Directed by Miguel Arteta and written by Mike White, Beatriz at Dinner is the story of a Mexican-American massage therapist who is unexpectedly invited to dinner by one of her clients where she finds herself dealing with an arrogant dinner guest. The film is a look into a dinner party filled with rich white people and a lone working-class Mexican-American who finds herself at a dinner where it eventually starts to unravel due to her presence. Starring Salma Hayek, Connie Britton, David Warshofsky, Chloe Sevigny, Jay Duplass, Amy Landecker, and John Lithgow. Beatriz at Dinner is an eerie yet somber film from Miguel Arteta.
What happens when a massage therapist finds herself being a guest at a dinner party where the man who is the center of attention happens to be one of the most evil men living on Earth? That is pretty much what the film is about as it explores a day in the life of this woman named Beatriz (Salma Hayek) who spends the day doing work at a massage therapy center in helping cancer patients as she also has a rich client in Kathy (Connie Britton). Mike White’s screenplay doesn’t just explore Beatriz’s day as she copes with loss of a goat who was killed by her neighbor but also a day that feels very typical until she is asked to see Kathy who is preparing for a dinner party with her husband Grant (David Warshofsky). Beatriz’s relationship with Kathy and Grant has much to do with the fact that Beatriz had helped their daughter with her battle with cancer. Due to the fact that Beatriz’s car couldn’t start, Kathy invites Beatriz to stay for dinner where Beatriz spends much of the film being this observer as the guests at the dinner party are all white.
The guest of honor at this dinner party is the real estate mogul Doug Strutt (John Lithgow) who is this unconventional antagonist who seems to take pleasure in the money he makes as well as be arrogant in his accomplishments. Yet, Beatriz is curious over a connection she has with him as Strutt is accompanied by his wife Jeana (Amy Landecker) while a couple in Shannon (Chloe Sevigny) and Alex (Jay Duplass) are also guests at the party. Beatriz would observe everything that goes on while also telling about how she met Grant and Kathy through their daughter only to be interrupted by Strutt who would ask questions about her status in America. The dinner would eventually intensify with Kathy stuck in the middle wanting to protect Beatriz yet is aware that Strutt is the reason she and Grant are living a life of luxury as they really don’t know anything else.
Miguel Arteta’s direction doesn’t really bear much of a visual style other than recurring images of Mexico as well as Beatriz’s dead goat and ocean waves as it play into the sense of longing and loss that looms Beatriz during the course of the day. While there are some wide shots in the film including the way Arteta would frame some of the characters in a scene inside Kathy and Grant’s home as a way to show how detached everyone else is to Beatriz’s life and Beatriz herself. It’s also the way Arteta would use close-ups and medium shots to play into Beatriz’s own observation of this party as well as the guests who don’t know her at all as they find her interesting but are concerned about their own lives and what’s going to happen. Yet, with Strutt being the center of attention talking about his accomplishments and ultra-conservative views on the world. Beatriz would eventually find herself becoming more disgusted with him and who he is as a human being.
Arteta’s approach to the suspense and drama is restrained as well as it play into Beatriz being this outsider who would realize more of her connection to Strutt and his actions towards the world. There are these brief moments of intense moments of confrontation but it is all about the status quo as there’s elements of realism that Beatriz has to deal with as it relates to who she is and the ways of the world. Despite the things Strutt says and his actions about what he does, there is still an air of defiance and dignity in Beatriz in how Arteta would frame her as it does play into her place in the world. Overall, Arteta crafts a riveting and understated film about a Mexican-American massage therapist being a guest in a dinner party with one of the vilest men in the world.
Cinematographer Wyatt Garfield does excellent work with the film’s cinematography for the usage of low-key lights for the scenes in the daytime as well as the look for the scenes at night including its interior/exterior setting. Editor Jay Deuby does fantastic work with the editing as it does have bit of styles in the usage of the recurring flashbacks in some stylized transitions as well as some rhythmic cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Ashley Fenton and set decorator Madelaine Frezza do amazing work with the look of Kathy and Grant’s home in how lavish it is as well as the look of their daughter’s room. Costume designer Christina Blackaller does wonderful work with the costumes as it play into the ordinary look of Beatriz to the more posh look of Kathy and her friends.
Visual effects supervisors George Loucas and Scott Mitchell do nice work with the visual effects as it is largely minimal for some exterior set dressing including images that Beatriz would see. The sound work of Dan Snow is superb for its low-key atmosphere in the dinner scenes as well as how Beatriz would observe guests outside the house as she is listening to their conversations. The film’s music by Mark Mothersbaugh is terrific for its low-key approach to the music with its mixture of ambient, soft keyboard-based music, and somber orchestral music to play into the melancholia while music supervisor Margaret Yen provides a low-key soundtrack filled with kitsch music played in the background as well as an ambient piece by Brian Eno.
The casting by Joanna Colbert and Meredith Tucker is amazing as it features a few small roles from John Early as Grant and Kathy’s servant and Enrique Castillo as a tow truck driver. Jay Duplass and Chloe Sevigny are superb in their respective roles as the couple Alex and Shannon with the former being someone who likes to drink and do immature things while the latter is a snobbish woman who believes she has a lot to offer. Amy Landecker is fantastic as Strutt’s wife Jeana as a woman who doesn’t really know much about the world as well as being ignorant about everything she has. David Warshofsky is excellent as Kathy’s husband Grant who isn’t keen on having Beatriz at the dinner party but reluctantly gives in since Beatriz did a lot for his daughter.
Connie Britton is brilliant as Kathy as a woman who is kind of Beatriz though she’s is torn in her loyalty to Strutt for the lifestyle he’s brought to her and Grant as well as what Beatriz meant to her as it’s a tricky performance from Britton who could’ve been a one-dimensional character but shows there’s still an air of humanity despite her ignorance of what Beatriz is going through. John Lithgow is incredible as Doug Strutt as it’s a performance that just oozes this air of inhumanity, arrogance, and disdain as someone who is proud of what he’s done with little regard for what other people think and whom he’s hurt as it is one of Lithgow’s great performances. Finally, there’s Salma Hayek in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as a Mexican-American massage therapist who becomes an unexpected dinner guest as she deals with the other guests including Strutt whom she would despise as the night goes on as it’s a restrained performance from Hayek that shows a woman who’s endured so much loss and heartache as it’s Hayek in one of her defining performances.
Beatriz at Dinner is a sensational film from Miguel Arteta that features top-notch performances from Salma Hayek and John Lithgow. Featuring a compelling script by Mike White, a superb ensemble supporting cast, and a look into a world that is toxic with the person at the center of attention mirrors a certain figure who is probably the most hated individual of the 21st Century so far. In the end, Beatriz at Dinner is a spectacular film from Miguel Arteta.
Miguel Arteta Films: (Star Maps) – (Chuck & Buck) – (The Good Girl) – (Youth in Revolt) – Cedar Rapids - (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) – (Duck Butter)
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho is the story of a yuppie whose vanity and need to conform has him embarking on a killing spree as he struggles with himself and his desires to succeed during the late 1980s. Directed by Mary Harron and screenplay by Harron and Guinevere Turner, the film is a study of a man trying to a rich yet unrealistic lifestyle as he would also kill in secret as a way to deal with troubled identity as the lead character of Patrick Bateman is played by Christian Bale. Also starring Chloe Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto, Samantha Mathis, Josh Lucas, Cara Seymour, Matt Ross, Justin Theroux, Guinevere Turner, and Willem Dafoe. American Psycho is an exhilarating yet insane film from Mary Harron.
