Directed by James Gray and written by Gray and Ethan Gross, Ad Astra is the story of an astronaut who travels to space to find his long-lost father who is believed to be found but conducting dangerous experiments that would threaten the universe. The film is a space adventure drama that follows a man whose devotion to his work forces him to deal with his father’s absence as he embarks on a journey to find his father and figure what he’s doing. Starring Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland. Ad Astra is an astonishing yet riveting film from James Gray.
A series of power surges is threatening the universe as an astronaut is tasked to travel to space all the way to Neptune where the surge is coming from as it is believed that the astronaut’s father is conducting strange experiments on a space station near Neptune. That is the film’s premise as it more plays into this father-son relationship where the son is dealing with trying to live under the shadow of his father’s legacy despite being his own man yet bears some issues as it relates to his father abandoning him and his mother many years ago. The film’s screenplay by James Gray and Ethan Gross is told mainly through astronaut in Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) who is a man devoted to his work yet it would cost him his marriage to Eve (Liv Tyler). During a routine repair job at a large space antenna, a power surge emerges and does damage to the antenna with McBride being able to survive as he’s asked by military personnel to go to Neptune where it is believed his father Dr. H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) is alive having been presumed lost during a mission known as the Lima project.
The Lima project that was led by Dr. McBride was meant to see if there’s any form of intelligence life outside of the solar system but something happened and Dr. McBride and his crew hadn’t been heard since until these power surges have emerged prompting Roy to take the mission. Much of the first act involves Roy learning about his father while taking on numerous psychological evaluations to see if he’s capable of carrying on this classified mission where he’s joined by his father’s old friend in Colonel Pruitt (Donald Sutherland) to the moon where they would get a ride to Mars yet they would encounter some trouble involving space pirates with Roy going on the trip via another crew as things become more troubling due to the surge. Arriving on Mars where he meets facility director Helen Lantos (Ruth Negga) who reveals that she met Dr. McBride as a child as her parents were part of his crew and they never returned as well. Yet, Roy becomes more troubled by more psychological evaluations by people on Mars prompting him to sneak on board a rocket to confront his father by himself.
Gray’s direction is definitely ambitious not just in scope and scale but also in its themes of existence and of the universe itself. Set in the near future and shot on location in Santa Clarita, California and on studio soundstages, Gray maintains some intimacy for scenes on Earth that include flashbacks of McBride’s life with Eve but also the disconnect they have as it relates to McBride’s devotion to his work. Through the usage of close-ups and medium shots, Gray does play into the emotional disconnect that McBride carries yet the mission he has to embark on forces him to become emotional where it would take a psychological toll on him eventually once he goes into space. The scenes set in outer space are quite vast with the usage of wide shots that captures the scale of McBride’s journey towards Mars and then Neptune. Notably as the world that Gray creates from the colony on the moon that looks a bit like a mall in its interiors while the underground facility on Mars is far more mysterious including the scene of McBride trying to sneak onto the rocket to Neptune.
Gray’s direction also has this air of mystery during its second act as it relates to the psychological interviews that McBride is doing as well as his attempts to contact his father. It’s a moment in the film that showcases McBride’s own revelations into his mission and what some are not telling him as there are only a few he can really trust. The film’s third act has Gray delve more into elements of surrealism but also isolation into the journey as McBride is forced to deal with himself as the film does bear a lot of visual and thematic elements that relate to other films yet Gray goes for something more emotional. The meeting between McBride and his father is emotional as it does play into their own disconnect with other people but also the fallacies of their own exploration although Dr. McBride does manage to find things that would be important to the universe. In the end, Gray crafts an intoxicating yet haunting film about an astronaut traveling through space to find his long-lost father.
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema does incredible work with the film’s cinematographer as it is a massive highlight of the film with its usage of low-key filters for some of the interiors and colorful lighting including some scenes on Mars and in some of the spaceships as well as emphasizing on a natural look for some of the exteriors and interiors on Earth as the photography also include additional work from Caleb Deschanel. Editors John Axelrad and Lee Haugen do brilliant work with the editing as it help play into some of the dramatic suspense while being straightforward in some parts while creating some stylish montages in scenes that play into the flashbacks and what McBride is dealing with in his journey. Production designer Kevin Thompson, with set decorator Karen O’Hara and supervising art director Christa Munro, does amazing work with the look of some of the spaceship interiors as well as some of the exteriors of the places and facilities on the moon and on Mars. Costume designer Albert Wolsky does terrific work with the costumes from the military uniforms some of the characters wear on Earth to the spacesuits that astronauts wear.
Hair/makeup designer Nana Fischer does nice work with the look of Dr. McBride when he’s unveiled for the film’s climax along with the beard that McBride grows during his journey. Visual effects supervisor Allen Maris does fantastic work with the visual effects as it play into elements of realism but also in the way some of the scenes in space are presented along with some chilling scenes inside a space station involving baboons. Sound designers Douglas Murray and Gary Rydstrom do superb work with the sound as it play into the sounds of spaceships heard from the insides as well as the sounds of rockets and other gadgets including the low-key sound of the power surges. The film’s music by Max Richter is phenomenal for its ambient-based score that has elements of orchestral bombast and serene synthesizers while music supervisors George Drakoulias and Randall Poster provide additional music from Lorne Balfe and Steffen Thum that add to the serene yet mysterious tone of the film.
The casting by Douglas Aibel is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Sean Blakemore as McBride’s head escort at the moon, Donnie Kershawarz as a ship leader for McBride’s trip to Mars, Loren Dean as the Mars’ ship second-in-command, Kimberly Elise and Bobby Nish as a couple of astronauts for the Mars ship, LisaGay Hamilton and John Finn as a couple of military officials briefing McBride about the situation, Natasha Lyonne as a customs officer on Mars, and John Ortiz as General Rivas who briefs McBride about his father and the Lima project. Liv Tyler is terrific in her small role as McBride’s ex-wife Eve as someone who feels pushed away from her husband while she would get contact from him about his mission as she deals with his emotional troubles. Donald Sutherland is superb as Colonel Pruitt as an old friend of Dr. McBride who accompanies McBride to the moon as he admits to having issues with his father while wanting to help McBride reach his destination.
Ruth Negga is excellent as Helen Lantos as facility director at a base on Mars who reveals some things to McBride about his father as well as what happened to her parents as she would help McBride to board the ship to Neptune knowing that there are many who are trying to stop him from being involved. Tommy Lee Jones is incredible as Dr. H. Clifford McBride as a revered astronaut who led the Lima project that was meant to be something big only for things to go wrong where Jones brings a mysterious quality to his character as someone who is believed to have gone insane. Finally, there’s Brad Pitt in a sensational performance as Major Roy McBride as an astronaut who is tasked to find his long-lost father as he deals with the severity of the mission as it’s a performance where Pitt is restrained for much of the film as he doesn’t do anything to emote until later on as he plays into the flaws of his character as it is one of Pitt’s finest performances.
Ad Astra is a tremendous film from James Gray that feature great performances from Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones. Along with its ensemble cast, stunning visuals, immense production design, evocative music score, and themes of exploration and isolation. It’s a film that play into a man’s journey to find his long-lost father while coping with his own faults and the sins of his father that he would have to carry. In the end, Ad Astra is a spectacular film from James Gray.
