FIENDISH FLASHBACK: THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST

For the length of its 164 min running time, Willem Dafoe appears in nearly every single frame of film in Martin Scorsese's, The Last Temptation of Christ. That it is also a great performance is even more impressive. Playing the title character, Defoe embues Christ with a humanity that has not been seen before or since the movies' 1988 release.

At the time of its release I remember the swarming controversy surrounding the film, as if Scorsese had committed the highest form of heresy in his vision of Jesus Christ. Seeing it so many years later, I'm having trouble understanding what the hoopla was all about.

For the most part, the story follows along the same beats as all the Christ stories we've all seen told a thousand times. We see him turn water into wine, heal the sick and tip the tables of the money changers in the temple. We see him as he gathers his disciples one by one, as he preaches to the masses and as he is inevitably crucified for his actions. The main difference is that this portrayal of Jesus is truly of the flesh. It assumes a hypothetically more real Jesus, with all the faults and failings of a true man. He is filled with self doubt, fear, foolhardiness and a weakness for the company of women for good measure.

Personally speaking, I was raised as a Christian and was told countless times, "Jesus died for your sins'". This phrase has been repeated so often that it tends to lose all meaning; a mantra rendered powerless by its oversimplification of a complicated concept. I found it surprising and refreshing that in the movie even Jesus himself is puzzled by it. He, along with the audience is questioning his place in the myth. He is struggling to understand why exactly his death must happen if mankind is to be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven.

The movie opens with Dafoe in a near manic depressive state. His truest confidant, Judas (played by a Harvey Kietel in very unfamiliar settings) is also his biggest doubter. He's sees something in the potential of Jesus and his claim as the son of God, but he wants proof and promises to kill Jesus should he falter on his path.

Scorsese's focus is singular and unmistakable. At all times the camera is trained on Jesus' every action, expression and thought, never straying for more than a few seconds, if only to allude to a setting or peripheral character. Its as if Scorsese was emulating the all seeing eye of God himself, forever trained on the progress of his child.

By this, we are able to follow his progress and it is clumsy and flailing at best. His journey begins in a haze of fear and self contempt. He sees himself as unworthy and really has no idea how it is he will go about beginning his ministry. As he travels the countryside, he then takes on the mantle of the prince of peace and "love" becomes the primary message. But his confidence is shaky. Jesus is practically stabbing in the dark for a guideline on how to do his job. He then takes to the desert, exposing himself to the elements and fasting as if in a vision quest. Upon doing so he returns with a new attitude. The message of love remains, but he brings it at the tip of a sword, so to speak. But still, even this new found bravado lasts only so long before he returns to his confused state of mind.

The inner battle Jesus faces in this movie is really at the heart of what makes it stand out. It makes sense that a man put in the situation the story presents us with would feel these feelings. If Jesus is supposed to be someone we can all relate to and see ourselves in, then why detail his weakness? Why not illustrate his confusion and frear? Who among us would face these circumstances with unflinching grace and strength. Surely no one needing the kind of saving and redemption promised by the Christ figure.

The last chapter of the film throws us a real curve ball which i wont go into. I will say it's a "what if" scenario that really pays off.

The production on this film could have been more epic but it refrains from a lot of the posturing and grandiose CGI vistas we are pummeled with in todays historical dramas. It opts for a more modest and personal view that I felt was right for the film.

The one strange thing about the movie is that the main players all speak with their natural American accents. Most movies of this type cast all British actors or at least enforce a proper English accent on everyone in order to give it some air of antiquity. The newest trend is to have the actors all speak in the original languages of their respective time and place such as in Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" and "Apolocypto". I actually think that is a fantastic idea and it might have gone over well in this movie, but letting the actors speak as they do actually gave the movie the quality of a play and I was able to appreciate the story as it was being presented. Scorsese isn't so much interested in making us believe in what we are seeing, but more with having us feel what we are seeing. The difference is appreciable.

I suppose the tension surrounding the release of The Last Temptation of Christ is that it took some liberties with the telling of the story. Perhaps many devout Christians were offended that the narrative strayed from the exact word of the gospels. But if the story of Christ is truly a great one, then it can withstand different interpretations and still come out in the end pure. There is plenty of room for the imagination to play and for questions to be explored within the confines of its structure. If you have a master filmmaker the likes of Martin Scorses who wants to have a go at it, I say we let him. We can be grateful for anything he inspires in us, weather it be good or bad

PS. Look out for a cameo appearance by Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner.

FIENDISH FLASHBACK: CLERKS 2

When I first heard that Kevin Smith was going to do a sequel to Clerks, his landmark 1994 slacker flick, my reaction was thanks, but no thanks. There's something so stark and single minded about that film that the thought of revisiting it seemed extraneous at best. Not to mention that the original also marks such a definitive point in time for a very specific generation of movie goers. It's like doing a sequel to Taxi Driver (of which there are rumours swirling) or Easy Rider. What would be the point?

However, as a longtime Smith aficionado I couldn't NOT watch it. Such is the nature of fandom.

