The Movie Guys: Air traffic controller flick sputters in mid-flight

Synopsis: Nick Falzone (John Cusack) is a control freak -- a New York City air traffic control freak. Fueled by caffeine and machismo, a rivalry ensues when the new guy, Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thornton), breezes into town. What begins as a simple battle of wits and wills turns into a situation in which the winner -- not the loser -- could lose his job, marriage and sanity.

Jeff: It's undisputed that the occupation of air traffic controller is one of the most stressful jobs around, with the incredible pressure of being responsible for thousands of lives every day. They are cooped up in dark rooms, staring for hours at outdated radar screens, constantly barking orders in some strange aviation language.

It's an occupation that, sooner or later, would drive even the most sane person insane. Brotherly writers and Henderson natives Glen and Les Charles use this setting of a pressure cooker ready to explode as an arena for comedy. It's a perfect set-up. The first half of "Pushing Tin" (a nickname for air traffic controller duties) introduces us to a cast of wacky characters who push tin for a living. We witness their stress firsthand, juggling scores of planes waiting to land. The hot-shot controller is Nick Falzone (Cusack) whom the guys affectionately call "Zone." He can land planes like no other, and is considered a god of sorts -- until he meets his match in Russell Bell (Thornton), a part-Irish, part-Indian controller. The workplace becomes a battle of the skies.

Dave: What starts off as an intelligent and provocative kick-back comedy turns into a simple and rather dull story. The first half of the flick spends plenty of time setting up a variety of characters encompassing Nick's circle of co-worker friends. Either sharing laughs at the local diner or within the hustle-and-bustle atmosphere of their workplace, or relaxing at a backyard barbecue, one would think these individuals are linked to what is about to unfold between the highly intense Nick and the grounded Russell.

From the get-go, the two are at each other's competitive throats, challenging each other in their personal and work ethics. However, a beautifully crafted set of supporting performances are left at the wayside once a tedious affair between Russell's wife, Mary (two-time Golden Globe winner Angelina Jolie) and Nick slow things down -- way down! By then, the competition becomes a personal issue that sends things into a dramatic tailspin.

Jeff: The humor vanishes halfway through and is grounded at the gate and the story becomes isolated. It's a tit-for-tat, boring drama that revolves around infidelity and leaves behind characters that the film took such great effort to set up in the first place. Cusack, with relative ease, convincingly delivers the fast and furious technical vocabulary of a tin pusher and gives an energetic performance compared to Thorton, with his almost standard quiet and reserved persona in his second role as an air traffic controller (the first being in "Armageddon").

The quiet balance of their lives is knocked out of kilt as each tries to prove who the better man is, but these two have nowhere to go and seem locked in a holding pattern with no landing strip in sight. Most of Nick's actions are out of paranoia and seem so unrealistic that you end up rolling your eyes in disbelief. You would think that Les and Glen Charles, who have written for such ensemble television shows as "M*A*S*H," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Cheers," wouldn't stray from a formula they know so well. They do stray, and "Pushing Tin" never recaptures the energy or humor that it has in the first hour.

Dave: Every turning point is too convenient. By the time Nick's marriage with his house-bound wife, Connie (recent Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett of "Elizabeth"), is ruined, and his job is in jeopardy, Russell has found peace within his own mysterious life that we never really get to know. Looking to gain back everything he has lost, Nick believes that Russell has the answers. After building a relationship on a match-up of wits, Russell asks Nick, "How did this stupid game help one marriage and hurt another?" Meanwhile, I'm screaming: Who cares!

Sadly, I was hoping for more of a behind-the-scenes look at the hectic world of air traffic controllers that we were introduced to in the beginning. Director Mike Newell, who has helmed such character studies as "Donnie Brasco" and the multicharacter-driven "Four Weddings and a Funeral," also tries to imbue this ensemble with character. However, unlike the film's title, he seems to be pushing something other than tin.

Movie Buzz

Reeves is career 'Driven': Keanu Reeves, whose career has been bolstered with the release of "The Matrix," has agreed to a co-starring role in the indie thriller "Driven," the feature debut of video director Joe Charbanic. The picture is slated for an early summer or late fall start. Written by Darcy Meyers and Clay Ayers, "Driven" is the story of a cunning serial killer (Reeves) who turns the tables on an investigative team hot on his trail. Charbanic has directed several music videos for Reeves' rock band Dogstar.

IMAX bites 'Dog': The IMAX Corporation is developing a giant-screen 3-D version of Stephen King's best-selling novella "The Sun Dog" for its IMAX 3-D theaters. Production is expected to begin in early 2000. First published in 1990 as one of four novellas in King's best-seller "Four Past Midnight," "The Sun Dog" is the story of a teenage boy who receives an instant camera for his birthday and discovers that the photos capture images from another dimension -- the fierce and mysterious world of the Sun Dog.

In the THX of things: If you're a regular moviegoer, you are aware of those short trailers promoting the THX and Dolby sound systems that run before the main feature. Well, according to sources, there will be brand new Dolby and THX shorts in front of "Star Wars -- Episode 1: The Phantom Menace." The new trailers will introduce Dolby Surround EX, the new surround sound format created especially for "Phantom Menace." THX's new trailer features a new slogan, "Let's See it in THX." The new Dolby trailer, "Aurora," features the Sonoma (Calif.) State University Chamber Singers and Sonoma County Bach Choir, along with 10 members of the San Francisco Symphony brass section.

Name That Flick

"The man yells at me on the stage, gets a million laughs. Yells at me off the stage, gets a heart attack." Jack Estes was the first to call and identify the quote spoken by George Burns in Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys." Way to go, Jack!

For this week, what actor said this and in what film: "Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines"? Does it sound familiar? If you think you know, call the Movie Guys Hotline at 225-9026, or e-mail us at [email protected]. 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.

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