Nosferatu (2024 film)

 

Based on Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula and the 1922 silent film Nosferatu by F.W. Murnau and screenplay by Henrik Galeen, Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 film in which a man travels for work where he meets a mysterious count who would haunt the man’s wife. Written and directed for the screen by Robert Eggers, the film is a different take on the vampire story as it explores a vampire fascinated and obsessed with this man’s wife as she would also endure her own exploration of herself and sexual desires. Starring Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe. Nosferatu is an intoxicating and terrifying film by Robert Eggers.

Set in 1838, the film revolves around a young woman who has been haunted by a mysterious demon as he would make his presence known after meeting her husband who traveled from Wisborg, Germany to the Carpathian Mountains over a real estate deal. It is a film that does follow many of the schematics told in previous adaptations of the story that is based on Bram Stoker’s novel about a vampire yet Robert Eggers creates a story that is more about a young woman’s trauma and the anguish she deals with about herself and her own sexual repression that she is dealing with in a society that doesn’t allow women to be more expressive. Even as they must deal with something darker that is lurking and threatening the happiness that they have gained through marriage or even family. Eggers’ screenplay is straightforward in its narrative though it opens with a young Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) being hypnotized by a mysterious figure as it would be a nightmare that she would deal with for much of her life as she had just gotten married to the real estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult).

Sent by his boss in Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) to the Carpathian Mountains, Thomas travels while Ellen stays with Thomas’ friend Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his wife Anna (Emma Corrin). Thomas would travel further despite warnings from Romani people and locals living near Transylvania to not enter the castle that is inhabited by the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard) as he is a figure that is monstrous with a face that that is odd. His intention in buying a house in Wisborg is to wreak havoc and bring a plague until he sees a picture of Ellen where he hopes to seduce her and have her become his companion. Even as he would eventually meet Ellen upon his own arrival where he makes her an offer to spare those she cares about as well as the town if she gives herself to him. Her mysterious behavior would get the attention of Dr. Wilhem Sievers (Ralph Ineson) who at first thinks Ellen is going through some form of hysteria where he later turns to his mentor in the eccentric occult expert in Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) who knows what is happening to Ellen.

Eggers’ direction is stylish in not just paying tribute to the previous adaptations but also in maintaining a tone that is unsettling as well as intense in its physicality. Shot on location in the Czech Republic with interiors shot at the Barrandov Studios in Prague and a few exteriors of the Corvin Castle in Romania. Eggers creates a film that plays into a period before the emergence of the industrial age as people still believed in myths and superstitions though the idea of a plague has been long in the past. Eggers’ usage of wide and medium shots does not just capture the scope of the environment that the characters encounter but also the atmosphere of a room in a castle or at a house where Eggers adds a lot of personality to these environments. Eggers’ direction also emphasizes on close-ups as it plays into Ellen’s own spasms and seizures that she would endure including the film’s opening scene where she prays for the horror to end.

Eggers’ direction also plays into the severity of Count Orlok’s cruelty as the scene where Thomas explores the castle and finds his coffin as it is among the scariest scenes in the film. There are also some surreal moments that are nightmarish as it relates to Ellen’s own behavior where there is a lot of physicality involved as it is a key element in the film’s second act. Upon Thomas’ return in the film’s third act, there is this sense of dread that looms with the sight of rats roaming around the town bringing on this plague. The violence becomes more severe with characters going mad, yet it is Ellen who becomes sane as she realizes what she must do with Professor Von Franz who also understands what must be done. It has Ellen taking control of what must be done to Count Orlok as well as unleashing a side of herself that she has been repressing. Overall, Eggers crafts a gripping yet evocative film about a woman being haunted by a mysterious vampire.

Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish usage of blue and low-key lights for some of the nighttime exterior scenes along with a grey-like look for some of the daytime exteriors and the usage of fire as available light as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Louise Ford does excellent work with the editing in using rhythmic and jump-cuts to play into the suspense as well as know when to allow shots to linger for an amount of time to build up the suspense. Production designer Craig Lathrop, along with set decorator Beatrice Brentnerova plus senior art director Robert Cowper and supervising art director Paul Ghirardani, does amazing work with the look of the interiors of Count Orlok’s castle as well as the homes of the Hardings and the small apartment that Professor Von Franz lives in. Costume designer Linda Muir does fantastic work with the costumes in the design of the suits that the men wear from the refined look of Friedrich to the ragged look of Professor Von Franz while the dresses that the women wear are also stylish to the period as it would express the personalities of both Ellen and Anna Harding.

Makeup designer Traci Loader, along with special effects makeup supervisor Sacha Carter and prosthetics makeup effects designer David White, does tremendous work with the makeup with the special effects makeup work being a major highlight in the look of Count Orlok. Special effects supervisors Pavel Sagner and Jiri Vater, along with visual effects supervisor Angela Barson, do terrific work with the visual effects with the usage of practical effects for some of the scenes involving Orlok as well as a scene that is a homage to the 1922 film by Murnau when Orlok uses his shadow to wreak havoc on Wisborg. Sound designer Damian Volpe does superb work with sound in creating an atmosphere into the locations with the usage of natural sound and textures to help build up the sense of horror and suspense. The film’s music by Robin Carolan is incredible for its bombastic orchestral score that is filled with soaring themes in its usage of strings and percussions along with some offbeat folk-based instruments to add to the sense of folklore. Even with pieces that play into the atmosphere of a scene as well as help build up suspense and terror as it is a major highlight of the film.

The casting by Kharmel Cochrane is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Adele Hesova and Milena Konstantinova as the Hardings’ daughters with Ella Bernstein and Meredith Diggs providing the voices for the girls, Claudiu Trandafir as the innkeeper who lives near Transylvania, Karel Dobry as a ship captain, Liana Navrot as an Orthodox nun, Mihai Verbintschi as an Orthodox priest, and Stacy Thunes as a head nurse who helps run the hospital with Dr. Sievers. Simon McBurney is superb as Herr Knock as an estate firm broker boss who sends Thomas to Transylvania as well as being a disciple of Count Orlok where he has this crazed energy as this unhinged man that is willing to do anything for his master. Ralph Ineson is fantastic as Dr. Wilhelm Sievers as a doctor who is asked to treat Ellen where he is baffled by what is happening to her while also dealing with a plague where he realizes this is beyond his own expertise.

Emma Corrin is excellent as Anna Harding as Friedrich’s pregnant wife who expresses concern for Ellen’s illness while also sympathetic towards her where she does what she can to be her friend. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is brilliant as Friedrich Harding as a rich friend of Thomas who invites Ellen to stay at his home where he is baffled by what is happening to Ellen as he later becomes frustrated with Professor Von Franz’s theories and methods. Willem Dafoe is incredible as Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz as an occult expert who is Dr. Sievers’ mentor as he makes a discovery of what is happening to Ellen with theories about the plague where Dafoe has this air of eccentricity to his performance but also a man who has a better understanding of evil. Nicholas Hoult is remarkable as Ellen’s husband Thomas Hutter as a real estate agent who is sent by Herr Knock to Transylvania where he deals with his encounter with Count Orlok as well as the things he had seen where he is desperate to save Ellen and be there for her.

