Dann in reel life: 'Super' turns out to be just that

Reel Life review: ‘Super'

There is something gleefully, awfully liberating about an ultraviolent superhero movie that refuses to play by any rules, not even the ones governing professional filmmaking.

James Gunn's “Super” mixes and mismatches genres to confounding effect. “Super” becomes both a crude celebration and sharp criticism of violence, both an embrace and rejection of the staid superhero conventions, and both a comic romp and serious exploration of obsessive love.

“The Office” star Rainn Wilson plays Frank, a short-order cook short on forgiveness after a human cockroach named Jacques (a skeletal Kevin Bacon) steals his recovering addict wife (Liv Tyler), pumps her full of drugs and loans her out to his creepazoidal business partners.

Inspired by what he perceives to be the finger of God touching his skull-less brain, Frank dons a homemade costume and becomes the Crimson Bolt, a potbellied vigilante who shouts “Shut up, Crime!” and dispatches street thugs with a deadly pipe wrench.

Libby (Ellen Page), a comic book shop clerk, buys into his warped vision and forces herself into his life as his sadistically cackling mascot, Boltie. Together they take on baddies, from killers to rude people who cut in theater lines.

Gunn hails from the legendary school of Troma, famous for its gross and outrageous exploitation pictures such as “The Toxic Avenger” series. In “Super,” Gunn makes abrupt, bloody violence sting and shock in ways that most PG-13 and R-rated action films fail to do.

In “Super,” Gunn constructs the sort of thematically fractured, morally ambiguous movie that begs to be tagged with a “cult” status. Only time will tell.

“Super” opens at the Music Box in Chicago. (Look for Chicago actor Michael Rooker as one of Bacon's enforcers.) Not rated; for mature audiences. Contains extreme violence, sexual situations, language. 96 minutes. Three stars

Going to the ‘Hop'

Dear Dann: I read your review of “Hop” after I had watched the movie. I was quite amazed by how much you read into it. After all, it is a children's movie and I don't think any of the little ones would pick up on any kind of stereotyping or anti-union message or any of the other symbolism you mentioned in your article.

I don't think the producers had that in mind, either, when they made the picture or they would have made an adult movie instead. I just thought it was a cute, entertaining movie for the kids. — Margo Sliwa

Dear Margo: Kids pick up a lot more than many adults think they do, not just from movies, but from everywhere. They are informational sponges anxious to observe and learn about the world.

Taking children to a movie tinged with racist attitudes doesn't strike me as a responsible thing to do, especially if you know this ahead of time, which you didn't.

Counting on kids to not “pick up” on racist portrayals seems to me to be a weak excuse for taking children to movies that employ them.

As for the racial stereotypes and blunt, anti-union portrayals in “Hop,” I hardly had to “read into it.” I merely reported what I observed.

I do agree with you on one point: The filmmakers were frighteningly oblivious to the messages of their own creation. If not, that would make them anti-union, racist moviemakers, wouldn't it?

‘I am not an animal!'

Join me and film historian Raymond Benson as Dann & Raymond's Movie Club presents “I Am Not an Animal! Hollywood's View of the Disabled” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14, at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 N. Dunton Ave., Arlington Heights. Clips from such films as “The Elephant Man,” “My Left Foot,” “Freaks,” “The Miracle Worker,” “The Best Years of Our Lives,” plus others. Free admission, too! Go to ahml.info or call (847) 392-0100.

It's festival time!

• Legendary Chicago theater director and filmmaker Stuart Gordon returns home for the Full Moon Horror Film Festival starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 9, at the Portage Theatre, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Gordon's horror films (such as “The Re-Animator”) will be shown, along with Charles Band's “Evil Bong 3-D: The Wrath of Bong” in Sniff-O-Rama. Go to flashbackweekend.com or call (847) 647-3124.

• The fourth annual Geneva Film Festival runs Thursday to Saturday, April 14-16, with screenings at Riverside Receptions, 35 N. River Lane, Geneva. Schaumburg High School graduate and Hollywood cinematographer Paolo Cascio will participate in a workshop/panel discussion at 9:30 a.m. April 16. Go to genevafilmfestival.org.

• The third annual Talking Pictures Film Festival in Evanston runs Thursday to Sunday, April 14-17, at the Evanston Library and Northwestern University campus. Go to talkingpicturesfestival.org.

• The third annual Chicago International Movies & Music Festival cranks up from April 14 through 17 at various venues in the Windy City. Go to cimmfest.org.

‘Sixth' makes sense

Hello Dann: I was somewhat amused when I saw your list of movies that fooled you. I happened to see “The Sixth Sense” on its opening day and, like you, I did not see the twist at the end of the movie. I loved this movie. The reason I am amused is because later that day, I read the Herald's review of this movie. The woman who wrote this review totally ripped the movie. I remember one line: “Bruce Willis is laughable as the psychologist.” Needless to say, I am glad that you enjoyed this movie. — Bob Gleason

Bob: I was out of town when the “The Sixth Sense” was presented to local critics. I found Willis' portrayal of the psychologist to be rather sad. — Dann

More surprise movies

• You are right, Dann, definitely “The Sixth Sense” was a whammer and so was “The Village.” I was kind of surprised by Kevin Costner's character really being a (spoiler information deleted!) at the end of “No Way Out.” — Sung Ahn, Schaumburg

• I liked both your choices for best chase movie — “Bullitt” — and best twist — “Psycho.” I saw “Psycho” at the theater with my parents when I was 12 years old, and it is the only movie I have ever seen where I could not sleep that night, I was so terrified. “The Crying Game” definitely has a terrific twist, also. — Gary Koca, Pingree Grove

• I really enjoyed your April Fools' Day “Movies That Fooled Me” article. Good movies! I've seen about half of them, I think. A couple I already know the surprise, like “The Crying Game.” And a few I will have to check out. “Brazil” was probably my favorite on your list, though “The Sixth Sense” and “Psycho” are right behind it.

When I went to see “Sucker Punch,” they had a preview for “Fast and Furious Five” and I think they hit their targeted audience right on the head. Muscle men, muscle cars, hot babes, chases and explosions. And that's pretty much it! — Tim Schmidgall, Elgin

• I liked your picks, but I would have included “Soylent Green.” Instead of relying on such devices as human apes or the usual run of “Twilight Zone” spookies, it presents the most frightening picture of all, a horrible vision of the way the world could be in a hundred years of rampant population explosion. And then to find out that Soylent Green is (spoiler information deleted!) Well, if that idea doesn't make your list, it sure makes mine. — David Werdegar, Naperville

Chase! What matters

Dann: Loved your list of best chase sequences, but I would rearrange some of the rankings and maybe expand to 20 with a few suggestions:

“The Italian Job” (both the original and remake), “Gone in 60 Seconds” (the groundbreaking 1974 original, plus the remake), “The Transporter,” “Death Race 2000,” “Death Race,” “The Fast and The Furious,” “The Gumball Rally,” “The Cannonball Run,” “White Lightning,” “Dirty Mary Crazy Larry.” — Rick Dana Barlow

Dear Rick: Good suggestions! However, I draw a distinction between “chase” movies and “race” movies. The latter are stories about people who knowingly enter an organized, announced race; the former are about people usually forced into car chases. Those are much more fun, as a rule. That is why I didn't include “Death Race,” “Cannonball Run” or other films like them.

But I loved your other suggestion: “The opening scene in ‘Office Space,' when Ron Livingston is stuck in traffic and is being outpaced by the old guy with the walker on the sidewalk. Classically priceless. And very Chicagoesque!” — Dann

• Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire's column runs Fridays in Time out!