Killer Joe (2011)

Roger Ebert said in his review for "Killer Joe" that the film left him speechless--and that's saying a lot, especially from a guy who's seen a lot of films. Rated NC-17, this was only available at the Opera Plaza Theater in the city (SF), but the small theater was packed! The audience laughed, gasped and--just like Ebert said--were rendered speechless by the shocking, blood-soaked finale.

This is a sure-fire cult classic; there are many memorable scenes (fellatio on a chicken drumstick, anyone?), and a lot of slick, smooth dialog--especially from Joe (brilliantly played by Matthew McConaughey) who just happens to be a police officer who moonlights as a killer for hire.

Hats off to director William Friedkin, at 76 he has lost none of the edge he displayed in the 70's with his gritty police thriller "The French Connection", or his synth-infused masterpiece from the 80's "To Live & Die in L.A.". The story, adapted from a play by Pulitzer Prize winning author Tracy Letts ("Bug"), is right up Friedkin's alley; behind the bloody black humor, his fatalistic view of human nature still shines through.

There's horror in "Killer Joe"; audiences cringed with pure horror back in the 70's with "The Exorcist", this time they gasped and giggled at the same time.

Right now, the common criticism against this film is that the characters are deplorable, and that the ending was "unsatisfying". Question: who says a film has to have likeable characters? Your film school instructor? Ever seen Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull"? The main character (Jake La Motta) is near sub-human, but the film is now considered a classic character study of a self-destructive man. And the "unsatisfying" ending--well, if you want a classic climax and resolution check out the top 10 grossing films in America, and steer clear from anything that isn't in the top 10.

P.S Friedkin fans, as the screen cuts to black and Clarence Carter's 80's song "Strokin" starts blaring, don't we nostalgically recall the ending of Friedkin's Cruising (Deluxe Edition), the film Al Pacino still refuses to talk about?

William Friedkin has been around for many, many years but the man still knows how to direct a movie. Now in his mid-70s, his sense for movie-making is as sharp as it was 40 years ago when directing "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist" brought his wide acclaim.

"Killer Joe" (105 min.) was originally screened at the 2011 Venice Film Festival but a battle with the MPAA over the film's NC-17 rating held up its US release for almost a year. The distributor LD Entertainment ultimately decided to release the film unchanged and with the NC-17 rating. The plot centers around Chris (played by Emile Hirsch), a small time drug dealer desparately in need of money, and lots of it. With the help and support of several others, including his dad and also his mom's boyfriend, Chris decides to hire a contract killer, Joe, played by Matthew McConaughey, to kill his mom and collect the insurance money. All I will say is that eventually Joe does his part of the deal, but that there are a number of complications. To give away more of the plot would really ruin your viewing experience so you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. This movie is a great example of a "film noir" and then some, hence I'd call it "ultra-noire".

There is a reason that this movie is rated NC-17, so if you are squirmish about violent scenes, do yourself a favor and don't watch this movie. But if you can deal with that, you will be in for one wild and entertaning ride. There are several noteworthy performances. Let's start with Matthew McConaughey, who without a doubt brings a career-defining performance as Killer Joe. It's a shame it comes in a movie not a lot of people are likely to see due to the rating, as for me this is an Oscar-nomination worthy performance. Also bringing an astounding performance is Gina Gershon as Sharla, Chris' stepmother. Towards the end of the movie, when all hell breaks loose, she does one unforgettable scene that will raise the hairs on your neck. And last but not least is June Temple, as Chris' sister Dottie. Temple is rapidly building a name and profile for herself (she recently also was in The Dark Knight Rises and The Three Musketeers). In all, beware of the violence, but this is a very dark, yet entertaining and excellent movie. Miles away from your standard Hollywood fare, "Killer Joe" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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Few films contain such a palpable mix of dark comedy and brutality as William Friedkin's Killer Joe. The film reunites Friedkin with writer Tracy Letts, who last worked together on 2006's Bug. That film was a memorable little oddity that polarized audiences. If you have the stomach for it, Killer Joe is the superior film. For Friedkin, whose career was built on successes he had decades ago, it's a roaring comeback. For the star Matthew McConaughey, it's a career renaissance. In the last year, after serving time as the go-to guy for romantic comedies, McConaughey has begun taking on more daring roles and this is his most daring yet. It's also his best performance.

