I saw three new movies on Monday. Each one could have been the best film of the day. I can't choose among them, so alphabetically: Werner Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," Atom Egoyan's "Chloe" and Rodrigo Garcia's "Mother and Child." A story involving a cop uncontrollably strung out on drugs. A story involving a wife who meets a hooker. A story about three woman whose lives are shaped by the realities of adoption. Three considerable filmmakers. Three different tones. Three stories that improvise on genres instead of following them. Three titles that made me wonder, why can't every day be like this?
Nicolas Cage and Werner Herzog were surely destined to work together. Radical talents are drawn to one another. Cage tends to exceed the limitations of a role, Herzog tends to exceed the limitations of film itself. Knowing nothing about conditions during the shoot, my guess is they found artistic harmony. If not, they ended up hardly on speaking terms. Either way would have worked.
"Bad Lieutenant" has essentially nothing in common with Abel Ferrara's great 1992 film except for a title. Comparisons are pointless. The performances of Harvey Keitel and Nicolas Cage are both so extreme they're originals. Cage plays a New Orleans cop who at the outset of the film toys with the fears of a convict locked in a cell who believe he will drown beneath the rising flood waters of Hurricane Katrina. He toys, the bastard, but he doesn't let him drown, and ends by injuring his own back.
Eve Mendes and Nicolas Cage in "Bad Lieutenant"
His doctor puts him on Vicodin for pain that may last for the rest of his life. The problem is, if you are on Vicodin for the rest of your life, you are going to need more and more Vicodin and the rest of your life may turn out to take less time than you expect. Cage moves into a mode where he consumes any drugs he can get his hands on--painkillers, cocaine, heroin, you name it. These he obtains any way he can, including theft, confiscation, and raiding the police evidence room. He becomes more and more reckless and desperate. All this connects with a gruesome homicide he's investigating, and some very dangerous people.Another director would have approached this as a genre picture. Herzog envelops the genre and transcends it. His fascination involves the far shores of the human personality. Nicolas Cage is as good as anyone since Klaus Kinski at portraying a man whose head is exploding. It's a hypnotic performance, underlined by the gritty cinematography of frequent Herzog collaborator Peter Zeitlinger.
In a film with many extraordinary shots, there is one that will inspire much discussion. The bad lieutenant is in a room with two iguanas on a table--never mind why. Another director might have used them as a colorful background detail. Herzog finds them irresistable. He frames them in the foreground for what seems an inordinate amount of time, with Cage in the background, sometimes looking at them ominously out of the corner of his eye. We realize, My god! The iguana, to the extent that any iguana can, has Nicolas Cage's eyes!
Atom Egoyan's "Chloe," one of his best and certainly most commercial films, begins as a hypnotic story of suspicion and jealousy, and continues through passion and eroticism to an unexpected but logical conclusion. It becomes a battle of wills between the middle-aged wife (Julianne Moore) of a famous professor, and a 20-year-old prostitute (Amanda Seyfried). The professor (Liam Neeson) has a habit of flirting with women that his wife finds troubling, and when he says he missed a flight home on his birthday she doesn't believe him.
Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried in "VChloe"
She has reason to know that a young blonde women (Seyfried) is a prostitute, and knows how to locate her. She thinks she's her husband's type. She pays her to "meet" her husband and report on how he behaves toward her. I've seen a similar device in other movies, but Egoyan treats it in an entirely different way. The two women find themselves drawn into a web of secrets and confidences, and Egoyan, as so frequently, is a master of sexual obsession and the ways of seduction.We expect Moore to be a consummate and fearless actress, and so she is. The surprise is Amanda Seyfried. This is not the kind of role she's been playing: Bold, sensuous, intelligent. In this same Toronto festival, in "Jennifer's Body," she plays the victim and foe of a teenage demon (Megan Fox). She does a good job, but with "Chloe" you fully realize that here is an actress worthy of serious consideration.
