At the Movies

It’s not too often that you get a bunch of well-known, not quite A-list actors playing themselves in a movie. This movie is brimming with them. It’s probably less often that you get a film that’s so funny and at the same time so dark. This one reaches bellyache-inducing heights of wild comedy and digs deep into the depths of pure horror.

“This Is the End” could just as easily be called “This Is a Surprise.” Aside from being funny and scary, it’s rude and raunchy, and terrifically acted (my guess is that it’s also rampantly improvised). And it features some pretty darn good visual effects (from Michael Bay-like mass devastation to people being chased down by creepy creatures) as well as a refreshing presentation of love-hate relationships among close friends.

But enough of this serious moviemaking praise. The reality is that most of the folks who put this film together exist around various edges of stardom, and are well known enough by the general public to be audience draws. But I’d wager that they had small bets with each other about how much they could get away with in a big Hollywood production. They decided that, in telling their modern-day story of the apocalypse, and how it directly affects a group of stoned-out, immature and irresponsible actors (that would be themselves), they would not hold back anything.

In fact, they went for the outrageous, and they delivered!

This is kind of a whacked-out version of the 2007 film “The Mist,” in which a group of people are stuck in one place while unspeakable horror ravages around them outside, trying to get in.

There wasn’t one laugh in that movie. But this one more than makes up for it. Canadian actor Jay Baruchel returns to L.A. after a long, self-imposed absence, to catch up with his pal Seth Rogen. Let the dope-smoking begin. They head off to what promises to be a wild party at the new palatial home of James Franco (who, being a creative everyman, brags that he designed the place himself).

Among the guests, aside from the folks listed above, are Michael Cera (playing very much against type), Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (you know, McLovin), Paul Rudd, Aziz Ansari and lots more.

It’s a great party! Well, until outside, the ground rumbles, buildings fall, fires erupt, blue shafts of light appear from above and pull certain people upward, something unseen emits a bloodcurdling roar, and when Franco’s guests go running for the hills, the land around his home splits open, revealing the gaping maw of a bottomless fiery pit, into which the majority of those guests go tumbling and screaming.

Back inside, refuge for the top-billed stars is found, as is an effortlessly fast return to the raucous humor that was happening before the interruption. What’s going on here? Let’s call it something of biblical proportions. But that doesn’t stop the script and surviving actors from running rampant with drug ingestion, squabbles over who gets what food, masturbation jokes (the lone topic that gets a little out of control) and, later on, a funny and ghastly sideline story concerning possession and exorcism.

There’s a small bit of quiet time, during which our friends get around to sharing some very private, very personal confessions (a little more gross-out humor, anyone?), then we get more dark laughs and more horror.

It’s a rare occasion these days to be able to say a film is a complete original. But aside from similarities to “The Mist” and the fact that that this is actually based on the 2007 short “Jay and Seth Versus the Apocalypse,” this is an original. And along with the laughs and cringes, it gives us some great news: Heaven turns out to be a hell of a place!

Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now.

THIS IS THE END

Written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

With James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson

Rated R

With the release of the new political thriller “The East,” Brit Marling earns herself a hat trick of a moviemaking hat trick. This is the third film (after “Another Earth” and “Sound of My Voice”) that she’s co-written, co-produced and starred in.

The 30-year-old Chicago native has also been doing a lot of acting for others, most recently opposite Robert Redford in “The Company You Keep,” and last year as the daughter of Richard Gere’s character in “Arbitrage.”

But Marling appears a bit surprised that she’s made a career out of acting and filmmaking. It seems to her that it was only yesterday when she was studying economics at Georgetown University. She spoke by phone from Dallas about “The East” and how she made it to Hollywood.

Weren’t you supposed to be working on Wall Street by now?

That was supposedly the plan. I feel like life should just be called adventures in Plan B. (laughs) I studied economics in school. And during my junior summer internship, I worked at a bank as an analyst. Lots of people around me loved what they were doing. But it just didn’t move me. There was a moment there, when I was in my cubicle, crunching numbers on Excel, and I thought, "I’ve gotta get out of here, this isn’t for me."

Weren’t you already involved in making films at that point?

