Elvis & Nixon

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Liza Johnson/Starring: Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Colin Hanks, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville and Evan Peters

According to a factoid in the film Elvis & Nixon; director Liza Johnson's dramatization of the meeting between Elvis Presley and President Richard Nixon, the most requested photograph from the National Archives is the shot of the two men shaking hands in the Oval Office in December 1970. There is something about the picture that is absurd, comical and bizarrely surreal. It has ineffable qualities that make it both mildly disturbing and strangely appealing. Looking at the photo, the first thought that always comes to mind (and maybe yours) is: what could one of the world's most famous pop stars and one of the most controversial American presidents (controversial even before Watergate) of all time have said to one another? That question may have inspired Johnson and screenwriters Joey and Hanala Sagal and Cary Elwes (yes, that Cary Elwes) to address the question cinematically. Like the famous photo, Elvis & Nixon is off-the-wall, weirdly funny and very entertaining.

Rather than plunge the audience into the meeting itself, the first act is made up of events leading up to the eventful Oval Office meeting. Watching multiple TV screens in his Graceland Mansion, Elvis (Michael Shannon) shows his disgust with news stories of counter culture rebellion; protests, draft-card burning and the drug culture by leveling a handgun at the TV screen and firing a bullet into it.

Shortly thereafter, we see him write a letter though we hardly know to whom it's addressed. In the following scene, we see him approach an airline counter alone; minus his entourage. The woman behind the counter is very star-struck. While booking his flight, she becomes alarmed when she glimpses his holstered handgun beneath his blazer. Meanwhile, his long-time friend in L.A.; Jerry Schilling (Alex Pettyfer) receives a call from Elvis, who we see is sitting in front of airline security desk. Elvis alerts Jerry to his situation, but as we might have anticipated, the star's power makes a potentially sticky incident go away.

Elvis flies to L.A. shortly thereafter to see his friend. At a meeting in Elvis' west-coast home, Jerry is apprised of his friend's plan to meet with Richard Nixon and asks him to proofread the letter he penned earlier. Elvis explains to Schilling his plan to meet Nixon and his intention to become a Federal Agent at Large; someone who could infiltrate the communist elements of the counterculture. He also expresses his wish to have a Federal Agents' badge. Schilling is naturally puzzled but overriding his bewilderment is his marriage proposal to his girlfriend, which is to follow in several days time. Knowing his proposal could be jeopardized by Elvis' plan, he reluctantly accedes anyway to Elvis' powerful persuasion.

Once Elvis and Jerry arrive in Washington, the film becomes amusingly surreal as the two men show up at the White House security gate, asking that the letter be forwarded to the President. The bewildered expressions on the guard's faces are priceless. Elvis' smooth charm overcomes a hard-nosed security guard, who at first seems impervious to the star's charisma.

The film shifts its perspective as Nixon staff member Dwight Chapin (Evan Peters) brings Elvis' letter to the attention of his superior, Egil Krogh (Colin Hanks), who is as incredulous as his colleague. Seeing the public relations value of a meeting between Elvis and Nixon, Krogh presents the idea to White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman (Tate Donovan), who initially dismisses the idea until Krogh reminds him of how a meeting might appeal to southern voters. Haldeman's approbation secured, Krogh and Chapin broach the subject with Nixon (Kevin Spacey) during a daily agenda meeting. The reaction the idea elicits from Nixon is another fine moment in the film as Krogh explains Elvis' petition to become a badge-carrying federal agent. Nixon, in a moment of cantankerousness, balks at the ridiculousness of the idea and promptly sends the men away. Undeterred, Krogh enlists the help of Nixon's daughter in bringing the meeting about.

Meanwhile, Elvis waits at a hotel for word from the White House and Schilling frets about his need to return to L.A.

Krogh's ploy succeeds, which sets the scene for the historic meeting, which is a pure pleasure to behold. The suspense preceding the meeting is established slowly and effectively. I'll only divulge a few details of their famous encounter. The actual meeting is fascinating, (I'm not privy to the fact to fiction ratio); not only from a dramatic perspective, but a psychological one as well. Presented with protocol on how to behave in the Oval Office, Elvis takes pleasure in flouting them, much to Krogh's dismay. Whether Elvis was deliberately jabbing at White House authority or merely being mischievous I can't say (if any of this happened at all) but it is great fun to watch. Elvis shows a calculating side when he rails against communism, drug-use among the youth and the Beatles; knowing he's saying exactly what Nixon wants to hear. Does Elvis get what he wants? I won't say.

The film could only work if its center--said meeting--holds our attention; which it does. But the center only holds if its two main cast members; Shannon and Spacey, make their characters compelling, which they do wonderfully. Though neither actor resembles the real life figures much, they reach for essence and get it with fine performances. Shannon nails Elvis' mannerisms, while his tall, imposing presence and his affected soft-spokenness fortify his portrayal. Spacey is outstanding as Nixon. He not only mimics the president's idiosyncratic voice, but he captures his insecurities, his penchant for profanity and his irascibility with artistic elan.

We know tragedy awaits both men in their respective futures, which lends poignance to the photo and the film. But the film isn't a tragedy; it's a funny, entertaining story about a pop star's outlandish agenda and a president who seizes a self-serving opportunity.

