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The Age of Commercialism

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A Masterpiece!

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Gabriel No one (Robin Williams) is a late night talk radio DJ in NYC. His partner Jess (Bobby Cannavale) leaves him. He is given a memoir written by Pete Logand (Rory Culkin) about his sexual abuses who has AIDS and adopted by social worker Donna Logand (Toni Collette). As he grows closer to Pete and Donna over the phone, he starts to wonder whether the two voices are actually the same person. He uses the return address to track them down but what he finds raises even more questions.It has an interesting premise with a moody atmosphere. However it doesn't have any drama. There is no danger for Gabriel. The mystery is slightly interesting but in the end, it's meaningless without tension. It's like a slightly spooky story told by a radio DJ in a darken studio that isn't actually scary.

The Night Listener is a psychological horror film based on was adapted from the novel of Armistead Maupin's bestselling novel of the same name that was inspired by actual events in the author's life. It stars Robin Williams together with Toni Collette,Rory Culkin,Bobby Cannavale and Sandra Oh. The screenplay was written by Maupin, Terry Anderson, and Patrick Stettner, also the film's director.Gabriel No one is a radio talk show host who has developed a loyal following for his deeply personal on-air monologues, many of which deal with his relationship with his companion Jess, who is HIV-positive and struggling with his health. When Jess' condition improves, he surprises Gabriel by announcing he needs his space and has decided to break up with him. Gabriel is shaken and feels creatively blocked until Ashe, a friend in the publishing business, gives him an advance copy of a memoir by Pete Logand, a 14-year-old boy living with AIDS. Pete's book is a harrowing memoir of a childhood fraught with abuse of all sorts meted out at the hands of his parents, and Gabriel is deeply moved by his story. One night, Gabriel gets a phone call from Pete, who claims to be a big fan of his radio show, but Donna, Pete's stern and protective stepmother, cuts off the call. While Gabriel admires Pete's book, he begins to question its veracity, and with the help of Anna tries to research the facts behind the story. As he uncovers more loose ends, Gabriel begins to suspect that Pete isn't the true author of the work, and that Donna has created his terrible past in the name of literary celebrity. The film might make for a good book, but it's too awkward and lacks the necessary action for a film. Added to that, Williams' rather sluggish approach doesn't help much. Eventually, we just aren't interested in tagging along with him. The plot dawdles along, intrigue gives way to risible melodrama, and it fails to get to grips with the issues especially when it focuses on the differences between perception and reality. The pacing and staging of the later scenes could use a little more electricity and momentum, and a little less restraint due to the over-leveraged plot imparts diminishing results as its predictable revelation arrives with an unsatisfying anticlimax. Yet, despite of it,the film keeps you watching and listening.