Most of Killer Joe takes place in a trailer park somewhere in Texas, home of the Smiths, a family of rednecks for whom the word `philistine' was almost certainly invented. Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) is a drug dealer whose mother has stolen his stash and left him desperately in debt to some guys who will kill him unless he comes up with $6000. Learning of his mother's $50,000 life insurance policy for which his sister Dottie (Juno Temple) is the beneficiary, Chris approaches his father Ansel (Thomas Haden Church) about the prospect of having his mother killed. Not only would this solve Chris' problem, but it could lead to a big payday for Dottie, Ansel and his current wife Sharla (Gina Gershon). The person to do it is Joe Cooper (McConaughey), a Dallas detective who moonlights as a hitman. After they meet with Joe, he demands $25,000 in advance that Chris and Ansel are unable to provide. But Joe is willing to negotiate and will accept a retainer; Dottie.

There's no telling who is working against each other in the Smiths family. Although they lack any semblance of sagacity, their ignorance spawns both humor and horror. There's a sardonic glee in the way their story unfolds; we never know the length of stupidity they're capable of. The only redeeming character is Dottie, who seems mentally slower than her family (quite a feat), yet innocently more aware.

Letts' script is an adaption of his own play yet, unlike many stage adaptations, there's never a sense that this was made for the stage. One reason is Friedkin's fearless direction and the other is Caleb Deschanel's unflinching cinematography. Killer Joe was initially rated NC-17 (eventually surrendered) and it's hard to recall a film that so deserves it. This is a violent, bloody, misogynistic, and often sadistic film that basks in its lurid tendency to push the envelope. However, there's much more to Killer Joe than mere shock value. It's self-aware and crackles with great dialogue and memorable performances from everyone involved. It jumps right into the plot but slow burns with quiet intensity before erupting into total chaos, fueled mostly by McConaughey's menacing and frightening performance.

Before becoming a romantic-comedy heartthrob McConaughey appeared in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and for all that film's shortcomings, he did an exceptional job playing crazy. Even with that performance on his resumé, who could've foretold McConaughey could deliver such a memorable performance that allows him to exploit his natural charisma and charm to play completely against type and make Joe Cooper's ferocity and stark brutality all the more shocking? The performance is so unconventional and horrifying that it won't lead him to an Oscar, but few will argue what an Oscar-caliber performance this is. The other stand-out is Church, playing a character so stupid it takes the right kind of actor to keep it from bubbling over the top. Church's comically silly facial hair and his gift for deadpan make Ansel the comic relief of the film, but he keeps the character from seeming contrived or false within the film's context. He's a gifted actor who never fails to please and surprise.

The conclusion of Killer Joe features a long scene involving McConaughey, Church, Gershon, and a chicken leg that stands out as one of the most nail-bitingly intense scenes of any film this year. It's hard to anticipate a scene more startling or suspenseful. Here McConaughey reaches deep into his acting range to show the depths of Killer Joe's (both the movie and character) depravity; this is the moment where he totally sheds the rom-com image. If the Academy were more willing to award edgy, brave performances, this moment would almost certainly win him an Oscar. It's a scene that bristles with energy and no matter how chaotic and shocking it becomes, you can't look away.

Killer Joe is a film that gets in your head and stays there. It's a shocking and powerful film that makes a devastating impact. It's certainly entertaining, but make no mistake, it's not for the faint of heart and will disgust and revolt many an audience member. It's one of the most disturbing films of 2012. It's also one of the best.

GRADE: A-

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Killer Joe is a raw, relentless film that is a welcomed return to form for director William Friedkin. Like his gritty earlier dramas (The French Connection, To Live and Die in L.A.), Killer Joe dwells on the seedy underside of human nature ... and like one of his most controversial works (Cruising), it's certainly not shy about upping the ante for sex and violence. But it's also riveting to watch -anchored my a stellar cast led by Matthew McConaughey in another standout performance. One of the best and bravest films of 2012!

