is humorously impotent. The pair both champion revolutionary ideals, yet refuse to use their powerful positions to enact any true change in the world; actually doing anything meaningful would compromise the comfort their status affords them.
Like any real change, the lives of those on the ship are upended without warning and through immensely absurd catastrophe. In a maelstrom of vomit, sewage, and eventually bloodshed, storms both external and within render the refined passengers of the yacht immobile with food poisoning before a band of pirates blows up the ship. In a loose trilogy that revels in tearing down the comfortable lives of the lead characters, Östlund’s third iteration of social disaster is his most gut-churning as much as it is his most gut-busting. A focal point of much of the film’s marketing–barf bags were present at its US premiere at Fantastic Fest last September–one could be forgiven for thinking Triangle of Sadness reaches its climax here. While this sequence may be the film’s most memorable (for better and for worse), Triangle of Sadness tackles its most interesting ideas beyond this set piece. Reduced to humiliated, baser versions of themselves, Triangle of Sadness enters its unhinged third act by placing each of its remaining characters on an even keel. Here, our survivors’ ability to thrive directly depends on what they can contribute to the barebones society they find themselves in.
Dolly De Leon’s Abigail is a blunt and brilliant character who rightly seizes control in this last third. Under such sparse and arid conditions, pretzel sticks have as much value as Balenciaga heels, while Rolex watches are worth as much as the other detritus washing ashore. Once the yacht’s lead cleaning manager, her natural survival instincts allow Abigail to pivot into the island’s matriarch–placing everyone else into deliciously subjugated roles where they must prove themselves to her…or worse, curry her favor. Here, Carl and Yaya’s reckoning of gender roles in the film’s opening act takes on a pointed bent: where Yaya commanded more financial and social currency in the male-gaze-driven world of fashion, now Carl “sells” his body to Abigail in ways Yaya can’t in order to maintain some level of comfortability. Throughout the finale of Triangle of Sadness, Östlund mirrors the “real” world of his characters while tearing it down completely. It’s a precarious house of cards that provides the structure for the easygoing lives of those in power; yet when those dynamics are inverted, Östlund also shows how anyone from any strata of society will fight tooth and nail for the privilege of being in power a la mode.
With its blunt and puerile mockery of power structures, is Triangle of Sadness less challenging and more on the nose than Östlund’s previous films? Possibly. With the viral rise of influencer culture, as well as atrocities committed by various aspects of international socioeconomic systems, it’s also possible that society as a whole has regressed even more between The Square and Östlund’s latest. For all of its hilarious transgressions, at least Triangle of Sadness is as entertaining and incisive of a social bludgeon as we could ask for–or deserve–from this wry Swedish satirist.
VIDEO/AUDIO
Criterion presents Triangle of Sadness in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio in 4K SDR on the UHD disc and in a 1080p transfer on the accompanying Blu-ray. While transfer information hasn’t been supplied in the included insert, Criterion’s packaging notes the transfer and 5.1-Surround DTS-HD master audio track are sourced from a 4K digital master approved by Östlund. English subtitles for non-English sequences as well as subtitles for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing are provided for the main feature. Non-English-language segments are subtitled in the film’s special features.
While an HDR pass was not created for the film, the film’s UHD transfer provides crisp and vivid detail for the film’s diverse textures, from the sleek wood paneling of the yacht, to cool ocean blues, to the queasy oranges and browns of…other elements. Shadows and shading are elegantly handled, particularly in low-light and campfire-driven sequences. The island-based third act allows the expansive color palette to really go on display, with lush sun-dappled greens clashing with the harsh reds of life preservers and lifeboats.
The 5.1-channel DTS-HD master audio track is as tightly-controlled and nuanced as the film’s visuals, with a focus on the film’s dialogue in the center tracks as ambient audio either lingers in the background or comes to the fore at key moments. The cacophony of the film’s Captain’s Dinner sequence is particularly impressive, as individual vignettes of chaos are sonically featured during their moments onscreen yet play out in rear and side channels as Östlund’s vision finds a new victim to turn its attention towards.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Akin to Criterion’s other 4K UHD releases, the film’s Special Features can be found on the accompanying Blu-ray Disc.
