W.C. FIELDS: A BIOGRAPHY

W. C. FIELDS A biography. James Curtis. 2003; Alfred A. Knopf.

This is an excellent biography of the great comedian W. C. Fields, from his childhood to his early success as a juggler in vaudeville, to his early film performances, and on to his various successes (and failures) in motion pictures. Curtis describes how certain of Fields' life and career experiences later informed his film portrayals. The book also examines Fields' difficult relationships with his one wife and several mistresses, as well as with his two sons, one legitimate and one not. Curtis goes behind the scenes of such memorable films as The Bank Dick and The Old-Fashioned Way and relates the touchy working relationship between Fields and Mae West on My Little Chickadee. Curtis does a great job of getting across Fields' essentially lovable but often mercurial nature, which was exacerbated by his extreme alcoholism in later years. Sympathetic, incisive and well-researched, this is one superb biography.

Verdict: You'll want to rush out and see every one of Fields' movies! ****.

THE MEMORY OF ALL THAT Betsy Blair

THE MEMORY OF ALL THAT: Love and Politics in New York, Hollywood, and Paris. Betsy Blair. Knopf; 2003.

Betsy Blair [1923 - 2009], an actress and fourth-tier celebrity, had two claims to fame: her starring role with Ernest Borgnine in Marty, and her first marriage to Gene Kelly. Blair was a study in contrasts, someone who believed in communism while being married to (and essentially living off) a wealthy movie star. Blair met Kelly on Broadway when she was very young, and had no time to sow her wild oats, as it were. She made up for lost time with affairs while she was married to Kelly, then had a live-in relationship with a French actor (upon whom she also cheated), and wound up in a long second marriage with the director Karol Reisz until his death. Most of the book is taken up with the more eventful Kelly years. Blair's writing is good, the book is undeniably compelling (if full, as expected, of a little too much name-dropping), but one suspects the most interesting material is hidden between the lines. Completely devoid of Hollywood-type beauty -- Blair was not only plain but a bit homely -- some might nevertheless see her as one who could play the fame and success game as well as any Lana Turner. As in most show business memoirs, Blair does her best to establish herself as an important and notable figure, and the key to her personality seems to be found in an anecdote she tells of Kelly, who (understandably) rushed her out of a theater to avoid being mobbed by his fans but before she had a chance to take her own bow. A child bride, and still somewhat immature and a bit self-justifying as an adult, Blair claims no envy of Kelly's career but clearly wanted to come out from underneath his shadow. She was blacklisted in Hollywood, but managed to do some Hollywood films anyway because her husband was a big star at MGM. Along the way we're treated to mini-portraits of interesting political and cinema figures, as well as sad family stories, such as one about a perfectly happy gay uncle who was forcibly institutionalized due to his sexual orientation. Blair also appeared in such films as Another Part of the Forest and The Snake Pit, besides doing several films in Europe and taking a few television roles. Whatever her flaws as a human being, she was undeniably a talented actress. One distinct flaw in the book is that she offers few behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the films she made, and doesn't even mention such movies as A Delicate Balance with Katharine Hepburn!

Verdict: Absorbing read of the life of a Hollywood wife and what came later. ***.

LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION

MEGA-STAR: The Adorable Daffy Duck

LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION (2003). Director: Joe Dante.

To his dismay, disbelief, and horror, Daffy Duck, who has always played second fiddle to Bugs Bunny, finds himself fired by the Brothers Warner. Also fired is a security guard named DJ (Brendan Fraser), the son of famous Bond-like actor, Damien Drake (Timothy Dalton). It develops that Drake really is a super-spy, and has been kidnapped by the sinister forces of one Mr. Chairman (Steve Martin). DJ becomes unlikely teammates with Daffy and the woman who fired both of them, Kate (Jenna Elfman), to find and rescue Drake even as Bugs Bunny and other weird characters, both live and animated, provide a zany backdrop. On paper it might have seemed like a good idea to combine live action with cartoon animation as in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but despite the lovable characters -- underdog Daffy has always been my long-time favorite "funny animal" -- the spy plot is ill-advised and the movie is much, much more silly than any of the classic Warner Brothers cartoons. Kids will enjoy this the most, while their parents and older viewers may get a kick out of all the in-jokes (surely the children won't get the reference to the Psycho shower murder, although it is funny). Fraser and Elfman do the best they can, while Steve Martin offers a bizarrely notable turn as the definitely weird Mr. Chairman. Others in the cast include an amusing Joan Cusack; a sinister Granny with Tweetie Bird in tow; the Tasmanian Devil; Marc Lawrence; a slithering brain from Fiend Without a Face; Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet; the hulking insectoid creature from This Island Earth;  Jeff Gordon; Peter Graves; a plant from Day of the Triffids; the ape-man in a helmet from Robot Monster; Yosemite Sam; Elmer Fudd; Roger Corman (as a director); Dick Miller (as a studio guard); and Heather Locklear as a showgirl/secret agent. Did I miss anyone? The film's highlights include an amazing battle on top of the Eiffel Tower and a clever scene in the Louvre when Bugs and Daffy jump into different paintings and immediately convert to the style of the specific artist. Considering everything, you really want to love this movie, but at times it gets too frenetic and stupid without being especially funny. Still, there's always the delightful Daffy!

