2020 Blind Spot Series: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Based on the novel by Horace McCoy, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? is the story of a people trying to win a dance marathon during the Great Depression with a power-hungry emcee urging them to continue. Directed by Sydney Pollock and screenplay by Robert E. Thompson and James Poe, the film is a study of people who are desperate to win this dance marathon in the hope of winning $1,500 during a troubled time where people are clinging to hope. Starring Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Bruce Dern, Bonnie Bedelia, Red Buttons, and Gig Young. They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? is a harrowing and evocative film from Sydney Pollock.

The film revolves around a dance marathon during the Great Depression where a group of people attend the marathon in the hopes of winning $1,500 and a better life as they also hope to win the audience. Yet, it’s a marathon that goes on for days and days where it becomes a troubling image of exploitation where people try to stay away and move just to win money. The film’s screenplay by Robert E. Thompson and James Poe has this narrative that features what could be flashbacks or something as it relates to the character Robert Syverton (Michael Sarrazin) who walks into the La Monica Ballroom on the Santa Monica Pier accidentally where this marathon is to begin. Syverton is chosen to partner up with the cynical Gloria Beatty (Jane Fonda) whose original partner is unable to participate due to bronchitis. Other participants including an elderly sailor named Harry Kline (Red Buttons) who is joined by his partner Shirl (Allyn Ann McLerie), the aspiring actress from London in Alice (Susannah York) with her partner in another struggling actor in Joel (Robert Fields), and a farming couple in James (Bruce Dern) and his pregnant wife Ruby (Bonnie Bedelia).

The first act is about the marathon and everything that happens as it is overseen by its emcee Rocky Gravo (Gig Young) who is hoping to make money out of this marathon as the dancers would get sponsorship to keep on dancing hoping they would win. Yet, Gravo has something sinister in making people attend everything and to see who drops out and who stays on that would also include breaks but also the terrifying race around the dancefloor for a period of time where the last three couples are eliminated. It adds to the drama with Beatty wondering why some of these people are there including the pregnant Ruby as she would often question herself. Syverton, who is a reluctant participant, observes everything that is happening as he would also have flashbacks on his childhood while getting some unwanted attention from Alice.

Sydney Pollock’s direction does bear a lot of style as it is shot largely in a soundstage with a few of the exteriors shot at the Santa Monica Pier as much of the film is set in this ballroom. Pollock’s usage of wide and medium shots to get a scope of the entire ballroom is immense yet it is his usage in the latter and close-ups that add to the drama that occur. Notably as much of the action occur is in the ballroom with a few breaks in these rooms where the contestants rest for a where some of the drama occur with Beatty looking around the other women with an air of disdain. Pollock maintains something straightforward in those scenes while including a few strange recurring images of fields as it relates to Syverton as he is seen being interrogated. The behind-the-scenes moments involving Gravo showcase a man who is doing whatever he can to make money and to make the show more interesting so that the people attending this marathon can watch people suffer.

The two scenes involving the race around the dancefloor is definitely the most intense where Pollock doesn’t show the craziness of this moment but also this growing idea of inhumanity as these people are trying to walk around an entire lap and make sure they’re not eliminated. The ones who drop on the floor showcase the horror of these races while the moment they’re dancing and could barely move also add to this inhumanity. Most notably in the third act where Beatty and Syverton briefly break-up and be with other partners as it adds to the growing chaos where they both learn that there’s a lot more at stake. Even as Gravo continues to stir the pot and hope that there’s a winner yet it adds to this growing cynicism that Beatty has as well as revelations for Syverton about the world in general. Overall, Pollock crafts a riveting yet chilling film about a group of people trying to win a dance marathon during the Great Depression.

Cinematographer Philip H. Lathrop does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of sepia-like color for a few stylish shots in the flashbacks as well as gorgeous approach to lighting for many of the interiors including low-key natural light for the scenes where the contestants rest. Editor Fredric Steinkamp does amazing work with the editing where it knows when to be straightforward in the dramatic moments while the racing scenes has this air of chaos in its fast cuts as well as bits of slow-motion for dramatic effect. Production designer Harry Horner and set decorator Frank R. McKelvy do excellent work with the look of the dancehall and its many interiors as well as the way the floor is re-painted for the racing scenes. Costume designer Donfeld does fantastic work with the costumes as it play into the period of the times as it includes the gorgeous gown that Alice wears that later goes into ruins to the sweats some of the people wear during the racing scene.

Makeup artist Frank McCoy, along with hair stylists Sydney Guilaroff and Ina Claire, does terrific work with the look of the characters as they sweat and become sleep-deprived while Guilaroff does the look of Beatty and Claire doing the look of Alice. The sound work of Tom Overton is superb for the atmosphere it maintains in the way the crowd sounds as well as how music is presented from afar as well as the sounds of the sea heard from the outside of the building. The film’s music is a wonderful mixture of standards of those times as it adds to the atmosphere while being a major highlight of the film.

The casting by Lyn Stalmaster, James Martell, and Jack Roberts is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Art Metrano as a dancer who collapses during the first race, Madge Kennedy as an old lady who sponsors Beatty and Syverton, Allyn Ann McLerie as Harry’s partner Shirl, Robert Fields as Alice’s partner in aspiring actor Joel, Al Lewis as Gravo’s right-hand man Turkey, and Michael Conrad as one of the event’s organizers in Rollo. Bruce Dern and Bonnie Bedelia are fantastic in their respective roles as the traveling couple James and Ruby Bates who have done dance marathons before but they’re facing a bigger challenge with the latter being pregnant as the former tries to be supportive but also defensive towards Beatty’s cynical remarks. Red Buttons is excellent as the sailor Harry Kline as an old war veteran eager to win some money as he befriends some of the dancers while dealing with the intense challenges of staying up as well as the race itself.