James Gray Films: Little Odessa - The Yards - We Own the Night - Two Lovers - The Immigrant (2013 film) - The Lost City of Z - The Auteurs #67: James Gray
© thevoid99 2019
For Dad
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is the story of an aging TV actor and his stunt double trying to make a name for themselves in Hollywood during the final years of Hollywood’s golden age before the emergence of New Hollywood. The film is a fictional look into the world of 1960s American cinema at a time when it was transitioning from big-budget spectacles in favor of more personal filmmaking as well as a look at what some saw as the end of a period of innocence following the murders committed the Charles Manson family. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Dakota Fanning, Austin Butler, Bruce Dern, and Al Pacino. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a rapturous and evocative film from Quentin Tarantino.
It’s 1969 as the film follows the parallel journeys of an aging TV actor known for TV westerns and his next door neighbor in rising film star Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). It play into two actors who live next door yet haven’t met each other due to the trajectories of their careers yet the TV actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is coping with a career that is fading as he’s bringing along his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) who has now become Dalton’s driver/assistant due to his own reputation that prevented him from doing stunt work. Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay doesn’t just the explore of these paralleling career trajectories but also this emergence of something much darker that is happening in the background as it relates to the Charles Manson family as some say marked the end of a period of innocence for the 1960s and Hollywood before the emergence of the much-more personal filmmaking world of New Hollywood.
Tarantino’s script has a unique structure where its first two acts takes place during a weekend in Hollywood as the first act relates to Dalton’s career woes and the lack of options he has in his career as he’s also succumb to alcoholism with Booth helping him out anyway he can. The script would also show flashbacks into how Booth received notoriety not just for what he did in his personal life but also how he would lose his job due to a friendly tussle with Bruce Lee (Mike Moh). The first act also has Dalton meet with producer/agent Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino) who knows that Dalton still has some juice left but is also aware of the limited options he has as he would offer him work in Italy for some Spaghetti Westerns which Dalton is unsure about as he’s doing work on TV guest appearances for money.
The second act is about Dalton doing a TV show as he struggles to remember his lines while Booth does some repairs at Dalton’s home where he would later encounter a young hippie in Pussycat (Margaret Qualley) who had been flirting with him from afar as he gives her a ride home only to realize where she lives as it’s also the home of a man whom Booth and Dalton worked at a TV show the latter starred in George Spahn (Bruce Dern). The first and second act also showcase the life that Tate was having as she is someone on the rise and married to filmmaker Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) as she would go to parties with Polanski and her longtime friend Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch) and on the next day would watch herself in one of her films in The Wrecking Crew with an audience as they praise her while she would earlier receive a copy of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. The film’s third act takes place six months after the events of the first two act on August of 1969 where Tate, Sebring, and others would be killed by the Manson family. Yet, it’s more about the direction that Dalton has taken with his career as well as this end of an era for himself and Booth with this sense of change in Hollywood.
Tarantino’s direction definitely bears a lot of visual styles that play into this world of 1969 Los Angeles/Hollywood where it is shot on location in the city as it also serves as a character of the film itself. While there are some wide shots of the city including in some locations and this atmosphere of what it was like back in 1969 in this transition from the 1960s to the 1970s. Tarantino also maintains an intimacy but also this romanticism of a craftsmanship of what it was like working in Hollywood on studio lots and sound stages during those times. Notably in TV westerns that Dalton starred in as he would work on a western while reveal what goes on behind the scenes as it does showcase the struggles of an actor and what some will do to pass the time such as Booth’s tussle with Bruce Lee. Tarantino’s usage of high crane shots to get a look into the locations including the city itself as well as tracking shots for parts of the film showcase a filmmaker definitely taking everything he’s done and refining it to showcase a world that was rich and exciting.
Tarantino’s usage of close-ups and medium shots are important as it play into conversations between characters including one key moment where Dalton is on set shooting for a TV pilot where he converses with a young actress named Trudi Fraser (Julia Butters) who takes her work seriously yet understands what it means to be an actor even though she’s only 8 years old. It’s a small little scene in the film that does play into Dalton’s own insecurities and the realization that he’s on his way out but this young girl would give him a sense of hope into who he is and why he still matters despite the changing times. The film does feature some off-screen narration by a stunt coordinator in Randy (Kurt Russell) who only appears in one sequence of the film but his narration does play into the narrative as it relate to the different paths that Dalton and Tate would embark on. Even in the film’s third act as it relates to the infamous night of the Tate-LaBianca murders on August as there is this sense of something that is coming to an end. Yet, Tarantino builds up the drama and suspense slowly to play into the climax but with an added sense of mania and terror in the most unexpected way. Overall, Tarantino crafts a riveting and exhilarating film about a fading TV actor and his stunt double trying to survive the final days of Hollywood’s Golden Age just as a young starlet is on the rise against the backdrop of the Charles Manson family.
Cinematographer Robert Richardson does incredible work with the film’s cinematography from the way the interiors of a western set is lit in the daytime as well as the usage of low-key lights for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night as it’s a highlight of the film. Editor Fred Raskin does amazing work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, freeze-frames, and other stylish cuts to play into some of the film’s humor and drama as well as these abrupt cuts for some of the flashback sequences. Production designer Barbara Ling, with set decorator Nancy Haigh and supervising art director Richard L. Johnson, does brilliant work with the film’s set design including the home that Dalton lives in as well as the trailer that Booth lives in with his pitbull Brandy and some of the sets that Dalton works at as an actor.
Costume designer Arianne Phillips does excellent work with the costumes from the stylish clothes that Tate wore including the go-go boots and some of the clothes of the men including the leather jacket that Dalton wears. Prosthetic makeup artist Stephen Bettles does fantastic work with the makeup in the look that Dalton would sport for the TV appearance he would be in as well as the look he would have later on in its third act. Special effects supervisor Jeremy Hays and visual effects designer John Dykstra do terrific work with the special effects with Hays providing some effects in some of the weapons Dalton uses on set including a flamethrower for a World War II film he made while Dykstra creates some visual effects that include a shot of Dalton doing a scene in The Great Escape as well as the look of TV shows during that time.
Sound editor Wylie Stateman does superb work with the sound in creating an atmosphere into some of the settings including the party at the Playboy Mansion as well as in some of the locations including the sparse texture of Booth’s encounter with the hippies at an old ranch. Music supervisor Mary Ramos does wonderful work with the film’s music soundtrack as it features an array of music ranging from a score piece by Maurice Jarre to the music of the times from the likes of Deep Purple, Neil Diamond, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Jose Feliciano, Vanilla Fudge, Los Bravos, Dee Clark, Chad & Jeremy, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Seger, the Box Tops, Mitch Ryder, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and the Buchanan Brothers.
The casting by Victoria Thomas is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen, Dreama Walker as Connie Stevens, Rebecca Rittenhouse as Michelle Phillips, Rachel Redleaf as Cass Elliot, Damon Herriman as Charles Manson, Rumer Willis as Tate’s friend Joanna Pettet, Samantha Robinson and Costa Ronin in their respective roles as Tate’s friends Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski, Rafal Zawierucha as Tate’s husband in filmmaker Roman Polanski, Ramon Franco as a movie theater manager, Clu Gulager as a book store owner, Nicholas Hammond as American actor/director Sam Wanamaker, Kate Berlant as a movie ticket booth attendant, and Spencer Garrett as TV personality Allen Kincaid. In the roles as hippies and members of the Manson family include Sydney Sweeney as Snake, Harley Quinn Smith as Froggie, Kansas Bowling as Sandra Good, Danielle Harris, James Landry Herbert as Steve Grogan, Victoria Pedretti as Leslie Van Houten, Lena Dunham as Catherine Share, and as the trio of women who would take part in the murders in Madisen Beaty as Patricia Krenwinkel, Mikey Madisen as Susan “Sadie” Atkins, and Maya Hawke as a reluctant Linda Kasabian.