Bill Skarsgard is great as Count Orlok as this monstrous vampire who has a large figure and a mustache as he is this eerie creature that wants to wreak havoc on Wisborg as well as have Ellen as his companion where Skarsgard uses a low register in his voice and a physicality to play into the terror that he brings as it is a career-defining performance for Skarsgard. Finally, there’s Lily-Rose Depp in a phenomenal break-out performance as Ellen Hutter as this young woman haunted by her own encounter with a demon as she copes with Thomas being away as well as some unexpected behaviors to emerge. Depp brings a physicality and anguish to her performance that is scary in the way she gets possessed as well as scenes where she is aware of what Ellen must do to stop Count Orlok as it is a true revelatory performance from Depp.

Nosferatu is a tremendous film by Robert Eggers that features great leading performances from Bill Skarsgard and Lily-Rose Depp. Along with its supporting cast, ravishing visuals, study of fear and repression, and an intense music score. It is a horror film that doesn’t just pay tribute to its past adaptations but also find new ways to tell an old story and maintain its fear. Even as it explores the horrors of within with its emphasis on what women deal with in those times and how they had to confront that horror. In the end, Nosferatu is an outstanding film by Robert Eggers.

Related: Nosferatu (1922 film) - Nosferatu, the Vampyre - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (The Auteurs #75: Robert Eggers)

Robert Eggers Films: The VVitch - The Lighthouse (2019 film) - The Northman

© thevoid99 2025

Tenet

 

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Tenet is the story of a secret agent who takes part in a mysterious mission involving time travel as he is able to manipulate the flow of time to prevent from a major event from happening. The film is a sci-fi action thriller that explore the idea of time but also the perspective of others as this agent finds himself in a strange world. Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Himesh Patel, Clemence Poesy, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Martin Donovan, Fiona Dourif, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. Tenet is a visually-sprawling yet messy film from Christopher Nolan.

The film follows a CIA agent who joins a mysterious organization to stop a madman in unleashing the end of the world through time travel as he learns how to manipulate the flow of time and help the madman’s wife in retrieving her son. It is a film that is filled with complexities as it play into the idea of time paradoxes and the flow of time where this agent finds himself dealing with not just these mysterious figures including another agent but also other people whom he has to battle. Christopher Nolan’s screenplay is filled with a lot of complexities but also a narrative that explores this unnamed figure that is known mainly as the Protagonist (John David Washington) who is first seen in a mission at a concert hall in Kyiv to retrieve an object and then he sees something where it was largely a test for him where he joins this secret organization. He meets his handler Neil (Robert Pattinson) who is often vague about what he knows as they target this Russian oligarch named Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh).

In order to get to Sator, the Protagonist and Neil approach his estranged wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) to get close to him in the hope she can regain regular contact with their son whom she is unable to see often. She agrees to help them as it involves all sorts of objects that they need to retrieve yet the script is also filled with a lot of exposition into the world that these characters are in as it relates to inverted objects that rewind into an object and all of these ideas of time paradoxes. It is an aspect of the film that isn’t just overwhelming but it does drag the story at times as there are moments where scenes are recreated from another perspective in its third act as it play into the idea of past, present, and future but Nolan does make it confusing at times.

Nolan’s direction is definitely vast as it is shot on multiple locations such as Oslo, Mumbai, the Almafi coast in Italy, Estonia, Denmark, Britain, and the U.S. including some studio-created sets shot in Los Angeles. Nolan creates a world that is vast as it opens at a music hall where a concert performance is happening and then a group of terrorists come in and terrorize everyone leading to a battle between terrorists and the military yet the Protagonist is part of a group that is trying to do something else and fight off whoever they can. It is definitely a great way to start the film as there is a lot happening but it also reveals what the Protagonist is encountering when he sees a bullet hole disappear all of a sudden as if it never appeared. Nolan also include a lot of wide shots of buildings and these large windmills as it play into the world that the Protagonist is a part of where he goes to India to meet a mysterious arms dealer in Priya Singh (Dimple Kapadia) who serves as the mastermind of her business with her husband Sanjay (Denzil Smith) as its face. The film also feature these dazzling stunts and fight choreography in the way Nolan presents this world where things move forward and backward as if it is a dance of sorts. Even in some of the intimate fights where Nolan uses medium shots and close-ups as there is a lot of attention to detail in what is being shown.

Nolan’s usage of wide and medium shots play a lot into the scope of the film as well as how big the world the Protagonist and his cohorts encounter as well as in some of the locations that include coastal ports and windmills in the middle of the sea. The close-ups do play into some of the intimate moments but also in some suspenseful moments but the film does drag in scenes that do involve lots of exposition as it does get overbearing and confusing at times. The film’s third act is essentially a recreation of scenes from the first half of the film but it play into a different perspective for the Protagonist as well as others as it play into the ideas of fate and reality. Even for those who feel trapped by their own reality and need a way to make sure that they can control the future without having to control the future of others. Overall, Nolan crafts an exhilarating yet clunky film about a secret agent going on a mission that involves time paradoxes and the fate of the world.

Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its wondrous approach to natural lighting for some of the daytime exterior scenes of these vast locations as well as some stylish usage of lights for many of the scenes at night. Editor Jennifer Lame does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, montages, and other stylish cuts to play into the sense of confusion and chaos that looms throughout the film. Production designer Nathan Crowley, with set decorators Emmanuel Delis, Kathy Lucas, and Anna Pinnock plus art directors Toby Britton, Rory Bruen, Eggert Ketilsson, and Jenne Lee, does amazing work with the look of some of the places that the characters go to including some of the factories that Sator owns as well as buildings and such for some of the film’s elaborate set pieces. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does fantastic work with the costumes from some of the stylish clothing that Kat wears to the tailor-made suits that the Protagonist and Neil wear as well as some of the clothes that Sator wears.

Special makeup effects artists Toni Bisset and Melanie Askamit do terrific work with some of the scars and such for some of the characters in the violence they encounter. Special effects supervisor Scott R. Fisher, along with digital/visual effects supervisors Andrew Jackson, David Lee, and Andrew Lockley, does excellent work with the visual effects in its emphasis to look and feel real in the highway chase scene as well as the battle scene in its third act. Sound designers Richard King and Kathie Talbot do superb work with the sound in the way objects sound though it often clashes with the score as it overwhelms the dialogue at times. The film’s music by Ludwig Gorransson is wonderful for its mixture of hypnotic electronic music with bombastic orchestral swells to play into the suspense and drama though it could’ve been mixed down as the soundtrack also features an unnecessary and awful piece by Travis Scott in the film’s final credits.

The casting by John Papsidera is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Denzil Smith as Priya’s husband Sanjay who is the face of an arms trafficking business, Laurie Shepherd as Kat and Sator’s son Max, Jack Cutmore-Scott as a storage facility manager named Klaus, Yuri Kolokolnikov as Sator’s bodyguard Volkov, Martin Donovan as the Protagonist’s CIA boss Fay, Clemence Poesy as a scientist named Barbara who introduces the Protagonist to the concept of inverted bullets, Fiona Dourif as a military officer who is part of a task force as she also does some exposition, Himesh Patel as a wise-cracking fixer named Mahir, and Michael Caine in a one-scene appearance as a British intelligence officer in Sir Michael Crosby who provides some information to the Protagonist as well as what he would face.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is excellent as the military commander Ives who knows about the idea of time paradoxes and such where he helps out the Protagonist and Neil while also having some motives of his own. Dimple Kapadia is fantastic as Priya Singh as an arms trafficker dealer who is part of a secret organization as she gives the Protagonist clues on what he will face but also has her own interests into Sator’s plans in the hope that she can benefit from whatever the Protagonist does to stop Sator. Kenneth Branagh is brilliant as Andrei Sator as this Russian businessman who deals in illegal businesses as he also has the power to manipulate time as he is hoping to profit from this as he has extremely personal reasons to end the world no matter the cost.