Susannah York is brilliant as Alice LeBlanc as an actress from London eager to get some attention from talent scouts to appear at the marathon only to deal with stolen items, envy, and other issues as she starts to become fragile. Gig Young is amazing as Rocky Gravo as the organizer and emcee of the marathon who does whatever he can to sell tickets and make money while also playing a devious game of torturing people in the hope he can make some money as it’s a charming yet devilish performance. Michael Sarrazin is incredible as Robert Syverton as a man who accidentally walks into the ballroom where he reluctantly becomes Beatty’s partner as he deals with the chaos around him while in some strange images recounts some things in his life as it’s an understated performance from Sarrazin. Finally, there’s Jane Fonda in a phenomenal performances as Gloria Beatty as a woman eager to win by any means necessary while dealing with the physical, emotional, and mental torment of her desire to win hoping it’s one last chance at doing something where Fonda brings that biting cynicism to play a woman that has lost a lot of hope and is clinging to that last semblance of hope as it is one of Fonda’s quintessential performances.

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? is a tremendous film from Sydney Pollock that features a great performance from Jane Fonda. Along with its supporting cast, eerie setting, study of human nature and exploitation, and gorgeous visuals. The film is definitely an engaging period drama set during the Great Depression that explore what people are willing to do win money during a dark time in history as well as the lows they have to endure with some trying to milk it for all of its worth. In the end, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? is a spectacular film from Sydney Pollock.

Sydney Pollock Films: (The Slender Thread) – (This Property is Condemned) – (The Scalphunters) – (Castle Keep) – (Jeremiah Johnson) – (The Way We Were) – (The Yakuza) – (Three Days of the Condor) – (Bobby Deerfield) – (The Electric Horseman) – (Absence of Malice) – Tootsie - (Out of Africa) – (Havana) – (The Firm) – (Sabrina (1995 film)) – (Random Hearts) – (The Interpreter) – (Sketches of Frank Gehry) – (Amazing Grace (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2020

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

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

The Driver

Written and directed by Walter Hill, The Driver is the story of a driver whose job is to steal cars as getaway vehicles for robbers as he is being hunted down by a detective. Inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s film Le Samourai, the film is an exploration of a man who has a simple job as he deals with being hunted as well as maintain a low profile as the titular character is played by Ryan O’Neal. Also Starring Bruce Dern, Isabelle Adjani, and Ronee Blakley. The Driver is an intoxicating and thrilling film from Walter Hill.

The film revolves an unnamed driver who works as a getaway driver as he deals with a detective obsessed with catching him. It’s a film that is a simple cat-and-mouse game of sorts but with a study into discipline and one-upmanship as the driver and detective (Bruce Dern) try to outwit one another. Walter Hill’s screenplay doesn’t rely very much on plot schematics but rather two men in this game as the detective has an idea in trying to catch the driver by getting a robber to be part of a heist in exchange for serving less time in prison. Yet, due to those who have their own ideas in what they want to do. Things go wrong where the driver is aware that he’s being set-up as it once again plays into the game of wits between the driver and detective as the latter does have a few allies on his side but it adds a lot of ambiguity into whether they’re in it for themselves or helping either person in this game. Some of Hill’s dialogue is stylized as it bears elements of film noir but Hill would favor action instead of dialogue to drive the story.

Hill’s direction is definitely stylish not just for its intricate and thrilling car chases but also in the scenes where it is about what would happen next before the next job and the planning of these jobs. Shot entirely on location in Los Angeles, the film does play like a world that is very modern yet the driver is someone that plays by his own rules and with a keen sense of discipline. Notably in the opening sequence in the way he waits for a robbery to commence but things don’t go right because the robbers arrived late and they’re being chased by the police yet the driver is able to succeed in the getaway. Hill’s approach to compositions in the close-ups and medium shots says a lot in creating that air of suspense and drama. Hill’s usage of wide shots do help play into the chases as it relates to the look of Los Angeles in the way they look for scenes set at night as it feels like a world that is very modern.

The car chases definitely says a lot in the way Hill films them with the usage of cameras being locked into the cars to provide that sense of thrill and realism in how fast things are and the impact of the way they would hit certain objects or cars. When they’re seen from afar, there is still that sense of power in the way cars try to chase each other and how the driver has to get rid of them without wanting to kill someone. Still, Hill would maintain a sense of noir in the people that the driver meets including a young gambler (Isabelle Adjani) who would help him in one final game of wits against the detective. Even as the driver has to deal with the men he was reluctant to work with as he knows that they’re driven by money where it is about what is right and important in the need to survive. Overall, Hill crafts an exhilarating and riveting film about a getaway driver trying to evade the hands of an obsessed detective trying to catch him.

Cinematographer Philip H. Lathrop does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography in the way many of the nighttime exteriors in Los Angeles are shown with its usage of blue-green lights as well as some low-key lights for scenes set in the hotels and bars at night. Editors Tina Hirsch and Robert K. Lambert do amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the chases while being straightforward for the dramatic and low-key moments of suspense in the film. Production designer Harry Horner, with set decorator Darrell Silvera and art director David M. Haber, does excellent work with the look of the posh hotel room the gambler lives at to the more quaint homes and rooms that the driver lives in.

Costume designers Jack Bear, Robert Cornwall, and Jennifer L. Parsons do fantastic work with the costumes with the look of the gambler and the clothes that she wears to the more casual look of the driver. The sound work of Donald C. Rogers and production sound mixer Richard Wagner is superb for the way the sound of tires sound when they break very hard for turns as well as the sounds of gunfire and all sorts of moment that add so much to its suspense and action. The film’s music by Michael Small is terrific for its low-key score that has bits of orchestration but also some jazz pieces with some country and disco music that is being played in the background.

The casting by Jane Feinberg and Mike Fenton is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Nick Dmitri and Bob Minor as the two robbers in the film’s opening sequence, Denny Macko as an exchange man the gambler knows, Matt Clark and Felice Orlandi as a couple of detectives aiding the detective, Joseph Walsh as a man caught by the detective who is given a deal to bait the driver, Rudy Ramos as a fellow criminal who tries to confront the driver only to push things the wrong way, and Ronee Blakely as the driver’s friend who provides all of the connections. Isabelle Adjani is amazing as the gambler as a young woman who would be at the opening robbery as a witness as she doesn’t give away the driver’s identity as she is this quiet companion of sorts for him.

Bruce Dern is brilliant as the detective as this man that is eager to catch the driver by any means but also has a bit of respect for the man knowing that he is willing to make things harder as it’s a role of wit and bravado for Dern. Finally, there’s Ryan O’Neal in an excellent performance as the titular character who doesn’t say very much as he maintains a sense of professionalism in what he does while being someone that is always suspicious on those he is working with and with the detective who is catching him as it is one of his more underrated performances.