Verdict: Daffy rules -- but this great star needs a better vehicle. **1/2 out of 4.

VINCENT PRICE: THE ART OF FEAR

VINCENT PRICE: THE ART OF FEAR. Denis Meikle. Foreword by Richard Matheson. Afterword by Roger Corman. Reynolds and Hearn; 2003.

This is a very thorough, well illustrated look at the highly interesting career of Vincent Price, focusing primarily on the horror and suspense pictures that made him famous. There are looks at both versions of Tower of London, earlier films such as The Invisible Man Returns and Dragonwyck, his career-altering stardom in House of Wax, his collaboration with Roger Corman in several Poe adaptations such as Pit and the Pendulum, and the mixed bag of terror films that he made in his later years, including the near-classic Theater of Blood and the Dr. Phibes movies. Author Meikle takes a critical look at both the films and the performances -- he's not in love with every movie nor every performance by Price -- and there's much background information about the pictures as well. Meikle is on less firm ground when he writes somewhat awkwardly about Price's sexuality, but the book is attractively packaged, well-written, and noteworthy.

Verdict: You may not agree with every assessment, but this is a real treat for Price enthusiasts. ***1/2.

SHATTERED LOVE: A MEMOIR Richard Chamberlain

SHATTERED LOVE: A MEMOIR. Richard Chamberlain. ReganBooks; 2003.

TV's "Dr. Kildare" writes about his life and philosophy of living in this disappointing memoir. While Chamberlain does write interestingly of career highlights such as Shogun, The Thornbirds [with Barbara Stanwyck], appearing on Broadway in My Fair Lady -- he's had a much more interesting career than people might imagine -- he spends too much time gassing off in psychobabble (and I do mean babble) style about new age religion. Just when you're getting interested in some aspect of his professional or personal life -- his reaction when he was "outed" while still being immersed in self-hatred -- off he goes on a tiresome jaunt on the nature of God and such. It's as if Chamberlain, recognizing that he was essentially a good-looking, totally self-absorbed  actor, had to go to all sorts of people for help in getting over himself. He may not even understand that most people don't need to go through all of this just to become more decent human beings. More anecdotes about his early days in television, background on a few more movies, would have been welcome. Chamberlain writes how an older actor told him he became a star before he learned how to act, but this is belied by a Bourbon Street Beat episode -- pre- Dr. Kildare -- in which he gives an excellent performance in only his third credit. He makes no mention of this show and indeed gets through Dr. Kildare in only a few pages. The show lasted for five seasons -- surely there were many more interesting episodes and guest-stars than Gloria Swanson? Nowadays too many celebrities don't just want to give you inside stories of their days in Hollywood, but feel a need to be some kind of guru to the reader. Too bad. After the book was published Chamberlain had a good role on Brothers and Sisters and is still working today.

Verdict: Some good passages nearly lost in a sea of psycho-babble. **1/2.

GIGLI

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck

GIGLI (2003). Writer/director: Martin Brest.

A "cute" (that is "nice") hit man named Larry Gigli (Ben Affleck of Hollywoodland), and a pretty -- and nice -- hit woman named Ricki (Jennifer Lopez of Monster-in-Law) team up to kidnap and possibly murder a mentally-disabled youth named Brian (Justin Bartha). And this is an (alleged) comedy? Perhaps in a very wild farce with extremely gifted farceurs this may have worked, but Gigli deserves its reputation as one of the worst movies ever made -- what on earth was Brest thinking (no wonder he hasn't worked since)? Let me make it clear that Gigli wasn't just excoriated because of over-exposure to "Bennifer" -- Lopez and Affleck were lovers at the time -- but because it was a tedious and dreadful picture. To make matters worse -- if that's possible -- there is even some homophobic nonsense with Ricki, a committed lesbian, having sex with Larry simply because the real-life couple had to sleep together in the movie! Al Pacino [88 Minutes] is the best thing in the picture as a maniacal mob boss, but there isn't enough of him to save the movie.

Verdict: If only this had been about Beniamino Gigli, the opera singer. This is beyond abysmal. 1/2 star for Pacino.

THE RECRUIT

Al Pacino

THE RECRUIT (2003). Director: Roger Donaldson.

