Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Tying into my last blog about the film Moon, Sam Rockwell continues to impress me. He stars in this 2002 bio-pic from director/Co-star George Clooney as Television legend Chuck Barris. Adapted from Barris' own autobiography, Confessions tells the story of the womanizing, charismatic, creator and host of such shows as The Gong Show, The Newlywed Game, The Dating Game, and also, he claims, CIA hitman.
Whether or not Barris ever actually worked for the CIA or killed the people he claimed to have in the book is still up for debate. He neither confirms nor denies it when interviewed, though those around him insist it is simply not possible. The film is interspersed with real interviews on the topic of Barris with people who knew him in his prime and downfall like Dick Clark, and people who worked with him on the game shows. The rest of the film chronicles Barris' rise and fall from his beginnings as an NBC page and his descent into alcoholism.
Rockwell is perfectly cast as Barris and gives an emotional and powerful performance. One thing I have always admired about Rockwell is his total willingness to look completely disgusting and unattractive, which he takes to new heights towards the end of the film. George Clooney is good as always as the CIA operative that ropes Barris into service. Clooney is one of those actors who usually plays themselves over and over again in some incarnation, but I'm okay with it because I like who he is. Drew Barrymore plays Barris' long-term love interest; a free-thinking hippy who Chuck cheats on multiple times. Julia Roberts is one of the "other women", but she is really another member of the CIA just doing her job and keeping an eye on him. Also keep a look out for Brad Pitt and Matt Damon in cameo roles as two contestants on The Dating Game. Micheal Cera also makes an appearance as a very young Chuck in flashbacks.

Moon

I went into Moon knowing very little about it, and I think that is the best way to view this hauntingly beautiful film. Sam Rockwell is the only actor, playing the astronaut Sam Bell, who works for the company LUNAR in a time where the moon is planet Earths new source of power. He has been given a three year contract to live in a station on the moon harvesting the energy in complete solitude aside from the company of a robot named GERTY. (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Having left behind a wife and a child, three years is a long time and the loneliness begins to take a toll on Sam.
This is even more information about Moon than I had when I started watching it, and that is the best way to watch it, so I will tell you no more about the plot. Moon was a big hit at the Cannes Film Festival and was honored with eleven awards and fifteen nominations. As far as filmmaking goes it is the definition of minimalist. It lacks impressive effects and only has two sets and relies on Sam Rockwell's heartbreaking performance. I have always been a fan of Sam Rockwell, who is usually more of a character actor. (Galaxy Quest, The Green Mile, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Matchstick Men, Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy). He has a lack of vanity when he performs that is endearing. He has a total willingness to look an inch from death and it adds to his talent. This is without a doubt his finest performance. I was moved, and a little disturbed by how real the character became and how much he let you feel for and with him.
I think it is safe to say that Moon is one of the best science fiction films made in years, and more people should see and know about it. It has elements from classics such as 2001: A Space Odessey and Blade Runner, but it's never a rip-off or a copy. Moon is a highly original eerie, dark and thought-provoking little gem of a film that should not be missed.

Romance & Cigarettes

If you are ever in the mood for a quirky, out of control semi-musical comedy, look no further than writer/director John Turturro's Romance and Cigarettes. There is certainly something addictive about this film, but I can't put my finger on it. It's not a very good movie, but it is aware of itself and chooses to go all out and over the top.
James Gandolfini (of The Sopranos) stars as Susan Surandon's cheating husband, who has finally been found out. He then tries to break things off with his cockney, red-headed mistress played by Kate Winslet. While he struggles to leave her, his wife and her cousin (Christopher Walken) plan to confront, and possibly kill her. Along for the ride are the couples teenage, angst ridden daughters played by Mandy Moore, Mary Louise-Parker, and Aida Turturro, a construction worker full of fantasies (Steve Bucemi), and all sorts of characters with appearances by Elaine Strich, Eddie Izzard and more.
Whenever the troubled, hectic lives of the characters become too difficult to put into words, they break out into song. This is not, however exactly a musical. Songs such as Janis Joplin's Piece of my heart, or Tom Jones' Delilah play, while the characters sing along and perform choreographed dance numbers. The whole movie has a comedic, purposefully over the top feel to it, until it takes a slight dark turn at the end. If you don't take it seriously, and its not meant to be, it's a delight to watch, and very entertaining.
The end does not seem to fit quite right to me, and the story is very loosely threaded together. There are many reasons that a critic could tear this movie to shreds, but I was too captured by the absurdity of it. The cast as terrific chemistry and they alone are a reason to see it. Surandon, Walken, and Gandolfini are the stand outs, with a few nice cameos. It is a movie about love, sex, betrayal, with the message that it does not always work out alright; people do not always fall in or out of love. There is actually a good message presented, but the presentation is too out of control and silly to attempt a deep meaning or serious plot turn, that is where it falls a little flat. But for some reason, I keep coming back to it.

">