Dann in reel life: New doc examines 1978 sex scandal
Reel Life mini-review: ‘Tabloid'
At first glance, the documentary “Tabloid” would appear to be a sellout for Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris. To go from the hard-hitting investigative reporting of “The Thin Blue Line” and the tough Vietnam War analysis in “Fog of War” to examining a 1978 sex-saturated scandal in “Tabloid”?
What was the Master of Exposing the Truth thinking?
Morris was probably thinking of exposing the biggest lies of all time: the ones people tell themselves to justify doing what they want to do, regardless of legal, social, moral, economic or religious implications.
In 1978, former Miss Wyoming beauty pageant winner and S&M nude model Joyce McKinney kidnapped the man of her dreams from a London Morman church, took him to a honeymoon cottage where she tied him to a bed and tried to “deprogram” him from his religious teachings by constantly having sex with him.
First, she had to liberate him from his Morman “magic underwear” designed to keep him from succumbing to physical temptations. It was, as she said, all for true love.
As you can imagine, this story was a big deal with the British tabloids back in the day. To be honest, America doesn't really have anything to quite compare to this tawdry little scandal. Not even Arnold Schwarzenegger's tiff. (I checked with Daily Herald columnist Burt Constable, and he agrees.)
Morris has great fun with interviewing McKinney, now middle-aged, as she recounts her actions from 1978. He also interviews other men connected to the case, as well as tabloid journalists and a former Morman missionary. (The kidnap victim declined to participate.)
“Tabloid” uses the familiar Morris device of going to blackouts between jump cuts, which I found to be more irritating than artistic. Morris also ventures into Michael Moore territory by employing zany animated segments and old TV show clips to illustrate or comment on McKinney testimony.
Morris' device of throwing key words on the screen — Impotence! Rape! — as McKinney utters them lends a clever tabloid effect in the early going, but wears out its novelty quite quickly.
“Tabloid” may not be Morris' best journalistic work, but it's never boring, especially with the laughing, crying and pouting McKinney at the helm of her own life story.
That she has a reported IQ of 168 only underscores how rationalization will always trump reason when it comes to matters of the heart.
Or other body parts.
“Tabloid” opens at the Century Centre Cinema in Chicago. Rated R for nudity, sexual situations, language. 87 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½
A closet Christian?
Could Harry Potter be a closet Christian? I explore that possibility in a sermon titled “Being Methodist: Not for Wimps” at 9 a.m. Sunday at Our Redeemer's United Methodist Church, 1600 W. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg. Go to orumc.org for details. Free admission! Bring your own popcorn, though.
Blue Whiskey returns
An estimated 40 shorts and feature films will be screened at the Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival when it returns on Tuesday at the Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center, 150 E. Wood St., Palatine.
First up: free screenings of new music videos, followed by a live concert from Palatine resident Dennis Florine. Shorts and feature film screenings begin on Wednesday and continue through Saturday.
The festival wraps up Sunday morning at the Hotel Bollero (formerly Hotel Indigo), 920 E. Northwest Hwy., Palatine, with an awards buffet brunch. I'll present a brief salute to the importance of independent moviemakers.
Many of the films at Blue Whiskey come from local writers, producers and directors. Chicagoan John Klein directs “Happily After.” Two shorts, “Diversion” and “The Oldest Profession,” come from Chicago filmmakers.
Tickets, passes and details are available at bwiff.com, but just so you know, a festival pass costs $60. Tickets go for $12. Saturday pass costs $30.
Dann, you're too tough
Dear Dann: You were pretty tough on the “Transformers” movie. Let's face it, when it comes to a fantasy film like this one, it is what it is. The one consistent has been Shia LaBeouf's believable performances.
Did you recognize Leonard Nimoy's voice as the Sentinal before he quoted the famous “Star Trek” line: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”?
Here's some trivia for you. When the Autobots pretended to leave and Bumblebee was saying goodbye to Sam, he used a quote from one of my favorite Westerns: “I gotta be goin' on.” Alan Ladd said that to Brandon DeWilde at the end of “Shane.” — Brian E. Skol
Dear Brian: Yes, I recognized Mr. Spock's famous “Needs” speech, delivered just before he sacrifices his life to save the Enterprise crew. I also picked up on several other movie references, particularly another Spock line, “You will always be my friend,” uttered to Admiral Kirk as the Vulcan died.
Here's why I am supposedly tough on Michael Bay's “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.”
Instead of dialogue brimming with ideas and insights, it offers movie references. Instead of human characters we can relate to, it gives us sexualized cardboard standees. Instead of creating suspense or thrills, it manufactures furious visual sequences so busy and confusing that you can't tell who's fighting.
No doubt, some readers will be scratching their heads, wondering how wrong a film critic could be when he rips a movie that has grossed more than $260 million.
I contend that there's no direct connection between the quality of a movie and its box office earnings.
Most people I talk to agree that “The Prisoner of Azkaban” is the best of the eight Harry Potter films. Yet, “The Sorcerer's Stone” made the most money at $974 million, so what does that prove?
I named Quentin Tarantino's debut “Reservoir Dogs” the best movie of 1992, and many savvy movie fans agree. Its box office take: $2.8 million, probably the cost of Megan Fox's cosmetics on “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”
We can agree on one thing, Brian. LaBeouf's performance might be the only believable element in “Dark of the Moon.”
• Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire's column runs Fridays in Time out!