The Driver is an incredible film from Walter Hill that features top-notch performances from Ryan O’Neal, Bruce Dern, and Isabelle Adjani. It’s a film that isn’t just an intriguing cat-and-mouse film of sorts with elements of film noir. It’s also a unique study of what two men would do to outwit each other while maintaining a code of honor in their battle. In the end, The Driver is a phenomenal film from Walter Hill.

Related: Le Samourai - Drive

Walter Hill Films: (Hard Times (1975 film)) - (The Warriors) - (The Long Riders) - (Southern Comfort) - (48 Hrs.) - (Streets of Fire) - (Brewster’s Millions (1985 film)) - (Crossroads (1986 film)) - (Extreme Prejudice) - (Red Heat) - (Johnny Handsome) - (Another 48 Hrs.) - (Trespass) - (Geronimo: An American Legend) - (Wild Bill) - (Last Man Standing) - (Supernova) - (Undisputed) - (Broken Trail) - (Bullet to the Head)

© thevoid99 2016

The Hateful Eight

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight is the story of eight different people who seek refuge at a stagecoach stopover in a mountain pass as they deal with a chilling blizzard. Set years after the American Civil War, the film is a western that plays into a group of people who find themselves in a shelter where it’s a mixture of people who are forced to deal with each other despite their differences. Starring Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Channing Tatum, Zoe Bell, and James Parks. The Hateful Eight is a tremendously grand and rapturous film from Quentin Tarantino.

The film revolves a group of different people who are trekking towards a small town in the middle of Wyoming as they deal with a blizzard where they stop and meet an assortment of characters at a stagecoach stopover where there’s a lot of tension looming between eight different people. It’s a film that plays into a group of people who doesn’t just deal with a blizzard that is deadly but also what is at stake as a woman named Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is being driven to a town where she is to be hanged for many murders as the bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) is accompanying her to make sure that she will die by hanging and collect a $10,000 bounty. Along the way, they encounter two different men who join them on the stagecoach and then meet more at the stopover where something sinister starts to happen.

Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay is set in a very traditional three-act narrative with six chapters as each one doesn’t just play and introduce key characters into the story. It’s also in what is at stake as it relates to Daisy whose bounty is huge as the men she and Ruth encounter either have their own motives in what to do with her or are there for their own reasons that has nothing to do with her. Among them is another bounty hunter in a former cavalry officer in Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) who is also going to this town of Red Rocks, Wyoming to collect a separate bounty of his own while a young Southerner named Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins) is also going to the town to become its new sheriff. All of that happens in its first act where these four characters meet and ride on this stagecoach where Mannix, Ruth, and Warren all have some background and history where Mannix is the son of a marauders leader who refused to accept the defeat of the South.

By the film’s second act where they stop at this stopover, they meet another group of diverse characters including a Mexican named Bob (Demian Bichir), a British hangman named Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), a quiet cowboy named Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and a former Confederate leader in General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern). Along with the stagecoach driver O.B. Jackson (James Parks), these people find themselves inside the house where paranoia and mistrust ensues which includes some tension involving Smithers and Warren where the film’s first half ends with a chilling story from the latter about the former’s son. It is told with such style and detail as it has this mix of dark humor and gruesome imagery. By the film’s second half, the drama and suspense becomes more prominent as it’s not just what is happening inside the house but also the fact that there’s a sense that there’s some people that is going to die. It’s not just who is in this house that is scary but also the fact that there is this blizzard out there. No one is safe where something will break as the third act reveals more into what is happening and who wants what with Daisy being the prize.

Tarantino’s direction is definitely vast in not just the richness of the images he creates but also in the way he sets it. Shot entirely on location in Telluride, Colorado, Tarantino takes great advantage of the locations from the look of the Rocky Mountains to the ravishing attention to detail with the locations as well as the snow which is crucial to the film itself. Notably as Tarantino takes great stock into shooting these locations not just in rich wide and medium shots but also shoot it in a format that hadn’t been used for many years which is 65 mm film stock. In that grand film stock and in an anamorphic aspect ratio of 2:76:1 which was a common format in the 1950s and 1960s that is also similar to the Cinerama process of the times. Tarantino doesn’t just go for images and moods that play into those films of the times with these wide lenses but also brings it back to Earth while creating an intimacy and tension for scenes inside the house.

The scenes set in the house are gripping as it’s small but also has some space where the film stock captures much of the lighting with great detail. Even in some of these smaller moments such as a lone jellybean on the floor or the close-up of a coffee pot. Tarantino’s usage of close-ups as well as some intricate crane shots and some long shots help play into the drama and suspense that looms in the film. The film stock helps with these scenes as well as in what Tarantino does in his compositions in a key scene where Daisy sings a song as she is in the foreground and Ruth is in the background. By the time the film reaches its third act, that is where the violence starts to really take shape. While violence is something that is expected with Tarantino, it is presented with a sense of urgency that adds to the suspense. Especially in the film’s climax where it is about survival and who can out-wit who. Overall, Tarantino creates a gripping yet tremendous film about a group of individuals dealing with themselves and a cold blizzard in the West.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson does incredible work with the film‘s cinematography with its gorgeous yet evocative look of the daytime exterior settings in the Rocky Mountains to the lighting schemes and textures that he uses in the interior scenes as it is among one of the highlights of the film. Editor Fred Raskin does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and slow-motion cuts as well as creating rhythms that help play into the suspense and drama that unfolds throughout the film. Production designer Yohei Taneda, with set decorator Rosemary Brandenburg and art director Richard L. Johnson, do amazing work with not just the design of the stagecoach where some of the main characters ride on but also the look of the stopover house and its different farms as it plays into this world in the middle of the Rocky Mountains that is remote but also filled with some dread as the look of the stone cross in the film‘s opening scene is also one of the key touchstones of the film. Costume designer Courtney Hoffman does nice work with the clothes from the old military uniforms that Warren and Smithers wear to the array of fur and heavy clothes the many characters wear to deal with the cold winter.

