SECTION ELEVEN
MOVIE REVIEW 

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COLUMN SEVENTY-THREE, JULY 1, 2002
(Copyright © 2002 The Blacklisted Journalist)

Film:  CQ
Written and Directed by Roman Coppola
Website: http://www.experiencecq.com
Executive Producer: Francis Ford Coppola

Starring Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Dean Stockwell, Gerard Departdieu, Billy Zane

Oh joy! An artsy film.  This mostly flawed, disjointed, boring affair was written and directed by the son of the man who made The Godfather movies.  So before I decimate it and spank Roman Coppola's 36 year old bottom, we must first chastise Georgia Kacandes, Willi Baer and Francis Ford Coppola for putting their names as executive producers on this mess, sparing the rod, spoiling the child.  Remember when Dean Martin played Matt Helm in his versions of James Coburn's Derek Flint "?? Both launching their efforts in 1966, with Martin getting more sequels out of it than Coburn.  Turn that upside down with a version of 007 meets Barbarella and build a film around it featuring half-hearted quips poking fun at the movie industry.  A parody is supposed to be humorous but the jokes made about making pictures are actually sharp barbs which boomerang right back on this display. Despite so much falling flat, there are some redeeming moments.  Jeremy Davies as "Paul Ballard", exudes a handsome innocence which almost overcomes the script.

The actor fails to grab the authority necessary to pull this movie out Sominexville---and he's given the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to upstage Roman Coppola and do what the hero of the film is supposed to do. The soundtrack is terrific, perhaps not as legendary as Bob Crewe's work with sixties band Glitterhouse" and Moogy Klingman, but it is retro cool and doesn't disappoint.  Producer Michael Curb always aspired to create this kind of music for his A.I.P. soundtracks on Tower Records like Riot On Sunset Strip and heck, wasn't Dean Stockwell in Psych-Out, another film from the era with music released on that legendary Tower imprint? Well, Stockwell appears in this film as Paul's dad, Dr. Ballard, and he keeps up his persona from the Quantum Leap TV series, womanizing.  Only it is he, not Scott Bakula, who is the anachronism here. One of the film posters actually has "Enzo D. Martini Production", ribbing Dean Martin from the aforementioned Matt Helm flicks????

Since John Lennon's sons, Sean and Julian, have yet to do anything on par with their famous dad, this film comes off like yet another person demanding a DNA test to see if Jimi Hendrix fathered them.  You don't need DNA in order to see, feel, hear and touch the real thing, and this ain't no Godfather flick. There is no passion for filmmaking, no thought of what the audience might want.  For escapism, CQ could have been the long awaited sequel to Barbarella...it should have been science fiction all the way through with the dry humor phased in as a sub-plot...the Dragonfly character could have been fun without the lunacy, the dragging plotline, the thoughts of "can I leave now" entering the minds of the viewer.  WFNX Radio sponsored this event and free T Shirts were given out, and it's a good thing...the $2.50 for parking would have been too high a price to pay to sit through this.  Maybe Roman Coppola can find that Boston recording artist who sent out $5.00 bills to come to the press party...oh what was his name...Morphius or something...two page ads in Billboard, full page ads locally...free popcorn and parking is the least a radio station can do if they want you to come out and see this.

(C)2002 Joe Viglione's First Impressions  ##

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