Other film appearances and cameos include Michael Madsen as a sheriff on Dalton’s hit TV show Bounty Law, Martin Kove and James Remar as villains in Bounty Law, Marco Rodriguez as a bartender in the show Dalton is appearing as a guest in Lancer, Scoot McNairy as a gunslinger in Lancer, Clifton Collins Jr. as a cowboy in Lancer, Rebecca Gayheart as Booth’s wife in a flashback scene, Lorenza Izzo as an Italian actress Dalton meets in the third act, Zoe Bell as Randy’s stunt coordinator wife Janet, Mike Moh as the kung fu legend Bruce Lee, and Luke Perry in a terrific appearance in one of his final performances as the famed Canadian actor Wayne Maunder who also makes an appearance on the show Lancer. Bruce Dern is superb in his brief role as ranch owner George Spahn whom Booth knew a long time ago and wanted to say hi with Dern playing someone unaware of whom he’s renting his land to while Dakota Fanning is fantastic as Manson family follower Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme who sort of runs the land for Manson.
Austin Butler is terrific in his role as Manson family follower Charles “Tex” Watson who is considered Manson’s enforcer as he leads the killings on that dark August night. Julia Butters is excellent as Trudi Fraser as a child actress that Dalton meets on the set of Lancer as she is a young method actor who is committed to her craft while giving Dalton some confidence. Emile Hirsch is brilliant as Jay Sebring as Tate’s former fiancée who has become a revered hairstylist as well as a close friend of Tate and Polanski as someone who is enjoying the ride of Tate’s rising fame while Margaret Qualley is amazing as Pussycat as a young hippie who flirts and befriends Dalton while would introduce him to the people from the Manson family. Timothy Olyphant is marvelous in his small role as TV star James Stacy who is the lead in the show Lancer as he wants to help Dalton by giving him a guest spot on the show as a way to pay him back. Kurt Russell is great as the stunt coordinator/off-screen narrator Randy as a guy who is aware of Booth’s reputation but is also someone that isn’t afraid to call out on other people’s bullshit. Al Pacino is remarkable as Marvin Schwarz as an agent/producer who wants to help Dalton out but also remind him of the small prospects he has left as he knows what might help and save his career for a while even if Dalton wouldn’t like it.
Margot Robbie is incredible as Sharon Tate as this actress on the rise who is a woman of innocence as she is enjoying her life and growing fame but is also someone that is also kind and gracious to others where Robbie just exudes all of those qualities that Tate was known for. Finally, there’s the duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth. Pitt’s performance as Booth is full of charisma but also someone who definitely is more of a real cowboy than the characters that Dalton play as he is also someone who doesn’t live lavishly but is more grounded as well as be supportive for Dalton anyway he can while carrying his pitbull Brandy who gets to steal parts of the film herself. DiCaprio’s performance as Dalton is someone filled with charm and good looks, that was typical of actors from the late 50s/early 60s, yet is dealing with alcoholism and a fading career as he struggles to figure out what to do next as it’s truly one of DiCaprio’s great performances while his scenes with Pitt are just magical to watch.
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a magnificent film from Quentin Tarantino. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a compelling and insightful script, throwbacks to the late 1960s, exploration of Hollywood innocence and its Golden Age, and a rocking music soundtrack. The film is definitely an entertaining as well as a beautiful portrait of a moment in time when Hollywood was more than just a city for the stars but a place where dreams can come true. In the end, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is an outstanding film from Quentin Tarantino.
Quentin Tarantino Films: Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fiction - Four Rooms-The Man from Hollywood - Jackie Brown - Kill Bill - Grindhouse-Death Proof - Inglourious Basterds - Django Unchained - The Hateful Eight
Related: The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino - Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the novel by Michael Lewis, The Big Short is about the financial crisis in 2007 and 2008 and how a small number of individuals knew it was coming and tried to salvage what they would be lost. Directed by Adam McKay and screenplay by McKay and Charles Randolph, the film is an unconventional take on the crisis with its mixture of humor, drama, and moments that break down the fourth wall. Starring Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Marisa Tomei, Rafe Spall, Finn Wittrock, Hamish Linklater, Jeremy Strong, Melissa Leo, and Brad Pitt. The Big Short is a gripping and chilling film from Adam McKay.
Set in the mid-2000s just a few years before the world economy would collapse in such a massive way, the film follows the lives of a few different men who would make a discovery that would lead to its collapse. Told through three different narratives, the film follow the events of these men who wouldn’t just discover loans and bonds that would cause the housing market to become unstable but also do whatever they can to survive and profit from this upcoming financial collapse. The film’s screenplay by Adam McKay and Charles Randolph weaves through these multiple narratives as the storyline of the different individuals who would be part of this catastrophic event would all effect one’s narrative and such. Even as there’s moments where a character from one storyline is in the same place with other characters from that storyline but none of them really meet each other.
The character Dr. Michael Burry (Christian Bale) is this oddball hedge fund manager who is socially-inept as he would start the whole story going when he would look into numbers involving high-risk subprime loans as he decides to make a bet against market-based mortgage-based securities by using a credit default swap. Dr. Burry’s plans had bankers laughing thinking he would fail as his actions wouldn’t just get the unwanted attention of his mentor Lawrence Fields (Tracy Letts) but also the attention of a low-level salesman for Deutsche Banks in Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) who is the film’s narrator. He would learn about what Dr. Burry is planning where he joins forces with Front Point hedge fund manager Mark Baum (Steve Carell) after one of Baum’s employees called Vennett by accident as the two analyze what Dr. Burry has found. From a prospectus that Vennett created, two young investors in Charlie Geller (John Magaro) and Jamie Shipley (Finn Wittrock) would find that prospectus as they would take part in the plan to buy credit default swaps with the advice of a former securities trader in Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt).
The film’s narrative would cross-cut through all three different storylines as well as explore all of the traits of these characters as Vennett is a man that is vain and interested in getting the money from the fallout that is to come while Baum is a man just trying to make sense of the world he’s working for as he’s also dealing with his brother’s suicide. The duo of Geller and Shipley are just two guys that wanted to be rich as they get the help of Rickert as they would make a move that would be big but there comes a moral price over what had happened as it would be a discovery that would make Baum not just uneasy but also realizing the large scale of what is to come. Each act opens with a quote as it play into these men making a discovery and see what would happen and then realize the massive scale of the risk as almost everyone in the financial world is against them. Yet, it’s a risk that is would showcase not just the sense of arrogance and indifference of these people in finance but also those who would be seriously affected by this crash.
McKay’s direction is definitely quite engaging for the way it explores the world of finance in all of its complexities and finding a way to make it accessible for anyone who has no clue about bonds, stocks, securities, or anything in the world of finance. Shot largely in New Orleans with some of it shot on other locations such as New York City and Las Vegas. McKay would create something that is grand in some scenes but maintain some intimacy in his usage of close-ups and medium shots as it relates to the drama. Especially in the usage of hand-held camera for these scenes while giving each storyline a different tone as the Dr. Burry storyline is often set in an office building while the stories involving Venette/Baum and the trio of Geller, Shipley, and Rickert also have different presentations though there is that one scene where the two groups are in the same sequence through an intricate tracking shot.
