A Scanner Darkly
"A Scanner Darkly", with its cast of veteran actors, presents a dark, haunting view in the future on the "War on Drugs", and scores a B...
First, the production technique used for "A Scanner Darkly", although is has the look of high-end animation, it didn't start out as animation. The process is called "Roto Scoping". Actors are filmed as usual with sets, props, etc. In the normal process, any CGI (computer generated images) are added to look as normal as possible to live action.
In Roto Scoping, the live action filmed is digitized, and then CGI enhancements are added that would be way too costly and/or time consuming to shoot in live action. What you have in the end is an animated film with very natural movements because it started out as live action.
Now, the story... "A Scanner Darkly," is based on the1977 Philip K. Dick novel. Director Richard Linklater presents a haunting view of a paranoid society in the near future. Its seven years from now in Orange County, Calif. America is losing the war on drugs, with 20 percent of the population addicted to "Substance D". A network of spy cameras and phone taps are everywhere. No one appears to know the source of the drug. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is an undercover cop who develops a split personality after taking "Substance D". The pills cause the left and right hemispheres of his brain to compete for dominance, each side processing information differently.
Bob, like most of the characters in the film, has a dual identity. He poses as a small-time dealer so he can get closer to the bigger suppliers. His main supplier is Donna (Winona Ryder), a woman too far gone on cocaine to realize that Bob has feelings for her. All police detectives wear "scramble suits". These special suits constantly shift their outward appearance for anonymous concealment. Bob's code name at work is "Fred" and his supervisor is simply known as "Hank". When "Hank" assigns "Fred" to follow Bob Arctor, he's actually being asked to spy on himself. As the story progresses, we learn there is more to "Fred's" superiors and their overall plan than he knows...
Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson, excel as Bob Arctor's junkie roommates, Jim and Ernie. Downey's character is high-strung, looking for the angle that will put him on top, while Ernie is the opposite, only interested in cruising through life. Winona Ryder as Donna, paints a picture of a character with dual issues for the surprise in the end. Keanu Reeves as Arctor/Fred aptly moves back and forth between the two sides of his character's personality. And the movie seems to make the statement that the heaviest users are also the most honest people, which is more anti-establishment like the counter culture of the 60's. "A Scanner Darkly" leaves one wondering just how far the powers-that-be will go in their "war on drugs" battle, which seems more ideological than practical...
Grade: B
Thousands of films have featured evil and murder as their subjects, but no filmmakers can master the topics the way Alfred Hitchcock could. Where other directors make movies about bogeymen who slash people to ribbons for revenge or bloodlust or money, Hitchcock took delight in portraying evil not as the nightmarish visions of the slasher, but as good looking young men who could easily blend into the crowd. Real evil more often comes with a friendly smile and a handshake than it does with a knife. 
A little girl cries in her sleep. Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen), her father, rushes to her bedside. She says that monsters lurk under her bed, but Tom simply holds her and assures her that no monsters exist. A few hours before, not too far away, two men shoot another little girl in the face.
For some reason, I either love Val Kilmer's movies, or absolutely despise them. For instance, I loved his characters in The Doors, and Tombstone, and even Real Genius was surprisingly brilliant. On the flip side, The Island of Doctor Moreau and Red Planet are far down the list of movies I'd ever consider watching again. The Salton Sea falls into the category of good Kilmer movies. In it, Kilmer plays a police informant, caught up in a world of Meth dealing, after the murder of his wife leaves him searching for meaning. Vincent D'Onofrio plays brilliantly as the drug dealer Pooh Bear, adding an uncomfortable quality to the story that strengthens the plot. The entire movie, from it's hilarious history of speed beginning, is a noir cinematic adventure, unlike anything I've seen recently. DVD extras are fairly standard, although I noticed the trailer contains scenes that weren't included in the film or as deleted scenes on the extras.
You will either love this movie as a masterpiece of cinema, or hate it for the sheer length of the story. Originally released in US theaters at a mere 139 minutes, this epic 229 minute story of Jewish immigration to the United States, as told by an aging Jewish gangster, will test the water retention limits of even the most determined camel. All jokes about length aside, if you enjoy gangster movies, this uncut version of Once Upon a Time in America should be part of your home collection. The story (especially the flashbacks) is compelling, painting a different picture of New York than we've seen in other Hollywood epics. Commentary by Richard Schickel is also quite enlightening, but should definitely not be engaged the same day you watch the DVD for the first time.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is my favorite character actor. He successfully owns every character in a way that lets you forget the story playing out on the screen isn't real. Hoffman's portrayal of Dan Mahowny in Owning Mahowny is no exception. Based on the story of a bank embezzlement scandal in Toronto, the movie successfully takes us through the gambling exploits of a classic loser. Dan Mahowny is a potential rising star at the bank where he has just been promoted to become the youngest assistant manager in the history of the bank, in charge of a very important client. The story itself reads like a classic Hollywood drama about the criminal who almost gets away. What makes Owning Mahowny so compelling is the down-to-earth believability of Hoffman as Mahowny. Events unfold at such a natural pace you can't help but want to keep watching to see what happens next. Mahowny is such a regular guy, you also can't help feeling sorry for him as he battles the ups and downs of his addiction, slowly slipping further and further away from a promising future and a normal life. Fans of great cinema should definitely check out Hoffman's stellar performance. John Hurt and Minnie Driver successfully subdue their normally star-caliber presence to deliver this perfect little story of regular guy failure. The DVD lacks any extras, but with narrow theatric distribution, DVD is the only way to find this gem.
Tarantino fans should be thrilled to find the 10th anniversary edition of Reservoir Dogs available on DVD. It contains his debut, in all its glory, along with an outstanding collection of extras for fans wondering where the heck Tarantino has been hiding for the last few years. Five different covers, each featuring a different character, make this a collector's dream. Each of the covers comes complete with quotes from the respective star. The super sounds are glorified in one brilliant featurette, complete with a Gerry Rafferty interview. A cool documentary on creating action figures makes this a must have, whether you like the film or not. Most of the cast gets interviewed, along with an outstanding history of film noir. Those familiar with the "ear scene" will appreciate two new camera angles, thrown in for good measure. Oddly enough, you can get a four-pack of the Mr Orange, Mr Blond, Mr White, and Mr Pink covers, but if you want Mr Brown (Tarantino himself), you'll have to purchase it separately.
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