Film School Rejects » Jim Rohner

30 Rock: Verna

Jim Rohner — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:20:58 +0000

Episode: “Verna” (Season Four, Episode 12)

Summary: When Frank moves in with Liz after a fire at his place, they each vow to help the other kick their bad habits: eating unhealthily for Liz and smoking for Frank. Jenna turns to Jack for help when her unfit mother, Verna (Jan Hooks) shows up, but Jack is skeptical when it appears she’s turned over a new leaf.

Review: By the time Me Cat, the animated mascot for Cheesey Blasters, pops out of a pregnant Liz into the arms of Dr. Tracy Jordan, you should’ve already known whether you were going to love tonight’s episode of 30 Rock or not because after Liz wakes up from her strange dream, the episode stays the course of absurdity.

Primarily, the absurdity focuses around the pairing of Liz and Frank, who are paired up after Frank, needing a place to stay, moves into the extra space in Liz’s apartment. They each vow to help the other kick their bad habit, but as we (and the entire TGS staff) know, Liz is a titanic fan of junk food. Frank apparently smokes too, though the fact that this has never been mentioned in previous episodes can be forgiven because the ensuing shenanigans are well worth it. Of course the harmony of the two quitting cold turkey doesn’t last when Liz becomes skeptical of how Frank can be doing so well when she’s suffering physically and emotionally from her body’s dependency on the chemicals in junk food. Tied into this thread is Pete, who’s convinced Liz needs her junk food release to function properly and whose incredibly stressed family life combined with his incredibly stressed work life have left him very little “Pete Time.” Tina Fey and Scott Adsit, as usual, show great chemistry during their downward spiral into misery and the revelation that Pete has begun jamming thumb tacks into himself “just to feel something” is hilarious thanks to some great pacing and Adsit’s expressive face. Liz and Pete, of course, don’t believe that Frank is legit in his quitting and scheme up a way to prove he’s not.

But more on that later. Jenna, upset that her no good mother is coming back into her life, asks for help from Jack, who has plenty of experience dealing with unwanted matriarchs. As it turns out, Jenna doesn’t even need to enforce Jack’s advice (“no, low, go”) when Verna, wont to ask for money in the past, instead begins making efforts to pay back her exploited daughter. Hooks, an SNL alum, does an occasionally exceptional, but mostly sufficient job at portraying the redneck mother. The jokes written for her aren’t that funny, though it is equal parts great and awkward when Verna finally partakes in the mother/daughter duet she skipped out on when Jenna was 11…to Captain and Tennille’s “Do That To Me One More Time.” In the words of Jack:

Liz: How are you not moved by this?
Jack: I’m listening to the words.

Based on how Verna is built up to be this horrible women but appears to be genuine in her apologies, we spend the whole episode waiting for the let down, wondering what her real motivations could be. Well, eventually we find out: Verna, who knows how to push Jenna’s buttons, wants her own reality TV show revolving around her and her daughter. This reveal, along with Jack’s response, is the only part of the episode that didn’t really work for me and was, in my opinion, a glaring weakness. For one thing, this seems like a really stupid and flimsy reason for the appearance of the Verna character because we’re not given enough information to think this is a valid motivation. For another, Jack’s stepping in on the part of Jenna to try and force Verna to be a better mother seems a bit too altruistic for the character and by introducing bribery into the equation (he agrees to pay her $3000 if she visits Jenna four times a year), it’s hard to feel there’s been any emotional or moral victory. I’m not saying it’s not nice to see Jack’s soft underbelly, but it doesn’t make sense to see it in this context.

It’s later. Liz and Pete figure by laying out cigarettes and setting up a hidden camera in Liz’s apartment (“Like the nanny cam I set up to watch our nanny sleep”), they’ll be able to capture Frank smoking in secret. They don’t, but what they do capture is comic gold:

Liz sleep walking
Liz sleep eating
Liz sleep ordering a pizza
Liz sleep eating said pizza
Frank getting frisky with an overweight woman from the NBC mail room who lullabies him to sleep
Liz sleep eating Frank’s cigarettes

Liz’s junk food habit has been a running gag since season 1, but to see it played with in such an absurd and subsequently hysterical way shows the writers can make repetition funny and had me almost peeing my pants with laughter.

Grade: B

Favorite Quote: [Jack] – “I developed this presentation in 2002 when Colleen attempted to lengthen her Christmas visit to Martin Luther King Day or as she calls it, ‘that day in January when the post office is closed.’”

30 Rock Review: Winter Madness

Jim Rohner — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:22:07 +0000

Episode: “Winter Madness” (Season Four, Episode 11)

Summary: When Liz suggests taking TGS on the road to counter bouts of winter madness, Jack approves as long they take the show to Boston where he can be close to Nancy (Julianne Moore). Upset about not going to Miami instead, the TGS staff rebels against Liz, who creates a scapegoat for everyone’s anger that, unknown to her, turns out to be a real person.

Review: Instead of putting all their eggs into one basket and giving us a lot of Jack and Liz banter or a lot of Tracy idiosyncrasies or a lot of Jenny flakiness, tonight the crew of 30 Rock spread the wealth around and gave us a little bit of everything. A lot of the regular crew as well as the minor characters all saw a good amount of spotlight and while I think it held back any person or persons from really standing out, I think it also made the episode sufficiently funny from beginning to end. Nothing spectacular, but nothing lacking either. A solid episode without being a stand out episode.

With a slight focus shift to the TGS writing staff, we see a bit more of Frank, Toofer, Lutz, Pete and Cerie than we normally do. It’s great to see the general angst and disfunction the writers experience with each other when the issue of doubling up on hotel rooms comes up, especially when Pete automatically assumes Grizz and Dot Com will room together:

Dot Com: Why would you just assume we would room together?
Grizz: Why would he assume we wouldn’t?
Dot Com: Maybe because one of us still hasn’t read the other’s screenplay.
Grizz: I did read it. I just didn’t like it.

Regular readers will probably know by now that I enjoy it when Lutz is thrown into episodes and, as always, the scorn and mockery the unappreciated writer receives is as much hilarious as it is pitiful. They’re extra harsh on Lutz this episode – even Jack tosses in his two cents about disliking him – but he gets his revenge later on when he Truffle Shuffles Dale Snitterman, the unfortunate executive who faces TGS’s wrath when he unknowingly is blamed for all their hardships. Leave it up to Liz to completely forget she saw an innocent man’s name plate on a door then take full credit for supposedly cleverly fabricating him later on. Nothing comes out of this unfortunate man’s torture, nor do we need anything to, because the episode does a good job (though I can’t help but feel, an unintentionally good job) of making Boston and its people seem boring and mildly annoying. A lot of Boston Bruins jerseys and throwing around of the “ar” pronunciation as “ah?” Been (overly) done before, guys. Make fun of something else. Perhaps the Irish.

Tracy uses his travel opportunity to take a walking tour of Boston with Liz, concluding that a peaceful tour of historical Boston couldn’t possibly result in any trouble arising. As Pete said, smash cut to Tracy accusing a John Hancock impersonator of owning slaves and trouble is a-brewing. He carries his political message throughout the rest of the episode, but in typical Tracy fashion, manages to muddle adult sensibilities with juvenile stupidity (“Sure, find a scapegoat, just like John Hancock did with the good King George”). There’s nothing too worth quoting from the usually hilarious Tracy, but the moment during which he criticizes patriots while wearing an “Impeach George W. Ashington” t-shirt and inadvertently insults a crowd of New England Patriots fans is worth a few chuckles.

The real weakness tonight was the romantic dynamic between Jack and Nancy. I don’t know whether it’s Nancy’s rough, inaccessible demeanor, the relatively few episodes in which she’s been featured compared to Jack’s past love interests, or the Boston accent, but I just can’t get behind the Jack and Nancy romance. It sort of snuck up out of nowhere in “Secret Santa” and just hasn’t really been constructed very well. There doesn’t seem to be any chemistry between Baldwin and Moore either – the excitable glow in Baldwin’s eyes during his scenes with Salma Hayek from last season is gone and the kiss at the end finishes the episode with a dull period more so than with an exclamation point.

Grade: B

Favorite Quotes:

“[Jack]: For example: what keeps people polite on airplanes? A shared hated of the CBS sitcoms they’re forced to watch.
[Liz]: No, I understand the concept because with these dummies the common enemy is always me. And I’m sick of it – I’m not gonna be the bad guy this time.
[Jack]: Then find someone else. I recommend Lutz. Why do I always want to choke that guy?”

30 Rock Review: Black Light Attack!

Jim Rohner — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:09:54 +0000

Episode: “Black Light Attack!” (Season Four, Episode 10)

Summary: When Jack finds out that Liz and Danny (Cheyenne Jackson) are hiding a strictly physical workplace relationship, he becomes jealous and attempts to break them up. In preparation for having a daughter, Tracy accepts Sue (Sue Galloway) from the TGS writing staff into his entourage. Jenna goes through a mini crisis when she is given an audition for Gossip Girl – in the role of a mom.

