Andre the Giant (2018 film)

Directed by Jason Hehir and written by Simon Pummell, Andre the Giant is a documentary film about the legendary pro wrestler who was born with gigantism which would make him a beloved figure in the world of pro wrestling yet would deal with the prejudices of being gigantic. The film follows the man’s life from his early upbringing in France to being one of the most popular pro wrestlers in the world as well as being in movies like The Princess Bride. With interviews from wrestlers Hulk Hogan, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Pat Patterson, and Ric Flair as well as actors Billy Crystal, Robin Wright, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and filmmaker Rob Reiner. The result is a somber yet extravagant film about a man who was indeed larger than life.

Andre Rene Roussimoff was a man from a small French town just 40 miles away from Paris as he unexpectedly was growing very rapidly as a teenager where he would become a professional wrestler around the age of 17. Yet, this gigantic growth which he didn’t know where it was from would make him a major celebrity as well as a mythical figure in the world of professional wrestling. The film follows the man’s life from his beginnings in the small French town of Moliens where he lived with his two brothers who are interviewed in the film along with sister-in-law as they talk about Andre’s life in the small town and the difficulty he had with his growth. Yet, it would contribute to his love of athletics including rugby which would get him the attention of a local wrestling coach who saw what he could do.

Aside from pro wrestling writer Dave Meltzer, historians talk about Andre’s early wrestling career as it showed his athleticism early on but as his gigantism grew. He would become this special attraction upon his arrival in the early 1970s in Montreal where he got the attention of many promoters in North America. He would work in many territories in America as wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Pat Patterson, and Ric Flair along with wrestling announcer “Mean” Gene Okerlund would talk about not just Andre’s work method but also how he would run the locker rooms as he would protect and sell other wrestlers who are good to him but then there’s those he didn’t like such as Big John Studd and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. The latter of which was revealed by Hogan about Savage using baby oil to make himself look good but it pissed Andre off really bad who really slapped the shit out of Savage.

There are also these mythological stories that are told such as the consumption of alcohol that Andre had drank where Flair claimed he saw him drank 106 cans of beer in one night. It adds to the mythology and legend of Andre as another WWE personnel that talks about Andre is referee Tim White who was Andre’s handler for much of his career. There were also discussions of Andre’s life outside the ring where he did struggle with his condition and learned about it much later in his life though he didn’t seek treatment as he felt it would threaten his career. There was also the fact that he had a daughter named Robin Christensen Roussimoff, who is interviewed in the film, as she shows pictures of her time with her father at his farm in Erbelle, North Carolina. The people who lived in Erbelle talked about Andre who felt at home in the town as his times traveling would often make him feel lonely and sensitive where he found a surrogate family in the people who looked after his ranch.

Actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, and Billy Crystal talk about their time with him as Schwarzenegger knew him during the 1970s as he was often in awe of him. Elwes, Wright, and Crystal along with filmmaker Rob Reiner talked about working with him on The Princess Bride as they revealed some tidbits about the film as well as the pain that Andre was feeling as it relates to his back. With the help of editor Daniel Goddard, director Jason Hehir wouldn’t just compile the many footage of his matches but also some rare pictures including a few from Elwes and Andre’s daughter Robin as it shows someone who wanted to be like everyone else. WWE chairman Vince McMahon does dwell into Andre’s final years as he admitted that resentment from Andre over having to retire while WWE would continue without him as he felt sad that he is unable to wrestle. It was in early 1993 when Andre returned to France to visit his ailing father and then be at his funeral where he unexpectedly died on January 27, 1993 at the age of 46.

Hehir’s direction would have many of the people interviewed in a straightforward manner with Hogan being the one to talk about Andre’s impact as well as how he had been able to play a major part of the 1980s wrestling boom. The film’s music by Thomas Caffey is terrific for its triumphant score that play into the larger-than-life persona of Andre while music supervisor Rudy Chung helping to bring in an array of music that lives up to who Andre is.

Andre the Giant is a marvelous film from Jason Hehir and HBO Sports. It’s a documentary that wrestling fans will definitely enjoy as they would get a look at one of the sport’s most beloved figures while audiences familiar with the world of popular culture will see a man who was human like everyone but also had a heart that was as big as he was where all he wanted to do was make people smile. In the end, Andre the Giant is a remarkable film from Jason Hehir.

© thevoid99 2018

The Princess Bride

Directed by Rob Reiner and written by William Goldman from his own novel, The Princess Bride is the story about a young woman who is devastated by the loss of a stable boy she fell in love with as she is set to marry a prince only to be kidnapped and later meets a mysterious pirate. While the main narrative is set in medieval times in a fictional country called Florin, the film is largely told in present time as it’s a story read by a man to his flu-ridden grandson. Starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Fred Savage, and Peter Falk as the grandfather. The Princess Bride is a remarkable film from Rob Reiner.

The film is a genre-bender where it has adventure, comedy, drama, and romance which revolves around a soon-to-be princess and the stable boy she loved who was later supposedly killed by a notorious pirate. Upon being kidnapped by criminals who are hired to start a war for the prince she’s to marry, she later encounters the notorious pirate who supposedly had killed her true love. It’s a film that has a simple and unique premise but with characters that subvert the idea of caricatures as many of them aren’t exactly what they seem they are. All of which is told by a man reading a book to his grandson (Fred Savage) who is bed-ridden with an illness.

What makes the story so unique is the way William Goldman creates a script with characters and dialogue that doesn’t play into the conventions of a typical romantic-adventure. Especially as the protagonists in Buttercup (Robin Wright) and Westley (Cary Elwes) are atypical of what is expected in the roles of a damsel-in-distress/love interest and hero, respectively. What Westley and Buttercup have is true love that is shattered when Westley seeks to find fortune on a ship only to have that ship attacked by the infamous pirate known as the Dread Pirate Roberts. For Buttercup, Westley’s supposed death was the end for her as she reluctantly gets engaged to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) who only wants her for his royal stature and later use her as a pawn to start a war with a rivaling country with the help of a trio of criminals.

The trio themselves deviate from what is expected in an adventure story as the master swordsman Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) is a kind man who is seeking for a six-fingered man who killed his father many years ago. The other two is a gentle and strong giant named Fezzik (Andre the Giant) with a gift for rhyming and a Sicilian mastermind named Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) who is a cruel taskmaster that constantly insults Inigo and Fezzik. Add the presence of Prince Humperdinck and his second-in-command Count Rugen (Christopher Guest), they become the kind of forces that Westley and Buttercup have to deal with as the grandfather tells his grandson this unique story where the grandson deals with the constant details about kissing as well as what he might thinks happen in the story. Instead, Goldman’s script has this sense of language and narrative that is very engaging but also that is very funny. Even in some of the dialogue that is playful and also very witty over the situations that occur.

Rob Reiner’s direction is very simple and understated at times but also full of whimsy that adds to the unconventional presentation of the story. Much of the film is shot in locations in Britain and Ireland in the countryside and castles where Reiner uses a lot of wide shots to play into the beauty of those locations along with some amazing shots of Westley and Buttercup kissing against the sunlight. There’s also some great use of medium shots and close-ups to play into the sense of drama and humor in the film as Reiner. Especially in the latter where it is very offbeat in the presentation that includes an albino (Mel Smith) who doesn’t play to the conventions of an assistant torturer and a clergyman (Peter Cook) who can’t pronounce “R”s and “L”s.

The sense of adventure includes an amazing sword duel between the mysterious Dread Pirate Roberts and Inigo where there’s an air of respect in the duel between the two which is different between the eventual duel that Inigo would have with the man who killed his father. There’s also moments of suspense such as the duel between Vizzini and Roberts where it’s a battle of wits. Much of the compositions that Reiner creates for these scenes and in the scenes between the grandfather and grandson are quite simple as he is going more for performances rather than gimmicks and such. Overall, Reiner crafts a very sensational and lively film about true love, sword fighting, and thrills told from a grandfather to his grandson.

Cinematographer Adrian Biddle does excellent work with the film‘s gorgeous look for many of its daytime exterior scenes to display a natural look while using some lighting schemes for some of the interior scenes. Editor Robert Leighton does superb work with the editing where it is straightforward while using some rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s action and suspenseful moments. Production designer Norman Garwood, with set decorator Maggie Gray and supervising art director Keith Pain, does brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of the castle interiors as well as the look of the Cliffs of Insanity.

Costume designer Phyllis Dalton does wonderful work with the costumes from the dresses that Buttercup wears as well as the clothes of Count Rugen and Prince Humperdinck. Makeup designer Peter Montagna does great work with the look of a couple of characters Fezzik and Inigo meets to help aid them for the climax. Sound editor Lon Bender does terrific work with the sound in some of the film‘s sound effects as well as some of the tone of the locations. The film’s music by Mark Knopfler is fantastic for its enchanting and touching score that features a lot of plaintive guitars and a mixture of playful orchestral music with old-school folk music while the song Storybook Love is a lovely song co-written by Knopfler and its singer Willy DeVille.

