Hall Takes 'Caveman's Valentine' To Heart
Plus: Video Reviews Of 'Almost Famous,' 'Wonder Boys,' 'Bedazzled' And More
He helped define the unique genre of teen-films by John Hughes in the '80s and more recently, won acclaim as Microsoft founder Bill Gates in the cable film, "The Pirates of Silicon Valley." And while actor Anthony Michael Hall's latest film, "The Caveman's Valentine," doesn't give him as much screen time, he's completely happy about his contribution to the unique project starring Samuel L. Jackson.
"I'm really proud of this film ? I think it's really powerful," Hall told me in a recent interview. "Certain projects have been landmarks for me and this is one of them. Films like this force me to reflect as to why I'm involved in this industry. It's better to be a small fish in a big pond instead of a big fish in a small pond sometimes."
In the film, Hall plays the small, yet pivotal role of Bob, a compassionate New York City lawyer who befriends Romulus Ledbetter (Jackson) during a street encounter. A schizophrenic homeless man who lives in a cave on the edge of Manhattan, Romulus is a Julliard-trained piano virtuoso battling several demons: In addition to turning his back on his family, he is convinced that a man named Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant, who offices atop the Chrysler Building, is the root of all evil and watching his every move.
But when a fellow homeless man is found dead outside his cave, it signals a change in Romulus. Following his instincts, he launches an investigation of David Leppenraub (Colm Feore), a Thomas Mapplethorpe-like art photographer who used the deceased as his subject of sadistic visions. This comes at the objection of the police force, which includes a detective that happens to be his estranged daughter (Aunjanue Ellis).
Romulus' situation is, needless to say, complex, and Hall explained that it was clearly meant to be that way. Heightening the complexity is Lemon's interpretation of Rom's psychotic episodes ? what he calls "brain typhoons" ? which literally takes us inside his unstable mind. It is there where we see an imaginary gothic cave full of muscled dancers, musicians and flying "seraph moths."
"I think the film is also very poetic, both visually and with its intent," Hall said. "I think it's up to the viewer, as always, to take from it what they will. But I think the film is really ambitious in really being about something.
"It's tapping into a lot of issues. I think Romulus really goes through a few different storms. It's not just about solving the mystery. It's about patching up his family, and emancipating himself in the eyes of the people he knows and loves."
Hall credits the compassion of "The Caveman's Valentine" to the direction of Lemmons, an actor ("Silence of the Lambs") who won acclaim for her filmmaking debut, "Eve's Bayou" (which also starred Jackson), in 1997.
"As a director, Kasi's very compassionate. She's very giving, caring and understanding, and you get this real maternal spirit from her," Hall said. "It's rare that you have those kind of connections with directors. She's the first female director I worked with, and there was an interesting trust that I had in her and she saw in me, to give me the opportunity to work of the film."
Adapted for the screen by George Dawes Green (from his Edgar Award-winning novel of the same name), Hall fully realizes that "The Caveman's Valentine" is an unconventional film; nonetheless, he praises so many top-not actors and filmmakers for taking a chance on getting it made.
"I don't think it's anywhere near commercial, but it's a powerful film," observed Hall. "It's an ambitious project, both visually and story-wise for Kasi and I think it was courageous of her (to take on the project), Jersey Films (which includes producer Danny DeVito) and Sam Jackson to bank on this project because it's an interesting story that came from a novel. Those are hard films to get made and bring to the screen I'm sure."
Hall's next roles will be decidedly different than his role in "The Caveman's Valentine." He'll share the screen with Tom Green and Drew Barrymore in the comedy "Freddie Got Fingered" in April, and will star as pitcher Whitey Ford for the Billy Crystal-directed "61*," a HBO original film that examines the Roger Maris-Babe Ruth home run record controversy.
'Almost Famous' (R)
Fugit plays William Miller, a 15 year-old rock reporter who thrives under his mentor, Creem magazine publisher Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). But when
Miller gets a road assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to cover Stillwater, a rising rock band struggling to find its own identity in the rock world, he's forced to find his identity as well.
