Game Night

Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein and written by Mark Perez, Game Night is the story of a group of friends whose night of fun becomes trouble when it turns into a real-life mystery involving burglars as the line of reality and fiction starts to blur. The film is a dark comedy in which a simple night of games and fun involving a group of friends turn into a nightmare while they wonder if they’re still playing a game or if it’s real. Starring Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, Kyle Chandler, Michael C. Hall, and Jesse Plemons. Game Night is a wild yet exhilarating film from John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.

A couple who holds a game night with their friends is invited by the man’s older brother about a mystery game where the lines of reality and fantasy start to blur with many wonder if there’s real criminals involved and all sorts of shit whether it’s really a game. That is the film’s premise as screenwriter Mark Perez play into this couple in Max and Annie Davis (Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, respectively) who love to play games and always compete with others yet they’re dealing with having to grow up as they both want a child. Yet, Max is stressed due to the fact that his older and more successful brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) is in town who always find a way to beat Max in any game. When Brooks decide to hold a game night in his home, Max and Annie bring their friends in Kevin and Michelle Sterling (Lamorne Morris and Kylie Bunbury, respectively), Ryan Huddle (Billy Magnussen), and his date/co-worker Sarah Darcy (Sharon Horgan) for the game.

When Brooks reveals what the game is, the ideas of reality and fiction blur where everyone at first thinks they’re playing the game. Along the way, some personal issues would emerge for the players as they also become confused into what is real and what is fiction. Even to the point where Max learns that Brooks is involved with some criminal activities as it raises more questions about Max’s own issues with himself and questions into about wanting to be a father. All of the trouble and confusion forces Max and Annie to turn to their neighbor in the cop Gary (Jesse Plemons) whom they haven’t invited into the game nights due to his socially-awkward behavior and the fact that his wife had just left him. Gary’s involvement would only add more chaos as it relates to the blur of reality and fantasy.

The direction of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein does have elements of style in some scenes yet much of it is straightforward in terms of the visuals. Shot on location in Atlanta, the film does play into suburban world that Max, Annie, and their friends live in as opposed to the more upper-class home that Brooks live in along with the world of the city. While there are a few wide shots to establish the locations, much of the direction has Daley and Goldstein utilize medium shots and close-up whenever there’s scenes that focuses on a couple or the entire group as they’re put into the frame. Even as they maintain the humor through the confusion of reality and fiction as the characters play on as if it’s still a game only to intensify as the story progresses. One notable sequence inside the mansion of a supposed criminal involves this unique tracking shot that goes on for a minute in one take where the players are passing a Fabergé egg that they’re trying to steal for the game. Even as it would unveil something much bigger that Brooks is involved him where they all have to use their skills as players to help him. Overall, Daley and Goldstein create a thrilling yet whimsical comedy about a game night that becomes a wild adventure.

Cinematographer Barry Peterson does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of low-key lights for a scene at a bar along with the exteriors set at night. Editors Jamie Gross, Gregory Plotkin, and David Egan do terrific work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts to play into the action and humor as well as capturing the chaos of the game. Production designer Michael Corenblith, plus set decorator Susan Benjamin and art director Hugh D.G. Moody, does fantastic work with the look of Brooks’ home in its interiors as well as some of the places the characters go to. Costume designer Debra McGuire does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with everyone wearing casual clothing.

Visual effects supervisor Patrick David does some fine work with the visual effects as it’s mainly set dressing for some big set pieces in the film that include its climax. Sound designer Cameron Frankley and sound editor Jon Michaels do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the humor as well as in some of the action scenes. The film’s music by Cliff Martinez is amazing for its electronic-based score that is mainly driven by 80s style synthesizers while music supervisors Manish Raval and Tom Wolfe provide a fun soundtrack that features music from Queen, Engelbert Humperdinck, Third Eye Blind, Drake, Duke Ellington, Hall & Oates, Billy Joel, April Wine, Hampton Hawes, and Dirty Streets.

The casting by Rich Delia and Tara Feldstein is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Camille Chen as a doctor that Max and Annie meet early in the film, Chelsea Perretti as a woman who runs a mystery game business, Zerrick Williams and Joshua Mikel as a couple of kidnappers, Malcolm Hughes as actor Denzel Washington, Jessica Lee as Gary’s ex-wife Debbie, and Jeffrey Wright in an un-credited cameo appearance as the FBI agent Ron Henderson. Other notable small roles include appearances from Danny Huston as a supposed crime boss named Donald Anderton and Michael C. Hall in a superb role as a mysterious figure who appears in the film’s climax. Kyle Chandler is fantastic as Max’s older brother Brooks as a man who seems to have it all and often upstages Max with his own competitiveness only to hide something much darker as it relates to the game that is being played. Jesse Plemons is incredible as Gary as Max and Annie’s neighbor who is a cop that feels left out of not being invited to game nights where he later tries to help them with a situation as it’s a low-key yet witty performance from Plemons.

Lamorne Morris and Kylie Bunbury are excellent in their respective roles as Kevin and Michelle Sterling as a couple who are part of the game night as they deal with what is happening while dealing with issues of infidelity before they were married. Billy Magnussen and Sharon Horgan are brilliant in their respective roles as Ryan Huddle and Sarah Darcy as co-workers that are on a date though they don’t know much about each other with Ryan trying to win while Sarah is an outsider who doesn’t know anyone yet is the smartest person in the room. Finally, there’s Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams in amazing performances in their respective roles as Max and Annie Davis as a couple who are highly-competitive gamers who are coping with becoming more responsible while being lost in the game they’re playing with Bateman as sort of the straight man of the two while McAdams gets to be more lively as the two together are a joy to watch.

Game Night is a spectacular film from John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a cool music score by Cliff Martinez, and a hilarious yet adventurous story. It’s a film that isn’t afraid to be out there while also being a lot of fun about a game that blur the ideas of reality and fiction. In the end, Game Night is a tremendous film from John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.

© thevoid99 2018

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead

Directed by Morgan Neville, They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead is the story about the making of Orson Welles’ 1970s comeback film The Other Side of the Wind as well as the film's troubled production and attempts to finish it before Welles' death in 1985. The film explore the difficulty in making the film which had a sporadic six-year shoot that ended in 1976 only to be followed by more challenges relating to its post-production and Welles’ death. Featuring interviews from two of the film’s stars in filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and Welles’ artistic/life partner Oja Kodar as well as many others plus narration by Alan Cumming. The result is an intoxicating and entrancing film from Morgan Neville about a film that became a legend for not being released or finished until now.

In the 1970s following a near-two decade period of exile from Hollywood, Orson Welles had plans to make what he hoped to be his comeback film at a time when New Hollywood was up and running where filmmakers were making new and exciting films that felt personal rather than commercial. For Welles, it felt like the right time to return to Los Angeles to make this new film entitled The Other Side of the Wind which was to be about a filmmaker’s final day where he celebrates his 70th birthday at his home where he hosts a screening party for his new film while lamenting over the lack of funds he needed to finish the film. It’s a film that would play into the many themes that Welles had explored for much of his career from man’s determination to create something to the element of betrayal which Welles would endure professionally and personally.

The film is about the making of Welles’ attempted comeback film told by those who worked on the film such as filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, co-writer/actress/Welles’ life partner Oja Kodar, film producer Frank Marshall who was the film’s unit production manager, actress Cathy Lucas, comedian Rich Little, actor Bob Random, and several others including actress Cybill Shepherd, filmmaker Henry Jaglom, Welles’ daughter Beatrice, and John Huston’s son in actor Danny Huston. With the exception of Kodar and a few others who appear via audio, many of the people interviewed are presented in black-and-white by director Morgan Neville and cinematographer Danny Grunes as they talk about the film’s troubled production.