- Ruben Östlund and Johan Jonason: In this new interview produced by the Criterion Collection, writer-director Östlund discusses his creative process for the film, from the cacophony of thematic interests that birthed Triangle of Sadness, to the process of crafting a film’s aesthetics in a world of viewing films on airplanes and iPhones in order to draw the audience into watching the film.
- Erik, The Extra: A brief behind-the-scenes look at a moment on the climactic final day of filming Triangle of Sadness, in which producer Erik Hemmendorf is asked to be an extra engulfed in a wave of excrement during the film’s most notorious sequence.
- Visual Effects Demonstration: A 6-minute excerpt detailing both the obvious and hidden visual effects throughout Triangle of Sadness. The featurette reveals the surprising statistic that of the 562 images that make up the film, 83% of them have some sort of visual effect in them. Effects range from background adjustments and color grading to eye direction replacement and visible crew removal. The most impressive sequences morph multiple different takes into the same take or shot.
- Deleted Scenes: 12 minutes of excised scenes from the film, presented with unfinished VFX. There is an extended conversation between Carl and Yaya on financial traditions regarding engagement rings; Yaya discussing with Clementine what to look for in a marriage; extended reactions from the castaways to the islands’ noises in the dark; Dmitry and Nelson further discuss Nelson’s past; Yaya and Carl discussing gives and takes after Carl’s first island encounter with Abigail; and an extended prelude to Dmitry and the Captain’s banter on the yacht.
- Trailer: Theatrical trailer for NEON’s US release of the film.
- Booklet featuring an essay by film critic and essayist A.S. Hamrah on Triangle of Sadness’ satire of the upper class, including comparisons to similar themes in films like Film Socialisme and The Great Beauty, to the usage of reality TV tropes found in Survivor and Below Deck, to the interesting history of the yacht used in the film, previously owned by the Onassis family.
Triangle of Sadness is now available on 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo, Blu-ray, and DVD courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
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Here’s to You, Michelle Pfeiffer
In honor of the actress’s 65th birthday, we take a look back at some of her biggest career milestones.
Michelle Pfeiffer marks her 65th birthday today. The three-time Oscar nominee seems to be at the top of her game with a successful fragrance line and a collection of recent projects that have garnered some of the best reviews in her career. Her latest big-screen outing, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania saw her in full action-heroine mode as founding Avenger Janet Van Dyne; a role for which most everyone agreed made her the movie’s MVP. It’s the latest in a long line of characters that have included a Russian spy, a diamond smuggler, a courtesan, a TV producer, a gothic matriarch, a fading socialite, a worldly countess, a torch singer, and a Shakespearean queen, among many others.
The reason for Pfeiffer’s varied assortment of characters and unquestionable longevity lies simply in her approach to the work. The way she lets whatever role she’s tackling take her over and her knack for going beyond the page to find humanity in each character she plays shows that Pfeiffer has always been an actress trapped in a movie star. Her commitment is unwavering. Directors have commented that they often awake at 5 am to multiple messages from Pfeiffer regarding that day’s shooting and the actress has been known to have multiple copies of the same script, each one containing different sets of notes with her at all times. That, coupled with the way she’s famously kept the media and the business side of the industry at arm’s length has allowed her to focus solely on the acting while adding to her already natural allure.
Pfeiffer has played the Hollywood game and proven herself good at it. She’s won by playing the game her way and not conforming to the standards set by an industry that largely values image over substance. Whether it be for the roles she took, the roles she didn’t take, or the way she’s lived her life off the screen, the actress’s instincts have given her a career that has flourished over those of some of her contemporaries.
In honor of the actress’s 65th birthday, here are 15 times Pfeiffer went with her gut and defied expectations in the process.
1. Don’t Call Her Baby (Scarface)
Landing the lead role in Grease 2 should have been a triumph, but the film was a bomb and Pfeiffer soon found herself as another hopeful starlet back on the audition circuit. Determined to land the part of the 80s cocaine moll Elvira opposite Al Pacino in Brian DePalma’s remake of Scarface, the actress flew herself out for audition after audition, culminating in an infamous final one where she accidentally cut Pacino with a broken dish while acting out her character’s explosive restaurant scene. This proved her commitment to the part in everyone’s eyes. Gone was the novice blonde from Grease 2 and in her place was an actress diving headfirst into what would be one of the most iconic performances of her career.
