"Evil" Puppet

Whenever I listen to Interpol's "Evil," I have nightmares. Why? Because of this thing:

http://www.blastro.com/images/large/lg_interpolevil.jpg

That's a picture of the freaky, life-like puppet that narrates the music video, and it has ruined the song for me. I want you to share in my torment, so watch the video for free here:

http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/musicvideos/1460/

Now, I'm sure this dummy is a BREAKTHROUGH in puppet technology, but can someone explain to me why the hell his mouth UPSIDE DOWN? He has strikingly human expressions, and they give him scars, but when they make him dance (yes, dance) he's just as puppet-like as Kermit the Frog. And he has NO NOSTRILS. What were they thinking? Does this make the song more appealing? Is it a metaphor in some way? I have no idea. But whenever I hear the song on the radio or from my iPod, the image of this frightening figure pops in my head. I can't help it. He sings in the video, so his face is forever linked to frontman Paul Banks' voice. Maybe I just need to watch more of their normal videos and performances; maybe that'll erase these traumatic images. Ugh, awful. So awful.

So I saw "Constantine" today, and it was surprisingly OK. It's based on a DC-Vertigo comic called "Hellblazer" that was written by "Preacher"-scribe Garth Ennis for a while. So, yeah, I had to see it. Now, Keanu Reeves. sigh. Let's put aside the fact that John Constantine is English and, ya know, smart. We all know Keanu can't play smart...that's a stretch for a lot of actors. But, with Keanu, he's only passable when he has little to do except look good and be cool (Point Break, Matrix). Anything more than that, he does more harm than good. And that's what happens in "Constantine." He tries to be dry, and gruff, and cynical, and dark and mean-spirited, but it never works. It's a classic example of miscasting. All of Keanu's desperate acting aside, the movie ain't bad. There's a bunch of neat special fx and demon/exorcism moments that actually border on ORIGINAL. Sure, the plot and some of the characters are derivative, but the movie looks really friggin good. Kudos to director Francis Lawrence and his cinematographer for that. Rachel Weisz ain't bad as the detective/love interest, and neither is Tilda Swinton as the angel Gabriel. If only they casted someone like Clive Owen instead of Keanu. I mean, John Constantine has the potential to be a pretty interesting character in future installments. Here's a guy who tried to kill himself when he was younger because of all the things he could "see." He was dead for two minutes and in that time he saw where he was going: Hell. So as a way of getting back in God's good graces, he spends his life fighting demons, trying to buy his way back into Heaven. Kinda cool, right? Yeah, I think so too. 3/5.

I also watched "Infernal Affairs," the japanese flick Scorsese is remaking next year. It's got an awesome premise. Both the mob and the police have placed moles in each other's organization. The police mole has been deep undercover for ten years, slowly becoming the gang leader's most trusted soldier, and the gang mole has worked his way up the police hierarchy. It's a tighter, leaner version of "Donnie Brasco," not nearly as good, but still touching on the same themes. The cop mole is desperate to return to the force and lead a normal life, but that becomes more and more difficult to do as the movie goes on. The gang mole has learned to enjoy his life as a cop (he's got a wife and a nice place) and has to decide which side he's really on. So, like I said, it's a great premise. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't quite live up to it. There are major miscues of music during dramatic scenes (a result of Miramax meddling, perhaps?), and the script doesn't really uncover much of what's going on in these guys' heads. The Scorsese film will no doubt be better. Especially with the cast he's lined up: Matt Damon, Leo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, and Jack Nicholson. It's going to be set in Boston, and since both Damon, Wahlberg, and the screenwriter are Boston-ites, I suspect the city will figure prominently. Damon is playing the gang mole (the bad guy), and DiCaprio the tortured cop mole (the good guy). Wahlberg is reportedly playing DiCaprio's supervisor, one of the only men who knows he's a mole. And Nicholson has got the crime boss part. How is it that Nicholson hasn't been in a Scorsese movie before? 3/5.