Review: "GreasePaint"

I have great respect for pro wrestlers. Ever since 2000, when my older brother took me and others to a Monday Night RAW TV event, I’ve read books, watched old tapes and absorbed as much information as I could on the subject. We’re watching guys and gals perform daring feats of strength and courage, tell a story with their body language and be charismatic enough to connect with people; silent film acting is alive and well, people! I could basically sum it up with “The Wrestler got it right. All of it.” Seriously. Mad props to these performers.

Clowns, on the other hand...

No, I don’t dislike clowns - I’m just indifferent towards them. Once, my parents took me to a circus. During the show, a clown came through the crowd, to pick a kid to join him. When he came to me, I just shrugged, shook my head and let out a half hearted “eh”. It wasn’t anything personal; clowns just never connected with me. Sure, watching Bozo on TV was fun, but mostly to see if one of those kids would eventually win the ball toss game.

Review: "The Last Lullaby"

The following entry is cross posted from InvadeNola:

Ever find yourself digging through the discount DVD bin at Wal Mart in the middle of the night? You’re not really looking to buy something, and you’re really not looking for anything in particular – you’re just trying to fill the time. For some, a wide eyed walk around the local store is all that’s needed to burn that last bit of energy. For others…

The Last Lullaby is a story lead by two such people; two restless souls, troubled by sleepless nights and haunted pasts. When their paths inevitably cross, they will have to work together, not only to resolve their more immediate problem, but to ultimately get a good night’s sleep.

We are first introduced to our male lead, a nameless ex hitman who goes by whatever alias He can think of. Played by Tom Sizemore, Jack (his primary alias) lives a fairly comfortable life, but does so uncomfortably. Weathered and restless, Jack visits a convenience store where, by chance, He overhears a kidnapping plot. Out of sheer boredom, He rescues a woman, only to demand a ransom for her safe return. While He handles this situation with the expertise you’d expect, He seems to be going through the motions; punching a thug in the face is just like going to the store or watching Nick at Nite for this guy.

Months later, He is contacted by the woman’s father to perform a job; to eliminate a witness. He hesitantly accepts, and proceeds to go about his former routine. This is where He meets (well, observes) his target Sarah, played by Sasha Alexander. Probably breaking a golden rule, Jack makes his presence known to her, only to end up striking an immediate relationship.

Just as restless as Jack, Sarah also has an equally troubled past. Having witnessed the murder of her mother at a young age (the incident that has now made her a target), Sarah has been unable to sleep, or live, easy for years. Travelling from town to town, and picking up calm nerving habits like swimming or gun shooting, She has been unable to forget, and unable to, well, move on. In this way, she is Jack’s kindred spirit. Both need to drop their past, but have been unable to do so alone. Together, they will try again. Jack will protect Sarah from and eliminate for her the men who seek her silence, and Sarah will try to fill the void Jack has lived with for so long.

I first saw this movie a few years ago at the Prytania Theatre during the New Orleans Film Festival. It impressed me then, and impresses me now. For starters, the film has a very nice mood to it. Despite the loud gunshots and occasional blood, I found things to be relatively calm (exactly what Jack and Sarah are wanting). From the musical score, to the lighting/color scheme, to the use of quiet environments like small towns, swimming pools and empty roads, the film just has an all around soothing tone.

The casting/acting of Tom Sizemore is equally noteworthy. Seen mostly in direct to dvd titles in the last decade (including a short stint in self made porn), as well as being in and out of trouble with the law, Tom’s performance is a sort of reflection of his real life. Similar to Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” and “Kill Shot”, the role of Jack – a weathered, lonely, tired yet sleepless assassin – was meant for an actor that not only looks like He’s lived a rough life, but has the experiences/memories to back it up. The way He walks, the way He talks, and the way He stares at you all tell a story on their own. Letting Tom play Jack is like giving a baseball to Nolan Ryan – Tom nailed it.

