Masterpiece Cinema - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

This week, Masterpiece Cinema casts its dread eye over 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.'

Hola. You all had a nice week? Thats good to hear. On with the show.

This week
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Starring Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Julia Roberts.
Written by Chuck Barris (Book) and Andy Kaufman (Script).
Directed by George Clooney.
Genre: Drama / Thriller / Comedy
Released: 2002
Running time: 113 min.
Rated: R (American rating for language, sexual content and violence).
IMDb link: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0290538/

In addition to writing this column, I also do movie reviews for a local radio station. It's the smallest station in the city, so whenever the distributors are sending out tickets to their advanced media screenings, I happen to be right down at the bottom of the pecking order. Instead of an invite to see a sneak peak of the latest Lord of the Rings film, I get to see Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London. (And no, before you ask, Agent Cody Banks will never be getting featured here. So stop sending me those emails!)

Of course, every now and then, a real gem comes along that makes it all very, very Poster worthwhile. When the invitation to a screening for Confessions of a Dangerous Mind showed up, I practically fell over myself in delight. I had been really looking forward to seeing this movie, and now I was going to get to see it before it was released, for free. Gotta love the perks of the job.

So I went along to the screening, extremely excited to see this very cool-looking film. And you know how when youre excited about seeing something, it usually turns out to be crap? Well, this time my excitement turned out to be justified. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind really is a great movie.

For those who dont know; Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is based on the biography of the same name by Chuck Barris, creator (and host) of such game shows as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and The Gong Show. In it, Barris claimed that, in addition to serving as the originator of some truly crap television, he was, at the same time, moonlighting as a hitman for the CIA. You already know why someone would want to make a movie of this.

The book was adapted by Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. So, of course, its quirky, its original, and it has that Kaufman energy to it that practically everyone loves. The film also serves as the directorial debut of George Clooney.
[BB]


Clooney is Central Intelligence?



I didn't like George Clooney when I first came to know of him you can blame Joel Shumachers terrible Batman & Robin for that. But in everything else Ive seen him in, hes proven to be a charismatic and talented performer. In this, he also proves himself an extraordinary director (ignoring what Kaufman had to say about Clooney more or less ruining his script, which I just don't get).



Rockwell? Barris? Sam Rockwell plays Barris with what Im assured is a very disconcerting likeness. His dreams of being a television producer slowly start getting hi-jacked when a CIA agent (Clooney) handpicks him to train as an assassin. Soon, Chuck is jetting all over the world, killing all sorts of people while still trying to maintain his game show career and a relationship with his girlfriend (Barrymore). The great thing about this movie is that it never tries to prove or deny Barris claims. It simply tells you what he says happened, and allows you to make up your mind for yourself. The fact that it all seems so plausible just adds to the fun of it.


Besides its quirky concept and obviously great script, the success of this film falls on two elements; the strength of the performances and Clooneys confident, beautiful direction. For a first-timer, his work is fantastic but what do you expect from a man whos been on film and TV sets all his life? Rockwell shines in this, his first lead role. For a change, Barrymore manages to keep from being her usual, lispy, somewhat annoying self as Chucks long-suffering girlfriend.


Barry-more and Rock-well

If I were to sum up Confessions in one word, itd simply be this: cool. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a cool movie. And thats why its this weeks Masterpiece Cinema pick. Hope you all like it.

Next week: We take a time-trip back to the 80's for some great B-grade cheese.

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