Since the idea of finances and all of the things that go on are considered very complex to anyone that has no idea about these things. McKay would use a few celebrities like actress Margot Robbie, singer/actress Selena Gomez, famed chef Anthony Bourdain, and the economist Richard Thaler to provide some comical expositions to reveal what is a mortgage-based security, a subprime loan, a collateralized debt obligation, and a synthetic CDO. McKay would also showcase images and footage of what was the culture of the world was like in the mid-2000s as people are unaware of what is happening as its third act is quite dark. Notably in the sense of immorality that is happening in the financial world and the people who really lose it all which makes characters like Baum and Rickert uneasy. Especially as it once again play into this air of cynicism and what often happens in the financial world on who is saved and who is left in the dust. Overall, McKay creates a haunting yet evocative film about a group of individuals who would make a discovery that would shake up the financial world in the late 2000s.
Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the usage of natural and low-key lights for the scenes at Dr. Burry’s office as well as the lighter look of the scenes at Baum’s office as well as some of the stylish yet low-key lights for some of the scenes in Las Vegas. Editor Hank Corwin does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, freeze-frames and other stylish cuts to help find ways to create smooth transitions for the different storylines as well as using montages to play into the growing sense of time. Production designer Clayton Hartley, with set decorator Linda Lee Sutton and art director Elliott Glick, does fantastic work with the look of the different offices as well as the garage office that Geller and Shipley work at and the home of Rickert. Costume designer Susan Matheson does nice work with the costumes as it’s mostly casual with the suits that the men wear as well as shorts and t-shirt look of Dr. Burry.
Visual effects supervisor Paul Linden does terrific work with some of the film’s visual effects which is essentially set-dressing to play into the period of the mid-2000s. Sound editor Becky Sullivan does superb work with the sound as it play into the world of parties and meetings where it can be raucous but also quiet. The film’s music by Nicholas Britell is wonderful for its low-key electronic score that play into the drama while the soundtrack features an array of music from rock, hip-hop, and pop music.
The casting by Kathy Driscoll and Francine Maisler is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Rudy Eisenzopf as the mortgage-backed security creator Lewis Ranieri, Max Greenfield and Billy Magnussen as two young mortgage brokers who con people into getting bad loans, Byron Mann as a CDO manager Baum talks to in Vegas about synthetic CDOs, Karen Gillian as the ex-girlfriend of Shipley’s brother who meets Shipley in Vegas who dismisses him as she had just quit the SEC, Adepero Oduye as Baum’s colleague Kathy Tao, Tracy Letts as Dr. Burry’s mentor Lawrence Fields who is aghast over what Dr. Burry did, Melissa Leo as a Standard & Poor’s employee who make some revelations to Baum about some of the dark aspects of the financial industry, and Marisa Tomei in a terrific small role as Baum’s wife Cynthia who is trying to help him with his own revelations as well as the loss of his brother.
John Magaro and Finn Wittrock are superb in their respective roles as Charlie Geller and Jamie Shipley as two young investors who discover Vennett’s prospectus as they try to take advantage of their discovery in the hopes they would get a chance to be part of the elite in finance. The trio of Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, and Hamish Linklater in their respective roles as Baum’s three employees in the optimist Danny Moses, the rash and impulsive Vinny Daniel, and the reserved Porter Collins as three men who help Baum in figuring out numbers as well as discovering how much would be lost. Brad Pitt is excellent as Ben Rickert as a retired securities trader who helps Geller and Shipley with their discovery as it’s a very low-key yet humorous role as a man who reluctantly returns to the world of finance but what he discovers would make him uneasy.
Christian Bale is brilliant as Dr. Michael Burry as a hedge fund manager who would discover the instability of mortgage loans as this oddball that loves to listen to heavy metal as a man who is great with numbers but awkward when it comes to people as he tries to profit everything and ensure the trust of his investors. Ryan Gosling is amazing as Jared Vennette as a low-level salesman for a powerful bank who would discover Dr. Burry’s report and take advantage of his discovery while teaming with Baum to make some money as Gosling’s performance is funny in display his air of arrogance. Finally, there’s Steve Carell in a marvelous performance as Mark Baum as a hedge fund manager for a financial company who would team up with Vennette in betting against the market as he would make a startling discovery of what is going to happen that consumes him with guilt as Carell has this air of energy and anger in his performance that is coupled with humility and sadness.
The Big Short is a spectacular film from Adam McKay. Featuring an inventive script, an incredible ensemble cast, and witty views of financing with stylish moments of exposition that prove to be helpful. It’s a film that explores a moment in time where the world’s finance industry was hit by their own stupidity and those who saw it coming and tried to warn them. In the end, The Big Short is a phenomenal film from Adam McKay.
Adam McKay Films: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - Step Brothers - The Other Guys - Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - (Backseat) - The Auteurs #63: Adam McKay
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker, Se7en is the story of a soon-to-be-retired detective who teams up with a young detective to investigate a series of mysterious killings based on the seven deadly sins. The film is a suspense-thriller that explores the seven deadly sins as two men try to catch its killer. Starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, and Kevin Spacey. Se7en is an eerie and haunting film from David Fincher.
The film follows two detectives taking part in a week-long case involving a series of mysterious murders based on the seven deadly sins as it becomes more deadly and complex. That is the simple premise of the film as it explores not just the idea of sin but what two different detectives are dealing with as one is about to retire while the other has just arrived from another city. Andrew Kevin Walker’s screenplay has this amazing structure as it is told in the span of a week where Detective Lieutenant William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) spends his last days devoted to this case with the help of his new yet short-tempered partner Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) who has transferred himself from another city with his wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow). In the course of the week, the two delve into mysterious murders as it gets more intricate with each sin that follows where it also becomes more gruesome.
One of the aspects of the script that is engaging is the partnership between Somerset and Mills as it starts off with two men in very different places as the former is uncertain in working with someone that is young and kind of cynical while the latter isn’t sure about working with some old man who probably hasn’t done a lot of action and knows too much. Still, their relationship does gradually develop as Somerset gets to know Mills and meet Tracy where she would bring a warm side to Somerset as she would tell him a secret that her husband doesn’t know yet. During the search of the killer, the two detectives try to figure out what is going on as it leads to that last day where both men are on the same page but there is still that surprise that would lead to the basis of the mystery and the man who committed them.
David Fincher’s direction is definitely dark as it makes no bones that this isn’t some conventional thriller as much of the film takes place during rainy days. While much of the film is shot in Los Angeles with the exception of its climax that is shot near Lancaster, California, the film is set into something that looks and feels like any other American city where it’s kind of seedy and chaotic as these murders only just make things worse. Fincher’s usage of hand-held cameras for some of the chases and action-based scenes are quite engaging yet it is his approach to how he build up the suspense and sense of danger that is entrancing from the usage of the wide and medium shots to capture the crime scenes to the extreme close-ups of every attention to detail of the bodies and such in the crime scenes.