Makeup designers Greg Funk and Jake Garber do brilliant work with the look of the characters such as the facial hair of characters like Ruth and Bob as well as the black eye that Daisy sports. Special effects director Greg Nicotero and visual effects supervisors Laurent Gillet and Darren Poe do fantastic work with some of the special effects as it relates to some of the violent moments in the film as well as a few set dressing for some of the exteriors. Sound editor Wylie Stateman does superb work with the sound as it adds a lot to the film‘s suspense and drama from the way the cold winds sound from inside the house as well as the sounds of gunfire. The film’s music by Ennio Morricone is phenomenal as it bears many of the hallmarks that is expected of Morricone in terms of operatic vocal and orchestral arrangements to the usage of quirky hooks and melodies as the music is a true highlight of the film music supervisor Mary Ramos creates an offbeat soundtrack that features songs by David Hess, Crystal Gayle, the White Stripes, and Roy Orbison.

The casting by Victoria Thomas is wonderful for the cast that is created as it features some notable small appearances from Lee Horsley, Belinda Owin, Keith Jefferson, and Bruce Del Castillo as employees/patrons of the stopover house, Zoe Bell as a stagecoach driver, Dana Gourrier as the stopover house owner Minnie Mink, Gene Jones as her lover Sweet Dave, and Craig Stark as Smithers’ son Chester in a chilling sequence that Warren tells General Smithers to. Channing Tatum is fantastic in a small but very memorable role as a gang leader named Jody who is a man that is full of charm but is also very dangerous. James Parks is terrific as the stagecoach driver O.B. Jackson as one of the few men that Ruth trusts as he deals with the brutality that is the cold weather. Bruce Dern is excellent as General Sandy Smithers as a legendary hero of the Confederate army whom Mannix admires while being aware that he and Warren had an encounter in the past that leads to some very intense moments.

Demian Bichir is superb as Bob as this Mexican who is looking after the stopover house as he is quite ambiguous but also someone that is charismatic while saying some very funny shit that baffles Warren. Michael Madsen is brilliant as Joe Gage as this quiet cowboy who is at the stopover on his way to his mother as it’s a very restrained yet cool performance as someone who could be very deadly. Tim Roth is amazing as Oswaldo Mobray as this British hangman who is the film’s comic relief as someone that is quite energetic but also says some funny things as he is among the group of individuals who is also very odd. Walton Goggins is incredible as Chris Mannix as the son of a marauders gang who is supposed to become a sheriff as he deals with Warren’s presence as well as admiration for General Smithers where it’s a complex performance that is part humor but also dramatic in the fact that he isn’t a smart man but a character that is fully aware that something isn’t right at all.

Samuel L. Jackson is remarkable as Major Marquis Warren as a former cavalry officer who bears the notoriety of doing a lot of killing in the Civil War as he is quite devious in what he does but also understands what is at stake where he tries to help Ruth. Kurt Russell is great as John Ruth as this notorious bounty hunter that likes to do things the hard way where also lives by old school rules as it’s a performance that has Russell be gritty but also someone that doesn’t take shit from anyone. Finally, there’s Jennifer Jason Leigh in a wild performance as Daisy Domergue as this woman who has a $10,000 bounty on her head for killing people as she is a character that is just off-the-wall in terms of the things she says and what she does where she isn’t to be trusted while being just as ruthless and devious as the men around her.

***The Following is a Description of the 70mm Roadshow Presentation***

For audiences who are going to see the film in its 167-minute general release are going to see the film in a more traditional format that is often common with today’s films. Yet, it doesn’t have exactly what Tarantino would want for the film which he shot in a format that is very different from what is often expected in cinema. For this special roadshow presentation which was a common thing for big films back in the 1950s and the 1960s, the film is given a wider scope that manages to capture every attention to detail into what Tarantino and cinematographer Robert Richardson had captured while the sound itself is also just as big.

Sorry for the bad lighting...

For this special presentation, audiences don’t just receive a special program for the film but would also be given the chance to experience something that is rare. In this 187-minute version of the film, the film opens with an orchestral overture that lasts for about a few minutes and then the film would play. During the middle of the film comes an intermission that lasts for fifteen minutes. There’s no trailers that precedes the film that is often the case with traditional films of the day. Instead, audiences would see the film and that is it while getting a chance to take a break in between as it plays into a presentation that is rare in today’s more commercialized idea of cinema.

***End of 70mm Roadshow Presentation Tidbits***

The Hateful Eight is a tremendously visceral and exhilarating film from Quentin Tarantino. Headlined by a hell of an ensemble cast as well as gorgeous photography, grand visuals, eerie suspense, high-octane violence, and a monstrous score by Ennio Morricone. The film is truly an example of what epic cinema is and what it should be in an era where the term is misused while being a western that is very dark and filled with intrigue that is gripping to watch. In the end, The Hateful Eight is an outstanding film from Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Tarantino Films: Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fiction - Four Room-The Man from Hollywood - Jackie Brown - Kill Bill - Grindhouse-Death Proof - Inglourious Basterds - Django Unchained - Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino - Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino

© thevoid99 2015

Down in the Valley

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/8/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by David Jacobsen, Down in the Valley is the story of a cowboy who meets a rebellious teenage girl as they begin a torrid relationship as he copes with the modern world. The film is an exploration into a man who finds himself in a world where he tries to play cowboy as he faces the darker realities of the modern world. Starring Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, Rory Culkin, David Morse, and Bruce Dern. Down in the Valley is an enchanting yet uneven film from David Jacobsen.

Arriving onto the San Fernando Valley, a cowboy named Harlan (Edward Norton) enters into the strange, vast world filled with gas stations, shops, and cars. To Harlan, it's a mysterious world as he lives at a motel and takes a job at a gas station. Meanwhile, a rebellious, 17-year old girl named Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood) also feels lonely since she lives with her father Wade (David Morse) and her shy, 13-year old brother Lonnie (Rory Culkin). Since Tobe doesn't get along with her father, she often goes out with her friends including April (Kat Denning) where on the way to the beach, Tobe meets Harlan at the gas station. An attraction immediately happens as Harlan joins Tobe and her friends to the beach where they fall in love. After introducing Harlan to Lonnie, Wade becomes uncomfortable at Tobe's new relationship with Harlan.

