Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

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VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> George Clooney</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="575" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Are you pulling my leg or what?</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="575" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Starring</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Sam Rockwell</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Drew Barrymore</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Julia Roberts</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> George Clooney</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Maggie Gyllenhaal</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Chuck Barris, the creator of TV shows such as  "The Dating Game," "The Newlywed Game" and "The Gong Show" wrote a rather strange memoir about twenty years ago, which has now been made into a movie. He claims that in-between jobs in Hollywood, he was recruited by CIA agent Jim Byrd (George Clooney) to become an off the books assassin. Barris (Sam Rockwell) alleges that by the time he got out of the CIA, he had murdered 33 people. He certainly killed `em on his schlock TV series. </div> <bR> <div> Those people on Barris's supposed hit list were identified by the CIA as "communist threats to the United States of America." As a </div> <bR> <div> part of "The Dating Game," Barris was the chaperone of the show's winners to foreign locales, that just happened to be a spot where he had an assignment to kill someone. </div> <bR> <div> One might question the reality of the alleged events, but there is no doubt that Chuck Barris has a dangerous mind. The documentary footage of people such as Dick Clark (American Bandstand) talking about Barris from time to time in the midst of this story, lends a strange sense of credibility to the proceedings. George will go out on a limb and say this is part fact and part fable (like the recent death of Big Foot) and makes you think that most of the entertainment and personal business is true, and that some portion of Barris' life dealt with <I>something</I> that was covert. Two things clue you in, that while there is fact here, many things are not true. One is that <A HREF="http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/N/htmlN/natkingcole/natkingcole.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/N/html"><U><B>Nat King Cole had a TV show </B></U></A>in 1955 rather than late 1956  and the other is a spy exchange that is too bizarre to really have occurred.</div> <bR> <div> Told in autobiographical style, young Chuck gives insight into his personality when he convinces a pre teen girl to give him oral sex because he tastes like strawberry and that's her favorite flavor. Growing up, when he could get a date, it was hands off when it seemed that all the other guys were getting over all the time. By the time he could get a girl to kiss him in a movie theater, that was out of style.</div> <bR> <div> Barris does a variety of jobs in the television industry, to include </div> <div> working in the mailroom. As he started to discover his quirky creative side, he got a pilot accepted for "The Dating Game." It was not picked up and while out of work, he was recruited by CIA Agent Byrd. Only later did he learn that his undercover assignment was not to be a spy, but to function as an assassin. </div> <bR> <div> Chuck's main lady was Penny (Drew Barrymore) who put up with his oddball personality and habits, and even later when she caught him making love with CIA agent Patricia (Julia Roberts). </div> <bR> <div> Barris was indeed in two different worlds and his progression toward insanity was palpable. This is an odd film that is hard to explain, yet easy to follow when you are looking at it. When Barris is told that he fits the profile of what the CIA is looking to recruit, he doesn't get it that he is the opposite of what one would think a CIA agent would look and act like. The line "Jesus Christ was dead and resurrected by 33, so you better get cracking" was priceless. It's Byrd's way of telling him that it's way past time to get it in gear. Also unforgettable was a scene on "The Dating Game" when a woman chooses a dork after passing over two well known faces that would be, by almost any single woman, the dream date. </div> <bR> <div> George Clooney does not have the acting pedigree or historical record of Denzel Washington, but they may have more in common than one might think. They have both brought out their debut directorial films this year, and while quite different, both are outstanding in a unique way. Clooney has a supporting role in this film and the lead in <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/holiday2002/id1767.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/holiday20"><U><B>"Solaris,"</B></U></A> a role showing considerable depth without a lot of flash. Washington's <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/holiday2002/id1743.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/holiday20"><U><B>"Antwone Fisher"</B></U></A><B> </B>is the best feel good film of the year, and Clooney's picture is probably the best quirky movie. Another gem they share in common is an outstanding supporting performance in both films by Viola Davis.</div> <bR> <div> Sam Rockwell will be added to George's list of candidates for best actor this year, as this is clearly a breakout role for him. Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore are two women with very different relationships to Barris. One wins and the other loses. Barris goes through most of his life out of control, while staying inside his driving lane. Or so it seems. </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="621" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> George O. Singleton  © 2002</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>Reelmoviec@aol.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="593" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="293"><div> Sam Rockwell: <B>Made</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Drew Barrymore: <B>Donnie Darko</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> George Clooney: <B>Ocean's 11</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="293"><div> Julia Roberts: <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2002/id1897.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2002/id18"><U><B>Full Frontal</B></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div>  Maggie Gyllenhaal:<A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/holiday2002/id1695.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/holiday20"><U> </U></A><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/holiday2002/id1695.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/holiday20"><U><B>Secretary</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="293"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="20" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="293" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>