Movie Review: Fighting

Fighting (2009) 

Directed by Dito Montiel 

Written by Robert Munic, Dito Montiel 

Starring Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard, Luis Guzman, Brian White 

Release Date April 24th, 2009

Published April 24th, 2009 

Fighting is one of the stranger moviegoing experiences of my short career as a critic. I was really, really impressed with the work of director Dito Montiel in creating characters and a universe for them to exist in that felt immediate and real. I was impressed with star Channing Tatum's natural charisma masked within the role of a kid whose a little slow witted but has a big heart. Tatum alongside Oscar winner Terrence Howard deliver performances pitched well above the B-movie grit of the story.

Then an odd thing happens. The end of Fighting arrives and you realize that the story and many of the character motivations made absolutely no sense and moreover, no one seems to have cared to script the ending in any kind of believable fashion. So irritated was I by this complete disregard for storytelling that I cannot even recommend the movie despite being so impressed with so much of what I saw.

In Fighting Channing Tatum plays Shawn McArthur a homeless kid who sells used Ipods and fake Harry Potter books on street corners. One day as he is selling his wares a group of teens attempt to rob him and Shawn defends himself with serious brute force. His fighting style catches the eye of the man who sent the teens to rob him.

His name is Harvey (Terrence Howard) and he happens to work somehow within the shady world of underground fighting and gambling. He finds fighters to bet on or against, depending on whether they are willing to throw fights or are good enough to win fights. Shawn is good enough to win repeatedly though throwing a fight has more of a guarantee of getting paid.

The world of Fighting really comes together in these strange underground worlds where Shawn is brought to fight. They could be the setting for a very cool videogame but they are dressed up well enough that we are convinced of their otherworldly reality and as Shawn fights we are absorbed into the crowds and the bloodlust and we come to cheer for Shawn.

That the fighting scenes are the best in a movie called Fighting is rather the way it should be. That the performances in and around the fights are so intriguing and compelling is a pleasant surprise. Director Dito Montiel infuses life and energy throughout all of Fighting and not just the fight scenes.

So, why do we get to the end and feel so astonishingly short changed? It's truly bizarre. It's as if the production stopped paying screenwriter Robert Munic 2/3's the way through filming and were forced to just make up the rest as they went along. That is literally how slipshod the final scenes of Fighting play. The compromised storytelling is so bad I can't recommend this otherwise exceptionally well made B-movie.

What a shame.

Movie Review Nothing Like the Holidays

Nothing Like the Holidays (2008) 

Directed by Alfredo De Villa 

Written by Allison Swan, 2 other screenwriters

Starring Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, Alfred Molina 

Release Date December 12th, 2008

Published December 11th, 2008 

I have nothing really interesting to observe about Nothing Like The Holidays. I watched it with my friend and fellow critic Linda Cook and after it was over, instead of talking about it, we immediately started talking about Frost/Nixon, Doubt, Rachel Getting Married and other such movies that still have not come to our neck of the woods.

There is nothing horribly wrong with Nothing Like The Holidays. It's just that, I watched it and when it was over it fell almost completely out of my consciousness. Now, as I sit down to write about it, it's a struggle to remember salient plot details for a description. IMDB reminds me of the actors and the roles they played but I cannot remember who was who and why without checking the reviews from other critics. What more is there to say?

Nothing Like The Holidays is a Christmas movie about a Puerto Rican family in the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago. I could write lovely little things about this melting pot of a neighborhood but that would involve little about the movie I am supposed to be writing about.

I could dwell on the racial aspects of Nothing Like The Holidays but I think equality calls on me to treat this movie as I would any other holiday movie and not single out the Latino aspect as something special, though historically, sadly, it is notable.

It is notable, though the film's content, characters, and humor is far from notable. Mostly because I have forgotten about it. If this review seems overly hateful, it's not intentional. Nothing Like The Holidays isn't a disaster. It's just wildly mediocre and entirely forgettable.