2. The Other Corset (Dangerous Liaisons)
Winning the lead role in Milos Foreman’s Valmont would have been a great calling card for any up-and-coming actress. The film was to be a lavish adaptation of a celebrated novel and was being helmed by a well-respected director. Although Pfeiffer won the lead in Valmont, she surprised many by opting to take on the supporting role in Dangerous Liaisons, the rival production of the same material that was being shot by Stephen Frears. The move turned out to be a wise one. Where Valmont came and went, Dangerous Liaisons was a financial success, not to mention an Oscar darling that gave Pfeiffer her first of three nominations and a new respect within the industry.
3. Not Just a Pretty Face (Frankie & Johnny)
Many balked when Pfeiffer was cast as the plain dowdy waitress in Garry Marshall’s movie adaptation of Terrence McNally’s acclaimed play, Frankie & Johnny. The story of two lonely ordinary diner workers had originally been brought to life on the stage by Kathy Bates. Trade papers criticized Pfeiffer’s casting by saying she was simply too beautiful to be believable as the character. Yet not only did the actress wow the naysayers with one of her deepest performances, but she also inadvertently turned the tables on her detractors by dispelling the myth that pretty people are incapable of being hurt, damaged, or bruised.
4. Cracking the Whip (Batman Returns)
Already having accepted her mantle as “the queen of subtlety,” Pfeiffer went after her most ambitious and flamboyant role to date as Catwoman in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. A surprise pregnancy meant that Annette Bening had to drop out and Pfeiffer soon found herself donning the mask for the role which would help make her immortal. The shoot was an arduous one with freezing sets, a multitude of stunts, and a costume that impacted her ability to move, hear, and at times, even speak. Pfeiffer couldn’t even stay in her iconic suit for very long without getting lightheaded. All of it was worth it, however. To this day, fans unanimously agree that Pfeiffer’s psychological slant and anti-hero view on Catwoman remains the ultimate interpretation.
5. No Damsel in Distress (Wolf)
Not a lot of people remember (or even know of) this 1994 thriller from director Mike Nichols, but they should. Jack Nicholson stars as an over-the-hill publisher who begins a strange transformation after being bitten by a wolf in this intriguing, sexy, and somewhat telling, film. Pfeiffer plays the love interest, a part which, on paper seemed like nothing more than that. In actuality, it’s Pfeiffer’s role that is the most interesting. The actress plays her character as a wounded soul with baggage and secrets who comes into the movie with her own agency and resourcefulness so much so that (SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT) she ends up saving the leading man by the movie’s end.
6. Top Female Star (Dangerous Minds)
As long as Hollywood is around, there will always be those in power who believe that women are incapable of opening a successful movie on their own. In 1995 Pfeiffer helped prove them wrong (again) when she starred as a real-life ex-marine turned inner-city English teacher in Dangerous Minds. The success of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” definitely played a part in getting people into the theater to see the movie, but it was Pfeiffer who kept them glued to the screen and coming back, and come back they certainly did. The movie (which she also produced) was a huge late summer monster hit and eventually emerged as the top female-led grosser of the year.
7. Scream Queen (What Lies Beneath)
In the late 90s/early 00s, the horror genre was one that a lot of A-listers stayed away from. Those who did embrace such roles were more often than not rewarded with a flop on their resume (a la Mary Reilly). None of this prevented Pfeiffer from taking on the lead role in director Robert Zemeckis’ haunted house tale, What Lies Beneath. As the wife of a college professor who begins to experience strange occurrences in their palatial waterfront home, Pfeiffer equipped herself well in this entertaining ghost story, balancing fear with the struggle of a woman battling her own subconscious. It’s popcorn, for sure, but it’s also one of her most underrated and surprisingly poignant performances.
