The Hoax, The TV Set, Longford, Reign Over Me: Reviews

Hi everybody, sorry for not keeping up with posting! I've been busy with life recently but haven't stopped watching. In the interest of saving my and your time, I'm going to compile my recently viewed into a quick hit series of reviews. Enjoy!

The Hoax

Clifford Irving's life has been nothing short of amazing and it is with a sense of frustration that audiences are left with The Hoax as the cinematic representation of this existence. The Hoax isn't necessarily bad, just disappointing in its sometimes outrageous alteration of the facts of the case at hand. Despite two wonderful lead performances by Richard Gere (as Irving) and the vastly under appreciated Alfred Molina (as his assistant/steadfast friend) and capable direction from Lasse Hallstrom, the story's flaws end up diminishing what could have been an otherwise exemplary work. While still entertaining, the utter fabrications of some plot points are too difficult to completely shake for someone who has done even the slightest research into the subject at hand. One might be better viewing Orson Welles experimental film essay on forgery F for Fake, which is not only a much better summation of the spirit of Irving but also a mesmerizing, messy yet brilliantly innovative documentary from one of cinema's true masters. It requires a great deal more of the audience but also is infinitely more rewarding.

***

The TV Set


One of 2007's quiet surprises, The TV Set is Jake Kasdan's (Lawrence's son and director of Orange County and the upcoming Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) assault on the television industry's pilot season. Anchored by a wonderful performance from David Duchovny, who has been experiencing a much needed career revival, the film starts brilliantly, slicing through the inner workings of Hollywood. However, as the film rolls on, it becomes less and less interesting, bringing in too many side plots and losing focus. The final scenes are particularly lackluster, an unfortunate end to a promising film. However, Duchovny is a must watch here (as he is in Showtime's Californication) adding an extra kick to a film that runs out of laughs surprisingly quickly given its minimal 88 minute runtime. Still, there is enough here to interest people involved in/fascinated by the Hollywood machine but those who only care about what shows up on the silver screen's smaller cousin, not what happens behind it, will most likely find little to grip onto.

***

Longford

HBO's drama is a stark yet slow examination of Lord Longford, a British politician who fought for prisoner rights, most famously for Myra Hindley, one half of the duo who committed the atrocities that became known as the Moor Murders (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors_Murderers). Jim Broadbent masterfully inhabits the lead role, nailing both the physical and emotional tribulations that his character is put through. Equally as impressive is Samantha Morton, who plays Hindley, and in doing so, creates a manipulative character that is equally likable and frightening. While the film poses a series of interesting moral questions and dilemmas, it never quite reaches the emotional heights that seem possible given the involving source materials. Peter Morgan's screenplay is sharp witted and intelligent, equaling his great work from 2006 (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen) and signaling that it wasn't just a great year for the scribe who may be coming into his best years. A intelligent, though not particularly involving, look at an otherwise fascinating subject.

***

Reign Over Me

Mike Binder's ode to those suffering from the loss of loved ones on 9/11 is a sometimes moving, too often not, look at one man's inability to cope with the death of his wife and three daughters. The sole bright spot here is the work of the ever-memorable Don Cheadle, the rest of the film is overly heavy handed and wandering to really work. Adam Sandler, who plays the aforementioned widower, begins the film as a shut in, unable or unwilling to cope with the struggles of everyday life after the death of his family. Sandler is adequate but too often toes the line between a heartfelt performance and overacting, creating a frustrating performance that really hampers the film. Binder's nods to the events of the day are overt despite rarely even mentioning the day by name. Rather, he recognizes that is so deeply engrained in the American psyche that one needs to know the name to know the event. That being said, this strikes me as the worst of the high profile 9/11 films and if it wasn't for Cheadle's moving work, this film would be dead in the water, sunk by a wandering narrative and a general inability to create believable and moving characters.

**