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I'm amazed at the number of bad reviews this film has gotten. It is, for sure, not for everyone, but many of these reviews operate as if characters need to be likable in order for a film to be worth watching--an utterly bizarre and puritanical stance to take on a piece of art.

In any case, the acting in this film is superb. I mean really top notch. The writing is super sharp. And I got this kind of pleasure in watching just how bizarrely messed up this morally degraded bunch of idiots and sociopaths could be together.

Yes, there were a couple of shocking scenes, and everyone in the film is a moral monster, but it's all so well done: suspenseful, tense, full of menace, and funny in the bleakest possible way. If you're not super sensitive, I'd say ignore the bad reviews, and give it a shot--you may just think it's great.

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The Gold Rush (The Criterion Collection) (1942)

Surprise came to this reviewer when he realized that the main feature on this DVD is the 1942 re-issue version of THE GOLD RUSH (with added music, narration, and sound effects) rather than the 1925 silent original. Fortunately, the silent version is available on the second disc as an extra. Seems like an odd decision to make though; I would have reversed that, as I much prefer the original. For one thing, the title cards are much more lyrically impressive than the rather strained narration. Pictures speak louder than words, and the images Chaplin created on the soundstage simply don't need a voice-over. And the rather drastic cuts (the original film runs 96 minutes, the later clocks in at 69) leave out a lot of good stuff. Still, both versions are included anyway, so I can't complain too loudly.

I watched a battered old VHS copy of this film many, many times as a child in the 1980s. It was a delight to get this film on DVD, not just for the impressive extras, but to have the picture looking crisper than ever. While I'll admit to preferring the musical score they used on that VHS release, the stunning restoration work more than makes up for it. Jokes that I had missed because of the fuzzy picture were suddenly revealed to me (I had never realized that the building that Chaplin inadvertently covers with snow is the town's jail). And although this has nothing to do with the picture quality (though it does come from seeing scenes that had been cut from my VHS copy) I also never really noticed how awful Georgia is to the tramp. Sure, she's a bit regretful about her pranks, but she never really apologizes or makes up for her behavior. I wonder if that was part of Chaplin's decision to modify the happy ending.

Watching this film for the first time as a child, I'll admit that it didn't quite live up to all of my expectations. But while I'm not sure that I'd place this as Chaplin's best films, it's still pretty damn good. His comedy is, of course, excellent -well conceived and extraordinarily executed. Yet his directing is also worthy of mention. I love they way he lets the camera linger. Look at the pan across the faces of the partygoers at the New Years bash inter-cut with the shots of the lonely tramp. It's difficult for a director to accomplish this without being corny, but Chaplin pulls it off successfully.

THE GOLD RUSH is a film made up of several now-famous set pieces. Most of the sequences are now so ubiquitous that people would recognize them even if they'd never seen a silent film before. The movie's successes are too numerous to mention. The dance of the dinner rolls, the Thanksgiving shoe, the cabin on the edge of the clip. These are all unforgettable scenes that deserve more than to be simply listed in an on-line review; they deserve to be watched by everyone. The "Chaplin Today The Gold Rush" documentary (quite good overall) shows a room full of young school children enjoying this film for the first time. They laugh at all the right places and stay glued to the screen throughout. Chaplin still has it.

I cannot agree more with "A viewer from Dallas, TX" -this 1942 version lessens the whole "Gold Rush" experience, even though the video quality is astounding. Having just watched "The Kid" and "City Lights", I found the commentary on this version most annoying and distracting from Chaplin's fantastic pantomime. While in the other films one becomes engrossed in the visual elements, in this version of the film it is impossible to become fully involved, as the commentary actually distances you from what is going on. It would be such a grave mistake if this version would be the only one available for today's audiences, so I urge and plead: Image, please release the original 1925 version on DVD too, please!

