Manipulation comes naturally to him, so naturally that he might actually be a sociopath. And it can’t go unnoticed how hollow Mikey’s friendliness actually is he’s using everyone around him, climbing over them to get back to his salad days of AVN awards and Hollywood homes. Mikey is cluelessly vain, an unending braggart ever monologuing about past porn-world glories. Red Rocket is yet another example of Baker’s keen handling of actors, professionals and not.īut as the film unfolds, we begin to see something sinister in there, too. He and Baker make staccato music together, as Mikey’s profile shifts from hangdog loser to something far more complicated. Rex’s performance is fleet and nimble, gregarious and shaded in darkness. Which is all to say, Baker’s choice is a rather perfect one-in contextual terms and actual ones, too. Like Mikey, Rex’s heyday was around 25 years ago too his legacy has largely been reduced to “remember that guy?” snickers and a sort of conspiratorial knowledge shared by many gay men in their 30s and 40s who intimately knew Rex’s earlier work. Penniless and, it would seem, homeless, he returns to his native Gulf Coast Texas, ready to start a starry-eyed scramble all over again.īaker made a fascinating choice when casting Mikey: the MTV VJ turned actor turned rapper Simon Rex, who also did some (solo) porn as he was getting started as a model. It’s simply time that got him, his work drying up after 20 years in the business. Unlike Dirk, Mikey hasn’t been derailed by drugs and the advent of home video. He disrobed in “Eastern Promises” (2007) and “Captain Fantastic” (2016), and voters still invited him to put on a tux to the Oscars for both those films.If Dirk Diggler, the hustling and hustled porn star from 1997’s Boogie Nights, were to find himself in 2016, he might look something like Mikey Saber-the bedraggled adult film star who occupies the frenzied center of Sean Baker’s latest film, Red Rocket. The one actor who seems to have walked this line? Viggo Mortensen. Society’s acceptance of unfamiliar imagery and themes have made many fearful of what art can “possibly influence upon youngsters” as what was given to the only X-rated best picture winner “Midnight Cowboy” (1969), which was later changed to “R” in 1971.īut, of course, it’s the studios’ job to sell to Oscars voters that any such nudity is in the name of art and not gratuitous. In 1990, NC-17 replaced it to prevent anyone under 17 from being admitted, regardless of parental accompaniment. In 1968, MPAA had the “X” rating to designate explicit and excessive violence and sexuality in films. But they receive an “R” rating when breasts and lady parts are displayed. Showing a penis in your film typically has been an express pass to a “no rating,” which means that United States exhibitors won’t show your feature. These issues can be traced back to the MPAA. The truth is, there’s no rhyme or reason for what will work with voters when it comes to nudity. Mark Wahlberg, who wore a prosthetic in “Boogie Nights” (1997), also didn’t feel any Academy love. That helped past nominees such as Edward Norton (“American History X”), but not Ben Affleck (“Gone Girl”). Directors and cinematographers have navigated various ways to shoot blink-and-you-miss-it nudity (even “The Full Monty,” with its four Oscars nominations in 1998, didn’t live up to its title). When it comes to actors showing it all, Hollywood has been a bit conservative. The latter drama picked up eight Oscar noms, but nothing for Keitel’s soaring work. He landed some of the best reviews for Abel Ferrara’s “Bad Lieutenant” (1992), which won him an Independent Spirit Award, and Jane Campion’s “The Piano” (1993). Harvey Keitel knows what it feels like to be overlooked by AMPAS all too well. At the Cannes Film Festival, where “Red Rocket” premiered in July, the actor declined to elaborate on whether it’s really him or wearing a prosthetic in the scene. Still, it includes an extended streaking scene with the 47-year-old running through the streets of Texas City, Texas. Simon Rex’s visceral work as a former porn star in A24’s “Red Rocket” is on the long list of best actor hopefuls.
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