Review: Funny jokes! Quick comedic pacing! A storyline that arcs and comes to fruition! Making fun of Lutz! Where were you last episode, “Black Light Attack?” After disappointing with “Klaus and Greta,” 30 Rock redeems itself with a hilarious second half to the 9 p.m. time slot. From the very get go when we see Lutz’s undergarment gleaming under the black light of the show after party (“It’s not what you think – it’s something I need to wear to support my breasts”) to Jack’s painful reminiscing of taking employees to sporting events (“But my biggest problem with Quidditch is…”), this episode declared it was going to be strong.

Danny has been a positive, albeit infrequently used, addition to the show and for some reason, placing him in the middle of Jack and Liz brings out the best in both of them. His secret shenanigans with Liz both enhances the endearingly frumpy qualities of her, i.e., she’s never shown her feet to a man, and brings out a previously unseen feisty side to the TGS head honcho. Fey flexes every sexy muscle she has (I realize the number of sexy muscles she has is up for debate) and it’s really kind of hot. At the same time, Jack’s disgust and jealousy at their affair is so well visually projected on Baldwin’s face that he could’ve gone without lines and still been funny. Just look at his sinking, almost nauseous demeanor as he connects the dots when talking with Danny at the Knicks game or at the wide-eyed shock and horror that he tries to suppress while “confessing” to Danny that he’s in love with Liz and tell me that’s not great expression. Be warned that if you do tell me that though, I will call you a liar.

After playing a rather small role in the last episode, Tracy features more prominently here, generally acting both immature and fatherly while trying to guide an often confused and unwilling Sue through the entourage process. There aren’t too many moments of the two of them together (how many can there be in a 22-minute episode?) but they’re all brought back during a hilarious montage scored by “Forever Young.” The release of Tracy’s “daughter” into the hands of a young man (who turns out to be Liz – more on that soon) is touching in that comedic way that only 30 Rock can really get away with and though we’ll probably never see Sue featured prominently again, we’ll never forget her time in the spotlight.

Jenna takes a step back in this episode in terms of humor, but her unwillingness to admit her own age is a worthy plot thread if for no other reason than because it forces Liz to unveil Tom (as in Tom Selleck), her mustache. Yes, for 20 years Liz has hidden the fact that she has a mustache and her choosing to unveil it makes us love Liz more for her willingness to embarass herself for Jenna’s sake. It also makes it easier for Danny to break things off with her and for Tracy to let Sue go knowing she’ll be taken care of by a good man.

Grade: A.

Favorite Quotes:

“[Pete] – We really should’ve said something. What happens when she gets there and finds out she’s the mom?

[Liz] – Oh, Pete, that’s later. Maybe we’ll be dead by then.”

30 Rock Review: Klaus and Greta

Jim Rohner — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:08:19 +0000

Episode: “Klaus and Greta” (Season Four, Episode 9)

Synopsis: After drunkenly outing her gay cousin over Christmas break, Liz must host the young man when he runs away to New York City. Also attempting to make up for drunken holiday mistake, Jack brings Kenneth to Massachusetts to erase a voicemail he left for Nancy Donovan on New Year’s Day. Meanwhile, Jenna begins a fake relationship with James Franco to distract the paparazzi from some unflattering news about the actor.

Review: More than a month after the last 30 Rock episode of the decade, the best show on TV is back. However, seeing as there were two episodes tonight, the reviews will be truncated. If you don’t like it, write your own review. Except don’t do that because then I won’t be relevant anymore.

Maybe it was rust from being away for so long or maybe the folks at NBC wanted to save their best for last, but “Klaus and Greta” was painfully mediocre. When Liz’s cousin Randy comes to stay with her, she attempts to protect the young kid from the pastiche of crazy that New York City offers around every turn. Needless to say, it doesn’t work out quite like that, with Randy instead teaching Liz how to enjoy life. In the process, there’s a few gay jokes, Liz gets locked in the closet (ironic?) and she sleeps with James Franco (more on that later). Other than that, there’s not much worth remembering.

The dynamic between Jack and Kenneth has proven to be entertaining in the past and it’s nice to see the two given an extended period of time together when they break into Nancy’s house. Jack’s romantic longings for the absent Nancy are a bit annoying and uncharacteristic for the oft-misogynistic Donaghy, especially considering he was similarly smitten with Elisa (Salma Hayek) just last season. Still, we get a few humorous moments from Kenneth fumbling with modern day computer technology and that’s worth a few laughs.

This season has seen a revitalization in the Jenna character and she was the highlight of tonight’s episode with her trademark crazy mixed with a pinch of emotion. In the process of faking a romance with James Franco, she realizes she wants something authentic and her epiphany is actually somewhat touching. Unfortunately, we have to put up with James Franco’s overacting to get there as he fumbles his way through a thread that sees him enamored with – and common law married to – a Japanese body pillow named Komiko. Komiko jokes are tossed back and forth like nobody’s business, but the only time one of them is actually funny is when she (it?), James and Liz emerge from Liz’s room after a wild night.

A glimmer of hope arose during the credits though, as Tracy, convinced Angie is pregnant with a daughter, realizes he and his entourage are too insensitive towards women and announces that he’ll be accepting a female entourage member to remedy the situation. It’s hilarious to hear Tracy berating his crew and with the three simple words of “to be continued” a relatively flat episode gives us reason to stick around.

Grade: C.

Favorite Quote: [Tracy] – “Kenneth, your haircut is disrespectful to lesbians!”

30 Rock Review: Dealbreakers Talk Show No. 0001

Jim Rohner — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:48:43 +0000

Episode: “Dealbreakers Talk Show No. 0001″ (Season Four, Episode 7)

Synopsis: After being threatened by his enemy in Washington D.C., Devon Banks (Will Arnett), Jack must make sure the first episode of Liz’s “Dealbreakers” talk show goes off without a hitch, which first involves calming Liz’s performance anxiety. Tracy, on a quest to prove to his wife he’s responsible enough to have a daughter, embarks on a quest to write the greatest song in history.

Review: As much as I love Chris Parnell as Dr. Spaceman, there seems to be trouble brewing when he appears in back-to-back episodes (granted, there was a week off for Thanksgiving). Dr. Spaceman and Devon Banks, who are usually used as the proverbial icing on the cake, were both thrown in to seemingly save a mediocre at best episode, but like everyone else tonight, came off as flat and not living up to their potential.

Perhaps it’s because the episode was written by infrequent writer Kay Cannon (only 5 series writing credits) that everything seemed a little off, but from incongruent character traits on down to the slow comedic pacing and lack of trademark camera swipes, there just didn’t feel like 30 Rock flavor injected into “Dealbreakers Talk Show No. 0001.” Liz, normally balancing the strong-willed female act with self-deprecation, stumbles through the episode usurping both traits for uncontrollable anxiety. While I understand her being anxious is essential to the plot, there’s still very little, outside of the HD camera gag, that’s worth laughing about or quoting come tomorrow morning.

In the same vein, Donaghy’s abrasive confidence seems to have completely vanished, replaced with a more mellow, almost desperate Jack that doesn’t quite endear himself to us. With both characters acting so out of character, we’re robbed of the extremely valuable Donaghy-Lemon chemistry that made the previous “Stone Mountain” such an absolutely gut-busting episode. The strongest moment for Liz comes during her brief interaction with Dr. Spaceman, during which Parnell and Fey give us this delightful exchange:

Liz: No, thank you, I can’t – I’m going to be on TV this week.
Dr. Spaceman: Really? I think you mean radio.
Liz: No, I don’t. What is..what…why do people keep saying stuff like that?
Dr. Spaceman: Hey, you seem nervous. I could give you something for that. Ugh, you know what? I’m not supposed to have sex with my patients.

With Liz busy with her show, Frank (Judah Friedlander) is placed in charge of the TGS writing staff. I’m typically not a huge fan of Frank, but it is humorous to see his emotional and physical transformation into Liz and in turn, to see that the character of Frank is capable of more than just an occasional smart ass comment. For the most part, that’s the extent of the supporting character contributions with Kenneth, Grizz, Dot Com, Pete and Banks popping in and out of the episode very quickly. However, Jenna, who has seen a bit of a resurgence in laughs this season, does come through with the little time she’s given especially during her exchange with Jack over how to calm down Liz’s nerves (who else would know better than TGS’s queen of freakouts?):

Jack: I need to talk to you. I have an actress problem.
Jenna: Okay…don’t try to move the body yourself.

