TV review - "Spacey Unmasked" (2024) ***1/2

 Two part doco about the allegations against Spacey. So consistent and repetitive that it's even more remarkable the charges haven't stuck - actually, no, that's not remarkable, really. Plenty of strong ex military guys wanting to be actors struggling to explain why they felt so helpless but they are not the only type. Confronting. To flesh it out there's accounts from Spacey's brother about their upbringing - it's not a portrait devoid of sympathy. I wonder if it wouldn't have been more successful as a contained piece rather than a two parter. Still, well done.

Movie review - "Baby Driver" (2017) ***1/2 (warning: spoilers)

Joyous, sharp, and full of life. It's well cast, and Ansel Elgort anchors things well, which is important. The character does a lot of dodgy stuff but you can't help feel sympathy for him with his ear condition and dead mother. He and Lily James are sweet.

I felt structurally maybe the film shouldn't have had Elgort get off the hook with Spacey, hang around with James for ten minutes, then get put back on the hook - it was a release of tension. Also Jon Hamm continually coming back to life at the end like a super villain got a bit wearisome.

But I liked what Kevin Spacey's character did at the end, and I liked how he went to prison. Walter Hill provides a voice cameo at the end, in the trial!

TV review - "House of Cards" - Season 1 (2013) ****

I always loved the British book - less so the mini series, which seemed to simplify it, but it had that superb lead performance. This Americanisation has Kevin Spacey in terrific form as Frank Underwood, scheming his way to the top, talking to the audience Richard III style -  a device which I don't always like but which works excellently here.

There's some brilliant moody photography, nil sexual chemistry between Spacey and Kate Mara (who's really good), a gallery of excellent actors I wasn't particularly familiar with which added to its freshness (for instance that bald guy). Robin Wright is also a stand out. The ending is a bit flat - it gives up its awesomeness to ep one in season 2.

Movie review - "Margin Call" (2011) ****

Excellent look at big business which is all the more effective for not being a lazy "all capitalism is bad" diatribe. Jeremy Irons is ruthless to be sure but he's not wrong - the only way to make a lot of money is to be first, the smartest, or cheat. That's a very effective summary of capitalism. But he also points out that busts and booms always happen (something always forgotten when people talk about the economy).

The line up of actors is very impressive, and everyone gets a chance to shine. I could have done without the Chekov symbolism of burying the dog at the end.

Movie review – “Horrible Bosses” (2011) **1/2

The idea has been done before, not so much in Strangers on a Train and Throw Momma from a Train, but Nine to Five – only here they don’t want to kill their boss they just kidnap him. The set up to killing is poorly handled – you simply don’t but their situation was bad enough to take such a drastic step, especially for something like sexual harassment. And it’s a bit convenient no one thinks to wear a wire in the first half of the film (i.e. to entrap their bosses) but they do in the second. So the first half was slow. 

 

But once the plan starts up and goes haywire, things improve and the ending is quite satisfactory.

 

Some hilarious stuff, like Jennifer Aniston groping her male assistant. And it's got a cast to die for - how many comedy films can boast a support cast like Colin Farrell, Jaimee Fox, Kevin Spacey, Aniston, Julie Bowen, Ioan Gryffud and Donald Sutherland?

Book review – “Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin” by David Evanier

Bobby Darin seems to be having a late-posthumous career renaissance, with his songs popping up in various movies and Kevin Spacey’s 2004 biopic Under the Sea. As Evanier points out, his image today is less strong than Dino or Sinatra because Darin kept changing his image – he was a rock and roll star, then a Vegas swinger, then a movie star, a music publisher, a folk singer, a film director (!), a TV variety show host.

He was a man full of contradictions – a contemporary of Fabian’s who was more at home doing standards; a genuine Civil Rights supporter (he took part in the March on Washington) who treated his own family horribly; a supposed great business brain who lost most of his money in bad investments and divorce; someone who liked to go their own way and made a big deal of being independent but ended up crawling back to his Vegas fans; who married a woman who adored him (the one after Sandra Dee) – but then divorced her a couple of months later.

To be frank, Darin comes across in this book as a bit of a wanker – up himself, showered with devotion from a family who he treated like dirt (okay, later on he discovered his sister was his mother but that just gave him an excuse for more bad behaviour). There are too many quotes from people that go on about how tough Darin was, or they were, or which compare him to other singers from the time (eg Sinatra, Johnny Mercer).