Post-film subtitles tell us what became of the respective participants. What awaits Krogh and Chapin seems almost inevitable.

Johnson manages to wring an entire story out of one meeting and a photo but she makes it worth our while. It's hard not to smile after watching Elvis & Nixon and marvel at how two people who might not have met under normal circumstances actually did. Such an event would hardly be improbable now but back in the square, Nixonian White House, such an encounter seems unthinkable.

The Lazarus Effect

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: David Gelb/Starring: Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, Sarah Bolger, Evan Peters and Donald Glover

It's hard to square the film The Lazarus Effect; a yawner of a horror flick which strains itself (but not too much) to be scary, with director David Gelb's terrific, 2011 documentary, Jiro Dreams of Sushi. What could the two films possibly have in common? Not much, save for Gelb's direction. While the documentary is a fascinating look at a sushi chef who pursues perfection, The Lazarus Effect is a story about a group of young scientists who resurrect a doggie and a great looking chick, with what should be horrifying results. No, they don't try to resurrect sushi but I wish they had.

Gelb's feature film debut is a bit of a clunker but it didn't start off that way.
Mark Duplass and the lovely Olivia Wilde play corporate-funded, university scientists (who are also engaged) Frank and Zoe; who have developed something known as the Lazarus Serum. When said serum is injected into the brain of a deceased recipient and stimulated with electricity, the subject is miraculously brought back from the dead.

When the film begins, Frank and Zoe, along with their student assistants, Clay (Evan Peters) and Niko (Donald Glover) and a student documentarian Eva (Sarah Bolger), have recently tested the serum on a dog. As the dead pooch rests on a table, the serum is injected into his brain while voltage is applied. At first the experiment seems a failure until the dog violently spasms into life. Though the group toasts one another for their dramatic success, the audience is left wondering how and who would fund such an insane project. Though Frank explains in Eva's documentary how the serum has practical applications--something about helping EMTs' do their jobs--the idea that a group of scientists would abandon their original project to pursue something so wacky and without corporate or academic oversight seems more than just a little preposterous. But Duplass and Wilde do their level best to give the story credibility and they do pretty well, considering.

But of course all horror films about the hubris of science and scientists playing God will inevitably become cautionary tales and this movie is no exception.

The dog soon shows abnormal behavior, like appetite loss and sudden, violent, rage-filled outbursts which unnerve the group. But other than a scene where the dog stands menacingly over Zoe while she sleeps, he doesn't do much else to terrify the crew other than wrecking the lab kitchen. I think an intervention by dog whisperer Cesar Millan might have been in order but I don't think he handles doggie un-dead.

The project suffers a major setback when the company that supplies the groups research grant is bought out by a rival. Operatives of the new company invade the lab, seizing all data relating to the project. Desperate to retain ownership of the Lazarus serum and all rights pertaining to its creation, the group breaks into the lab to recreate the experiment on film. While another dog rests on the table (how and where the scientists appropriate dead dogs is never explained), the experiment proceeds but in applying voltage, Zoe is accidentally electrocuted. While futile efforts are made to resuscitate her, a desperate Frank decides to use the serum on his fiancee, much to the horror of his assistants and Eva. When the experiment works, Zoe, like the dog, begins to show signs of not being quite right. She anticipates what people say and her fingers begin to show signs of something resembling necrosis. She also stares creepily at one of the assistants.

And sure enough, some sort of power failure keeps the group imprisoned in the lab (a lab wouldn't have fail-safe escapes in case of fire or other disasters?), which means Zoe, who has now become the chick version of the undead, begins attacking the group.

Earlier in the film, we learned Zoe is tormented by nightmares about a traumatic childhood incident involving her inability to free neighbors from their burning apartment. After her resurrection, the nightmares attain verisimilitude as the filmmaker Eva finds herself projected into in the burning hallway of Zoe's childhood memory. We also learn that Zoe's soul may not have made the transition to the afterlife, which is supposed to explain her wraith-like condition. But how can the dog's predicament, which is identical to Zoe's, be explained? Does he suffer from some sort of doggie guilt from an incident in his past? A time he mauled a mailman's leg perhaps?

Ultimately, as the audience may have guessed from the trailer, Zoe goes on a rampage that doesn't spare anyone (save the dog). A frail attempt at a plot twist comes at the end but by then, I was too bored and un-scared to care much about the outcome.

Of course science and scientists are scapegoated (yet again) in a movie while religious notions about the afterlife and tunnels of bright light are given credence. In Hollywood movies, scientists are never to be trusted while anyone espousing any religious, quasi-rational view about the here-after is to be perceived as level-headed. That may never change. But, it shouldn't take the intellect of research scientists to know resurrecting one from death is a knuckle-headed idea. It's disturbing to consider that someday someone may actually fund such a project.

I think Duplass and Wilde are talented actors who deserve a better movie. In time, they will no doubt find more inspired scripts and director David Gelb will surely find better material to showcase his talents.

I'm sorry to say The Lazarus Effect has nary a scare in its short running time.

But hold on, what happened to the dog? Was that ever explained?

Wait a minute, I see him...there he is...he's in my yard! No...go away...nice doggie...please...I'm sorry I said that stuff about the mailman...No, not my throat...please, let me live to see the sequel...AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGG!