[NoHo Arts District, CA] – In this week’s movie and TV review blog, Mike Peros reviews Coyote vs. Acme, Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause, Boorman and the Devil and The Whisper Man.
Coyote vs. Acme
I’m a huge Warner Brothers Looney Tunes fan, and upon seeing Coyote vs. Acme, I can tell you, it’s been a while since I laughed so hard at a movie in a movie theater. It’s a terrific premise: Wile E. Coyote (silent except for his ingenious use of signs) is a bit fed up with his Acme products consistently failing him during his pursuits of the elusive Road Runner. He decides to engage the legal services of Avery, Jones and Maltese (no explanation necessary…I hope). In this world where cartoon characters and humans interact, the firm is led by the all-too-human and fallible Kevin Avery (Will Forte), who is content to opt for the quick settlement, while his intern Paige (Lana Condor) would like to take on the powerful corporation (led by CEO Foghorn Leghorn, aided by John Cena’s lean and mean legal counsel) and help those who have been hurt through Acme’s greed.
As directed by Dave Green and written by Sammy Burch, with a big assist from Eric Bauza’s capturing the vocal essence of any number of Looney creations, as well as a persuasive central turn from Will Forte, Coyote vs. Acme is entertaining from beginning to end; it has its share of belly laughs, starting with its opening Road Runner v. Wile E. Coyote sequence. But it also addresses some fairly big questions, such as scientific research and how far should we go with experimentation to benefit the greater good. And it always does so while never losing its focus on both the comedy, and what makes the central characters tick. The movie succeeds in making you not only laugh with the Coyote, but making you care about the outcome of his trial—and his relationship with the Road Runner. It’s all beautifully done, with humor and heart at the center. See it with an audience if you can. Highly recommended.
Also of note for various reasons:
Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause
Currently on TCM (both on the TCM app, and On Demand), Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause is an excellent documentary on one of the all-time best comic actors. There are bountiful clips from his essential films, including The Heartbreak Kid, Heaven Can Wait, and Midnight Run. And there are many of his talented colleagues (including Elaine May, Robert de Niro, Martin Short, director Martin Brest) who discuss not only his acting ability but his expertise in improvisation and bringing more to the scene than was already there. The film also spotlights his activism, as it pertains to his talk show, and especially in the arena of aiding unjustly incarcerated individuals, and helping to overturn the Rockefeller Drug Laws (which seem unusually harsh in retrospect)—and the toll it took on his health. It is a terrific film, and if you’re already a Charles Grodin fan, you’ll be even more of an admirer when the movie is over.
More info on Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause>>
Boorman vs. the Devil
Boorman vs. the Devil covers John Boorman’s trials and tribulations in bringing his vision of The Exorcist 2: the Heretic to the screen. It’s one of those documentaries that is better than the film it documents (though some might prefer the histrionic hilarity of The Heretic). Many of the participants are on hand to lend their insights, including Louise Fletcher, Linda Blair, and director John Boorman. They are refreshingly candid about their hopes, misgivings, mistakes, and their perceptions about star Richard Burton. (It ain’t all positive.) The film is in theaters now, and worth seeking out.
More Boorman vs the Devil info>>
The Whisper Man
The Whisper Man on Netflix: Dour Adam Scott (well, he is a widower) and his son move back to their hometown, where estranged Dad Robert De Niro (more persuasive in the Grodin doc than he is here) had captured the serial killer known as the Whisper Man decades earlier. And wouldn’t you know it, a copycat crops up—and kidnaps Scott’s son. Which, of course, leads long-retired Dad De Niro to help out. This is a movie with plenty of coincidences—the kind that make you wonder why characters didn’t think before acting (in Scott’s case, moving back to a certain home). It’s the type of movie where a hundred cops are after the killer—but only one heads to where the killer might be. It’s also a very dark film, so much so that you want to tell characters chasing the killer hiding in a dark house to turn on the lights. It’ll make life easier.