Movie Reviews of OUT IN THE DARK and SALINGER by Howard Casner
Posted: October 7, 2013 | Author: Donald | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Michael Aloni, Michael Myer, Nicholas Jacob, Out in the Dark, Salinger, Shane Salerno, Yael Shafrir | 90 Comments »I feel as if I must begin this review with an apology. I recently saw two movies that for some reason I kept putting off and which have now left the theaters (at least in L.A.). And I feel that both are far more worthy of seeing than many of the more praised films that have opened as of late (Prisoners, Short Term 12, In A World…, etc.), movies whose popularity and good reviews have totally and completely escaped me.
The first, Out in the Dark, is a new Israeli drama written by Yael Shafrir and Michael Myer and directed by Myer. It covers the same basic premise of Gale Uchovsky and Eytan Fox’s The Bubble, a story about two men who become romantically involved with each other, one a Palestinian man trying to avoid the consequences of his family’s terrorist connections, the other an Israeli man just out of the army.
But in spite of having some plot similarities, Out in the Dark has it’s own voice and approach to the subject matter. While The Bubble is a powerful and ambitious updating of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (perhaps one of the most brilliant of such updatings of classic works), Out in the Dark is an espionage thriller that would be worthy of John Le Carré.
Shafrir and Myer’s drama is about a young male Palestinian, Nimr, who is given a student visa to study at Tel Aviv. He strives to be apolitical long enough to get out of the area altogether and study at someplace like Cambridge. But he also begins an affair with a male Israeli lawyer, Roy. Things take a nasty turn when the Israeli secret service approach Nimr and tell him that if he won’t spy for them and infiltrate various campus organizations, and on top of that, betray his brother who they suspect (correctly) of being involved with terrorist activities, they will cancel his student visa and tell his family that he is gay, which in this context is a death sentence. Nimr refuses.
The screenplay is first rate, a taught and emotionally fraught thriller. The story is riveting and cleverly done. The direction keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. The acting, especially by Nicholas Jacob as Nimr (his first film role) and Michael Aloni as Roy, is subtle and sincerely felt. And the ambiguous ending is deeply moving.
The reason I’m so late with a review of Out in the Dark is because it played for a shamefully short period of time. I put off seeing Shane Salerno’s documentary Salinger because it was severely trashed by the critics. But after seeing it, I have to say, I have no idea what it was that made everyone hate this movie so. I found it gripping and quite emotionally involving.
I even went to rottentomatoes.com to see what I could find out and though I didn’t read in detail all the reviews there, the basic consensus was that the movie was shallow, didn’t dig deep enough into its subject matter, and was as “phony” as the hero of Salinger’s greatest work, The Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield, thought the world to be. But when I walked out, I had to double check and make sure we hadn’t seen two totally different movies. In fact, in thinking back on it, I really can’t figure out what more the critics could possibly have wanted from the film (except actual appearances and interviews with J.D. himself, which he never gave, so that’s sort of that).
First, I must participate in full disclosure (actually, I don’t think this exactly counts as the ole FD, but it’s kind of the same thing). I read The Catcher in the Rye in high school. I enjoyed the book and thought the prose was lovely. I was always entertained by it. At the same time, when I finished reading it, my first thought was, “Wow, Holden has some serious mental issues”.
This echoes an anecdote in the movie that tells of the first publisher that offered to take on the, now, ubiquitous book. An editor told Caulfield his company wanted to publish it, but the editor hadn’t shown it to the firm’s owner yet. When the owner read it, he called in Salinger and told him they would have to do extensive rewrites because the central character was obviously mentally ill. Salinger ran fleeing from the building, devastated at the reaction. And after watching this documentary, I’m not so sure that I and the owner were that far off.
At any rate, I offer all that to suggest that I am not as enamored of the book as others, all of whom have found it to have had a profound affected on their lives.
But I still found the documentary to be quite riveting, for the most part. There were some slow moments and I still have issues at times with using documentary footage that feels taken from archives and have little or nothing to do with the topic at hand, but more seems like it’s there as filler, to give the audience something, anything to look at as people talk, as if the subject matter wasn’t interesting enough in itself. And for some reason I can’t quite explain, I never could take seriously the appearance of celebrities like Edward Norton, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Martin Sheen (they’re not experts on the book, just on how they felt about it upon reading it; but how they felt seemed at times like they were reading political talking points instead of really telling us what it meant to them).