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This has been a long time coming but we now finally have Chaplin's 1925 original release in a form that does justice to what many feel is his masterpiece. Kevin Brownlow and the late David Gill have worked many years on gathering the material from archives and collectors that would allow for a decent reconstruction of THE GOLD RUSH as it was originally shown. In 1942 Chaplin prepared a sound release in which he removed the titles, added a delightful narration that he spoke himself (at least in the English language release) and composed a music score that is perfect for the film. In doing so he went back to his vaults and chose different takes that played better at the 24fps sound speed. In the process the original 1925 negative was partly used and the sound version became the version that Chaplin preferred. In 1942 audiences were delighted with the new approach as films from the silent era as a rule were not being reissued. Over the years interest in silent films has made a come back and there are many who regret not being able to enjoy THE GOLD RUSH as it was original shown. Now on the Criterion release we have a beautifully restored copy of both releases. Criterion has gone the extra mile with the 1925 version and removed scratches and dirt so that the film looks the best it has since its original release. Now thorough the efforts of Timothy Brock, who has reconstructed Chaplin's music from the 1942 release, we can watch the film with the music that it should be heard with. With the excellent extras, booklet and restoration there is no question that the Criterion release is one of the most important releases ever. While the Blu-ray is marvelous the DVD release will also be a big improvement over any previous release. And even if you are not a fan of the 1942 release you can use this version to introduce younger children (who do not yet read well enough for silent titles) to the art of Chaplin. I've done this and their response is wonderful. And yes there are some differences between the two releases. Take a look at the letter Georgia Hale writes after not showing up for the New Year's dinner that Charlie has worked so hard to prepare. And for my money the ending of the film works far better in the 1925 release. Judge for yourself.

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The real news here isn't the second video release of Chaplin's 1942 talkie reissue of the 1925 film, with narration in his plummy later voice detracting from much of the fun. What's significant here is on Disc 2-the first video release of a definitive version of the original silent classic, which has been restored by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill from Chaplin family material and is about 14 minutes longer and noticeably better quality than the best previous version, the Killiam print which had seen assorted releases on tape and laserdisc. The Chaplin family had previously refused to release that version, believing that the 1942 version represented Chaplin's final thoughts on the film, when what it in fact represented was Chaplin's best idea of how to make an old silent film seem relevant to Casablanca-era audiences. Now it's the '42 version which seems old fashioned, while the '25 one is timeless as ever. Be sure you get this new Warner/MK2 version.

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The four stars goes to the DVD I give the original silent version of GOld Rush 5 stars, and the re-edited sound-era version 2 stars. This DVD edition lost a star for putting the inferior remake on the first disc. I am mainly writing this review to urge Chaplin newcomers, or anyone for that matter, to watch the original 1925 version first. The re-release has highly distracting and tedious narration throughout the entire film, as all the intertitles have been deleted. At times this narration comes across as bad dubbing, as the words are very roughly synced up with characters talking on the screen. Even though Chaplin himself did the narration, the effect is very cheesy and amaturish, and makes the film MUCH more dated, while taking away much of the emotional effect of the original film. I also prefer the slightly longer, more dramatic 1925 edit, and the original ending, which is just perfect. It seems like the 1942 re-release was more of a gimmick and a chance to make an extra buck than a serious artistic endeavor (kind of like the Star Wars "special editions"). Some would say that at least the re-release had Chaplin's own score. However I think the piano score for the silent version is excellent, despite reviews here to the contrary. First off, the score is based on the original cue sheets, so it is quite authentic to the time. It is played excellently, is well recorded, and is very fitting to the overall mood of the film.

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Band Baaja Baaraat (2010)

BBB is a remarkable film and one of the freshest one to appear in recent times and certainly has repeat viewing value. A talented debutant director, Maneesh Sharma, a great writer Habib Faisal and two young actors put on a remarkable show with the script serving as their vehicle. BBB is about the new changes that have appeared in Indian Cinema, the star system is largely reserved for big names and releases but a younger generation of storytellers and directors are making the stories fresher and livelier. BBB captures the business of wedding planning and the essence of the drive of young entrepreneurs who are trying to make it big.