Elizabeth Debicki is amazing as Sator’s estranged wife Kat as a woman who is trapped in a loveless marriage as she decides to help the Protagonist and Neil in stopping her husband in the hopes she can see her son much more as it is a performance full of complexities and emotional gravitas. Robert Pattinson is incredible as Neil as the Protagonist’s handler who helps the Protagonist with the missions while also knowing things that the Protagonist doesn’t know as it relates to time paradoxes and such where Pattinson brings some wit into his performance. Finally, there’s John David Washington in a phenomenal performance as the Protagonist as this unnamed CIA agent who takes part in a mission where he finds himself learning to manipulate time but also deal with all of these complexities as it is a performance full of intensity and determination despite some of the confusing aspects of the script.

Tenet is a remarkable yet overwrought film from Christopher Nolan. While it does feature some incredible visuals, amazing stunt work, a great ensemble cast, and some chilling music pieces. It is a film that has a lot to offer in terms of its action and suspense yet it tries to be complex for its own good where its emphasis on exposition tends to drag the film as well as be confusing. In the end, Tenet is a marvelous yet flawed film from Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan Films: Following (1998 film) - Memento - Insomnia - Batman Begins - The Prestige - The Dark Knight - Inception - The Dark Knight Rises - Interstellar - Dunkirk - Oppenheimer - The Auteurs #13: Christopher Nolan

© thevoid99 2022

Nocturnal Animals

Based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright, Nocturnal Animals is a multi-layered story involving a woman who reads a novel written by her ex-husband as it involves his own life as she also reflects on the life she had with him. Written for the screen and directed by Tom Ford, the film is a neo-noir film where a woman in an unhappy marriage copes with her own past as well as the life she’s in right now. Starring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Isla Fisher, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Andrea Riseborough, Michael Sheen, Armie Hammer, Karl Glusman, Jena Malone, and Laura Linney. Nocturnal Animals is an evocative yet gripping film from Tom Ford.

The film is the story of a woman who is given a manuscript of a novel written by her ex-husband which is about a man and his family who would have a deadly encounter with criminals in West Texas. Through the book, the woman reflects on her brief marriage to her first husband as well as coping with the decisions she’s made in her life including being in an unhappy marriage. Even as she wonders if there are some paralleling images and metaphors in the book she’s reading in relation to her own life. Tom Ford’s screenplay has this unique narrative where it isn’t about a woman reflecting on her life but also dealing with the one she’s in now. It is also about this story of a man who is driving to West Texas going for a holiday with his wife and daughter where an ugly encounter with some locals while on the road.

The narrative would move back and forth with the protagonist Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) reading the manuscript by her ex-husband Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal) as well as the story that Sheffield made about a man named Tony Hastings (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is aided by a local detective in Bobby Andes (Michael Shannon) in going after the criminal named Ray Marcus (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). It all play into two people being forced to confront themselves in this story as it draw into a lot of parallels into the choices they make but also the outcome of these decisions. Even as reality and fiction would blur through this manuscript as Susan would see things as well as wonder if it is all true or just fiction. Notably as Susan would also look back into her own life which includes things she didn’t want to face but eventually come true as well as the choices that Tony has to make where Andes give him some revelations about the dark realities of the world and what has to be done.

Ford’s direction definitely bears a lot of style from this grotesque opening sequence of naked obese women during the opening credits which is part of a lavish and decadent gallery that Susan is hosting. It plays into a world of reality and cynicism that Susan is a part of but she seems quite disconnected from that world. With the Susan narrative shot largely in Los Angeles and flashbacks in New York City while the Tony narrative is shot in Texas. Ford creates a film that has this nice balance between the two world yet would maintain paralleling images that showcase the similar struggles Tony and Susan would endure. Ford’s usage of wide and medium shots play into the locations the characters are in as the scenes involving Susan have this sense of detachment as Ford creates careful framing from the world she has become a part of while the flashbacks are much simpler as well as display some foreshadowing into what will happen to her. There is also something is quite offbeat to the world that Susan is in from the friends that she has as well as the people who work with her in the art gallery. It has this sense of artificiality and materialism that is quite overwhelming where Ford would do things that seem to mock reality but it would come to haunt Susan as she becomes engrossed by Edward’s manuscript.

The scenes about the journey Tony would take as well as gain some justice with Andes’ help are much more rooted in reality. Notably as it play into a world that is quite unforgiving and eerie as Ford uses a lot of wide shots to capture the West Texas locations. There are also some close-ups as it play into the anguish that Tony would endure as well as some revelations about Andes that to his own need to wanting to do things right. There are moments that are very shocking where Ford would maintain something that is unsettling as it would eventually come into Susan’s world as reality/fiction begin to blur. All of which returns to Susan and the events in her life as well as the pain that she caused for her ex-husband to write this manuscript for her. Overall, Ford creates a visceral and eerie film about a woman questioning her own life by a manuscript written by her ex-husband.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the way some of the nighttime scenes in Los Angeles and Texas are presented as well as the usage of artificial light for many of the scenes at the art gallery and such in Susan‘s world along with more grimy yet naturalistic look of the daytime exterior scenes in Texas. Editor Joan Sobel does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts along with other stylish cuts including some dazzling slow-motion to play into the horror and suspense that Tony would endure. Production designer Shane Valentino, with set decorator Meg Everist and art director Christopher Brown, does amazing work with the look of the stylish yet cold home that Susan lives in as well as the off-the-wall art gallery and its offbeat artwork to the more dirty and grounded look of the scenes and locations set in Texas. Costume designer Arianne Phillips does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish dresses that Susan wears as well as the people in Los Angeles she is with as well while the look of the characters in Texas is more casual and grimy.

The makeup work of Malanie J. Romero, with additional work from Nathaniel De’Lineadeus, is terrific not just for the look of a few characters that are in Susan‘s world but also in the bearded look of Tony as well as the look of the character Ray. Visual effects supervisor Martin Goodwin does nice work with some of the minimal visual effects that relate to some of the artificiality in Susan‘s world which includes the look of a character in one scene through some eerie makeup effects. Sound editor Lon Bender and sound designer Kris Fenske do superb work with the sound as it play into some of the moments of suspense that Tony would encounter as well as in some of the eerie moments for Susan in how she sees things along with some sparse moments in the film that are very chilling. The film’s music by Abel Korzeniowski is incredible for its somber orchestral score that feature some heavy string arrangements and themes that add to the drama and suspense.