Filmed in Shreveport by hometown filmmaker Jeffrey Goodman, “The Last Lullaby” ought to be added to your Netflix queue as soon as possible. With a movie as surprisingly good as this, you have every reason to stay in bed. No need making that 2AM trip to Walgreens, as you can always buy an extra gallon of milk later. 

4/5 *'s

Adrien Brody Can Get Away With It

Starting this past weekend, I began to contribute film musings/reviews to the new website JadeHive. They cross posted my previous MoviePass entry, and I have now cross posted my latest entry FROM JadeHive to here:

Fair warning – This is not an average review.

I just finished watching Vincenzo Natali’s “Splice”, and while I do have some overall thoughts on the film itself, I would much rather discuss one specific scene from the film. A scene that has not only been stuck in my mind, but also fully summarizes the movie as a whole: Adrien Brody thrusting into a genetically engineered being.

Try and bear with me.

It should be well known to anybody with eyesight that Adrien Brody is sex. Not sexy, mind you. He IS sex. Everytime He appears on a screen, whether it’s as a confused mercenary in “Predators” or as a lounge singer in a Super Bowl commercial, the man develops a rather steamy relationship with the camera. With one look of sensual forlorn (which is inevitable), He can make women (and probably men) melt in their seats. His ‘male partner in a TV-MA shower commercial’ attitude works so well for him, He was able to not only makeout with Halle Berry on live television, but also get away with it! Good acting skills + Eye sex with camera = Adrien Brody.

So, how does the weird laboratory creature factor in?

In “Splice”, Adrien Brody stars as Clive, one half of a scientist couple who create new lifeforms in an attempt to harvest proteins for medical purposes. After their research is shutdown, Elsa(the other half of the couple, played by Sarah Polley) makes the decision to go ahead and experiment with a new lifeform, this time made with human DNA. The result is a female they name Dren, and Elsa immediately begins a maternal relationship with it, using the scientific research as an excuse. Clive is weary to continue, but soon warms up to Dren – comforting her and teaching her how to dance.


Of course, things have to take an odd turn: Elsa begins to act controlling and overbearing, pushing Dren to act more aggressive. It also becomes obvious that Dren is attracted to Clive, with her drawing pictures of his face, and seductively swimming in front of a camera. All of this leads to the sequence in question.

Now, I’m focused on this scene for two reasons. For one thing, the scene completely summarizes what the movie is about: bad parenting. The film is more about people who shouldn’t have kids than it is about science. It’s explained that Elsa had a very bad childhood. She’s apprehensive to the idea of becoming pregnant, but is all for creating a surrogate daughter inside a makeshift womb (adoption, in a way). She tries to be the mother she never had, but eventually becomes exactly what she hated. Clive is all for having a REAL child – not a human/animal hybrid. He is pretty cold to the creature at first(the unresponsive step dad), but begins to see bits of Elsa in Dren(“you look like your mother”), and eventually, after comforting Dren a few times, succumbs to her when she throws her nude self at him(rivalry with mother for affections of step dad/father issues?). Basically, the scene demonstrates that the scientists have crossed the line, both in science and in parenting (obviously).

And second is the casting of Adrien Brody. As I explained before, the man IS sex. When I first witnessed the scene, the only appropriate response for me was shocking laughter: the man who madeout with Halle Berry has seduced/has been seduced by a hybrid lab creature. When we watch a Hollywood sex scene, we expect to be titillated, not to be made uncomfortable. But because Adrien(who IS sex) performs this unusual scene in such a straight forward way(possibly imagining Penelope Cruz), we are left feeling a discomforting arousal. I have a feeling that the casting agent and even Director had a good chuckle, thinking about Adrien doing this scene. The only other actors I can think of possibly doing this would be Mickey Rourke and Matt Dillon, but I’m not sure if it would be the same.

I recommend this movie be screened to the very gullible, as the shock will cause great joy for the exhibitors. In conclusion, I leave you with a quote from the Director Vincenzo Natali:

“That scene was the reason I wanted to make the film and that’s why it’s such a miracle this film exists.”