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Category:    Home > Reviews > Drama > Comedy > Telling Lies In America (Pan & Scan)

Telling Lies In America

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Film: B

 

 

Joe Eszterhas has been derided as some evil entity of screenwriting, which has been going on since he became the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood, then dared to write edgy work like Basic Instinct for the likes of Paul Verhoeven.  This kind of work was commercially viable, outrageous, and the studios kept going for it.  A fine exception came in the form of the independently produced Telling Lies in America, which serves as a semi-autobiography.

 

Released in 1997, many who were after Eszterhas chose to ignore the film, so the independent production went ignored, but it is a solid piece of independent filmmaking.  Kevin Bacon, who deserves more than to be remembered as the core basis of a game cinematic illiterates humiliate themselves playing, is slick record agent Billy Magic.  His high-flying lifestyle, fast money, and fancy car both impress and intrigue young immigrant Karchy Jonas (Brad Renfro, the most underrated actor of his generation) who wants to be as happy.

 

Another motivation for wanting instant success is his interest in Diney Majeski (Calista Flockhart, proving she is capable of more than being the star of an off-beat TV show) getting interested in him.  Karchy gets involved enough with Magic that he becomes guilty by association in bad music schemes.  That is where the Federal Authorities, interested in Payola and scams against performers, step in.  They want magic, and will destroy Karchy to get him, unless he testifies against Magic.  Can Karchy come up with an alternate way out before getting possibly deported?

 

The full screen image is not representative of the 2.35 X 1 Super 35 for scope image Reynaldo Villalobos’ camerawork, which succeeds in recreating the feel of the time period with the help of great clothes and production design.  This film has never been issued widescreen, including on LaserDisc, in one of the rare feature film offerings from BMG Home Video (the RCA/Arista Records people) several years ago.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is representative enough of the Dolby-A theatrical analog, though the PCM CD sound on the LaserDisc was likely more so, but the Dolby shows its age just the same.  The soundfield is whittled down a bit to fit the cropping of the scope image.  The only extra is a few filmographies.

 

Director Guy Ferland did a solid enough job that it is odd that he has not moved on to bigger film projects, but did find critical success on TV’s The Shield.  Renfro continues to be the actor most missed out on in mainstream films, while Bacon gets to do them, and takes on interesting films like Paul Verhoeven’s fun Hollow Man.  Telling Lies in America deserves to find its audience, which could happen if any of its three main actors could get on a lucky streak.  Don’t wait that long!

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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