Evanier is however very good on Darin’s music – not just the famous stuff, but he’s also slogged his way through the protest music phase. There’s also lots of interesting tidbits – Darin was so involved during his act that he would ejaculate (his assistant had to lay out condoms for him before a night); Darin took part in orgies and wife-swapping; he directed, wrote, starred in and financed a film towards the end of this life which was never distributed. I would have liked a bit more about the films (there’s hardly anything on The Happy Ending, for instance) but I admit my interest lies more in that direction.

Movie review – “21” (2008) ***

Entertaining account of a famous sting (if that’s the right word) by MIT students of casinos at Vegas. In real life the students were all Asian – here there’s only one (plus one mixed), but that’s Hollywood for you. Jim Sturgess is an engaging lead, believable as both a nerd and someone who could still pull Kate Bosworth (who delivers in another disappointing performance). The tunes are groovy, the depictions of card games interestingly done, the concept a fresh one. But once you start to nitpick, you can’t stop: not enough hedonism, what happens to the guy that Burgess kicks out of the group, couldn’t Spacey have been more evil, wouldn’t Burgess have hid his money somewhere better, why is Sturgess so bad for dumping his loser mates when they are so clearly losers, how come Kate Bosworth gets getting cast in stuff when she’s so bland, etc.

Movie review – “LA Confidential” (1997) ****1/2

Stunningly good adaptation of a very complex novel, which hits home runs across the board: from its production design (striking yet it feels real – often tricky with costume films), atmosphere, marvelous script, exciting action and top notch cast. Russell Crowe had “future star” stamped on his forehead since Romper Stomper but casting Guy Pearce was genius – he’s perfect as the smarmy goody two shoes cop. Aussies will feel patriotic when it’s left to these two to save the day. 

Kevin Spacey is also good as a glitzy cop who discovers his humanity; ditto James Cromwell. Actually everyone in this film is on target. You need to read the original novel to appreciate what a tremendous job the writers did – some brilliant screenwriting here, notably the use of “Rolo Timisi” (or whoever he is) three times, all in three different ways. 

William Goldman thought the ending was a bit Pollyanna, but honestly after all the characters have been through I didn’t mind. Did agree with him that the stuff about heroin was a bit confusing.

Matt McCoy is in this.

Movie review - "Superman Returns" (2006) ***

Most of the publicity on this film was negative - budget overruns, shooting overruns - but in the end it was pretty good. The story is strong, the special effects amazing. That it doesn't quite work simply comes down to good old fashioned misacting.
When the film started I thought it was going to be fantastic - using John Williams' wonderful score, Marlon Brando's voice (the film is a sequel to the Christopher Reeve movies). Then it got going and I thought "uh oh". Not the fact that it starts a bit gay - the first ten minutes have a nude Superman, Kevin Spacey as a gigolo, Spacey and Parker Posey and corgis - that disappears.

The main problem lies in the leads. Brandon Routh tries, at least has the physique - but tries to evoke Christopher Reeve and it only makes you recall how much better Reeve was. The killer is Kate Bosworth - Lois Lane is a terrific role, torn between two men, a brave gutsy woman - but she has a blank expression, the lights are on but no one's home.

Then as the film goes along it starts to improve. Kevin Spacey stops phoning in his performance and starts to cut loose a little, the kid playing Lois Lane's film is pretty good, the sfx of the raised island are incredible (this segment is really well done - but who is going to pay to live on rock? And also they never satisfactorily explain why New York isn't destroyed), and most of all the story has genuine emotional pull because of the love triangle thing.

With decent actors in the lead roles this could have been excellent; thinking over it a bit more it's not really Routh's fault, Bryan Singer had a limited pool of actors to pick from because of the Superman curse, but he needed a strong Lois Lane.

Some moments are magical - Superman taking Lois for a ride, Superman's moments of solitude, the crash of the plane. Lex Luthor needed some better henchmen (they have no personality, he needs a Ned Beatty - Ian Roberts has a decent role, no lines but he's always holding a video camera, something which you keep expecting to pay off but it never does). Richard Branson is in the cast. And two actors from the Old Fitzroy Theatre in Sydney - David Webb and Ansuya Nathan.