Yes. In my freshman year, I saw a film that was co-directed by [students] Zal Batmanglij and Mike Cahill that was stunning. So I basically stalked them on campus until they let me make movies with them. I was pitching myself as a sound girl-lighting tech, but Zal said, “Well, maybe you should be in one.” I had done plays in high school, and I liked acting, so I did it, and had a lot of fun, but I never really thought of it as a thing to do with one’s life. It wasn’t until I graduated college that I realized that the thing that you love to do is exactly what you should do with your life.

When you all went to L.A., was it difficult to break in?

We had a really hard time when we first got there. Mike and I were doing documentary work. I was getting work as a camera woman on odd projects. I was trying to audition for things, but I couldn’t figure out how to even get an audition except for parts in intense horror films. So we started making films on our own, again, very much the way we did at Georgetown, and then we realized that we had a lot to offer the system, about how to make films now, for less. So we changed our perspective a bit.

“The East” is about an FBI agent that infiltrates a group of eco-terrorists who are living off the grid. Did the movie take shape based on the time you and Zal lived on the road for a while?

At one point, four summers ago, in L.A., we had run out of money. So we decided to go have an adventure. We were reading about the freegan and anarchist movements, and we were interested in what young people in this country were feeling and thinking. So we learned to train-hop, then got some back packs and train-hopped back and forth across the states. We stayed on organic farms, and fell in with freegan groups and collectives, and learned about living off the grid. The biggest thing we learned was about living and working in tribes, and the value of a collective. That’s when we got back into the sort of more tribal filmmaking. We knew we could make collective films with the same sort of dumpster diving spirit. That’s when we made “Another Earth” and “Sound of My Voice.” It wasn’t till years later that we noticed when we talked to people about that summer, they seem very interested. What if we put them in an espionage thriller? That was the idea.

You’re a writer and actor and producer. Are there plans to start directing?

I get a lot of pleasure out of writing and acting, and I feel so challenged by the craft of acting. It never seems to get any easier to be honest and present and not close up because you have a moment of insecurity. I feel so compelled by that, and I’m in awe of people who can act and direct at the same time. So I don’t know if I can bite that off and chew it. At least not now. But maybe somewhere down the road.

“The East” opens on June 14, then expands into more theaters.

Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now.

New Zealand-born, Australia-raised Russell Crowe has had his share of playing heroes (“Gladiator,” “Robin Hood”) and villains (“3:10 to Yuma,” “Broken City”) over the years. He’s also taken parts in which his characters couldn’t be so easily compartmentalized (“L.A. Confidential”). But there’s no questioning his ethics in “Man of Steel.” He’s Jor-El, loving husband of Lara, loving father of Kal-El, brilliant scientist and patriotic council member on Krypton. Heroic and patriotic, he’s one of the good guys. But he’s faced with an unthinkable dilemma. As Krypton literally explodes around him and his people, he must put his small son into a spacecraft, then send him hurtling across the heavens to Earth in order to save him. Crowe’s early scenes in the film are incredibly moving. His later ones, when he returns as a lifelike version of his own consciousness, are thoughtful, almost noble. His approach to the role convincingly makes Jor-El the soul of the movie. He recently spoke about why he took the iconic part, and the differences between being a father in real life and playing one onscreen.

Did you dust off a copy of “Superman” from the ’70s to see how Marlon Brando played Jor-El?

I have a confession. Might as well just get it out right now. I’ve never seen any other Superman movies. I don’t have any references in terms of cinematic experience. The only Superman reference I have is the 1950s black-and-white TV show that was on after school when I was a kid. So I didn’t have anything to draw on. The simple thing for me is I read the script, I thought it was a complex and really cool story in and of itself, and I thought the problems that Jor-El faced in terms of his decisions as a father was a very interesting thing to do. That’s why I got involved.

Did you manage to bring any of your own know-how of being a father to the set when you did the scenes with the infant Kal-El?