The film follows an investment banker in Patrick Bateman who lives a life of luxury where he has a routine to maintain his lifestyle that includes having friends who are just as shallow as he is while is secretly harboring a need to kill people. It’s the study of a man who is becoming undone by things that are either threatening him or encountering something he absolutely despises. The film’s screenplay by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner is told from Bateman’s perspective as he’s also the film’s narrator as this man that is quite vain and has this routine in what he needs to do to keep himself in shape and not age. At the same time, he has this desire to succeed but he always feel like there is someone to upstage him in this position of power and he has to act out. Bateman is quite a despicable character in the way he would treat women and colleagues as well as those who are beneath him. There is also this air of arrogance and narcissism in him in the way he talks about certain pieces of music he owns or the clothes he wears.
The script also has this air of dark humor such as the scene where he invites Paul Allen (Jared Leto) into his apartment where he asks Allen if he likes Huey Lewis & the News. The monologues that Bateman gives about his love for Lewis, Genesis, Phil Collins, and Whitney Houston are among some of the finest monologues as they’re told with a sense of style. All of it play into Bateman’s persona which is also filled with anguish during the second act when he invites his secretary Jean (Chloe Sevigny) to dinner as they have drinks at his apartment where he wants to kill her but he’s also listening to her talk. It’s a moment where things would shift not just in tone but also in Bateman’s development as it blur the lines between reality and fiction.
Harron’s direction definitely bears element of style yet it plays more into this world of materialism, conformity, and decadence that was so prevalent during the 1980s. Though it is based in New York City, much of the film was shot in Toronto with some exterior shots of New York City to play into this very intense world of money and power. While there are some wide shots that Harron would create to establish some of the locations, much of it shot with close-ups and medium shots to get a look into the world that Bateman has surrounded himself in. Notably in the restaurants as they play to the silliest of trends where one menu is presented in braille, another menu at a different restaurant where the menu is made of wood, and all of these other places to play into a New York City that is filled with a lack of realism. It adds to this air of ambiguity that looms throughout the film as it relates to the things Bateman wants to do where reality and fiction blur. One scene early in the film is at a nightclub where he tried to get a drink and then says something very profane about killing the bartender to the mirror and then do nothing.
Harron’s direction also has this element of dark humor such as a scene of Bateman displaying this monologue about Huey Lewis & the News while wearing a raincoat and carrying an axe to kill someone. Other comical moments involve a three-way with a couple of prostitutes where Bateman is videotaping the act while looking at himself showing that vanity into his own power. The moments of violence are gruesome as it includes an encounter with a homeless man and his dog as well as these off-screen moments that play into Bateman’s thirst for blood. The film’s ending is also ambiguous as it play into that blur of fantasy and reality as well as Bateman forcing to face himself in this world that demands so much of him. Overall, Harron crafts a witty yet intoxicating film about a yuppie’s desire to conform to materialistic society as well as killing his way to succeed.
Cinematographer Andrezj Sekula does excellent work with the film’s cinematography to play into the sheen and slick look of some of the daytime interiors with some unique lighting and moods for some of the scenes set at night. Editor Andrew Marcus does brilliant work with the editing as it has elements of style in its usage of rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense and humor. Production designer Gideon Ponte, with set decorator Jeanne Develle and art director Andrew M. Stearn, does amazing work with the look of the apartments as well as the look of the restaurants. Costume designer Isis Mussenden does fantastic work with the costumes from the designer suits that the men wear to some of the fashionable dresses of the women.
Key hairstylists Lucy M. Orton and John Quaglia do terrific work with the hairstyles of the women that was so common in the 80s to the very slick look of the men. Sound designer Benjamin Cheah and sound editor Jane Tattersall do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the clubs and some of the intimate sounds in some of the apartments. The film’s music by John Cale is wonderful for its mixture of orchestral bombast to play into the suspense as well as a mixture of somber piano pieces and some ambient cuts while music supervisors Barry Cole and Christopher Covert create an incredible soundtrack that feature a lot of the music from those times from acts like Huey Lewis & the News, Genesis, Phil Collins, New Order, Chris de Burgh, Simply Red, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Robert Palmer, Book of Love, Katrina and the Waves, Information Society, and M/A/R/R/S as well as additional music from Daniel Ash, David Bowie, the Cure, Eric B. & Rakim, and the Tom Club.
The casting by Kerry Barden, Billy Hopkins, and Suzanne Smith is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Reg E. Cathey as a homeless man, Anthony Lemke as a colleague that Allen mistakes him as Bateman, Krista Sutton as a prostitute named Sabrina, Guinevere Turner as a friend of Bateman in Elizabeth who would engage into a threesome with another hooker and Bateman, Bill Sage as a colleague of Bateman in David Van Patten, Josh Lucas as another colleague in the smarmy Craig McDermott, Justin Theroux as Bateman’s colleague Timothy Bryce who is having an affair with Bateman’s fiancée Evelyn, and Matt Ross as a colleague in Luis Carruthers who is dating Courtney as he also has a secret of his own. Samantha Mathis is fantastic as Bateman’s mistress Courtney Rawlinson whom he’s having an affair with as she is someone that has been doing too many drugs.
Reese Witherspoon is superb as Bateman’s fiancée Evelyn as a socialite who is eager to get married while having her time engaging an affair with Bryce. Cara Seymour is excellent as Christie as a prostitute who would meet with Bateman on two different occasions as she copes with what she had gotten herself into as well as her discovery in the second encounter. Jared Leto is brilliant as Paul Allen as top colleague of Bateman who is the envy of everyone in terms of the look of his card and being able to get things while confusing Bateman for someone else. Willem Dafoe is amazing as Detective Donald Kimball as a man who is investigating the disappearance of someone as he suspects Bateman through a couple of interrogations as well as be curious about what Bateman does.
Chloe Sevigny is remarkable as Jean as Bateman’s secretary who endures some of Bateman’s criticism over fashion choice as she is later invited to dinner with him where she provides a moment that is quite human as well as kind of understand the pressure Bateman is in to conform. Finally, there’s Christian Bale in a magnificent performance as Patrick Bateman as this man in his late 20s that is determined to be the embodiment of success as he also copes with his desire to kill as well to display everything he’s about as it’s a charismatic yet eerie performance from Bale that is definitely iconic as well as funny.
American Psycho is a phenomenal film from Mary Harron that features as spectacular performance from Christian Bale. Along with its ensemble cast, a killer soundtrack, dazzling visuals, witty satire, and complex themes of vanity, conformity, and identity. It’s a film that offers so much in the entertainment aspects but also serves as an intriguing character study of a man coming to grips with reality and his desires to succeed by any means necessary. In the end, American Psycho is a tremendous film from Mary Harron.
