Back To Index Auto Focus
 Barnes & Noble The strange, sex-obsessed life of TV sitcom star Bob Crane is the subject of this dark tragicomedy from veteran writer-director Paul Schrader. Auto Focus follows Crane, played with uncanny perfection by Greg Kinnear, as he rises from obscurity as a radio DJ to minor stardom on the hit ‘60s TV show Hogans Heroes. Schrader, though, focuses mainly on Crane’s later years as a washed-up ex-celebrity who becomes addicted to videotaping his own ultra-promiscuous sex life. Cranes partner in amateur pornography is video-equipment salesman Johnny Carpenter (Willem Dafoe), and the strength of the film hinges on this unlikely friendship. These two best buddies burst with an almost childlike enthusiasm for their sexual indulgences, partaking in orgies like kids let loose in a candy store. While Dafoes performance strikes an intriguing balance between innocence and devilish glee, Kinnear adds a layer of celebrity arrogance to his portrayal of Crane. Yet underneath the famous persona is a naïve adolescent who seems nothing short of baffled as his adulterous escapades destroy his marriages and his career. With a minimum of eroticism and a healthy dose of deadpan humor, Schrader evokes Cranes emotional erosion through an evolution in cinematic style: The film, in the beginning, has the blandness of a TV sitcom, then moves toward grainier, high-contrast footage shot with a handheld camera. Although the story ends in tragedy, Schrader avoids overt moralizing. Instead, he explores themes of unconscious desire and latent homosexuality with cool detachment. Fiercely intelligent in its approach to its tawdry, sensationalistic subject matter, Auto Focus is as compelling as it is unsettling. Gregory Baird Interested in the song lyrics? - Check out themostlyrics.com! Looking For A DVD? - Check out dvd-a-rama.com! |
|
|||||||
| �2006 CD-A-RAMA.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy • Contact Us |
||||||||