But I suggest that this faux background material wasn’t that necessary and that the material was strong enough to stand on its own. The most riveting moments are the extensive monologues people give who encountered Salinger, not just, but especially, Jean Miller and Joyce Maynard, both of whom were romantically involved with this recluse. Here the camera does little but focus on the faces of these people and let them speak; and what tales they tell, stories of a troubled soul with demons they could never understand and Salinger wouldn’t share.
The documentary feels incredibly well researched and is filled with rich detail. I knew nothing about Salinger’s life before this, but I feel as if I know just about everything I need to know now about this somewhat oddball character (though Jewish, he married an ex-member of the Nazi party in Germany just before his return—the marriage was annulled not longer after). The film is well written, well told and well directed. If anyone wants to know about Salinger, this is the movie for it.
And it ends on a powerful and upbeat note. Though Salinger is no longer with us, his writings still are. And not just the books already published. Apparently there is a large body of writing that he set up to be published after his death, starting in 2015. That means more of the Glass family and more of Holden Caulfield as well.
90 Comments on “Movie Reviews of OUT IN THE DARK and SALINGER by Howard Casner”
Leave a Reply
REAL Short Box Subscribe!
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
… [Trackback]
[…] Here you will find 46943 additional Information to that Topic: rumblespoon.com/wp/2013/movie-reviews-of-out-in-the-dark-and-salinger-by-howard-casner/ […]
Dear immortals, I need some wow gold inspiration to create.
Dear immortals, I need some wow gold inspiration to create.
india pharmacy http://indiaph24.store/# world pharmacy india
india online pharmacy
https://indiaph24.store/# best india pharmacy
medicine in mexico pharmacies: mexican pharmacy – buying prescription drugs in mexico
http://mexicoph24.life/# best online pharmacies in mexico
get generic propecia prices: order propecia without insurance – propecia brand name
http://ciprofloxacin.tech/# ciprofloxacin generic
http://finasteride.store/# cost generic propecia for sale
tamoxifenworld [url=https://nolvadex.life/#]tamoxifen bone density[/url] tamoxifen men
http://ciprofloxacin.tech/# buy cipro online without prescription
tamoxifen and antidepressants: alternative to tamoxifen – tamoxifen and weight loss
https://nolvadex.life/# tamoxifen brand name
buy cytotec [url=http://cytotec.club/#]cytotec buy online usa[/url] order cytotec online
https://lisinopril.network/# lisinopril 20 mg best price
http://finasteride.store/# cost of cheap propecia without insurance
http://ciprofloxacin.tech/# ciprofloxacin generic
nolvadex half life [url=http://nolvadex.life/#]tamoxifen dosage[/url] tamoxifen dose
cost cheap propecia without a prescription cost generic propecia online or home
http://www.leftkick.com/cgi-bin/starbucks/rsp.cgi?url=https://finasteride.store cost cheap propecia pill
[url=https://www.google.com.ar/url?q=https://finasteride.store]order generic propecia without insurance[/url] cheap propecia without dr prescription and [url=http://czn.com.cn/space-uid-37887.html]buying propecia no prescription[/url] buying cheap propecia without rx
order cytotec online: Misoprostol 200 mg buy online – buy cytotec
http://lisinopril.network/# cost of lisinopril 20 mg
http://ciprofloxacin.tech/# buy ciprofloxacin over the counter
buy ciprofloxacin over the counter: cipro 500mg best prices – cipro online no prescription in the usa
http://cytotec.club/# cytotec buy online usa
ciprofloxacin generic: buy cipro online without prescription – ciprofloxacin 500 mg tablet price
cipro pharmacy [url=http://ciprofloxacin.tech/#]antibiotics cipro[/url] cipro ciprofloxacin
buy cipro online canada ciprofloxacin over the counter or ciprofloxacin generic price
http://avalonadvancedmaterials.com/outurl.php?url=https://ciprofloxacin.tech ciprofloxacin mail online
[url=http://images.google.ae/url?q=https://ciprofloxacin.tech]buy cipro[/url] ciprofloxacin generic and [url=https://visualchemy.gallery/forum/profile.php?id=3940332]buy generic ciprofloxacin[/url] ciprofloxacin 500 mg tablet price
https://ciprofloxacin.tech/# ciprofloxacin generic price
where can i buy cipro online: cipro generic – cipro ciprofloxacin