The casting by Janet Hirsheson and Jane Jenkins is incredible as it features some notable small role from Betsy Brantley as the boy’s mother, Willoughby Gray and Anne Dyson as the king and queen of Florin, Margery Mason as an ancient booer, Mel Smith as the quirky albino, Peter Cook in a hilarious performance as the clergyman, Billy Crystal as the miracle man Miracle Max, Carol Kane as Max’s wife Valerie, Fred Savage in a terrific performance as the grandson, and Peter Falk in a brilliant performance as the grandfather reading the story. Christopher Guest is excellent as the very dark yet calm Count Rugen who is proven to be a master of torturer with a machine that sucks life out of a person. Chris Sarandon is superb as Prince Humperdinck as this cowardice prince who tries to create plans to start a war against a rival country while not being able to fool Buttercup. Wallace Shawn is amazing as the very cunning and intelligent Vizzini who masterminds the kidnapping as he constantly says “inconceivable” whenever some things he planned don’t work.

Andre the Giant is fantastic as the gentle giant Fezzik as he has some of the best lines while proving that he’s a giant with a nice heart. Mandy Patinkin is brilliant as Inigo Montoya as a master swordsman who is trying to find the man that killed his father many years ago while being a key player into storming the castle in the film’s climax. In her film debut, Robin Wright is great as Buttercup as this young woman who reluctantly becomes engaged to a cruel prince as she deals with lost love as she proves to be someone that defies the convention of a princess. Finally, there’s Cary Elwes in a marvelous performance as Westley as this man of such kindness and generosity who truly loves Buttercup while also being a man of great skill as well as bringing in some witty banter.

The Princess Bride is a phenomenal film from Rob Reiner. Thanks to a top-notch ensemble cast, William Goldman’s witty screenplay, and Mark Knopfler’s lush score. It’s a film that has something for everyone and more. Especially as it bends genres and make it something of its own. In the end, The Princess Bride is an outstanding film from Rob Reiner.

Rob Reiner Films: This is Spinal Tap - (The Sure Thing) - (Stand By Me) - (When Harry Met Sally) - (Misery) - (A Few Good Men) - North - (The American President) - (Ghosts of Mississippi) - (The Story of Us) - (Alex & Emma) - (Rumor Has It…) - (The Bucket List) - (Flipped) - (The Magic of Belle Isle)

© thevoid99 2014

Monsters University

Directed by Dan Scanlon and written by Scanlon, Daniel Gerson, and Robert L. Baird, Monsters University is a prequel film to 2001’s Monsters Inc. in which Mike Wazowski meets Sulley at Monsters University where they start out as rivals and later become friends. It’s a film that explores two different monsters trying to find themselves in college and hope to make it into the big leagues as Billy Crystal and John Goodman respectively reprise their roles as Mike and Sulley as does Steve Buscemi as Randall. Also featuring the voices of Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Peter Sohn, Nathan Fillion, Charlie Day, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine, Alfred Molina, and Helen Mirren as Dean Abigail Hardscrabble. Monsters University is a witty and enjoyable film from Dan Scanlon and Pixar Animation Studios.

The film is about how Mike Wazowski and James “Sulley” Sullivan became friends as they first met as freshmen college students at the prestigious Monsters University where they started out as rivals. Especially as Wazowski’s roommate was none other than future nemesis in Randall Boggs where they were friends at first. Yet, it’s a film where both Mike and Sulley not only become friends through a series of unfortunate events as they try to major the Scare program at the university. It’s also in how they try to get back into the program by being part of the annual Scare Games where they reluctantly team up with a fraternity full of outcasts to compete with other fraternities and sororities. During that process, the two would become friends but also realize how much they need each other to make it in the big leagues.

The film’s screenplay definitely explore a lot of the motivations and complexities of the two characters as Mike had always wanted to be a scarer since he was a kid during a school field trip as he studied hard to get to Monsters University. Despite his knowledge and determination to be a scarer in the Scare program, what he lacks is the look to really be scary. While Sulley has that look and the skills to be a scarer as he comes from a family of scarers, he doesn’t have the patience to learn which makes him arrogant and foolish. Due to an incident in a final program, the two are kicked out of the program where they reluctantly become part of this fraternity full of oddballs that don’t look or act scary. With Mike’s determination and Sulley’s natural ability, the two would make Oozma Kappa not just the surprise underdogs but also find a brotherhood that Mike and Sulley would later cherish.