After a night in the town driven by Ecstacy, Harlan and Tobe's relationship becomes passionate which makes Wade uneasy. Even when Harlan and Tobe decide to go horseback riding where the horse's owner named Charlie (Bruce Dern) accuses Harlan of theft. After Wade deals with Charlie, he forbids Tobe to see Harlan again. Still, Tobe's love for Harlan remains strong as she has to go San Diego for the weekend to be with her friends. Harlan however, tries to live without Tobe for the weekend often pretending to be in some Western or writing a letter to a man named Joe. Hoping for Tobe to return on the day she was supposed to, he finds Lonnie where he takes Lonnie shooting since Wade owns some authentic guns. Upon returning home, Wade finds Lonnie with Harlan and threatens to shoot him if he doesn’t leave his family alone.

Learning what Wade had done, Tobe meets Harlan where she asks him to leave the family alone till Wade cools down. With his cowboy fantasy starting to blur with reality, Harlan gets in trouble as he gets kicked out of his hotel while trying to steal things hoping to win Tobe back. Still, Harlan finds himself alienated by the modern world as he remains stuck in the Old West. After meeting Tobe after some time away from her, he plans to make an escape with her but Tobe isn't sure what's going on. After an accident, Harlan's vision of the Old West begins to collide with reality as he tries to kidnap Lonnie and have a confrontation with Wade, who finds out some troubling news about Harlan from an investigator (Geoffrey Lewis).

Films about reality against fantasy does often require strange fantasy sequences but for what writer/director David Jacobson goes for is an internal conflict in a man who has a love for the West but finds himself alienated by the modern world. While the film is largely inspired by the work of the legendary Terrence Malick, notably Badlands, the film does have the same poetic imagery and dialogue in terms of what Harlan is in and in his relationship with Tobe. Despite the Malick-esque imagery and imagery, the film's script is very flawed. While some can figure out the tense relationship between Wade and Tobe, there's no back story into their tension. Plus, the first half of the film is a love story while the second half becomes a modern-day Western where they're both interesting but makes the film to be uneven. Despite a lot of wonderful imagery, scenes, and everything else, Jacobson doesn't seem to know what kind of film he's making though the performances do remain consistent with its Badlands-like tone.

Helping Jacobson in his unique vision is cinematographer Enrique Chediak whose wonderful photography of many of the film's exterior settings, notably the hills of the San Fernando Valley is breathtaking as well some night sequences that shows the nightlife of Los Angeles in all of its glory. Production designer Franco Giacomo Carbone and set decorator Robert Greenfield do fantastic work in providing the idea of the West in a fantasy sequence for Harlan while showing the colorful and modern look of Los Angeles. Costume designer Jacqueline West does great work in creating the cowboy look for Norton while giving Evan Rachel Wood some wonderful dresses.

Editors Edward Harrison and Lynzee Klingman does wonderful work in providing a rhythmic, stylized editing that gives the film a nice flow and feel. Sound designer Scott Sanders does some great work in the film's sound, including a scene where Harlan goes to a synagogue that reveals his alienation. The film's haunting score is filled with wonderful guitar work from Peter Salett that brings a sense of suspense and atmosphere to its varied sequences. The soundtrack is largely filled with dreamy mixes of music ranging from mariachi to old-school Western songs as well as cuts from Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Calexio, and two great tracks from Mazzy Star where the vocals of Hope Sandoval provide some of the film's most haunting moments.

The film’s cast includes some wonderful small performances and cameos from Ira David Wood IV, Kat Dennings, Ty Burrell, Elizabeth Pena, and Geoffrey Lewis as an investigator. In a small role, Bruce Dern is great as a haggard ranch owner who is suspicious of Harlan’s motives and understanding of Wade’s control issues. David Morse is excellent as the strict, caring Wade who is trying to talk to his children while dealing with Harlan as Morse does some outstanding work in the scenes he's in. Rory Culkin is amazing as the shy, scared Lonnie who tries to seek some kind of adventure and confidence as he often relies on his sister and Harlan since his dad isn't around much. Evan Rachel Wood is fantastic as Tobe as this young woman who copes with growing pains as she falls for Harlan while having a hard time dealing with Harlan's eccentricities. Finally, there's Edward Norton in a brilliant performance as Harlan as this troubled man who seems like someone that is out of step with the times as he wants to play cowboy in a world that is very complicated as it is this very fascinating mix between fantasy and reality.

The Lions Gate/ThinkFilm Region 1 DVD of Down in the Valley presents the film 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround & 2.0 Stereo sound in 16x9 widescreen presentation. The DVD also brings trailers to not just this film but The King w/ Gael Garcia Bernal and William Hurt, I Love Your Work by Adam Goldberg, and other films. Two big special features are on the DVD. The first is a 21-minute Q&A session with Edward Norton and director David Jacobson as they're interviewed by Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers. In the interview, Jacobson talks about the collision of fantasy and reality and how the San Fernando Valley has a mystique concerning the West. Edward Norton talked about getting the script in 2003 and wanting to work with Jacobson as the two developed the project and both wanted Evan Rachel Wood for the role of Tobe after seeing her in thirteen in which the two widely praised her as well as the other actors as Norton was laid-back in the interview.

The second big special feature is a nine-minutes worth of four deleted scenes. The first is an extended opening sequence involving Tobe and Lonnie on a bridge in which Lonnie causes an accident. The second is a deleted scene where Harlan looks for a new hat and buys the white dress that Tobe would wear. The third is touching scene involving Lonnie and Wade about an incident in where Lonnie professes his innocence. The final scene is an extended sequence of a supposed fantasy scene where Harlan talks to a cowboy played by Ty Burrell.

Down in the Valley is a superb yet flawed film from David Jacobsen that features top-notched performances from Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, Rory Culkin, and David Morse. While it is uneven in its exploration of fantasy and reality, it does manage to bring in some compelling ideas about the complications of the modern world. In the end, Down in the Valley is a stellar film from David Jacobsen.