tamoxifen joint pain: aromatase inhibitor tamoxifen – nolvadex d
http://lisinopril.network/# how to buy lisinopril online
Buy Tadalafil 10mg: Generic Cialis without a doctor prescription – Tadalafil price
super kamagra: kamagra – sildenafil oral jelly 100mg kamagra
cheapest cenforce [url=https://cenforce.pro/#]cenforce for sale[/url] cenforce.pro
Buy Vardenafil 20mg online: Levitra price – buy Levitra over the counter
http://viagras.online/# Order Viagra 50 mg online
https://viagras.online/# buy Viagra over the counter
buy kamagra online usa: kamagra.win – kamagra
https://cialist.pro/# buy cialis pill
п»їcialis generic: Cialis 20mg price in USA – Cialis without a doctor prescription
sildenafil oral jelly 100mg kamagra: kamagra pills – Kamagra 100mg
Buy Tadalafil 10mg [url=https://cialist.pro/#]Generic Tadalafil 20mg price[/url] Generic Tadalafil 20mg price
canadian drugs pharmacy: onlinecanadianpharmacy – safe canadian pharmacy
my canadian pharmacy: thecanadianpharmacy – pharmacy rx world canada
https://pharmindia.online/# india pharmacy
purple pharmacy mexico price list: buying from online mexican pharmacy – medication from mexico pharmacy
canadian pharmacy tampa: canadian pharmacy – best canadian online pharmacy
canadian pharmacies not requiring prescription: canada online pharmacy no prescription – canadian pharmacy no prescription needed
http://amoxila.pro/# amoxicillin 30 capsules price
http://gabapentinneurontin.pro/# neurontin price australia
buy zithromax online with mastercard: zithromax price south africa – buy zithromax no prescription
amoxicillin 200 mg tablet purchase amoxicillin online or amoxicillin 825 mg
https://www.livecmc.com/?lang=fr&id=Ld9efT&url=http://amoxila.pro/ amoxicillin 800 mg price
[url=https://www.google.sn/url?sa=t&url=https://amoxila.pro]can i purchase amoxicillin online[/url] amoxicillin 500 capsule and [url=http://wuyuebanzou.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=524036]where can i buy amoxicillin without prec[/url] amoxicillin 500 mg without a prescription
doxycycline generic buy cheap doxycycline online or doxycycline without prescription
https://images.google.ci/url?q=https://doxycyclinea.online doxycycline 100mg dogs
[url=https://parts.harnessmaster.com/index.php?category=Hardware and Terminal Studs&colour=Silver&part=463&rurl=https://doxycyclinea.online]odering doxycycline[/url] doxycycline 100 mg and [url=http://mail.empyrethegame.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=298860]order doxycycline[/url] price of doxycycline
order doxycycline 100mg without prescription: buy doxycycline – buy doxycycline cheap
http://amoxila.pro/# amoxicillin in india
https://prednisoned.online/# prednisone 2.5 mg price
http://doxycyclinea.online/# doxycycline hydrochloride 100mg
neurontin 100 mg caps neurontin tablets no script or where can i buy neurontin from canada
https://maps.google.com.sg/url?sa=t&url=https://gabapentinneurontin.pro 300 mg neurontin
[url=https://www.edamam.com/widget/nutrition.jsp?widgetkey=2f96dac8-250d-4e34-814f-bc000e606796&url=http://gabapentinneurontin.pro]neurontin 800 mg tablets best price[/url] neurontin for sale and [url=http://www.9kuan9.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=675377]600 mg neurontin tablets[/url] neurontin 202
50mg prednisone tablet: order prednisone 100g online without prescription – buy prednisone online without a script
https://zithromaxa.store/# zithromax 500 price
buy cheap doxycycline online: order doxycycline – where can i get doxycycline
zithromax z-pak [url=http://zithromaxa.store/#]generic zithromax 500mg[/url] zithromax online paypal
https://doxycyclinea.online/# how to buy doxycycline online
amoxicillin 500mg capsule cost where can i get amoxicillin 500 mg or azithromycin amoxicillin
https://maps.google.td/url?sa=t&url=https://amoxila.pro amoxicillin without a prescription
[url=https://toolbarqueries.google.com.my/url?sa=t&url=https://amoxila.pro]where can i buy amoxicillin without prec[/url] amoxicillin 500mg capsules uk and [url=http://www.9kuan9.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=681432]amoxicillin 775 mg[/url] over the counter amoxicillin
medicine neurontin: neurontin 214 – neurontin 100mg tablets
prednisone pills for sale: prednisone 2 mg – how to get prednisone tablets
http://zithromaxa.store/# zithromax 500 mg lowest price pharmacy online
http://doxycyclinea.online/# order doxycycline online
http://prednisoned.online/# prednisone otc price