Fincher would also use some intricate tracking shots with the hand-held cameras and steadicam to capture some of the action such as a sequence in a massage parlor where some of the most gruesome acts of murder have occurred. By the time the film reaches its third act as its killer is unveiled, something interesting happens as it relates to the killer and the theme of the seven deadly sins. The climax is interesting as it is all about control as well as what some will do as Fincher presents it with a lot of style from the usage of helicopter-based shots to what is happening in the ground. Even as it lead to moments that are very shocking with some moral implications as it says a lot about the dark aspects of humanity. Overall, Fincher creates a intoxicating yet unsettling film about two detectives taking on a murder case based on the seven deadly sins.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of low-key lights and moods to play into the film‘s eerie tone for many of the interiors and exteriors along with the sunny but chilling climax as it include some additional work from Harris Savides who also shoots the film‘s opening title sequence. Editor Richard Francis-Bruce does excellent work with the editing with some jump-cuts for some of the high-octane action moments along with some unique rhythms to play into the suspense. Production designer Arthur Max, with set decorator Clay A. Griffith and art director Gary Wissner, does fantastic work with the look of the apartment homes that the detectives live in as well as the police precinct offices and the mysterious apartment of the killer. Costume designer Michael Kaplan does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly casual from the clothes the detectives wear as well as the mysterious look of the killer.
Makeup supervisor Jean Ann Black, along with special effects makeup artist Rob Bottin and supervising hair stylist/makeup artist Michael White, does amazing work with the look of the victims in the decayed state they‘re in as it play into the macabre tone of the film. Visual effects supervisor Greg Kimble does terrific work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects as it involves bits of set dressing as well as in the film‘s opening title sequence. Sound designer Ren Klyce and sound editor Patrick Dodd do superb work with the film‘s sound as it has a lot of layers into the way some of the moments of action sound such as a chase scene as well as in the way police sirens and sparse moments are presented. The film’s music by Howard Shore is great as its orchestral-based score is filled with bombastic string arrangements to play into the suspense and drama as well as moments that are low-key through its somber pieces. The film’s music soundtrack is a mixture of music from Johann Sebastian Bach, Thelonious Monk, Haircut 100, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Marvin Gaye, Gloria Lynne, the Statler Brothers, Gravity Kills, Nine Inch Nails, and David Bowie.
The casting by Kerry Barden, Billy Hopkins, and Suzanne Smith is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Michael Massee as a massage parlor manager, Leland Orser as a traumatized man at the massage parlor, Reg E. Cathey as the coroner, Mark Boone Junior as a greasy FBI agent friend of Somerset, Hawthorne James as a friend of Somerset who watches over the police library, Richard Schiff as John Doe’s attorney, Julie Araskog as the wife of one of the victims, and John C. McGinley in a terrific small role as a SWAT team leader. Richard Roundtree is superb as District Attorney Martin Talbot as a no-nonsense man who is trying to make sure the case doesn’t get out of control for the public. R. Lee Ermey is excellent as the police captain who is an old friend of Somerset as he tries to ensure things go well while making sure Somerset and Mills do their jobs. Gwyneth Paltrow is fantastic as Tracy as Mills’ wife who is trying to adjust to her new home as well as confide in Somerset of a secret and asking for his advice as she is the one person that humanizes both Mills and Somerset.
Kevin Spacey is incredible in his mysterious role as John Doe as a man who isn’t seen much in the film until the third act where he has this odd presence about him that is intriguing to watch as it is one of Spacey’s defining performances. Brad Pitt is amazing as Detective David Mills as this young detective who is new to town as he’s not keen on having Somerset as his partner as he is kind of cocky as well as be a prick yet Pitt makes him so engaging as well as have him be grounded once he realizes the seriousness of the case. Finally, there’s Morgan Freeman in a brilliant performance as Detective Lt. William Somerset as a man that has seen a lot as he’s about to retire until the complexity of the murder case as he tries to find many things while becoming frustrated with its brutality as he and Pitt have a great rapport as two men who are opposites yet find common ground in the way things have become.
Se7en is a phenomenal film from David Fincher that features sensational performances from Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and Kevin Spacey. Along with a superb supporting cast, gorgeous yet eerie visuals, and a haunting music score and soundtrack. It’s a film that isn’t just a smart and intricate suspense-thriller but one that is filled with many layers that explore the dark aspects of humanity. In the end, Se7en is an astounding film from David Fincher.
David Fincher Films: Alien 3 - The Game - Fight Club - Panic Room - Zodiac - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Social Network - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film) - Gone Girl
Related: 15 Essential Videos by David Fincher - The Auteurs #61: David Fincher
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the non-fiction novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra, Sleepers is the story of four young boys from the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City whose lives were changed when they were sent to a brutal juvenile hall as they endured sexual abuse by guards only to get revenge on them many years later as adults. Written for the screen and directed by Barry Levinson, the film is an exploration of men who deal with the abuse that had changed them as two of them go on trial for the murder of one with two of the men trying to find ways to mess the trial up as one of them is a prosecutor trying against them. Starring Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver, Billy Crudup, Ron Eldard, Brad Renfro, Joe Perrino, Jonathan Tucker, Geoffrey Wigdor, Bruno Kirby, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert de Niro. Sleepers is a chilling yet evocative film from Barry Levinson.
Told in the span of nearly 20 years, the film revolves around four boys living in the Hell Kitchen’s section of New York City where an act of theft just to eat hot dogs led to an accident that nearly killed a man. In response to what happened, the boys are sent to the Wilkinson Home for Boys where they would be abused physically and sexually by guards as the experience would haunt them as adults where two of them would finally get revenge on one of the guards as they’re tried for murder by one of the men who would mastermind everything to make sure he loses and his friends go free. It’s a film that is part of a revenge film but it’s also about abuse and what drove these men into trying to free themselves from this horrific experience. All of which is told by one of the men who is a journalist as he reflects on his childhood as well as what he wants to do where he even gets a local priest involved in the trial.
Barry Levinson’s script has a unique structure as much of the first half is set in the mid-to-late 1960s as it revolves around these four boys who were just regular kids that go to church, do small yet non-violent jobs for a local Mafia kingpin, and play stickball. Due to a prank where everything went wrong and be sent to this juvenile hall, their lives change thanks in part to this guard named Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon) who would abuse them in the worst way with three other guards. The abuse becomes intense to the point that they couldn’t even tell their parents nor their priest in Father Bobby Carillo (Robert de Niro). The film’s second half takes place fourteen years later where the boys become adults as Tommy Marcano (Billy Crudup) and John Reilly (Ron Eldard) have become career criminals and discover Nokes eating a restaurant where they confront and later kill him. With the aid of assistant district attorney Michael Sullivan (Brad Pitt) being their prosecutor who wants to lose the case against them with help from the washed-up alcoholic attorney Danny Snyder (Dustin Hoffman) to represent Marcano and Reilly.
Yet, Sullivan and Lorenzo “Shakes” Carcatetta (Jason Patric) are aware that it’s not enough to help Marcano and Reilly be found not guilty as they would also mastermind revenge on the three other guards with the aid of the local Mafia boss King Benny (Vittorio Gassman) as well as longtime childhood friend Carol (Minnie Driver) as the latter would later learn about the abuse Carcatetta, Marcano, Reilly, and Sullivan endured as Father Bobby would also learn what happened. Yet, the film’s third act is about what Father Bobby is being asked to do by Carcatetta to help Marcano and Reilly as it does become not just a moral issue but also in seeing if Father Bobby could help these men he knew as boys.