Bittu ( Ranveer Singh) is in college but dreads completing it as he would have would have to go back to his village to work with his father. Shruti ( Anushka Sharma) is in the final year of college, but education is only an obstacle, she wants to put together a successful wedding planning business before getting married to any man of her parents choice. They met at a wedding and soon end up as partners in a wedding planning business. Their partnership is successful and they start getting busier. After a unusually successful wedding, they celebrate with alcohol and end up sleeping with each other. Bittu does not want a relationship but Shruti has fallen in love with him. This starts affecting their partnership and a result they part ways.

BBB works because the casting is superb, Anushka and Ranveer Singh, they sizzle and burn the screen with their energy and chemistry. Most of the characters speak with a North Indian accent and the dialogue delivery and writing is flawless. Anushka shows that she is here to stay and Ranveer can be safely assumed is destined for greater things i.e. if he makes the right choice of films and does not mess things up for himself. His energy reminded me of a young SRK in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na. The movie has a great soundtrack and each song is a blockbuster. The songs have been pictured beautifully, colorfully and capture just like the film, the euphoria of a wedding in India. Not to be missed. Five stars.

It is damn hard for a gal and a guy especially when they're good-looking to remain simply platonic friends. And BAND BAAJA BAARAAT demonstrates this yet again. BAND BAAJA BAARAAT (meaning: "Bands Horns and Revelry") is a pretty good Bollywood romantic comedy, of which first half is tremendously entertaining. But then we get to the post-intermission stuff.

Bittoo Sharma (Ranveer Singh) is a farmer's son attending a Delhi university. Bittoo blanches at the notion of going back home to work in his father's sugar cane fields, and maybe it's to distract himself that he goofs off so much during his senior year at college. Crashing a wedding party one evening and about to cram some good grub on his plate, he's called to task by disapproving fellow student Shruti Kakkar (Anushka Sharma). Shruti, who with her aunt had coordinated the wedding party, isn't about to feed uninvited riff raff like Bittoo. They become friends anyway.

Shruti is one of those ambitious young women who knows her own mind, has a crystal clear vision of her future. She's given herself a five-year timeline in which marriage is kicked to the curb so that she could focus on launching her own wedding planning company. When Bittoo's father comes to Delhi to buy a tractor and to take his son home, a panicky Bittoo declares that he also has gone into the highly lucrative wedding planning business. He even talks Shruti into taking him on as her business partner.

The extremely career-oriented Shruti has one caveat: "Jisse vyapaar karo, usse kabhi na pyaar karo." Translation: "Don't mix business with pleasure." But we all know how that works out.

As mentioned, the first hour of BAND BAAJA BAARAAT is immensely watchable. It tracks Shruti and Bittoo's fledgling "Shaadi Mubarak" the name of their wedding planning venture as it gets off the ground. Shaadi Mubarak builds up its rep by making a success of a series of low-budgeted weddings. It's fun to observe Shruti and Bittoo applying their imagination and resourcefulness and their friends to bolster their meager purse. These scenes are enlivened with a fusion of vivid colors and bright exuberance and an infectious joyfulness all of which happen to be some of the best elements in Indian cinema. I loved it.

And then the expected happens, and the story spirals down to this glum melodrama. Everything falls apart for Shruti and Bittoo. And the fiance whom Shruti has been keeping a secret from Bittoo (and from you and me) is the least of their problems, really.

So promising in her debut in RAB NE BANA DI JODI (awesome movie!), Anushka Sharma doesn't let you down here. Her terrific acting anchors the story and drives the film's emotional beats. This is Ranveer Singh's first picture and he's energetic and has presence. There's a playfulness about him, and he delivers his lines with the mischief of an Akshay Kumar. But Ranveer's performance isn't as nuanced as Anushka's. He certainly doesn't inject as much substance into his character. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if the ladies in the audience, in eyeballing him, are boisterously practicing their wolf whistles. And you can't discount that spark between Ranveer and Anuskha.