http://gabapentinneurontin.pro/# cost of neurontin 800 mg
zithromax 500mg over the counter: zithromax cost australia – zithromax 250 mg tablet price
price of doxycycline buy doxycycline cheap or doxycycline medication
https://www.google.com.uy/url?q=https://doxycyclinea.online 100mg doxycycline
[url=http://www.direktiva.eu/url?q=https://doxycyclinea.online]buy doxycycline online 270 tabs[/url] buy doxycycline and [url=http://wnt1688.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=8238278]doxycycline monohydrate[/url] cheap doxycycline online
medicine in mexico pharmacies: pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa – reputable mexican pharmacies online
http://mexicanpharmacy1st.com/# reputable mexican pharmacies online
buying prescription drugs in mexico: pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa – medicine in mexico pharmacies
mexico drug stores pharmacies mexico drug stores pharmacies or mexico drug stores pharmacies
https://clients1.google.com.bn/url?q=http://mexicanpharmacy1st.online best online pharmacies in mexico
[url=http://rostov-anomal.ru/redirect.php?url=http://mexicanpharmacy1st.online]purple pharmacy mexico price list[/url] medicine in mexico pharmacies and [url=http://bbs.cheaa.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=3123881]buying prescription drugs in mexico online[/url] mexican drugstore online
medication from mexico pharmacy: best online pharmacies in mexico – mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs
https://mexicanpharmacy1st.online/# medicine in mexico pharmacies
http://mexicanpharmacy1st.com/# mexico pharmacy
mexico drug stores pharmacies reputable mexican pharmacies online or pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa
https://images.google.bi/url?sa=t&url=https://mexicanpharmacy1st.shop best online pharmacies in mexico
[url=https://maps.google.co.ck/url?sa=t&url=https://mexicanpharmacy1st.shop]mexico pharmacy[/url] best online pharmacies in mexico and [url=http://moujmasti.com/member.php?6759-ttxgluexsy]medication from mexico pharmacy[/url] pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa
zestril 20 lisinopril pills for sale or lisinopril 1 mg tablet
https://kyl.guru/forum/away.php?s=http://lisinopril.club lisinopril 80 mg tablet
[url=https://cse.google.cd/url?sa=t&url=https://lisinopril.club]buy lisinopril 40 mg tablet[/url] lisinopril generic drug and [url=https://forexzloty.pl/members/387647-tyfsvhxpct]lisinopril 5 mg tablet cost[/url] zestril 30 mg
where can i buy generic clomid pill: can i order cheap clomid tablets – cost of generic clomid no prescription
http://clomiphene.shop/# how to get generic clomid tablets
lisinopril 5mg tabs: lisinopril 40 mg price – order lisinopril 20mg
http://propeciaf.online/# order propecia tablets
can i get generic clomid pills can i get cheap clomid pills or can you buy generic clomid
https://www.google.td/url?q=https://clomiphene.shop where buy clomid price
[url=https://maps.google.pn/url?q=https://clomiphene.shop]how to buy clomid without prescription[/url] can i purchase clomid without prescription and [url=https://bbs.zzxfsd.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=44763]clomid otc[/url] cost generic clomid for sale
pharmacy coupons [url=http://36and6health.com/#]cheapest pharmacy[/url] rx pharmacy coupons
canadian mail order pharmacy is canadian pharmacy legit or canadian drug pharmacy
https://images.google.com.sv/url?sa=t&url=https://cheapestcanada.com canadian pharmacy king
[url=https://www.google.com.cy/url?q=https://cheapestcanada.com]onlinepharmaciescanada com[/url] cheapest pharmacy canada and [url=https://98e.fun/space-uid-7724944.html]canadianpharmacymeds[/url] best canadian pharmacy to order from
https://cheapestandfast.shop/# meds online no prescription
best online pharmacy india online shopping pharmacy india or buy medicines online in india
https://www.google.com.om/url?q=https://cheapestindia.com world pharmacy india
[url=https://cse.google.co.ao/url?sa=t&url=http://cheapestindia.com]top 10 pharmacies in india[/url] best india pharmacy and [url=https://98e.fun/space-uid-7730237.html]reputable indian pharmacies[/url] Online medicine order
https://cheapestandfast.com/# best online pharmacy that does not require a prescription in india
pharmacie en ligne france livraison belgique: pharmacie en ligne fiable – pharmacie en ligne sans ordonnance
http://eumedicamentenligne.com/# pharmacie en ligne fiable