But tonight’s overwhelming redeeming factor is Tracy Jordan. Continuing the fatherly tenderness introduced in the last episode, “Sun Tea,” Tracy tries to convince his wife Angie (Sherri Shepherd) that his life is incomplete and he would like to have a daughter despite his tendency to not finish things he’s started. His quest to prove his worth by winning an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony Award) by writing the greatest song in history is a quintessentially insane Tracy idea. Tracy has unquestionably been the most consistently hilarious character of season four so far and between nuggets like “Liz Lemon, I have a hole in my heart and not the one I got from eating batteries,” handcuffing Liz to his bookcase and bringing together a band of musicians to compose a song concocted out of the 5 most popular musical genres, he single-handedly saved tonight’s episode from oblivion.

Grade: C. I shudder to think what it would’ve been without Tracy.

Favorite Quote: [Jack] – “There’s a lot of history in Studio 4C: To Catch a Predator, the XFL halftime show, storage for broken copier equipment and now, Dealbreakers.”

30 Rock Review: Sun Tea

Jim Rohner — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:18:10 +0000

Episode: “Sun Tea” (Season Four, Episode 6)

Synopsis: Jack, disgusted at a rift in the Geiss family, vows to get a vasectomy so as to never have kids and convinces Tracy, who’s frustrated at his son Tracy Jr. (Bobb’e Thompson), to do the same. Liz wants to purchase the bigger, two-bedroom apartment above her when rent in her building goes up, but must first drive out the affable tenant who’s firmly entrenched there. In honor of green week, Kenneth is given the task to reduce TGS’s carbon footprint by 5%.

Review: I remember reading an article a little over a year ago entitled “30 Ways to Fix 30 Rock.“ The fact that there was an article presupposing that something about the Emmy, WGA and SAG-award winning comedy was broken struck me as absurd, but it did manage to touch on one point with which I had to concur: the show couldn’t always rely on Jack Donaghy to be its saving grace. Despite some ups and downs in season three, it seems like the minds behind the show have finally worked out that one albeit small kink and made up for it in spades here in season four, which is shaping up to be the best season of them all so far.

“Sun Tea” is a prime example. For most of the episode, Jack is relegated to the sidelines as his fellow TGS players run around causing shenanigans thanks to a fairly like inciting incident into his decision to get a vasectomy. The Geiss family squabbles are just a Macguffin and are deservedly not given much attention, but it seems like there could’ve been a more creative way to get Jack to come to a life-altering decision of getting his rocks fellered.

Still, whatever flaws may be found are more than made up for once he brings Tracy on board with the idea of getting a vasectomy. Tracy shone on last week’s “The Problem Solvers” and comes through once again as gut-busting. On top of his trademark obliviousness (“But I can’t tell you because of this little d-bag here.” “I know what they means.” “And yet you don’t tell me”) and some effective jabs at the sanitary comedy of the Cosbys (“I thought having a family was going to be like The Cosby Show: ‘oh no, Vanessa’s going to a concert!’ ‘Rudy and I are making a sandwhich for 25 minutes.’ The Cosby Show was a lie!”), he also manages to bring some heart to the episode in the relationship with Tracy Jr. Bobb’e Thompson isn’t as cute as he was in the episodes “Gavin Volure” or “The Bubble,” but in aging a year or two since then he’s seemed to have toned down just enough where it’s not far fetched when he comes off as the voice of reason. It’s touching to see Tracy Jr. making the acrostic about his father for a school project and it’s also great to see Jack shed a tear and storm out of the room with a stifled “damn you, Tracy Jr.” in response. Additionally, the vasectomy plot line ultimately leads to a visit with Dr. Spaceman (Chris Parnell) who is always – and I mean ALWAYS – hilarious anytime he’s on the show: “we all see the little black boy in the corner, right?”

Tracy’s partner in crime Jenna isn’t given as much screen time, but she delivers the goods, especially in an interaction with Liz where she admits “that sounds like something I’d come up with if I were smart.” Similarly, Kenneth does very little worth remembering in the episode, but nothing really that detracts from it either especially when it featured such a strong performance by Tina Fey. I nearly wet myself at the lustful look she had in her eye when her upstairs neighbor – the gay, hipster, police officer – told her how the flue in the fireplace makes his apartment constantly smell like Burger King during the day and Cinnabun at night and at the incredulous tone in her voice when he tells her about the second bedroom (“there’s two of them??”).

Ultimately, she can’t force him out by bribing him, frightening him off with feminine drama or intimidating with a black boyfriend (Dot Com) so she grosses him out by using Frank’s disgusting yet environmentally friendly gardening secret: urinating on the plants. This helps bring a bit of respectability to Frank’s character for the episode – it’s revealed he’s the most green-friendly TGS employee – and helps establish some credibilty to NBC’s mandated environmental message. On a show that has shown no qualms with poking at its parent company – a trend they continue with the “green peacock” comment – pushing an environmental agenda could’ve been embarrassingly pandering, but it never comes off as either preachy or degrading. Until Al Gore shows up. Gore, on the other hand, is not funny and really pushes the agenda down viewers’ throats before once again rushing off to save a whale as he did at the end of season two’s “Greenzo.” Thanks for killing the mood, Al.

Grade: B. Get rid of Gore and you get rid of the B.

Favorite Quotes:

[Tracy] – “I mean that’s a big decision. Having a family is also the best thing a man could…[looks over]…good, he’s gone. So, my story: I’m a strip club with Charles Barkley and one of the hobbits…”

[Tracy Jr.] – [walking in] “Hey daddy.”

[Tracy] – “DAMNIT! I can’t live like this! I’m getting a vasectomy too!”

30 Rock Review: The Problem Solvers

Jim Rohner — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:28:31 +0000

Episode: “The Problem Solvers” (Season Four, Episode 5)

Synopsis: The humble attitude of new TGS cast member Jack “Danny” Baker (Cheyenne Jackson) causes Jenna and Tracy to re-think their whip-cracking treatment of Kenneth as they team up to form a duo – aptly named “The Problem Solvers” – to help people solve problems rather than cause them. Meanwhile, Jack and Liz begin a business war when Liz decides to shop herself around to agents when Jack announces that he’s created a Dealbreaker talk show based on Liz’s book and wants her to host.

Review: The motley crew of 30 Rock has become a family to us dedicated fans. We’ve enjoyed the guest spots by Jon Hamm, Salma Hayek and Alan Alda, but since they all came from different worlds they never truly felt like they belong – Jon Hamm belongs on Mad Men, Salma Hayek belongs in the sexual fantasies of men and Alan Alda belongs…wherever. Ultimately, our allegiances always belonged and returned to Liz Lemon, Jack Donaghy, Tracy Jordan, et al. Tonight a new cast member joined the 30 Rock family; a cast member with no previous ties (in factual and fictional life) to any other sitcoms or films. Whether he sticks around on the show or not (chances are he won’t), it’s safe to say that his debut was worth remembering.

As soon as Danny (so called by Jack so there will only be one Jack around the studio) shows up he sets himself apart from the other cast members – he’s got a cheery disposition, eager blue eyes, and humble Canadian sensibilities, which sets up a delightful running gag about his inability to pronounce the word about instead of “aboot.” For Liz and for viewers, it’s refreshing to see the introduction of some new, ego-less blood onto the show especially considering Cheyenne Jackson has some acting chops, good comedic timing and – let’s be honest – is easy on the eyes.

His fish out of water predicament disarms Kenneth, who’s unsure how to react when his page services are not required and worries Tracy and Jenna when he says that someone like Kenneth, who has been ritually underappreciate, could one day be in charge of the company. Tracy and Jenna seem to get their best material from when they’re one in the same (small) mind and their creation of The Problem Solvers is no exception. With some good jokes, just enough sprinkling of their respective egoes, and another great running gag about how they can’t even fix their own minor problem, both Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski are possibly at their strongest they’ve been so far this season. For instance, when Jenna, donned in a t-shirt labelled “Solvers,” and Tracy, sporting a “The Problem” t-shirt to her left, notice their group name doesn’t read correctly from left to right, they come up with this gem:

Jenna: Hang on – our t-shirts are wrong. Do you want to switch where we’re standing or switch our t-shirts?
Tracy: Just to be safe, let’s do both.

That’s funny enough, but it gets even better when the scene then quickly cuts to show them standing in Liz’s office with Tracy’s shirt entirely too small and tight while Jenna’s is much too large and baggy. Just another fine example of Emmy-winning writing married to Emmy-winning editing.

Additionally, Danny’s turning of Kenneth’s world upside down ends up not only culminating in one of the show’s many characteristic industry pokes (“Mr Baker, you’ve just made me feel terrible and said the word ‘about’ correctly. Congratulations, you’re an actor!”), but also possibly one of the finer performances from Jack McBrayer. As Kenneth stands there instigating Danny to give into his anger ala Emperor Palpatine, McBrayer’s face and diction convey a quiet menace that’s really funny, kind of creepy, and overall, very impressive. It’s a great way to bring the episode back full circle as Tracy and Jenna learn to appreciate Kenneth, Kenneth finds joy in taking care of others, and Danny acclamates himself to the nuthouse that is TGS.

