Movie Guys: Moviegoers will be hungering for a slice of ‘PI’

Friday, Aug. 21, 1998 | 9:20 a.m.

* Grades: Jeff, B; Dave, A-.

* Starring: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman and Stephen Pearlman.

* Director: Darren Aronofsky.

* Screenplay: Darren Aronofsky.

* Rated: R for profanity, violence, adult themes.

* Running time: 85 minutes.

* Playing at: Gold Coast Twin.

Synopsis:

A brilliant and troubled man, Max is on the verge of the most important discovery of his life: For the past 10 years, he has been attempting to decode the numerical pattern beneath the ultimate system of ordered chaos -- the stock market. As Max verges on a solution, chaos is swallowing the world around him. He races to crack the code and uncovers a secret everyone is willing to kill for.

Jeff: I have math phobia: Numbers have plagued me from middle school all the way into my college days. I can't tell you how humiliated I was being a senior at Clark High School, sitting in General Math class. I knew I was a right brainier, always using my "creative side." I can add, subtract, multiply and divide, but beyond that, I'll leave it to the experts.

One such expert is Max, a math genius in search of an elusive pattern of digits -- 216 digits to be exact -- that will open the door containing the answers of the universe. Until then, Max will settle for the stock market and the riches that await him. Director Darren Arononfsky's tale of obsession and madness is a unique thriller swirling around something that many can relate to -- math anxiety. Max becomes physically ill in his quest for perfection and has nosebleeds, blackouts and fits of rage. His sanity is spinning out of control.

Dave:

Newcomer Sean Gullette plays the neurotic genius who is being chased and tormented by numerous entities, such as a prestigious Wall Street firm and an aggressive Kabbalah sect. It seems everyone is interested in solving the equation to metaphysical science, and all for their own selfish reasons. Max, of course, has his own agenda in discovering the mysteries behind the pattern of digits -- something that we learn through his voice-over narration -- that is a personal discovery.

Highly original, uniquely innovative and absolutely inspiring, it is a wonder how this fast-paced science-fiction thriller was made on a shoe-string budget of some $600,000. Like every sci-fi spectacle of the 1990s, its makers rely on special effects and creative visuals -- from set designs to makeup artists -- but the gist of "PI" confidently rests within the storyline.

Jeff: Using a hand-held camera and choosing a coarse, grainy, black and white film stock, flashes of David Lynch's "Eraserhead" kept creeping into my consciousness as I watched "PI," as well as images by Terry Gilliam and the master of the abstract, director Stanley Kubrick. Aronofsky takes his place alongside these pioneer filmmakers who dare to take us to a place that challenges our senses and mental stability.

Dave:

I couldn't agree more, Jeff. Much like Lynch's first feature, "Eraserhead," which was his student film at grad school, "PI" has the same repulsive, intense and dark themes. First-time writer/director Aronofsky makes an extraordinary debut as an avant-garde filmmaker, mixing sci-fi with expressionism and surreal visuals. Obscure dimensions, strange behaviors, weird science -- all serve the director's twisted setting of Manhattan and a terrifically clever script.

Jeff: Frightening images of Max's paranoid world are frequent and rampant as we crawl inside the seizure-laden mind of an obsessed man. His room is filled with computers and lacks the most basic necessities for survival. He lives like a rat, giving more priority to his thinking machines than to himself. His only sanctuary is his old teacher, Sol (memorably played by Mark Margolois) who has also tried to solve the puzzle of the ages. He warns Max that his obsession is an abandonment of science and is mirroring numerology. He needs to give up. Max's quest for knowledge is great, but once he finds it, can his mind handle it?

Dave: "PI" is accompanied by a poignant score by Clint Mansell, longtime frontman of the popular band Pop Will Eat Itself. No doubt the diverse techno-sound adds to the industrial soundscape of the film. If nothing else, this low-budget, mathematical, sci-fi-induced flick will find life as a cult classic. This is an absolutely stunning film that proved its worth at this year's Sundance Film Festival and deserves every film fan's attention.

MOVIE BUZZ

Stiller's waters run deep:

"There's Something About Mary" star Ben Stiller is talking to 20th Century Fox to star in "Monkey Bones." The film is a live action-animation combination expected to begin shooting in February. "Monkey" will be directed by Henry Selick ("James and the Giant Peach," "Nightmare Before Christmas") from a Sam Hamm ("Batman") script. The movie centers around a comic book creator and his fantasy world that comes to life while he lies in a car crash-induced coma.

Columbia Commits "Murder':

Columbia Pictures will create its own "event" picture for 1999, called "First Murder In Space," according to Variety. The film tells the tale of a bounty hunter sent to get a suspected killer somewhere in space. He soon realizes that the task will be even more difficult due to competing interstellar law enforcement agencies and their individual jurisdictions.

DeVito is in the "Pitts": Danny DeVito is in talks to join the cast of Universal Pictures' "Pittsburgh." Shooting began this month for writer/directors Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski ("The People vs. Larry Flynt"). "Pittsburgh" is a comedy about a disgruntled chauffeur who kidnaps his rich employer's beloved pet canine.

NAME THAT FLICK

For those of you who may have forgotten last week's quote -- "The last miracle I did was the 1969 Mets. Before that, I think you have to go back to the Red Sea" -- we would like to announce that we have a winner! Our congratulations go to Lance Francescon, who was the first to call and identify the quote spoken by George Burns in the heavenly comedy classic, "Oh, God!" Way to go, Lance.

Now, for this week -- Who said this and in what film: "There's no more Shredded Wheat in the back, there's no more Shredded Wheat in the whole keys, and one of you will have to go to the atomic destruction with no damn Shredded Wheat!"? Does it sound familiar? If you think you know, call The Movie Guys Hotline at 225-9026 or e-mail us at movieguys5@aol.com. Be sure to spell your name and leave your daytime phone number, and if you're the first correct caller/e-mailer, we will print your name right here in our column for the entire Las Vegas Valley to read.

See you next week!

THE MOVIE GUYS, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears Fridays in the Sun (additional material provided by Thomas Feeney). You can also read their capsule reviews of movies in Las Vegas Weekly magazine and watch their reviews every Friday on Channel 3's 11 p.m. newscast. Plus, check them out online at: www.lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/movies.