The reason it took so long wasn’t just financial issues as Welles had those interest in funding his film including Mehdi Boushehri who was the brother-in-law of the Shah of Iran during the 1970s. It was also for the fact that Welles would write the script on production and make things up as he went along. Rich Little was cast as Brooks Otterlake during the 1973-1974 production period but his inexperience in acting as well as scheduling conflicts forced him to be replaced by Bogdanovich who had filmed a different part during the film’s early filming stages in 1970 and 1971 as a boom operator. John Huston came on board for the production in 1973 when Welles had difficulty trying to find someone to play the lead role of J.J. “Jake” Hannaford as he and Welles were good friends where Danny Huston shared the similarities into their issues with Hollywood. Other issues that plagued the production was its lack of progress with crew members waiting to get paid while Welles’ cinematographer Gary Graver had to do porn films to pay the bills where Welles did edit a scene in one of those films.

Neville’s direction doesn’t just play into the events of the production as well as the important contributions Kodar and Graver (who died in 2006) had done for the film but also in the interviews by the collaborators as they all sit in a room and talk about the film. Alan Cumming's narration is definitely a highlight of the film as he narrates the film on a soundstage surrounded by rows of moviola editing machines that is created by production designer Jade Spiers with costume designer Raina Selene Mieloch Blinn providing the suit that Cumming would wear. Cumming would present the events that happened including the troubling moments after filming completed in 1976 such as the 1979 Iranian Revolution which impacted the financing as well as the post-production for the film. Adding to the problems of money that Welles owed was that he was unable to have access to material he had shot which was locked in a vault in France.

With the help of editors Aaron Wickenden and Jason Zeldes along with sound designer Peter Mullen, Neville would gather footage of Welles’ doing interviews and such about his film including the 1975 appearance at the American Film Institute in his honor where he presents a couple of clips from the film as a way to get funding which he received none. By the 1980s, Welles’ attempt to finish his film through whatever footage he had made him melancholic where Bogdanovich revealed that events would mirror the film as it’s shown on a late-night talk show hosted by Burt Reynolds talking to Welles that had him say bad things about Bogdanovich. Welles would apologize but their relationship wasn’t the same.

Visual effects supervisor Chris Holmes would provide some effects for some of photos shown on the film. The film’s music by Daniel Wohl is wonderful for its low-key ambient score that play into the melancholia and chaos that went on through the production while music supervisors Jody Friedman and Jennifer Lanchart provide a soundtrack that mixes classical, rock, punk, and other music from Yes, Suicide, the Buzzcocks, and Ludwig Van Beethoven.

They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead is a phenomenal film from Morgan Neville. Not only is the film is a fitting companion piece to the just-released The Other Side of the Wind but it’s also a riveting film about the attempt to make a film that would become legend for not being released with the world finally getting a chance to see it. It’s also a documentary film that doesn’t play by the rules as it also play up into the myth that is Orson Welles and dispel many of those myths to show a man that was driven to create something that is out of the ordinary. In the end, They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead is a spectacular film from Morgan Neville.

Morgan Neville Films: (The Cool School) – (20 Feet from Stardom) – (Best of Enemies) – Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Orson Welles Films: Citizen Kane - The Magnificent Ambersons - The Stranger (1946 film) - The Lady from Shanghai - Macbeth (1948 film) - Othello (1952 film) - Mr. Arkadin - Touch of Evil - The Trial (1962 film) - Chimes at Midnight - The Immortal Story - F for Fake - Filming Othello - The Other Side of the Wind

Related: Orson Welles: The One-Man Band - The Eyes of Orson Welles - The Auteurs #69: Orson Welles: Part 1 - Part 2

© thevoid99 2018

Wonder Woman (2017 film)

Based on the DC Comics created by William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman is the story of a princess who leaves her home island to help a young man she meets on the island to end World War I as she copes with her new surroundings and the chaos of the world. Directed by Patty Jenkins and screenplay by Allan Heinberg from a story by Heinberg, Jason Fuchs, and Zack Snyder, the film is an origin story that explores a woman who wants to help the world and save it from total destruction as the titular character, whose name is Diana Prince, is played by Gal Gadot. Also starring Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Elena Anaya, Ewan Bremner, Lucy Davis, Lilly Aspell, Emily Carey, Eugene Brave Rock, Said Taghmaoui, and Danny Huston. Wonder Woman is an enthralling and rapturous film from Patty Jenkins.

The film is an origin story about an Amazonian princess who lives in a remote and secret island inhabited by women as a pilot crashes into the land telling her about what is happening in the world as she hopes to end the war and go after a god she believes is responsible for what is happening. It is a film with a simple story but it’s filled with a lot of complexities as it relates to this woman in Diana who has been sheltered in this paradise island raised by her mother Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) who isn’t keen about having Diana be an Amazonian warrior like Hippolyta’s sister Antiope (Robin Wright) who would secretly train Diana since she was a child. Then when Diana sees an airplane crash into the sea and rescue the pilot who would turn out to be this American spy in Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). With the lasso of truth, Trevor would reveal why he’s arrived as he would reveal what is going on outside of the island of Themyscira prompting Diana to think that the god of war Ares is involved.

Allan Heinberg’s screenplay isn’t just about this story of Diana becoming this heroine and fighting for what is right but also dealing with the world on a much larger scale as well as what she has to face. The first act largely takes place in Themyscira where it is about Diana and the role she’s playing as well as why her mother isn’t keen on having her fight for the world while her aunt knows that Diana has to protect herself yet neither have really explained why as it relates to Ares whom Antiope believes would return. The second act takes place in London and parts of Europe where Diana is definitely a fish out of water into this new environment she’s in as she believes that this German general in Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston) is Ares in disguise. It’s not just in the plotting and story structure that Heinberg really succeeds in but it’s also fleshing out the characters as Hippolyta and Antiope are these figures to Diana who provide to sides that Diana has to balance while Trevor is a man who has seen the world as he owns up to the fact that humanity is flawed but know that there is still good there.

At the center of the story is Diana as her character development is crucial to the film as someone who is quite naïve about the outside world as she has no idea why her mother wants to protect her as it relates to Ares. Her encounters with the world is comical at first but also has showcase an air of innocence in Diana which is often rarely seen in films about superheroes or super-heroines. Though she is quite powerful in the way she deal with foes in how she can deflect bullets with her metallic wristbands and do all sorts of things as a warrior. She’s also quite vulnerable when she’s forced to face things she can’t really understand as it relates to the dark aspects of humanity. While Trevor admits that he is flawed and everything else is flawed, it’s a moment that leads to its climax where Diana doesn’t have to just understand what it means to be a heroine but about what needs to be achieved for peace.

Patty Jenkins’ direction is definitely sprawling in terms of the world that is set as well as the stakes into what is happening throughout the story. Shot on various locations in London, the southern coasts of Italy as Themyscira, Paris, and other locations in Europe. Jenkins does create something that do have some of the conventional aspects expected in blockbuster superhero origin films but there’s a gracefulness in the way she introduces Diana as the film begins in modern-day Paris in which Diana receives a special gift from Bruce Wayne/Batman at the Lourve. It would then have Diana reflect on her life from being a child eager to fight like her aunt as well as be kind and courageous like he mother. The scenes set in Themyscira are quite simple where Jenkins knows how to use the wide shots not just to establish the location but also a world that is idyllic. When Trevor arrives, the tone changes where it is quite serious as Jenkins know where to use medium shots and close-ups for some of the drama as well as find the right touches of humor.