Movie Review: The Taking of Pelham 123

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) 

Directed by Tony Scott 

Written by Brian Helgeland 

Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, James Gandolfini 

Release Date June 12th, 2009 

Published June 11th, 2009 

Robert Shaw was three years away from his starmaking performance in Jaws. Walter Matthau was a star but certainly no action here when in 1974 the two actors teamed for The Taking of Pelham 123. Based on the bestseller by Robert Godey, the story placed this unique acting duo in an odd action context allowed them to create indelible characters. The film has developed something of a cult following amongst hardcore movie nerds.

Now comes a true action remake of the underrated 74 picture. With bigger stars and a much bigger budget, The Taking of Pelham 123 comes into modern times with bells and whistles beyond anything imagined for the original but with it's premise and highly distinct voice intact.

The Taking of Pelham 123 is essentially two guys having a very important conversation. The first guy is Walter played by Denzel Washington. Graying and rumpled, Walter has worked for the New York City Transit Department for years. He was in fact the boss of the Subway system until he was charged with taking a bribe.

Now, Walter finds himself back behind a microphone as a train dispatcher. It is in this capacity that Walter meets Ryder played by John Travolta. Ryder is a terrorist who takes a subway car full of New Yorkers hostage demanded 10 million dollars in one hour or he will begin executing people.

The conversation between Walter and Ryder takes place within this intense hour as Ryder demands that Walter first listen to him and then explain himself as they wait for the city, lead by the Mayor (James Gandolfini), to come up with the cash. With topics ranging from religion to Walter's corruption charges, these two very different men connect in ways they never imagined.

The idea of two guys talking probably doesn't set your pulse racing as an action movie fan. However, you've never seen Denzel Washington talk to John Travolta as they are filmed by the hyper-kinetic director Tony Scott. Somehow, through carefully choreographed camera whips and pans and an exceptional supporting cast, lead by Gandolfini and John Turturro, working at the edges, the conversation becomes an intense action of its own and The Taking of Pelham 123 flies on the words of Denzel and Travolta.

If the final act that takes Washington into the tunnels with Travolta fails to match the intensity of their conversation, it is still the only way to wrap up the twist that is the essential ending of The Taking of Pelham 123. It's not so much a letdown as things devolve to a rather typical chase scene, but just the way the movie had to play out.

Putting reservations aside, The Taking of Pelham 123 radiates with energy, wit and directorial flourish. The talking is fun, the action is fun and in the end even the dopey chase scene finish cannot take away from the excitement of the first two acts of The Taking of Pelham 123.

Movie Review: Dreamer Inspired by a True Story

Dreamer Based on a True Story (2005)

Directed by John Gatins

Written by John Gatins

Starring Dakota Fanning, Kurt Russell, Kris Kristoffeson, Luis Guzman, Elisabeth Shue 

Release Date October 21st, 2005 

Published October 21st, 2005 

In her short life young Dakota Fanning has not only become a movie star, she has proven herself to be a very capable actress. At a slight 11 years old Fanning has had several starring roles ranging from indies to blockbusters. She has crossed genres from light comedy in Uptown Girls to the Sci-Fi of War of the Worlds to the thriller Man On Fire. She has starred alongside elites like Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington and Robert DeNiro and often been as good or better than her more veteran co-stars.

Fanning's newest film, Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story, marks the first time Fanning can claim a film as her own starring vehicle. This little horse that could drama is at times more than a little sappy and sentimental but Dakota Fanning's performance makes the little extra schmaltz worth it.

In Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story Dakota Fanning stars as Cale Crane the daughter of a horse trainer, Ben Crane played by Kurt Russell. Living on a Kentucky horse farm with no horses, Cale dreams of one day filling the big empty barn. However, a family secret held between her father and grandfather Pop Crane (Kris Kristofferson) makes this dream seemingly impossible.

