164 - Breach review

In 2003, a criminally overlooked film called "Shattered Glass" was released. A fusion of biopic, drama, and thriller, it told the true story of a Stephen Glass, a popular journalist who fabricated many of his stories. The film’s great strength was that Glass was shown from the perspective of those around him, never diving into his psyche or offering a concrete explanation as to why he did what he did, leaving that up to the audience’s imagination.

"Breach" is the follow up film of Billy Ray, who also wrote and directed "Shattered Glass." There are many similarities; both tell a recent true story, are centered around the sins of one man, refuse to delve into detailed explanations of his psyche, and unfold through the eyes of his colleagues. The key difference is where the journalist of the former film only deserved to be fired, the subject of this one deserves a fate worse than death.

Chris Cooper stars as Robert Hanssen, a long-time FBI agent who in 2001 was arrested for selling secrets to the Soviet Union and later Russia. The damage he caused was catastrophic, resulting in the deaths of at least a few valuable spies and untold other losses.

If the film is to be believed, it’s easy to see how he fooled those around him. Hanssen’s outward personality is that of a devout Catholic who attends mass daily, a feverish patriot honored to serve his country. On the other hand, we have a cunning double agent that sells the nation’s secrets for stacks of $100 bills and trades sex tapes of him and his wife that were recorded with a hidden camera. Except for when he steals documents and corresponds with his handler, these personalities seem completely separate, two entirely different individuals residing in the same shell.

As part of their sting operation, the FBI assigns Eric O’Neill (Ryan Phillippe) to work underneath Hanssen and to take meticulous notes so that a solid case can be built. At first, O’Neill is only told the investigation concerns Hanssen being a "sexual deviant." Despite several thorny exchanges, he begins to admire Hanssen, who appears to be a model public servant and dedicated family man. But after being introduced to the true nature of his assignment, as well as the dozens of fellow agents working on it, O’Neill struggles to maintain the trust of the man who prides himself on being able to detect the smallest lie.

Cooper’s complex performance would likely be generated Oscar buzz if the film were released during Oscar season. Since the audience goes in knowing the back story, it’s up to the actors to inject importance into the proceedings, and the first rate cast that also includes Gary Cole, Dennis Haysbert, and Laura Linney does a remarkably good job. The screen crackles with enthrallment whenever Hanssen and O’Neill interact, though the younger man’s side story, involving his impatient wife (Caroline Dhavernas), tends to bring the momentum to a screeching halt so the two can feud.

But while the performances are more notable and the topic matter vastly more important, "Breach" never quite reaches the level that "Shattered Glass" did. Both films avoid the "why," but while we can use our imaginations for Glass, Hanssen’s misdeeds and character flaws and endlessly more complicated. Ray has difficulty handling such a perplexing figure, one who could handle a treasonous double life for decades before it came to an end. Do we really need to know why Hanssen did what he did? Maybe, maybe not, but for crimes this bad and a man this vile, I’d sure like to hear it.

3.5 out of 5

163 - A little bit about me...

Though most of my loyal readers may think they know me very well, there is a commonly overlooked part of my personal history that receives little attention, at least in the United States.

Several years ago, I was the piano player for a jazz band, Jagged J. Frazier and the Funkateers. My good friend Jerky White played trumpet and the incomparable Kaiser Perkins was on trombone. We would play at smokey Harlem nightclubs, where I would sit at the piano and begin to play, the room turning silent except for the clanking of drinks and lighting of joints, my fingers dancing the Charlston across the keys as beads of my heart and soul spilled out of my forehead, the nicotine air turning sharp and mysteriously vibrant, the waitress generously delivering double blackjacks on the rocks to me when the previous one was depleted. After the show I played with nice drugs and loose women, my life unfolding like a wonderful French film with all the bad parts edited out.

Our debut (and only) album sold poorly in the U.S., but was a smash hit in Peru, selling nearly 400 copies, which made it the third most purchased album that year. I eventually participated in a Peruvian Big Brother-style reality show, where I came in 5th place behind a gorgeous model and ahead of a deposed Bolivian dictator. Oh, how the music makes my joy shake and tumble into a delicately fond heartache.

Kaiser Perkins, defiantly shooting the bird.

Jerky White shortly after his infamous decision to personally deliver the alimony payments to his second ex-wife. His subsequent self-imposed exile from the U.S. resulted in the demise of the band.

162 - Reno 911!: Miami review

As I was about half way through "Reno 911!:Miami," I realized exactly what makes the TV series so enjoyable. It’s not just the ridicule of police officers, because that’s nothing new, but the deconstruction of the myth that all police are supermen or nobly dedicated heroes. These members of the law enforcement community are incompetent, full of false bravado, often corrupt, absurdly unprofessional, and more interested in having a good time than in protecting the citizenry. Their attention doesn’t go to drug dealers or murderers but underage drinkers, pot smokers, and prostitutes, in other words, safe and easy takedowns. Good or bad, this group of mortals is as fallible as any other. Knowing that this is an often accurate satire almost transforms it into a horror film.

It’s hard for me, a longtime fan, to separate the film from the series in this review, the film essentially being an 80 minute long episode of the show. The characters and scenarios should be largely familiar to fans of the Comedy Central hit, though it’s a testament to the durability of the material that it still draws blood after four seasons.

For those not in the know, "Reno 911!" is a largely improvised series that follows several men and women of the Reno Sheriff’s Department documentary style ala "Cops," as they respond to the sordid misdeeds of the populace, often in a manner that’s less heroic than ineffectual.

In "Reno 911:Miami," the gang takes a bus to Miami to attend a police conference, only to be stopped at the door of the convention center due to computer error. The scenes concern their attempt to enjoy the trip anyway by getting wasted and trying (and failing) to get laid are the funniest in the film, the removal of the uniform stripping even the little dignity they have away.

They awaken from their evening of debauchery to find that the police convention has been the victim of a biological attack and that the only cops not infected are themselves. A hilarious cameo by The Rock and a quick uniform change later, the hapless deputies are patrolling the sunny Florida metropolis. Here they face old challenges as well as new ones such as wannabe Cuban drug lords, angry alligators, and whale corpses washed ashore on a topless beach.

The film makes good use of its bigger budget and lack of content restraints, upping the bad language and sex jokes and throwing in a few more explosions than usual. The story unfolds in the same style as the show, with segmented incidents pasted onto the plot, where several parts could be entirely shuffled around and make little difference to the overall product. This kind of structure makes for a greater TV series than a film, even as they both have about the same number of laughs per gag, which is a lot. Even the jokes that miss, such as the response to a noise complaint at Suge Knight’s mansion, don’t completely fall apart since the players have uncannily made the characters so oddly likeable.

In fact, it’s the interaction between the deputies, punctuated with sexual rivalries and awkwardly forced partnerships, that are the highlights. This can surely be attributed to the improvised dialogue, which imbues the exchanges with flares of brilliance and surprise that scripted lines can’t replicate. Fans will find little to complain about, and newcomers might find themselves adding a few DVD’s to their Netflix queue.

3.5 out of 5

161

A few Oscar observations:

- Jennifer Hudson didn't deserve her win. That's the polite form of a much more profane observation I just deleted.

- How come nobody has noted the total bullshit setup of the Best Director award presentation? Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg didn't show up to present the award to some foreigner or a guy who has already won twice. Scorsese has now been presented with an honarary Oscar at the expense of several other directors.

- Ellen was instantly forgettable.

- Could they make the ceremony any more boring? It took an hour for a major award to be given out. No wonder it's bleeding viewers.