I don't want to diminish your pleasure in watching this film, so I think I should immediately end any plot description. That means I can't fairly discuss the aspect of the film that interests me the most. I'll have to wait and see how other critics approach it, and then, if I must be a spoiler, I won't be the first one. "Chloe" has many elements in parallel with a famous film classic, but if I even mentioned its title, that would be going too far. Let me just close my saying that few directors bring more focus and intensity to eroticism than Egoyan.
Rodrigo Garcia's "Mother and Child" involves the stories of three women, and centers around pregnancy. Viewed simply as a plot, this could have been the material of sop opera. Garcia however creates characters so particular and quirky that we're really more interested in them than in what happens to them.
Samuel L. Jackson and Naomi Watts in "Mother and Child"
Two of them, played by Annette Bening and Naomi Watts, deliberately choose to be all but unknowable. Bening actually gets some half-incredulous laughs by how rude and peremptory her character is. She's one of those people there's no talking to, because she knows what you should have said and you didn't. Jimmy Smits plays a co-worker who is nice to her, simply nice, and you'd think he'd started World War Three. God help him if he brings her tomatoes from his garden. This isn't precisely a comedy, but Bening's comic timing is precise--not that her character thinks she's being funny.
Watts plays a talented, self-confident lawyer in her 30s who has no one--literally no one--in her life. She doesn't want anybody, either. She's hired by a high-powered LA law firm, and seduces her boss (Samuel L. Jackson), but this means nothing to her. He's a good man and doesn't comprehend her. She gets pregnant, not necessarily by him, and this is a surprise because she thought she couldn't have children.
Kerry Washington, the third woman, applies to an adoption agency with her husband. They are mercilessly interviewed by the future mother of the baby they intend to adopt (Shareeka Epps as a small but formidably self-confident college senior). The Bening character has a hopeless relationship with her mother and the Watts character never knew her mother, but Washington's character has a mother played by S. Epatha Merkerson who knows all about being a mother and having babies and has a scene with her daughter that had the audience roaring and applauding. The scene ends on a close-up of Washington that makes her look like a 12-year-old who deserved a scolding.
All three of these films achieved the one thing that's valuable above all else: They required close attention, and deserved it. They were marriages of direction, writing and acting, all in harmony, all on the same page, all leading to a suspicion that's been building all during this festival, that 2009 may turn out to be a pretty good year at the movies after all.
¶
A scene from "Chloe"
¶
Rodrigo Garcia talks about "Mother and Child"
¶
Trailer for "Bad Lieutenant"
¶
A taste of Atom Egoyan's "Exotica" -- reviewed here in my Great Movies Collection.
¶
What a day you must have had, jam packed full of movie goodness. A few years ago I watched "Notorious" (Bergman, not Biggie) and "Belle de Jour" back to back and both for the first time, and I remember feeling totally overwhelmed by all that cinematic perfection. Its not often you discover two of your favorite movies in the same day.
Thanks for the reviews, Roger.
-Jaime
So happy to see you enjoyed Bad Lieutenant. I was convinced however that filmed turned out it would at least be interesting. Has the other Herzog film screened yet?
Also good to read about Chloe and Mother and Child. Both directors have made wonderful films but seemed to have been going off in odd, less interesting territories of late, glad to see they're both back to form.
There's a Chloe clip online and a few clips of Mother and Child in this feature.
Chloe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjm11DMwKvE&feature=player_embedded
Mother and Child
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A8of0n34RA&feature=player_embedded
Ebert: I've added the links from you and Marie.
I agree about 2009. From all that I have seen, it's not 1999, or 1975, or 1973, or even 2007. But it's pretty great so far (and I have yet to see all but one of the films that you have written about from Toronto).
My local library has Atom Egoyan's "Exotica" on DVD - I think I'll watch it again (I'm a fan of Elias Koteas, if nothing else; smile.)