8. Mommie Dearest (White Oleander)
Pfeiffer began the 2000s with two hits under her belt (the aforementioned What Lies Beneath and the surprise hit follow-up I Am Sam). Rather than capitalize on this hot streak, however, the actress took the supporting role of a dangerous, manipulative mother in the dark drama White Oleander. The role is a tough one; that of an almost impenetrable, possessive woman who borders on psychotic. Pfeiffer makes such an impression in the part, she actually ends up dominating scenes she’s not even in. The actress has commented how White Oleander was such a daunting task, she found it hard to shake off the character once filming ended. But it’s also one which allowed her to venture into fresh and exciting territory as an actress.
9. The Return of La Pfeiffer (Hairspray and Stardust)
If there’s one thing that can kill an actress’s momentum, it’s taking too much time off. If there’s another, it’s getting older. Pfeiffer was in a precarious position when she found herself absent from the big screen for a handful of years in the mid-00s, a decision due to both family and a lack of interesting material. She hadn’t appeared on screen in five years and was on the cusp of turning 50 when she defied the Hollywood odds and came back in a big way. First, she camped it up as a malicious TV station manager in the musical Hairspray and then went full evil as a powerful witch in the fantasy/adventure Stardust. While each film enjoyed different levels of success, they both gave Pfeiffer two of her most audience-favorite roles of the decade.
10. Cougar Town (I Could Never Be Your Woman, Personal Effects and Cheri)
In Hollywood, the older leading men get, the younger their leading ladies become, leaving the space for older female romantic leads embarrassingly slim. Not so for Pfeiffer. Between 2007 and 2009, the actress found herself playing the love interest to a trio of the industry’s most handsome young actors. She found herself wooed by Paul Rudd in the comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman, romantically consoled by Ashton Kutcher in the drama Personal Effects, and in a passionate love affair with Rupert Friend in the period love story Cheri. Pfeiffer made it clear during publicity rounds for Cheri that she was not a fan of the term “cougar” as reviews tossed the label on her. Still, each project and role was yet another example of the actress once again rising above the confines of the Hollywood system.
11. Based on the True Story (The Wizard of Lies)
The Bernie Madoff scandal was ripe for cinematic retelling, playing out like a Greek tragedy of crime and greed that spanned decades. However, because a good number of Madoff’s real-life victims were members of Hollywood’s elite (including Pfeiffer’s neighbor Steven Spielberg), most studios were too scared to touch the project. Eventually, HBO Films picked up the script with Robert DeNiro starring as an uncanny Madoff and Pfeiffer as his wife, Ruth. The role was fraught with challenges. Besides being a risky property, the film required the actress to adopt a thick Queens accent, age up 10 years, and accurately portray a woman that the media had vilified heavily. The risk was rewarded with both audience and critical acclaim, as well as Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Pfeiffer.
12. Into the Fever Dream (mother!)
One can only imagine what it must have been like as an actor to read Darren Aronofsky’s script for mother! for the first time. The director’s impassioned cry about the state of…well, everything, divided audiences as no other film did in 2017 with its religious allegories and nightmarish qualities. The one factor everyone could agree on, however, was Pfeiffer’s brilliance as the mischievous houseguest with no boundaries and a knack for making her reluctant hostess (Jennifer Lawrence) squirm. It was a part and a project that would have intimidated most actresses, but Pfeiffer threw herself wholeheartedly into the director’s vision, giving her character such life and zeal, that she became the only element that one could picture existing outside of the maddening world Aronofsky had created.
13. Indie Michelle (Where is Kyra?)
Although Pfeiffer is closely associated with studio films, she can’t resist a good part. It’s why she eagerly signed up to star in Andrew Dosunmu’s micro-budget drama Where is Kyra?, the story of a divorced woman who goes to risky lengths to survive following her mother’s death. Where is Kyra? is indie arthouse all the way, boasting an unconventional score and avant-garde camera angles. At the core of the film is Pfeiffer giving one of the rawest turns of her career, exhibiting desperation, fear, and her character’s mortality in the most magnetic of ways. Dosunmu commented at the film’s Sundance premiere that he could have gone “the Tilda Swinton route” when it came it came to casting, but felt that there was nothing that drove the story home more than showing Catwoman in such a devastating light.