The casting by Francine Maisler is great as it feature some notable small role and appearances from Zawe Ashton as Susan’s assistant, India Menuez as Susan’s daughter, Kristin Bauer van Straten as a grotesque-looking member of Susan’s art gallery in Samantha Van Helsing, Graham Beckel as an officer investigating what happened to Tony, Robert Arayamo as a young local harassing Tony and his family, and Jena Malone in a very offbeat yet funny performance as Sage Ross who is a fellow executive of Susan’s art gallery who wears these very odd clothes. Michael Sheen and Andrea Riseborough are fantastic in their respective brief appearances as the couple Carlos and Alessia Holt with Sheen wearing some flamboyant clothing and Riseborough sporting some outlandish hairdo as they represent that sense of materialism in Susan’s world. Karl Glusman is superb as Lou as a young local who was part in the dark he encounter he has with Tony and his family as he is quite creepy.

Ellie Bamber and Isla Fisher are wonderful in their respective roles as Tony’s daughter and wife in India and Laura as two women who become frightened by the rowdy locals they meet with Bamber being more abrasive towards them and Fisher being the more concerned of the two. Armie Hammer is terrific as Susan’s husband Hutton as a man that definitely has that look of being good-looking as well as be intentionally-bland as a man that is really neglectful of his wife and what she does. Laura Linney is brilliant as Susan’s mother Anne Sutton as this bourgeois woman of decadence and wealth that Susan tries to rebel as Linney’s one-scene appearance is just fun to watch as someone that doesn’t approve of Edward while having some valid truths about what Susan might have to deal with. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is excellent as Ray Marcus as a rowdy local that Tony and his family would encounter as he is just this wild firecracker of a man that is quite scary as well as be very confrontational.

Michael Shannon is amazing as the detective Bobby Andes as a man who had seen a lot of things as he believes what Tony had been through and suspects Ray while also revealing a lot that he has to deal with in his pursuit of true justice in a world that is becoming more complicated. Jake Gyllenhaal is remarkable in a dual performance as Edward Sheffield and Tony Hastings where Gyllenhaal portrays this kind and idealistic man in the former that wants to be a writer but becomes frustrated with Susan’s criticisms. In the latter, Gyllenhaal brings someone that looks anguished and frightened as well as be consumed with guilt as a man desperate to find some justice for what happened to his family. Finally, there’s Amy Adams in a phenomenal performance as Susan Morrow as an arts gallery owner that is dealing with an unhappy marriage and the decisions she’s made in her life as she becomes enamored with a manuscript her ex-husband wrote where she copes with her past and wonders why she can’t sleep nor be happy with the life she’s in.

Nocturnal Animals is a spectacular film from Tom Ford that features great performances from Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Laura Linney. Along with eerie visuals, an amazing supporting cast, chilling sound work, and majestic music. It is this haunting yet intoxicating neo-noir thriller that plays into a woman coping with her past through the actions of a manuscript about the dark aspects of humanity from her ex-husband. In the end, Nocturnal Animals is a tremendous film from Tom Ford.

A Single Man

© thevoid99 2016

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Based on the comic series by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, The Avengers: Age of Ultron is the story of a group of superheroes who fight to save the world as they meet their greatest challenge in an artificial intelligent android who is bent on global destruction in his view of bringing peace. Written for the screen and directed by Joss Whedon, the film plays into the team known as the Avengers as they deal with fear but also in being forced to face an enemy who knows how to tear them apart. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Linda Cardellini, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Bettany, and James Spader as the voice of Ultron. The Avengers: Age of Ultron is a thrilling and exhilarating film from Joss Whedon.

The film revolves around the superhero team known as the Avengers who are tasked with stopping evil forces including Hydra from unleashing terror into the world where a peacekeeping initiative in the form of an artificial intelligent being known as Ultron has threatened to destroy the team and bring global destruction in an act of bringing peace to the world. While it is a plot that is simple in terms of good guy vs. bad guys, it is much more complex considering that Ultron was created by Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) with the aid of Dr. Bruce Banner/the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) as a program to help save the world after seeing a dark vision which was brought to him a young woman in Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) during a raid on Hydra by the Avengers. Wanda and her twin brother Pietro/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) would both aid Ultron in destroying the Avengers where the team would become very vulnerable with Stark trying to make sense of what he created.

Joss Whedon’s screenplay does have a more traditional structure as it sort of plays into a rise-and-fall scenario of sorts for the Avengers. The first act pertains to the Avengers having their first encounter with the Maximoff twins and Stark’s intentions in creating Ultron. The second act plays into Ultron’s plans with the Maximoff twins aiding him where Pietro’s speed is his power while Wanda is telekinetic and can manipulate people’s minds as she would be able to make the Avengers, with the exception of Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), vulnerable. Yet, the Maximoff twins aren’t exactly antagonists as they are essentially people who have a legitimate grudge towards Stark but they also display some humanity which makes them more intriguing. By the time the film’s third act emerges as it relates to a mysterious gem inside Loki’s scepter and a project Stark was involved in which could be the one thing that could save the Avengers and the world.

Whedon’s direction is definitely sprawling in terms of the world that is created as well as the fact that there is a lot at stake in what the Avengers are doing. Shot in various locations such as South Africa, South Korea, Bangladesh, New York, Italy, and some studio-based shots in London, the film does have a more global feel where it is about the Avengers trying to protect the world from evil as it would begin in Eastern Europe when the team takes down one of the last Hydra plants in the continent. While there are some great usage of wide and medium shots in the film to establish certain locations as well as play into what is happening when the team isn’t fighting the bad guys or each other. Whedon also finds way to create an intimacy as well as bring humor into the fray as it relates to Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) who has issues with the team saying profanity or the growing attraction between Banner and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) as the latter is the one person who can calm the Hulk down.

The direction also has this air of nihilism as well as the many complexities and flaws about humanity as it relates to Ultron’s view of things. He sees humanity as Neanderthals who are unwilling to evolve as well as create chaos in an attempt to restore order and such. In some ways, he is right but he would take his views to the extremes which wouldn’t just prompt the Avengers to finally pull themselves back up and fight the fight. Even as they do whatever they can to even save the innocent and prove that humanity can be worth saving no matter how bad things are. Overall, Whedon creates a very exciting and compelling film about a group of superheroes and fighters who try to save the world from an android hell bent on destroying the world.

Cinematographer Ben Davis does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography in creating some unique moods and lighting schemes for many of the film‘s interiors such as the Avengers‘ main base as well as some scenes set at the Maximoff twins‘ home country in its exterior settings. Editors Jeffrey Ford and Lisa Lassek do nice work with the editing in creating some unique montages for some of the dreams and flashbacks for some of the characters under Wanda‘s mind manipulation as well as some rhythmic cuts to play into the action and drama. Production designer Charles Wood, with supervising art director Ray Chan and set decorators Chris “Flimsy” Howes, Sheona Mitchley, and Richard Roberts, does amazing work with the design of the Avengers home base as well as the quaint safe house that belongs to Barton where the team would regroup as well as the lab where Ultron sees the next step into his evolution. Costume designer Alexandra Byrne does terrific work with the costumes as much of it is casual for the gang when they’re not working.