You're wrong about "Chloe" though - there is a clip out now. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjm11DMwKvE
NOTE: Amanda Seyfried is arguably best known for appearing in UPN's "Veronica Mars" as the title character's murdered best friend, Lilly Kane. I loved that series. Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's creator) called Veronica Mars "the best show EVER".
I mention it because I'm not surprised to hear you observe "but with "Chloe" you fully realize that here is an actress worthy of serious consideration."
Seyfried has been cutting her teeth for a while now, on some good pieces. She also appears in "Big Love" a drama on HBO about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah who practices polygamy; Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern, Bill Paxton and others, make up the cast - she's in good company on that series. The thing I like about her, is that "the light is on upstairs". She's not just window dressing; the woman can act.
I also know why you won't discuss the plot for "Chloe". :)
Don't worry, mum's the world. I shall reveal nothing! And simply say that I like Egoyan's work, and look forward to seeing his new film. Meanwhile, you've got me utterly curious now about remake of The Bad Lieutenant...
"The bad lieutenant is in a room with two iguanas on a table..."
Okay, I'm in. You got me. I'll watch it; chuckle!
But until I see the film, now those stupid iguanas are gonna be driving me nuts.
Wasn't there an Iguana scene in Bringing Out the Dead when Cage's character is rescuing Mary from the drug den she is in..?
Ebert: Maybe Cage carries them around the way Brando carried peanuts.
Hmmm...I really want to know what you thought of Chloe now. Guess I'll wait for the review. Saw a test screening of it a few months ago that actually really irked me. I wrote long comments on the comment card afterwards. Would be interesting to see how the final cut pans out.
Seeing the other two this week, yay!
Marie - Amanda Seyfried was also in Mamma Mia. I like that flick, but then again I love Abba, and think Meryl Streep is delightful in it. I have now lost what little credibility I have...
Roger,
I have been looking forward to "Bad Lieutenant" for quite a while. A departure from his metaphysical documentaries as of late, but looks really good. I now also look forward to Chloe and Mother and Child.
Herzog said on Charlie Rose recently that he feels he and Cage were meant to work together (or something to that effect). He believes Cage needs to be pushed and that he, Herzog, is the director to do it. Based on his background with Kinski and others we know he`s not shooting blanks. However, I remain skeptical because Herzog seems to be taking BL in the same direction as Keitel`s. This is not a review so your intent was not to explain why comparisons are pointless. However, would one remake Raging Bull, There Will be Blood, Night of the Hunter and not invite comparisons? Or at least expect comparisons? My head cannot be empty going into the theatre, nor erase the original from memory, so it would be interesting to hear how you were not tempted to compare. On the other hand, my respect for Herzog is such that I am willing to believe you. Quandary. Maybe I`ll just watch the damn thing.
Your enthusiasm, Roger, is - as always - infectious. Can't wait to see all three!
As an adoptive father - twice, I especially want to see "Mother and Child", "A story about three woman whose lives are shaped by the realities of adoption."
Wonder how long it will take before a Downstater gets to see them...
Randy
Ebert: It has big enough stars it should get a wide release.
I saw "Bad Lieutenant" in Telluride, as well as Nicolas Cage in an interview there. He's still on good terms with Werner Herzog, but you should have him tell you the story behind the iguanas that he told us in Telluride. It's quite funny.
Ebert: The least you can do is summarize it for us.
Roger, did you ever see Vampire's Kiss? I couldn't find a review of it on your site but figured maybe you'd caught up with it at some point. I ask because the previews I've seen for Bad Lieutenant gave off a very Vampire's-Kiss-like vibe in places.
Nicolas Cage's acting in that film is the most ludicrous I-can't-believe-I'm-seeing-this lead performance I've ever seen. (Crispin Glover would blush.) His bizarre acting choices dominate the film to such an extent that they become the film; you keep watching just to see what he'll do next. I can't really say it's a conventially "effective" film, but it certainly makes for riveting entertainment, and I can't say I've seen anything else quite like it.