Dan Scanlon’s direction is definitely filled with a lot of the ideas that is expected in a college film with frat parties and such. Much of it is full of humor and hijinks while it is balanced by drama and moments that help shape the characters and the story. Much of it involves images that play into the building friendship between Mike and Sulley while adding a few references of things to come in Monsters Inc. that would include the seeds of the eventual rivalry between Sulley and Randall. With the help of animation directors Andrew Gordon and Robert H. Huss, the look of the animation is definitely lively as it’s definitely what is expected from the animation team at Pixar with Scanlon providing lots of interesting framing and such to play into the humor and drama. Overall, Scanlon creates a very solid and entertaining film about two different monsters who become best friends in college.

Cinematographers Matt Aspbury and Jean-Claude Kalache do amazing work with some of the lighting schemes for some of the film‘s interior settings to add to the visual flair of the film. Editor Greg Synder does fantastic work with the editing in terms of creating a few montages and rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor and party atmosphere. Production designer Ricky Nievra does brilliant work with the look of the University where it has this Ivy League look but also a world that is like a party and an institution to learn.

Sound designer Tom Myers does superb work with the film‘s sound to play into the sound effects that occur in some of the games as well as the places the monsters go to. The film’s music by Randy Newman is excellent for its mixture of low-key and suspenseful orchestral music to a lot of the playful drumline music of colleges as the soundtrack includes a mix of pop, electronic music, and metal music from the band Mastodon.

The voice casting by Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher is incredible as it features an amazing ensemble that features voice appearances from Pixar regulars John Ratzenberger as the Yeti, Bonnie Hunt as young Mike’s schoolteacher, and Bob Peterson as Roz. Other notable small voice roles include Bobby Moynihan as the Roar Omega Roar member Chet, Beth Behrs as the Python Nu Kappa sorority girls, John Krasinski as a top-scarer that the young Mike meets, Tyler Labine and Aubrey Plaza as the Greek Council leaders hosting the Scare Games, Noah Johnston as the young Mike, Bill Hader as a slug student trying to get to class, and Julia Sweeney as Squishy’s sweet mother Sherri who loves to clean and listen to Mastodon. Nathan Fillion is terrific as the Roar Kappa Roar fraternity leader who is arrogant as the quintessential jock while Steve Buscemi is excellent in reprising his role as the slick and skillful Randy who starts out as a nerd to a member of the Roar Omega Roar fraternity.

Alfred Molina is superb as scare professor Derek Knight who looks at what kind of skills that Mike and Sulley have early on and see if it can elevate them. Helen Mirren is amazing as Dean Hardscrabble as this no-nonsense monster who knows who has what it takes to be a scarer as she watches over what Mike and Sulley can do to see if they can prove her wrong. In the roles of the Oozma Kappa fraternity members, there’s Joel Murray as the middle-aged octopus ex-salesman Don Carlton, Sean Hayes and Dave Foley as the two-headed twin brother monster Terri and Terry Perry, Charlie Day as the wild and furry Art, and Peter Sohn as the very unconventional Squishy as they’re all fantastic in their roles. Finally, there’s Billy Crystal and John Goodman in brilliant performances in their respective roles as Mike Wazowski and James “Sulley” Sullivan as they bring that sense of fun and complexity that makes them so endearing to watch as a reminder into why they were a great duo in Monsters Inc.

Monsters University is an excellent film from Dan Scanlon and Pixar Animation Studios. While it may not reach the heights as its predecessor or other films of Pixar, it is still an entertaining and heartfelt film that has all of the tropes that made Pixar one of the best animation studios ever. Even as it’s a film that just wants to give its audience something to enjoy and have characters to root for. In the end, Monsters University is a superb film from Dan Scanlon and Pixar.

Pixar Films: Toy Story - A Bug's Life - Toy Story 2 - (Monsters Inc.) - (Finding Nemo) - The Incredibles - Cars - Ratatouille - WALL-E - Up - Toy Story 3 - Cars 2 - Brave - Inside Out - The Good Dinosaur - (Finding Dory) - (Cars 3) - Coco - Incredibles 2 - Toy Story 4 - (Onward) - Soul (2020 film - (Luca (2021 film)) - Turning Red - (Lightyear) - (Elemental (2023 film)) - Inside Out 2 - (Elio) – (Toy Story 5)

© thevoid99 2014

And the Oscar Goes To...

Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, And the Oscar Goes to… is a documentary about the history of the Academy Awards from its inception to the ceremony that it would become in its many years. Narrated by Anjelica Huston, the film features interviews from actors, filmmakers, and technicians who had won or were nominated for the Oscar as they talk about the good and the bad. The result is an insightful documentary from Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.

The film explores the history of the Academy Awards which was founded as a way to celebrate achievement in films while gathering the studios in the early 20th Century to celebrate and award actors, set designers, costume designers, editors, and such without the interference of the Union. Despite some issues during the Great Depression with the Union and the 1950s blacklist that would ban those who had been blacklisted at the time. Actors such as Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, Annette Bening, Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Cher, and Ellen Burstyn along with filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Jason Reitman, and Phil Alden Robinson talk about the importance of the Oscars but also the downside.

The downside reveals that despite winning the awards, there’s a room full of losers there that feel very disappointed as producer Kathleen Kennedy talked about the 11 nominations that The Color Purple had and ended up winning zero. Cher admits that it’s nice to be nominated, at first, until the ceremony where you end up feeling like a loser. Benicio del Toro reveals that while it’s fun to win, it’s not so good for the fact that there were other actors in the category that you won where there’s a feeling that they gave a better performance.

Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman also use a lot of archival footage dating from the first televised Academy Awards in the early 1950s when television arrived to the world. With the help of editors Brad Fuller, Brian Johnson, and Jake Pushinsky, the use of archival footage as well as backstage clips showcase the sense of pageantry and chaos that goes in the presentation as Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal play into how difficult it was to host the Oscars. Cinematographer Nancy Schreiber, production designer Michael Fitzgerald, and sound editor Wade Barnett do much of the work for the interviews that is displayed on the film. The film’s music by Jeff Beal is low-key in terms of its orchestral arrangements that plays into some of the somber and humorous moments of the film.

And the Oscar Goes to… is an excellent documentary from Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. While it’s not a perfect documentary where it did overlook some good moments and some bad ones. It does showcase the Oscars in all of its glory as well as why not everyone is so happy about it. Still, it does manage to showcase its importance and why people always watch the ceremony. In the end, And the Oscar Goes to… is a superb documentary from Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.

© thevoid99 2014

Deconstructing Harry

Originally Written and Directed at Epinions.com on 12/26/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen as Harry Block, the film is about a writer whose self-absorbed working lifestyle and attitude practically alienates everyone around him. Now dealing with writer's block, he's also dealing with the mess of his relationships while trying to make amends with an ex-girlfriend who is going to get married. Then when he's about to be honored by a school, who threw him out in his freshman year, for his writing, all hell breaks loose in his intentions as the stories he based on his life comes back to haunt him. With an ensemble cast that includes Allen regulars Julie Kavner, Judy Davis, Caroline Aaron, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, and Mariel Hemingway plus Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Kirstie Alley, Bob Balaban, Amy Irving, Eric Bogosian, Elisabeth Shue, Tobey McGuire, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Richard Benjamin, Eric Lloyd, Paul Giamatti, Jennifer Garner, and Hazelle Goodman. Deconstructing Harry is a fun but abrasive film from the often charming and funny Woody Allen.

Harry Block is writing various stories that was inspired by his own affair with a former in-law in Lucy (Judy Davis) about a man named Ken (Richard Benjamin) who has sex with his sister-in-law Leslie (Julia-Louis Dreyfus) at a barbeque. Harry tells the angry Lucy another story about a young named Harvey (Tobey McGuire) who pretends to be someone else where he meets the Grim Reaper. Yet it's among the many small stories Harry comes up with that includes a literally out-of-focused actor (Robin Williams) and one about a couple (Stanley Tucci and Demi Moore) that is based on his second marriage to psychiatrist Joan (Kirstie Alley). Still, he tells his current shrink (Robert Harper) about his writer's block as he learns he's to be honored by Adair University that kicked out him out during his freshman year.

Harry wants to take his son Hilly (Eric Lloyd) despite Joan's refusal while learns that his most recent girlfriend Fay (Elisabeth Shue) is getting married to his friend Larry (Billy Crystal). After calling for the services of a hooker named Cookie (Hazelle Goodman), he asks her to join him for the awards ceremony as he also takes his fearful friend Richard (Bob Balaban) and Hilly for a road trip to Adair University. During the trip, Harry's fictional life starts to emerge to him as he stops to visit his half-sister Doris (Caroline Aaron) and her husband/rabbi Burt (Eric Bogosian) where the visit doesn't go well due to a story inspired by Harry's contempt towards their late father (Gene Saks). Harry's fictional world and characters start to appear to him where he's forced to see some of the things he's done to people.