Hair/makeup designer Jeremy Woodhead does fine work with the look of the characters from the hairstyle of the Maximoff twins to the look of the mysterious being known as Vision. Visual effects supervisors Geoffrey Baumann, Huseyin Caner, Michael Mulholland, Katherine Rodtsbrooks, Ben Snow, Alan Torres, and Christopher Townsend do brilliant work with the visual effects in the design of Ultron in his evolving state from being one android and then another to the look of the Hulk as he rampages everything around him. Sound designer David Acord, with sound editors Christopher Boyes and Frank. E. Eulner, does superb work with the sound in the way some of the gunfire is heard along with sound effects that play into the action and suspenseful moments in the film. The film’s music by Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman is brilliant as it is this great mix of bombastic orchestral music with some electronic textures as it play into much of the action and drama that occurs in the film while music supervisor Dave Jordan provide a soundtrack that mixes old-school band music, classical pieces, and operatic pieces as it‘s a piece that Banner uses to soothe the Hulk.

The casting by Sarah Finn and Reg Poerscout-Edgerton is incredible as it features appearances from Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Don Cheadle as Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine, Thomas Krestchmann as a Hydra leader in Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, Henry Goodman as Dr. List who was doing experiments on the Maximoff twins, Kerry Condon as the voice of Stark’s new AI protocol named F.R.I.D.A.Y., Julie Delpy as Romanoff’s Red Room headmistress Madame B. in a flashback, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter in Captain America’s dream sequence, Idris Elba as Thor’s friend Heimdall in a dream sequence, Andy Serkis as an arms dealer in Ulysses Klaue who provides Ultron some formulas he needed, and Claudia Kim as the geneticist Dr. Helen Cho who is a friend of Stark as she is also key to the thing that Ultron craves for and would be the catalyst to save the world.

Linda Cardellini is fantastic as Barton’s wife Laura as a woman who would provide the Avengers a safe house as well as be the person who can ground Barton and give him a reason to stay alive. Cobie Smulders is excellent as Maria Hill as a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who works for the Avengers in planning everything that is happening while being the one person she can bring Nick Fury in to help them. Samuel L. Jackson is brilliant as Nick Fury as the former leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. who tries to rally the Avengers to get their wind back after their huge defeat while revealing exactly more of what Ultron is trying to do. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is terrific as Pietro Maximoff as a man who can run very fast at impossible speed while Elizabeth Olsen is amazing as his twin sister Wanda as this young woman who is very dangerous with her telekinetic powers that can destroy anything in her path and having the power of mind control.

Paul Bettanny is superb in a dual role as Stark’s old AI companion J.A.R.V.I.S. and later the mysterious being known as Vision who is the key catalyst that could help the Avengers in the war against Ultron. James Spader is phenomenal as the voice of Ultron as an AI creation who sees Stark’s ideas for peace as something worse where he is filled with some dark humor as well as being someone that is dangerous in what he could unleash on the world. Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans are marvelous in their respective roles as Thor and Steve Rogers/Captain America as two heroes who are both powerful but become vulnerable as the former copes with visions he had relating to his home planet as the latter deals with the idea of what could’ve been if he hadn’t been frozen for 75 years.

Robert Downey Jr. is astounding as Tony Stark/Iron Man as the billionaire/scientist who tries to do good in creating Ultron only to realize what went wrong as he tries to shield the blame on himself though is aware that he is at fault. Mark Ruffalo is tremendous as Dr. Bruce Banner/the Hulk who finds a balance in being himself and the Hulk until his encounter with Wanda has him succumb to fear and uncertainty. Jeremy Renner is great as Clint Barton/Hawkeye as the great sharpshooter who is the glue of the team as he would be the one to carry them as everyone becomes vulnerable while revealing another life he has that few know about. Finally, there’s Scarlett Johansson in a radiant performance as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow as the skilled assassin who is also expressing feelings for Banner while becoming vulnerable by her own flashbacks where she copes with the fact that she too is a monster in some ways.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron is a sensational film from Joss Whedon. Featuring a great cast, an intriguing premise, compelling themes, and lots of exhilarating action and suspense. The film is definitely a blockbuster film that manages to be a lot of things but also provide some substance to have audiences talk about the ideas of war and peace. In the end, The Avengers: Age of Ultron is a spectacular film from Joss Whedon.

Joss Whedon Films: Serenity - Much Ado About Nothing (2012 film) - Justice League

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One Films: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers

Marvel Phase Two Films: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - Ant-Man

Marvel Phase Three Films: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man & the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Captain Marvel - Spider-Man: Far from Home

Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Eternals – Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)

Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)

Related: MCU is Cinema: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 – Pt. 4 – (Part 5) – (Part 6) – (Part 7) - The MCU: 10 Reasons Why It Rules the World

© thevoid99 2016

Anna Karenina (2012 film)

Based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina is the story of the titular socialite, who is the wife of a statesman, who begins an affair with an officer in late 19th Century Russia. Directed by Joe Wright and screenplay by Tom Stoppard, the film is a look into the life of a woman as she tries to find love only to be ruined by her affair as Keira Knightley plays the title role. Also starring Jude Law, Aaron Johnson, Alicia Vikander, Matthew McFayden, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly MacDonald, Ruth Wilson, Shirley Henderson, Olivia Williams, and Emily Watson. Anna Karenina is a beautiful yet vapid film from Joe Wright.

Set in 1874 in Imperial Russia, the film is an exploration into the life of this aristocratic woman who falls for a cavalry officer where their affair becomes scandalous. Yet, the film is an exploration into many ideas of love as well as infidelity where the latter showcases a woman’s decision in being with this officer named Count Alexei Vronsky (Aaron Johnson) where they fall in love despite the fact that she’s married to a statesman in Count Alexei Karenin (Jude Law). Yet, Vronsky is notorious for wooing many women including Anna’s sister-in-law Kitty (Alicia Vikander) who is also pursued by Konstatin Levin (Domhnall Gleeson) who tries to deal with his ideas about true love and such. All of which is told in a very broad but messy story that doesn’t hold itself together.

Tom Stoppard’s screenplay has this narrative where there’s a lot of characters involved where it has this unique structure that would play Anna’s fall from grace. Yet, it has these other subplots involving her brother Stiva (Matthew McFayden) trying to help Levin while having his own extramarital affairs as well the stuff involving Levin. The first act explores Anna’s marriage to Count Karenin where it’s one where there’s not much communication yet there is love until Anna meets Count Vronsky. The second act is about Anna and Count Vronsky’s love affair and the scandal that it creates where Karenin becomes embarrassed. The third act is about Anna’s attempt to return to society where she is disapproved by those around her while her relationship with Vronsky starts to fall apart.

Notably as the script reveals a lot about Vronsky’s appetite for women which adds to Anna’s insecurities yet neither character become interesting as they have range of emotions that drags the story. Even as the script would shift into what Count Karenin is doing as he feels humiliated as well as the stuff about Levin who feels lost as he tries to comprehend all of the ideas of love. Notably as there’s people like Stiva’s wife Dolly (Kelly MacDonald) who isn’t sure about wanting Stiva back or Vronsky’s cousin Betsy (Ruth Wilson) whose appearances would raise questions about Vronsky’s devotion to Anna. All of which just adds to the messiness of the script as it gets to the point where there’s too many characters to follow and how important they are to the story.