Though Pop also has a home on the property, father and son have not spoken more than a few words in years. Despite the rift Cale is allowed to have a good relationship with her grandfather who tells her fantastic horse racing legends and stories about the farm when there were horses raised there. This is another source of father-son tension. Ben has tried to keep his daughter at a distance from horses in hopes of shielding her from the kind of horse related trauma he experienced early in his life.

Whether it's her grandfather's stories or the fact that she's a little girl and all little girls love horses, nothing can keep Cale from joining her dad at the racetrack. Sadly, on her first visit to the track, Cale witnesses a horrible incident. Ben's horse Sonador, spanish for "dreamer", falls in a race and breaks a leg. The standard practice in this case is euthanasia however Ben refuses to put the horse down in front of Cale. Ben's refusal leads to a heated exchange with his boss, Palmer (David Morse), which ends with Ben being fired.

Using his severance pay Ben buys Sonador to keep her from being killed. Now the family's entire future rides on rehabbing Sonador so she can be used for breeding. However, when something miraculous happens, Sonador may just do more than breed a champion, she may in fact still be a champion.

The story is typical of the rote sports movie genre that director John Gatins has made his specialty. Though Dreamer is Gatins first directorial effort he was the writer behind Coach Carter, Hardball and Summer Catch. He knows all of the beats and rhythms of the genre, maybe even too well. The story is belabored and predictable but Gatins is blessed by his amazing cast which makes the bitter pill of cliche go down easy.

Dakota Fanning continues an unfortunate trend in her young career where her work outclasses the material. Dreamer is cloying, manipulative and entirely by the numbers but Fanning is believable, whip-smart and eminently watchable. Her sweetness never bubbles over into toothache territory and her cuteness is measured by her deep eyes filled with wisdom beyond her years.

The supporting cast greatly aides Fanning's performance. Kurt Russell continues to be the most underrated actor working today. Someday Russell is going to find just the right role to break him out of the mold of everyman and into the realm of the award-worthy actor he truly is. Kris Kristofferson is his reliably crusty self perfectly cast as the struggling father and doting grandfather.

The only disappointment in the supporting performances is poor Elizabeth Shue. Playing Fanning's mother, Shue's role revolves around nagging Russell's character to take more of an interest in their daughter. She comes on screen to frown when things look grim and smile when things look bright. The character has no depth or life of her own and is far too underwritten for an actress of Shue's talent.

Dreamer is a good natured and sweet story with a natural appeal to children, especially young girls. All little kids love animals but there is a unique connection between little girls and horses and Dreamer lovingly portrays this connection. Watching my sisters growing up and playing with toy horses and now my young nieces doing the same makes me wonder what the connection between girls and horses is.

Freud claims it's some kind of sexual thing which just seems creepy to me. I would like to believe it's something more complex than some base pleasure seeking. My mother claims it's about the eyes of a horse, empathetic pools that seem understanding and feeling. Also, horses need a great deal of care in grooming and feeding which could set off a mothering instinct. Whatever the reason, Dreamer taps the emotions of this unspoken connection perfectly.

Horses and Dakota Fanning are an irrresistable combination of cuteness, but that does not excuse Dreamer for being a too-typical sports movie. The film is far too simple in its storytelling and more interested in pulling tears from the audiences eyes than compelling those emotions with better storytelling.

Problems aside, the film works because Dakota Fanning is so appealing and entertaining. Fanning's performance alone is worth the price of admission.

Saccharine and a bit predictable Dreamer runs ahead of the pack of family sports movies because young Dakota Fanning is a real star. She has that intangible 'it' quality that makes you want to watch her and root for her. It's a quality that many child actors have had before but few have sustained it past puberty. Dakota Fanning still has a few years before the first tests of growing up a movie star begin. Until then it's okay to revel in slight sweet performances like the one in Dreamer.