The scenes in London are quite comical as it involves some of the commentary from Trevor’s secretary Etta Candy (Lucy Davis) who takes a liking to Diana for her proto-feminist commentary as Jenkins would create something that is naturally funny. It help give the film a break from the action where Jenkins would give the film some air to breathe without being overwhelmed by moments of action and suspense as well as take her time to know some of the characters in the film. The action scenes set in the battlefields are quite spectacular as Jenkins know how to move the camera as well as get a sense of what is happening without deviating too much into the very conventional style of chaotic, speed-cutting cinema that is so common with blockbuster films. The film’s climax as expected is quite grand yet it offers so much more as it does have a universal message about humanity and what can be done to provide peace no matter how complicated things are. Overall, Jenkins crafts a spectacular yet heartfelt film about a woman warrior who makes a difference in a world ravaged by war.

Cinematographer Matthew Jensen does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the naturalistic beauty of the idyllic Themyscira to the usage of more low-key colors for the scenes in London, France, and Germany including some of the exteriors at night. Editor Martin Walsh does brilliant work with the editing as it is very stylized with its usage of slow-motion and jump-cuts while not needing to go into fast-paced chaotic editing styles in order to establish everything that is going on in a scene. Production designer Aline Bonetto, with set decorator Anna Lynch-Robinson and a team of art directors, does fantastic work with the design of the halls and palaces at the Themyscira castle as well as the German base and labs as well as some of the locations in France. Costume designer Lindy Hemming does superb work with the costumes from the way Diana’s heroic costume look as well as the dresses she had to wear in London as it is among one of the film’s funniest sequences.

Hair/makeup designer Christine Blundell does nice work with some of the makeup as it relates to the crazed chemist Doctor Poison as well as the hairstyles that women wore during that period in World War I. Visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer does some terrific work with the design of the visual effects as some of it is for set dressing for a few scenes in Themyscira as well as some of the action sequences including the film’s climax. Sound editor James Mather does amazing work with the sound as it help play into some of the sounds that happen during the action scenes as well as some of the suspense. The film’s music by Rupert Gregson-Williams is wonderful for its bombastic orchestral score that help play into the action as well as serene pieces for the dramatic moments including the early scenes in the film while music supervisor Karen Elliott assemble a soundtrack featuring folk songs of the times as well as a new song by Sia and Labrinth.

The casting by Lora Kennedy, Kristy Carlson, and Lucinda Syson is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Ann Wolfe as a tough Amazonian named Artemis who help trained Diana, Lisa Loven Kongsli as Antiope’s lieutenant Menalippe, Lilly Aspel as the eight-year old Diana, and Emily Carey as the twelve-year old Diana. The trio of Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, and Eugene Brave Rock are superb in their respective roles as the spy/master of disguise Sameer, the troubled yet resourceful sharpshooter Charlie, and the opportunistic trader Chief who all provide some nice support in helping Diana and Trevor on the battlefield. Elena Anaya is terrific as General Ludendorff’s mad chemist Dr. Isabel Maru aka Doctor Poison as a chemist who experiments with gas in order to create weapons of mass destruction that would help the Germans win the war. Lucy Davis is fantastic as Trevor’s secretary Etta Candy who is the film’s comic relief as someone that helps Diana in looking like a modern woman while providing some very hilarious commentary and moments in the film.

David Thewlis is excellent as Sir Patrick Morgan as a speaker of peace for the Imperial War Cabinet who would fund whatever assignment Trevor and his men needed as well as be fascinated by Diana. Danny Huston is brilliant as General Erich Ludendorff as a mad general that is eager to win the war at any cost as he has a thirst for power and chaos which makes him a likely suspect as Ares to Diana. Connie Nielsen is amazing as Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyte as a woman who is keen on protecting Diana as well as reveal something she doesn’t want Diana to know as someone who is conflicted yet forced to accept that she can’t be there for her daughter all the time. Robin Wright is incredible as General Antiope as Diana’s aunt who sees the potential in her niece to fight for herself as well as someone knows Diana’s secret but is more concerned with preparing her for the truth as well as Ares’ inevitable return.

Chris Pine is marvelous as Steve Trevor as an American spy who is trying to find ways to end the war as he would crash land into the coast of Themyscira where he is a man that does have a somewhat cynical view of the way the world is but also a humility and charm that makes him an engaging figure for Diana to be with whether as an object of love or as a partner. Finally, there’s Gal Gadot in a phenomenal performance as the titular character/Diana Prince as an Amazonian princess who is a gifted warrior that is eager to do good in the world and defeat Ares in order to create peace. Gadot’s performance is definitely the highlight as someone that isn’t afraid to be vulnerable but also tough when she needs to be as well as display that air of innocence as someone who was very sheltered in her home environment as she realizes what it takes to save mankind and the world from the evils of man as well as those in power as it is a true breakout performance for Gadot.

Wonder Woman is a tremendous film from Patty Jenkins that features a magnificent performance from Gal Gadot. Along with a remarkable ensemble cast, a compelling screenplay, dazzling visuals, and a fine balance of action, drama, humor, and suspense. It’s a film that manages to do a lot more of what is expected in the superhero origin story as well as be something that manages to say a lot about humanity and how there’s hope in the darkest of times if someone is willing to fight for it. In the end, Wonder Woman is an outstanding film from Patty Jenkins.

Patty Jenkins Films: (Monster (2003 film)) - (Five-Pearl)

DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Justice League - Aquaman - Shazam! - Birds of Prey - Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)

© thevoid99 2017

21 Grams

Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, 21 Grams is the story of three people who are each connected by the death of a person as they each cope with loss and faith. The second part of a trilogy that explores death, the film is a multi-layered story that plays into the lives of three people who don’t know each other but become connected by tragedy. Starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio del Toro, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melissa Leo, Danny Huston, Clea Duvall, Denis O’Hare, and Eddie Marsan. 21 Grams is an ominous yet exhilarating film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

When a hit-and-run claimed the lives of a man and two little girls, the lives of three different people are affected in drastic ways as the film is about tragedy and its after effects. Much of it involves the life of a critically-ill mathematician who is need of a heart transplant, a grieving widow who also lost her daughters in this tragedy, and a born-again ex-convict whose faith is tested over what had happened. Through Guillermo Arriaga’s complex and multi-layered screenplay, it is told in a non-linear fashion as it plays into not just the tragedy but also the search for meaning as one man tries to find redemption, another man is trying to find answers into why he’s alive, and a woman is caught in the middle over what she had lost. All of which plays into those dealing with mistakes and such as well as several other things where everyone tries to find answers.

For the mathematician Paul Rivers (Sean Penn), he is given a second chance to live but his own marriage to Mary (Charlotte Gainsbourg) starts to fall apart as he becomes obsessed with the identity of the heart he had received which would lead him to Cristina (Naomi Watts). Cristina would learn about Paul and what he has to do with the death of her family as it has the two come together to track the man who was responsible for changing their lives in the ex-convict Jack Jordan (Benicio del Toro). Yet, there are elements into both Cristina and Jack that are interesting as the former was a former drug addict who was saved by her husband as she found a reason to live as that loss drove her back to drugs and alcohol.

In the latter, here is someone who is trying to redeem himself as he devotes himself towards Christianity and swear off drugs and alcohol but his involvement in this tragedy forces him to question his own faith and being as he has no clue what to do as he carries the guilt. All of which forces all three characters to converge into a heavy confrontation about loss as it is, once again, told in a non-linear fashion. There’s moments that play into the drama where all three have to work together as it becomes clear that none of them have anything to gain in this tragedy that their connected by. Even as they all know that there is nowhere else to go as some try to find redemption while others seek an answer.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s direction is very entrancing not just for how dreary he presents the drama but also into the many layers that the story takes. Much of it is presented with a sense of intimacy as Inarritu’s approach to close-ups and medium shots play into the anguish that occurs throughout the film. Even in scenes where Jack eats dinner with his family as he is trying to be a good father but his approach might seem harsh as it relates to his own children. Much of Inarritu’s approach is shot with hand-held cameras but it’s never overly shaky as he maintains something that is very steady and to the point. Notably as Inarritu would create scenes to tease various storylines coming together such as Mary waiting for Paul as he does surgery as she gets a glimpse of Cristina walking out of the hospital with her family.