Levinson’s direction does have an air of style in the way he presents 1960s Hell’s Kitchen as a place where things were innocent despite some of the dark aspects that surrounds the boys such as Carcatetta seeing his mother be beaten by his father or some of the things that King Benny does to keep his neighborhood clean. It’s as if Levinson recreates 1960s New York City as a time where things were enjoyable and had a bit of danger to it that still made it fun with the usage of the wide and medium shots. By the time the film moves upstate at the juvenile hall, it becomes a much tighter and more unsettling film as Levinson’s direction really maintains that haunting atmosphere. The scenes of abuse are never shown as Levinson is more concerned about what will happen before and its aftermath which just adds that sense of terror.
Once the film reaches its second half, it is set in a more modern world but one that is very dark in terms of its imagery but also in the impact of the violence. Notably the scene where Marcano and Reilly see Nokes and confront him as it is quite eerie as well as being very violent. Levinson’s direction would become stylish in the way Carcatetta and Sullivan would set things up as it includes a meeting between King Benny and another crime lord in Little Caesar (Wendell Pierce) as it relates to the latter whose brother was in the same juvenile hall the four boys were in. It’s a small scene but one that showcases an air of respect in the world of crime but also in the fact that some debts just can’t be paid with money as King Benny would learn the truth about what happened to boys he had cared about despite what he does for a living. The trial scenes are just as intense emotionally as well as in the climax as it involves Father Bobby’s testimony as it is one of the most chilling moments in the film. Overall, Levinson creates a mesmerizing film about four men getting revenge on those that had abused them at a juvenile hall.
Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the sunny and lively look of the film‘s first act in Hell‘s Kitchen to the eerie look at the juvenile hall that includes some de-colored film stock for a football sequence between the kids and the guards. Editor Stu Linder does nice work with the editing as it has bits of style in a few montages while also being straightforward in its drama and some light-hearted moments. Production designer Kristi Zea, with set decorator Beth A. Rubino and art director Tim Galvin, does fantastic work with the look of the juvenile hall as well as some of the places in Hell‘s Kitchen and the restaurant where Marcano and Reilly see Nokes.
Costume designer Gloria Gresham does terrific work with clothes from the look of the kids in the 1960s to the clothes the characters would wear as adults in the 1980s. Sound designer Richard Beggs and sound editor Tim Holland do superb work with the sound in capturing the vibrant energy of Hell‘s Kitchen to the tense and scary world of the juvenile hall. The film’s music by John Williams is amazing for its low-key yet heavy orchestral score that plays into the drama with its string arrangements as it carries a lot of weight into the story while the soundtrack features an array of music of the 60s like Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the Beach Boys, Donovan, Spencer Davis Group, Love, Dusty Springfield, and Doris Day to music from the Gap Band, Soft Cell, and Everything is Everything.
The casting by Louis DiGiaimo is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from James Pickens Jr. as an African-American guard who doesn’t take shit from Nokes and protects the boys on their first day, Frank Medrano as a Hell’s Kitchen hood in Fat Mancho, Monica Potillo as the young Carol, Aida Turturro as a woman who witnessed Marcano and Reilly at the restaurant, Eugene Byrd as a tough African-American kid named Rizzo the boys befriend at the juvenile hall, Dash Mihok as a juvie who gets into a fight with Sullivan at the juvenile hall, Angela Rago as Shakes’ mother, and John Slattery as a kind English teacher at the juvenile hall. Other noteworthy small roles include Bruno Kirby as Shakes’ father who is strict but fair towards him and Wendell Pierce as the crime lord Little Caesar who is also Rizzo’s older brother as he learns the truth about what happened to him. In the roles of the three guards who abused the boys with Nokes in Jeffrey Donovan as the aspiring politician Henry Addison, Lennie Loftin as the corrupt Adam Styler, and Terry Kinney as Ralph Ferguson are superb in their roles as three men who are quite scary.
In the roles of the younger version of the boys, Joe Perrino as the young Shakes, Brad Renfro as the young Sullivan, Jonathan Tucker as the young Marcano, and Geoffrey Wigdor as the young Reilly are all amazing as they display an innocence to guys who live in the streets of Hell’s Kitchen as they’re unprepared for what they deal with as well as the abuse they’re too ashamed to unveil to their parents and Father Bobby. Vittorio Gassman is excellent as King Benny as a former bodyguard for Lucky Luciano turned local Mob king who learns about what happened to the boys as he does whatever to help them without leaning towards the world of crime. Minnie Driver is fantastic as Carol as a childhood friend who helps Shakes in trying to help Marcano and Reilly while learning about the truth about what happened to them as kids which made her very uneasy. Ron Eldard and Billy Crudup are brilliant in their respective roles as John Reilly and Tommy Marcano as two men who are haunted by their experience as they turn to crime where they finally get some vengeance upon seeing Nokes at a restaurant.
Dustin Hoffman is great as Danny Snyder as this alcoholic lawyer that is given a chance to defend Reilly and Marcano though he is largely unaware of the role he is playing other than getting a chance to become someone again. Robert de Niro is remarkable as Father Bobby Carillo as a priest who has been the one person the boys can turn to as he learns about what happens where he is put into a situation that goes against everything he’s been doing as a priest. Kevin Bacon is phenomenal as Sean Nokes as this abusive and sadistic prison guard who likes to beat up the kids as well as do things to them in his own perverse way of making them tough. Brad Pitt is marvelous as Michael Sullivan as an assistant district attorney who is masterminding the case as an act revenge as he tries whatever he can to lose convincingly while dealing with his own issues as it relates to the abuse he suffered as a kid. Finally, there’s Jason Patric in a tremendous performance as Lorenzo “Shakes” Carcaterra as a journalist who helps Sullivan in trying to get revenge but also is forced to tell Father Bobby and Carol the truth as he also reflects on his past that still haunts him.
Sleepers is an outstanding film from Barry Levinson. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a multi-layered storyline, and eerie yet compelling stories about sexual and child abuse as well as vengeance. It’s a film that is stylish but also manages to do a lot without being heavy-handed nor go too far into material that is quite intense. In the end, Sleepers is a magnificent film from Barry Levinson.
Barry Levinson Films: (Diner) - (The Natural) - (Young Sherlock Holmes) - (Tin Men) - (Good Morning Vietnam) - (Rain Man) - (Avalon (1990 film)) - (Bugsy) - (Toys) - (Jimmy Hollywood) - (Disclosure) - (Wag the Dog) - (Sphere) - (Liberty Height) - (An Everlasting Piece) - (Bandits (2001 film)) - (Envy) - (Man of the Year) - (What Just Happened) - (You Don’t Know Jack) - (The Bay) - (The Humbling) - (Rock the Kasbah) - (The Wizard of Lies)
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club is the story of a troubled white-collar corporate worker who meets a mysterious man where the two form a fight club as an outlet for their rage. Directed by David Fincher and screenplay by Jim Uhls, the film is a study of a man becoming discontent with his world as he turns to violence as a way to act out only for things to get more complicated. Starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Jared Leto, and Meat Loaf Aday. Fight Club is a gripping and intense film from David Fincher.
The film is an exploration of a man whose life as a white-collar corporate worker has made him unhappy until he meets a mysterious man where they form a secret fight club where the two and several other men engaging in fights under a bar. There, they live this life in secrecy where it would eventually morph into something bigger that would make the film’s unnamed protagonist (Edward Norton) uneasy. It’s a film that isn’t just about this growing discontent with a world that has become corporate but also filled with ads and the need to consume products where this man who is also its narrator. It’s also about a man’s reaction where he would get the help of this mysterious man named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) who is this very odd yet intelligent figure that represents this idea of anarchy and nihilism that the narrator needs in a world that has stifled him.