Movie Review: Waiting

Waiting... (2005) 

Directed by Rob McKittrick

Written by Rob McKittrick 

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Faris, Justin Long Alanna Ubach, Dane Cook, Luis Guzman

Release Date October 7th, 2005 

Published October 6th, 2005

There is an art to low or crude humor that makes it work. The brother directing duos of the Weitzs (American Pie) and the Farrellys (There's Something About Mary, et al) have mastered the formula of lowering the level of humor to childish levels but still delivering very funny movies. The formula works only when the lovable natures of characters and the pathos they bring from the audience is equal to the level they degrade themselves to.

The new movie Waiting..., written and directed by first timer Rob McKittrick, goes to new lows to achieve its humor but without characters we love and feel for it's an exercise in both crudity and futility.  

Shenaniganz is one of those cloned chain restaurants that pervades the parking lots of mini-malls around the country. Inside, its staff are the kind of wage slave drones biding their time until they graduate college, get fired, or end up in prison. Justin Long stars as Dean, a 22 year old finally confronting his arrested development. While high school friends are graduating from University and getting high paying, real life, jobs, Dean is wrapping up a general arts degree at Community College and contemplating the chance of becoming assistant manager of the restaurant.

Ryan Reynolds plays Dean's best friend and roommate, Monty, who is defined by his raging libido and rapid fire wit, essentially Van Wilder kicked out of college. Monty's job on this day in the life of Shenaniganz is to be our narrator without actual narration. Monty is training Mitch (John Francis Daly) which gives him the opportunity to introduce the rest of the cast and set the stage for all of the seriously low humor to come. It's a clever gimmick that removes the need for a third person narration and sets the stage for the films main running gag 'the penis game'.

Waiting... features a huge cast of well known and recognizable characters that include veterans Luis Guzman, David Koechner and Chi McBride; newcomers Dane Cook, Andy Milonakis and Kaitlin Doubleday; a couple of "Hey where have I seen them before?" types in Robert Patrick Bennett and Alanna Ubach; and established stars Reynolds and Anna Faris, the only members of the cast to have toplined a feature before.

Waiting... suffers the typical pitfalls of such a large cast, the main one being the loss of continuity caused by trying to find time for each character. The main story seems to be Justin Long's Dean struggling to grow into an adult but he is too often shuffled offscreen for his storyline to take hold. The only consistency in Waiting... comes from its series of running gags about sex, genitalia and the classic urban legend of the food service industry: What are they putting in the food?

Waiting... revels in the juvenile humor that the Farrelly brothers made safe for the masses in Dumb and Dumber and that was furthered by the Weitz's in the original American Pie which brought low humor to a whole new mainstream blockbuster generation. Unfortunately for Waiting... it lacks the elements that elevates low humor from mere shock for shock's sake to transcendentally funny. Where the Farrellys humanize the craziness with pathos and the Weitz brothers humanize it with lovable characters, Waiting... simply has no time for either. You never feel for the characters in Waiting... because you simply don't get to know them well enough and some of them you don't want to know at all.

There is something to be said for the economy of characters.  American Pie, for example, focused on four main characters and worked to establish each before delivering the humorous humiliations. These characters were familiar, the actors made them lovable and pathos is borne of that. Waiting... is simply too crowded to establish its characters beyond stereotypes and placeholders and thus we could care less when they are hurt or triumph.

The women of Waiting... especially suffer from the lack of characterization. Each of the ladies fall into types: the girlfriend type, the best friend type, the bitch type and the less pervasive lesbian type.  None of the woman break the mold of their character.  Even Faris, who gets marginalized early on, is given only one scene, a verbal showdown with Reynolds where she shows the comic chops that made the Scary Movie series so funny.

Another big problem with Waiting... is its look. The film looks as if it was shot through a bad lens. The look of the film is grainy and distracting. There is very little visual imagination in Waiting... which is damning because of the colorful setting which lends itself to creative set design. The film never takes advantage of either the restaurant setting or the condo set of Monty and Dean's apartment which also contained strong possibilities.