(I also highly recommend Cage's commentary track on the DVD; he seems to have a lot of fond memories of the film, and his dissection of his own performance is almost as fun as the performance itself.)
Also I'm surprised you haven't mentioned Werner Herzog's instant-classic remark from the Bad Lieutenant press kit:
"I call upon the theoreticians of cinema to go after this one. Go for it, losers."
Bad Lieutenant is now my most anticipated film of the year. I already wanted to see it because I love Cage and Herzog, and that bizarre trailer worked for me, but now that it's getting good reviews, I can't wait.
Good to see Rodrigo Garcia again as well. Nine Lives was a favorite of mine from 2005 (thanks for that recommendation, Roger!)
Roger -- have you seen My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? and do you think Herzog's decision to bring them both to TIFF is any kind of suggestion that he views them as companions or even to be seen together?
Ebert: I tried and failed. Set out 35 minutes early in a taxi. It was the driver's second day on the job. He got real lost. We asked directions. Six Torontonians had no idea where the AMC theater was. Then two kids with festival passes said they knew, I offered them a ride there, and we ended up at the wrong theater. By now I was so late I decided not to go, because I had already missed the first 15 minutes and still wasn't there.
I know it's not a remake, but could Werner Herzog's new 'Bad Lieutenant' look any more different than Abel Ferrara's edition from 1992?
The earlier film had Harvey Keitel's brutal, raw portrayal of a reprehensible drug-addict sinking further into despair and self-loathing, grasping in vain for some kind of last minute redemption as the world prepares to collapse on him. It's a great movie, but it isn't a lot of fun.
With a typically quirky Nicholas Cage in the lead role and some ironic moments in the trailer, this new one looks more like a black comedy...
"Ebert: I tried and failed. Set out 35 minutes early in a taxi. It was the driver's second day on the job. He got real lost. We asked directions. Six Torontonians had no idea where the AMC theater was. Then two kids with festival passes said they knew, I offered them a ride there, and we ended up at the wrong theater. By now I was so late I decided not to go, because I had already missed the first 15 minutes and still wasn't there."
What a shame! For future reference, the AMC theatre is across from Dundas Square, in the big, ugly video-walled building on the northeast corner of Yonge and Dundas. It's fairly new (only the second year it's been used for TIFF) but I'm disappointed all those locals weren't able to help you find it.
Ebert: In my mind I was thinking of the Scotiabank cinemas. A woman told us AMC was "across from the Art Gallery of Ontario, which neither is.
In Bad Lieutenant, I have read Val Kilmer (My favorite actor) is pretty much wasted as a character. Anything memorable about his performance? I'm really excited to see Val on the big screen again.
Ebert: Not a flashy role.
Six Torontonians had no idea where the AMC theater was. Then two kids with festival passes said they knew, I offered them a ride there, and we ended up at the wrong theater.
Bummer. It's actually on a block adjacent to the block Ryerson Theatre is on. Not actually sure what/if the mini-mall that houses the AMC there is named anything though.
I personally just came back from "The Bad Lieutenant" myself and am looking forward to "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" on Saturday. Should be good to continue on some of the absurdist humor from Port of Call what with Lynch a producer and Grace Zabriskie in the cast.
Oh and the 3rd time I'll be seeing Dafoe during TIFF this year alone.
... all leading to a suspicion that's been building all during this festival, that 2009 may turn out to be a pretty good year at the movies after all.
Last year at TIFF it was clear to me which the best films were that I had seen (Wrestler and Hurt Locker). This year, I just don't know. I picked lazily and in haste but 11 of 18 down and the overall quality has been much higher, perhaps moreso than any of the previous 9 years I've attended. I also know of the 7 remaining there should be little doubt to keep the streak alive.
I look forward to seeing if we saw eye to eye on Glorious 39.
Hi Roger,
I'm glad you enjoyed Bad Lieutenant, as that was one film in particular I had been quite excited for.