14. The First Lady of The First Lady (The First Lady)
Today, most movie stars have happily made the leap from the big screen to the small/streaming one by headlining series which they feel offer up better parts than most feature films. Pfeiffer certainly found such a part when she was cast as former First Lady Betty Ford in Showtime’s The First Lady, which traced a trio of First Ladies throughout their respective tenures in the White House. Critics found much to dislike about the series, including the jumbled timelines, the episode structure, a Wikipedia-level approach to the three women, and especially Viola Davis’s take on Michelle Obama. What they did like was Pfeiffer, whose performance was able to transcend the series’ various problems thanks to the honesty and vulnerability she conveyed playing one of the most famous women who had ever lived.
15. Marvel Michelle (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)
When Jamie Lee Curtis was asked if she’d ever join the MCU, she replied: “I would find it hard to imagine that Marvel’s going to figure out something to do with a 64-year-old woman.” Pfeiffer’s turn as Janet Van Dyne in Quantumania says otherwise. After being relegated to a supporting role in the first sequel, this time the actress finds herself being a co-lead, even driving the story more than the titular character. Janet gives Pfeiffer plenty to work with, namely a dark past that she has yet to recover from and which she must face. Response to the movie was…rather mixed. Yet there was much to applaud when it came to Janet, who was Quantumania’s greatest strength and proved that not only does the MCU know what to do with a woman in her 60s, they know what to do with one like Pfeiffer.
So what’s next for Michelle Pfeiffer? Considering she’s pretty much done it all, and done it well, it’s possible there might not be too many more acting hills to climb. Then again, maybe there are. As of right now, she’s set to star as a woman whose three grandchildren are thrust into her care when her estranged son is sent to prison in Wild Four ‘O Clocks, the directorial debut from The Batman writer Peter Craig. The actress is also attached to a comedy called Sylvia’s Second Act, playing a recent divorcee who heads to New York City to reinvent herself following the end of her marriage. It’s been a career filled with spectacular performances and subverted expectations. And for an actress who believes her greatest performance is still in her, the best may indeed be yet to come.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is out on Blu-Ray and DVD on May 16th from Marvel Studios.
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Eurocrime Actioner THE NEW GODFATHERS (1979) Arrives on Blu-ray from Raro
Alfonso Brescia’s poliziottesco film The New Godfathers (I contrabbandieri di Santa Lucia) is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Raro Video.
A latter example of the subgenre, The New Godfathers tells the story of an unlikely team-up between a narcotics officer and a local Napoli godfather.
When a massive shipment of heroin is determined to be inbound to Italy, Captain Ivano Radevic is tasked with intercepting it. After casing the possibilities, he cleverly works his way up the local criminal ranks and eventually finds an ally in the unlikeliest of people: Don Francesco Autiero (Mario Merola), the cigarette king of Naples.
Don Autiero’s illegal cigarette smuggling trade has made him an influential crime boss, but against the threat of a heroin invasion, he agrees to teaming up with the cops — with the compromise, of course, that they ease off and let him continue his own business unmolested.
The Naples setting, especially of this era, is pretty fascinating, and there’s a unique and conscientious sense of morality to the film that’s intriguing. The Don’s illegal enterprise might seem like a criminal empire, but to him it’s a necessary evil: his inflow of cheap, smuggled cigarettes juices the destitute local economy, providing much-needed employment to the poorest citizens of his community. He visits some of them with his new police friend; among them a grateful mother whose one-room apartment has an open toilet in an area that also serves as the kitchen, barely curtained off from the bedroom area. These are his people, and he their sole benefactor.
It’s an interesting friendship dynamic that’s put into jeopardy when the heroin traders catch wind of the partnership and attempt to sabotage it.
The film ends with an action finale including a pretty spectacular car chase, which I was suprised to learn (from Mike Malloy’s discussion in the extras) was partially lifted from another film and intercut with new footage of the actors. It’s pretty impressive editing.
I enjoyed this film, an entertaining and pleasing — if not mind-blowing — example of the genre with very likable and cheer-worthy protagonists on both sides of the law which work together for a common purpose.
The Package
The New Godfathers is new on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber’s Italian cult film label Raro Video. The Blu-ray comes in a standard blue Elite case with Raro’s characteristic black and red motif incorporated in its cover design. It includes both Italian and English versions of the film.