Since it is a film told in a non-linear narrative, Inarritu is able to create moments in the film where it allows a scene to be told in very different ways. Even as he would shift moments that is supposed to be in the third act back into the first or second act as it plays into the drama. There’s also moments in the film where things do intensify on an emotional level as it relates to Cristina’s grief and Jack’s own guilt such as the scene of him returning home as he reveals to his wife what he had done. Inarritu’s approach to the compositions in how he frames his actors are also intense such as its climax in the third act as it is about who is where in the frame and such. Overall, Inarritu creates a very brooding yet somber film about death, faith, and understanding.

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does amazing work with the film‘s grainy and colorful cinematography where it adds to the very grimy sense of despair that looms in the film with its gritty approach to daytime exteriors to its usage of low-key lights and dark shades for the interior scenes whether it‘s day or night. Editor Stephen Mirrone does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other stylish cuts to play into the drama and its offbeat, non-linear narrative. Production designer Brigitte Broch, with set decorator Meg Everist and art director Deborah Riley, does excellent work with the look of the different homes of the three characters to showcase who they are as well as some of the places they go to including the swimming pool center that Cristina goes to.

Costume designer Marlene Stewart does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual for the look of the characters to play into their sense of loss. Sound designers Martin Hernandez and Roland N. Thai do fantastic work with the sound to capture the intensity of the emotions as well as some of the chaotic moments of violence and drama that occurs in the film. The film’s music by Gustavo Santaolalla is superb for its very ominous and eerie score with its emphasis on folk guitars and somber electric guitars to play into the drama while music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein brings in a nice soundtrack that features different kinds of music from acts like War, Ozomatli, Ann Sexton, and Dave Matthews.

The casting by Francine Maisler is remarkable as it features notable small roles from Carly Nahon and Claire Pakis as Cristina’s daughters, Paul Calderon as a friend of Jack in Brown who tries to get him work, Denis O’Hare as Paul’s heart surgeon, John Rubenstein as Mary’s gynecologist who tries to help her chances to be pregnant, Clea Duvall as Cristina’s friend Claudia, Danny Huston as Cristina’s husband Michael, and Eddie Marsan as Reverend John who tries to help Jack following the tragedy. Melissa Leo is excellent as Jack’s wife Marianne who tries to cope with what Jack had done as she tries to help him. Charlotte Gainsbourg is superb as Paul’s wife who is eager to start over with him after a separation period as well as taking care of him as she copes with the changes in their life after his surgery.

Benicio del Toro is brilliant as Jack Jordan as a former convict turned born-again Christian who becomes the catalyst for the tragedy that is shaped in the film as he spends much of the film questioning his faith and ponders if he can be redeemed. Naomi Watts is amazing as Cristina Peck as a recovering addict who falls back into her addition following the loss of her family as Watts display the sense of anguish that looms over her as she searches for answers and satisfaction. Finally, there’s Sean Penn in a marvelous performance as Paul River as a mathematician who was dying until he received a new heart as he ponders whose heart does he have as he tries to find answers while coping with his own mortality and existence.

21 Grams is a phenomenal film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu that features very strong performances from Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benicio del Toro. It’s a film that doesn’t explore the severity of death and tragedy but also plays into the world of existence and faith. It’s also a film that doesn’t play by the rules of conventional narrative thanks in part to Guillermo Arriaga’s inventive screenplay. In the end, 21 Grams is a tremendous film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Films: Amores Perros - The Hire-Powder Keg - 11' 9' 01 September 11-Mexico - Babel - To Each His Own Cinema - Biutiful - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - The Revenant - The Auteurs #45: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

© thevoid99 2014

The Constant Gardener

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/4/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on the novel by John Le Carre, The Constant Gardener is the story about a British diplomat who tries to figure out what happened to his wife where he discovers about illegal business practices involving pharmaceuticals in Africa by his own government. Directed by Fernando Meirelles and screenplay by Jeffrey Caine, the film is about a man dealing with his wife's loss and how he tries to help uncover into why she was murdered in Africa. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Bill Nighy, Danny Huston, Donald Sumpter, and Pete Postlethwaite. The Constant Gardener is a phenomenal thriller from Fernando Meirelles.

The film is about a quiet British diplomat who learns about his the murder of his activist wife as he tries to figure out what happened to her. Yet, he goes into a journey into figuring out why she was murder as in Kenya as it relates to the illegal business practices relating to pharmaceuticals. The story is largely told from the the eyes of this diplomat named Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) who is quiet individual who often escapes into being a gardener. The death of his wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz) forces him to asks questions as he asks those in his government about what happened forcing him to go to Kenya himself. Even as it involves a top political official in Sir Bernard Pellegrin (Bill Nighhy) where Quayle begins to piece out the things his wife was trying to uncover as it involves illegal testing on Africans where he eventually meets a doctor in Marcus Lorber (Pete Postlethwaite) whom he met some time earlier as Quayle realizes it's a bigger thing that concerns Africa as a whole.

A lesser director or someone more commercial would've tried to get away from a lot of the social commentary of the film to go more into the romantic subplot of the movie while trying to make it more appealing for a mass audience without being too preachy. Director Fernando Meirelles and screenwriter Jeffrey Caine refused to polish any of those ideas. Caine's adaptation of the Le Carre` novel gives the story a wonderfully stylish thriller that has a bit of romance and suspense as well as some insightful social commentary. What is going on in Africa with its poverty, people dying from disease, and being used as guinea pigs for drug testing is truly disgusting. The way Caine told the story was giving the film's first act a non-linear structure of flashbacks even a bit of that in the second and third act.

The structure of the story is wonderful where the first act is Justin's relationship with Tessa and dealing with her activism. The second act is him grieving and realizing what she was trying to do. The third is him finally realizing his own role and the sacrifices he's making. This is some great storytelling with a lot of dangers about pharmaceuticals where things can go wrong in the side effects. Even in the social commentary, we see things where Meirelles captures every awful that is going on and at moments, we see Tessa and later on, Justin trying to do what is right for one person where maybe, that little moment can change someone's life.

Meirelles' ability to give the story not just a genre-bending style in the storytelling but his raw approach of directing gives the film some intense reality. Shooting on location in Africa, Meirelle captures everything from the landscapes, deserts, to the shanty towns and villages where all those poor people live. With his regular cinematographer Cesar Charlone, the film is shown just as it is without any kind of visual effects or artificial lighting. The scenery in Africa is very epic in its look while using all the people as extras where hopefully, he and the people involved probably gave them some kind of hope in this amazing film.

Even in some of the most intense moments, Meirelle does what is necessary, even in something like he death, he does what a wise director would do. Even in why Justin finds comfort in the gardens he's in that is really metaphoric to what Tessa is doing. Meirelles' directing is truly a remarkable step up from what he achieved in his 2002 film City of God. Charlone meanwhile, in scenes in London and Berlin goes for a grainy, monochrome hand-held style of shooting to give the movie a realistic, dreamy look while his African photography style is exquisitely amazing.

Editor Claire Simpson brings in wonderfully-paced, stylized cutting approach to the film in its 130-minute running time where it doesn't feel very slow. Plus, the non-linear style of the movie doesn't lose itself once the story keeps going. Production designer Mark Tidesley also does well in capturing the authenticity of what Africa looks like from its villages and the surroundings of the rich lifestyle where the government lives as does costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux. Finally, there's the exquisitely harrowing, dramatic film score of Alberto Iglesias who brings in the intensity style of a thriller as well as the intense drama of Justin's anguish over Tessa's death. Also there is a great soundtrack of nice African music in the background.