Related: (Less Than Zero) – (The Rules of Attraction)
Mary Harron Films: (I Shot Andy Warhol) – (The Notorious Bettie Page) – (The Moth Diaries) – (The Anna Nicole Story) – (Alias Grace)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the novella Lady Susan by Jane Austen, Love & Friendship is the story of a scandalized widow who seeks refuge at the home of her brother-in-law where she hopes to find a husband for herself and her daughter. Written for the screen and directed by Whit Stillman, the film is a period drama set in the late 18th Century where it plays into a woman is trying to redeem her name and provide a future for her daughter. Starring Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell, Morfydd Clark, Jemma Redgrave, Tom Bennett, Justin Edwards, Jenn Murray, Stephen Fry, and Chloe Sevigny. Love & Friendship is a witty and delightful film from Whit Stillman.
Set in 1790 Britain, the film revolves a recently-widowed woman whose scandalous past has come back to haunt her as she moves in with her brother-in-law where she falls for her sister-in-law’s brother. When her daughter has been kicked out of school, complications emerges when she falls for the same man her mother is courting while evading the affections of a dim-witted suitor. It’s a film that isn’t just about some of the complications of love but also a woman’s attempt to maintain her social status despite her illustrious past as a flirt where she’s not even allowed to talk to one of her best friends publicly as they would talk privately or correspond secretly through letters.
Whit Stillman’s screenplay isn’t just an exploration of social climbing, reputation, and survival but also a woman trying to ensure her daughter’s security despite their own personality differences. Yet, Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale) is a woman that has become accustomed to a lifestyle and wants to keep it no matter what it takes. Sure, Lady Vernon is manipulative and is willing to scheme but it is all about the nature of the game she has to play to survive despite the notoriety she’s attained in the past as she is a bit indifferent of what people think of her. Still, she has to think about her teenage daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clark) who is asked to marry this young buffoon in Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett). Upon meeting her sister-in-law’s brother Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel), Lady Vernon sees him as a prospective husband but things complicated when Federica falls for him as well.
It’s not just in the plot scenarios and schematics where Stillman explores what Lady Vernon is doing but it is also in the dialogue. Stillman’s dialogue is very stylized in not just playing to the times but also in the rhythm and tone that is true to writings of Jane Austen. It has a language that is unique but also a feel that manages to play off into much of the humor. Even in some the dramatic moments as it play into the anguish in Frederica as well as some of the conversations Lady Vernon has with her American friend Alicia Johnson (Chloe Sevigny) who understands her friend’s plight. While she doesn’t agree with Lady Vernon’s tactics, she does understand the need to survive as she is married to a prestigious businessman in Mr. Johnson (Stephen Fry). Yet, if he finds out that his wife is talking to Lady Vernon. He will take her back to America where she is seen as a traitor for supporting the British during the American Revolution as it’s one of these tidbits in the script that makes it so fun to follow.
Stillman’s direction definitely owes a lot to style in not just the way it plays into costume period dramas but give it a sense of irreverent humor. From the way the characters are introduced to how elements of poetry and letters are being read with text presented on screen. Shot entirely on location in Ireland, the film does play into the look of the period with its usage of wide and medium shots to capture the location while the latter would also provide a sense of intimacy in the dramatic elements along with its usage of close-ups. Much of the composition relies more on a sense of control with its steadicams to follow the actors walking into a room or at a court inside the house. It all plays into this world where it is about behaviors and prestige where Stillman says a lot of what is going on in that world where everyone of importance has to present themselves in a certain way. At home, they can be themselves no matter how bad they are.
There is no question that Lady Vernon is a despicable character but she isn’t totally un-likeable as Stillman wants to maintain that sense of what she is doing. Especially as it relates to his own fascination of the upper-class world and what people are willing to do to maintain a lifestyle that not many people are accustomed to. Stillman doesn’t try to over-dramatize things with the exception of one key character who is presented as a form of humor. It is all about the role that women played in society and what they had to do to survive in an upper-class world. Even as they have to contend with morals and the rules where this one woman does what she have to do while not being afraid to break a few rules in the process. Overall, Stillman creates an engaging and exhilarating comedy about a woman’s search to find husbands for herself and her daughter through devious means.
Cinematographer Richard Van Oosterhout does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the differing look of the exteriors to play into a mood for the film as well as some of the interiors with its low-key approach to lighting as well as how the sun is placed against the windows. Editor Sophie Corra does terrific work with the editing as it largely straightforward to play into some of its humor through its rhythmic cuts as well as for some of the dramatic moments. Production designer Anna Rackard, with art directors Louise Mathews and Bryan Tormey and set decorator/carpenter Stuart Crinnion, does brilliant work with the look of the many interiors in the homes and estates that the characters live in as well as the apartment that Lady Vernon would live in London for the film‘s second half. Costume designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh does amazing work with the costumes from the lavish look of the dresses the women wear including the hats as well as the clothes that the men wore in those times.
Hair designers Eileen Buggy and Rod Ortega, with makeup designer Margot Boccia, do fantastic work with the design of the hairstyle of the women with the latter doing the work for the look of Lady Vernon. Visual effects supervisors Danielle Kempen and Hans van Helden do nice work with the minimal visual effects where it is really bits of set dressing as well as displaying the text that is read by characters onscreen. Sound editor Ranko Paukovic does superb work with the sound with way some of the action is heard in another room along with the lively moments in a party scene where Sir James is dancing like an idiot. The film’s music consists largely from traditional and classical pieces from the period of the time as well as variations of original music by Benjamin Esdraffo and Mark Suozzo with the latter doing much of the music supervision in selecting various classical and operatic pieces that are played in the film.
The casting by Kerry Barden, Colin Jones, and Paul Schnee is phenomenal for the large ensemble that it displays as it include some notable small roles from Kelly Cross as Lady Vernon’s traveling companion Mrs. Cross in the film’s first act, Conor Lambert as the DeCourcy family butler, Sylvie Benoiton and Daniel Magee as the children of Charles and Catherine Vernon, Lochlann O’Mearain as Lord Manwaring, Sophie Radermacher as Lord Manwaring’s young daughter, and Justin Edwards as Lady Vernon’s brother-in-law Charles Vernon who offers her a temporary place to stay as well as deal with several family issues. Stephen Fry is superb in his small role as Mr. Johnson as Alicia’s husband who disproves her friendship with Lady Vernon while attending to the emotional needs of Lady Manwaring in a very comical manner. Jenn Murray is wonderful as Lady Lucy Manwaring as this emotional drama queen who hates Lady Vernon as she accuses her of seeing her husband.
James Fleet and Jemma Redgrave are excellent in their respective roles as Sir Reginald and Lady DeCourcy as Catherine and Reginald’s parents who are concerned with Lady Vernon’s presence while taking in Frederica whom they cherish. Chloe Sevigny is fantastic as Alicia Johnson as an American exile who is Lady Vernon’s best friend as she helps her despite being told by her husband not to as Sevigny displays a lot of charm and flair to her character. Emma Greenwell is amazing as Catherine DeCourcy Vernon as Charles’ wife who also takes in Lady Vernon as well as taking a liking towards Frederica while admitting to having her own qualms about Lady Vernon. Morfydd Clark is brilliant as Lady Vernon’s daughter Frederica as this shy and troubled young girl who has gotten kicked out of school as well as not wanting to get married where Clark displays an anguish as well as an innocence to this young woman who finds herself falling in love.