Special Features and Extras
US Release Version of The New Godfathers (1:33:12)
A slightly shorter English dub of the film (the Italian one clocks in at 1:33:57, about a 45 second difference). Note that subtitles are not available for the dub, which is a different video track from the Italian cut.Mike Malloy on The New Godfathers (16:13)
Italian cult expert and director of the documentary film Eurocrime!, Mike Malloy is the guy you want when it comes to discussing the Italian gangster movies of the 70s. He doesn’t appear on camera but there are plenty of images illustrating the conversation as he goes in detail on the film in the context of its time, its various actors and filmmakers and their careers, and even dropping some pretty hilarious little tidbits about his personal interactions with them. It’s a great extra that’s informative, breezy, and well worth the watch.
A/V Out.
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Except where noted, all 16:9 screen images in this review are direct captures from the disc(s) in question with no editing applied, but may have compression or resizing inherent to file formats and Medium’s image system.
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ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET
A lively adaptation of Judy Blume’s bestselling YA classic hits theaters this weekend
Rachel McAdams as Barbara Simon and Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret Simon in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Photo Credit: Dana Hawley Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was a must-read as I was growing up. Since its publication in 1970, the book has faced a couple generations’ worth of censorship and banning. Judy Blume*’s book kept selling throughout, being introduced to new groups of kids facing the challenges of puberty. It’s not until 2023 that Blume’s bestseller received a big-screen adaptation, but what an adaptation it is! This film was almost worth the wait.
Edge of Seventeen’s Kelly Fremon Craig, who also directs the movie, centers young Margaret’s point of view in the screenplay while adding depth to the characters of her mom and grandmother. Craig’s film has all the adolescent awkwardness and humor of Blume’s book, along with the wit and bite that was evident in the filmmaker’s 2016 teen comedy. As we follow the young girl in her sixth grade year, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret consistently charms the viewer with the lead character’s take on the world and her desire to grow up.
Abby Ryder Fortson plays Margaret, starting sixth grade in a new school and a new state and trying to find her place. She and her new group of friends (a secret club of gals who don’t wear socks) are obsessed with growing their bust, getting their periods, and having crushes on annoying boys. There’s a sense of authenticity to the performances by the child actors cast here, along with a naivety accurate for the time period. No over-the-top kid actors in the bunch (thank God).
Kathy Bates as Sylvia Simon and Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret Simon in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Photo Credit: Dana Hawley Barbara, Margaret’s mom, quits her job to spend more time on her art but overcommits to volunteering for the PTA. Her character deals with a similar kind of crisis of identity to what her daughter is encountering, and Rachel McAdams proves a natural in this part. While Margaret visits different places of worship in hopes of finding a spiritual fit, Barbara’s feelings of isolation after the move lead her to take on more than she can handle. She wants to be involved in her daughter’s life, but also supports Margaret’s independence. McAdams provides a keen warmth and openness to the role, even during Barbara’s moments of doubt. She, Fortson, and Kathy Bates as grandmother Sylvia deliver equally compelling performances as three generations of Simon women, using humor to cope with challenging moments in life.
The casting for this film is faultless, from the aforementioned non-annoying kid actors to the supporting characters played by Echo Kellum (Grand Crew) and Benny Safdie (Good Time). Add in the outstanding production design by Steve Saklad (the soda cans! the packs of maxi pads!) along with the fun ’70s-tastic soundtrack, and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is likely one of the best films you’ll see this year.
*Author Blume appears in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo (along with her husband, I believe!) during a neighborhood montage sequence.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret opens in theaters nationwide this weekend.
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DEAD SILENCE Seeks Vengeance From Beyond the Grave in 4K UHD
Horror maestros James Wan and Leigh Whannell’s other creepy puppet has become a cult favorite after flopping in theaters
Dead Silence is a curious entry in the collaboration between James Wan and Leigh Whannell. It’s the ugly ducking of their resumes, combining the grotesqueries and whodunit storytelling of Saw with the supernatural creepiness they would later perfect with the Insidious and The Conjuring series. Dead Silence isn’t particularly successful at anything it attempts, but it’s become a curio in light of the career heights Wan and Whannell have reached. On the occasion of the film’s new 4K Ultra HD release, I hopped on the chance to watch the film again and see how it plays today.
