DVD slight return
For your consideration are a couple of titles that might not truly reflect the awesome nature the films represent. Knife Fight (6/11, IFC Films/MPI Home Video) and As Luck Would Have It (6/25, IFC Films/MPI Home Video), both direct to disc releases, deserve a little airplay on your small screen.
As Luck Would Have It comes from the mind of Spanish director Álex de la Inglesia. The Spanish title is La chispa de la vida or the spark of life; the script is from Randy Feldman (whose credits include Tango & Cash). I’m never disappointed with his movies or his penchant for diabolical humor. In some ways As Luck Would Have It resembles the kind of media satire than would’ve been penned by Paddy Chayefsky in the 1970s.
A former ad wiz kid is now older with kids and out of work, although today he’s well oiled and dressed for success for a job interview at a leading agency. Starring are leading Spanish comedian (also himself a writer/director) José Mota with Salma Hayek as his wife. Naturally the interview doesn’t pan out and José gets in his car, cranks up some heavy metal to remind him of his youth and drives the hotel where he spent his honeymoon. Only the hotel doesn’t exist as it was and a large amphitheater is under construction. Trying to figure out where his suite would’ve been José goes beyond the secured construction area and naturally has an accident.
In this case our hero has fallen onto a platform and a piece of rebar has lodged into his skull. He can’t be readily moved and rescue workers can’t saw the rebar off without the vibration scrambling his brain. Soon the entire event is being covered live on television, the clueless mayor is next door at an unrelated ceremony, and José finds himself bargaining with the agents who just turned down his job search for the rights to interview him live for a lot of cash. What follows includes backroom bargaining where ratings equal money and life is reduced to a commodity and general sardonic jabs at media culture.
Knife Fight follows a greedy consultant for political campaigns (Rob Lowe starring as Paul Turner) and suggests a variety of moral conundrums for its scheming characters. You see, hiring Turner to spin your campaign is like bringing a gun to a knife fight. Jamie Chung, Carrie-Ann Moss, Richard Schiff, Saffron Burroughs, Eric McCormack, David Harbour, Jennifer Morrison and Julie Bowen are among the co-stars. There’s some delicious comedy on display and soon Turner himself is unsure which way to wag the dog.
— Michael Bergeron