Tom Bennett is hilarious as Sir James Martin as a young man who wants to marry Frederica as he is just this loveable buffoon who says very idiotic things while believing there’s twelve commandments instead of ten as he is just fun to watch. Xavier Samuel is remarkable as Reginald DeCourcy as this young man who becomes attracted to Lady Vernon as he finds her interesting while also becoming drawn by Frederica. Finally, there’s Kate Beckinsale in an incredible performance as Lady Susan Vernon as she exudes charm and wit into her character while not being afraid of being despicable but in a loveable way as Beckinsale just gives the performance of her career.
Love & Friendship is a sensational film from Whit Stillman that features a delightful performance from Kate Beckinsale. Featuring a great supporting cast, lovely visuals, gorgeous costumes, and a fantastic score. It’s a film that explores the world of Jane Austen with a sense of irreverent humor and a study of social climbing as well as what women had to do to survive in a world where there’s a lot of expectations in the upper class. In the end, Love & Friendship is a tremendously rich film from Whit Stillman.
Whit Stillman Films: Metropolitan - Barcelona - The Last Days of Disco - Damsels in Distress - The Auteurs #21: Whit Stillman
© thevoid99 2016
Written and directed by Woody Allen, Melinda & Melinda is the story about two women with the same name who live very different lives as four people discuss about the ideas of life in the form of a tragedy and a comedy. The film is an exploration into the world of how life works in a natural setting whether it’s in the form of tragedy or in a comedy as its titular characters are played by Radha Mitchell. Also starring Jonny Lee Miller, Chloe Sevigny, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Amanda Peet, Larry Pine, Vinessa Shaw, Josh Brolin, Brooke Smith, and Wallace Shawn. Melinda & Melinda is a superb and engaging comedy-drama from Woody Allen.
The film is about the life of two women with the same name as they’re the subject of how life is as two men (Wallace Shawn and Larry Pine) have a discussion with two other people (Neil Pepe and Stephanie Roth Haberle) about how does life work. In the one spectrum, there’s the tragic Melinda who is a woman with a very troubled life as she unexpectedly stays over at a friend’s house where she falls for a musician only for things to get complicated. In other spectrum, there’s the comic Melinda as a woman who unknowingly crashes a dinner party as she catches the eye of an actor whose wife is an independent filmmaker who tries to set Melinda up with other men. It’s all plays to the scheme of things in the way life works out as it raises the question about how life can be defined by tragic or comic circumstances.
Woody Allen’s screenplay does have an interesting concept about the ideas of comedy and tragedy and how they can drive one person’s life. Though there’s parts in the story that does drag things a bit, it does play into the way the two Melindas would go in their life. On the tragic spectrum, there’s Melinda trying to find some idea of happiness in her life as she falls for this musician named Ellis (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who is quite charming as well as sympathetic to Melinda’s own personal issues. Yet, Ellis also wins the attraction of Melinda’s friend Laurel (Chloe Sevigny) who is married to a struggling actor named Lee (Jonny Lee Miller) as she doesn’t want to do something that would send Melinda into a bigger downward spiral. In the comic portion of the film, Melinda is a woman trying to find new love as she seeks the help of her neighbors in Hobie and Susan (Will Ferrell and Amanda Peet) where Hobie falls for Melinda but has no idea how to tell Melinda or Susan.
Allen’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of compositions yet he does manage to create a lot of situations where it would mirror the two different portions of the film. Notably in scenes of how Melinda arrives or her reaction to a certain situation that would play into the two different spectrums about life. Though there’s a few moments that does drag the story in the tragic portion of the film while the comedy aspects of it would lighten things up. It does make the film uneven in some ways though both stories do showcase some compelling arguments of the tragedy of comedy and tragedy where it would briefly cut to the two writers having dinner and discuss their side about how life works. Overall, Allen creates an engaging and enjoyable film about the way life works.
Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the low-key yet intimate look of the French bistro the Melindas go to as well as some of the locations in New York City that would play to their adventures. Editor Alisa Lepselter does brilliant work with the editing from the use of transitions that range from smooth to abrupt at times in order to help move the story along with some stylish cuts to play out some of the humor and drama that occurs. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Regina Graves and art director Tom Warren, does nice work with the set pieces from the different apartments that the Melindas stay in to some of the places the women go to including the French bistro.
Costume designer Judy L. Ruskin does terrific work with the costumes as it is mostly casual while adding some differences to the different look of the two Melindas where the tragic is more disheveled while the comic is more refined. Sound editor Robert Hein does superb work with the sound to play up the atmosphere of some of the parties that occur including some of the other places the characters go to. The film’s soundtrack is amazing as it features a different array of jazz and classical pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Igor Stravinsky, Bela Bartok, Duke Ellington, Dick Hyman, Erroll Garner, and some R&B music from Barry White.
The casting by Juliet Taylor is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Neil Pepe and Stephanie Roth Haberle as the friends in the discussion table along with notable small performances from Shalom Harlow as a dinner guest of Lee and Laurel, Brooke Smith as a friend of Laurel and Melinda in Cassie, Steve Carell as Hobie’s friend Walt, Vinessa Shaw as a woman Hobie meets, Daniel Sujata as a man the comic Melinda meets, Zak Orth as Cassie’s husband, and Josh Brolin as a friend of Susan whom she tries to set the comic Melinda with much to Hobie’s disgust. Larry Pine and Wallace Shawn are terrific as the two writers who drive the discussion of how life works with Pine favoring tragedy and Shawn in favor of comedy as the two have great rapport together.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is amazing as the musician Ellis whom the tragic Melinda falls for as he is very kind to her while he is also attracted to Laurel. Jonny Lee Miller is very good as Laurel’s struggling actor husband Lee who doesn’t really like Melinda as he secretly hides his own affairs from Laurel. Chloe Sevigny is excellent as Laurel as a woman who is trying to help the tragic Melinda while dealing with her attraction towards Ellis. Amanda Peet is wonderful as Susan as a woman who tries to help the comic Melinda find love while dealing with her own issues in trying to get funding for her film. Will Ferrell is brilliant as Hobie as a man who falls for the comic Melinda as he tries to deal with his feelings while Ferrell adds some subtle comedic approach to his character.
Finally there’s Radha Mitchell as Melinda and Melinda where Mitchell brings a complexity to the different personas of Melinda as she is ragged and loose as the tragic Melinda who is likely to fall apart. In the form of the comical Melinda, Mitchell is more relaxed but also pretty funny as she definitely brings to spark in her scenes with Ferrell as it’s definitely one of Mitchell’s finest performances.
Melinda & Melinda is a pretty stellar film from Woody Allen thanks to Radha Mitchell’s dual performances as the titular characters. Along with great supporting work from Will Ferrell, Chloe Sevigny, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, it’s a film that showcases Allen trying to do something new while using old ideas to play out the ideas of comedy and tragedy in the way life works. In the end, Melinda & Melinda is a pretty good film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet and Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/2/07 w/ Additional Edits.