Computer genius James Clayton (Colin Farrell of Fright Night), whose father died under mysterious circumstances years before, is recruited by instructor Walter Burke (Al Pacino of Jack and Jill), for the CIA. Clayton joins a group of young hopefuls at the Farm in Langley for training, but seems to strike out after an especially rough exercise in which he thinks he has actually been kidnapped by enemy agents. But Burke tells Clayton that far from being axed  he has been chosen for a covert assignment involving supposed double agent Layla Moore (Bridget Moynahan), another member of the class, whom he is told is trying to steal a CIA-engineered computer virus right out of HQ. But as Clayton gets closer to the woman in order to learn her secrets, will this all turn out to be yet another elaborate game -- or something much more sinister? The Recruit is a mild if entertaining entry in the paranoia sweepstakes, with the leads, including lovely Moynahan, giving good performances. Pacino seems practically like a supporting player in Farrell's movie until the picture's climax in which he has a chance to shine.

Verdict: A paycheck for Pacino. **1/2.

HE RAN ALL THE WAY: THE LIFE OF JOHN GARFIELD

HE RAN ALL THE WAY: THE LIFE OF JOHN GARFIELD. Robert Nott. Limelight; 2003.

This excellent biography of Julie [John] Garfield examines the actor's early life, his stage work, his important and less important film roles, and his early death, no doubt aggravated by the stress caused by his being considered a communist. The author argues convincingly that Garfield was the movie's first true anti-hero, and discusses how he got typecast early on but managed to deliver some fine performances in spite of it. The studios didn't always know how to make the most of Garfield's talent. Nott looks at Garfield's work in such films as The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Breaking Point, and Body and Soul, providing lots of behind-the scenes details and interviews. He also looks at Garfield's long marriage, his many extra-marital affairs, and his relationships with such as playwright Clifford Odets, who wrote Golden Boy for the actor [who, unfortunately, didn't get to play it on Broadway or in the movies]. Nott is clearly admiring of Garfield but is also scrupulously honest, admitting that his work in certain pictures, say the stinker Between Two Worlds, might have been a bit below-par. So is it true that John Garfield had an affair with actress Maria Ouspenskaya? Apparently not, or this book would undoubtedly have uncovered it. [Garfield did study with the gyspy woman from The Wolfman, however.]

Verdict: Excellent, scrupulously researched biography. ****. 

TEEN TITANS CARTOON

TEEN TITANS (2003 - 2006). Cartoon Network.

The Teen Titans comic book featured the junior partners of the members of the Justice League of America and debuted in the sixties. In the eighties the group was reinvented as the New Teen Titans, and really took off in popularity. This cartoon series, aimed at younger viewers, took the members of the New Teen Titans -- including newcomers Starfire, Raven and Cyborg -- and made them "cuter," especially shape-shifting Changeling, who was once again called Beast Boy as he had been originally and became the most popular character on the cartoon, beating out team leader Robin [of Batman and fame]. Oddly, the show utilized some of the villains and story arcs of the twenty-year-old -NTT comic book series, including Deathstroke, the Terminator and his pawn Tara, and --- most interestingly -- the well-voiced, disembodied Brain [pictured] and his Brotherhood of Evil, who first appeared in the classic Doom Patrol comic of the silver age [wherein Beast Boy was also introduced]. These episodes, which even brought back the members of the Doom Patrol, had a more serious tone than that of the rest of the series. Many of the scenes on the show were taken directly from the comic book. In general, however, the series had a veneer of silliness, anime-type faces. a hideous theme song, and relatively mediocre animation.NOTE: To learn more about the original Teen Titans and the Doom Patrol, see The Silver Age of Comics.

Verdict: In general: **. Doom Patrol episodes: ***.

X2

X2 (aka X-Men 2; X2: X-Men United/2003). Director: Bryan Singer.

This sequel to X-Men is another winner. Seems a bad guy named Willam Stryker (Brian Cox) had a mutant son named Jason, and his experiences with him so embittered him that he now wants to wipe out all mutants. To do this he intends to use Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and the professor's Cerebro machine (which detects mutants and connects Xavier to everyone's minds). Professor X is given God-like power in this, but his opposite number, Magneto (Ian McKellan) is along for the ride and then some. X2 has some terrific sequences: Magneto using the iron in a guard's bloodstream to make his escape from prison; Pyro's (Aaron Stanford) fiery assault; the X-Men's plane being pursued by missiles. Jean Gray (Famke Janssen), Roque (Anna Paquin), and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) all get plenty of screen time, as does Alan Cummings, who is as good as the others as Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner. The entire cast, including Shawn Ashmore as Iceman, play with conviction, and the direction, photography [Newton Thomas Sigel] and musical score [John Ottman] are of a high order.

Verdict: Exciting, amusing, and moving. ***1/2.

I LOVE YOUR WORK

I LOVE YOUR WORK (2003). Director/co-writer: Adam Goldberg.

