Tinseltown

This very dark comedy is an audacious failure. Some of its movie references are clever, Ron Perlman has a blast with his role as a mock serial killer and Joe Pantoliano is extremely well-cast as a sleazy, penniless "producer". But when all is said and done, it's hard to determine why exactly the picture was made or what it was trying to say (apart, of course, from the obvious "filmmakers are willing to sell their souls for a box-office hit", which we knew already). Still, "Tinseltown" IS recommended to fans of the offbeat; the last 10 minutes in particular come as quite a surprising change of tone. (**)

Not one for the faint hearted this is a stand alone film which refuses to fit into any category. It manages to switch constantly between humour, drama, pathos and sheer silliness. It is to the credit of the two main actors,Arye Gross and Tom Wood (alive again after being killed off in US Marshalls) that the film does not descend into complete banality. Woods endearing innocence contrasts well with Gross' futile attempts at bravado, and Joe Pantoliano is good as the seedy producer on the make. If you want something different, buy this one.

A HILARIOUS PITCH-BLACK comedy with twist after twist; I cannot believe it's selling for $0.75! I saw that and was going to tape over my $2.50 copy, but decided to watch it first; what a treat! I WON'T be taping over it and I sure won't be selling it for $0.75! Grab it while you can; it's practically free! Cheaper than a blank tape! Why wasn't this a hit?

A broke would be screenwriter and his would be agent (Tom Wood and Arye Gross) are forced to live in a self storage facility run by an eccentric and intimidating manager (Ron Perlman) whom they come to believe is the serial murderer that is terrorizing the city, the "Costume Killer" (so named because, after injecting his victims with Windex, he dresses them in silly costumes). They convince him his life story would make a great film and gather together a group of misfit wannabe film makers (John Considine, Joe Pantoliano, Kristy Swanson) and discover that the art of movie making can be murder.

There is more to this movie but it was unfortunately left on the editing room floor and it shows (rumor is the studio wanted a "lighter" dark comedy). Our loss (and the actors, who all do fine jobs and deserve better) as this has the makings of an exceptional black comedy but only rises to mediocre cute.

If you're a Ron Perlman fan this is absolutely worth getting just for his performance. His comedic timing is excellent and he has the chance to do some really great impressions (he wasn't kidding when he said on the Hellboy movie commentary that he needed an intervention when he gets into Jerry Lewis mode). He's just simply fun to watch in this one.

David Dukes also shines in a two-scener (but pivotal) role.

The first 30 minutes of Tinseltown had my finger teetering on the remote, poised to flick around to watch something else. The premise of two writers, down on their luck, living in a self-storage-space "bin" was mildly amusing, but, painfully bland.

The introduction of the character, played by Joe Pantoliano - the big deal movie guy, that lives in the park and sleeps in a lavatory, offered hope and I decided to give it a few more minutes. And then a few more until Kristy Swansons introduction as a budding film director & borderline nymphomaniac, added a bit of spice. Her solid acting performance raised her presence above and beyond just a very welcome eye-candy inclusion.

Ultimately, the obvious low-budget impacts on the film with poorly shot scenes, stuttured pace and slapstick handling of certain moments. Some of my favourite movies of all time have been low budget, Whithnail & I being one that also deals with 2 guys with a dream, but down on their luck.

However, for my money, the actors save Tinseltown from the "Terrible movie" archives and just about nudges it into the "could have been a cult movie" archives. I laughed out loud at some of the scenes involving Joe Pantoliano's character. In particular, the penultimate scenes in the terribly clichéd, but still funny, rich-but-screwed-up characters house, where the story unravels towards it's final moments.

I can see how Tinseltown was a great stage play and while the film-makers did their best to translate this to celluloid, it simply didn't work and while I laughed out loud at some of scenes and one liners, I think the first 30 minutes dulled my senses and expectations to such a degree I would have laughed at anything.

Unless you're stuck for a novelty coffee coaster, don't pick this up if you see it in a bargain bucket.