Directed by Larry Clark and written by Harmony Korine, Kids tells the story in the day of life of young kids in New York City causing chaos and such. During this day, a young woman learns she is HIV positive as she tries to find a boy who gave the disease while his mission is to take the virginity of another young girl. Shot on location in New York City and in a cinema verite style, the film is an uncompromising, unflinching look at mid-90s NYC when the city was still a mess and through an environment where not everything is great. Featuring a cast of unknowns that included then-newcomers Chloe Sevigny, Rosario Dawson, Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, and Sarah Henderson. Kids is a harrowing yet chilling film from the duo of Harmony Korine and Larry Clark.
It's a typical, hot summer day in New York City as a young man named Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) is making out with a young, 12-year old girl (Sarah Henderson) whom he later takes her virginity away. After the sex, Telly and his friend Casper (Justin Pierce) walk around the city, steal some things, and hang out at the apartment of their friend Paul (Sajan Bhagat) and his little brother Javier (Javier Nunez). Doing drugs and watching skateboard videos, the guys talk about sex and such while Telly gets a call from a girl named Jennie (Chloe Sevigny) whom he scoffs at. Jenny meanwhile, is hanging out with her friends including Ruby (Rosario Dawson) as they also talk about sex. During their discussion, Jennie and Ruby admit to taking an AIDS test to see if they're clean and such since Ruby has admittedly been with several guys while Jennie has only done it with Telly.
The two girls later go to the clinic to check their results where Jennie has learned that she's HIV positive. Distraught over the result, she's comforted by Ruby while calling on the phone hoping to talk to her mother. Learning that Telly is planning to go after a 13-year old girl named Darcy (Yakira Peguero), she hopes to find him and stop what he's going to do. Telly and Casper continue their unruly ways as they go to parks to buy some weed, hang out with their friends Harold (Harold Hunter) and Steven (Jon Abrahams). While smoking weed and skateboarding, Casper accidentally bumps into a guy whom he along with their crowd beats up. Taking a couple of girls named Kim (Michele Lockwood) and Joy (Carisa Glucksman) with them, Telly asks Darcy if they could hang out with her before they go to a rave party at Nasa.
Jennie continues her search as she has a brief conversation with a cab driver (Joseph Knopfelmacher) while going to several of Telly's hangouts to find him. Telly, Casper, and their entourage decide to go swim at a public pool where Kim and Joy kiss each other to turn Harold on as they later go to a party at Steven's place. Jennie goes to the rave club Nasa where she meets Fidget (Avi Korine) who numbs her with some ecstacy as she is becoming more distraught emotionally as she goes on her search. At Steven's home, the party rages on where Telly is starting to succeed in taking Darcy's virginity away. Jennie arrives, numb and depressed as a night of decadence ends in a crashing halt as everyone ponders what are they doing.
Given that the film looks and feels like a documentary of sorts, some will wonder whether or not this film is either exploitive or just exaggerated. Whatever the case is, since the film is written by Harmony Korine based on his own experience, it's no doubt that it's a film that has the power to shock and question the behavior of these youths. What this film is really about is a young woman trying to stop a man from engaging in dangerous, sexual behaviors where the hard truth is that, it's all he ever thinks about. Yes, these kids are amoral, they're disgusting, undisciplined and such. What the film does raise questions is something that the filmmakers and probably adult audiences will ask is, where are the parents?
This is a question that might have answers or might not, yet it all depends on the environment in which the kids are brought up in. There's only two scenes when parents are involved throughout the film. One where Telly and Casper ask Telly's mom for a bit of money or Jennie wanting to call her mother. It's not about where they are but rather where they're living. The parents are people probably trying to work more than one job trying to raise their families and such in a place that is chaotic and troubled as mid-90s New York City. How can they work and watch over their kids at the same time? Yet, the parents shouldn't be at fault totally. The kids themselves are more likely to be responsible for their own actions and such. Even when it relates to sex where things tend to go really wrong.
While what Korine writes and such suggest an unruliness to the behavior of young kids discovering their own sexuality and such but for all the wrong reasons. The direction of Larry Clark is one that definitely raises more eyebrows. Clark, who was then a photographer, goes for realism in an almost, documentary-like fashion that almost can be known as exploitive. With cinematographer Eric Alan Edwards, the film has this somewhat, grainy, naturalistic look that is colorful yet disturbing. Even when the film has shots of young skin and people in underwear. Even the pool scene, there's shots of a young girl's breast in see-through bra where the film definitely raises the question of whether these young people are being exploited.
Clark's observant yet uncompromising direction is one that not many will like and he is definitely willing to go as far as shoot anything that is extreme whether it's a rape scene or a full-on assault. Whatever he does, he reveals everything to the point of making his audience uncomfortable and such. This is a film that will not be liked by everyone and doesn't apologize for it. Yet, given what the reality of Korine's script and Clark's direction, it's something that couldn't be ignored.
Editor Christopher Tellefsen brings a nice, elliptical kind of pacing to the film's editing along with stylized cuts ranging from jump-cuts and slow-motion to convey the drama and doc-like nature of the film. Production designer Kevin Thompson and set decorator Ford Wheeler help create the film's decayed, messy look that definitely looks like the kind of room teenagers would have while bringing out a lot of colored lights and such for the rave scene. Costume designer Kim Marie Druce helps with the film's look of 90s t-shirts, baggy pants, and such that included the X-girl baby-tee shirts by Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon. Sound editor Wendy Hedin helps with the film's sound to create the chaos of the film itself.
The film's music by Dinosaur Jr./Sebadoh member Lou Barlow along with John Davis as part of their project, the Folk Implosion creates a chaotic, noisy score that undermines the film's sense of anarchy. The rest of the soundtrack that features music by the Folk Implosion including the modern rock hit Natural One also includes a track by Sebadoh and cuts from the Beastie Boys, John Coltrane, Brand Nubian, Sonny Rollins, A Tribe Called Quest, and cult singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston with his song Casper, the Friendly Ghost, which was the obvious inspiration to the character in the film.
The film's cast, filled with several unknown actors are wonderfully assembled with memorable small roles from Sarah Henderson, Sajan Bhagat, Javier Nunez, Michele Lockwood, Carisa Gluckman, Jon Abrahams, Harold Hunter, Yakira Peguero, Raymond Batista as a legless man in a subway, Julie Stebe-Glorius as Telly's mom, and Joseph Knopfelmacher as the cab driver. Cameos from Harmony and Avi Korine are in the film as they play club kids. In her first film ever, Rosario Dawson gives a memorable performance as Ruby, Jennie's best friend who talks about her own experience with sex and such that really shows the opposite of what guys really think about girls and sex. The late Justin Pierce is great as the unruly Casper with his love of 40s, grass, and ladies as his performance is the most loose of the entire film.
Leo Fitzpatrick gives an excellent performance as the horny Telly who seems hell-bent on taking the virginity of everyone young girl he comes across. While the character is unlikeable with little to redeem himself, he is a character that is interesting for his views on sex and such. Yet, when the film's ending is around, we see the flaw in his character that doesn't make him redeemable yet pitiable. Chloe Sevigny, in her film debut, gives a phenomenal performance as Jennie. Sevigny brings a presence to the film that is just haunting to watch as this young woman who just learned a horrible secret as she tries to deal with her new changes. Of all the characters in the film, Sevigny's character is the one that goes through all of the development and tragedy that surrounds this film.