© thevoid99 2015

Marnie

Based on the novel by Winston Graham, Marnie is the story of a woman who is a compulsive thief as she gets married to a man who tries to figure out what she does and why. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and screenplay by Jay Presson Allen, the film is an exploration into the mind of a troubled woman who steals and has many phobias as her husband tries to help as she is played by Tippi Hedren. Also starring Sean Connery, Diane Baker, and Martin Gabel. Marnie is a rapturous and provocative film from Alfred Hitchcock.

The film is really the study of a compulsive thief who steals from banks through various disguises as she catches the attention of a publishing company owner whom she would reluctantly marry. It’s a film that explores the mind of this troubled woman who has fears of thunderstorms, the color red, and men touching her as it plays into something that she is hiding. Even as Marnie is this woman who can be in control whenever she doesn’t see red or be surrounded by thunderstorms as her behavior is seen by this man in Mark Rutland (Sean Connery) who investigates a previous theft as he tries to figure out who she is and such. Jay Presson Allen’s screenplay takes its structure where its first act is about the first theft and who Marnie is as her visit with her estranged mother (Louise Latham) play into some of Marnie’s peculiar behavior as she would put on another disguise to target Rutland’s building as he is very suspicious about her.

Allen’s script not only focuses on who Marnie is and the many disguises she takes but also in Rutland’s interest in her as he is trying to figure her out. While Rutland’s intentions are noble in to see what makes Marnie tick and why she behaves so strangely. He eventually becomes more sympathetic once he realizes some of the things in Marnie’s past though she refuses to say anything to him about her life. His actions into figuring out money would cause a lot of confusion among those close to him including his former sister-in-law Lil (Diane Baker) who tries to figure what Rutland is doing. Even as she would press buttons that would push Marnie near to the edge as her behavior would start to unravel.

Alfred Hitchcock’s direction is very interesting not just in his approach to melodrama but also in letting the suspense play out very slowly. While there are elements of styles that occur for backdrops in scenes set in a car or when Marnie is racing a horse. It’s only set into a minimum where Hitchcock is more concerned about the drama as he utilizes a lot of medium shots and close-ups to play into the drama. Even in moments such as flashes of red and lightning to play into Marnie’s sense of fear where Hitchcock would go for some stylish camera angles and moments to play into Marnie’s troubled state of mind. There’s also some very chilling scenes where it plays to how Marnie would react in its aftermath where she could be in denial at times or be very troubled. Especially in the film’s climax where aspects of Marnie’s previous thefts come back to haunt her just as Rutland starts to learn more of Marnie’s past as it would lead to this very dramatic confrontation. Overall, Hitchcock creates a very gripping yet evocative drama about a man trying to save a troubled woman.

Cinematographer Robert Burks does amazing work with the film‘s rich and colorful cinematography from its scenes set on the cruise ship to exterior setting near Philadelphia and at the home where Rutland lives. Editor George Tomasini does fantastic work with the editing with its stylish use of dissolves and jump-cuts to play into the suspense and drama. Production designer Robert F. Boyle and set decorator George Milo do excellent work with the set pieces from the look of the Rutland family home to the publishing house where Rutland does much of his business.

Gown designer Edith Head does brilliant work with the dresses and gowns that Marnie and Lil wear in many of their outings including parties. Hairstylist Virginia Darcy does wonderful work with the different hairstyles that Marnie would sport in her surroundings. Sound recorders William Russell and Waldon O. Watson do superb work with the sound from the way the thunderstorms would sound to the taps on the windows in how it would play to Marnie‘s sense of fear. The film’s music by Bernard Herrmann is sublime in its orchestral setting with some very intense and flourishing string arrangements for the suspenseful moments to more lush textures in its dramatic and somber moments.

The film’s phenomenal cast features notable small roles from Bruce Dern as a young sailor, Melody Scott Thomas as a young Marnie, Kimberly Beck as a young girl named Jessie whom Marnie’s mother watches over, Alan Napier as Rutland’s father, Bob Sweeney as Rutland’s suspicious cousin Bob, Mariette Hartley as Marnie’s co-worker in Susan, and Martin Gabel in a terrific role as a former boss of Marnie who is suspicious of her after she had stolen money from him. Louise Latham is amazing as Marnie’s mother as a woman who is very wholesome in her persona as she tries to get Marnie to find someone as it’s a role that is very chilling to watch. Diane Baker is fantastic as Rutland’s former sister-in-law Lil who has a thing for Rutland as she copes with Marnie coming into the family while wondering what Rutland is doing as she would try to push Marnie’s buttons.

Sean Connery is incredible as Mark Rutland as this publishing house owner who is intrigued by Marnie and her secretive persona as he starts to fall for her while trying to figure out her strange behavior. Finally, there’s Tippi Hedren in a magnificent performance as the titular character as this woman of great beauty who can steal things in the best way as it is really a cover for someone who is extremely troubled as she is often carrying something to represent the emotional and mental baggage of her turbulent life.

Marnie is a remarkable film from Alfred Hitchcock that features great performances from Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery. The film isn’t just an eerie story about a woman’s troubled state of mind but also in the form of an unconventional love story with lots of twists and turns. In the end, Marnie is a riveting and mesmerizing film from Alfred Hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock Films: (Number 13) - (The Pleasure Garden) - (The Blackguard) - (The Mountain Eagle) - (The Lodger) - (A Story of the London Fog) - (The Ring) - (Downhill) - (The Farmer’s Wife) - (Easy Virtue) - (Champagne) - (The Manxman) - (Blackmail) - (Juno and the Paycock) - (Murder!) - (The Skin Game) - (Mary) - (Lord Camber’s Ladies) - (Rich and Strange) - (Number Seventeen) - (Waltzes from Vienna) - (The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)) - The 39 Steps - (Secret Agent) - (Sabotage) - (Young and Innocent) - The Lady Vanishes - (Jamaica Inn) - Rebecca - (Foreign Correspondent) - (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) - Suspicion - (Saboteur) - (Shadow of a Doubt) - Bon Voyage - Lifeboat - (Spellbound) - (Notorious) - (The Paradine Cage) - Rope - (Under Capricorn) - (Stage Fright) - Strangers on a Train - I Confess - Dial M for Murder - Rear Window - To Catch a Thief - (The Trouble with Harry) - The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) - (The Wrong Man) - Vertigo - North by Northwest - Psycho - The Birds - (Torn Curtain) - (Topaz) - (Frenzy) - (Family Plot)

© thevoid99 2014

The King of Marvin Gardens

Directed by Bob Rafelson and screenplay by Jacob Brackman from a story by Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, The King of Marvin Gardens is the story of two estranged brothers who go to Atlantic City for a real-estate scam where things go wrong. The film is an exploration into the world of brothers as one is an extroverted con man and the other is an introverted and depressed radio disc jockey as they reluctantly work together. Starring Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn, and Scatman Crothers. The King of Marvin Gardens is a chilling yet whimsical film from Bob Rafelson.