I had a very interesting experience being a father on this movie. Four babies were employed to play the recently born Kal-El. In my own experience as a father of two, I’ve managed to dodge all the piss and the poo, even though I’m pretty slick with a nappy. But on this movie, I got farted on first. That was OK. Got pissed on. That was a little inconvenient. Then it happened, under those hot lights. I got a handful of the essential Kryptonian material. So I learned a lot. (laughs) I had new experiences as a parent in this movie that I hadn’t previously had.

“Man of Steel” opens on June 14.

Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now.

Let me be blunt. There is no reason to see this movie. It’s a psychological horror film that is mean and ugly, without a whit of wit, and exists only as a failed and feeble attempt at social commentary. It’s as much a waste of your brain cells as it is of your money and time.

The premise: Just a few years into the future, all appears to be pretty good in America, with the unemployment rate at about 1 percent, and people generally happy. Yet a few years earlier, things were so bad, and folks were so miserable, the entire government had to be replaced. As soon as the “New Founding Fathers” (sexist, don’t you think?) took over, they implemented the government-sanctioned annual Purge, during which “all crime is legal for 12 continuous hours” across the country.

It’s a different kind of getting yer ya-yas out, a way to let everyone let off some steam, a lower to drastically lower the crime rate the rest of the year. Yes, murder is included.

Say hello to our hero, James (Ethan Hawke), his wife Mary (Lena Headey), and their two teens – the confused son and the annoyed daughter. These folks were just scraping by until James got involved with big-budget security systems, the kind that would keep raucous, bloodthirsty purgers locked out on this special night, and keep wealthy people behind reinforced walls in homes that give a new meaning to the term safe house.

So as the 7 p.m. starting time approaches, the now well-off James and Mary wish a cheery “safe night” to their neighbors, push their wall-lowering buttons,  peruse the suddenly empty streets from a bank of video screens, and settle in.

Uh-oh ... who’s that terrified guy running through the streets screaming for help? Here, let me turn off the security system for just a moment while he comes inside, says that confused son to himself, then does just that. Hold on, who’s that knocking on the door? Why, it’s a bunch of wealthy young hoodlums, with masks and guns and machetes, looking for that guy, for that – what do they call him? – ah, yes, that filthy swine who they intend to slaughter because he’s homeless.

For the convenience of the film’s script, they just happen to know he’s in there. And wait, here comes the ultimatum: Give him to us, or we’ll get in, get him, and get you, too, they tell James via a video camera.

Wouldn’t ya know it? The impenetrable system on his beautiful home, the same one he sold to his neighbors, isn’t quite impenetrable. Certainly not after some “equipment” arrives. What’s a nervous peace-loving family that doesn’t take part in the purge but has a well-stocked gun cabinet to do?

Here’s a clue. Things get vicious and bloody. There are long silences that are capped off by sudden jolts. Borrowing heavily from films including “The Hunger Games” and “The Strangers,” this turns into a tale of an America that’s run by horrible leaders and populated by idiots. The acting is forced, the characters are unlikeable, the scenes are repetitive, and the whole thing is pointless.

Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now.

THE PURGE

Written and directed by James DeMonaco

With Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey

Rated R

In real life, Michael Shannon can be an imposing figure, especially when all 6’4” of him is standing tall. But the slow-talking 38-year-old actor’s natural voice is soft, and his eyes are kind of sleepy, so it’s easy to soon relax around him. Still, the roles he’s best known for – the racist and sexist FBI agent Nelson Van Alden on “Boardwalk Empire,” Kim Basinger’s nasty lout of a boyfriend in “8 Mile,” the damaged goods next door neighbor John in “Revolutionary Road” (for which he was Oscar nominated) – tend to put most viewers on edge. His portrayal of Krypton’s military leader General Zod in “Man of Steel” might knock some people right over that edge. Gone is the cartoony flamboyance that Terence Stamp gave to the part in the “Superman” films of the ’70s and ’80s. This Zod is patriotic and concerned for his people, but he’s also angry and extremely dangerous. This time around, Shannon is definitely an imposing figure on the screen. He recently spoke about his role as Superman’s foe as well as starring in the new film “The Iceman,” the true story of the vicious hitman Richard Kuklinski.

You have quite a presence as Zod. He’s a big, scary guy who knows how to fight.