Kids is a visceral yet mesmerizing film from Larry Clark and screenwriter Harmony Korine. Thanks to its cast and a superb soundtrack, it's a film that is definitely not afraid to say what it needs to be said. Though there's moments in the film that will raise a lot of questions rather than answers, it's a film that is uncompromising about the way kids are when they have no rules to live by. In the end, Kids is an incredible yet disturbing film from Larry Clark.
Larry Clark Films: (Another Day in Paradise) - (Bully (2001 film)) - (Teenage Caveman (2002 TV film)) - (Ken Park) - (Wassup Rockers) - (Destricted-Impaled) - (Marfa Girl)
© thevoid99 2013
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/27/ 09 w/ Additional Edits.
Julien Donkey-Boy/Dogme #6 tells the story of a young man who wanders around New York City while dealing with his schizophrenia. He also encounters his own dysfunctional family that included his gasmask-wearing, abusive father, his pregnant sister carrying his child, and a blind figure skater. Written by Harmony Korine and shot on digital video that was transferred to 16mm and later blown-up into 35mm film by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, the film shows Korine's unique approach to the Dogme rules. Starring Ewan Bremner, Chloe Sevigny, Evan Neumann, Joyce Korine, and legendary German director Werner Herzog.
A young schizophrenic man named Julien (Ewam Bremner) is wandering around his New York City suburbs rambling incoherently and such. Living with a family that included his grandmother (Joyce Korine), his aspiring-wrestler brother Chris (Evan Neumann), his pregnant sister Pearl (Chloe Sevigny), and his gasmask-wearing father (Werner Herzog). Julien often spends his time with people with mental disorders and such including a young, blind figure skater named Chrissy (Chrissy Kobylak) as Julien often rambles on through his schizophrenic state of mind. With Pearl trying to find clothes for her newborn child and doing other activities. During a check-up on her child, a doctor asks who her father is but photos revealed that it was her brother Julien whom she has a maternal relationship with.
Julien's father however, is still dealing with the loss of his wife as he listens to blues records, talk with an armless man, and often abuse Chris in order to make him tougher for his wrestling career. The dysfunctional family often has a hard time dealing with day-to-day struggles as Julien would call his sister, who pretends to be their late mother while Julien continues to embark on strange events with his friends including an albino who claims to be a black albino which he raps about. During a wrestling practice for Chris, it doesn't go well when Julien doesn't want to play along. Julien spends more time alone and with Chrissy whom he falls for despite the fact that she's in her adolescents. When his father finally confronts the dysfunctions, things get really bad as Pearl is forced to defend him despite her own abuse from her father. During a day with Pearl and Chrissy, things go fine until something bad happens that leads to tragedy.
Since the film is a Dogme film in the purest sense of form. The director does break some rules in order to make his story more presentable. One rule which is against superficial action including murder has an opening scene involving murder. Another rule broken is the use of music that's not performed live while a rule involving a woman who isn't really pregnant is also broken due to a prop that wasn't found on location. The fourth rule that got broken was due to some of the camera work where at times, it was immovable and was placed in hidden places which broke the rule that all cameras had to be done and held by hand.
Despite the rules broken that was confessed by the director, the film does still manage to be unique due to its use of still shots, edits, and camera-work to convey the schizophrenic mind of its title protagonist. Though the film has an unconventional narrative by screenwriter Harmony Korine. The film plays like a scenic collection of fragmented stories but the main narrative of this dysfunctional family living with a schizophrenic is still there. Plus, the scenes and events in the film do tell a story that relates to the main plot, or lack thereof. The script and direction by the director works with wonderful style. Particularly through the distorted photography of Anthony Dod Mantle whose camera work is described as ugly at times but layered with beauty. Notably a scene in a skating rink that shows through its distorted, grainy photography its beauty through the scenes.
The editing by Valdis Oskarsdottir is unique in conveying the film's schizophrenic tone along with jump cuts and freeze frame to show the film's still shots. Sound recordist Brian Miksis does some amazing work to capture the film's natural sounds, notably the horror in the film's third act. The music used in the film is a mix of blues, hip-hop, and orchestral music from Puccini and Straus to convey the loneliness of Julien's father.
The film's casting is unique with several actors doing amazing performances including a cameo from indie-rocker Will Oldham, Alvin Law as Julien's father armless friend, and Joyce Korine as the grandmother. Chrissy Kobylak is great as a blind skater who seems very wise and is in fact, blind. Evan Neumann is great as an aspiring wrestler dealing with all of his family dysfunctions and such. Chloe Sevigny is brilliant as Pearl, a young woman who is dealing with her pregnancy as loss as she often plays a harp for the song Freres Jacques.
The legendary Werner Herzog gives an amazing, sprawling performances as an abusive, distraught father who wears a gas mask, drinking cough syrup, and doing all these things. One great scene involves Herzog's description of the film Dirty Harry that is imaginatively told. Ewan Bremner is great as the schizophrenic Julien by sporting gold teeth, an American accent to replace his native Scottish, and doing all sorts of things. His performance is a mixture of chaos and sadness as the depth he brings into this troubled character is truly amazing.
Julien-Donkey Boy is an incredible film that features an amazing cast and extraordinary visuals. It is definitely one of the key films of the Dogme 95 movement as well as one of the most fascinating portrayals about family dysfunction and mental illness. In the end, Julien-Donkey Boy is truly a tremendous film from Harmony Korine.
Harmony Korine Films: Gummo - (Mister Lonely) - (Trash Humpers) - Spring Breakers - (The Trap (2016 film)
© thevoid99 2013
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/19/07 w/ Additional Edits.
Written and directed by Harmony Korine, Gummo is a film about various lives in a small town in Ohio. Ravaged by a tornado back in 1974, the various people that included oddballs, kids, and other outsiders trying to live their daily lives in this poor, decaying small town. Shot in Nashville, Tennessee as Xenia, Ohio, the film is an unconventional portrait of the lives of various people in this poor small town. With an all-star cast that includes Chloe Sevigny, Jacob Reynolds, Nick Sutton, Jacob Sewell, Darby Dougherty, Carisa Gluckman, Max Perlich, and from Terrence Malick's legendary film Days of Heaven, Linda Manz. Gummo is a harrowing yet powerful film from Harmony Korine.
In the decaying town of Xenia, Ohio where many years ago, a tornado came across the land killing anything in their sight. Now in ruins and with many of residents living in poor neighborhoods, two young boys named Solomon (Jacob Reynolds) and the teenage Tummler (Nick Sutton) are riding through their decayed town looking for stray cats. When they find a black cat, they were about to kill it only to realize it belongs to a little girl named Darby (Darby Dougherty). Darby lives with her older, blonde sisters Dot (Chloe Sevigny) and Helen (Clarisa Gluckman) as they hope to find some decent men in their town by putting electrical tape on their nipples. After killing some cats, Solomon and Tummler give the cats to a supermarket owner named Huntz (Wendell Carr) who gives them a bit of money and glue but also tells them that they have competition.
