because you can't have too much entertainment... March 2001

Independent Spirit
Reviewed: Memento * Last Resort * Hit and Runway * Heart of the World

Since the first quarter of every year remains something of a dumping ground for most of the studios, the best bet in winter/spring is always the art house. It's a good counter-program time for savvy distributors because there's less competition for screens. Frequent cinema-goers hopefully know that the studio releases will mostly be trish trash right about now and will seek out other avenues for their cinematic pleasure. Those who have the itch to see films this month (if you're reading this, that's you!) will find the most bang for their buck with a foreign film or an American independent.

Memento opened recently to rave reviews and months of pre-release festival buzz. The film is a novelty act of intricate head spinning structure and ideal for a movie & dinner evening (as opposed to a dinner & movie night) because you'll want to talk about it afterwards. The plot revolves around a man named Leonard with a "condition" -namely the complete absence of short term memory. Leonard witnessed his wife's brutal rape and murder and suffered a nasty head injury trying to prevent it. Since the attack he cannot build new memories. So, he's out and about trying to avenge her murder with only his temporary wits, polaroids, and notes he scribbles or tattoos to his body to guide him along the way. To illustrate what Leonard's "condition" does to his mind, the writer/director Christopher Nolan has fashioned a gutsy backwards structure to keep you as lost as Leonard himself. So the movie begins at the end, as it were, and concludes somewhere earlier in the storyline. It doesn't really conclude at the beginning but we'll call it that. Bearing that in mind, the end (beginning) is stronger than the beginning (end) because at the denouement it's wrapped up a little too neatly. Judging on the strengths of the first hour, I personally would have preferred more ambiguity in the final moments. To parapharse Frank n Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show "sometimes a mental mind fuck can be nice."

Memento will likely divide the audience. It's sure to confuse audience members who prefer simpleminded entertainment like the recent best picture (ha!) nominee Chocolat or winner Gladiator, but it will surely garner raves in the film geek community, delight those anxious for more neo-noir, and be appreciated by filmgoers who can think and watch simultaneously. The film stars LA Confidential's Guy Pearce and he's reason enough to see the film. The story doesn't have as much of a sense of humor as it needs but Pearce has some clever moments in his performance that liven things up. He shakes up the sometimes monotonous mood. In fact, his voiceover here is the least intrusive, most beneficial one I've seen in recent years. Partially because you need him (and he needs himself) to talk through each scene. "OK, what am I doing here?" is a question he asks himself at one point while running madly after/away (?) from another man. It's hilarious in its matter-of-fact confusion and directness. The film's co-stars, Carrie Anne Moss & Joe Pantalioni, don't fare as well. It's not that the performances are bad, it's a simple result of the movie's backwards movement; it's difficult to get a bead on where their characters are coming from. One final note: Do not wait for the video. Memento requires your full attention and the theater is the ideal venue for that type of entertainment. (You can see it at home when the DVD is released, watch it forward, and decide if there's any substance in its flashy package -I know I plan to.)

People will bandy about the term "original" when talking about this one, but for whatever reason, leaving the theater, I couldn't stop thinking about two 2000 films that it reminded me of. Guy Pearce's central star turn is similar in its minimalism and hints of malevolence to Clive Owens' much heralded work in last year's Croupier. The second movie that came to mind is Time Code, another experiment in non traditional narrative that was dismissed by many as a gimmick. Memento, too, is a novelty act. Maybe it's more clever than deep, but you won't be complaining much. If you're going to enjoy a meal light on nutritional value, make sure it's a tasty one.

Also slowly (if at all) rolling its way around the country is a new indie comedy called Hit & Runway. It's the classic odd-couple story; a gay man and a straight man attempt to co-exist. This time, for a bit of freshness, they're trying to work together as opposed to live together, but it amounts to much the same thing. We're reminded that working closely with another person is something like a marriage. The straight man, Alex, is an aspiring screenwriter who's not doing so well at the actual writing part of it but does have one potential insider connection to mine. The gay man, Elliott, is a playwright who is quite good at the actual writing but not prepared for the sacrifices and betrayals of the Hollywood life. They're trying to write an action screenplay (the imagined movie is the weakest link in the film) for a Seagal-type movie star.

Here's where reviewing this baby gets tricky. The film is not an accomplished piece, per se. It's not polished. It's not well structured. The acting and the comedy are very uneven. The film has genuinely funny bits (particularly on the dialogue end) but also some painful duds. Most obviously it has severe pacing issues. Scenes drag on too long or aren't developed enough. But, despite all this, I found myself liking it more than I should have. I think I was cutting first-time filmmaker Christopher Livingston some slack because... A) I'd eventually like to be a first time filmmaker, and in a way first films have to be viewed with "is there potential here?" questions in mind. B) the film has a certain 'please-love-me' desperation that's surprisingly a little more charming than grating, and C) I never want to knock a movie that really tries to give you something of a male emotional journey. As a frequent filmgoer, I get really frustrated with the lack of variety in stories about men. Every year I'm far more excited about the best actress categories in cinema because women (for all the complaints about lack of good parts) are given a wide variety of emotions to play with. They may be stuck with hooker. wife/girlfriend. sister/best friend. single mom (the latest addition), but usually within those confinements their characters are allowed some variation or depth. Though men are more often employed in Hollywood, they're left with hero. villian. sidekick. Within this framework they usually only get to play one of two character arcs: 1) Becoming a man and/or finding their inner hero. 2) Plotting revenge and/or triumphing over adversity. That's it! It's so limiting. And it doesn't take into account that most men, during their lives, will experience more than just heroics or adolescent revenge fantasies.

There's an underlying thread in Hit and Runway about Alex's search for himself that sneaks up on you. This was a fresh angle. At first his reaction to Elliott seems like the typical audience surrogate homophobia. Then it slowly and slyly becomes exposed as his discomfort with his own identity. When confronted with someone who truly knows who they are, (that would be the proudly out gay man in question), he feels immediately lost and on foreign ground. It opens him up to his own inner life and confuses his paradigms -most noticeably within his familial relationships. Toward the conclusion, this "I don't even know who I am" thread becomes more prominent and the most affecting part of the film. It's the one thing (other than occassionaly witty dialogue) that rises above the "first try" level. It doesn't feel stale, borrowed, or forced...and it made me want to see Livingston's next film, whenever that rolls around, to see if he can work out some of the narrative kinks.

One last note, before I close up here. If you haven't tried out the Shooting Gallery Film Series yet, you'll want to start this year. Their first release for 2001, Last Resort, will hopefully be playing sometime soon at a theater near you (whoever's hosting the SG series) for a limited two week engagement. Don't miss it. It's a haunting story of a Russian woman trapped in a holding town in England. Through circumstances and bad decisions, she's forced to wait for months on end for paperwork and political asylum. Sounds like a kick, huh? This is why I hate plot heavy reviews. No plot summary will convey what the movies does. Any description makes it sound like a downer, but even its heaviest moments have a lyrical sense of hope spun through them. It's definitely worth a look. If you're lucky, it will be preceded by Guy Madden's award winning and ridiculously brilliant short "Heart of the World" , as it was here in New York City. Two fine films (even if one is less than 10 minutes long) for the price of one. Can't beat that.

-Nathaniel

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