Filmmakers probe actor, discover nothing at all in Ott & Silver's ACTOR MARTINEZ

Have you ever wondered why it is that certain indie filmmakers find actors -- their inner and outer lives -- so goddamned interesting, while most audiences (even those who treasure indie films) would rather run for the hills than sit through a documentary exploring an actor's psyche. If the performer is hugely talented and/or a well-known celebrity, there's a built-in hook, of course. Otherwise, actors are pretty much dime-a-dozen, usually quite self-involved, narcissistic and boring (TrustMovies was one, way back when, and he, too, fit that profile all too well). So as subject for a film, actors are mostly tiresome. Two fairly recent, failed examples of this kind of ersatz documentary come immediately to mind, both by Robert Greene -- Actress and Kate Plays Christine -- and now we have yet another one opening this week, which is perhaps the most tiresome of them all: ACTOR MARTINEZ from Mike Ott and Nathan Silver (shown below, with Mr. Ott on the left).

The film's backstory can be more easily understood via the press release than from the film itself, so I will give it to you, verbatim, below:

Being in show business is tough, but being an actor in Denver is tougher, so when performer and full-time computer repairman, Arthur Martinez, hires two indie filmmakers to make a feature film with him as the lead, he realizes he’s in over his head. “You guys have ruined my life,” Arthur says one moment immediately following with, “This is the best film I’ll ever be in.” The filmmakers scrap the genre film Arthur had intended them to make — instead quickly designing an entirely new project based around his real-life persona, which becomes more and more elusive as the production steams ahead. Once Arthur realizes what the filmmakers are up to, his protective measure is to hide behind a mask, keeping the filmmakers questioning: are any of Arthur’s moments on camera truthful or is it all just a performance in the end?

To which you might be tempted to ask, Yeah, but who gives a shit? Exactly. On the other hand, if what was described above came to vital and extraordinary life via well-chosen, closely observed and ultra-telling moments, we might be drawn in and held fast. Instead what we get is drab, tiresome, even phony moments that don't come nearly to life, let alone art of any kind. There's no style, little wit, and mostly just boring, slapdash scenes strung together to fill out 75 lousy minutes.

We sit through auditions for the role of Martinez's girlfriend (this proves the most energized portion of the doc), and eventually the part is given to indie actress Lindsay Burdge (below, center right). We watch our guy, shown above and below, repair a couple of computers along the way, and if the filmmakers had gotten more deeply into the details of these repair jobs, the movie would have been more interesting and even helpful to those of us who want to know more about the machines we're using.

Mr. Martinez (shown above, left and below) is a rather average-looking, early-middle-aged man, with no discernible acting talent that the film manages to uncover. But he's just fine at seeming like a typically boring subject for a documentary. Perhaps Denver is not the best city in the USA for would-be actors to call home.

We never get any sense of what kind of film might actually come out of all this, except to suspect that whatever it turns out to be will bore us to within an inch of our life. I have to admit that the final line of dialog is funny and smart. But it's the only thing in the entire movie that is. And 70 minutes is too long to have to wait for it (for whatever reason, the film offers a full five minutes of end credits).

Released via Breaking Glass Pictures, the documentary opens this Friday, March 10, at the Laemmle Music Hall 3 in Los Angeles; on March 17 at the Cinema Village, New York City, and the Clinton Street Theater in Portland, Oregon; and on March 24 at the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe.

The photo, second from top, of the two filmmakers 

is by Melanie Ott and comes 

courtesy of Getty Images.

Al Pacino's back in Barry Levinson's THE HUMBLING -- for better and for worse

What a frustrating experience is THE HUMBLING, the new film from director Barry Levinson, with a screenplay by Buck Henry from the novel of the same name by Philip Roth. Interesting, sometimes riveting -- but only in fits and starts -- the film also gives Al Pacino a juicy role which he alternately embraces and makes mincemeat of. He is not helped by Mr. Levinson, who at times seems to have deliberately decided to work in distance or long shots when what is so clearly called for is a close-up (though the director might have worried that his scenery-chewing star would once again decimate the drapes). Whatever: The Humbling might be better titled, The Fumbling.

