‘Matchstick,’ is fun and quirky

VAN NOVACK

There are a lot of actors that can play quirky, twitchy and neurotic

roles. Unfortunately, this type of character invites scenery-chewing

performances devoid of nuance and sensitivity. Rare are meaty parts

featuring fully-realized but troubled individuals that are both

believable and engaging. Rarer still is an actor capable of

inhabiting such a role completely and convincingly.

Such a fortunate marriage of role and actor are at the center of

“Matchstick Men.” Nicolas Cage plays Roy Waller, an agoraphobic,

obsessive-compulsive of the first order. Waller’s fear of germs and

the outdoors, not to mention his numerous rituals for everything

including opening and closing doors, render him a virtual prisoner in

his own home. Roy lives behind drawn blinds in his ridiculously neat

home obsessing about carpet fibers and his unused but crystal clear

swimming pool.

Roy ventures outside only to meet the business obligations imposed

by his partnership with the loquacious Frank (Sam Rockwell). Roy and

Frank are con men, running fairly petty, but profitable, scams from a

non-descript office. Roy keeps the outward manifestations of his

psychological condition under control through the use of psychotropic

drugs he obtains illegally. When his source disappears, Roy is forced

to see a psychiatrist in order to obtain more drugs.

Naturally, the psychiatrist, Dr. Klein (Bruce Altman), wants Roy

to confront the source of his anxiety rather than just treat the

symptoms. For a weekly ration of drugs Roy agrees to talk about his

past. The pivotal issue in Roy’s life is his failed marriage that may

have produced a child. With Roy’s urging, Dr. Klein contacts his

ex-wife and arranges for him to meet his daughter Angela. Roy, barely

functioning himself, must now deal with a troubled 14-year-old girl naturally curious about that father she knows only through the lies

she has been told.

“Matchstick Men” is perfectly cast. Nicolas Cage delivers a

tour-de-force performance combining just the right amount of neuroses

and restraint. Sam Rockwell, so memorable in “Confessions of a

Dangerous Mind,” is excellent here as the cocksure, intelligent but

smarmy Frank. Though he is Roy’s protege, it is apparent he pays no

heed to the more experienced man’s cautious and understated approach.

Bruce McGill, one of the best character actors in the business,

shines again as the chosen “mark” for the big con. Alison Lohman

plays the wise-beyond-her-years Angela very convincingly.

“Matchstick Men” wouldn’t be a movie about con men if there wasn’t

an unexpected twist or two in the plot. The film’s plot certainly

moved in directions I didn’t anticipate yet remains true to itself

and doesn’t insult the audience’s intelligence by not offering hints

along the way. I found the film thoroughly engrossing and the full

two hours of running time flew by.

Cage is deservedly being cited for possible Academy Award

consideration for his role in “Matchstick Men.” I certainly can’t

think of five other performances so far this year that would preclude

him from this honor. I’m not conning you when I recommend you run out

and see this excellent film.

* VAN NOVACK, 50, is the director of institutional research at Cal

State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife

Elizabeth.

‘Cabin Fever’ finds creative ways to scare

If horror movies have taught us anything, it’s that unusually

attractive young adults who camp together are doomed to die. “Cabin

Fever” is a gruesome flick about some friends who rent a cabin in the

woods and encounter a flesh-eating virus. This is great low budget B

horror movie and a must-see for horror fans. It’s the kind of story

that will give you the creeps long after you leave the theater.

If you’re looking for emotional intimacy and insight into the

human condition, this isn’t your movie. Jordan Ladd (daughter of

Cheryl Ladd from Charlie’s Angels) isn’t Meryl Streep and this movie

isn’t “The Hours.” What you get with “Cabin Fever” are some decent

scares without the use of computer graphics, some moments that are

painfully grotesque and an original story that doesn’t stick to the

rules of the genre.

The heart of “Cabin Fever” centers on how characters react to

friends and strangers who are infected with a virus that eats tissue

inside your body and works its way out to your skin. What do you do

when someone covered in rotting flesh asks you for help? Do you chase

the person away or do you offer first aid? Do you treat the person

like a monster, or do you respond with compassion?

The storyline about a deadly virus is likely to draw comparisons

to the recent movie “28 Days Later,” but these two movies aren’t

really alike. “Cabin Fever” is closer to Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead,”

than it is to George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” trilogy. “28

Days Later” dealt with larger issues of the loss of civilization.

“Cabin Fever” focuses on more personal issues, like how to shave your

legs when your skin is rotting away.

Eli Roth co-wrote the movie, and is also the director. Roth

deserves credit for choosing to create his own rules rather than

working with one of the horror formulas. One of the things I like

about “Cabin Fever” is that Roth is into weirdness for its own sake

and isn’t afraid of abstraction. Watch for the guy in the bunny suit

and you’ll see what I mean. Roth thanks David Lynch in the movie’s

credits. I don’t know if that’s because Lynch offered help, or

because he appreciated the influence of Lynch’s work.

One of the strong points and weak points of “Cabin Fever” is how

Roth plays with the old horror formulas to create red herrings. When

this is done well, it creates suspense and keeps the audience from

guessing the outcomes of the story. When it’s done poorly, it’s

confusing and weakens the power of an otherwise interesting movie.

Roth’s usage of one-scene throwaway characters, who exist solely for

the purpose of keeping the audience off balance, is just lazy

filmmaking.

I have a similar complaint with the scenes featuring the character

Deputy Winston. Winston is poorly written, poorly acted and his

behavior is completely illogical. His appearances pull you out of the

moment and out of the movie. This character is indicative of other

flaws with Roth’s script and the movie in general. Roth uses Winston

as a way to include crude sexual remarks for their adolescent shock

value. There are other instances where characters say and do

supposedly shocking things that contribute nothing to the story and

don’t add value to the experience of watching the movie. Someone

needs to tell Roth that glorifying stupidity doesn’t make you a

politically incorrect rebel, it just shows that you’re stupid. With

any luck Roth will decide that smartly written characters are what

make movies more entertaining.

Despite its weaknesses, “Cabin Fever,” proves that you don’t need

a huge budget to make great horror. What you really need is a

creative mind. Roth certainly has one and he’s made one of the best

horror movies in many years. This movie is already developing an

intense cult following and we’re going to hear a lot more from Eli

Roth in the years to come.

* JIM ERWIN, 40, is a technical writer and computer trainer.