Crowe's ("Jerry Maguire") eye for casting is sharply in focus again, with a talented ensemble that features Kate Hudson as rock "band-aid" Penny Lane, who takes Miller under her wing; the under-appreciated Billy Crudup as Stillwater's elusive lead guitarist; Kevin Smith film vet Jason Lee as the band's jealous lead singer; and Frances McDormand in a hilarious turn as Miller's over-protective ("Don't take drugs!") mother. It is without question one of the year's best films.
DVD Features: Fans of film will no doubt be disappointed with the fact that Crowe did not deliver a director's cut of the film for the DVD release, nor does it include his commentary (which would no doubt reveal the real people behind the fictional characters in the film). But the omission of these vital features will be included in a future special
edition of the DVD, studio Dreamworks promises. But in a statement prepared by the studio, Crowe said he just simply did not have the time to commit to the disc, since he's heavy into production on his current film "Vanilla Sky," starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
But that's not to say that this edition of the DVD is all for naught. Included is the incredibly insightful HBO "First Look" documentary on film, which gives a revealing look into the early career of Crowe, a wunderkind writer who really did start with Rolling Stone as a teen. In addition to interviews with the cast, we get to hear from many of the people who were there, including glam rocker Peter Frampton, whom Crowe wrote the liner notes for the mega-release, "Frampton Comes Alive," and Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner. Also unique to the disc are some of Crowe's actual articles from the magazine, which reveals the template for the film. The band Stillwater in the film is based on Crowe's first writing gig following the Allman Brothers Band, and the "Golden God," if you've already seen Crudup's memorable scene from the film, is based on the actions of Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant. As a bonus, the disc features the funky artwork of the actual magazine covers in which the articles were published. --Tim Lammers
Also New
'Wonder Boys' (R)
Douglas is Grady Tripp, a lovelorn literature professor that sees extraordinary potential in his student James Leer's (Tobey Maguire) work. But when he finally reaches out to Lear in a gesture of kindness, it sets off an unusual weekend of events. This breath of originality is strengthened by the fine supporting turns by and Frances McDormand, and capped by the sheer brilliance of Robert Downey Jr. as Douglas' book editor. --Tim Lammers
'The Sixth Day' (PG-13)
The film has a storyline close to Schwarzenegger's "Total Recall." Some scenes "recall" elements of that film, even certain props (check out the taxicabs). Thankfully the storyline is also as complex, but loses its focus with too much hyper-kinetic action. Even the clones get confusing toward the conclusion of the film, which too drawn out. Schwarzenegger fans will still want to see a film with the usual action-packed format, but the general public may want to think twice, even if it is a movie about a person with two minds. --Jon Stone
'Blair Witch 2: Book Of Shadows' (R)
But the question after the movie's myth mist cleared was, "Exactly what were the creators going to come up with for a new movie?" To start, the film's creators, Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, chose to take on the roles of executive producers and let documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger take over the directorial duties. For "Blair Witch 2: Book Of Shadows," the hand-held video and 16mm approach has given way to the usual 35mm film format. In the process, however, the raw fear generated by the low-tech direction of the first film is diminished.
"Book of Shadows" centers around fictional Burkittsville resident Jeff Donovan, who has developed a Blair Witch tour, trying to cash in on the hype of the first film's story. Having had a bad history since childhood, along with just getting out of a mental institution, Jeff does not have the best image in town. Nonetheless, no Burkittsville resident can cast the first stone, because everyone is trying to profit from the tourist overflow. From his Web site, Jeff collects five people to go on his first "Witch" tour. Assorted characters include a Wiccan, two grad students and a Goth named Kim who seems to have psychic abilities.