Another young man killing cats, but with poison, is Jarrod (Daniel Martin) who is doing this to help take care of his dying, catatonic grandmother (Berniece M. Duvall). Meanwhile, Bunny Boy (Jacob Sewell) is also finding dead cats while he also encounter two kids (James Lawhorn and James Glass) as cowboys where he pretends to play dead. Dot, Helen, and Darby meet with their friend Ellen (Ellen M. Smith) as they look at a boy named Eddie (Charles Matthew Coatney) playing tennis as he talks about his newfound concentration thanks to ritalin. Hoping to escape from their current troubles with Jarrod, Solomon and Tummler turn to Cole (Max Perlich) to have sex with his daughter Cassiday (Bernadette Resna) where Tummler talks to Cole about his own frustration with the world.
The next day as Solomon gets ready to kill more cats, he exercises while his mother (Linda Manz) talks about his late father while tap dancing on his old shoes and joking with him with a gun. Tummler's father (James David Glass) also muses on his late wife as he and Tummler have a night of drunken arm wrestling contests and such. After their time with their respective parents, Solomon and Tummler decide to find Jarrod at his home only to have an encounter with Jarrod's comatose grandmother. Dot, Helen, and Darby also suffer when their cat Foot-Foot is gone where they have an encounter with a man named Terry (Jeffrey Baker). With things in Xenia still being the same, no one knows if things will ever change.
While the film has no conventional narrative or a plot with the entire narrative being very lose that includes random scenes involving a midget (Bryant L. Crenshaw), two skinhead brothers (Jason and Casey Guzak), an Albino lady (Donna Brewster), and various people through home video and such. Yet, the film is about environment and how people live in this decay town. While the script seems to be written as sketches or ideas, it's clear that Harmony Korine is trying to make this film as a part-documentary, part drama with a story. While the loose narrative that features narration from Solomon, Tummler, and various people, it's clear that the film reflects the slow, painstaking recovering of this town and how people live through this decay. While audiences might be shocked by the behavior of the character including some of the language, it only confirms the surroundings they're living in.
While the script is loose, Korine's direction is far more compelling with his shaky camera work to convey some sense of action, whether it has the dreamlike quality of Terrence Malick in some sequences to more experimental, cinema verite style where anything goes and he captures these moments. The use of old super 8 footage, video interviews, and everything gives the film a unique look and feel as if it was documentary-like. While the film has a fragmented, episodic-like feel, it manages to work to convey the sense of sadness in all of the characters and their surroundings. Overall, it's Korine and his earnest, eerie direction that manages to be a real high-point for the film.
Cinematographer Jean-Yves Escoffer brings a wonderfully enchanting look to the film with its colorful yet grainy-like photography that emphasizes the film's unique look in terms of its beauty mixed in with ugliness. Editor Christopher Tellefsen brings a wonderfully stylized approach to the edits with jump-cuts, slow-motion cuts, and the use of stock footage to bring Korine's vision to life. Production designer David Doernberg and art director Amy Beth Silver bring a wonderful look to some of the homes, notably Solomon's home that is filled with a lot of stuff as if the house hadn't been cleaned including in one scene, bacon taped to a bathroom wall.
Sound designer Steve Borne brings a wonderful approach to the film's sound including the use of distortion for some of the film's music to convey the sense of chaos. Serving as costume designer is none other than Chloe Sevigny who brings a look that is definitely authentic to the film. With t-shirts of metal bands whether its something as extreme as Slayer or something as cheesy as Poison. Even some of the clothes Sevigny and her cast mates would wear would confirm the idea of the environment the characters are living in. The film's soundtrack consists a wide variety of tracks whether its music from a music box, Madonna's Like a Prayer, Roy Orbison's Cryin', or some accordion music. Then the soundtrack would have something as totally extreme as Scandinavian black metal to convey the film's anarchist tone.
The film's cast is definitely unique and memorable for the various segments they're in whether it's people like Jason and Casey Guzak, Lara Tosh as a young girl who finds a lump on her breast, James Lawhorn, James Glass, Wendell Carr, Ellen M. Smith, Charles Matthew Coatney, Daniel Martin, Bernadette Resna, James David Glass, Bryant L. Crenshaw, Berniece M. Duvall, Donna Brewster, Jeffrey Baker, Mark Gonzalez as a chair wrestler, and a cameo from Harmony Korine in a scene with Bryant L. Crenshaw. Though many of those people were non-actors, the performances they give felt real and true to what the film represents.
Other memorable small performances from Darby Dougherty, Carisa Gluckman, and Chloe Sevigny are great with Dougherty having a great scene involving a picture of Burt Reynolds with a mustache while Gluckman and Sevigny bring life to the role of young women trying to find good men in the poor town they're in. Max Perlich as a memorable scene as man who uses his own daughter for prostitution which is very disturbing as Perlich looks nearly unrecognizable in how he tries to please all involved. Linda Manz, in her first film role since the early 80s, gives a very memorable performance despite being in only two scenes. Manz's performance is a reminder of how much she's been missed over the years as she makes a wonderful impression though after this and a few other appearances that included David Fincher's The Game in the late 90s and hasn't done much since.
Despite having no dialogue, Jacob Sewell makes a wonderful impression as the Bunny Boy wearing a bunny hood as he does a lot of things many people wouldn't like, even in the film's opening scenes. Nick Sutton is great as Tummler, who muses on his own life and his own alienation while trying to find things to kill time, even if he has to do something bad. Sutton's performance is very layered and complex to unveil his emotions. Equally as great is Jacob Reynolds as Solomon, who also is trying to understand the world while still maintaining a sense of innocence, even around his mother. It's a fantastic performance in how he observes everything around him including the world around him, particularly through his imaginative narration.
Gummo is a compelling yet enchanting debut feature film from Harmony Korine. Those new to the auteur will no doubt find this film as essential though Kids is the best place to start. Anyone interested in unconventional filmmaking, abstract narratives, and performances that are non-traditional will no doubt enjoy this film. Particularly for its take on poor, Middle-class America. In the end, Gummo is truly one of the 1990s most under-appreciated films from one of cinema's strangest auteurs, Harmony Korine.
Harmony Korine Films: Dogme #6-Julien Donkey Boy - (Mister Lonely) - (Trash Humpers) - Spring Breakers - (The Trap (2016 film))
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Whit Stillman, The Last Days of Disco is the story about two college graduates who work at a publishing house by day as they go to disco clubs in the early 1980s in its waning days trying to find love and fun. The film is about a period in time where things are changing as two women try to spend as much time in a nightclub soaking in these final days while facing the uncertainty of their future. Starring Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman, Mackenzie Astin, Matt Keeslar, Matt Ross, Tara Subkoff, Jennifer Beals, and Robert Sean Leonard. The Last Days of Disco is an extraordinary comedy-drama from Whit Stillman.