Yes, but the important thing to remember is that, on Krypton, Zod does not have any superpowers. He’s just a general. He’s been training for a long time, whoopin’ butt for a long time there on Krypton. When he comes to Earth, he goes through a similar thing that Kal-El goes through when he gets here. Basically it’s just acclimatizing to the environment. Zod’s probably been doing those moves since he was a little boy.

But he comes across, at least at some points, as evil. How do you go about finding evil as an actor?

I go to Satan. I get my bucket, and then I go down to the well and ask, “Satan, are you down there? I’ve gotta be evil today.” I lower the bucket down into the well, the lava comes back up, I drink it, and it hurts. No, I really don’t know. Zod couldn’t be any further from who I actually am. I’m kind of just a tall, lanky, goofy person.

You could say the same thing about Kuklinski in “The Iceman.” He’s a cold-blooded killer who also happens to be a loving family man. Was it a challenge to play those two sides of one guy?

The order of the filming was actually split up into those two components. We started with all of the crime elements, the parts with Ray Liotta and Chris Evans. And then once we got that out of the way, Winona Ryder (playing his unsuspecting wife) arrived, and we concentrated on the family side of it. So it wasn’t like I had to go back and forth a lot, which was very helpful.

So do you enjoy playing evil characters?

I don’t ever necessarily think of it as evil. I keep wracking my brain. Why do people say I’m evil? Is the character I play in “8 Mile” evil? And some people say, “Van Alden is so evil.” I’m like, “Look at all the other men on ‘Boardwalk Empire.’ Now, you’re telling me that Van Alden is the most evil person on that show?” So I just don’t know.

OK, then let’s get back to you as a fighter. There are some great battles in “Man of Steel” between you and Henry Cavill as Superman, and you and Russell Crowe as Jor-El. Not to mention the one you have with Eminem in “8 Mile” when you rough up his mother.

In terms of a choreographed punch, it’s no secret that I’m much stronger than Henry is. I think there were a lot of ice packs back at the hotel for Henry. But Russell really kicks my butt in this movie. I mean, he’s the gladiator. What are you gonna do? In “8 Mile” ... oh, yeah, that fight. Wow! What a walk down memory lane. That was kind of an awkward fight, really. That’s the kind of awkward fight you have when you’ve just had sex with some dude’s mom.

“Man of Steel” opens on June 14.

Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now.

It was with the release of “Boogie Nights,” in 1997, that Heather Graham became everybody’s favorite porn star with a heart of old. No, not actually Graham, but her character in that film, Rollergirl.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed actress had been around the Hollywood scene for some time already, with parts in “Drugstore Cowboy” and “Swingers,” as well as an ongoing role on the oddball TV show “Twin Peaks.” But it was “Boogie Nights” that pushed her to the next level, part of which is her current film, “The Hangover Part III.” She returns as Jade, the stripper with the heart of gold who married Ed Helms’ character in “The Hangover.” She spoke about her career last week in Las Vegas.

Is it true that you were called a theater geek in high school?

Oh, for sure. I was in these advance placement classes, so I was kind of nerdy, and I was in theater. And back then theater wasn’t seen as cool. I lived in the suburbs where it was only cool to be a jock or a cheerleader. So at that time I felt shy and awkward, but now I’ve really embraced my nerdiness, and I’m proud of it.

Did you always have dreams of acting?

Oh, yeah. I loved being in the plays at school. I felt that it was what I was good at. I was always playing games of dress-up and pretending to be in different stories with my sister and my friends. So that was a version of acting. But the first time I actually felt like I got some sort of recognition was when I was 9 or 10, and I was cast as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.”

How did “Boogie Nights” change your life?

Drastically! I had just done “Swingers,” and I was still auditioning, trying to get work, struggling to get jobs. I’ve always been lucky; I’ve worked as an actress since I started. But “Boogie Nights” made it so much easier. I was suddenly being offered wonderful parts. I suddenly stopped having to audition. That was amazing.

So how did “The Hangover” happen?

It was an audition! (laughs) My manager sent me the script, and it was really good. [Director] Todd Phillips was already well known for directing “Old School,” so it was fun to get to go in on “The Hangover.” I loved the script and the part, so it was really cool that he cast me.