The best films combine the creative and technical aspects of filmmaking. Waiting... is in the hole from the outset because little care is taken for the look of the film and the various other technical aspects of film craftsmanship, lighting, camera work and especially set design.

Do not under any circumstance see Waiting... before you go out to dinner. Waiting... does for the restaurant kitchen what Psycho did for the shower, what Jaws did for the ocean, and what Silkwood did for nuclear waste. Heed the films warning; never send it back. The scenes portrayed in the kitchen in Waiting... are not for the weak stomach. They are also only rarely funny. A perfect example of the film's hit and miss humor, the kitchen scenes are either riotously funny or a complete strikeout.

With all of the things wrong with Waiting... it's still often quite funny. Even the lowest of all of the running gags in the film has its moments and of course I'm talking about the penis game. Not wanting to be too detailed because the film goes into way too much detail itself, the penis game consists of finding sneaky ways of getting co-workers to look at your exposed genitalia. Points are assigned for the various different kinds of exposure and punishment is assigned for those who fall for it.

As outrageous as it seems I know guys who could do this. Listening to the game as it is explained and watching it unfold I feared for the fact that I could ever witness such a thing, because I actually could. Uggh! Still I cannot deny that I laughed a few times at the horrifying ways that director Rob McKittrick worked this running gag.

The unfortunate part of this gag, however, is the homophobia inherent in its conception. Part of the rules of the game, as part of the punishment, is calling the victim a fag and the punishment is punishment for falsely perceived homosexuality. Though I know that this is not meant to be harmful, it is undeniably homophobic and plays to the basest of stereotypes. Attempts to excuse homophobia by acknowleging it only serve to affirm it. Am I being too politically correct? Maybe, but the joke is so excessively homophobic that at some point it goes beyond good natured ribbing.

The cast is a group that could really make a very funny movie but not this movie. The film's charismatic lead actors Long, Reynolds and Faris required more screen time in order to pull the film into the mold of a real movie as opposed to the stop and start episodic piece that is this finished product. The producers of Waiting... simply could not resist the stunt casting of hot comic Dane Cook and MTV star Andy Milonakis. Neither one does a particularly poor job but taking time out for them pulls the focus of the film away from telling a coherent story. 

Even with all of deficiencies in Waiting... I see little standing in the way of this film becoming a cult classic. Among its target audience of frat boys and service industry drones the film was a hit from its trailer to its commercials. There are just enough laughs in Waiting... that the core fans are likely to be satisfied and will scoop the film up on DVD.

The setting is so ripe for this type of sendup that it was very difficult for this film to miss completely and it doesn't. It does miss though and where it misses is in creating characters we identify with and care for. Without those characters all you have are a group of talented funny actors creating a hit and miss gag reel of grossout jokes, not a funny movie.

Movie Review: Dumb and Dumberer When Harry Met Lloyd

Dumb and Dumberer When Harry Met Lloyd (2003) 

Directed by Troy Miller 

Written by Troy Miller 

Starring Eric Christian Olsen, Derek Richardson, Cheri Oteri, Luis Guzman, Eugene Levy

Release Date June 13th, 2003 

Published June 13th, 2003 

Last week there were debates as to whether 2 Fast 2 Furious suffered for not having star Vin Diesel and Director Rob Cohen. One could very well argue that indeed it did lack for not having them. No such debate is necessary for Dumb and Dumberer. Even the most obstinate viewer can't argue that this film suffers the loss of stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels and writer-directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly. But moreover, it's the audience that really suffers.

Without Carrey and Daniels the money grubbing, greedy executives at New Line reposition the story as a prequel that goes back to the characters as High School students. Eric Christian Olson is Lloyd Christmas and Derek Richardson is Harry Dunne. Friend from their first meeting, Harry and Lloyd are placed into a class for special needs children. This is no benevolent gesture to help the kids learn however. The schools principal played by Eugene Levy (slumming desperately) has setup the class to scam the government out of $100 grand that the school gets for having the class. The principal’s goal is to steal the money and run off with the school lunch lady played by Cheri Oteri.