However, it’s Jack and Liz that once again steal the show. After taking some advice from Jenna (is there any other kind?) to seek outside representation for the Dealbreaker talk show, Liz finds herself on Jack’s bad side. Before Liz announces her seeking outside representation, it’s a little off-putting to see Jack so warm and friendly towards her, but afterward he switches right back to the good old Jack we know and love – the Jack that made Josh’s agent do the crab walk in season one’s “Hard Ball.” Liz first seeks the representation of a junior agent that must’ve seen funny on paper, but didn’t seem to be executed that well as his nerdy glasses and oversized suits make him seem like an out of place caricature. Still, Liz and Jack’s squabbles lead to an emotional ground that 30 Rock infrequently treads, but as shown in last season’s “The One,” can do quite effectively. The realization that Liz wants to do business with Jack and Jack wants to do business with Liz is touching and made no less effective by the fact that we knew they were going to reconcile the whole time. Their reunion at Rockefeller Center cutely and humorously pokes fun of the countless romance scenes filmed in New York City (complete with sappy strings and nauseating camera spins) and shows that theirs is a rapport unmatched by an television couple today. In the meantime, we also get to laugh at crappy reality programs with the mentioning of “Prison Breakdance,” “Are You Stronger Than a Dog?” and “I’m a Celebrity Dog, Get Me Arf of Here!”

Grade: A. I don’t know who the janitor is, but I hope we see him in more episodes. Having said that…

Favorite Quote: [Janitor] – “He looks like all the guys in my magazines.”

30 Rock Review: Audition Day

Jim Rohner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:00:08 +0000

Episode: “Audition Day” (Season Four, Episode 4)

Synopsis: Liz and Pete have discovered the talent they want to hire for TGS and plan to dupe Jack into hiring him, but when Jenna discovers that the lead candidate is an actor she dislikes, she and a paranoid Tracy plan to find their own candidate. Meanwhile, after word gets out that Liz has allowed Dot Com to audition, all sorts of characters come out of the woodwork to apply – including TGS writing staff.

Review: All good things must come to an end. 30 Rock season four began with three straight episodes of absolute hilarity, but the streak has come to an end with a mediocre effort tonight.

The problem was not that tonight’s episode got away from what has made the show so great, but that all the pieces were in place to make a great episode and they were just executed poorly. There were multiple instances of jokes that fell flat because they were either predictable (“Because it’s going to be a disaster, like Katrina! You remember Katrina – that crazy girl from hair and makeup?”), missed opportunities for something more (“Back in Stone Mountain, even the mayor had bed bugs and she was a horse”) or oddly out of character (Jack’s beginning speech about people being robots).

The mediocrity of the humor is disappointing considering a lot of elements that made things so good in the first three episodes were present here: a team up of Liz and Pete (“Season Four”), Jack trying to reconnect with middle-America (“Stone Mountain”) and Jenna and Tracy trying to make Liz’s life miserable (“Into the Crevasse”). Additionally, Grizz and Dot Com are given some air time, but nothing exceptional comes from their interactions. I had high hopes for Dot Com’s tryouts seeing as there were two mentions of his playing Trigorin in “The Seagull” at Wesleyan, but that was a set up that wasn’t paid off very well. How awesome would it have been to see Dot Com as a regular cast member if he was hired for the TGS crew?

The auditions in general, though, were a series of “eh” moments. Sure it’s kind of funny to see a fat black girl eating a donut for her act or to hear Frank censor-bleep his way through a standup act, but there was potential for more. After Toofer and Lutz combined for some wonderful moments last episode, their act – “Laugh of the Mohicans” – is cut off before they’re given a chance to try anything. On the plus side, Josh had a good moment when he almost cries breaking down his resume since quitting TGS – failed movie work, dropped by his agent, guy/guy web short – and the cameo by NBC’s Brian Williams was rather delightful as well.

Speaking of NBC, aside from another good jab at the network (“See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about – human empathy; it’s as useless as the Winter Olympics. This fall on NBC”), Jack is, in sharp contrast to just about every single episode ever, a weak point. From the beginning of the episode to the end, Jack just isn’t sharp. Part of the problem stems from a lack of interacting with Liz, which was gold just one episode ago, but I think it can be primarily blamed on his thinly framed thread, which sees him shunned for bed bugs (the relevant swine flu could’ve worked as a better ailment) and humbled by a robot impersonator he ends up hiring for TGS. Hopefully this ties into a larger theme of Jack learning empathy that carries through the rest of the season because on an individual episode level it’s just not believable.

Speaking of themes that carry through the season, do you think the execs at Cisco Systems come off as good sports or desperate in allowing their product to be lauded facetiously?

The robot’s hiring seems a bit throw-away, but its not falling completely flat must be credited to the intriguing twist of the episode. Jenna, convinced that Liz and Pete’s preferred comedian, Jayden Michael Tyler, is a deplorable jerk, does all she can with Tracy’s help to find someone better. The team up of Jenna and Tracy in this episode generates some good moments and it’s a delightful surprise when it turns out that not only was Jenna right the whole time about the impersonator Jayden, but that Jack doesn’t even care about him. Good to hear the voices of Martin Scorsese, Christopher Walken and Gilbert Godfried in the process, though.

Grade: C

Favorite Quotes:

[Liz] – “I’m sorry I doubted you, it’s just that you’ve never been right before. About anything.”

[Jenna] – “I know.”

30 Rock Review: Stone Mountain

Jim Rohner — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:45:41 +0000

Episode: “Stone Mountain” (Season Four, Episode 3)

Synopsis: Jack and Liz take a trip to Kenneth’s hometown of Stone Mountain, Georgia in yet another attempt to find all-American talent while Jenna attempts to charm the writing staff so she’ll get favorable roles once a new cast member is hired and they in turn attempt to charm her for an invitation to a Halloween party. Also, Tracy becomes paranoid that the Rule of Three applies to celebrity deaths and that he’ll be unlucky #3.

Review: “Everything that makes this show great made this episode great . . . you’ve got an episode that should satisfy the devoted fans who have been salivating for the show’s shenanigans and should make it clear to newcomers that the hype is justified.” That’s what I wrote in my review for the first episode of season four and part of me wishes I could take it back solely because I’ll now repeat myself by saying the same thing about tonight’s episode. I thought “Season Four” set the bar pretty high for the rest of the season, but I see that the crew of 30 Rock has once again shattered my expectations.

At the risk of repeating myself, tonight’s episode fired on all cylinders and was absolutely solid from beginning to end. I guess that’s the one bad thing about being the best show on television – all the well-deserved acclaim becomes repetative after a while. But I digress. The episode begins solidly with Liz applying a scented candle to her apparently odorous armpits and Jack cracking wise about Liz’s talent search in both San Francisco (“you’re not going to find him in the people’s gaypublic of drugafornia”) and Toronto (“Canada? Why not just go to Iraq?”). Donaghy makes a note to emphasize again the difference between middle American conservatives and New York City liberals, which raised a few concerns about the show moving past its self-reflexive pokings into the realm disconnect between its stars and its public. Those fears, however, were efficiently crushed by the episode’s climax in The Chuckle Hut…uh, make that The Laugh Factory. More on that later.

Tonight’s episode shone a little bit of the spotlight on the TGS writing staff – specifically Frank (Judah Friedlander), Toofer (Keith Powell) and Lutz (John Lutz) – who are typically relegated to brief scenes of one-liners and wisecracks. This time they’re given their own plot thread and it was surprisingly hysterical. Not surprisingly, we find out that the three writers are pretty big losers (a hot girl came to their Halloween party the year before requesting that they close the blinds), but they’re at least smart enough to concoct a plan to use the scheming Jenna to help change their fortunes when it comes to striking out with chicks. How exactly is that supposed to work? A bit like this:

Frank: We need to pretend to be Jenna’s friends for the next 24 hours – she’s our ticket to a gay Halloween.
Lutz: How come when Jenna suggests it everyone’s on board?
Frank: No, Lutz. Jenna attracts gay guys. Gay guys throw awesome Halloween parties. Hot girls go to awesome Halloween parties. Ergo, if we’re Jenna’s “friends”…
Toofer: (with Lutz): We get to spend Halloween with hot girls!
Lutz: (with Toofer): We get to spend Halloween with gay guys! (quickly) Hot girls.

Jenna eventually finds out the plan of the writers and strikes them a deal that will be mutually beneficial to all parties involved including us male members of the audience who get to see Cerie (Katrina Bowden) in her costume: an Italian senator. I didn’t understand the joke, but she was in a bikini and that’s good enough for me.

