Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with another batch from Toronto. This time we have our spy Batphantom on Shane Black's KISS KISS BANG BANG as well as Piper Perabo in IMAGINE ME AND YOU, Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding Jr. in the sexually charged SHADOWBOXER and Steve Martin, Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman in SHOPGIRL. Enjoy!
Ahoy Quint! Batphantom here again. Not to steal Anton Sirius' thunder, but the gods have seen fit to hook this brother up with a Press and Industry pass for this year's Toronto International Film Festival, so I'll be checking out a metric fuckton of films! Today was day one, with four solid flicks, and a hell of a lot more on the way. Here's some capsule reviews, let's see if I can make it through all ten days!
KISS KISS BANG BANG
Shane Black is BACK BABY! The man who created “Lethal Weapon” takes the helm of his first film, and it’s a doozy. Robert Downey Jr. is a petty thief who falls into an acting job, and is paired up with a real-life L.A. detective played by Val Kilmer to get pointers on the lifestyle. He ends up in the middle of an old-school gumshoe case of kidnapping and murder, accompanied by an old flame (Michelle Monaghan). Expect the word “clever” to be thrown around a great deal in the reviews, be they negative or positive, because the whole thing seems a little too proud of its cleverness, but the whole endeavor moves so fast that you’re willing to give Black a lot of leeway to entertain your sorry ass. Downey narrates the film, but since it’s emulating pulp novels, it works in its favor. Expect lots of in-jokes, most of which are pretty damn funny. Being a Shane Black film, there are several expertly crafted action sequences, all of which serve the plot. The audience was digging this film all the way through.
Downey does a great job of carrying the film, giving Harry Lockhart a rogue’s edge but still letting him be vulnerable. REALLY vulnerable. Kilmer has fun with the gay private eye, never crossing the line to “Will & Grace” territory. He’s a homo that will kick your ass while still appreciating its quality. Monaghan is just plain stunning. This will be a real star-making performance for her. If there’s any justice, this will be a big hit this fall.
IMAGINE ME AND YOU (working title)
This is a British RomCom directed by newcomer Ol Parker, starring Piper Perabo as a newlywed who falls in love with a woman she sees the first time as she’s walking down the aisle. I wasn’t expecting much, but Perabo’s presence got me in the room. It’s surprisingly well-executed, and is one of the better examples of its genre. It echoes “Notting Hill” and “Love Actually” thanks to its location and fine ensemble of actors. The best thing about it is that it never falls into the traps you expect. It all just feels, well, real. You can believe she’d fall in love with the beautiful, worldly Lena Headey, currently in Terry Gilliam’s “The Brothers Grimm”. Perabo’s husband, played by Matthew Goode, is fantastic as the best friend who becomes a husband, but was never truly the one. He’s not a villain, or a cad, just a nice guy who wants what’s best for the woman he loves, even if that means letting her go. The bittersweet tone hangs over the whole film but never overwhelms it, there’s lots of funny bits to keep things light. And Anthony Head gets to steal every scene he’s in as Perabo’s henpecked father. Perabo is fantastic, and she pulls off the British accent with aplomb.
SHOPGIRL
Steve Martin’s novella comes to the screen via director Anand Tucker, best known for “Hilary And Jackie”. Claire Danes plays the titular character, Jason “Rushmore” Schwartzman is her clumsy young suitor, and Steve Martin casts himself as the sugar daddy. I was expecting something truly special from this, especially since Martin owes us a winner after the crap he’s been pumping out, sadly, this won’t make up for it. The pacing of the film is pretty damned slow. It’s like a painting at times, but the whole thing just seems drawn out. Danes is great as the lead, where Schwartzman’s character is just too dumb to take seriously, but he still manages to make it entertaining. Martin’s character is the most complicated, but can still be boiled down to a well-meaning cad. Tucker gives the proceedings a great look, but the slow pace makes it hard to stay in the film. The story asks some interesting questions about the boundaries we place on our relationships, but the film is in need of some judicious editing. I have a feeling that it will get better with repeat viewings though, so I’ll hold off final judgment until later, but for now it’s a disappointment.
SHADOWBOXER
Helen Mirren. Cuba Gooding Jr. Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding, together. I’ve gotta say, it’s a hell of a coupling. Lee Daniels, who produced “Monster’s Ball” and “The Woodsman” takes the director’s chair here, and man, it’s messed up. Mirren and Gooding are a oedipal mother-and-stepson hit team who are hired by a super-psychotic Stephen Dorff to kill his wife, Vanessa “CSI:NY” Ferlito, who happens to be about to pop out a baby. Mirren takes pity on her and takes her and the newborn into the family and they all go on the run. Gooding is a true hard-ass in this one, almost never cracking a smile. Mirren is, well, amazing as always, and hyper-sexual. This woman is unstoppable, and sure, hooking up with Cuba sounds creepy on paper, but dammit, who could turn her down? Dorff plays a complete and utter psycho, and if you’ve ever wanted to see the man’s package, well, there it is. Ferlito does her usual solid job playing a strong but vulnerable woman, no great challenge for her.
Daniels has this film oozing sex. Sex seems to drive everything about it right from the beginning, so it’s not for the conservative set. At all. I believe it was shot in HD, and projected digitally, so it looked great, but the first copy had bad audio, luckily it was replaced with a fresh copy. It will be worth seeking out, but I seriously doubt you’ll be seeing it at your local Cineplex.