The era of the disco craze was a place where many people get the chance to go to nightclubs, have a few drinks, and dance to some good music. While there were also dangerous elements of cocaine and promiscuous sex involved, it was a period in time that at least got people together to have fun. For two young post-graduates in Alice (Chloe Sevigny) and Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale), they go to a lavish nightclub as regulars just to have a good time as a way to escape the dreariness of everyday life where they work at a publishing house. While the two women aren’t exactly best friends, they do move in together with another woman while dealing with ideas of falling in love, dealing with the future, and the role of being a woman. Through the men they meet, they endure all sorts of challenges about what to expect in a man as the men themselves are also dealing with their own issues. Especially as the age of disco starts to go into a major decline forcing these two women to deal with the changes in their environment and in themselves.
Whit Stillman’s screenplay does play to themes that he’s known for as well as setting them transitional periods of time. While the film is set in the early 80s during disco’s decline, the script is structured to play out this period of decline where the first half is about the good times in the age of disco while its second half is about its inevitable fallout due to drugs, sexual promiscuity, and other big things. Particularly as it revolves on several characters in the film aside from Alice and Charlotte. Notably the men such as one of the club’s managers in Des (Chris Eigeman), an advertising executive in Jimmy (Mackenzie Astin), and an assistant D.A. in Josh (Matt Keeslar) as they are all part of the group that Alice and Charlotte are in. While there’s a few extra people that are part of this group, they all discuss about their roles in life as well as how to advance in life.
While Alice and Charlotte are these young women who have ambition and go to nightclubs, they are very different women as far as personalities are concerned. Charlotte is very outgoing in the way she deals with thing as well as being extremely opinionated as well as the fact that she’s kind of a bitch. Alice is a more soft-spoken individual who has idealism of what she wants in a man but her encounters end up being very troubling. While she finds something in guys like Des, Jimmy, and Josh as well as their flaws, it does have her raise questions about what she wants in a relationship while Charlotte believes she knows more yet she ends up going through the same questions as Alice about what she wants. Things do get more serious in the third act where the men in these women’s lives deal with not just themselves but also what they want just as the nightclub they all hang out is starting to close.
Stillman’s direction is very fascinating for not just the way the whole world of disco is presented but also the way he presents this rise of the world of the yuppies. There is a clash of these two very different cultures that each represents a different period in time yet Stillman is more interested in the people who are living in this transition of time. Stillman’s approach to framing is quite straightforward but still engaging in the way the characters are seen as well as how they conduct their lives. There is still humor that is present in these conversations as well as some of the action that occurs while it is mostly low-key and dramatic. Particularly as it plays to what these men are going through as Jimmy is trying to advance in the advertising world though he is considered to be a pariah at the club. The club manager Des is someone who is going through a sexual identity crisis while trying to help manage a club that is being targeted by the IRS and the NYPD.
The direction is also very playful while playing with the idea of anachronisms where Stillman uses footage of the infamous Disco Demolition Night in Chicago as well as raid in Studio 54. One aspect in playing with the anachronisms that does help with the film’s plot is the fact that there’s characters from Stillman’s previous films that appear who will help impact the fate of a few characters. Still, there is this build-up to the end where it involves lots of authority figures trying to close down this club that causes a lot of conflict for Josh. Even as it plays to some very dramatic moments about how he’s feeling for Alice as well as the fact that he’s kind of a friend for Des. The film’s ending is about the end of disco but is it really an end? There’s a great monologue that Stillman writes about disco’s demise that really plays true to not just about that period of time but also what it meant to people. Overall, Stillman creates a very rich and wonderfully smart comedy-drama about changing times and identity.
Cinematographer John Thomas does excellent work with the cinematography from the lighting presentation for many of the nightclub scenes to the more straightforward exterior look of New York City. Editors Andrew Hafitz and Jay Pires do fantastic work with the editing by utilizing rhythmic cuts to capture the tone of the conversations as well as some of the scenes in the clubs. Production designer Ginger Tougas does brilliant work with the look of the club many of the characters hang out at as well as the apartment that Alice and Charlotte live in. Costume designer Sarah Edwards does amazing work with the costumes from the more casual, yuppie-like clothes many of the characters wear in the day to the more stylish dresses the women wear at the club.
Sound editor Paul Soucek does wonderful work with the sound to capture atmosphere of the nightclubs as well as the more quieter moments in the work place and at the apartment. The film’s music by Mark Suozzo is terrific as it‘s mostly a low-key orchestral score to play out some of the dramatic scenes or scenes in the office. Music supervisor Peter Afterman does a superb job in compiling a soundtrack filled with some amazing disco classics from artists like Chic, Diana Ross, the O’Jays, Andrea True Connection, Alicia Bridges, Blondie, Sister Sledge, and many others as well as some reggae in the mix and late 60s soul music.
The casting by Billy Hopkins, Suzanne Smith, and Kerry Barden is incredible as it features some appearances from Jaid Barrymore as a club-goer known as Tiger Lady, George Plimpton and Anthony Haden-Guest as a couple of famous club-goers, Mark McKinney as a bar waiter, Michael Weatherly as a client of Jimmy’s who gets into the club, David Thornton as the club owner, Edoardo Ballerini as a club manager, and Burr Steers as the club doorman Van. Other notable small roles features some very funny appearances from Stillman’s previous films such as Carolyn Farina, Taylor Nichols, Bryan Leder, and Dylan Hundley replaying their roles from Metropolitan while Nichols also plays the character he played in Barcelona that includes Debbon Ayer as that protagonist’s future ex-girlfriend. Jennifer Beals is wonderful as a lover of Des who feels slighted by him while Robert Sean Leonard is excellent as a one-night stand Alice was with who later treats her like dirt.
Matt Ross is terrific as Alice and Charlotte’s co-worker Dan who hangs out with them while creating some fascinating observations about the disco world. Tara Subkoff is very good as Alice and Charlotte’s roommate Holly who is a very nice girl that Dan later dates though she is someone who admittedly makes questionable dating choices. Mackenzie Astin is superb as the advertising executive Jimmy who is trying to get into the club to help his career while making some discoveries about the club’s business. Matt Keeslar is great as the assistant D.A. Josh who goes to the club to discover the world of disco while some of his discoveries put him into conflict over what he should do as well as his feelings for Alice.
Chris Eigeman is marvelous as the club manager Des who tries to keep the club in order while dealing with his own sexual identity as he ponders about whether he’s really into women or not as it’s a very witty performance from the Stillman regular. Kate Beckinsale is remarkable as the very outspoken Charlotte as a woman who is very lively and opinionated while often saying the wrong things at times as it is a very delightfully charming performance from Beckinsale. Finally, there’s Chloe Sevigny in a brilliant performance as Alice as a young woman who is unsure about what she wants while dealing with some of the pratfalls about love as well with a discovery that could make or break her career.
The Last Days of Disco is an outstanding film from Whit Stillman that features top-notch performances from Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, and Chris Eigeman. Along with a very fun music soundtrack, the film is definitely an intriguing piece into the world of identity and changing times as well as a look into the last days of the disco culture. The film is also very accessible in the way it deals with people discussing big themes in a setting where a lot is happening where these people are eager to escape from that craziness. In the end, The Last Days of Disco is a fabulous film from Whit Stillman.
Whit Stillman Films: Metropolitan - Barcelona - Damsels in Distress - Love & Friendship - The Auteurs #21: Whit Stillman
© thevoid99 2013