Jim Uhls’ screenplay has this unique approach to not just the narration in how the narrator doesn’t just react to his situation but also deal with the fact that he lives in this ultra-consumerist world which is nearly soul-crushing and also unsatisfying. The first act is about the narrator’s life and how he got himself into these group meetings with people suffering cancer and all sorts of disease where he would also see this woman named Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) doing the same as the two reluctantly make a deal. Singer would be this character that would pop up in the narrator’s life as she would later be integral to the film’s second act as she sleeps around with Durden and then wonder what these two guys are doing. The second act isn’t just about the formation of fight club but also its evolution into something that becomes this haven for men who are disgusted with this ultra-corporate and ultra-consumerist world where they fight as well as antagonize the status quo.
There is also a lot of ambiguity that occurs as it relates to the narrator’s friendship with Durden where it does start off as two men dissatisfied with the ways of the world but Durden is the one who is doing something. It’s that sense of action that intrigues the narrator who needs something as he had lost his home in a fire and starts to act out against his own boss (Zach Grenier). The film’s third act isn’t just about the fight club’s evolution but also in Durden’s view of the world as it evolved into something bigger in an act against the world of capitalism. The result would lead to a lot of things but a view that has made the narrator uneasy as well as deal with these men who had become this community that are all about chaos.
David Fincher’s direction is quite stylish but also very daring for the fact that he’s making a Hollywood studio picture that is about anarchy and anti-corporatism, anti-capitalism, and anti-consumerism. The film opens with Durden putting a gun into the narrator’s mouth as much of the film is told in a reflective narrative of sorts where it plays into the narrator coping with his life and what it had become. Shot on location in Los Angeles, the film plays into this world that is very modern as well as very consumerist where it is overwhelming in how ads and products are being shown to create something that is scary. Fincher’s usage of wide and medium shots help play into the world while he would also create some unique camera angles and movements to play into some of the chaotic elements including the fights.
The fights do have this air of brutality but also a beauty that is presented underneath its ugliness and graphic violence. There are also scenes that are quite surreal as it relates to some sex scenes involving the narrator and Marla where the former isn’t sure if he really had sex with her. One key moment during the second act is where the narrator sees the many jobs that Durden does including being a film projector where there is a moment where the fourth wall is broken. There’s also these little moments early in the film that serves as a sense of foreshadow where there’s a strange object that emerges on a frame as it plays into the narrator’s growing disdain towards his environment. The film’s third act is quite intense but also displays a lot into aspects of surrealism into the world that the narrator is in and what Durden is about to do forcing the two to have a showdown. Overall, Fincher creates a rapturous yet haunting film about a man’s disdain with the world of consumerism and capitalism that forces him to team with another man and form a fight club.
Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth does amazing work with the film‘s very stylized yet somewhat de-colored cinematography the intentionally bland look of the narrator‘s life in his semi-posh condo and the office he works at to the more grimy look for many of the interior/exterior scenes at night as well as the home that he shares with Durden. Editor James Haygood does fantastic work with the editing in not just creating some unique rhythmic cuts and stylish usages of jump-cuts and slow-motion cuts but also in the way these mysterious objects would pop up early in the film. Production designer Alex McDowell, with set decorator Jay Hart and art director Chris Gorack, does brilliant work with the look of the condo that the narrator lived in to the dilapidated and decayed home that Durden lives in as well as the basement in the bar where many of the fights at the fight club happens. Costume designer Michael Kaplan does nice work with the costumes from the bland look of the narrator early in the film to the stylish clothes that Durden and Marla wear to play into their anti-conformist attitude
Special makeup effects supervisor Rob Bottin does excellent work with some of the makeup from the design of the big breasts that one of the narrator‘s friends in Bob sports to look of some of the people that are beaten up at fight club. Visual effects supervisors Kevin Tod Haug and Kevin Mack do superb work with some of the visual effects in not just some of the set dressing but also in some eerie scenes at relates to how soap is made and other surreal moments in the film. Sound designer Ren Klyce and sound editor Richard Hymns do incredible work with the sound in the way some objects sound as well as the atmosphere in the fight club. The film’s music by John King and Mike Simpson, aka the Dust Brothers, is phenomenal for its mixture of drone-heavy electronic music with some industrial and ambient textures to play into the drama and violence while the soundtrack features music from Tom Waits, Marlene Dietrich, and the Pixies.
The casting by Laray Mayfield is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Zach Grenier as the narrator’s boss, Rachel Singer as a cancer-stricken women at a group meeting, Peter Iacangelo as the bar owner who is from the mob that isn’t keen on having the fight club in his basement, Thom Gossom Jr. as a detective who investigates the arson of the narrator’s apartment, Pat McNamara as the police commissioner, Joon Kim as a convenience store cashier Durden threatens to kill, and Jared Leto in a small yet terrific performance as a fight club member whom Durden takes a liking to late in the film. Meat Loaf Aday is excellent as Bob as a man with massive man-breasts who deals with the loss of his testicles as the narrator befriends him during a meeting as he would also become part of the fight club.
Helena Bonham Carter is fantastic as Marla Singer as a troubled woman who attends to a lot of group meetings for strange reasons as well as be someone who is also an addict as she befriends Durden while somewhat antagonize the narrator. Brad Pitt is remarkable as Tyler Durden as this mysterious soap maker who is the embodiment of complete and absolute anarchy where is he also quite intelligent about the ways of the world and how consumerism has ruined the world as Pitt just owns the part with his charm and the ability to be cool. Finally, there’s Edward Norton in a tremendous performance as this unnamed narrator as this white-collar corporate worker for an automobile corporation who suffers from insomnia and depression who finds himself taking part in a world where he gets into fights and stands up for himself only to deal with the severity of what he and Durden created as it’s a very grounded and visceral performance from Norton.
Fight Club is a magnificent film from David Fincher that features incredible performances from Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter. Featuring an inventive script, dazzling visuals, and an eerie score, the film is truly a dark yet intense film that explores anarchy and nihilism at its most profane. It is also a film that manages to critique this world of corporate and consumerist culture that has take hold of humanity in the worst ways. In the end, Fight Club is an outstanding film from David Fincher.
David Fincher Films: Alien 3 - Se7en - The Game - Panic Room - Zodiac - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Social Network - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film) - Gone Girl
Related: 15 Essential Videos by David Fincher - The Auteurs #61: David Fincher
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga from a story by Inarittu and Arriaga, Babel is a hyperlink story set in three different parts of the world as a couple trying to save their marriage in Morocco while their children are being taken to Mexico by their maid so she can attend her son’s wedding as a third story revolves around a young deaf woman in Japan. An exploration into cultural differences, isolation, and death in what is the third part of Inarritu’s trilogy of death, the film is a multi-layered tale with different strands of narrative as these characters are all connected by circumstances in their environment. Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal, Adriana Barraza, Emilio Echevarria, Clifton Collins Jr., Elle Fanning, Nathan Gamble, and Rinko Kikuchi. Babel is a tremendously harrowing yet evocative film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
Set in three different places in the part of the world as it relates to the concept of the Tower of Babel where everyone started to speak in different languages where no one could understand each other. The film is about a trio of different stories set in three different places around the world. All of which are connected in a crisscross narrative style as an American couple are in Morocco trying to save their marriage where a major event shakes the couple that involved a couple of young boys are trying to kill jackals where they unknowingly cause something. In Mexico, the American couple’s children are back in San Diego as their maid is eager to go to her son’s wedding only to not find anyone prompting her to take the children to Mexico with her nephew as the trip back would be a treacherous one. The third and final story explored a young deaf woman in Japan who is dealing with the loss of her mother as well as growing awareness of her sexuality.