I’ve heard a lot of people say that 30 Rock sinks without Jack Donaghy and while I think the show would be lost without him, I think he would in turn be lost without Liz Lemon. Their exchanges are some of the snappiest, funniest and most revealing writing of the entire show and Baldwin and Fey play off each other magnificently. I nearly died when Liz literally forced Jack to veer his car into a fast food establishment called “Fatty Fat’s Sandwhich Ranch” and when Donaghy, unwilling to comfort a later ailing Liz, strokes her back at distance with a broom he finds in the bathroom. It’s also their story thread that alleviated my previously mentioned fears. Donaghy is shocked when the act that he signed as the new TGS talent, ventriloquist Rick Wayne (comedian Jeff Dunham), turns out to be a lot more foul-mouthed and rude than anticipated. He quickly realizes that the residents of Stone Mountain aren’t “simple.” In fact, they’re terrible. Just like the people in New York. Subsequently, we, as an audience, realize that 30 Rock’s penchant for poking fun at the elite comes not from a misguided sense of entitlement (as in, we’re rich so only we’re allowed to make fun of the rich), but from a realization that everyone loves to laugh at everyone who isn’t them. It’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek twist on the belief that all God’s children are beautiful in their differences (I believe the exact line is “all God’s children are terrible.”)

For a while, it looked as though Tracy’s story thread was going to flop. In fact, if I have one complaint about “Stone Mountain,” it’s that his story thread doesn’t really seem to resolve itself, though this could be do to the fact that my DVR cut something off after the credits and I missed it. While he (obviously) doesn’t die, we can be grateful that his thread gave us a great cameo by the always hilarious Betty White as well as another opportunity to make fun of a failed NBC experiment ala Jay Leno at the end of “Season Four.” This time, though, it’s someone MUCH more deserving of scorn: Jimmy Fallon.

(Fallon runs screaming with an axe at Tracy, who turns to meet him screaming with a wrench)
Fallon: Okay, okay, truce, truce. But if some celebrity doesn’t die soon, I’m gonna kill my first guest tonight. It’s a dog who plays soccer.
Kenneth: Really? That’s your first guess?
Fallon: Yeah… (slinks head, walks away)

Do you think Fallon cared his former SNL alum was making fun of him? Or do you think he was just happy to be on a show with more viewers than his (and that’s really saying something)?

Grade: A. The best episode of the season by far and definitely in my top 5 all time.

Favorite Quotes:

” [Kenneth] – Excuse me, Mr. Donaghy? I wasn’t sure if you were participating in this year’s pumping carving contest or, if like last year, I should ‘go jump up my own ass?’

[Jack] – Same as last year.”

30 Rock Review: Into the Crevasse

Jim Rohner — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:15:16 +0000

Episode: “Into the Crevasse” (Season Four, Episode 2)

Synopsis: Liz begins to see the negative ripple effects from her book “Dealbreakers” – especially from an aggravated Tracy Jordan – while Jack struggles to find a way to make GE profitable to appease President Obama’s Microwave and Small Appliances Task Force headed up by his arch-enemy Devon Banks (Will Arnett).

Review: After the bar was set so high by “Season Four,” I was a little skeptical about how successfully “Into the Crevasse” would follow up. But, after Jack deflected Devon’s pretend laser blast with a pretend laser shield, I knew that season four was going to be 2-2. Not only did writer Robert Carlock continue the self-reflexivity and social commentary that Tina Fey laid down in the previous episode, but he was also smart enough to dole out the successful elements from “Season Four” in effective proportions: plenty of Jack and Devon, a splash of social commentary, and just a touch of the supporting characters who, like salt, can enhance the flavor of a product with just enough and ruin it with too much.

Example #1: Jack and Devon. I’ll get to that later, because it’s the highlight of the episode, so for now, let’s start with…

Example #2: Social commentary. Thanks to our president (“who is Kenyan and smokes cigarettes, by the way”) Jack is forced to answer to a task force for microwaves and small appliances because he refuses to accept a government handout – it’s corporate welfare, after all. Jack Donaghy has always been the satirical embodiment of the Conservatie corporate exec, so maybe it’s not so much the show’s focus as much as society’s focus that now he’s come to embody corporate excess and Conservative foolishness moreso than he has before. Either way, it’s great to see Donaghy defend himself against accusations of GE execs using helicopters to dry their tennis courts (“yes it did happen and no it didn’t not happen”), putting a party clown on a retainer with a 6-figure payroll (“Silly Willy’s fee was advertised for all birthday’s company wide”) and betting company money at the racetrack (“But I have system for that”). The system, by the way, is based on the size of a horses penis. It may seem a little far-fetched – it is a comedy after all – but the rich people of the world are unintentionally hilarious themselves in the stupid shit on which they’ve blow money. At least here we can laugh at it. On second thought, maybe it does go a tad bit overboard, but I attribute that to the “Produced by” credit for Alec Baldwin, who vowed to leave the country if Bush was re-elected in 2004. Clearly that worked out.

Example #3: Supporting characters. I love Tracy, Jenna and Kenneth, I really do. But I love them in smaller doses than I love Liz and Jack. And I love Frank and the TGS writing crew in even smaller doses than I love everyone else. A little bit too much of one and not enough of the other can throw off an episode, but the supporting characters were given just enough screen time to really effective. Kenneth, whose country bumpkin naivety can be tiresome if laid on too thick, sticks around just long enough to make an effective joke about his mom’s boyfriend, Ron, then steps aside so that his adoption of way too many orphaned dogs can be used for the much funnier Tracy to get his revenge on Liz. Tracy is just crazy enough to work (highlights include him bringing a reef shark to Liz’s apartment in black, plastic garbage bag when his wife kicks him out) and Jenna’s oblivious egotism doesn’t take up too much of our time that’s better served on…

Example 4: That is to say, Example 1: Jack and Devon. Guest stars have always been a strength for 30 Rock and I would argue that there is none better than Will Arnett’s flamingly homosexual yet threatening Devon Banks. He’s the perfect foil to Jack and with Donaghy’s eventual humbling experience of accepting government bailout money – crawling into the crevasse, he calls it – it’s guaranteed we’ll see more of him in the future. Then we’ll be able to witness more exchanges like this one:

Devon: You know, revenge is a dish best served cold, Jack; like shashimi or pizza.
Jack: You prefer cold pizza?
Devon: The morning after? It’s the best.
Jack: Better than hot pizza? That’s insane!
Devon: You don’t tell me what kind of pizza to like!

It’s a completely absurd exchange, but with both actors so comically intense, it’s like watching two 8-year-olds arguing in suits. In a way, though, maybe that’s the social commentary sneaking back in.

Grade: A. Keep it coming. Two in a row is a coincidence, but three becomes a trend.

Favorite Quote: Please refer to the aforementioned exchange between Jack and Devon.

OAM + 31 Days of Horror: Dead of Night

Jim Rohner — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:00:41 +0000

Dead of Night (1945)

Synopsis: A group of six friends gathers together one afternoon in a cottage in the English country side. Walter Craig (Mervyn Jones) shows up to consult with the owner about restoring the aging abode, but is taken about when he realizes he’s met all the guests before – in a recurring dream. He can’t recall details of the dream, but he feels a terrible foreboding that it ends in horror. His claims of clairvoyance spur a discussion amongst the group about the probability of the paranormal, with everyone, including the skeptical Dr. Van Straaten (Frederick Valk), recalling their own personal experiences with things they can’t explain.

Killer Scene: Seeing as Dead of Night is an anthology film made up of five separate stories within one larger framework, there are many memorable and sufficiently frightening images worth mentioning. However, the sequence that stands head and shoulders above the rest has to be the film’s climax in which Walter Craig, experiencing a pastiche nightmare involving images from all the previously told tales, finds himself face-to-face with Hugo, a ventriloquist dummy that opens its eyes, addresses Walter then rises to walk over and strangle Walter as a group of evil-looking onlookers cackle evilly.

KillSheet

Violence: The body count for the film tops out at two – one by strangulation and one by suicide by drowning – and there are a grand total of three physical blows, though one is a slap across the face of a dummy. None of them are gory – it was the 1940’s after all.

Sex: Though the young Sally O’Hara (Sally Ann Howes) is attractive in a girl nextdoor sort of way, this film is about as sexy as a Quaker meeting.

Scares: Completely devoid of jump scares, Dead of Night provides sufficiently creepiness through its ominous atmosphere and some truly frightening images.

Final Thoughts: Before Trick ‘r Treat, before Creepshow, before any other horror anthology you’ve probably ever seen, Dead of Night set the standard for how horror anthologies should properly play out. What allows it to work despite no blood, no sex and no jump scares is the skillful writing that builds the foreboding dread with its intelligent structure. The first tale, about a race car driver’s vision that allows him to avoid his own demise in bus accident, is a benevolent paranormal occurrence. But as they go along, the tales get more and more ill-fated and evil until the film’s self-prophecying and borderline nihilistic conclusion. Also, no matter how many times I see it, stories involving talking dummies never ceases to give me the heebie jeebies.

