NJ_jimcat Reviews

Haiku Tunnel (2001)

A monologue that doesn't translate well to film.

[6/10 · 12 June 2003]

The most telling bit of information in this film comes during the closing credits, when it tells us that this film was "Based on the monologue 'Haiku Tunnel' by Josh Kornbluth". And that's how this film feels -- like a monologue, not like a drama. Kornbluth ignores the "show, don't tell" rule that I thought EVERY writer learns in their very first writing class. As a result, we are treated to needless voice-overs, and jarring cutaways from "Josh Kornbluth" the character to Josh Kornbluth the director, "explaining" the plot as if his audience is too stupid to think for themselves.

The essence of drama is a threat to one's identity. We quickly grasp Josh's identity as a neurotic creative type in a stifling corporate world, and we're shown how "going perm" at the law firm constitutes a threat to that identity. His repeated failure to mail the "17 very important letters" is an act of rebellion (sometimes conscious and sometimes not), to keep that identity from being submerged. But in the end, thanks to the intervention of his boss and co-workers, he succumbs to the corporate mindset.

That's the plot in a nutshell. A great movie could have been made out of it. Instead, we get a lot of distracting asides regarding the quirks of temp workers and, lawyers, and legal secretaries. This is fine in a comedic monologue, but death to a film.

It's not a terrible film, and it does have its funny moments, although I'll agree with the other viewers who said that it comes nowhere near "Office Space". Kornbluth ought to try again, with a script written as a movie rather than a warmed-over monologue. Then we'll see whether or not he can actually give us a good film.

Gung Ho (1986)

Welcome Back to the Lost World of the 80's.

[8/10 · 22 October 2002]

Sherman, set the wayback machine for... 1986. The United States was just climbing out of its worst postwar recession, while Japan was enjoying an unprecedented industrial boom. Manufacturing industries were still a significant part of the US economy, and factory workers were a good example of the "average American". The word "downsizing" hadn't entered the general vocabulary yet, but everyone knew the phenomenon. Bruce could be heard on the radio singing, "Foreman says these jobs are going, boy, and they ain't coming back to your hometown." Chrysler had just been bailed out by Uncle Sam. Bumper stickers could be seen saying "Buy American -- the job you save may be your own."

"Gung Ho" does a better job of capturing the mood of the American industrial workforce than just about any other popular movie made during that period. Certainly the movie has its flaws -- some loose plot threads and mediocre acting jobs by everyone except Michael Keaton and Gedde Watanabe. But the story really is about the meeting of East and West: Keaton's Hunt Stevenson personifies America, brash and confident on the outside yet insecure underneath. Watanabe's Kazuhiro personifies Japan, on top of the heap with a successful system, but wondering if there is more to be learned from their Western rivals. The movie's plot, flawed as it is, simply provides a framework for the conflict, and eventually synthesis, of their two personalities.

Keaton's acting overshadows everyone else's, and practically makes the movie by itself. I've always admired Keaton for his ability to deliver lines that feel improvised, no matter what script he's following. His character, Hunt Stevenson, is a likable, affable everyman, a natural leader with a wise-ass streak. But he has a fatal flaw common to many of us: he doesn't want to disappoint anyone. He'll distract the crowd with inspirational anecdotes, and even lie, rather than point out the ugly truth.

Kazuhiro is the mirror image of Stevenson: shy and introspective, but also, because of his Japanese upbringing, reluctant to be the bearer of bad news. The scene in which Stevenson first comes to Kazuhiro with the employees' grievances captures perfectly the Japanese approach to workplace conflict. Kazuhiro replies to Stevenson's complaints with "I understand what you are saying," but won't refuse his requests out loud. Stevenson misinterprets this as agreement, and goes away saying, "Okay, we've got that settled." (This is still a problem in Japanese-American business relations in the 21st century!)

Ultimately, Kazuhiro and Stevenson have the same problem: get the factory working smoothly, meet production goals, and fulfill their responsibility to the workers under them. In working towards this goal, they each have to take a page from the others' book. Kazuhiro's family becoming more "Americanized" is an obvious example. Also note that Stevenson thinks it's odd when Kazuhiro explains how he had to make a public apology to his workers for failing them -- and yet, later in the movie, Stevenson does exactly that himself.

The plot and its resolution are a little cornball, but hey, this is a comedy. If you can overlook the movie's flaws, there is a great story about self-realization and open-mindedness here.

L.I.E. (2001)

Realistic, pulls no punches.

[19 July 2002]

This story rings true because it's something that happens in the real world all the time, whether people want to admit it or not. The film captures events and emotions that are complex, challenging, and confusing.

Howie, a young, intelligent, good-looking boy attracts attention from the same sex and isn't sure how he feels about it. He meets "Big John", and finds himself fascinated and impressed by the man's life, flattered and a bit scared at the attention he shows, and also somewhat repulsed by the man's attraction for young boys.

John, for his part, begins the relationship from a position he's quite familiar with: using his power as a worldly and canny adult to manipulate someone else. He feels physically attracted to Howie, but as they spend more time together, he sees the depth of the boy's character and a sensitivity similar to his own. Howie brings out the good side in John (and some people may be shocked that the film shows how a pedophile can have a "good side", but this is reality and it is well depicted).

Howie's feelings are excellently illustrated as they run a wide spectrum: confused, repulsed, lonely, defiant, confident, aroused, at times even suicidal. I empathized with and admired the character, and found myself rooting strongly for him to rise above the tragic and frustrating circumstances in which he found himself. In the end I felt a sense of triumph as we saw that, despite his unfortunate situation and his own flaws and weaknesses, he does possess the strength and character to face the world and become his own person.