Starring: Robin Williams as Gabriel No oneToni Collette as Donna D. LogandRory Culkin as Pete D. LogandSandra OH as Anna The Night Listener is a tightly made psychological suspense film. The film crept up in 2006. It is an eerie tale that wraps you in slowly, with its character development and involvement. Its themes linger long after the film is over.Gabriel No one (played by Robin Williams) is a late night radio talk show host. In the beginning of the film Gabriel narrates an unusual tale, telling of his latest encounter to his listeners. His narration continues throughout the production, detailing some situations as a means of providing character development. He describes his job, which is telling stories, often exaggerated but somewhat based in truth. In this instance he wants his audience to be aware that he will try his best not to fabricate or exaggerate this tale, although it may seem exaggerated and unbelievable, this is a true story. Gabriel No one is vulnerable due to his separation with is his partner Jess (played by Bobby Cannavale) of eight years. He is having a difficult time coping, and is unable to work with this and other distractions. After one of his work sessions, Gabriel's boss discusses an idea for a book that they could author. The basis is a manuscript written by a young fourteen year old boy. The boy's story is about his up-bringing, and of the abuse that he had suffered. Gabriel takes an interest in the boy who is named Peter Logand (played by Rory Culkin) and in his adopted mother Donna Logand (played by Toni Collette). After reading the details of the boy's encounters, and learning of his and his families troubling and disturbing behavior, Gabriel understood why the boy had been affected physically and psychologically.Gabriel's state of vulnerably made the relationship with Pete all the easier. He could empathize with the boy. He took time to communicate with him and took the time necessary to share quality time with him. As their relationship grows through private communication over the phone, Gabriel's only sense is visualizing the family in his mind. One day while Gabriel's power was out, Jess observed the phone call while fixing Gabriel's power, Jess told him that the boy and Donnas' voice were the very same. The result was Gabriel's examination of all that he had accepted as true. Gabriel gained more curiosity and interest and a strong desire to unlock the mystery of the family. There is a parallel between the characters of Gabriel and Donna, they both create stories and ideas that are intended to attract the interest of others. Gabriel used parts of his relationship to create stories for his show, while Donna takes the idea further.Robin Williams's portrayal of Gabriel No one resulted in a very convincing performance which is as memorable as his 2002 film One Hour Photo. He plays the character with such great venerability and emotion, that you believe he is Gabriel No one and share in his concerns as he experiences the complexities of his relationships. Having Pete in his life lessens his plight as it addresses the void, the emptiness in his life.Toni Collette (Donna) delivers the most chilling performance in the film in spite of being cast in a role that must have been difficult to portray, a character that has many different kinds of psychological disorders. When it is realized that this film is based on a true story it is even more chilling. A terrifying, unsettling mood envelopes you, as it is learned that some among us in reality have this factual disorder. Patrick Stettner directed this piece. The phone conversations through the first half of the film were brilliantly done, showing the perspective of Gabriel's initial understanding of Peter and Donna. This serves to intensify the mood as he is forced to alter his perceptions as his view of reality changes in the second half of the film.This film is very good; however, it may be too intense. Perhaps what is keeping it from being an excellent film is the humor or lack of it. Humor could have been used to ease the tension of the suspense at the same time intensifying it, by providing a contrast to the continual unbroken drama. All other aspects exceeded well beyond the typical suspense film especially the development of thought-provoking characters, action and settings which varied in atmosphere from the contrast of New York's brightly lit day to dark and cold wintery Wisconsin. The director of photography Lisa Rinzler created a scene in particular that was startling at the hospital, where Gabriel went into the parking garage and through the dank hallway with little to no light. Making the scene all the more creepy and unsettling, upon being discovered, showing his expression of fright, and displaying more darkness and dinginess with pipes dripping as Gabriel descends out of the bottom of a unkempt hospital. This is a truly memorable scene. I highly recommend viewing this film. It may be especially beneficial to those studying psychology. Thoughts of events and emotional experiences developed in this film will linger in your mind long after the film is over.Rating: 3 ½ out of 4

Gabriel, an author and radio personality has just ended a gay relationship that has left him wondering about many aspects of his life. The life he shared with Jess is over. Ashe, his boss, tries to interest in a manuscript written by a teenager, Pete Logand, who is suffering from AIDS. Gabriel contacts the youth, who confesses to have read his books, to give him a word of encouragement.Whenever Gabriel calls the young man, he also talks to a sister, Donna. After a while he realizes Pete's and Donna's voices sound alike. Gabriel decides to go to their rural Wisconsin community to meet the young man. As he gets there, Gabriel finds himself in a situation he didn't bargain for. The elusive Donna turns out to be a blind woman. After being found, Donna does everything possible to hide from Gabriel where his brother is being treated.There is a clue to Donna's real personality in the last sequence of the film in which someone is visiting a new housing development. We get a peek of why the mystery behind the figure of Pete.Patrick Stettner directed the film. Based on a screenplay by Terry Anderson and Armistead Maupin, it presents a complex situation about what is real and what is not. One thing is clear, Robin Williams is a better dramatic actor and keeps getting better all the time. This actor tends to go wild when not given tighter directions by the people at the helm of any project. Toni Collette, a welcome addition in any movie, doesn't make the best impression with her work here. It might be she didn't quite felt comfortable with the character she plays. Rory Culkin, Sandra Oh, and Bobby Cannavale are seen in minor roles.