Joe Wright’s direction is unique in the way he presents the story where he wants to go for something that is theatrical where most of the film is presented in a theater. A lot of which seems to play into a world that seems artificial and sort of removed from reality to portray Anna’s idea of the world where things aren’t cold and such. Even in moments of the film where some of the action takes place backstage or above the stage where people will freeze while she and Vronsky are moving. It all plays to that world where Anna and those around her seem to thrive in where there’s even a horse race that occurs on the stage where Anna is watching from the booth. It’s these moments where the idea of fantasy and reality would collide as many of the moments set in the Karenin home is a mixture of that.

There’s also moments where the fantasy is replaced by reality which plays into the Levin’s plight as he goes to the country to deal with some family matters as well as resigning to the fate that might happen to him. These are moments that are all interesting but it also adds to the confusing nature of the story where Wright wants to do both. It unfortunately creates this idea of style over substance where there’s all of this gorgeous imagery with some amazing tracking shots and moments where everything happens in one take. Yet, it doesn’t do enough to really engage the audience into the story despite its emphasis on the themes of adultery and love where its end result is a bit mixed. Overall, Wright crafts a very lavish but lifeless film about a woman’s affair that led to scandal and the loss of her identity.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does fantastic work with the film‘s cinematography from the gorgeous look of the exterior locations to some of the lighting in the theater stage and some of its interior settings. Editor Melanie Ann Oliver does excellent work with the editing from the use of montages and fast-cuts for the dancing scenes as well as some smooth transitions for the fantasy-reality scenes. Production designer Sarah Greenwood, with set decorator Katie Spencer and supervising art director Niall Moroney, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the Karenin home to the look of the stage where a lot of the action occurs.

Costume designer Jacqueline Durran does brilliant work with the costumes from the uniforms that Vronsky wears to the many dresses that many of the female characters wear including Anna. Hair/makeup designer Ivana Primorac does dazzling work with the hair/makeup to complement the different looks of the many female characters. Sound editors Craig Berkey and Becki Ponting do superb work with the sound to capture the intimacy of the theatrical settings as well as the broad sound of the scenes set at the train station. The film’s music by Dario Marianelli is spectacular for its heavy yet effective orchestral score to play out the romance and drama while also using some low-key moments and some themes for the different characters including a humorous one for Stiva.

The casting by Dixie Chassay and Jina Jay is terrific for the ensemble that was created as it features some notable small roles from Holliday Grainger as a baroness friend of Vronsky, Michelle Dockery as a friend of Anna, Shirley Henderson as a disapproving madam at a scene late in the film, Raphael Personnaz as Vronsky’s brother, Oskar McNamara as Anna and Count Karenin’s son Serhoza, Alexandra Roach as the Countess Nordstron that Vronsky tries to woo early in the film, and Emily Watson in a chilling performance as the Countess Ivanova who observes Anna’s behaviors as she would eventually tell Karenin about what is going on. Ruth Williams is wonderful as the mysterious Princess Betsy who tries to get her cousin Vronsky to steer him away from Anna while Olivia Williams is excellent as Vronsky’s mother Countess Vronskaya who is very disapproving about her son’s relationship with Anna.

Matthew McFayden is fantastic as Anna’s brother Stiva who tries to deal with the chaos in his own life while helping out Levin. Kelly MacDonald is superb as Stiva’s wife Dolly who deals with her husband’s infidelity while helping out her sister Kitty to find love. Alicia Vikander is remarkable as Kitty as a young woman who is supposed to marry Vronsky only to lose herself in a whirlwind of many prospects while being courted by the more kind Levin. Domhnall Gleeson is marvelous as Levin as a young man who is in love with Kitty only to lose her to her more revered prospects as he tries to deal with his idea of love as well as his family who are dealing with their own troubles. Jude Law is amazing as Count Karenin as a man who is devoted to his service for his country while trying to make time for his family only to learn the truth about what Anna is doing as he tries to comprehend everything as well as make some decisions about what to do for his son.

Aaron Johnson is quite bland as Count Vronsky where Johnson doesn’t do enough to make his character interesting as he spend some of his time being aloof or doe-eyed where it comes across as very uninspiring to watch. Keira Knightley is pretty terrible as the titular character as she spends some of her time either overacting in some of the dramatic moments or just underplaying where she often wears a veil and gaze. It’s a performance that doesn’t allow Knightley to really do more for the character as it has her just being sad and confused most of the time though she’s more effective in the happier moments as it’s not one of her best works.

Despite its amazing supporting cast and technical work, Anna Karenina is a very disappointing film from Joe Wright. Due to the uninspiring leading performances of Keira Knightley and Aaron Johnson as well as Joe Wright’s emphasis on style over substance and Tom Stoppard’s messy script. It’s a film that had all of the tools to be something quite grand and engaging only to end up being dull and flat. In the end, Anna Karenina is a very underwhelming film from Joe Wright.

Joe Wright Films: Pride & Prejudice (2005 film) - Atonement - The Soloist - Hanna

© thevoid99 2013

Nowhere Boy

Based on the book Imagine This: Growing Up with My Older Brother John Lennon, Nowhere Boy is the story of John Lennon’s early life as a teenager struggling with his absentee mother Julia and the strict upbringing of his aunt Mimi. During his journey to become a musician, he would eventually meet Paul McCartney and George Harrison as they would form the Beatles. Directed by Sam Taylor-Wood and screenplay by Matt Greenhalgh, the film is a look into the young Lennon before he would become famous with the Beatles as Aaron Johnson plays the legendary figure. Also starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff, and Thomas Sangster as Paul McCartney. Nowhere Boy is a touching yet fascinating portrait of the young life of pre-fame John Lennon.

Following the death of his uncle George (David Threlfall), John Lennon’s young life continues to be troubled as he lives with his strict though caring aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas). During his uncle’s funeral, he sees his mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) attending from afar as he’s thinking about seeing her. Though Mimi doesn’t want John to see Julia, John decides to as he forges a relationship with of sorts through their love of rock n’ roll. While Julia does have a family life with two daughters and a husband in Bobby (David Morrissey), John enjoys his time as she teaches him the banjo during his suspension from school. Though John’s visits to Julia would disrupt her family life and cause trouble with Mimi, John reluctantly returns home to his aunt.

After deciding to form a rock n’ roll group with friends including fellow troublemaker Pete Shotton (Josh Bolt), John gets a guitar as his skiffle group the Quarrymen attracts the attention of a young musician named Paul McCartney. John lets Paul be part of the group as Paul teaches John how to play more chords while later introducing him to another guitarist named George Harrison (Sam Bell). Despite the success John is making with the Quarrymen and his 18th birthday approaching, John remains haunted by memories of his life as a child as he confronts his mother why she abandoned him where aunt Mimi reveals what happened. After feeling hurt by everything and the chaos of the whole family, things finally cool down as John, Julia, and Mimi finally come to an understanding only to be shattered by tragedy. For John, the event would help shape his outlook on life as he, Paul, and George would form the Beatles as John would tell the news to his family.