The item numbers can be savored for their liveliness and for the dazzling colors of the costumes and the sets, but the songs themselves are lacking that immediate punch. The choreography is sort of tame, even that of the intended showstopper "DumDum," in which Bittoo and Shruti fill in for Shah Rukh Khan who can't dance at the lavish wedding because of an injured leg (and, no, Shah Rukh isn't in this movie at all). I will say that Anushka Sharma is very graceful in her dancing. And if you're an actor who can act AND dance in Bollywood, then life for you, friend, is an endless parade of "band, baaja, and baaraat." Hopefully I used that phrase right. BAND BAAJA BAARAAT rates 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on Anushka's performance and that satisfying first hour. Oh, and also on that pretty damn sexy kiss exchanged between Anushka and Ranveer. Once in a blue moon, Bollywood does get steamy. Only, how often do you get a blue moon?

What I've got is the two-disc set. Disc 1 has the feature film and an option to select the film's musical numbers for viewing. Disc 2 has the following bonus features, enough of them in English that non-Hindi-speaking viewers can more or less follow along:

Making of the Film featurette (00:21:36 minutes long)

Making of the "Ainvayi Ainvayi" musical number (00:05:31 minutes)

"BBB Sangeet Event" a show promoting the film, the highlights of which are Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma's live stage performances as they dance to songs from the movie and also their hosting of a "Who's the Best Jodi?" contest (00:23:05)

BBB Wedding Event Anushka, Ranveer, and director Maneesh Sharma attend a wedding (00:05:16)

BBB Wedding to promote the film, the production company throws a wedding bash on a dhow cruise in Dubai (00:03:57)

5 Deleted Scenes with no English sub-titles (totaling 00:12:04 minutes)

theatrical trailer & promos

and two music videos: "DumDum Remix" and "Tarkeebein"

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All I can say is WOW! What a HUGE SURPRISE this movie turned out to be! One of the best Bollywood's I've seen. Very fun and colorful, but also touching, and romantic. The on screen chemistry between the two leads is amazing and real. Premise; Typical story where she's the hard worker with the big dreams, and he the slacker who's just at college to party. She tells him she's starting a wedding planning business right after graduation. He laughs at her ideas, until his Dad comes to the school to take him home. When he realizes that he doesn't want to go back to the sugarcane fields for the rest of his life, he lies and tells his Dad that he's going into business with her. They agree to run their business honestly, just as friends -no strings-no romantic involvement. Starting out small, they quickly build up, by delivering inexpensive, cute and extremely fun weddings. Moving onto bigger and better, one night after their first bug success, they get drunk, and sleep together. (This is actually a very sensual, romantic, and beautiful scene. ) In the morning she realizes, that she loves him, but he's freaked out by the whole thing. They are already best friends, but he doesn't know how to react, and he screws it up big time. They fight, and it escalates until they split, and break up the company. As all their success came from working together, it's no big surprise that their business fails separated as they are. They are both really stubborn, and refuse to work together. A HUGE prospective client comes to them and tells them that he will only work with them if they agree to work together. As they are now in debt on their own, they agree for only this one time. The ending credit scenes with the curtain call of all the couples that they helped is really cute. Loved the fun feel in the first half, and typical Bollywood style, second half is more dramatic, and serious. This movie made me laugh out loud though, very fun, and highly entertaining!

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I watch this one over and over again and root for the two business partners to become life partners. Well done!

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Love the movie. It is perfect, the DVD is ok well done well packed. I love Bollywood forever and ever.

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Midgets Vs Mascots

Despite its crude, disgusting and vulgar content, Midgets vs. Mascots has the soft underbelly of teaching people not to put labels on one another. For instance, it is WRONG to use the term 'Midget' they're LITTLE PEOPLE.