Todd recently said that he liked the way you brought a hippie quality to Jade.

Well, I didn’t want her to be a sleazy stripper that was completely devoid of a soul. I’d taken a lot of female empowerment classes. So I thought of looking at being a stripper from a different point of view. Obviously Jade needs to make the money. She’s supporting her kid, and that’s why she’s doing it. But she’s also a kind of slightly confused person who’s trying to find a way to feel good about herself and her sexuality, and make money. So I was coming at being a stripper from more of a hippie viewpoint than just like a really dark, sad viewpoint.

You weren’t in “The Hangover Part II.” How did “Part III” happen?

It was really cool. Todd emailed me and said they were going to write me into this one. My response was, “Yay, exclamation point, exclamation point.” Of course I wanted to read the script first, and I did. But I was so happy and excited that he wanted to bring Jade back. And I was very grateful to him for giving my character a happy ending. He could have gone dark with it, but instead he gave her this sweet life that she’s always dreamed of.

“The Hangover Part II” opens on May 23.

Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now.

Though he stole all audience attention away from every other actor in his brief scene as Dr. Kuni in “Knocked Up,” no one was ready for Ken Jeong’s intro in “The Hangover.” He leaped out of a car trunk, wearing only black socks, and proceeded to beat the tar out of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis with a tire iron. That’s right, wearing only black socks. His Mr. Chow eventually became an important character in that film and its sequel. In “The Hangover Part III,” Chow, naked again, of course, is quite often the center of attention. The doctor-turned-actor, who is also a regular on the TV show “Community,” chatted recently in Las Vegas.

Why do you like to be naked onscreen so much?

Chow originally had clothes on in the first one. It was my idea to have him be naked. I was really nervous, asking [director] Todd Phillips if it was OK, that it would be funny to do it naked. And Todd said, “You don’t have to tell me twice.” He immediately gave me a nudity waiver to sign because he didn’t want me to change my mind. I just wanted to service that script. I’ve got nothing to brag about. I wasn’t trying to show off. It was a character choice, not a personal choice. I’m a happily married father of twin 5-year-old girls. I don’t even like to take off my shirt at the beach. I’m really shy. I’m not an exhibitionist. I’m very demure about my body. But an actor acts, that’s why I do what I do. You’ve gotta make fearless choices to be an actor. Otherwise everyone would do it.

What did your wife say about it?

I’m no dummy. I cleared it with my wife before I told Todd. My wife and I both love comedy. I said to her, "I think he should be naked - what do you think?" She’s very secure, has the best sense of humor in the world, and she said – this is my wife, my best friend, my partner in life – she said, “I guarantee ‘The Hangover’ will be the feel-good movie of the summer because every guy will go home feeling good about themselves.”

What about your parents?

I told my parents I was going to be naked in “The Hangover.” My dad has a great sense of humor. He saw it and he loved it. But my mother is a little more traditional and conservative, and I didn’t want to offend her sensibilities in any way. So we actually forbade her to see it for two months. She finally did see it, and said, “I loved it! Why do you underestimate me? It’s funny!”

Who was Chow on the page when you first read the script, and how did you change him?

Chow was originally written for a 60-year old man. It was another audition I was going in for, and thinking, “Asian guy, 60 years old; I ain’t gonna get this, yet this is the only audition I’ve got all year.” I only had four lines to read, so I went in, auditioned for Todd, and I had the most inspired audition ever. I was yelling and cursing and improvising for about 10 minutes. And Todd was going, “This guy is insane. I must hire him.” So I got the part.

Did you know that “Part III” was going to be as Chow-centric as it is?

When Chow goes to prison in the second movie, I was thinking to myself – as the insecure actor – “I just hope I have a part in the third one.” And then for me to have the biggest role of my career in this one ... I’m so moved and flattered by it, I still don’t think I fully comprehend how big this is. I made sure I was prepared. I made sure I brought my “A” game to this movie.

Now that the series is over, where do you go from here?