While the story of John Lennon’s life is something that a lot of fans of both Lennon and the Beatles know quite well through various books, stories, and films that are either documentary or dramatic feature. What makes this film a bit different is about the relationship between the young Lennon and the two women in his life that would influence the young boy. While aunt Mimi might seem like a strict woman who keeps telling John to put on his glasses and stay out of trouble. She just doesn’t want him to get hurt and deal with all of the turmoil she went through when she chose to raise him. Then there’s Julia, John’s mother who has just come back into his life once again where the two make another attempt to start a relationship though she has a family of her own while also being quite reckless at times.

These two women represent the different ideas that Lennon would be influenced by in his life as he finds an outlet through music where he would meet a young man that would help him evolve musically in Paul McCartney. Matt Greenhalgh’s script does dwell into how these relationship with these individuals would play a part into Lennon’s development as a young man. Still, it’s all about John Lennon in the way he grew up as he was this troublemaking kid that likes to cause trouble and spit at authority. Yet, there’s a complexity into Lennon as Greenhalgh’s script goes into his early life as someone who is creative in art but is in need of a direction to get it out there. While the script is really more of a dramatic interpretation of the young Lennon’s life, it does succeed in giving an idea of what it was like for this young man to come of age.

Sam Taylor-Wood’s direction is truly marvelous to watch in the way she presents the film. Featuring a lot of intimate moments of framing to stylized shots where Lennon is slowly learning to play the banjo in a room while a lot of activity by other characters is happening rapidly. Taylor-Wood manages to create an atmosphere and a period that seems very innocent and lively with a look that is lush and ravishing. While she keeps a lot of the conversations and musical moments to be very straightforward and lively, Taylor-Wood does manage to keep things engaging such as the big dramatic scene of Lennon learning about why his mother abandoned him and the whereabouts of his own father. The overall work Taylor-Wood does is superb as she creates a wonderfully heartbreaking yet enchanting story of Lennon’s early life as a teenager.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does a magnificent job with the film‘s colorful yet stylish photography from the very straight yet lush look for many of the exteriors shot on location in parts of Blackpool, London, and other British locations. McGarvey’s work also has a very dream-like look that plays to some of the very stylized shots such as the interiors of Julia’s home and some performance scenes. Editor Lisa Gunning does an excellent job with the editing by adding a stylistic flair to some of the cutting with a few jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to keep the film moving at a brisk pace.

Production designer Alice Normington, along with set decorator Barbara Herman-Skelding and art director Charmian Adams, does a sensational job with the homes created to capture a late 1950s look with objects and things including a few paintings that were actually made by John Lennon to surround his room. Costume designer Julian Day does a superb job with the costumes created from the schoolboy uniform that Lennon wears to the youthful yet stylish dresses that his mother wears. Sound editor Simon Chase does a terrific job with the sound work to capture the intimacy of the home of aunt Mimi to the raucous energy of the shows he plays.

The score by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, of the electronic duo Goldfrapp, do a nice job with the score which is a mostly low-key orchestral score and piano to play up some of the drama that goes in the film. Music supervisor Ian Neil does a fantastic job with the soundtrack by utilizing some of the early rock n’ roll music of the times from cuts like Elvis Presley and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins while having the actors actually play the songs of the time which is a real highlight of the soundtrack. Particularly as it uses an outtake of John Lennon’s Mother for the film’s ending.

The casting by Nina Gold is great for the cast that is created that includes appearances from David Threlfall as John’s playful uncle George, David Morrissey as Julia’s kind lover Bobby, Josh Bolt as John’s troublemaking friend Pete Shotton, and Sam Bell as a young George Harrison. Thomas Sangster is excellent as the young Paul McCartney who would help shape John as a musician while becoming his dear close friend and partner following the tragedy John faced. Anne-Marie Duff is wonderful as John’s troubled mother Julia who gives John freedom from his aunt Mimi while dealing with her own guilt that she hadn’t been there enough for him.

Kristin Scott Thomas is superb as John’s aunt Mimi who tries to get him to do what is right while dealing with what she had to do for John’s well-being as Thomas brings a compelling sympathy to a very stern character. Finally, there’s Aaron Johnson in a phenomenal performance as the young John Lennon. Johnson brings a real sense of swagger and charisma to the character that is true to Lennon’s personality while showing the anguish his character goes through in dealing with loss and abandonment. Johnson also shows that he can sing as the overall work he does is truly amazing for the young actor.

Nowhere Boy is a rich yet captivating film from Sam Taylor-Wood on the young life of John Lennon. Featuring an outstanding performance from Aaron Johnson as the legendary musician along with brilliant supporting performances from Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff, and Thomas Sangster. The film gives the idea an idea of what Lennon’s young life was like as well as show how the two women in his life as a teenager would impact him. In the end, Nowhere Boy is a mesmerizing film from Sam Taylor-Wood.

© thevoid99 2011

Kick-Ass

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 6/8/10 w/ Additional Edits.

Since the emergence of comic-book based superheroes with films like Superman in 1978, Batman in 1989, and Spider-Man in 2002.  The comic book hero film genre definitely became popular with movie-goers but in recent years.  It's become parodied and also underwhelming.  2009's highly-anticipated film adaptation of the brilliant graphic novel Watchmen was a commercial disappointment while other comic-book driven films seem to have lost its edge in recent years.  In 2010, British director Matthew Vaughn decided to delve into the world of comic-book based vigilantes from a comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. called Kick-Ass.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn with an adapted script by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, Kick-Ass tells the story of a high school teenager who decides to become a masked superhero following a mugging he suffered.  When he gets attention from the internet, a 12-year old girl and her former policeman father decide to become masked vigilantes of their own.  When a fourth masked vigilante joins, they all team up to go fight a drug lord.  A mixture of superhero mythology mixed in with real-life situations, the film is an entertaining yet provocative take on the world of superheroes.  Starring Aaron Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Lyndsey Fonesca, plus Vaughn associate Mark Strong, and Nicolas Cage.  Kick-Ass is a film that delivers in its namesake and more.

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a regular high school kid who is invisible to nearly everyone including his crush in Katie Deauxma (Lyndsey Fonesca).  Though he has two comic-book loving friends in Marty (Clark Duke) and Todd (Evan Peters), Dave wonders about the idea of how people become superheroes.  When he and Todd were mugged while an innocent bystander watches and does nothing.  Dave decides to become a superhero by buying a scuba suit and become his own superhero called Kick-Ass.  Unfortunately, his first attempt by going after the muggers he's been mugged by doesn't go well as planned where he also got hit by a car.

Though he does finally get Katie's attention over the injury, he is amazed only to learn that she think he's gay because of what he did while being in an ambulance.  After another attempt to become a hero, Dave manages to succeed where he saves someone from a beating where Kick-Ass becomes an Internet sensation.  Kick-Ass gets the attention of not just mob boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) and his teenage son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).  A former cop named Damon McCready (Nicolas Cage) and his 12-year old daughter Mindy (Chloe Grace Moretz) also saw the report about Kick-Ass as they decided to go in the vigilante business.  Even when Katie have told Dave about a drug dealer who had been harassing her.  Dave as Kick-Ass tries to deal with the drug dealer where he would meet Mindy's new alter-ego known as Hit-Girl.