TV Review: 30 Rock – Season Four

Jim Rohner — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:00:51 +0000

Episode: “Season Four” (Season Four, Episode 1)

Synopsis: In order to reconnect with middle America during the recession, Jack forces Liz and the TGS crew to find a new cast member, upsetting both Tracy and Jenna in the process. Despite the recession, Jack is still receiving very lucrative bonuses, a fact that upsets Kenneth to the point of staging a page strike.

Author’s Note: Due to my inability to watch the episode when it aired on Thursday, October 15, I had to base my review on a screener DVD that NBC sent me in the mail. Elements may have been changed from the screener rough cut to the aired final version, so please keep that in mind if you read any discrepancies.

Review: Welcome back, 30 Rock. How I missed you. Did you miss me? Of course you didn’t. You’re a multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy show on NBC and I’m an online film and TV critic who ate Sour Patch Kids for dinner tonight. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re back and if “Season Four” is any indication, it’s going to be another excellent year.

Just a shade over a month after 30 Rock once again cemented its superiority at the Emmy Awards, season 4 kicked off by flexing each and every one of the show’s comedic muscles, proving why each statuette was well-deserved, including the one that it should’ve won, but didn’t (did anyone even watch United States of Tara?). Everything that makes this show great made this episode great from the writing to the performances to the show’s characteristic self-reflexivity. Throw in a dash of social commentary and you’ve got an episode that should satisfy the devoted fans who have been salivating for the show’s shenanigans and should make it clear to newcomers that the hype is justified.

Perhaps it was nostalgia (as nostalgic as one can be after only a 5 month break) that made me so excited, but it was wonderful to not only see Jack, Liz, Tracy, Jenna and Kenneth back in action, but also to see the inclusion of minor characters like Grizz and Dot Com, who were under-utilized last season in my opinion, Pete Hornberger and Josh. Forgot about Josh, didn’t you? Think that’s a good sign? The minor characters aren’t utilized too much – for a season premiere it’s enough just to still know they’re still relevant – but their infrequent contributions are memorable including (ironically) a running gag about how everyone forgets Josh exists and the chuckle-inducing “Lutz smash.” Pete plays a larger role than he has in episodes past, which is refreshing because the interplay between Scott Adsit and Tina Fey is sharp and I damn near busted a gut when they lie about having an affair to try and cover the fact that they’ve been going to comedy clubs to try and find a new cast member:

Frank: Are you guys doing it?
Liz: (long pause) Yes, yes, we are doing it.
TGS Writers: Eww…
Liz: So there you go. Case closed. Pete and I are intercoursing each other. [In walks Pete's wife]

I’ve been trying to use the word “intercourse” as a verb for years, but it’s much funnier when Tina Fey says it.

Another pair that don’t get together too often or for too lengthy of a time is Jack and Kenneth, but the two frequently butt heads in this episode after Kenneth incites a page strike. Kenneth as a character is at his funniest when his naivety comes into conflict with, well, everything the season premiere finds him upset after Jack lied about having no money for page overtime pay while still receiving a hefty bonus check. Jack, as usual, is merciless and Kenneth, as usual is stubborn. In a delightful twist though, it’s not Kenneth’s good nature that eventually melts away Jack’s moral inadequacy, but the other way around as Kenneth learns that with great power comes great responsibility, i.e., “massaging” the truth about the self-centered nature behind the page strike.

But what really made me fall in love with “Season Four” is Tina Fey’s self-reflexive script. Audiences welcome with open arms when a celebrity lampoons themselves (Michael Bay’s “Awesome” FiOS commercial, for instance) and this episode is full of that. From the book ends of Jack addressing the camera to Liz and Pete talking condescendingly about comedy clubs and improv. troups (Tina Fey and Scott Adsit are Second City veterans) to the episode title, there seems to be an extra layer of meta-comedy at work through the entire 22-minute running time. Additionally, I can’t help but wonder how much of Tracy Jordan’s wandering through the streets trying to reconnect with middle America (“Are you a large child or a small adult?” “You look regular. Can I guess your name?”) is based on the batshit crazy things Tracy Morgan actually does. For all we know, that segment could’ve been filmed from a distance as Morgan wandered the streets talking to unsuspecting New Yorkers.

Grade: A. Welcome back, 30 Rock!

Favorite Quote: Tie:

[Jack] – “To TGS – We’ll trick those racecar-loving wideloads into watching your lefty, homoerotic propaganda hour yet.”

[Jack] – “Step into the light, Lemon. There’s nothing wrong with being fun and popular and just giving people what they want. (Addressing the camera) Ladies and gentlemen, Jay Leno.”

Old Ass Movies: Kill For the Money with ‘Double Indemnity’

Jim Rohner — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:00:28 +0000

Every week, Film School Rejects presents a movie that was made before you were born and tells you why you should like it. This week, Old Ass Movies presents:

Double Indemnity (1944)

Where’s the love for Billy Wilder? In discussions about the greatest film directors of all time, you’ll hear all the usual suspects – Coppola, Godard, Scorsese, Kurosawa, Spielberg – but I bet you most people will neglect to mention Wilder in their first ten responses, if they even mention him at all. That’s a damn shame. If ever there was an underrated director who deserved lavish praise, it’s Wilder. Spanning a career in which he was active as a writer for five decades and a director for almost four, the Polish-born filmmaker accumulated 6 Oscar wins and 21 nominations. That’s more wins than Coppola (5), Spielberg (3), and Clint Eastwood (4) and more nominations than Coppola (14), Stanley Kubrick (13), Scorsese (8) and both Joel and Ethan Coen combined (16).

But maybe accolades aren’t your cup of tea. Maybe you’re more interested in a film’s staying power. Well, maybe you realize it, maybe you don’t, but some of Wilder’s creations are still being referenced in films and pop culture today. Where do you think the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe futilely trying to hold down her white dress over a steam vent originated? (The Seven Year Itch, 1955). Who do you think wrote the oft-quoted line, “I’m ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille?” (Sunset Boulevard, 1950). Personally, I love Billy Wilder because he did whatever the hell he wanted to do, did it well, and did it all while working inside an often oppressive Hollywood system. Wilder utilized both his position in the industry and his skillful craft to hold a mirror up to society and reveal its ills and it was Double Indemnity, his first flirtation with Oscar gold as a director, in which he showed how observant and scathing a social critic he could be.

Double Indemnity follows Walter Neff (Fred McMurray), an insurance salesman at Pacific All Risk, as he falls for disgruntled housewife Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck). What begins as a standard sales visit about car insurance renewal, slowly builds piece by piece into a tale of infatuation, intrigue and murder. The consummate expert, Neff devises a scheme in which he can connive Mr. Dietrichson to unknowingly sign a life insurance policy with a double indemnity clause that will guarantee $100,000 to his wife upon his death. And at Neff’s hands, die he does. However, no murder is a perfect murder and the fumbles that both conspirators commit don’t escape the attention of Neff’s colleague, Walter Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), who possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of insurance claims and a flawless talent at sniffing out fraud. As carefully as the scheme was built, piece by piece it begins to come apart until, as Neff confesses, “I killed him for money – and a woman – and I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman. Pretty isn’t it?”

Though Double Indemnity was his first foray into film noir, Wilder nailed every essential element of the distinctive genre. The plot, based on a novel by James M. Cain, is a hard-boiled thriller that weaves an engaging story with each passing scene. The film boasts the strongest performance of Fred MacMurray’s career, who emotes lust, treachery, conflict and remorse better with his eyes than most actors do today with their entire bodies. Keep in mind, this is the actor who would later go on to star in such family-friendly films as The Shaggy Dog and The Absent Minded Professor. This casting off type is yet another example of Wilder playing by his own rules; a tactic doubly successful with hot-headed gangster type Robinson (Little Rico) playing the voice of emotionless logic. The film has the stark, contrast lighting (courtesy of 7-time Oscar nominee John F. Seitz) and razor sharp dialog (“She was a tramp from a long line of tramps”) one would expect from noir and, perhaps most importantly, an intoxicating and sadistic femme fetale. Show me a man who doesn’t think Barbara Stanwyck is sexy in every frame of this film and I’ll show you a liar.

