|
While
many films are lauded (or derided) by the labels "quirky,"
"offbeat" or "original," very few
films actually earn the right to be praised for possessing
such qualities. Usually, most independent and Hollywood
product strives to throw the audience condescending
"curveballs" or wholly implausible and manipulative
surprise revelations that only come off as desperate
or gimmicky. But
in 1999, a film finally presented a truly imaginative
and unique vision that was artistic, thought-provoking
and funny, yet was commercially accessible. That film
was Spike Jonze's BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, and what a rare
feat it was in today's Hollywood!
To
describe the plot might be close to impossible, and
would hardly do the film justice. John Cusack plays
a frustrated and unsuccessful puppeteer who spends his
days toiling on street corners for spare change. His
wife, played almost unrecognizably by Cameron Diaz (who
deserves kudos for fearlessly playing against type)
houses a variety of animals in their tiny apartment,
and finally persuades Cusack to get "a real job."
After landing a an office assistant position on "the
7 1/2 floor," he soon begins flirting (rather unsuccessfully)
with his new coworker, the sexy and sophisticated Catherine
Keener. But then his world is turned upside down when
he discovers a portal behind a file cabinet in the office,
a portal into...John Malkovich. Soon, he invites both
Diaz and Keener to discover life inside Malkovich's
head, and the complications that ensure are not easily
describable!
If
I'm beginning to sound a bit vague in this description,
it is because I want to resist spoiling any of the films
genuine surprises. This is definitely the type of film
that should be enjoyed without extensive knowledge of
the film beforehand. Truth
be told, at first I was expecting some pretentious piece
of art school garbage, or worse, a feature-length Spike
Jonze music video (especially as Jonze has been a wonder
boy at MTV for some years now). But my fears soon proved
unfounded, as the film is bold, audacious, thought-provoking,
brilliantly crafted and sublimely funny. The pace moves
quickly and Jonze is able to deftly handle seismic shifts
in tone and plot twists, yet never sacrifices the humanity
of the characters nor turns them into caricatures. The
script, by Charles Kaufman, is able to make create an
allegory and pointed satire out of role-playing that
touches on art, performance, fame and lust, yet doesn't
lapse into today's current obsession with postmodern
shtick, "hip" irony or annoying smugness.
The
performances are all dead-on, and aside from Catherine
Keener's Academy Award-nominated supporting turn, Diaz
continues to display a fine comedic flair and Cusack
is far less insufferable than usual (I actually liked
him in this quite a bit here, which means a lot coming
from me.) And it is a testament to John Malkovich, the
actor, that he manages to turn in his finest performance
in ages playing...himself. Yet, like what would seem
to be a one joke movie, Malkovich as Malkovich manages
to send up his own on-screen persona yet bring warmth,
vulnerability and humor to his own theatrical recreation.
And the scene where he goes through the portal into
his own head is a surreal masterpiece, and he plays
it amazingly. Like the film, it is mind bender that
somehow, this works completely. But don't take my word
for it, simply hot foot it the video store and rent
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH. And if you don't like it, I won't
let you read another one of reviews again! (Just kidding...or
am I?)
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Featuring
an anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, the image
quality is a notch or two above good. The film is a
bit dark and with an intentionally muted color palette,
so the overall look of the film is subdued. Black level
and contrast are very good, though many shots seem a
bit soft and that lack detail, and there is some film
grain apparent. However, colors are smooth, edge enhancement
is minimal, and there are few noticeable artifacts.
However, while the image is fine, I often found the
look of the film intentionally dull visually, which
when combined with some of the transfer's softness
resulted in a good though not exceptional picture.
Audio:
How Does It Sound?
USA
has included both English 2.0 surround and discreet
English 5.1 surround mixes, and while we here at DVDFILE
are very strong supporters of always including 5.1 and
2.0 mixes (due to downmixing concerns), in this case
there is not all that much difference between the two
soundtracks. The 5.1 is fuller in the surrounds, as
would be expected, and features better imaging between
all channels However, both mixes don't really utilize
the surrounds extensively in either case. There
is also little, if any, use of split surrounds on the
5.1 track though the use of music is most effective
in some scenes. Dialogue sounds very natural and well
balanced with the effects, and there is no audible hiss
or distortion. Bass response was more than fine, but
not quite spectacular.
While
there are no foreign language tracks included, but there
are English captions and French and Spanish Subtitles.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? Though
I wouldn't classify this as a full-on special edition,
the disc does provide an offbeat and unusual set of
supplements that are often as quirky and endearing as
the film itself. Since
there are no audio commentary tracks included, nor production
notes, the supplements are primarily video-based shorts.
So, while I didn't learn much the actual making of the
film, I was entertained and did learn, er, something
or other about something...
First
up are two hysterical short films that are edited into
the film proper but are presented separately in their
original form. The wonderfully bizarre 7 /12 Floor
Orientation training short is an experience I can't
quite describe, but I watched this three times in a
row and laughed my ass off just as much each time. But
even better is American Arts & Culture Presents:
John Horatio Malkovich - Dance Of Despair and Disillusionment.
This is the story of John Malkovich, puppeteer extraordinaire,
and is a dead-on parody of those A&E-type biographies.
Aside from being filled with celebrity cameos, it is
a classic, and the sight of Sean Penn lamenting over
his own lack of puppeetering skills is worth the price
of admission alone. It is certainly somewhat unusual
for discs to feature actual shorts from the movie like
these, so I'm really glad they were included.
There
are also three documentary featurettes, one on the art
of puppeteering and the other two on the "making
of" the film (well, sort of.) An Intimate Portrait
On the Art Of Puppeteering seems half serious, half
parody, and follows puppeteer Phil Huber (who looks
uncanny like a puppet himself) on and off stage as he
talks about his art and craft. While the film obviously
pays homage to and has a great respect for the art of
puppetry, this mini-documentary is also filled with
a lot of laughs and humor, and I was never sure quite
how to take it!
There
is another pseudo-documentary as well, An Intimate
Portrait On The Art OF Background Driving. If you
are unfamiliar with this unsung profession of the movie
industry, it is about the "stunt drivers"
that drive cars around while crews film out the windows
to get background shots and footage. I'm sure you will
discover a newfound sense of respect for the heroic
background drivers after this one. There is also an
Interview With Director Spike Jonze, who after
briefly discussing the then-recent completion of his
first film, promptly throws up outside his car. While
I can't say I learned much about anything with these
two shorts, they were definitely unique!
Finally,
there are the usual cast & crew biographies,
theatrical trailer and TV spots included, as
well as a linear excerpt from the "Vesselis
Humanus Handbook" on the life cycle of a human.
In case it is not obvious, these are an interesting
collection of supplements to be sure!
Parting Thoughts
A highly
entertaining, intelligent and offbeat film, BEING JOHN
MALKOVICH gets solid treatment on DVD. While this may
not be demo material, the transfer and soundtrack are
very good and the extras are enjoyably peculiar . If
you loved the film you shouldn't regret picking up the
disc, and if you haven't, then I highly recommend a
rental!
|