For those that haven’t seen Dead Silence, it follows a young man who, in the aftermath of his wife’s untimely and horrific death, he returns to his hometown to investigate the legend of Mary Shaw, an old ventriloquist. That’s freaky enough on its own, before factoring in Mary’s death and her wish to be turned into a dummy upon leaving this mortal coil. Of course, Mary’s death wasn’t the last people heard of her. Legend has it that she seeks revenge against the bloodlines of the people who killed her.
Dead Silence is a mostly silly film, but knowingly so. Look no further than Donnie Wahlberg’s character Detective Lipton. He sports a permanent five o’clock shadow and his defining character trait is that he’s constantly running an electric razor over his scruff. The shaving proves to be as ineffective and Lipton’s detective skills, as neither pursuit brings him closer to a clean shave or solving the murder of Lisa Ashen (Laura Regan). For Jaime Ashen (Ryan Kwanten), that means he must battle his grief, Lipton’s suspicions, and his family’s dark history. Kwanten plays Jamie with an amusing “what else is next” exasperation that proves endearing. In a movie full of silliness, Jamie is the unfortunate straight man and has to play everything down the middle while everyone else cuts loose.
I fear I may have made a mistake by taking this long to mention Billy, the evil dummy whose arrival at Jamie and Laura’s doorstep kicks off this unholy affair. Billy is also the literal poster boy for the movie. The ratio of dummy-related hijinks to supernatural chills is tilted too far in favor of the latter. Considering that this movie comes from the team behind Saw, the comparative restraint in Dead Silence keeps the film from being as entertaining as it could be. As it stands, Dead Silence has too many dull stretches dedicated to building out the Mary Shaw mythology. Like Saw before it, Wan and Whannell build to a twist that re-contextualizes what came before it, but it’s less effective this time around.
Whannell and Wan have been two of the biggest voices in mainstream horror since Saw put them on the map nearly 20 years ago, and that’s made the misfire of Dead Silence stand out even more. Shout! Factory has given Dead Silence a very solid 4K UHD release. The film looks and sounds spectacular, a higher quality upgrade than you’d assume a widely dismissed film like this might garner. Included with the pack is a Blu-ray disc featuring the film’s theatrical and unrated cuts (only the theatrical version is on the 4K disc), plus a slew of old features ported over from prior releases. The new features are fun and informative interviews with Whannell, Wan, and the man who made the Billy dummy Tim Selberg. All three are interviews are worth checking out, but Whannell’s is the best of the bunch. He covers a lot of ground, from anecdotes about Dead Silence to a recollection of his partnership with James Wan. After spending more time with the movie over the last few days I’ve warmed up to a bit, but still think it’s more of a curio than anything else. Fans of the film will certainly enjoy this release.
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THE BIG EASY is a Breezy Crime Thriller
Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin bring the heat in Jim McBride’s New Orleans noir
Jim McBride’s The Big Easy is an entertaining gumbo of a noir. Set in New Orleans, it charts its course through a tale of police corruption that would feel anodyne if it took place anywhere else. The story revolves around a series of murders and the brash detective on the case. It’s as tried and true and you can get with crime story. But The Big Easy has a couple aces to play that sets it apart. Chief among them is New Orleans itself. With its jazz-infused score and shot on location verisimilitude, New Orleans is rightly the star of the show. Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray release brings some shine to the fun piece of 80’s pulp.
Dennis Quaid stars as Detective Remy McSwain, lead investigator of a murder that puts him in the middle of a potential mafia war. Remy is not quite a loose cannon, but Quaid plays him with the cocksure arrogance of one. Quaid is reliably good, but it’s his accent work that takes Remy to a different stratosphere of engaging. There are moments in the film where the accent threatens to devour Quaid whole and other times where Quaid wields it with the lethality of Remy’s firearm. I hope this doesn’t come off as condescending, because it’s genuinely entertaining and a key part of Quaid’s boisterous performance.
