August 20, 2006

FIRST LOOK: 39 – A FILM BY CARROLL MCKANE (Aug. 06) by Robg.

There were two things that director Gary Sherman said during his introduction at a recent screening for ‘39: A FILM BY CARROLL MCKANE’ that stuck out while I was watching the movie.

The first – He hopes that with this movie, he’ll be bringing you, the viewer up close & personal with a person that you would never want to meet in real life.

And second – That this isn’t a film that you can enjoy, you just have to experience it for yourself.

Both statements were all I could think of as I sat silently in a small theatre in New York to witness Gary Sherman’s latest film ‘39: A FILM BY CARROLL MCKANE’ – his return to the “horror genre”.

’39’ is about Carroll McKane, a serial killer who’s never been caught, but after years of being undetected, wants some noteriety. So, he kidnaps a best-selling psychologist writer, and forces him to look into the world thru the eyes of Carroll as he films the entire process thru a series of video cameras. The movie we are watching is actual footage from these cameras.

Visually, it’s a really cool movie to watch because it embraces its “documentary” feel and uses that format to its advantage. If you’re familiar with Gary’s other films such as ‘Death Line’ or ‘Poltergeist 3’, you’ll know that he has a great artistic eye for where the camera should be, and how to do little tricks to make what you’re seeing on screen look really interesting.

There’s a shot at the beginning when Carroll approaches the car of Dr. Selby and we see Carroll with camera in hand in a window reflection as he first talks to his soon-to-be hostage. There’s another part a bit later where Carroll walks into the camera shop he works in and while talking to his boss stands in a position where we can see him in one of the store monitors. These are some of the little details that I picked up on and loved. The idea behind the movie – the concept is really meant to be a low-budget affair. It’s the type of thing a new filmmaker would make because of his/her limited resources or funds. But to see someone like Gary, an established director stripped down to the bare minimum to make this film is what excited me to see this movie in the first place.

I thought all of the actor’s did a great job, especially considering there were only a select few characters here with lots of dialogue. Martin Cummins WAS Carroll McKane. And it was odd… spending the duration of the movie with him, there were moments where I almost felt sorry for him. Where I thought some of the things he was saying were actually funny. And then I’d immediately feel terrible for laughing along with him. Then again, that brings me back to what Gary mentioned at the beginning of the screening. He’s forcing me to get to know a person that I would never want to, and making him… almost likable? That in itself is one of this film’s greatest accomplishments.

Sure, some might argue that at points, Martin is overacting in character, BUT I think that’s exactly how Carroll would be. A serial killer in his position who had never been caught WOULD be totally egotistical about himself and would probably go out of his way to put on a show on for Dr. Selby. After all, the whole purpose of this kidnapping was to educate Dr. Selby so he could write the definitive book about Carroll. Why not give him something to write about?

For the most part, the movie doesn’t play out like a horror movie, per se. Just think of it more as an interesting character study on the workings of a serial killer. The origins of why this person turned out the way they did. With the majority of the movie focusing on Carroll and Dr. Selby, think of it like watching a game between two very intelligent individuals constantly trying to regain dominance over the other, while we all know that Carroll always maintains control.

I don’t really see a problem with the “editing” issue that Bunni had. I never really questioned why the footage we were watching was put together the way it was. I just assumed that it was “edited” at a later date to be presented to us as if it was technically “a film by Carroll McKane”. I guess it wouldn’t hurt if the filmmakers had the chance to add a title card at the beginning setting up “the footage we are about to watch.”

Overall, I really enjoyed ‘39: A FILM BY CARROLL MCKANE’. I can honestly say I have never seen a movie quite like it. Especially one that toyed with my personal moral and emotional feelings. I recommend horror fans or even just fans of independent films check out this movie. For those whom have a strange fascination with what goes on behind the mind of a serial killer, then this movie is among one of the best to try and help us understand. –Robg.