The film explores the relationship of two different brothers who hadn’t seen each other in two years as the introverted younger radio disc jockey in David Staebler (Jack Nicholson) reluctantly travels to Atlantic City to bail out his older brother Jason (Bruce Dern) who has an idea for a real-estate scam that David unwillingly becomes a part of. Yet, it’s a film that plays into an idea of two brothers who try to create something for themselves but not everything is going great as David is skeptical about what Jason is doing as they’re joined by Jason’s aging beauty queen girlfriend Sally (Ellen Burstyn) and a younger woman in Jessica (Julia Ann Robinson). While all of them have dreams about what they want to do if the scam becomes successful, David tries to remain optimistic as he copes with his own depression as it would play into the fallacies of the American Dream and reality that of what is really happening.

Jacob Brackman’s screenplay doesn’t just explore this unique relationship between brothers but also what they’re trying to do with this scheme that Jason is creating. Especially as Jason wants to break out of his own and live very richly despite years of work and loyalty towards his boss in Lewis (Scatman Crothers). Things eventually complicated as jealousy begins to arise in Jason’s attention towards Jessica making Sally more troubled than she already is as she resents David’s presence though he tries to be nice to her. Yet, David’s skepticism and Sally’s fragile behavior creates a situation that becomes very toxic as Jason seems more eager to succeed though the details of his plan becomes more scarce. David would eventually try to see reason into what is happening as it would lead to a break down in the relationships involving his brother and the women in the scheme.

Bob Rafelson’s direction is truly amazing for the way he captures much of the drama and some of the livelier moments such as Sally’s introduction to David to showcase her beauty queen persona. Yet, the film opens with this very long take of David talking about a story in his radio program where it reveals who he is as this very somber way he tells his story as he prefers to live modestly with his ailing grandfather. Upon his arrival to Atlantic City where it is this lost world where things are still happening but it has lost the sense of prestige where it’s being taken over by crime and corruption. Rafelson brings in something that is improvisational in its direction such as this big scene where Jason, David, Sally, and Jessica are doing a show of their own in an empty theater as Rafelson uses a lot of wide and medium shots for much of the presentation where he also includes a lot of long takes.

Even as the music in the film is presented on location such as Jason and David’s encounter with a marching band that showcases how warm their brotherhood could be. Yet, it wouldn’t last as things do get more dramatic as it involves Sally’s own breakdown as well as revelations about Jason’s own schemes where it would play into the fallacy that is the American Dream. Overall, Rafelson crafts a very engaging and haunting film about two brothers working together in a doomed scam.

Cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs does brilliant work with the film‘s very realistic yet colorful cinematography where he infuses a lot of low-key lights for some of the film‘s nighttime interior/exterior scenes as well as some unique lighting schemes in some of the film‘s more eerie moments. Editor John F. Link II does nice work with the editing as it‘s mostly straightforward in its approach to cutting while using a few rhythmic cuts for its dramatic moments. Art director Toby Carr Rafelson does terrific work with the look of the hotel rooms that the four characters are staying at as well as the abandoned theater where they performed their show. Sound mixer Tom Overton does superb work with the sound from the hollowness of the abandoned theater to some of the craziness that David sees at the hotel involving Jason and the two women.

The casting by Marion Dougherty and Fred Roos is fantastic as it features some notable small roles from Charles Lavine as David and Jason’s grandfather and Scatman Crothers as the elusive yet charming crime boss Lewis. Julia Ann Robinson is wonderful as Jessica as a young woman who dreams of being a beauty queen while becoming more flirtatious as she eventually causes tension with Sally. Ellen Burstyn is great as Sally as this beauty queen who deals with aging as well as Jason’s attention towards Jessica as she starts to have a break down of her own as well as the idea of not being needed anymore. Bruce Dern is excellent as Jason Staebler as this determined con man who is full of charm and exuberance as he is eager to succeed with his scam yet is oblivious into how he will execute these plans. Finally, there’s Jack Nicholson in an incredible performance as David Staebler as this nerdy and introverted radio disc jockey who reluctantly takes part in his brother’s scam while dealing with his own issues as he tries to smooth things out in terms of business as he becomes aware of the chaos that is emerging.

The King of Marvin Gardens is a phenomenal film from Bob Rafelson. Armed with the top-notch performances of Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, and Ellen Burstyn plus Laszlo Kovacs’ colorful cinematography. The film isn’t just one of Rafelson’s finest films but also one of the key gems of the New Hollywood movement in its exploration of the American Dream. In the end, The King of Marvin Gardens is an extraordinarily rich film from Bob Rafelson.

Bob Rafelson Films: Head - (Five Easy Pieces) - (Stay Hungry) - (The Postman Always Stay Twice (1981 film)) - (Black Widow) - (Mountains on the Moon) - (Man Trouble) - (Blood and Wine) - (Poodle Springs) - (No Good Deed)

© thevoid99 2014

Nebraska (2013 film)

Directed by Alexander Payne and written by Bob Nelson, Nebraska is the story about an old man who believes he has just won a million dollars as he goes on a road trip to Nebraska with his son to claim the money. The film plays into Payne’s fascination with American families and their dysfunctions where a father and son try to bond through this road trip to Nebraska. Starring Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Stacy Keach, Bob Odenkirk, Mary Louise Wilson, Missy Doty, and Rance Howard. Nebraska is a rich and rapturous film from Alexander Payne.

The film is a simple story about an old man from Billings, Montana who is convinced he just won a million dollars and has to go to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim that money. While his wife and sons are convinced that it’s untrue, one of the sons decides to drive his father to Lincoln where they would stop at the old man’s old hometown of Hawthorne to meet with family. Upon the news that Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) has won a million dollars, families and old friends are eager to get a share of whatever money Woody owed them. Though the film is partially a road-film about an old man getting some money, it is really about a young man trying to give his father a chance to live out this fantasy as he is unaware that it could be a scam.