Of course their scheme is foiled by Harry and Lloyd, although unknowingly, with the help of an investigative reporter for the school newspaper played by Rachel Nichols. Of course Dumb and Dumberer is not about having a plot but rather setting up one relentlessly stupid joke to get the next relentlessly stupid joke.

I know, I can't criticize Dumb and Dumberer for being stupid, because that is the point of the film. However I can criticize it for being tremendously unfunny. I can criticize it for lacking any redeeming value. I can criticize it for stealing 80 some-odd minutes of my life from me. What I don't want to do too much of is rip the film’s young stars. Eric Christian Olson is a game performer. The kid gives everything he's got and he does a pretty good impression of Carrey. Rachel Nichols, as the boy’s love interest, is a beautiful girl who deserves better than this.

Director Troy Miller is also not entirely to blame for this film. Though it is his name on the film, he is merely in place to transfer a knockoff script to the screen. Imagine directing a high school production of the original Dumb and Dumber and you can understand what it must have been like for Miller.

The real blame goes to New Line for allowing their greed to get the best of them. They cynically shoved this film into production with the sole purpose of making money. It is this kind of assembly line filmmaking that is destroying Hollywood. Films are not mass produced product you buy off the rack at K-Mart, but that seems to have been New Line's approach in making the dreadful Dumb and Dumberer.

Movie Review: The Adventures of Pluto Nash

The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) 

Directed by Ron Underwood 

Written by Neil Cuthbert 

Starring Eddie Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Randy Quaid, Pam Grier, Jay Mohr, Peter Boyle 

Release Date August 16th, 2002 

Published August 16th, 2002 

There have been a lot of bad things said about The Adventures Of Pluto Nash, a lot of those things stemming from the films mega-budget and two-year shelf life. A lot of bad things continue to be said, but not by me.  While Pluto Nash isn't a great film it's not nearly as bad as many people say it is. Much like a ball rolling down a hill, the negative bias against Pluto Nash has obscured what is a desperately mediocre movie into a 'worst of all time' candidate. Don't believe the hype. 

Eddie Murphy is Pluto Nash, the most popular nightclub owner on the moon. Things couldn't be better, especially after he hires a gorgeous new waitress named Dina (Rosario Dawson). Things change quickly however after Pluto refuses to sell his club to a mobster named Crater. After the club is blown up, Pluto, Dina and Pluto's robot bodyguard Bruno (Randy Quaid) go on the run and eventually go after Crater. They are helped along the way by a great supporting cast including Pam Grier, Peter Boyle, Jay Mohr, and Luis Guzman.

It's good to see the old cocky, confident Eddie Murphy back even if he isn't at the top of his game. As Pluto Nash, Murphy is back as the conman always two steps ahead of everyone else. Here he’s far more appealing than his recent buffoonish turn in Showtime. For me, Murphy is always at his best when he's the Bugs Bunny-esque, quick on his feet, coolest guy in the room Eddie Murphy. Far too much in this period of Eddie's career he appears to have lost his confidence and with it, his appeal. Seeing Eddie get a little of his confidence back in Pluto Nash is perhaps adding a little shine to this otherwise worthless movie. 

Pluto Nash is a unique combination of 40's gangster movies with cheesy 50's sci-fi and it's those touches of classic genre that provide the film it's comic atmosphere. The more modern humor, such as having Hillary Clinton's face on the hundred-dollar bill, on the other hand, feels forced, desperate, and deeply unfunny. 