After being contacted by Hit-Girl and Damon as Big Daddy about working with them, Dave tries to deal with the fact that he's got two vigilantes to deal with who are better than him at the job.  Meanwhile, Frank becomes upset over the deaths of his thugs along with some lost money.  He suspects Kick-Ass is behind this as Chris pleas to help him by becoming his own masked superhero named Red Mist.  After contacting Kick-Ass, Red Mist decides to team-up in order to go fight some crime.  Yet, when a lumber factory that is really one of Frank's business in disguise is burned down.  Chris reveals to his dad what is really going on as they realize the key to the man who really destroyed his place is finding Kick-Ass.

Dave however, decides to quit for a while until he gets contacted by Red Mist where he reluctantly plays the Kick-Ass role again.  What happens becomes a trap for all of the vigilantes as Damon's motives against Frank are revealed.  Then, they get some surprising help to fight Frank and the mob.

The film is a mixture of a lot of ideas relating to world of vigilantes and the mythology of superheroes.  Yet, it's really about a young guy trying to find his place in the world by becoming a superhero despite the fact that he doesn't have great fighting skills nor any kind of superpowers.  Just a suit, a mask, two batons, and the determination to do good.  Yet, it becomes overwhelming when he's dealing with two very skilled and inventive vigilantes and another one who is getting attention for taking down a mob figure.

It's not just Dave who is having problems in just being Kick-Ass while trying to balance it with being himself.  His fellow vigilantes also have issues.  Director Matthew Vaughn and co-screenwriter Jane Goldman definitely delve into the psychology of the world of vigilantes and their motive to fight crime.  Particularly Damon McCready aka Big Daddy whose motives to take down Frank D'Amico is more to do with what happened to him when was he sent to prison that would lead to the death of his wife during the birth of their daughter Mindy.  Though she was raised by Damon's former partner Marcus (Omari Hardwick) until age 5 when Damon was released.  She would be raised into a killing machine though Damon would hope for her to have a normal childhood.

Then there's Chris D'Amico, the fourth vigilante who is really just a kid just wanting to seek the attention of his mob boss father.  Yet, he also wants to live up to being the heir to his dad's empire knowing he's a mob boss.  Though Frank D'Amico tries to hide it, he also has a hard time trying to be a dad until Chris gives him the idea to go and find Kick-Ass.   The screenplay is truly complex and layered as it delves not just into the characters but the places they're surrounded by.  Notably the world of comic books that both Dave and Chris are interested in.  Even as there is a sense of melancholia about the way the real world works in relation to what the superheroes go through once their job is done.

Matthew Vaughn's direction is truly energetic in its mixture of action and comedy while giving audiences a break for some dramatic scenes as well as dabbles of humor.  Vaughn also made sure the film doesn't play up to the clichés of recent comic-book based superhero films.  Even as he goes to extremes to create something that is edgy, engaging, and entertaining.  At the same time, that edginess can also bring some discomfort to some viewers.  Particularly the idea of a 12-year old girl killing people in such a gruesome manner as well as saying some profane language.  Vaughn has made it clear that this is not a typical comic-book superhero film.  Even as it includes sexual situations and loads of graphic violence.

Vaughn's direction for many of the action sequences are stylized with slow-motion cuts and sometimes, fast-paced moments of violence.  Yet, Vaughn definitely understands what is needed for an action film.  Even when he mixes it with humor.  The overall work is brilliant as Vaughn creates what is definitely his best film yet as a director so far.

Cinematographer Ben Davis brings a colorful yet pristine look that isn‘t too polished in trying to make the film look like a comic book of sorts.  Editors Pierto Scalia, Eddie Hamilton, & Jon Harris do excellent work in the editing to capture the intensity of the action while slowing things down for the humor and dramatic moments of the film.  Production designer Russell De Rozario, along with set decorator Tina Jones and supervising art director John King do incredible work with the look of the film from the building and offices of Frank D'Amico to the comic book store that Dave hangs out at.  

Costume designer Sammy Sheldon does a nice job with the costumes as Dave‘s Kick-Ass suit looks quite ordinary while the suits of Big Daddy and Hit Girl have more personality to match their own personas.  Sound editor Danny Sheehan does a great job with the sound work to capture atmosphere of the film's action sequences including recreating the sounds of weapons for the film's climatic battle scene.

The film's music features score work by Marius de Vries, Underworld's John Murphy, Henry Jackman, & Ilan Eshkeri is a wonderful mixture of electronic music, rock, and punk.  Notably the soundtrack features some cuts by the Prodigy, Primal Scream, Joan Jett, Sparks, Gnarls Barkley, the New York Dolls, Elvis Presley, and Ennio Morricone with his theme from For A Few Dollars More.  The soundtrack is exciting yet diverse while it also features some of John Murphy's work from Danny Boyle's 2007 film Sunshine.

The casting by Sarah Finn and Lucinda Syson is phenomenal and inspiring as it features several standout roles including cameos from late night talk show Craig Ferguson as himself, Elizabeth McGovern as Dave's mother, Yancy Butler as Chris' mother, and from Matthew Vaughn's stock of regular actors.  Dexter Fletcher and Jason Flemyng as a couple of D'Amico's goons.  Other notable small roles include Deborah Twiss as Dave's English schoolteacher who bares her cleavage, Sophie Wu as Katie's friend Erika, Kofi Natei as a drug dealer, and Stu "Large" Riley as Chris' bodyguard.  Notable standout supporting roles from Xander Berkley as the corrupt Detective Gigante, Michael Rispoli as Frank's sidekick Big Joe, and Omari Hardwick as Damon's former partner Marcus are all very good.  Clark Duke and Evan Peters are also very good as Dave's funny best friends who both share a love of comics and girls.

Lyndsey Fonesca is very good as Katie, Dave's school crush who mistakes him for being gay while learning about her own problems while being fascinated by the world of comics.  Mark Strong is great as Frank D'Amico, a mob boss who is trying to be a good dad while trying to run a business as he deals with some foes.  Christopher Mintz-Plasse is superb as Chris D'Amico/Red Mist, a kid who wants his dad's attention while being his own superhero as Mintz-Plasse gets more to do rather than play the McLovin' character from Superbad.  Nicolas Cage is marvelous as Damon McCready/Big Daddy, a former cop wanting vengeance while finding a chance to become a vigilante as Cage gives a performance that isn't over-the-top.

Newcomer Aaron Johnson is excellent as Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass, the title character who ponders the idea of being a superhero while struggling when that role when he plays Kick-Ass.  Johnson's performance is very realistic in how young teens try to deal with their own awkwardness as the young British actor definitely stands out among his fellow cast members.  Finally, there's Chloe Grace Moretz in the role of Mindy McCready/Hit-Girl.  Moretz's performance is truly the highlight of the film as she can play sweet but also has a wit and sarcasm that is fun to watch while being the kind of young girl you don't want to mess with.

Kick-Ass is a remarkable film by Matthew Vaughn.  While it may not live up to a lot of the ideas and expectations of other comic book films.  It does succeed by being unconventional though it does kind of stray towards conventionality towards the end.  Fans of comic book superheroes will definitely enjoy this for the fact that it tries to be different and edgy.  Even as the comic book films are starting to run out of idea and just go for the big bucks.  In the end, Kick-Ass is a film that definitely kicks ass.

Matthew Vaughn Films:  (Layer Cake) - (Stardust) - X-Men: First Class - Kingsman: The Secret Service

© thevoid99 2011