I used to be a doctor. I quit that to become a working actor. I just wanted lines in movies. That’s all I wanted and still all I want; the fame and fortune wasn’t the goal. On “Community” I wanted to see how small I could do it. I know I can do other moves, and that’s all I want to do right now. I may fail, but that’s fine. The ultimate failure is not trying at all, so I just want to keep doing what I do.

Have we seen the last of Mr. Chow?

Out of all the characters I’ve done, I love Chow the most. I quit my day job to pursue imagination, and Mr. Chow represents a wide spectrum of imagination. You can say or do anything with that character. I’d love it if there was a Chow spinoff.

"The Hangover Part III" opens on May 23.

Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now.
 

You can have a great time getting caught up in the outrageous action of the sixth entry in this money-making machine of a series without having seen any of the previous films. But you wouldn’t understand the nuances of the characters and their interrelationships, you wouldn’t get why they all keep talking about the importance of family, and you wouldn’t really know who you’re supposed to be rooting for, or why.

But, again, you can still have a great time. A “Fast & Furious” movie consists of good guys going up against bad guys, and vice versa; gorgeous cars being driven masterfully but recklessly; tight camaraderie among “gang” members; terrifically choreographed fist fights and stunt sequences; stiff acting; and insipid dialogue that’s made up for by all of the above.

“F&F6” opens with a car race along a twisting sea-mountain road in Spain, jumps to Moscow where the FBI is dealing with the case of a stolen satellite component, taken by a driving team who “hit like thunder and disappear like smoke,” shifts to London for some intrigue. The film has gone all Bondian in plotting and locales, even before the story starts.

That story brings back most of career criminal Dom Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) cohorts –  an interracial gaggle of car-centric folks in which the women are as tough as the men – as well as the FBI agent (Dwayne Johnson) who was chasing them down in the previous installment but now needs their expertise.

Things get involved pretty quickly. “F&F” aficionados will recall that Dom’s woman Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) was killed a couple of films back. Naw, she was just injured ... and has amnesia ... and is now a member of vicious bad guy – and satellite component stealer – Shaw’s (Luke Evans) team. So it becomes a tale of cops working with criminals to go after villains, with a computer chip and a former flame at the center, and all kinds of crazy vehicles zipping all around them.

Diesel remains wooden and bland in the lead, with series regular Paul Walker, as former cop Brian O’Connor, again following Diesel’s lead by showing no expression on his face. Some sections of the film get a little too talkie, while others feature goofy dialogue that makes you wish the humor was a little more clever, a little less pat.

But suddenly there’s a dizzying nighttime race through the streets of London (during which director Justin Lin inserts a two-second shot of a young Asian kid watching, wide-eyed, from a bus, exactly as he did in “Fast Five”). By the final reel, the film reaches a level of action that hadn’t even been approached before in what’s always been an action-packed series.

If you’re among those viewers that jump up and leave the second the end credits role, you’ll miss the blatant reference to what’s already (at least tentatively) been titled “Fast & Furious 7,” including a line of dialogue from that film’s villain – a bland and balding British action actor who won’t be named here. If you like to plan ahead, get out your calendars. That film opens on July 11, 2014.

Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now.

FAST & FURIOUS 6

Directed by Justin Lin

With Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez

Films like this comedy have a guaranteed opening weekend audience just because a big TV star has the lead role and is all over the poster. That would be “30 Rock’s” Tina Fey. Those folks probably won’t be disappointed in this lightweight film, even though Fey plays it kinda bland, as is called for her character.

There are all sorts of lessons to be learned in this violent, exciting, flag-waving chunk of action cinema.

Though she’s starred in a couple of feature films (“Baby Mama,” Date Night”), and had a prominent role in, as well as wrote, “Mean Girls,” Tina Fey is still best known for her TV work: head writer and performer on “Saturday Night Live,” creator-writer-executive producer-star of “30 Rock.” But with that show now gone, Fey is moving forward with her big-screen career. The former member of the renowned Chicago improv group Second City will be seen next year in “The Muppets ... Again!” and later this week starring opposite Paul Rudd and Lily Tomlin in the college-set comedy “Admission.” Fey, 42, who plays a Princeton admissions officer, recently spoke about the film in New York.