Arriving to Adair, Harry's fictional world and real-life starts to collide as he meets a literature professor (Philip Boso) as Harry tells a story about a meeting with the Devil that is in the form of Larry who forces Harry to face his sins.

Inspired by one of Allen's favorite filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and his 1957 film Wild Strawberries, Allen goes for a world where reality and fiction really do blur. Since Allen is known more for his writing, he reveals the troubles that a writer goes through whenever being dealt with writer's block and where fiction comes from. This results where many of the fictional characters in Harry's life are based purely from real people where those people know what characters they are. Their reaction is expected since everything that Harry does is upsetting and he degrades pretty much every female counterpart he's been with to create all of these characters. The film's ending sums up what the film is really all about. A man who couldn't adjust reality where to the point that he creates a fictional world where he ends up hurting the people around him.

Truly this is one of Woody Allen's most bizarre and edgy scripts but it's also one of darkest. There's a cynicism throughout the film while Allen also brings out some of the most abrasive and incendiary dialogue of his career. The use of graphic language isn't just shocking (to the world of Allen) but in his intent where you begin to wonder what inspired Allen to come up with this dialogue. Did he go out and stumble upon a few gangsta-rap albums or listen to Nine Inch Nails' Broken EP? Still, the dialogue brings out a comic edge to Allen where he goes out and plays his usual, neurotic character but this time around, Allen makes sure that Harry is a guy that is truly unlikeable despite his attempt to become sympathetic.

If Allen's script is sharp in its uncompromising behavior, his directing reveals that bitterness in a strange, bizarre style. The story about Mel, the out-of-focus actor shows that everything is clear except Mel, who looks like a total blur. There's moments where the entire film deconstructs itself into revealing Harry's psyche. The script helps visualize Allen's distorted view of fact and fiction into a directing style that is truly arty where jump-cuts are used and his visual style recalls those he's been influenced by. It's truly a dark comedy that despite its intent and protagonist, is really funny. Helping Allen in his visual is the late Italian cinematographer Carlo di Palma in his final film collaboration with Allen who brings a wonderful look of New York City and the upper stare country area that recalls Bergman. Longtime editor Susan E. Morse also plays up to Allen's deconstructed style where the jump-cuts shows Harry's stumbling, neurotic world of reality.

Also helping out in Allen's visual department is production designer Santo Loquansto who not only does great work into visualizing the world of New York but the scene where Harry is in Hell is truly amazing. Using nothing but red, orange, and whatever you can think of is truly a great idea of what Hell could be from Harry's viewpoint. With the use of swing music in the background, it's really a nightmare of a man's temptations for women and pills coming true. The film's soundtrack is also great for its use of jazz and swing that plays to the film's very upbeat tone in its presentation while helping the film move along very easily.

The film's cast is probably the biggest ensemble that Allen has put out. With small yet wonderful appearances from the likes of Robert Harper, Philip Bosco, Stephanie Roth, Mariel Hemingway, Amy Irving, Julie Kavner, The Sopranos' Tony Sirico as a cop, Irving Metzman as Harvey's shoe salesman boss, Howard Spiegel as Joan's patient, Paul Giamatti, and Jennifer Garner in her film debut as Harry's fictional version of Fay. Hy Anzell and Shifra Lerer are funny as Harry's fictionalized version of his parents while Gene Saks is funny as Harry's father. Eric Lloyd is excellent as Harry's son Hilly who often questions about Harry's view into the world while Robin Williams is even funnier as Mel, the blurred actor. Caroline Aaron is also good as Harry's sympathetic but religious sister who questions Harry's approval while Eric Bogosian is excellent as Harry's moralistic brother-in-law. The worst performance of the entire movie is Kirstie Alley as Joan where Alley overacts in a scene when she confronts Harry about the affair with her shrill voice and anger that doesn't work. Alley can be funny but as a dramatic actress, she is horrible.