Remy’s sparring partner for most of the film is District Attorney Anne Osborne (Ellen Barkin), sent to the Bayou to investigate Remy’s department for corruption. Anne and Remy spend a lot of time together, drawing each other into their respective worlds. Barkin is tasked with the trickiest role in the film, one that could easily slip into cliché. It will not surprise anyone to hear that Remy and Anne develop something personal. Barkin gives the character a healthy dose of skepticism, so even as the script has the character fall for Remy, Anne never comes across as gullible. As Anne and Remy dig deeper into the seediness around them, they each become more isolated in their work roles, which in turn draws them closer to each other.
The crime side of the story is solidly built, so fans of the genre should be satisfied with that. But the movie lives and dies by the work of Quaid, Barkin, and the city. The movie is at its best when we’re watching Remy and Anne work the neighborhoods and nooks and crannies of New Orleans. The film eschews the glossiness that strips bigger productions of their personality. The Big Easy feels like a living, breathing entity. That keeps the film engaging all the way through. This is an entertaining film worth checking out, whether it’s the first time or a revisit.
Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray transfer gives the film a sharp, lively presentation. The only special feature is a new commentary track with McBride and filmmaker Douglas Hosdale. McBride is generous with production details and offers an endless stream of interesting tidbits. Hosdale moderates the conversation, guiding the conversation while also allowing plenty of room for diversions. It’s a supplemental feature in the truest sense of the word, it enhances what’s already a fun film. Crime junkies should take note of this release.
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New on Blu: BACKTRACK (aka CATCHFIRE) is an Exercise in Idiosyncrasy
Dennis Hopper’s film is full of stylistic flourishes that never come together
I had never heard of Backtrack prior to volunteering to review the film’s new Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber. Given the pedigree of the people involved, I was eager to check it out. Joe Pesci playing a murderous gangster? Jodie Foster as an accidental witness forced to go on the run? Dennis Hopper pulling double duty as an eccentric hitman and the film’s director? Yes, yes, and yes, please. My first impression is that the film is an enigmatic mishmash of straight-forward crime tropes and peculiar stylistic flourishes. It’s an odd duck of a film, sometimes entertaining, other times entertaining despite itself.
Foster plays Anne Benton, a conceptual artist who accidentally stumbles across mob boss Leo Carelli (Pesci) 86-ing some competition. Not willing to trust the FBI’s offer of witness protection, Anne quickly hits the road to escape Carelli and his lackeys. Hopper’s hitman Milo is brought on to find Anne, resulting in a cross-country chase. The fly in the ointment, however, is that Milo becomes obsessed with Anne and instead of killing her he takes up with her. In one of many baffling creative decisions, the Milo-Anne dynamic waffles between captor-captive and partners. Foster’s performance is good, but she’s at her most convincing when playing Anne as a woman desperate to escape everyone after her.
The film is a pretty standard chase thriller, but Hopper takes his time with each stop along the way. He’s equally likely to indulge in a chase scene through a mini-golf course as he is to watch Milo noodle around on his saxophone. Oh yeah, Milo’s very into jazz and that permeates the film. If you keep that in mind while watching, the film feels like an improv session, going in and out of grooves trying to find what works. Much like Milo’s sax riffs, the film never gets itself into a rhythm.
Backtrack was originally released under the title Catchfire, with Hopper giving the film its alternate moniker with his director’s cut that runs nearly 20 minutes longer than the theatrical. Kino includes both versions on its release, though neither one is particularly better than the other. The best thing about this release is the commentary track that plays with the director’s cut, done by filmmaker Alex Cox and actress and screenwriter Tod Davies. Cox and Davies, non-union writers, did uncredited work on the film’s script during a Writers Guild strike in 1988. They bring a ton of interesting anecdotes to the table, everything from the nuts and bolts of how they came onto the film to behind-the-scenes stories about the contentious relationship between Hopper and Foster. Cox and Davies have the report of a married couple (which they are), which gives the commentary track a level of breeziness that it is inviting. They
also aren’t precious about their work or the film itself, they pull no punches in a loving way. The commentary is easily the highlight of this release and is worth checking out. It’s one of the most insightful and entertaining tracks I’ve listened to in a while.Backtrack is a film marked by what doesn’t work, but Kino’s release helps put some of the pieces together. Hopper’s work is still deeply flawed, but it’s also too quirky to dismiss. This is one for the cinematically curious.
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