Did you manage to see Nicolas Refn's Valhalla Rising? I caught that at Ryerson with a couple of my roommates from here at U of T, and was wondering what your thoughts were.
Ok, I'll summarize the story of the iguanas, as best I recall it. He tells it better though. Evidently Herzog was in despair about the iguanas, because he was convinced the studio would force him to minimize their screen time, if not eliminate them all together. He kept telling Cage, "I need more iguana time!" Later, after thinking about it, Cage called him and said "Werner, if you need more iguana time, you can have more iguana time. Feel free to cut out some of my scenes if necessary for the iguanas." Now say that in Cage's voice, and it becomes much funnier.
I was very disappointed with Chloe. I've had waning interest in Egoyan's movies for some time and this was another letdown. I think the screenplay was a major problem and it's too bad that as great as the cast is, they weren't able to elevate what's essentially B-movie material. While I understand that the title character is supposed to be somewhat of a cipher, the movie offers no insight as to what her motivations are. There's simply no explanation for Chloe to behave in the way that she does, and it's bit of a cruel cheat for what the screenplay does to her character in the last third of the movie.
There's also no excuse for the way that Moore's character conducts her business with Chloe with such disregard for her (Moore's) private life. Who hires a hooker and asks her to show up at your place of work? And then tell the hooker where you live?
The movie touches on issues of infidelity, but then skips over them entirely. In the end, it's assumed that most of those issues are to some degree resolved by the husband and wife, but how?
On another note, I was at last night's screening of Vengeance, which was a lot of fun. So great to see Johnny Hallyday get up on stage with Johnnie To and talk about what a privilege it was for him to be in the movie.
Agoyan's 'The Sweet Thereafter' is one of of my favourites. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a ticket for 'Chloe', but look forward to its general release in theatres.
I haven't seen any of Rodrigo Garcia's previous films, but after attending the gala for 'Mother and Child' at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall last Monday, that will definitely change. Mr. Garcia is an amazing storyteller. His style is different from that of another master of multiple storylines (and the executive producer of 'Mother and Child'), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Amores perros), but it is no less effective. Annette Bening gives an Oscar-worthy performance here. When it does come out, I will add the DVD/Blu-ray of this film to my collection; however, as I saw last Monday, this is one film that demands to be seen and shared (and enjoyed) with a small section of humanity in a darkened movie theatre.
I was amused to see Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine as son and father in "The Weather Man". Both are wonderful actors, but they have good movies always followed by bad ones in their careers. Caine is constantly amusing, but, in contrast, Cage is routinely extreme. I have seen David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" last year. I still do not like it(the movie still reminds me of very old video tape with which I watch it for the first time), but was a little amused by out-of-control performances by actors, including Cage's, the most ferocious. When he is in right ones, he gives marvelous performance like "Adaptation". Will "Bad Lieutenant" be another example? I'll find about that.
P.S.
In your great movie review for "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring"(I finally saw it with "3-Iron" yesterday), there are some minor mistakes. Kim Jong Ho plays Child Monk, and Seo Jae Kyung plays Boy Monk. Kim Ki Duk plays Adult Monk, not another monk, but, if you intended to hide the plot, I understand that. I thank you again for your generosity before.
Geez Roger, a bit ungrateful aren't we? Herzog dedicates a great film to you and two films later you don't even bother to show up to his screening. :)
Hi Roger,
Are you aware that this post never made it onto rogerebert.com?
Ebert: I'm appealing to the web gods.
Now this, after reading your #8 blog, is more like it.
And I'm thrilled to hear the praise of (the atrociously titled) "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" which I see tomorrow and hope I enjoy as much as yourself. Not that I had any doubts about a movie in the hands of Herzog and Cage.
Now, I'm going to have to see "Bad Lieutenant" for the iguanas. Like Herzog, I find them irresistable. Even though they don't talk, iguanas communicate very well with their expressive, human-like eyes and their body language, making them cinematic.
Ebert: Right, those human eyes.