Faring way better as Alley's fictional counterpart is Demi Moore who brings a calm and funny performance as Helen while Stanley Tucci is also good as Harry's fictional counterpart Paul in that segment. Judy Davis is wonderful as Harry's hysterical and troubling sister-in-law who wants to kill him after the break-up of their tryst and his awful ways. Richard Benjamin is funny as Ken with his affairs and a scene where he reveals Harry about Lucy's anger while Julia-Louis Dreyfus is good as Davis's fictional counterpart. Tobey McGuire is also funny and good has the young Harry, Harvey who is just an awful kid who cares nothing but wanting to sleep with the next girl he can come across from. Bob Balaban is wonderful as Richard who seems to be the only friend that Harry has as he does a great job in his fear of having another heart attack while giving Harry some moral insight near the end. Elisabeth Shue is lovely as the loyal Fay who loves Harry but is aware of his life as a writer while she displays the rare warmth of the rest of female characters.

Billy Crystal is excellent as Harry's friend Larry who also plays the part of the Devil in a hilarious scene about the two dealing with their own sins. Hazelle Goodman is the film's best supporting performance as the hooker Cookie who doesn't care for Harry's flaws while she does everything he can to get him to be relaxed. Woody Allen is the film's best performance obviously because he's in his own movie. Allen displays all of his usual, neurotic, insecure artistic world as a character that often works. Here, Allen displays himself in his most abrasive performance yet as a guy who is a schmuck. He doesn't think of the damage he does to people and all he cares about is his work, pills, and wanting to fuck the next piece of ass he sees. It's a great performance from Allen who plays one of his most unlikeable characters while making him a funny protagonist.

Deconstructing Harry is a strange yet entertaining comedy from Woody Allen that features an amazing ensemble cast. While it's one of Allen's better films of the 1990s as well as his most abrasive in terms of dialogue. It's also a great re-telling of Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries where Allen gets a chance to pay tribute to one of his heroes. While it's a film that might take some Allen fans aback due to its content, there is still proof that Allen is able to take risks as a writer and filmmaker. In the end, Deconstructing Harry is a marvelous yet wild film from Woody Allen.

Woody Allen Films: What’s Up, Tiger Lily - Take the Money & Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love & Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories-Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows & Fog - Husbands & Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don't Drink the Water - Bullets Over Broadway - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)

The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011

This is Spinal Tap

In Honor of National Metal Day

Directed by Rob Reiner and written and starring Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer, This is Spinal Tap is about a filmmaker making a documentary about a heavy metal band going on a U.S. tour as they deal with low record sales due to the lack of interest from the public. Meanwhile, tension starts to emerge as a former flame starts to interfere with the band’s interest causing lots of trouble. The film is a satire of the world of heavy metal as it is considered to be one of the greatest comedies ever made. Also starring June Chadwick and Tony Hendra plus appearances from Fran Drescher, Anjelica Huston, Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, Bruno Kirby, and Fred Willard. This is Spinal Tap is a witty yet sensational comedy that goes up to 11!

Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) is making a documentary one of his favorite bands in the British heavy metal group Spinal Tap led by guitarists/vocalist David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). The band, that also includes keyboardist Viv Savage (David Kaff) and drummer Mick Shrimpton (R.J. Parnell), is set to go on an American tour to promote their new album Smell the Glove as they’ve been through many incarnations and different musical genres before settling into the world of heavy metal. Hoping to regain some stature, DiBergi joins them on tour as he also interviews their manager Ian Faith (Tony Hendra) for this tour. Things start to go bad when record executive Bobbi Flekman (Fran Drescher) reveals that retailers won’t sell the new album due to its sexist cover.

Meanwhile, David’s girlfriend Jeanine (June Chadwick) arrives on the tour starts to get involved with band meetings as she starts to manipulate David while DiBergi realizes how problematic the band is Nigel is dim-witted while Derek is trying to get his input into the music. Still, low sales and concert audiences going down bring problems as the band tries to get attention for the tour. Even when the band tries to put a new, all-black cover to the new album, sales don’t help as Nigel suggest staging a performance of their song Stonehenge that becomes a disaster as Jeanine suggests that she should co-manage the band much to the chagrin of Ian who leaves. The new change in management doesn’t help following a bad gig as the band is unsure what to do until they receive some big news that might help their flagging career.

The film is a mockumentary about a band trying to revive their career as a filmmaker follows them on tour trying to see if they can revive their career. Throughout the film, lots of silly mayhem ensues as the band tries to do everything the can to win their audience such as coming out of pods while one of them is stuck inside. In reality, the film doesn’t just poke fun at the world of heavy metal and hard rock but also the rock star in how silly they are such as a scene where Nigel complains about the catering.