Non-linear and confusing movie about a movie star, Gray Evans (Giovanni Ribisi), who has marital problems and who, like the movie, goes in and out of reality. Joshua Jackson is an envious fan wannabee filmmaker who works in a video rental store, and whose girlfriend Evans admires. Then there's another fan who seems to be stalking Evans. Who cares? There have certainly been interesting movies made about the alleged price of stardom and all that, but this isn't one of them. The acting is generally good -- Ribisi is a talented fellow -- but the virtually plot-less, underwritten movie with its paper-thin characters doesn't serve them well. Ribisi deserves a better script.

Verdict: Forget it! *1/2.

DOWN WITH LOVE

DOWN WITH LOVE (2003). Director: Peyton Reed.

Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor star in this imitation of old Doris Day/Rock Hudson “sex comedies” directed by Peyton Reed. Although the munchkin-like, quirky, acquired taste Zellweger has turned my stomach in other movies, in this she seems well-cast and is quite good as the author of a book which urges women to forget all about love and concentrate on careers and equality. She actually wrote the book for a quite different reason, however, in a twist that temporarily makes nonsense of her feminist viewpoint. McGregor is also quite good as a playboy/stud/magazine writer who refuses to take Zellweger and her book seriously until it becomes a big hit and all of his babes are too busy with job advancement to pay any attention to him. He pretends to be someone else to get close to her and expose her as a fake, but Zellweger has the last laugh. This is a good-natured, often amusing, never quite hilarious, very light comedy that slavishly imitates the tone and interiors of the Day-Hudson-Ross Hunter movies of the sixties (during which Down with Love wisely takes place).

Verdict: Not bad, but borrow the DVD from the library. **1/2.

LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS

LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2003). Director: Peter Jackson.

As with the first installment, the scenic design, special effects, and sweeping vistas are mighty impressive, but only die-hard Tolkien fans are going to be all that carried up in the story. That said, the actors do a fine job filling their fantasy roles with life, and there are other interesting creatures. Gollum, who mourns the loss of the ring and always speaks of it as his “precious,” is a fascinating computer creation (with the help of an actor's splendid emoting); the "ents" – trees that walk and talk – are similarly inspired; and the spectacular Sauron Dragon puts in an appearance late – very late – in the picture. The scenes leading up to the epic battle with the Orcs as the latter besiege humans who have taken shelter is suspenseful and ominous, although the battle scenes – and many others – are occasionally confusing. There's a marvelous flood that nearly carries away the talking tree-men, and the relationship between Frodo and his buddy Samwise is rather touching. But the story doesn't really have enough substance to sustain over three hours in running time, and no amount of spectacular scenery and effects can make up for an essential hollowness at its core.

Verdict: For Tolkien fans mostly. **1/2.

THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE (2003)

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (Cable; 2003). Director: Robert Allan Ackerman.

The cable remake of 2003, with a teleplay by Martin (Bent) Sherman, stars Helen Mirren and Olivier Martinez as Karen and Paolo, both of whom are superior to Leigh and Beatty in the 1961 version. Mirren is simply superb and Martinez, a fine actor, doesn't just play Paolo like Beatty does (however well); he is Paolo. Brian Dennehy is excellent as Karen's husband, as is Anne Bancroft as the Contessa, although she is nowhere near as good as Lotte Lenya in the original. The Meg character has been replaced with a male gay playwright who seems based on Tennessee Williams and is given some of Meg's lines with less caustic delivery. Roger Allan is very good in the part but the real Tennessee Williams wasn't as epicene as Allan plays him. This version is, of course, more sexed-up than the original, with the two leads sexily pounding away in a Cadillac out in the country at one point. There is also more of a political subtext to the movie, with Karen Stone representing the wealthy American invaders of Rome, American prosperity in general, during the difficult post-War period when so many Italians were living in poverty, which, of course, gives more impact to, and a strong basis for, Paolo's contempt for her. The handsome tramp or Angel of Death who follows Karen around (played by Rodrigo Santoro) is introduced snatching a discarded piece of pizza from the street and stuffing it hungrily into his mouth. [Unfortunately, this emphasis on his starvation and misery creates the impression that at the end of the movie he will be less interested in raping or killing Karen than he will be in raiding her refrigerator for a sandwich!] In this version, as in the original, the ending just doesn't convince. Mirren, like Leigh, seems much too strong and collected to throw her life away the way she throws her keys down to the man who's been stalking her. And neither film version today can quite escape the dated quality of the novel when it comes to older woman/younger man relationships. Still, both films are very good and worthwhile seeing. The cable remake has the slight edge due to the superior acting of the leads, as well as more scenes delineating Paolo's character, but the original does have the wonderful Lenya – an absolute force of nature! -- as well as an evocative Richard Addinsell score.

Verdict: See it! ***1/2.