The list of my anticipated films just keeps piling up. All of these were on my radar screen, except Chloe. It's good to see a film like that, with a good cast, to not sacrifice originality and storytelling, so I look forward to seeing it.
Also good to see Nicolas Cage back on the map. Wasn't a big fan of Knowing (although I know you loved it), but this seems like a role that he is very well suited for.
As for Annette Bening, it's good to see her in a solid film and I think anything other than a loss to Hilary Swank will maker her happy.
After the greatly underrated Evergreen Terrace, I'm all for a more serious-minded movie starring Samuel L. Jackson. And Kerry Washington! You have no idea how happy I was when my blog got one person to look past the terrible trailer and rent that movie.
So glad to hear that Amanda Seyfried is getting good roles. You may be surprised by her but I am not. From the minute I first saw her on Veronica Mars I knew she had something.
I saw "Jennifer's Body" on the way home from work tonight. A late afternoon matinee.
It was better than I expect from a horror film.
Probably because of Diablo Cody's input as the writer. Yes, you can still hear her talk through Jennifer's dialogue - "Come on, Needy. MoveOn.org already!" (If you've read Cody's blog for a long time, and I have, you can hear her talk in characters.) But, it was not as jarring as in Juno. So, she's probably working that out over time.
Amanda Seyfried was captivating. Sure, Megan Fox is eye candy and had some moments. But Needy is the meaty role, and Amanda was spot on.
Here's a problem for the producer on opening day: there was exactly one other person watching with me in the big theater in the cineplex. Ouch.
Randy
Ebert: Amazing. Let's see what heppens over the weekend.
From your review of Jennifer's Body:
There is within Diablo Cody the soul of an artist
I totally agree. A word artist. One of a kind.
I don't know if you read her book "Candy Girl". A wicked good read!
Ebert: Amazing. Let's see what heppens over the weekend.
RT has it at $6.8M for the weekend. $2.5k per theater.
Translate that for me. What do you think about how it did?
Randy
Ebert: Not so hot.
Interestingly, "Bad Lieutenant" was recommended to me by a younger haywire friend who appreciated his depravity and the resulting "liberties" he took to quench his appetites. I was skeptical, being a movie buff (ie, my all time fav's include 2001 and 7 samurai), but was astonished by a riveting performance, and a film that, I have to agree with another review I caught, that it was one of the most "religious" films of its decade. A sincere soul caught in a desperate situation sank to interminable depths sank only deeper because they thought there was no way out - or redemption - available to them, especially to a man of faith ("faith" does not mean faithfulness, ie, to quote the book of James, "even the demons believe and shudder"). What a powerful film for that reason. By looking at the trailers, I suspect Herzog's film fails to plumb that deep subject matter, I hope I am mistaken. I doubt many will read this due to the late posting, but hope someone cares to commment.
The term “Limited Release” usually sets me to thinking, I guess I’ll queue the dvd. However, in the case of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, waiting is not an option and my thoughts are, instead, I must get a bus ticket to New York. And I am taking Kinski’s All I Need Is Love along to keep me company during the trip.
I am really looking forward to this movie. The things Herzog thinks are intriguing are so very interesting. His choices fascinate me utterly. I bumped into an interview you had with him where he discussed some of his images. He called them “big”, I believe: things like crabs crossing a railroad track and a chicken dancing. There are iguanas in Bad Lieutenant. Iguanas, Roger.
Cinema latched on to me when I was quite young and I have been around for a long time. I recall how it felt to be in my early twenties when there was so much wonderful work to be seen. Fantastic new experiences were around every corner and I fell in love with a different director every week. It’s not to say that I still don’t discover and that the thrill of being enthralled doesn’t still touch me. But I don’t take these moments for granted as I once had. I can’t for the life of me figure out how Werner Herzog managed to elude me until very recently, but he did. Imagine my happy surprise...
Wild horses won’t keep me from Bad Lieutenant (although they probably would get me there faster).
Ebert: The iguanas are Very Big.