Aside from that, this is a film like no other, and a comedy like no other. I had the luxury of meeting the cast and crew at the Tribecca Film Festival in April, 2009 (though it wasn't very pleasant to meet Gary Coleman, who put his head down on a table and didn't speak to anyone). These people had the time of their lives making this movie, which I'm sure was just as fun to make as it was to watch.

This movie isn't for everyone, like those who don't appreciate toilet humor, but for those who do this is bound to be one of the funniest films they have ever seen.

I bought this movie over at their website before christmas and it's really really funny. they call it a Borat meets Jackass type movie and I'd say that's pretty spot on. There are ridiculously shocking stunts and some absolutely shocking moments that had me seriously laughing out loud.

I wasn't sure if Gary Coleman was acting or not, but he seems like the angriest little person there is (pun intended). Acting or not, Gary has some great scenes kicking the crap out of one of the main characters that's a complete a-hole.

My favorite character was Taco. The "i'm going to touch them anyway" line rocks. He's a sicko that has some of the best one liners you'll get out of a movie.

In case you were asking for my opinion, don't wait for this pre-order and just go to the website and get it now. Plus they send these little "midget condoms" as a gag gift.

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I want my hour and a half of my life back. Combine midget throwing, and midget milk drinking contests leaving puke on the table...and combine that bizarreness with mascots...it should be funny, but wound up raw, mean, and not funny.

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I can't believe, I bought this. It's bad enough I was in it. I am the big truck driver guy in the MMA fight scene. We spent a day going over what we were going to do. Shot the fight scene twice. Now I am wishing they cut my entire scene. This is the sickest most repulsive movie I have ever seen in my life.

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Only a terrorist is so deluded they wouldn't find this movie hillarious.

Go back to al quaeda you filthy scum! Stop being the enemy of freedom and live life and lAUGH like a human being.

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Hoax (2006)

A struggling writer discovers that Hughes cannot appear in court to dispute a hoax because the reclusive billionaire is in a nasty dispute with TWA shareholders. So the hoax is born. Soon though, events turn raucous when the billionaire fails to appear to allegedly vouch for the autobiography, and then another hoaxed autobiography appears in print ahead of Irving's release. The mystery of who is hoaxing who surfaces when a box of scandalous files anonymously appears at the writer's home. The frenzied sensation draws the attention of darker forces in America. Apparently, someone has to know what would be included about Hughes and Nixon's brother, Donald, who had received unrepaid loans from Hughes in the 1960 campaign, and may have received more loans in 1972. Then suddenly the hoax unravels. Within within months, Nixon is re-elected, the Hughes-TWA dispute resolves, and Americans begin to learn of a third-rate burglarly called Watergate. The Hoax is an interesting chapter in American history.

Clifford Irving (Fake, Trial, Final Argument, The Spring) became a sort of national hero when he contrived to publish 'The Autobiography of Howard Hughes', a 400 page phony but well researched book that, while it was never published, did cause enough of a stir among the New York publishing cognoscenti and those surrounding the then President Richard Nixon that it now is recognized as a HOAX of writing that triggered the final discovery of the Watergate Scandal and the subsequent dethroning of Nixon. Those facts alone make this sometimes rather tepid film interesting enough to sit through. Screenwriter William Wheeler has adapted Irving's book into a study of the 1970s and Lasse Hallström gives it just the right balance between soft crime and strange comedy to keep it afloat.

Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) is down on his literary luck, searching for the right kind of story that will set is publisher Andrea Tate (Hope Davis) on fire. Irving wife Edith (Marcia Gay Harden) is an active painter and doesn't give Irving the support he gets from his pal Dick Suskind (Alfred Molina), but on the messy floor of Edith's studio is a rag magazine with a cover picture of the mysterious Howard Hughes and bingo! up comes the idea for an 'autobiography' of the wizard as confided to Irving and researched by Suskind. That is really the plot then, how these two men squirm around lies and good luck to forge papers and gain the favor of the publishers. Of course it all caves in, but in the publicity about the book Nixon's secrets are revealed and the rest is history.

