Tusk

Kevin Smith's oddball tragicomedy might be called a shaggy-dog story, except for the fact that it's about a walrus. An offshoot of one of Smith's own podcast routines, Tusk focuses on a digital broadcaster named Wallace (Justin Long), who travels to Canada to do an interview and finds trouble instead, falling in with elderly Howard Howe (Michael Parks), who has a multitude of stories to share, including one of being saved from shipwreck long ago by a walrus he refers to as Mr. Tusk. In fact, Howard has such warm memories of his idyll with the mammal that he has been trying for years to replicate the experience through the most bizarre means. What follows is a horror freak show, although the film also offers some broad Inspector Clouseau-style farce in the person of an ex-detective of the Quebec PD who joins in a search for the eventually missing Wallace (the sleuth is played in heavy makeup by a surprise guest star who also uses an absurd accent to hide his identity—none too successfully). Tusk is notable mostly for the extravagant performance of Parks—enjoying a late-career renaissance—who goes for broke here. Audacious, revolting, but ultimately not a great film, this is an optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by writer-director Kevin Smith, several “making-of” featurettes (52 min.), Smith's “SModcast #259: The Walrus and The Carpenter” podcast (30 min.), a “20 Years to Tusk” behind-the-scenes segment (25 min.), deleted scenes (12 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a bizarre but uneven film.] (F. Swietek)