Then there's the film's cast with some wonderful standout performances from the African actors and extras in the film, notably the children who Justin and Tessa would try to help as the audience can hope have a nice future in these troubled times. The film also features some great performances from Archie Panjabi, Anneke Kim Sarnau, Gerard McSorley, Donald Sumpter, Rupert Simonian, and Richard McCabe as the sympathetic, caring allies that Justin and Tessa have while trying to protect each other from their own government. Hubert Kounde is also excellent in the role as Arnold who might be suspected of wrongdoing but we see that he's a wonderful companion with Weisz in his knowledge of Africa while trying to be her partner in helping people.

Pete Postlethwaite is brilliant as a doctor who does all he can to help poor villagers and Africans while taking on children as his assistants as a man who is doing the right thing while living in fear of the knowledge he holds about Tessa's death. Bill Nighy is brilliant as the slimy Bernard Pellegrin who is doing everything he can to cover up his business while giving dark threats to what he wants to do. Nighy deserves a lot of credit for playing a villainous diplomat, especially recently in the recent TV film The Girl in the Café, that was written by Richard Curtis and directed by David Yates, where he plays a mild-mannered diplomat who is under pressure too in trying to save the world. Danny Huston is also excellent in his role as a shady diplomat whose intentions for Tessa is being conflicted with his own political desires. Huston brings a lot of emotional intensity and complexity to a character that could've been done more in a traditional style of writing but there's something more human about in it in Huston's portrayal.

Rachel Weisz gives her most passionate and intense performance as Tessa with a combination of power, spark, warmth, and sadness. Also playing with a prosthetic labor-suit, Weisz brings in a realism and attitude to a great character that has no limits and is very free. In her scenes with Fiennes, we see the warmth that she brings and her frustrations into his lack of support. Ralph Fiennes is extremely brilliant as the mild-mannered turned passionate fighter Justin Quayle. Fiennes brings in a lot of restraint and subtlety early on while struggling with the idea of his wife supposed infidelities and her activism. Fiennes brings a lot more development to the role as he does all he can to help out despite his lack of power and strength.

The Constant Gardener is a superb film from Fernando Meirelles with the amazing performances of Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. It's a thriller that raises questions into the world of pharmaceuticals as well as how those are profiting from it while ignoring something that could help the world. It's also a film that isn't trying to be heavy-handed in its message though it is balanced by the human drama about man's devotion to his wife. In the end, The Constant Gardener is a marvelous film from Fernando Meirelles.

Fernando Meirelles Films: (O Menino Maluquino 2) - (Domesticas) - City of God - (Blindness) - (360)

© thevoid99 2013

Children of Men

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/7/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on P.D. James' novel The Children of Men, Children of Men is the story of a dystopian United Kingdom in 2027 where a man tries to save mankind's extinction from infertility by trying to help a young pregnant woman from political radicals and others. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and screenplay by Cuaron, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, and Hawk Ostby, the film is a dystopian sci-fi drama where the world is in danger by declining population and infertility where a man tries to bring hope. Starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Charlie Hunnam, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Pam Ferris, Peter Mullan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Danny Huston. Children of Men is a brilliant yet harrowing film from Alfonso Cuaron.

Following the death of the youngest person living on Earth named Diego (Juan Gabriel Yacuzzi) at 18 years old, total has erupted in totalitarian Britain as a former activist named Theo (Clive Owen) goes to an unsecured countryside to meet an eccentric scientist named Jasper (Michael Caine). Still mourning the loss of his son years ago, Theo has given up activism until he was kidnapped by a group of radicals led by his wife Julian (Julianne Moore) and her cohorts Luke (Chiwetel Ejifor) and Patric (Charlie Hunnam). Julian wants some transfer papers for a person to get around the immigration camps as Theo asks his cousin Nigel (Danny Huston) for help since he's a government official though Nigel warns him about the chaos that is to happen from immigrants and anarchists. Theo ends up getting a different kind of transfer paper as he, Julian, Luke, and a midwife accompany a young woman named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) to a drive through the country to reach a mythical ship where a group of scientists are trying to find the cure to end infertility.

Instead, things go wrong during the trip where Theo had to return to a remote farm as Luke takes over. Theo learns that Kee is pregnant with a child as she reluctantly makes the decision to stay with Luke to not make any risks. When Theo learns what Luke and Patric are really doing, he decides to take Kee and Miriam away from the farm as they hide out in Jasper's place. With Jasper's help, they learn that a ship called Tomorrow is the project that will hope to end fertility with Kee as the thing they need. With Theo, Miriam, and Kee go into Jasper's car to the sea while Jasper holds off Luke, the trio continue onto their road trip as they meet Jasper's contact in a man named Syd (Peter Mullan) who sends them to the immigration camps to hide where Kee starts to feel contractions. At the camp, things become troubling forcing Kee and Theo to make their way through the decayed British ghettos where they meet a gypsy named Marchika (Oana Pellea) who reveals that Theo and Kee are fugitives. With trouble brewing as radicals and governments are fighting, Theo and Kee try to find way to get to a boat and evade those that are trying to find them.

Though dystopian ideals is nothing new, the idea of a world in a state of chaos itself due to the fact that there's no future is still something that is scary. What Alfonso Cuaron and his writers bring is the idea that a world where no children is going to come to save mankind as the world is on the brink of collapse as hope finally arrives. Yet, the film's themes of dystopia is really the background in which the film is about a man's revitalized activism takes hold as he tries to save a young woman in having her child that could save the world from the government and those with political motives against the government. The result is truly an intense, harrowing film that Cuaron brings. While the script is filled with provocative tales of science, humanity, and politics, its his direction that brings weight to the film's themes and images.

While Cuaron does add a little bit of humor in terms of dialogue and a few references (including one for fans of Pink Floyd), he still maintains the idea of Britain in a bleak state where the world is in chaos. Some of the film's intense scenes are shot with hand-held cameras with little moments of sunshine to reveal the brief, serene peace of Britain with most of it still shivering with its grey, morose look. Cuaron also doesn't sugarcoat the brutality of totalitarian Britain where officers will kill people, immigrants or not, depending on what's going on as citizens are being watched left and right. The drama and development of characters are true to the situation they're in as it's really Theo's story and how he tries to do right despite his own flaws and idealism. There's even a moment that amidst the brutality in one of the film's fighting, battle sequences where a moment of peace and realism occur into how absurd everything is and it is brief. It is there where in Cuaron's direction, that the film has a moment that can't be replicated into any other film and it's truly an idea that can be felt among its audience.

Helping Cuaron in his visual presentation is his longtime cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. Fresh off from shooting Terrence Malick's 2005 film, The New World, Cuaron goes from the beauty of Malick's historical revision of 17th Century Virginia to the bleak futurism of Britain in the 21st Century. Lubezki's lighting and grey vision really adds nuance and atmosphere to every frame where in the interior settings, he brings little amounts of artificiality to bring a realism while his exterior shots are exquisite. To the brief moments of sun to the shade of green and grey in other sequences that reveals Britain in a new light where it's not tinted or given any kind of style. It looks and feels real as Lubezki does incredible work with its look.

Production designers Jim Clay and Geoffrey Kirkland along with visual effects supervisors Frazer Churchill and Timothy Webber did amazing work in recreating futuristic London and Britain with graffiti on the walls plus buildings and bridges that are created by some visual effects to convey the sense of decay of the future. Costume designer Jany Temime also does great work in the costumes of its cast where there's no flashy, bright clothing as everything looks contemporary and dark. Cuaron and editor Alex Rodriguez do some excellent work in the editing in bringing a nice, rhythmic pace to the film's intense scenes while bringing some long shots to convey the action where no cuts were involved. Sound designer Richard Beggs does amazing work in the sound with his sound mixes of battle scenes and screaming along with moments of serenity to convey the atmosphere. Beggs work in this along with Sofia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette are the highlights in the year of sound for film.

