Director: Tony Spiridakis. Screenplay: Tony Spiridakis,
Shem Betterman Starring: Arye Gross, Joe Pantoliano, Ron Perlman,
Kristy Swanson, Tom Wood, John Considine, David Dukes
"Tinseltown" is a satirical comedy about Hollywood, the lengths to
which aspiring filmmakers will go in order to "make a deal", and the
depths to which they can fall in the effort. It's also about a serial
killer who puts plastic bags on his victims' heads, and injects them
with window cleaner. Funny, huh?
Actually it is funny. Very funny indeed. You see, it's like this. Our
two heroes (?), Max (Arye Gross) and Tiger (Tom Woods),
said aspiring filmmakers, are in reduced circumstances. Very much reduced:
they have no money and no place to sleep. Max, being the "Idea
man" decides to break into the Self Storage facility where Tiger's
"stuff" is stored, because "Your stuff has a place to stay, and
we don't!"
The place has a manager, Cliff (Ron Perlman) who magnanimously
decides to let them stay; ("seeing as it's Christmas and all"). So they
join a little community of artists, hippies, and out of work actors
who live in the storage bins.
Shortly our heroes become convinced that Cliff is the "Costume
Killer" who has been on the front pages of the papers for some time.
They pitch the idea that Cliff's life story is a really fresh
storyline for a film to the deal maker guy, Arnie, (Joe Pantoliano),
who lives out of a men's room.
The rest of the story revolves around the effort of these three to
get their serial killer together with the "Money Guy" (John Considine),
who they hope will finance their film. The plot is full of twists, and
the end is outrageous, and uproarious.
The real joy of this film is in the beautifully realized comic performances
of Arye Gross, Joe Pantoliano, and especially Ron Perlman. Arye Gross's
belligerent little rooster of an idea man is a hugely amusing portrait;
and you have to believe that Pantoliano's Arnie can make the deal, even
when you know he lives in a toilet!
But most of all, Ron Perlman's Cliff is a comic knockout. He's
never the same person for two scenes in a row; one minute a menacing
bully, then a total lunatic who hears voices, then a quiet mannered
nice guy, and all of them outrageously funny, owing to Perlman's outstanding
ability to play anything at all.
The first encounter between Arnie, the deal make,r and Cliff,
the serial killer, is a comedy classic, with Perlman's eye-rolling nutcase
killer vying with Pantoliano's terrified but hungry producer for comic
honors. I give Perlman the nod, but Pantoliano is not far behind.
According to Tony Spiridakis, director of the film, Ron Perlman is
"a national treasure". Spiridakis continues, "He did 'Beauty and the
Beast', the TV show; and when we did the play ('Self Storage', now 'Tinseltown')
in LA, it was never less than standing room only because of Ron Perlman.
He has this unbelievable following." (That's us, folks!)
Mr. Spiridakis also had some words to say on the subject of making
a comedy about a serial killer. "It's not making fun of serial killers.
What this film makes fun of is Tinseltown's propensity to capitalize
on serial killers." And it certainly does, very successfully. I liked
this film.
As a bonus for us Perlman fans, there is a long scene of Ron working
out in which he's bare to the waist, or nearly so, and there is one
of the far too few scenes where he gets to kiss the girl.
Rent this video. You won't be disappointed.
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