It’s apropos that Wilder pulled off a genre with such a socially pessimistic worldview as it’s the perfect vehicle for his commentary on the dehumanizing world he saw around him – specifically, the world of Hollywood, California. To begin with, what better profession could our protagonist work in then insurance where the individuality of people is stripped away and categorized into facts and figures? (Interestingly, it’s rumored that the bland, hive-like look of the Pacific All Risk office was modeled after the interior of Paramount Pictures, the studio that produced the film). The walls of Keyes’s office are covered with charts and graphs and facts and figures and in one revealing scene he goes off on a long rant about the mind-boggling plethora of suicide categories Pacific All Risk has on file: “…Suicide by race, by color, by occupation, by sex, by seasons of the year, by time of day. Suicide, how committed: by poison, by firearms, by drowning, by leaps…” Further still, while we’re given enough information to know that Mr. Dietrichson was not an admirable fellow, we never even learn his first name. What we do know, and what’s repeated multiple times, is the amount of money his wife will receive upon his death. Dietrichson’s identity, further still, his worth, becomes completely determined by a dollar value.

There’s a lot of talk about anonymity and a removed approach to events within the film. Neff likens his inciting the events to a machine, saying “there was no stopping it now” and “the gears had meshed” and the way Keyes describes murder is as a train that two people take all the way to the end of the line. This implies there are not unique individuals involved, but just pieces of a larger, colder institution. When Dietrichson is killed, the act occurs off camera, with a stationery shot on Phyllis’s face as she stares ahead with a blank, almost robotic expression. Elaborating on this point, there are multiple scenes in the film in which characters go into public places in order to be alone. To collect his thoughts, Neff goes to a bowling alley, probably one of the louder environments one could find oneself in, and when he and Phyllis want to discuss the details of their scheme, they meet in a grocery store – the one place where every citizen of every race, color and creed NEEDS to go to consume. While Neff and Phyllis are concerned about murder and insurance claims, the customers around them are concerned with how high baby food is on the shelf. No people. Just products. Humorous, though, that within that one locale, everyone is concerned about money and what it will get them.

In many ways, it would seem as though the California environment has dehumanized Neff, Phyllis and those around them. As a machine performs one continuous task, Double Indemnity leads us to believe that if it wasn’t Neff, it would be another man, then possibly another and another and on and on for Phyllis Dietrichson. Maybe Neff was just a cog in a machine, a tool, a means to an end. Maybe in Hollywood, that’s what everybody is. Wilder certainly seemed to think so.

Movies We Love: Heat

Jim Rohner — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:08:52 +0000

Heat (1995)

A guy told me one time, “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”

Synopsis

Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), a soft-spoken, solitary and efficient bank robber, plans one last bank haul before he and his crew split forever. Trying to stop him is Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), whose unwavering dedication to his job has come at the expense of a stable family life.

Why We Love It

Do you remember your first R-rated movie? Take your time to think about it – I’m not going anywhere. Got it? Do you remember how old you were when you watched it? Do you remember what you felt when the closing credits rolled and you had officially taken in your first “grown up” film? I remember very clearly. I was in 5th or 6th grade at the time (probably a late bloomer in comparison to some people reading this) and my brother, 7 years my elder, had accumulated a stack of VHS tapes that he had swiped when the video store for which he used to work went out of business. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and neither of us had anything to do so he walked into his bedroom, emerged with a two-tape set and asked, “want to watch Heat? It’s the only movie ever to have both Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in it.” Now, I was very young at this point and nowhere near the wannabe pretend self-important self-proclaimed cinephile that I am today, but even still, I could appreciate to some extent what it meant to have both De Niro and Pacino in the same movie. For a kid my age, it was the cinematic equivalent of Wrestlemania 6 in which Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior squared off for the first time in a championship bout. I was glued to the screen for every single frame of the film’s 188-minute running time and to this day I still can recall the first thought that passed through my head after Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) died with his hand clenched tightly in the hand of the lamenting Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino): “holy shit! R-rated movies are so much better than PG-13.”

Before Heat was made, Pacino and De Niro were collectively the stars of such films as The Godfather Part I and Part II, Raging Bull, Dog Day Afternoon, GoodFellas, and Carlito’s Way just to name a few. With the two Italian-American method actors in the peak of their careers, it would’ve taken a magnificent script of utmost perfect and a director with an ego as big as theirs to wrangle these two together. Enter Michael Mann. Though he had yet to step behind the camera for Academy fodder like The Insider and Ali, Mann’s impressive work with film and TV crime dramas (Manhunter, Thief, co-creator and producer of Miami Vice) showed he had the creative mind necessary to handle a cops and robbers movie of such scope and his previous feature, The Last of the Mohicans, which starred the phenomenal Daniel Day-Lewis, proved that he could handle serious actors. All the pieces were in place for something big – huge, even. Fast forwarding to 14 years later, Heat stands out as a watermark in cinema history. That its legacy of being the only De Niro/Pacino vehicle has been tainted by the abysmal Righteous Kill, a.k.a., Fuck You, Pay Me is unfortunate, but to this day Heat still stands out as a spectacular film and arguably the greatest cops and robbers movie in history.

The draw of Heat, like its leads, is two-sided in appealing to both sides of the movie-going spectrum. On the one hand, we have the general masses that flood multiplexes every weekend and who couldn’t tell you what an f-stop was if their lives depended on it. As demonstrated by the recent box office receipts for Transformers: Revenge of Michael Bay, this side of the spectrum doesn’t require much from a film to be entertained and will often find satisfaction through fights, explosions, car chases, and other sequences of sensory overload. Heat will satisfy these folks in spades. Within the first 20 minutes, 4 masked men with M-16s have robbed an armored truck, executed the three guards, laid spike traps for responding police cars, destroyed the getaway vehicle and made off with $16 million worth of bonds. On top of that, as Hanna points out later when he responds to the scene, these guys are slick: they pricked a prime location to nail their target (two freeway on-ramps nearby), they were knowledgeable about police response time and efficient in their task (finishing the job in less than 3 minutes), they knew exactly what they wanted (all the loose cash was left untouched) and they don’t hesitate to get down to business (once one guard was executed, they didn’t hesitate to eliminate other potential witnesses).

In the film’s first two parallel scenes – the inaugural heist and Hanna’s responding to the scene – Mann shows tremendous craftmanship in establishing who the film’s primary players are, what they want, and what we can expect from them for the duration of the film without any dross, unnecessary exposition, or gaudy showmanship. Right away we know that McCauley’s crew is damn good at what they do and that Hanna is equally as good at what he does. Right away we’re hooked.

But for two men to be so good at what they do requires some type of sacrifice, some type of compensation for which the two can atone for their amazing set of skills. In this regard – in showing the consequences both men face on a daily basis for their chosen paths in life – Heat stands head and shoulders above other crime films. Sure, a lot of movies about cops and/or robbers will show some type of black to contrast the white (the cop’s partner, who was also his best friend got killed, the robber’s love interest finds out he’s a robber, the cop’s family is in danger, etc.), but Mann makes sure that the audience realizes and accepts that when it comes to both breaking the law and upholding the law, there is no such thing as black and white. Instead, there are just many subtle levels of gray. McCauley, though good at what he does, insists he can never get attached to anything or anyone in case he was to run at the drop of a hat. So what happens when he starts to fall for Eady (Amy Brenneman)? And what happens when she finds out who he really is? On the flip side of the coin, Hanna is a devoted husband and a loving father – when he’s actually around the house. A cop doesn’t develop Hanna’s reputation or resume of failed marriages (3 by the time the film finishes up) by being a constant presence at home. Heat, better than any crime film I can think of, clearly conveys a constant sense of high stakes not just because of how the lives of the main characters will be effected, but how the consequences trickle down to all those around them too. At two separate points in the film, we see both the law and the outlaws at dinner gatherings with friends and family. Recalling these jubilant scenes after the blood has spilled at the end make it seem like they were scenes from a different film; or that maybe we only hoped they were because of how much division has been caused since then.

And the performances – oh Lordy the performances! Forget for just a moment that Heat features Pacino and De Niro when they actually cared about their craft and not about paychecks and focus on the supporting cast. Clocking in solid and nuanced performances are also Tom Sizemore as McCauley’s muscle, Ashley Judd as a conflicted lover, Kevin Gage as the masochistic thug who betrays McCauley, Natalie Portman as Hanna’s emotionally disturbed step-daughter and Jon Voight as, well, a crusty old guy. Also, for those of who out there who like to bash on Val Kilmer, I submit to you this film as Exhibit B (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang would be Exhibit A) that Kilmer is a talented actor who can handle drama and action at the same time. Thanks to Kilmer, the character of Chris Shiherlis is equally frightening in how quick his temper flares and endearingly pathetic in how devoted he is to the woman, Charlene (Judd), who can’t stand his abuse. But yes, let’s be honest, Pacino and De Niro are the center of attention with Pacino, in my opinion, stealing the show. There are some classic Pacino rants (“GIMME ALL YOU GOT! GIMME ALL YOU GOT!”) as well as some quiet nuggets of wisdom from De Niro (“We’ve been face to face, yeah. But I will not hesitate. Not for a second.”)