The film's score is largely ambient and operatic from composer John Tavener that adds the sense of melancholia and drabness of the world while the film's soundtrack is wonderfully diverse. With cuts by Radiohead, King Crimson, John Lennon, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, the Libertines, Roots Manuva, Aphex Twin, Digital Mystikz, and a great cover of the Rolling Stones' Ruby Tuesday by Franco Battiato. The soundtrack adds punch to the film's political feel as it's provided in the scenes with Michael Caine who is a hippie with some great taste in music. It's truly one of the year's best soundtracks.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with small performances by Juan Gabriel Yacuzzi, Philippa Urquhart as Jasper's catatonic wife, Oana Paella, and Paul Sharma as Ian, a cohort of Luke's. Charlie Hunnam is pretty funny as the psychotic Patric while Danny Huston gives an excellent performance in the one scene he has with Clive Owen. Peter Mullan brings a comical performance as the corrupt cop Syd who has some hilarious one-liners as a man who helps Theo despite his own motives. Pam Ferris of Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban fame is very impressive as the midwife Miriam whose knowledge of births and history of the infertility epidemic is important to the plot as Ferris is amazing while sporting cool dreadlocks. Julianne Moore is good in her role as Theo's ex-wife Julian who hopes to reconnect with Theo as Moore brings realism and drive to her character who helps revitalize Theo's activism. Chiwetel Ejiofor is excellent as radical Luke who isn't a total villain but whose political motives make him a complex character who wants to do the right thing but is addled with the idea of no future as he's a character who is forced to make sacrifices for his own reasons.

Michael Caine is brilliant as the eccentric, witty hippie-scientist Jasper who always brings a "pull-my-finger" joke whenever the film needed it. Caine brings a wonderful sense of humor and warmth to the film as he's the man who acts like a father figure to Owen's Theo character. Claire-Hope Ashiey is amazing in her performance as Kee, the young woman who is aware of her role as she tries to maintain her pride while knowing that she doesn't trust anyone other than Miriam and Theo. Ashitey is really the film's most breakthrough performance. Finally, there's Clive Owen in another magnificent performance. Owen really shows his depth as a man on the brink of acceptance of his own disillusioned role when he's thrust back into the world of activism. Owen really adds a bit of humor and heart to the character as he becomes an unlikely father figure to Ashitey in which, they have great chemistry together. If there's anyone, aside from Ashitey, that is the highpoint of the cast, it's Clive Owen.

***Additional DVD Content Written from 4/30/12-5/2/12***

The 2007 Region 1 DVD for Children of Men from Universal presents the film in an anamorphic widescreen format to preserve a 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround Sound in English, Spanish, and French with Spanish and French subtitles along with English for the hearing impaired. The DVD includes various special features to coincide with the film’s DVD release.

The first big one is a twenty-seven minute documentary short film directed by Alfonso Cuaron entitled The Possibility of Hope. It’s a documentary about the possible end of the world due to many things including globalization and policing borders. With comments from various philosophers and scientists including Slavoj Zizek and Naomi Klein, the documentary film is filled with footage of a world in chaos and the idea that things might not get better but there’s also a semblance of hope that might happen. It’s a very compelling piece from Cuaron that unveils the idea of what might happen if things do go bad like in Children of Men.

Other features includes three deleted scenes that total for nearly two-and-a-half minutes that includes a small scene of Theo giving a homeless man a cigarette while an immigrant is getting illegal dental work, a scene of Theo being confronted by his landlord about rent, and a scene where Theo talks to Arthur that got cut from the final film. The six-minute interview with Slavoj Zizek has the poltical/social commentator discuss the film’s themes and why he thinks it is an important film for the way it plays the world in a state of chaos. He also compares the film to Y Tu Mama Tambien as they’re both road movies with backdrops of a world changing.

The seven-minute, thirty-five second Under Attack featurette is an in-depth look of how the filming was made for two of the film’s intense action scenes including the car scene where Theo, Julian, Kee, Luke, and Miriam encounter rioters and the opening scene where a café blows up. Cuaron, Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and crew members reveal how some of it was done while in the car scene. A camera was made above the car to slide and spin around to capture everything that is happening while where’s a driver in front of the car that is unseen while a small crew is up there. It’s truly a wonderful look for those wondering how these scenes are done.

The four-minute, thirty-nine second Theo & Julian featurette discuss the two characters and their development where Cuaron, Owen, and Moore revel into the character’s history and why their story is important to the main plot of the film in relation to Owen’s character. The eight-minute, thirty-seven second Futuristic Design is about the making of the film’s art direction where Cuaron and his team of set designers and costume designer Jany Temime discuss what needed to be done. They wanted to aim a very realistic look while creating shantytowns that was unheard of since England is cold and never had such a thing. The three-minute featurette on how the birth scene is made is shown just as the scene is playing from the way it was originally filmed to the final additions made in the visual effects. The overall DVD is superb for the special features is added while actually providing something that is worth the money for this film’s home video release.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

Children of Men is a sprawling, intense, and harrowing film from Alfonso Cuaron. With a great cast led by Clive Owen, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Michael Caine, Julianne Moore, Pam Ferris, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, and a great crew led by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. This is truly one of 2006's best films as Cuaron continues to delve into different film genres and such. Along with fellow Mexican auteur Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Babel, Cuaron brings a unique vision to the world and how messed up it is whether it's in the present or in the future. In the end, Children of Men is a film that must not be missed by those who love dystopian imagery.

Alfonso Cuaron Films: Solo con Tu Pareja - A Little Princess (1995 film) - Great Expectations (1998 film) - Y Tu Mama Tambien - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Gravity - Roma (2018 film) -The Auteurs #11: Alfonso Cuaron

© thevoid99 2012

Made in Dagenham

Based on the 1968 Ford sewing machinists strike, Made in Dagenham is the story of how one woman lead a strike for women to get equal pay leading to an act in 1970. Directed by Nigel Cole and written by William Ivory, the film is a dramatization of the strike that affected the work force in Britain and led to the Equal Pay Act of 1970. Starring Sally Hawkins, Daniel Mays, Rosamund Pike, Jaime Winstone, Andrea Riseborough, Geraldine James, Bob Hoskins, and Miranda Richardson. Made in Dagenham is a terrific yet light-hearted film from Nigel Cole.

It’s the spring of 1968 in Dagenham, England as Rita O’Grady (Sally Hawkins) is among a group of 187 women working at the Dagenham assembly plant for Ford Motors to sew car leather. Unhappy with the working conditions of the work place as well as the fact that they’re only paid half the salary that men have including Rita’s husband Eddie (Daniel Mays). While their foreman Albert (Bob Hoskins) agree with what the women want, he tries to help them deal with the bosses for a fair pay wage but doesn’t go that way leading to a strike. Joined by fellow workers Brenda (Andrea Riseborough), Sandra (Jaime Winstone), and Connie (Geraldine James).

With the strike affecting profits for Ford motors, Fords executive Robert Tooley (Richard Schiff) flies from the U.S. to make some move. The move would have the Dagenham factory down prompting the men not to work bringing problems for Eddie and Rita. With Rita still fighting for the cause, it gets the attention of Secretary of State Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson) who is interested over the strike despite the pressure of the government led by Prime Minister Harold Wilson (John Sessions). After some pressing issues financially and personally for the women, a woman named Lisa (Rosamund Pike), who is the wife of a Ford executive (Rupert Graves), asks Rita to keep on fighting. Notably as she got Rita to co-sign a complaint about an abusive teacher at their kids’ school who is officially kicked out. This prompts Rita to continue in her fight as she finally gets a meeting with Barbara Castle that would change things for Britain.