Bob Nelson’s screenplay explores the mind of this old man who has lived a decent life but his marriage to his wife Kate (June Squibb) has been rocky and he’s succumbing to age. The letter he receives from Lincoln, Nebraska has him wanting to get something that he believes is his yet walking from Montana to Nebraska has people convinced he’s lost his mind. While Woody’s eldest son Ross (Bob Odenkirk) is convinced that his father should be at a home, Ross’ younger brother David (Will Forte) thinks the only way for his father to face reality is by going to Lincoln and to make him face the truth about the prize. In stopping at Hawthorne where they live with some relatives, David learns more about his parents and his father where he meets an old friend of his father named Ed (Stacy Keach) who learns about Woody’s winnings.

While it is a light-hearted drama, there is a lot of humor that is prevalent through the film as much of it comes from Kate who is annoyed by her husband’s actions as she would travel to Hawthorne in the second act as her comments and action bring much of the film’s humor. Still, it is a study about the relationship between father and son as despite some of David’s resentment towards his father over his alcoholism and not really being there very much. He still wants to help his dad where he learns a lot about him and why people are after him for money as if Woody owed them something as he is considered a celebrity in his hometown. The third act isn’t about Kate, David, and Ross defending Woody but also realize the danger of getting a million dollars where all Woody wanted with his winnings are a new truck and a new compressor. It does play into the fact that money can’t fix or buy everything yet a guy like Woody can still be rich without all of those things.

Alexander Payne’s direction is mesmerizing in not just the way he tells the story in a black-and-white photography style to recall some of the films of the 1970s. It’s also a film that takes place in a world as unique as the American Midwest where much of the film takes place in Nebraska as well as Billings, Montana and parts of South Dakota and Wyoming. It’s a world that may seem disconnected a bit from the major cities of the east and west coast yet it is still one that is fascinating. By shooting in actual small towns like Hawthorne, Nebraska and the city of Lincoln, Payne is able to use lingering wide shots of these landscapes and location to give something that really feels Americana where it is a place that sort of feels lost yet is rooted by these old school ideas. Notably as locals hang around in bars and watch football games where it’s a world that is pretty simple.

Payne’s usage of close-ups and medium shots for the characters showcase much of the growing sense of loneliness that Woody is feeling as he returns to his hometown where he deals with the fact that some things have changed and some things haven’t. The close-ups that Payne uses showcase not just the lack of time that Woody has but also his grizzled determination to get what he thinks he deserves for all of his hard work and generosity towards his friends and family. While Payne balances much of these moments with humor and some light-hearted drama, he also creates something that is very touching where it is a family that manages to bond through this adventure no matter how dysfunctional they are. Overall, Payne creates a very sensational and fascinating film about an old man trying to claim something and regain the love he seemed to have lost from his family.

Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white cinematography where he creates a very classical look to many of the film‘s daytime interior and exterior locations along with some rich lighting for some of the film‘s nighttime exterior scenes. Editor Kevin Tent does brilliant work with the film‘s editing as it‘s stylized with its use of transition wipes, dissolves, and fade-outs to play with the film‘s dramatic structure and humor. Production designer J. Dennis Washington, with set decorator Fontaine Beauchamp Hebb and art director Sandy Veneziano, does excellent work with some of the film‘s set pieces such as the bars that Woody and David go to as well as the house of the relatives they stay at.

Costume designer Wendy Chuck does terrific work with the clothes as it‘s mostly casual where it‘s mostly sweaters, sweat-shirts, jeans, and such to play into that world of the American Midwest. Sound designer Frank Gaeta does superb work with the sound from the atmosphere that goes inside the relatives home to the calmness of the road. The film’s music by Mark Orton is just fantastic for its folk-based score with its usage of low-key acoustic instruments, violins, and trumpets to play into some of the film’s melancholia while its soundtrack consists of rock, pop, and country music that is played in the background.

The casting by John Jackson is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it includes some small yet notable appearances from Missy Doty as David’s ex-girlfriend, Angela McEwan as a former girlfriend of Woody’s, Devin Ratray and Tim Driscoll as David’s dim-witted cousins, Mary Louise Wilson as Woody’s sister-in-law, and Rance Howard in a sort of silent performance as Woody’s brother Ray. Stacy Keach is excellent as Woody’s old friend/former business partner Ed Pegram who is happy to see Woody while he hopes to get some of the money that Woody had owed him many years ago. Bob Odenkirk is wonderful as Woody’s eldest son Ross who is the success of the family who reluctantly goes to Hawthorne where he finds himself trying to defend his father.

June Squibb is absolutely fantastic as Woody’s wife Kate as this woman who seems to had enough of her husband and his eccentricities while defending him and saying many things that are quite shocking as well as some of her activities that she does. Will Forte is amazing as Woody’s youngest son David as he tries to understand what his dad is doing while using the road trip as a way to get to know him while learning about some of the dark secrets in his family forcing him to stand up for his father. Finally, there’s Bruce Dern in a tremendous performance as Woody Grant as this cantankerous and senile old man who thinks he had just won a million dollar as he is determined to go to Nebraska to claim it. It’s a performance that is funny at times but also a bit sad knowing that Woody is sort of losing his mind and there’s people around him wanting to take advantage of him as it’s a truly magnificent performance for Bruce Dern.

Nebraska is a phenomenal film from Alexander Payne that features a remarkable performance from Bruce Dern. Thanks to its amazing supporting cast that includes Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk, and Stacy Keach along with a brilliant score and Phedon Papamichael’s superb cinematography. The film is definitely one of Payne’s finest films in not just explore the beauty of the American Midwest but also how a dysfunctional family come together to help their patriarch get what he thinks is his. In the end, Nebraska is a spectacular film from Alexander Payne.

Alexander Payne Films: Citizen Ruth - Election - About Schmidt - Sideways - Paris Je T'aime-14th Arrondissment - The Descendants - (Downsizing) - The Holdovers - (Tracy Flick Can't Win) - The Auteurs #5: Alexander Payne

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