The film’s screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga definitely takes the concept of the Tower of Babel where it explores the idea of misunderstanding and miscommunication in a post 9/11 world where everyone is almost walking on eggshells. The story about the American couple in Richard and Susan Jones (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, respectively) showcase a couple still dealing with the death of their infant son as they’re on a trip to Morocco with tourists as another story emerges about a couple of young boys in Ahmed (Said Tarchani) and Yussef (Boubker Ait El Chaid) who had just gotten a rifle that their father got for a trade where things went wrong. The story would get dramatic as the collision of this story in Morocco would have involve diplomacy issues where the boys get into trouble. It’s a story that plays into a sense of grief but also in a world where tension between Americans and North Africa is very fragile all because of a simple accident.
The second story set in Mexico that concerns the Jones children and their maid Amelia (Adriana Barazzo) as the script would have the children receive a call from their father just as he is dealing with something that is happening in Morocco as two versions of this conversation are presented but in different moments in the narrative. Amelia’s decision to take Debbie (Elle Fanning) and Mike (Nathan Gamble) to Mexico is a foolish one but it’s much more complicated as it involves her nephew Santiago who would get into trouble on their way back from Mexico. It is in that moment where it plays into the sense of mistrust and misunderstanding as Amelia isn’t a legal resident which adds to the stakes of the drama. The third story in Japan doesn’t seem like it would connect anything with the other two though both stories do appear in the background but it does play into the themes that Arriaga is exploring. It involves Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) as she is troubled by her mother’s passing as well as the lack of attention she gets from her father which has her wanting to explore sexually. Even as two detectives come in asking for her father which plays into the events of the two stories.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s direction is definitely intense in terms of not just the situations that occur but also in the drastic stakes that play into much of the film’s drama. The usage of non-linear and crisscross narrative definitely gives a certain edge to Inarritu’s approach to the filmmaking as he aims for a varied degree of different cinematic styles for each location. Some of which involve hand-held cameras for scenes set in Morocco and Mexico while going for something more straightforward in scenes set in Japan. Yet, Inarritu manages to make each story have a different feel in its varied filmmaking style as he would maintain intimate moments between various characters through some close-ups and medium shots. Even as it plays to some of the realism and dramatic stakes of the film.
The direction also play into the ideas of young people coming-of-age sexually such as Yussef who is curious about a girl who lives in one of his homes as well as Chieko who would reveal her exposed crotch to schoolboys as she isn’t wearing underwear. It plays into a sense of growth for these two people who emerge into adulthood yet face real problems that prove to be just as challenging since they’re still children in some respects. Especially as the dramatic stakes become more intense such as Amelia trying to get Debbie and Mike back to the U.S. through the desert as well as Richard and Susan coping with their own encounter with death as things get intense as well as gripping from a visual sense. Particularly in the third act where all of these different stories do come together to see how all of these people are connected in ways that are unexpected. Overall, Inarritu creates a very somber yet exhilarating film about human disconnection and miscommunication in a world that is often very complicated.
Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does brilliant work with the film‘s very stylized cinematography with its usage of dark shades to surround some of the images as well as its approach to grainy stock footage as there‘s a mixture of beauty and ugliness in the camera work as it‘s one of the film‘s highlights. Editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrone do amazing work with the editing to create some unique transitions to move from one story to another with elements of jump-cuts and other offbeat rhythmic cuts to play into the action and drama. Production designer Brigitte Broch does excellent work with the set pieces from the houses in San Diego and Mexico to the posh apartment that Chieko lives with her father in Tokyo.
Costume designers Gabriela Diaque, Miwako Kobayashi, and Michael Wilkinson do terrific work with the costumes from the red dress that Amelia wears to the wedding as well as the schoolgirl uniform and stylish clothes that Chieko would wear. Sound designer Martin Hernandez does fantastic work with the sound to convey the layers of sounds in the film‘s different locations including a club scene in Tokyo in how sound is heard and not heard plus some textures that really play into the drama of the film. The film’s music by Gustavo Santaolalla is incredible for its very haunting music that is a mixture of chilling ambient pieces with some stark and plaintive folk-based cuts to play into the drama while music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein brings in a diverse soundtrack filled with traditional Mexican/hip-hop music, J-pop, and Middle Eastern music.
The casting by Gigi Akoka and Francine Maisler is great for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Clifton Collins Jr. and Michael Pena as a couple of border patrol officers that Amelia would encounter in different scenes, Abdelkader Bara as a man who owned the rifle as he traded it to Abdullah, Mustapha Rachidi as Yussef and Ahmed’s father Abdullah, Peter Wight as a British tourist, Damian Garcia as Amelia’s son Lucio, Cynthia Montano as Lucio’s bride Patricia, Koji Yakusho as Chieko’s father, Yuko Murata as Chieko’s fellow deaf friend, Shigemitsu Ogi as a dentist Chieko tries to seduce, Nobushige Suematsu as a classmate of Chieko, Kazunori Tozawa as a detective who arrives at Chieko’s apartment, and Satoshi Nikaido as the younger detective whom Chieko tries to connect with. Other noteworthy small roles include Emilio Echevarria in a terrific role as an old flame of Amelia as well as Mohammed Akhzam as the Moroccan tour guide Anwar whom Richard would befriend.
Elle Fanning and Nathan Gamble are excellent in their respective roles ad Debbie and Mike as two kids who find themselves in danger as it relates to a decision Amelia made. Gael Garcia Bernal is fantastic as Amelia’s nephew Santiago who would drive Amelia and the kids to Mexico and back only an act of poor judgment would cause some trouble. Said Tarchani and Boubker Ait El Chaid are superb in their respective roles as Ahmed and Yussef as two boys whose game of target practice would have serious consequences as they try to figure out what to do. Adriana Barazza is brilliant as Amelia as a Mexican maid/nanny for Debbie and Mike who is trying to watch the children as she reluctantly takes them to Mexico so she can attend her son’s wedding as she endures horrific circumstances when she tries to get the children back home.
Rinko Kikuchi is amazing as Chieko as a young deaf woman still grieving over the loss of her mother as she tries to act out sexually and emotionally in the hope to connect with someone. Finally, there’s Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt in remarkable performances in their respective roles as Susan and Richard Jones where Blanchett brings a reserved approach to her performance as a woman grieving over loss and the state of her marriage while Pitt plays a man trying to find ways to save his marriage while dealing with cultural differences due to the situation he is facing.
Babel is a phenomenal film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Armed with an incredible cast as well as a intricate and captivating screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga. The film is definitely a very powerful film that showcases the world as a whole and how many in different parts of the world deal with similar situations into isolation, death, and miscommunication. In the end, Babel is a tremendously visceral and thrilling film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Films: Amores Perros - The Hire-Powder Keg - 11'9'01-September 11-Mexico - 21 Grams - To Each His Own Cinema-Anna - Biutiful - Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - The Revenant - The Auteurs #45: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
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