While it is a fictional account of the 1968 Ford machinists strike, the film is an inspiring tale about how one woman led a strike for equal pay and respect. While there’s bits of melodrama that makes the film more in tune with what the women struggling in their lives while bringing characters who would do more to help this woman to keep on fighting. William Ivory’s script is good for the way characters such as Rita is portrayed as a wife and mother just wanting to do what is right for her family while a character like Albert is an unlikely ally because he’s a man. Yet, he is someone that was raised by his mother whom he felt should’ve gotten the same amount of pay the men did. While the script is quite formulaic and flawed, it is still a good story that does show a nice piece of history as well as a story that is empowering.

Nigel Cole’s direction is very good for the way he creates late 1960s Dagenham and London along with various other places while creating some wonderful shots of the locations. Still, he keeps the drama and bits of humor in a straightforward manner while utilizing some interesting compositions to play up the drama and humor of the film. Even in heavier moments where he knows not to go too far and what not to show. Cole does keep things exciting in his presentation though his approach is uneven where he often tries to make things very light-hearted to be entertaining and fun. Yet, he also wants to play up the drama of what these women are struggling with elements of melodrama. Despite the messiness, Cole does manage to make a worthwhile and solid film.

Cinematographer John de Borman does a nice job with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the vibrant yet somewhat de-colored look of the exteriors to the more stylish schemes for some of the interiors in the film. Editor Michael Parker does a pretty good job with the editing as it’s mostly straightforward while utilizing some multiple split-screens for some big protest moments as well as injecting some real-life newsreel footage of the real-life events. Production designer Andrew McAlpine, along with set decorator Anna Lynch-Robinson and art director Ben Smith, does great work in the set pieces created from the look of the factory to the posh home of Lisa.

Costume designer Louise Stjernsward does a superb job in the costumes from the dresses the women wear to complement the 1960s style to an early version of the hot pants that the character of Sandra wears. Hair and makeup design by Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou is wonderful to play up the different hair styles of the women. Visual effects supervisor Sheila Wickens does some fine work with the minimal visual effects used such as a nighttime shot scene of Dagenham at night. Sound editor Ian Wilson does an excellent job with the sound work from the atmosphere of what goes on in a factory to the more intimate moments in the film.

The film’s music by David Arnold is quite delightful though nothing very spectacular as it’s mostly a typical orchestral score that either plays up the humor or the drama. The film’s soundtrack is a real highlight for the music that appears from acts like Desmond Dekker, the Easybeats, the Troggs, Lemon Pipers, Traffic, Dusty Springfield, the Temptations, the Mindbenders, and Sandie Shaw plus a new Shaw song written by Arnold and Billy Bragg that is a wonderful cut from the famed 60s British pop icon.

The casting by Lucy Bevan is brilliant as it features a voice cameo from Danny Huston as the top American Ford boss, Roger Lloyd-Pack as Connie’s war-stricken husband, Kenneth Cranham as the sexist Monty Taylor, Andrew Lincoln as the abusive teacher Rita and Lisa file a complaint towards, Rupert Graves as Lisa’s executive husband, John Sessions as then-Prime Minister Harold Wilson, Sian Scott and Robbie Kay as Rita and Eddie’s children, and Richard Schiff as American Ford executive Robert Tooley. Notable supporting roles such as Andrea Riseborough and Jaime Winstone in their respective roles as the young and flirtatious Brenda and Sandra are fun to watch while Geraldine James is very good as the older but tough Connie. Rosamund Pike is excellent as Lisa, an executive’s wife who feels mistreated by her husband as she helps out Rita while the two battle an abusive teacher in their kids’ school. Daniel Mays is wonderful as Rita’s husband Eddie who finds himself lost in Rita’s new role as strike leader while dealing with the loss of his job as he has a hard time trying to deal with what his wife is doing.

Bob Hoskins is superb as Albert, the foreman who helps out Rita and the other women in their strike as he believes they deserve a fair share. Miranda Richardson is amazing as Barbara Castle as Richardson brings a no-nonsense approach to the famed politician as well as a charm as it’s definitely one of Richardson’s best performances. Finally, there’s Sally Hawkins in a remarkable role as Rita O’Grady where she brings a real-life determination as a wife and mother who wants to have the same respect her husband has while fighting for her friends who work beside her. While Hawkins gets to have a few funny moments, it is mostly a dramatic one as it showcases the range she has proving that she’s one of the best actresses working today.

Made in Dagenham is a solid and good-hearted film from Nigel Cole that features a radiant performance from Sally Hawkins. Despite being uneven in its tone, it is a film that is quite inspirational as well as being a good historical piece about the 1968 Ford machinists strike that led the way to the Equal Pay Act of 1970. In the end, Made in Dagenham is a delightful film from Nigel Cole.

© thevoid99 2012

The Proposition

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/18/06.

Known for his dark lyrics, brooding music as an iconic artist in the Alternative rock genre with his band the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave has often made songs about the dark side with subjects ranging from murder to drug addiction. From his early years in the band the Birthday Party to the Bad Seeds, the Australian rocker has endured as a figure in rock music. While his work as a musician brought him success, Cave has always had interest in the world of cinema where he often collaborates with director John Hillcoat on music videos for the band. Several of Cave's songs have been used in the film work of Wim Wenders including the song Red Right Hand that was used in Wes Craven's 1996 horror classic Scream. In 2005, Cave and Hillcoat teamed up to create a film that was close to Cave's heart in is love for the Western in a film simply entitled The Proposition.

Written by Nick Cave and directed by John Hillcoat, The Proposition is set in 1880 Australia in the hot Outback where a police captain in a local town makes a deal with a criminal to free his younger brother in order to capture his psychotic, murderous older brother. Meanwhile, amidst a rebellion among Aborigines and pressure from his superior, the captain is trying to protect his wife from her newfound surroundings. Shooting on location in the hot, sweltering land of the Australian outback, the film is a reminder of Australia in its early days where the country was considered as a hell-hole in some eyes. Starring Guy Pearce, Danny Huston, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, David Wenham, and Emily Watson. The Proposition is further proof that the Western is still alive in all of its bloody glory.

After a bloody shootout between police, Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) and his younger brother Mikey (Richard Wilson) are captured by Captain Morris Stanley (Ray Winstone). With the murder of a woman that still haunts the town that Stanley is trying to protect and with the Burns connected to that murder, Stanley offers Charlie a proposition. Since Mikey is very young and completely innocent, Stanley offers Mikey and Charlie pardons if Charlie hunts down his older, psychotic brother Arthur (Danny Huston) in 9 days until Mikey is hanged on Christmas. Charlie takes the proposition as Mikey remains jailed while Captain Stanley watches over the town with recent news of a rebellion among Aborigines as he hasn't returned home in a few days. Concerned for his well-being is Stanley's wife Martha (Emily Watson), who hasn't seen him a few days as she got a peek at Mikey.

Charlie rides into the Outback desert where he encounters an aging bounty hunter Jellon Lamb (John Hurt) who is trying to find Arthur Burns. After a conversation that involves drinking, Charlie knocks out the hunter as he continues on his journey. Back in town, Stanley learns from his Aborigine officer Jocko (David Gulpilil) of a growing rebellion after capturing some troops where the location of Arthur Burns was revealed. Stanley gets a visit from his superior Eden Fletcher (David Wenham) on trying to restore order about the Aborigine rebels and the presence of Arthur Burns. Martha's visits to the town brought some trouble as she is reminded of the murder of the woman from Arthur Burns is her friend. Charlie gets closer to where Arthur is hiding where he's attacked by Aborigines only to be saved by Arthur's gang that included the young Stanley Stoat (Tom Budge) and Aborigine Two Bob (Tom E. Lewis). Wounded from the attack, Charlie is found in the hideout where Arthur lives as he often looks into the Outback landscape on sunset.