The movie shows us the two main characters, Dante and Randall, now 10 years older and seemingly none the wiser. The Quick Stop has burned down and they are now sad-sack burger flippers of a Mooby's fast food restaurant, under the management of Becky, played by the ever radiant Rosario Dawson.

Dante is engaged to be married and will soon move to Florida, but it seems his heart may still be firmly tethered to New Jersey. The movie plays on the bickering bromance between Dante and Randall and Randall's attempts to show his friend that despite their lot in life they can indeed be masters of their destiny.

I'm not gonna bother getting into the acting or cinematography; if you know Kevin Smith movies then you know neither of those prime aspects of film making are his forte, so it is to the writing where we must dig for gold.

Smiths dialogue is as ever, wholly unbelievable, but that's not a bad thing for him. His characters are the mouthpiece to his unique sensibility and they tend to vocalize in detailed, verbose bursts that sound as if they're being read rather than felt. But that is the hallmark of a Keven Smith movie and I for one really embrace it. He again illustrates his ability to populate a movie with foulmouthed idiots that in the end we somehow care about.

And so it goes as we follow the Clerks, Becky and Jay and Silent Bob. For a good hour and a half, the movie knocks you over the head with over the top sexual, racial and scatological humour, mixed in with some romantic tension which all culminates to the climactic Donkey Show scene. The eventual alignment of so many character arches and jokes reaches a crescendo at this juncture that for me payed off extremely well, not unlike the end of "The Misbehavers" story in Four Rooms.

I must say the movie begins rather awkwardly and stumbles rather aimlessly for a good portion of the beginning. The restaurant seems strangely underpopulated and quiet which makes the sometimes leaden dialogue stand out all the more. A more hectic work environment might have helped buoy the story and given it some sizzle. But slowly and surely, by the end of the film Smith is able to pay off on all his bets and the movie coasts in for a smooth landing. It ends on a genuinely touching note that no Clerks fan will deny tugs at all the right heart strings.

I'm re watching this on the heels of Kevin Smiths latest release, Cop Out. This is Smiths first "director for hire" gig and I must say I'm disappointed that he has decided to go that route. For all his successes and failures, Smith could always say it was his vision he was putting forth. Love it or hate it. I find it kind of sad that he has given up that great run.

Clerks 2 does not really compare to Clerks in any meaningful way other than its main characters. Its not a breakthrough vision as the original was, and it may in the end have been totally unnecessary but I'm kinda glad to know what happened to these characters we love. Kevin Smith has always made some room in his movies to show some heart alongside all the raunch and this movie has it in spades.

FIENDISH FLASHBACK: DEER HUNTER

It's been a while. So long that I can't remember the last time that I watched Deer Hunter. It's been so long that I don't think that I've actually even seen the whole thing. Just some scenes I think. So I've recently added and bumped this film to number one on my Netflix to refresh my memory of this supposed 70's classic.

So. After wiping the tears from my eyes, I without a doubt know why this movie stands alone above all the Vietnam war films. It stands over many films in general. It fits in the category I've designated just for a tiny handful of movies that are so good that I never want to see them again. Please understand, I mean this as a compliment. These are the kind of movies that affected me emotionally enough that I don't want to put myself through that trauma again.... despite how magnificent they were. Requiem For a Dream was also one of these movies, although after seeing this heart wrenching drama, Requiem pales in comparison.

Heres my short, short rundown without giving anything away for those that may not have scene it. Three guys out of a group of close, long time friends are shipped off to fight in Vietnam. After spending a horrific time in a P.O.W. camp, they escape and come home. Their lives are (of course) changed forever.

Robert Deniro is (as usual) at the top of his game proving that the best acting comes from subtleties and not just reading dialogue. Christopher Walken really showing his off his skills proving that he is so much more that just a character actor. Being a big Walken fan, to me that's the real gem here.

I've always been a sucker for movies about friends and friendship and whatnot. This one went straight for the heart. I would think that this movie does for men what Beaches does for women.

FIENDISH FLASHBACK: SE7EN

In 1995 this little gem of a motion picture was released into theaters and my dumb ass didn't even bother to see it until 6 years later. This is not a fact I'm proud of. Since then I've been nothing short of obsessed with this movie and have since been watching the shit out of it.

Cinematically it's just beautiful. It's dark, gritty and intense. The lighting is pure perfection. There's something kinda Bladerunner-esque about it (and I don't just mean all the rain). Many directors have attempted to copy the look and feel of this flik, but none even come close. I can't imagine that many wouldn't agree with me about how beautifly shot this film is. Every scene is a piece of art. To the point that I would hang a print on my wall of just about any random one. There are very few movies I can say that about. David Fincher has almost never let me down with any of his pictures. This is almost certainly my favorite of all of them.

As for the performances, Pitts's Detective Mills and Freeman's Detective Summerset are two of the most interesting characters I've ever seen on screen. The subtleties in their performances and the dynamic between the two of them makes what would ordinarily be a cliched buddy cop movie into a smart, intense piece of drama.

The film is almost 15 years old a this point, and it still holds up. The original trailer on the other hand, actually looks a bit cheesy compared to the final product. Probably why I didn't bother to see it in the first place.