Ed Symkus covers movies for GateHouse Media.

There haven’t been many movies about magic and magicians made over the years, although the idea of seeing spectacular illusions on a big screen sounds like a pretty good one. We’ve had an inaccurate biopic on Houdini in the ’50s, the pretty good “Lord of Illusions” almost two decades ago and, very oddly, 2006 saw two quite good big-budget tales of prestidigitation: “The Illusionist” and “The Prestige.”

Some things go very wrong in this film. For one of the characters, it happens right at the beginning, just after she makes a call to 911 in Los Angeles. Young blond-haired Leah (Evie Thompson) gets through to veteran 911 operator Jordan Turner (Halle Berry) just as someone is smashing his way into the frightened girl’s home. Jordan does almost all of the right things, making only one small error, and Leah is eventually found in a shallow grave.

It’s pronounced boo-semi, not boo-shemi. OK, got that out of the way as the first order of business when sitting down last week with Steve Buscemi, one of the busiest character actors of the past two decades. He was the short-tempered criminal whose fate was sealed in a wood chipper in “Fargo,” the drunk best man in “The Wedding Singer,” the guy who didn’t believe in tipping in “Reservoir Dogs,” the hapless Donny in “The Big Lebowski.” Buscemi has also directed feature films (“Trees Lounge,” “Interview”) and TV shows (“30 Rock,” “Nurse Jackie,” “The Sopranos” – on which he also played Tony Blendetto), and he recently began filming his fourth season as Nucky Thompson on “Boardwalk Empire.” We spoke about his role in the new comedy “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Buscemi plays Steve Carell’s long-suffering magician partner Anton Marvelton.

Jim Carrey can play it all: dark and light, down-to-earth and outrageous. He can jump from “The Cable Guy” to “I Love You Phillip Morris,” from “The Truman Show” to “Dumb & Dumber” without missing a beat. In “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,” in which he plays opposite Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi, his magician character Steve Gray is all kinds of things. He’s a talented performer, a daredevil, a shameless egotist, and a nasty, competitive fellow. Yet somehow, in Carrey’s capable hands, Steve Gray is funny. The rubber-faced, fast-talking actor, who will soon appear in “Kick-Ass 2,” spoke recently in Las Vegas.

A great idea, pulled off to just short of perfection. It’s a prequel, of sorts, to “The Wizard of Oz,” in which we’re introduced to the young Kansas sideshow huckster who ends up in the magic land of Oz, and will someday become that iconic “man behind the curtain” to whom we’re to pay no attention.

The Hollywood-versus-history game gets another go-around in this newest offering that sticklers will no doubt find inauthentic. But “Emperor” is no “Zero Dark Thirty” (Americans portrayed as torturing terror suspects) or “Lincoln” (Honest Abe speaking with black soldiers on the battlefield) or “Argo” (How come no one has mentioned that the whole ending was made up?).

Here we’ve got what seems to be a truthfully told story of what happened in Japan at the end of WWII, when Gen. Douglas MacArthur was ordered to rebuild the place, but also find out if Emperor Hirohito was guilty of war crimes.

But he doesn’t have much time to think about her, because he’s summoned to the office of “the old man” – MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) – who orders him round up associates of the emperor, interview them, and find out if Hirohito should be returned to a leadership position or hanged. Oh, yeah, and you have 10 days to accomplish this.

But while the story spins forward rapidly, making sure to point out how difficult it was to get the proud Japanese military men to say anything against their leader, it also shoots out in a wholly different direction, taking far too much time to deal with Gen. Fellers’ emotional distress.

These were the story’s happier days, and the world is a brighter, more colorful place in the flashbacks. But there are so many of them, and they turn out to be so distracting from the more interesting story of MacArthur’s bullying demands on Fellers, they actually ruin the flow of the film.

Fellers is thoughtful and intelligent, and he knows a lot about Japan. But the film also could have used more about the culture clash he falls victim to, despite all of that. At its most basic level, this is about how war tears people apart. It’s a pity that the film leans so much on one man’s emotional turmoil rather than the bigger and far more interesting picture of history in the making.

Ed Symkus covers movies for GateHouse Media.