When Fletcher learns of Stanley's proposition, he decides to take matters into his own hands in punishing Mikey with 40 lashes to the back. Stanley tries to stop the matter as his wife also sees the punishment unaware of its damage. Haunted by the image, Martha is forced to recall a dream to her husband involving the murdered woman while Mikey is suffering from his punishment. With Stanley's men led by Jocko going into the land to find the Aborigine rebels, they find themselves closer to Arthur Burns as a bloody battle ensues where Arthur and Two Bob kills them. After an attack from Lamb, Charlie survives as his wounds are healed where he, Arthur, Stoat, and Two Bob decide to save Mikey where Arthur reveals some true intentions as Charlie is stuck in the middle between two brothers.

While the Western genre hasn't seen anything that is close to its greatness in several years, it seems that the genre in the context of American and European standpoints have run out of ideas. Fortunately for a place like Australia, there is a new idea of what the West is and like the great films before them, it's not very pretty. Setting the film in 1880s Australia seems to be a sense of inspiration for director John Hillcoat and screenwriter Nick Cave for its despair, heat, and the tension between settlers and Aborigines. What the film has isn't just the epic scope of the Westerns of Sergio Leone and the anti-heroism of Clint Eastwood but also the violence and morals of Sam Peckinpah. In many ways, Hillcoat and Cave have reinvented the West back into its gritty, desolate tone.

The story and plot in many ways seem like something that Nick Cave could've come up with if he was making it into another song or a collection of songs in an album. Particularly since the film revolves around a rape/murder of a woman who is connected to every major character in the film. The film has a sense of melancholia surrounding its characters, particularly Martha Stanley recalling a dream and how it relates to the murder and the way Charlie reacts around his brother Arthur. Cave's study of character, surroundings, and morals is unique in how it's interpreted since they're all more than just the one-dimensional stereotype that's expected from the genre. The language of the West, notably in Australian terms circa 1880 is very authentic to the way someone like an Englishman like Cpt. Stanley reacts to Australia which he refers to as a hell-hole. The script Cave has created is one of the most fascinating of any Western script where the famed rock icon has now opened a new path into his creative psyche.

Helping Cave in his story is director John Hillcoat who definitely uses the Australian Outback as an atmosphere and location that not many will understand. Since the Outback is mostly a desert land that stretches for miles, it's known more for its open spaces and unbearable heat which definitely brings light to the story. The heat in the desert gives a bleakness that Hillcoat coats with not just sweat in the characters but also flies on their bodies and clothes. Most of the male characters aren't clean-shaven nor are someone who has taken a bath. Hillcoat's bleak presentation doesn't give the audience a look that is likely to pretty since it's the West. The West isn't meant to be pretty despite the fact that the locations do create an epic scope and scenery that is breathtaking in a way that only Sergio Leone would've loved. Overall, the direction that Hillcoat gives is some of the best work ever done in a Western since Clint Eastwood's 1992 masterpiece The Unforgiven.

Helping Hillcoat with his visual presentation is French cinematographer Benoit Delhomme whose photography style for this film is absolutely stunning. Taking advantage of the Outback landscape, the yellow sunlight is very prevalent in many scenes to convey the bleak heat of the location as well the night sequences which is awash with wonderful blue, greenish night colors as well as shots of the sunset that is breathtaking. Interior sequences take advantage of the yellow sunlight of the film with shades and intimate settings including a few shots in the Stanley home where the blue-green look of one scene is beautiful as well as a shot with red silhouette that is amazing. Delhomme's photography is amazing for its beauty and atmosphere.

Production designer Chris Kennedy and art directors Bill Booth and Marita Mussett also take advantage of the locations by creating a bleak town where everything looks a bit old and everything is very primitive while the Stanley home is completely different from its Victorian look inside and the gardens outside to bring a contrast of lands and idealism. Costume designer Margot Wilson does great work in creating the dirty costumes of many of male cast with old bowler hats, sombreros, and other objects while Emily Watson gets to wear a great array of old, Victorian dresses that presents the same contrast to her own world clashing with Australian culture. Sound editor Paul Davies does some great work in capturing the wind and bleakness of the Outback. Editors Jon Gregory and Ian Seymour also does some great editing to bring out long shots and perspective cutting to make the audience aware of the situation and surroundings of where the characters are as it's done in a leisurely pace for 105-minutes.

The music written and performed by Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds bandmate Warren Ellis is mostly ambient-driven to convey the brooding texture of the film with Cave's haunting vocals. The music isn't reminiscent of the work of Ennio Morricone but rather take Morricone's approach to intensity to make way for action while Cave adds some traditional songs of the Irish including the standard of Danny Boy that is sung in a brooding fashion. It's a wonderful score from the talented Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

The film has a great cast that includes some noted small roles from Robert Morgan as a sergeant, David Gulpilil, Bogdan Koca and Sue Dwyer as a couple from the town, Leah Purcell as an Aborigine nurse from Arthur, and a quick cameo from Noah Taylor as an ill-fated gang member in the film's first showdown sequence. Tom E. Lewis is great as Arthur's psychotic yet wise friend Two-Bob who is aware of the Aborigine struggle while maintaining his own identity. Tom Budge is excellent as the crazed yet young Stoat who can do some nice singing of old Irish standards while going along with Arthur's devious plans. Richard Wilson, who looks like the late River Phoenix, is great as the youngest brother of the clan Mikey Burns with his innocent presence, fearsome personality, and a childlike mind as a young man unaware of where he is or what's going on.

David Wenham is great as the intimidating, clean-cut Eden Fletcher whose superiority clashes with the morals of Captain Stanley as Wenham brings a great presence and look to a character who doesn't care about right and wrong but about power. John Hurt is hilarious as a crazed bounty hunter who says awful things about people notably the Irish while is mad into capturing Arthur Burns as Hurt's brief appearance is wonderful to watch. Emily Watson delivers another great performance as the innocent, haunted Martha Stanley whose murder of a friend has frightened her while trying to find some escape in her own home while wondering about everything around her as she and Ray Winstone have some wonderful chemistry. Ray Winstone also delivers a complex performance as a police captain who has to uphold the law while trying to be fair in a town that isn't so fair and being a protective shield for his wife.

In a performance that can be described as brooding, Danny Huston delivers an amazing yet troubling performance as the psychotic Arthur Burns. Huston channels all of the starkness of a character who is so reclusive and so murderous that he can only come from someone like Nick Cave. Huston hits all the right notes of quietness into his character when he's in some form of peace when he’s watching the sunset yet when he becomes a psycho, his character brings a complexity of danger that it is intimidating to watch. Huston truly delivers a performance that ranks up there with the legacy his famed family has made. Guy Pearce also delivers a fantastic performance that is completely against some of his more comical and tough-guy persona to explore more darker territory. Playing a somewhat traditional, anti-hero character like the movies Sergio Leone made with Clint Eastwood, Pearce adds an edge and brooding texture to his performance as a man caught in the middle of an uneasy proposition. Pearce looking very ragged reveals a man who is trying to do what's right yet is in conflict to loyalty over his two brothers as Pearce adds all of the angst and grittiness of a traditional Western character.

The Proposition is a full-blown masterpiece from John Hillcoat and Nick Cave with a great cast led by Guy Pearce, Danny Huston, Ray Winstone, Emily Watson, David Wenham, and John Hurt. Fans of the Western genre who for years have been disappointed in what the genre's been giving can wait no more. This film is a return to what the Western is and what it should be. Thanks to its awe-inspiring location, epic-scope, grittiness, and odes to the traditions of the genre, this is a film that definitely lives up to what famed directors like John Ford, Sergio Leone, and Sam Peckinpah had in mind. In the end, The Proposition brings back the West into its unruly, enchanting glory. 

(C) thevoid99 2011