Gere, Molina, Harden, Davis, Stanley Tucci, Julie Delphy and Eli Wallach add immeasurably to the success of the film. No, it is not a heavy story, but the scandalous years of the 1970s are treated realistically and provide a lot of memories, both good and bad, about how we all changed in that post Vietnam time. Worth watching for that! Grady Harp, October 07

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Since anyone of A Certain Age remembers how this story turns out, I was expecting more of a documentary than a thriller. But the film does a great job of pacing, and literally races towards the unraveling of Clifford Irving's web of deception.

Richard Gere is excellent, with a smarmy self-confidence that almost explains how so many supposedly intelligent people could have fallen for what would seem to be a patently obvious hoax.

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A character in the film "The Princess Bride" utters one of my favorite quotes: "Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something." Alas-if we would only remember that sage advice before writing our phone number on a napkin, signing on a dotted line, dropping coins into a collection plate or punching out a voting chad.

Hollywood loves con artists, probably because movie audiences never appear to tire of watching yet one more poor sucker being bamboozled and swindled. It makes us feel superior-"I'd never fall for THAT!" (Er-right.)

Director Lasse Hallstrom has delivered a smashing entry in the genre with his new movie, "The Hoax". The film is based on the story of Clifford Irving, a struggling writer who toiled in relative obscurity until he stumbled onto an idea for "the most important book of the 20th century"-the "Autobiography of Howard Hughes". The book was the most hyped literary event of 1972, and would assure Irving the notoriety he craved. Heck, he even made the cover of Time. Unfortunately, his Time portrait was slugged with "Con Man of the Year", because as it turned out, the "autobiography" was a bit of a surprise to Mr. Hughes, because, you see, Mr. Irving made the whole thing up (oops). The books were unceremoniously yanked from the shelves soon after their debut.

Richard Gere tears through the lead role with an intensity we haven't

seen from him in quite a while. His Clifford Irving is a charlatan and a compulsive liar, to be sure, but Gere makes him sympathetic in a carefully measured portrayal and never stoops to audience pandering. Even as he digs himself into an ever deepening hole, and you cover your eyes because you know the other shoe is going to drop at any time, you've just gotta love this guy's pure chutzpah. In retrospect, when compared to some other mass public deceptions that were brewing at the time (the Irving scandal was soon to be eclipsed in the headlines by Watergate), Irving's fraud trial almost seems like malicious prosecution.

Hallstrom does an excellent job at capturing the 70's milieu; especially the insidious paranoia of the Nixon era.

The cast includes Alfred Molina (in a great turn as Irving's researcher), Marcia Gay Harden (sporting a Streep-worthy accent as Irving's Eurotrash wife), and true chameleon Hope Davis (looking very Mary Richards as Irving's agent). Also with Stanley Tucci, Julie Delpy and a memorable cameo from Eli Wallach.

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Director Lasse Hallstrom's dedicated re-enactment of Clifford Irving's memoirs of his fraudulent autobiography of mysterious, antisocial millionaire Howard Hughes, "The Hoax", is his most impressive work since the 2000 film "Chocolat". Using film footage of the Hughes and also President Nixon and the tumultuous times of the 70's, he creates a sometimes comedic look back at this memorable scandal.

Richard Gere does well in his portrayal of struggling author Irving, a man obviously devoid of a conscience, who conjures up the idea of faking a Hughes autobiography. He figures that the reclusive Hughes would never surface to dispute the veracity of Irving's well researched but fictitious novel. Alfred Molina playing Gere's neurotic sidekick and co-conspirator Dick Susskind is magnificent in his role, giving the movie a comic flair. Marcia Gay Harden with dyed blonde tresses and a disturbing foreign accent was annoying as Irving's wife Edith.

Hallstrom did well in demostrating the extent of Irving's delusions, actually believing himself to be in contact with Hughes and his minions. 91 year old Eli Wallach, always a treat to see on the screen, was delightful playing old codger Noah Dietrich, once a right hand man of Hughes. The movie was insightful in tying in the effect of Irving's hoax, the machinations of Hughes himself who actually communicated disavowing Irving's chicanery and important current events and the day.

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