Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with our spaced-out spy, Copernicus on a couple of indie flicks hitting the limited release circuit at the moment. The first up is WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, the newest from Atom Egoyan starring Kevin Bacon (but not his weiner, apparently) and the second is the Philip Seymour Hoffman vehicle CAPOTE, both of which I'm really looking forward to. Enjoy the reviews!!!
Harry and gang,
Sorry for the delay in Toronto reviews -- after my return to Austin I had to go to Hawaii for some astronomical duties and kava-induced relaxation. Here are reviews of two movies I enjoyed from Toronto, one unconditionally, and one with reservations. I know both of these films are playing LA at the moment, but they haven't had a wide release yet.
WHERE THE TRUTH LIES
Lets play a game called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon's Johnson. Come up with any name and I will tell you how it is connected to Kevin Bacon's member in the minimum number of steps. Nicolas Cage? Nicolas Cage was in MATCHSTICK MEN with Alison Lohman. Kevin Bacon's Johnson was in Alison Lohman in WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. It is easy, because Bacon's meat is ubiquitous! Of course it was robbed of Best Actor for Wild Things, but we all know it has more presence than Brando. You've heard of character-driven movies? There is a whole subgenre of Kevin Bacon's cock-driven movies. Could HOLLOW MAN exist without this invisible menace? Even children weren't safe from it in SLEEPERS and THE WOODSMAN.
Ok, I'm being juvenile and unfair to the movie, being fixated on Kevin Bacon's Johnson, which doesn't even show up this time. There are so many truly wonderful things about WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. Like Alison Lohman's fabulous tappers! Ok, ok, I want to be fair, but it is hard to take any movie seriously when an during one Quaalude-addled scene set to Jefferson Airplan's White Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland literally comes out of the background, strips naked and starts munching carpet. Not that there is anything wrong with that! On the contrary, I love the idea, but it does leave you thinking "What the fuck just happened?" in an AI kind of way. In fact, this entire movie reminds me of someone's first bong hit. The execution isn't perfect, but you've got to admire the spirit.
Ahh, but I digress. First, a summary: WHERE THE TRUTH LIES is the latest from Atom Egoyan, adapted from the novel by Rupert Holmes (of Pina Colada song fame). Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth) are the leading comedy duo of the late fifties, famous for their edgy stage humor and 36-hour telethon appearances. When a naked dead girl is found in their hotel room the cloud of suspicion settles over the team, and though neither is convicted of murder, their careers come to an end. Fifteen years later obsessed fan Karen O'Connor (Alison Lohman) tries write a book about the doomed comedians, and in the process stumbles into their ruined lives of continued debauchery and dark secrets.
WHERE THE TRUTH LIES almost feels like a film noir -- there is a body, a mystery, a narrator, and plenty of men and women of questionable moral standing. But the look of the film is anything but noir – it is bright and colorful, and the setting alternates between the late fifties and early seventies. The noirish atmosphere mixed into the full-color decadence of the seventies is reminiscent of BODY HEAT, but the fifties scenes are so dominant that the net effect is that the look and feel of the movie seems truly original. Part of the novelty stems from seeing orgies and superhero-level sexual escapades set in the unlikely setting of the late fifties. Apparently there was enough sex in quantity or perversity to condemn the movie to an NC-17 rating, but the only thing I found shocking was the rating itself.
The performances by Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth are as good as ever, but Alison Lohman doesn't quite have the gravitas to carry off her central role. She looks great, but you never quite believe that this obsessed, doe-eyed young student can outwit the players trying to keep the truth hidden. Still, the main problem is with the writing and the direction. In the end, the movie takes a turn for the ridiculous, and the mounting improbability of the plot spoils any interest you may have had in the outcome of the story. WHERE THE TRUTH LIES is a worthy experiment, but ultimately a failed one. It is certainly one to see on DVD though, where you can watch the best parts again and again.
CAPOTE
I am in the cult of Philip Seymour Hoffman. He's the doughy Johnny Depp – he can disappear into a role and just make you believe he is a clingy gay resident of the pornoverse , a hyperempathic hospice nurse, or the Mattress Man, sex-line pimp extraordinaire. And now he takes the lead and burns up the screen as Truman Capote. Two hours of Philip Seymour Hoffman as the effete wordsmith plumbing the minds of savage killers in rural Kansas – this is a fantastic intersection of the literary and the cinematic, and a great American story.
In 1959 Truman Capote, shocked by the murder of a family of four, embarks on a trip to Holcomb, Kansas, with friend and author Nelle Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) to probe beneath the surface of the killings and their impact on the community. The local sheriff, played with subtlety by Chris Cooper, isn't sure what to make of the strange out-of-towner, but the killers, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Richard Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) are eager to talk to anyone who can help them in their dire situation. Recognizing a fellow outcast, Capote takes to Perry and forges a friendship that will ultimately leave him conflicted. Capote ultimately puts his own ambition first and publishes his encounters as In Cold Blood, a seminal work of nonfiction that would catapult him to superstardom.
The screenplay by Dan Futterman, based on the novel by Gerald Clarke, and the choices made by director Bennett Miller do a fine job at capturing the essence of Truman Capote. They interweave vignettes of Capote in his impeccably tailored suits regaling New York society folk, with shots of him alone and devastated, whether by external events or his own actions. The result is a multidimensional portrait of an imperfect, but outrageously fascinating character of a man, and a true American original.
As good as the rest of the movie is, the standout is Philip Seymour Hoffman. He absolutely nails the high-pitched lisp of Capote, maintaining it perfectly thorough moments of both flamboyance and anguish. His gift for comic timing also helps transmit some of the charisma of the legendary gadfly. Even in moments of quiet despair Hoffman shows that he is as good an actor as they come.