The script that Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer creates is a very loose one as it’s all about a band just trying to make it. Yet, a lot of the dialogue and humor is improvised to give the story a documentary-like feel as if they’re all making it up as they go along with it. Still, the script manages to go into deep about the excessive world of heavy metal from its stage presentation, the showmanship of performance, high-tech equipment, costumes, controversial album covers, pants-stuffing cucumbers, bad reviews, ever-changing drummers, and the music.

The songs that Spinal Tap bring out from the skiffle-based Gimme Some Money and the flower-power anthem Listen to the Flower People show the wide range of humor while metal-driven songs like Sex Farm, Hell Hole, and the very subtle yet bass-driven Big Bottom add a lot to the ridiculousness of hard rock/heavy metal. The songs that are written by the screenwriters are very creative as they all have something to offer as it’s very catchy while not being afraid to be funny for its hilarious lyrics.

Rob Reiner’s direction is wonderful for the fact that it plays like a documentary while always having the camera be engaged by what is going on. There is a verite style to what Reiner goes for as the film feels very loose but also vibrant through the grainy yet lively camera work of cinematographer Peter Smokler. While Reiner has the film focus mainly on Spinal Tap in their quest for a big comeback, he also allows the camera to focus on other people such as a limo driver (Bruno Kirby) who thinks that they’re nothing but a flash in the pan. Reiner always keeps the film going while always making sure that a gag is happening as a lot of the comedy is presented in a straightforward manner. Overall, this is truly a wonderful and downright funny feature-film debut from Rob Reiner.

Editors Kent Beyda and Kim Secrist do a great job with the editing in bringing some wonderful, rhythmic cuts to keep up with the film‘s loose presentation while maintaining a leisured pace for the film. Production designer Bryan Jones does an excellent job with the set pieces created such as the stage show and the record promotion scene where no one shows up for the signing. Sound editor John Brasher does a superb job with the sound to capture the energy of the concerts as well as the intimate moments during the band meetings and interviews.

The casting by Eve Brandstein is definitely the highlight of the film as it features a wonderful array of cameos that truly makes the film extremely memorable. Appearances from Fran Drescher as record executive Bobbi Flekman, Billy Crystal and Dana Carvey as mime waiters, Bruno Kirby as an old-school limo driver, Paul Shaffer as an incompetent promoter, Runaways bassist Vicki Tischler-Blue and as a group, Ed Begley Jr. as the original Spinal Tap drummer, Rough Cutt/Quiet Riot vocalist Paul Shortino as rival rock star Duke Fame, Howard Hesseman as Fame’s manager, Anjelica Huston as the woman who creates the Stonehenge monument for the band, Fred Willard as an Air Force Lt. Col who invites the band to play at the base, and Patrick McNee as a top record executive. Other small roles include David Kaff as band keyboardist Viv Savage and R.J. Parnell as the worrisome drummer Mick Shrimpton. June Chadwick is funny as the astrological-obsessed Jeanine who tries to put her ideas into the band while Tony Hendra is very funny as the take charge manager Ian Faith.

Rob Reiner is wonderful as Marty DiBergi who is the straight man of the entire film as he just plays a filmmaker trying to figure out everything that is going on. Harry Shearer is great as bassist Derek Smalls who is trying to get his input into the band while feeling underappreciated as he tries to pull out his piece Jazz Odyssey. Christopher Guest is funny as the dim-witted but ultra-talented Nigel Tufnel who likes to be a guitar wiz while showing his talents in classical piano with his piece Lick My Love Pump. Michael McKean is superb as David St. Hubbins who tries to maintain control while being distracted by his girlfriend.

This is Spinal Tap is truly one of the funniest films ever made courtesy of Rob Reiner along with cast members Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer. It’s a film that definitely keeps on bringing in the laughs while having a good time making fun of the world of heavy metal. Of the films Rob Reiner made in his early filmmaking career, this is definitely one of his best as well as one of the great debut films by any filmmaker. In the end, This is Spinal Tap is an outstanding comedy that definitely goes to 11.

Rob Reiner Films: (The Sure Thing) - (Stand by Me) - The Princess Bride - (When Harry Met Sally…) - (Misery) - (A Few Good Men) - North - (The American President) - (Ghosts of Mississippi) - (The Story of Us) - (Alex & Emma) - (Rumor Has It…) - (The Bucket List) - (Flipped) - (The Magic of Belle Isle)

© thevoid99 2011