Many people, without even seeing this The Adventures of Pluto Nash, decided that it was a bad movie. Honestly, as someone who admires my fellow movie critics, I was one who was willing to buy into how historically terrible The Adventures of Pluto Nash was supposed to be. Then, I actually saw the movie. So the best review I could give The Adventures Of Pluto Nash is that, though it is bad, it's not historically, worst of all time bad. 

Movie Review: The Salton Sea

The Salton Sea (2002) 

Directed by D.J Caruso

Written by Tony Gayton 

Starring Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Goldberg, Luis Guzman, Peter Sarsgard 

Release Date April 26th, 2002 

Published Apil 25th, 2002 

Stories about Val Kilmer's attitude and ego have clouded such varied productions as The Doors, Batman Forever, and Mission To Mars. It's been reported that on the set of Mission To Mars Kilmer and co-star Tom Sizemore actually came to blows. No matter what is said about Kilmer's attitude, his talent is undeniable, even though his ability to choose good material is questionable (At First Sight, The Saint), But when he does get good material, Kilmer is as good as anyone working today. In the thriller The Salton Sea, Kilmer has excellent material and he is more than equal to it.

Directed by feature film first-timer DJ Caruso, The Salton Sea at first stars Kilmer as our unnamed narrator. Sitting in a burning hotel room holding a trumpet and surrounded by flaming dollar bills, we get a sense of an unfolding noir, but as the narrator leads into his story we get so much more. As our narrator explains he isn't sure who he really is. At one point he was Tom Van Allen, a jazz musician weeks away from marrying the girl of his dreams, Liz (Chandra West). Most recently he was Danny Parker, a speed freak turned police informant. How Tom becomes Danny is told in a flashback within a flashback. To explain that further would destroy one of the films great plot twists. Let's just say that the connection is a little strained but pays off well.

As Danny, our narrator explains his dealings with two cops, Morgan played by The Green Mile's Doug Hutchinson and Garcetti played by the ever reliable Anthony LaPaglia. To keep the cops from busting him, Danny offers to help the cops catch a drug dealer named Pooh Bear. Vincent D'onfrio plays Pooh Bear, one of the most unique and fascinating film characters in a long time. As Pooh Bear, D'onofrio communicates menace with a nasal southern drawl made scarier by the fact that the character has no nose. 

You see, in the lore of The Salton Sea, Pooh Bear sniffed so much speed that his nose had to be removed. He covers the hole in his face with a plastic nose that when taken off delivers a visual punch not soon forgotten. Pooh Bear's unique hobbies include recreating the Kennedy Assassination with pet pigeons in place of the president and Mrs. Kennedy, and torturing his enemies by setting rabid animals loose on their exposed genitals. These unusual traits could make for an over the top and unbelievable character but Pooh Bear's strange southern folksiness and D'onofrio's amazing talent bring the character down to earth and make the character frighteningly believable.

The Salton Sea twists and turns like a combination of Memento and Pulp Fiction run through a blender. Writer Tony Gayton, whose previous credit was the slick detective story Murder By Numbers, here shows a flair for dialogue and characters that is very unexpected when compared to the prepackaged thriller characters he previously put in place. With Director DJ Caruso providing the grimy imagery and Gayton drawing uniquely wild characters, The Salton Sea transcends it's comparisons to stand on it's own as an exciting grunge noir. Though it's not as good as Pulp Fiction or Memento, The Salton Sea shows that it's creators have the potential to do something great.

Val Kilmer and Vincent D'ofrio each deliver career best performances in The Salton Sea. While they could easily have relied on character quirks and lazily gotten by, both actors appear deeply invested in these characters and giving them life. They are both weird and complicated, just the kind of juicy role that a Capital A Actor would want, neither Kilmer or D'onofrio are resting on the wilder aspects of their character. Both actors masterful compel the audience through their energy, the emotion, and the physical presence of these characters. By making Danny and Pooh Bear plausible they make them feel real, even as each are recognizable as characters within an outsized, manipulated noir mystery universe. 

The Salton Sea is one of the best movies of 2002.