Reviews

MIGHT CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS.

Don't read below these lines if you don't want to know anything about this movie but do want to pick a great midnight movie. Cheesy fun with interesting cast and ideas.

Zardoz has Sean Connery, after some Bond movies, running around with a pony-tail and usually shirtless, as a noble savage. It also has the fabulous Charlotte Rampling, beautiful and mysterious as usual, but thrown into a bizarre role like a leader of a type of Eloy (Time Machine) like people who are punished in a unique and intriguing way. I won't spoil that part. There's a giant floating head that is the god, maybe, or a device of some sort, and it captures people, including Connery. He becomes at first a sideshow attraction, like an elephant first scene in European circuses. Then he becomes a dangerous example of fighting the system. The movie is deeply flawed, probably too many drugs were used by the writer/director, maybe he was going for psychedelia, maybe he wanted to make a cult film, I don't know. But I still love this film, even though I know it reeks of cheese. The important thing to remember is, it couldn't have been made better. Not if you want the insane premise, the reason for the name, the types of people and how they live, the floating head... this is about as "good" a movie you can make out of these elements. On some nights, this is a 10 for me, but to be fair, it's an 8.

Blatty wrote an interesting novel concerning several of his constant obsessions. When he decided to make a movie, he luckily cast it extremely well and got the most out of his performers. Jason Miller in particular is brilliant, and Stacy Keach, who you might think "wooden" for a little while, turns in one of his strongest performances. The setting is a little unlikely, I think, but it works well and you accept it quickly. Please be advised, this is not a horror movie. It's not remotely "The Exorcist" or "Legacy," but it is a very strong drama with many moments of hilarious lunacy.

**** **** **** **** ***** ******* ********** ********** **********

Jason Miller is truly insane. He is directing a production of Hamlet with a cast of dogs. Most of the movie is relatively removed from war and violence, but there is a pivotal fight scene which is put together very well. You are completely convinced that Kane can kill a bunch of bikers as easily as he does without leaving the realm of reality (superheros, Van Damme or Vin Diesel, you know.) The drama comes from Stacy Keach's character and the question of identity, and an interesting religious notion which is handled better here than in any other movie I've seen. Personally, I could care less about the religious point itself; as a plot point, however, it is very convincing, sincerely moving and surprisingly nice as an ending. I won't spoil more than that. I make a lot of friends see this because not a lot of people have heard of it, and none have ever been disappointed. The scenes of lunacy are better then "Cuckoo's Nest" or any other such film, the two interwoven concerns of the film are resolved to absolute satisfaction. In case you wonder what other types of films I put in the same level as this one, some would be "Brazil," "The Stunt Man," "Fight Club," "The Ruling Class," etc.

Christian Bale, who has never really impressed me except in American Psycho, turns in a tour de force performance in The Machinist, an indy thriller I saw at Sundance last night. He lost a ton of weight for the role. It's obvious from the progression that some scenes were shot at different times, as Bale gets more skeletal and there is a brief scene in which he looks healthy. Beyond the physical work, Bale is mesmerizing as an extremely troubled blue collar worker who is trying to discover what's wrong--either with him or the world. I won't list any spoilers here. Jennifer Jason Leigh is fabulous as always as his hooker girlfriend. The most memorable aspects to the film for me is the use of what I'd term "Twilight Zone" music. The soundtrack sounds like TZ or The Outer Limits, and there is a definite 60s television feel to the eerie puzzle script. The palette is mostly browns, sepia, and though there are modern cars and other signs of modernity (cell phones, etc) the scenes could be anytime USA. There is a heavy-handed amusement park scene which almost works, and a few fairly obvious turns in the figure-it-out plot, but overall very effective. Bale is so good at looking in shock, tired, hopeless, afraid, frenetic, etc that he holds your eye throughout the film. I'm sure this will get picked up and distributed widely.