The real problem, however, is most likely due to the source material itself. I haven't read Roth's novel, but the mostly negative criticism of it -- absurd, slight, disposable, ill conceived, and simply going-through-the-motions -- also reflects the state of this movie version. Over the years, Mr. Levinson (shown at left) has excelled in a variety of genres -- from drama to comedy to horror (see his very good and frightening film, The Bay, if you haven't already). Perhaps here, working with such a problematic tale, he has simply let it "wag" him, rather than the necessary reverse. Or it may be that a movie that jumps so many genres, as this one does, is simply not part of Levinson's metier.

But let's start with the good things, including Pacino, who, even when he's over-doing it, proves fun and often funny. Given his professed love of Shakespeare and the nice job he did with Shylock, one easily identifies with the character he plays here, Simon Axler, renowned stage actor who has recently had a bad few years.

Then there's Greta Gerwig (at right), who certainly comes into her own in the role of Pegeen, a needy, messed-up adult who, as a child, had been enamored of Simon and now comes back into his life as a possible -- if highly unlikely -- love interest. Ms Gerwig plays pretty much a femme fatale (or at least a femme maudite) here, but she manages to keep us, as she does Simon, off-balance, alternate-ly charmed and annoyed.

Somewhat wasted (due to her tiny role), Kyra Sedgwyck, above, still impresses with her strength and anger, while Diane Wiest and Dan Hedeya (below, right and left, respectively) provide some humor, as well as additional back-story.

Of the entire cast, it's probably Charles Grodin (below, left) who best nails his small role as Simon's agent, followed by Nina Arianda (at bottom, right), who has the most preposterous role of all, but manages to make it seem at least possible, if not probable. The movie might have worked better has Gerwig and Arianda switched roles: The former's easy goofiness might have better served the maybe-crazy/maybe-not wife, while the latter's drive and heavy-duty acting chops might have turned Pegeen into something approaching memorable.

As it is, the movie meanders from incident to incident, emotion to emotion, stopping for something real and then something ridiculous -- finally leaving all its characters, especially Simon, hanging out to dry. The Humbling has a lot in common with another recent movie about actors and acting: Birdman, which offers fine performances, fluid camerawork and simply no point -- no "there" there -- at all. (Both films, in fact, have a scene in which our heroic actor gets locked of his theater during a performance.)

From Millennium Entertainment (recently renamed Alchemy, which had better get -- and fast -- a decent web site up and running) and lasting a little too long at 112 minutes, The Humbling, which may humble some of those involved here, opens this coming Friday, January 23, in New York City at the AMC Empire 25 -- and elsewhere, too, though nothing has yet been posted as yet on the movie's site. Check back in a few days, and maybe someone will have updated the thing. Also, as I understand it from the web site, the film will be available simultaneously via VOD and digital streaming.

Dare to see DARE: Adam Salky/David Brind's film is a one-of-a kind winner

One of a kind? Sure enough.  Though DARE may remind you of movies such as Threesome, What Goes Up and others that explore teenage (and post) sexuality, this one by director Adam Salky (below, left) and screenwriter David Brind (below, right) is different enough to qualify for "original" status.  Its characters, as typical as central casting types, upon a closer look reveal some-
thing quite different.  The kids are believ-
able, too: funny, moving, sad & real.

The film offers title cards for each of its three main characters: Alexa (played very well by a surprisingly young-looking Emmy Rossum -- top, right, in the poster and below, right ), Ben (the sweet and hunky Ashley Springer -- bottom, left) and Johnny (the terrific Zach Gilford top, left, in the poster and below, left), whose character keeps opening up into infinity).  We see these people both as they see themselves, and as others in the film see them.  This is not such an easy task, but the filmmakers pull it off with aplomb, and this, more than anything, gives their film its unique quality and allows us to understand the sometimes unusual approach to sexuality and sexual preference that blossoms.

Gay, straight, and the area between is given its due, and the moment-to-moment trajectory that the sexuality takes is very believable -- as are the psychological underpinnings of the characters' needs, particularly those of Johnny.  The scene between him and his therapist (a fine Sandra Berhnard) is very well done. The supporting cast in general -- Rooney Mara (bottom, center), Ana Gasteyer and Alan Cumming -- is well chosen and delivers all that might be wished.  Not only sexuality, but the acting process, friendship and family are given their due

Making its DVD debut this week, after a minimal theatrical release last November, Dare might be a noun but more likely is a verbal command.  I would suggest acting on that command and renting it ASAP from Netflix or your video source of choice.  You could do worse, but it's hard to imagine your doing much better. This film's a winner -- if only for its surprising and thoughtful conclusion.