Fans should be satisfied after watching the film, although the ending is somewhat disappointing. In the end, "Blair Witch" is no longer a scary home movie, it's mutated to just another frightful movie with the potential for another sequel. --Jon Stone
'Bedazzled' (PG-13)
While the film's premise isn't completely original, the fulfillment of the wishes often times is. Instead of simply giving Elliot what he wants, Ramis and screenwriters Larry Gelbart and Peter Tolan smartly morph him into each scenario. Perhaps the funniest one comes right out of the gate, where Fraser wants to be rich and married to the woman of his dreams. He ends up being a Columbian drug lord and he's married all right ? it's just his wife hates his guts because she loathes what he does. Fraser nails his turns as miscellaneous in each alternate reality (which also includes a hilarious stint as an NBA superstar), and he is only hampered by the fact that the idea wears thin after awhile. It's quite apparent after the first two wishes that everything will pretty much end up in disaster. The film is also a showcase for Hurley, fashion-wise. She's wearing a new costume (almost always red, of course) in practically every scene. The DVD version of the film offers a feature on the design of these stunning costumes and making of documentary, in addition to commentary tracks by Hurley, producer Trevor Albert and Ramis. --Tim Lammers
'The Crew' (PG-13)
The story focuses on four men -- Bobby Bartellemeo (Richard Dreyfus), Joey "Bats" Pistella (Burt Reynolds), Mike "The Brick" Donatelli (Dan Hedaya) and Tony "Mouth" Donato (Seymour Cassel). They all live in senior-dominated hotel that is outgrowing
each of them.
As all the old residents of the hotel pass on, young people are grabbing the real estate and increasing the building's property value. The hotel owners, who want the less-profitable older residents out of the building, use stiff rent increases to vacate the tenants. Using their acquired mob skills, the pack devises a plan to devalue the property, thus reducing their rent. The scheme works, but leads to other repercussions that were not expected.
The film starts out on a good beat, but quickly meshes into a somewhat predictable story of "Grumpy Old Men" meets "Goodfellas." This includes the standard flatulence jokes, retired gaudy Bronx queens and the young sleazy girlfriend all wrapped up with the usual rough male dialogue. --Jon Stone
Catch up with Tim Lammers on these recent @ The Movies interviews:
New On Video: DVD Spotlight
Writer-director Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical tale as a teenage rock journalist brilliantly comes to life through the wide eyes of actor Patrick Fugit in "Almost Famous," a coming-of-age opus set in the early 70s era of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
Despite a stellar performance from Michael Douglas as a boy-wonder writer turned lost-soul college professor in "Wonder Boys," this quirky comic gem from director Curtis Hanson was one of the most-overlooked films of 2000. Douglas boldly throws his pretty-boy image right out the window for this grizzled, yet likable character, which melds perfectly with Hanson's wonderfully subtle direction and Steve Kloves' offbeat, but enjoyable script.
As a film about cloning, it shouldn't come as a surprise that
"The Sixth Day" is like a clone of another Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Set in the near future where household appliances are a Microsoft dream, Schwarzenegger plays Adam Gibson, a helicopter pilot who comes home from a shopping trip to find that he has been cloned. In a future world where law prohibits human cloning, Gibson must try to collect his thoughts to get a grip on this drastic change. He must also deal with the clone creator's thugs, who are chasing him down because of a mistaken identity.
OK, we all know that the first film was fake, but some of us still like to pretend that there just might be some truth to the tale from Burkittsville, Md.
"Bedazzled" is a movie that goes straight to hell: but when you consider that it was intended to, that's not such a bad thing. Directed by Harold Ramis, "Bedazzled" features a red-hot Elizabeth Hurley as the devil, who grants seven wishes to Elliot, a nerdish computer geek (Brendan Fraser). The upshot is, he gets a chance to be with the girl of his dreams (Frances O'Connor). The downside is, that he has to give his soul to the devil as payment.
Mob movies are almost beginning to become a parody of themselves, and "The Crew" quickly falls into this clich?d trap. If you saw a preview of the film, there's not much left to the imagination. It's about a group of old mobsters living out their final years in a retirement area of South Beach, Miami, trying to relive their old glory; The main asset to the film is a assemblage of solid players.
