Intermission: Edgy film entertaining, but falls short of potential

Jim Wunderle works at Associated Video Producers and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.

"I never like to use the word replace.' You'd only use computer-generated actors for a reason, and I don't think at that point that it would be replacing a human. It has to be cost-effective, and there has to be a good visual reason like you need realistic-looking characters that have something about them that just isn't physically possible." director/animator Andy Jones from an interview in Sound and Vision magazine.

Other directors are excitedly awaiting the day when virtual actors (also referred to as "synthespians") are cheap enough and realistic enough to become commonplace in film. Most filmmakers are interested in these creations for stunt work, but where will it go from there? After all, a virtual actor won't pull any ego trips or have an emotional breakdown during production. Sex and drug scandals? Not with a synth.

One must admit this concept could be pretty appealing to the major studios. If we had some cyber-athletes that could play baseball, maybe this ugly strike affair wouldn't be looming, either.

Writer/director Andrew Niccol has explored the concept of technology interacting with the human experience before. He wrote the screenplay for "The Truman Show," and wrote and directed the spooky science fiction piece "Gattaca."

His latest film, "S1MNE" explores this ground again and even goes a bit further than his previous work. While the concept is interesting and the acting is fine, Niccol misses the mark in what is ostensibly a satire of the film industry. The screenplay is funny at times, but it doesn't have the bite of a finely honed satirical work, and there are a number of missed opportunities throughout.

Which isn't to say it's a bad film, just one that never achieves its full potential.

Al Pacino plays Viktor Taransky, a once-successful director who is attempting to overcome three consecutive flops.

His latest picture is "Sunrise, Sunset," and things aren't looking too bright. His star (played by a really ill-tempered Winona Ryder) is walking out. Her contract says there must not be any cherry-flavored pieces in her Mike-n-Ike candies, every room she enters must contain seven packs of cigarettes (three opened) and she, of course, must have the largest trailer on the lot. Although her trailer is yards longer than anyone else's, she's upset because there's one that is a few inches taller than hers. She's outta there.

Without the star power the actress afforded, the studio headed by Taransky's ex-wife (played by Catherine Keener), is reluctant to continue the project.

Just when all looks lost, Viktor is paid a visit by a crazed inventor who is dying of cancer. The guy gives him a computer program he's been working on, one that is able to create a virtual human being. When Viktor realizes that the thing really works, he sets about finishing "Sunrise, Sunset" with a new star, one of his own making.

The film is a hit, and so is his leading lady, who Viktor has dubbed "Simone." The public loves her, the studio loves her, and she's an immediate icon. The trouble is, only Viktor knows she's not real.

To cover his tracks, Viktor says that Simone is a recluse, suffers from agoraphobia and all sorts of other things that prevent her from being in public.

Simone/Viktor's next film is even more successful, and the public is clamoring to see more and know more about the latest pop-culture goddess.

Viktor arranges a talk show appearance, insisting that Simone will only appear from a remote location. This goes incredibly well, and the public's Simone-mania is heightened. The next step is to make Simone a pop star.

Through the use of holography, Viktor pulls off a huge concert. Then, to get her out of the immediate limelight, Viktor tells Simone's fans (literally everyone on Earth) that she's going to the Third World as a "good-will ambassador."

Viktor, who has to jump through many hoops to bring Simone to life, is about fed up with the public's adoration for his star. They're ignoring the work and focusing on the performer. He decides to put some nails in her coffin. First he lets her "direct" herself in a film called "I Am Pig." Then he has her on another television show drunk, smoking and spewing the most politically incorrect notions imaginable. The public eats it up. She can do no wrong.

The only thing left to do is kill her off, and when he does so, Viktor finds himself in a world of trouble he never could have imagined.

Had the satire been a little sharper and had Niccol added some more edgy situations, "S1MNE" could have been a great film. As it is, it's an interesting diversion, but one that leaves the viewing audience wanting a more.