Moment We Fell in Love

THE Scene. Based on a real-life occurrence in which a Chicago detective once met the real Neil McCauley under non-violent circumstances, this is what everyone who wanted a film with both De Niro and Pacino wanted to see. During the second half of the film, Hanna pulls over McCauley on an L.A. freeway and approaches the car as McCauley readies a pistol in case he has to use it. “How ya doin?” Hanna inquires. “What do you say I buy you a cup of coffee?” Less than a minute later, the two titans of method acting are sitting face to face on screen for the first time in history. Their characters are openly challenging, but not openly antagonistic towards each other and indeed as the conversation progresses, they even come to respect each other. “And now that we’ve been face to face, if I’m there and I gotta put you away,” Hanna tells McCauley, “I won’t like it.” Though neither of them have any illusions about whether they’d literally and metaphorically pull the trigger when the time came, it’s this scene that makes Hanna’s facial expression all the more telling after McCauley lies dying before him at the end. He respected this man so much, is it possible that he took no joy at all in doing what he had to do? No black and white. Just gray.

Final Thoughts

As universally lauded as this movie is (I’ve yet to meet one person who’s seen it and not thought it was great), I am actually surprised by how still relatively unknown it is. I regularly run into people who have never even heard that this movie exists even though they’ve seen/heard of Raging Bull, The Godfather and other movies featuring the two leads. Even more surprising is how overlooked it was in the past. Look up Heat on IMDB and check out its awards page. Notice the Oscar nominations and wins? None. Notice the Golden Globe nominations and wins? None. Val Kilmer couldn’t even snag Most Desirable Male from the MTV Movie Awards. However, similar to great overlooked films of the past such as Blade Runner, Children of Men and my previous entry, Groundhog Day, Heat seems to be a film that needs no statues or plaques to justify its greatness. It’s just great. The two greatest living actors thought so when they read the script more than 14 years ago at least and thank God for that.

For more movies that will warm your movie-loving heart, browse through our Movies We Love Archive.

Movies We Love: Groundhog Day

Jim Rohner — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:00:24 +0000

Groundhog Day (1993)

I told you. I wake up every day, right here, right in Punxsutawney, and it’s always February 2nd, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Synopsis

Arrogant, self-centered weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) finds himself re-living the same day – February 2nd, Groundhog Day – over and over again.

Why We Love It

Neither Bill Murray nor Harold Ramis are likely to receive lifetime achievement awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In fact, the closest either of them have ever gotten to Oscar gold was when Murray watched the statuette he could’ve won handed off to Sean Penn in 2004. Ramis, though his name is attached to some of the most classic comedies in history (Animal House, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Vacation), can only claim a BAFTA as the most prestigious award he’s placed on his mantel. Granted, winning an Academy Award neither vindicates someone any more than not winning one confirms worthlessness. Keep in mind – Gwyneth Paltrow won an Oscar and Stanley Kubrick did not. Still, in 1993, Murray and Ramis got together to work on a screenplay by Danny Rubin that would be hailed by cinephiles and story experts over a decade later for its tweaking of the three-act screenplay structure. One year later, Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary would walk away with Oscars for doing the same thing.

Groundhog Day is deceptively good. The film is so hilarious, so touching and so endearing (more on all that later) that it distracts you as a viewer from how well-written it actually is. Once you discover and begin to understand that, though, it adds a whole other level of appreciation. If you’ve seen the film and love it as much as I do, it might be hard to distance yourself from it enough to understand how odd and – dare I say it – boring a pitch like Groundhog Day sounds. Think about it: “Hey (insert name of friend), let’s watch this movie. It’s about a guy who re-lives the same day over and over again.” “Why would I want to see that?” (insert name of friend) may respond. “If I’ve seen one day, I’ve seen them all.” Sure, the fact that the film stars Bill Murray when he was in his unconcerned-with-indie-cred prime may attract some, but with just a little imagination, I’m sure you can begin to marginally understand why it may not immediately appeal to everyone.

However, if you manage to convince this friend to watch the film, I can guarantee you that, assuming his/her soul is not in Satan’s possession, they will have laughed countless times on their way to being fully emotionally invested in Phil, his relationship with Rita and his development as a character.

In essence, this friend will have fallen victim, in the best possible way, to the masterful, subtle nuances of a script that perfectly hits every emotional note at every carefully scripted plot point. They’ve followed Phil’s journey, they’ve bought into what the filmmakers are selling and the story has progressed as smoothly as any three-act screenplay out there. But wait – don’t forget that this has all been accomplished thanks to the unending cycle of Groundhog Day. Though chronologically repetitious, the narrative is progressing forward. Phil is only able to move forward by going back. The best part, though, is that despite this convention, the repeating cycle doesn’t draw attention to itself. Thanks to strong performances and concise editing (courtesy of 3-time Oscar-nominee Pembroke J. Herring), the chronological invention blends into the background, never becoming gimmicky or cheap.

It’s this little tweak that warrants the screenplay’s praise from the likes of Robert McKee, but if subtleties of the art of screenwriting aren’t your cup o’ tea (this is, after all, Film School Rejects), there’s still plenty on Groundhog Day’s surface to enjoy. For one thing, there’s the aforementioned Bill Murray. Murray is famous for his ability to improvise during shoots and his reuniting with longtime friend and collaborator Harold Ramis left him plenty of opportunity to flex his comedic muscles. Harnessing his signature dry delivery and cynical wit, Murray delivers memorable and quote-worthy gems such as:

Can’t you check the satellite? Is it snowing in space?
People like blood sausage too, people are morons.
This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.
Ned, I would love to stay here and talk with you… but I’m not going to.

But Murray is not just funny. Groundhog Day, more so than any other film he had acted in at that point, proved that the comedian could also handle the emotional weight expected of leading men. As Phil is forced to re-live February 2nd again and again, we’re witness to a journey that sees him run the emotional gamut from confusion, to anger, to depression, to lunacy, to deception, to acceptance, and finally, to happiness and Murray shines in emanating all of these moods believably and genuinely. By the time he tells Rita, “I don’t deserve someone like you. But if I ever could, I swear I would love you for the rest of my life,” we sympathize with him for the weariness his voice conveys, but we also buy in to the idea that he’s finally learned to love someone other than himself.

May God strike me down, though, if I don’t at least mention the phenomenal supporting cast, all of whom add their own important piece in making Punxsutawney seem like a great place in which to live – or rent at first: there’s Larry (Chris Elliot), the endearingly pathetic cameraman (“You know, I think that most people just think that I hold a camera and point at stuff, but there is a *heck* of a lot more to it than just that”); Gus (Rick Ducommun), a local drunk who regrets leaving the Navy (“Hey Phil, if we wanted to hit mailboxes we could let Ralph drive”); Buster (Brian Doyle-Murray), the head groundhog honcho (“If you have to shoot, aim high, I don’t want to hit the groundhog”); and everyone’s favorite, “Needle Nose” Ned Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky), the over-stimulated insurance salesman with whom Phil went to high school (“And I gots a feeling *whistles* you ain’t got any. Am I right or am I right or am I right? Right? Right?”)

Moment We Fell in Love

Ramis has said that in his mind, Phil Connors was stuck re-living February 2nd for over 1000 years. Recalling this, the diner scene in which Phil finally convinces Rita of his situation becomes all the more touching. What seemingly starts out as an arrogant, absurd revelation (“I’m A god. I’m not THE God…I don’t think”) develops into the most poignant scene in the entire film, climaxing when he delivers the quote italicized at the top of the page. As he walks through the diner, straight faced, answering Rita’s challenge to identify every random patron she chooses, the magnitude of his journey finally hits us. “I know all about you,” he tells Rita and we see in his eyes that he means it. He’s had over 1000 years to get to know her and in that time he’s come to love her, appreciate her and he wants her to believe him not just because he needs help, but because he wants her to know him, to love him, to appreciate him as well.

Final Thoughts

With so much done well in this film, what screenplay could possibly have beaten it for an Oscar in 1994? Technically, it wasn’t beaten by any film, seeing as Rubin’s screenplay wasn’t even nominated. More than 15 years later, though, it seems Groundhog Day is finally being appreciated for the brilliant film that it is. In fact, in January, Rubin was invited to speak at the Guggenheim on the subject of time. Perhaps it’s better that it didn’t garner enough attention upon its release, as those who love the film really love it, even more so because it’s almost like cinemas’s best kept secret and they’re in on it. Still, for a film that’s still being talked about in film schools all across the country, it would’ve been nice to at least win a Golden Globe. Do you know what screenplay beat it out? Dave. Try and name me the screenwriter for Dave without looking it up on IMDB. Can’t do it, can you? It was Gary Ross. How many times do you think Gary Ross has been asked to give speeches on presidential impersonators? My guess is none.

Film School Rejects » Jim Rohner

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