(Winner of the Palm Dog Award to Einstein at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival)
The film follows the lives of a family whose patriarch is a famous sculptor in the twilight years of his life while his fame and modest success has managed to overshadow his three children who all cope with their own disappointment towards themselves and not living up to his fame. It’s a film that takes a simple premise of family dysfunction as three adult siblings cope with their own lives as they all have to tend to their father who is starting to go through health issues but also unruly behavior in the way he reacts toward certain things. Noah Baumbach’s screenplay has a structure that does focus on these three siblings but also one of the sibling’s kids who has just entered college as it showcase not just trying to cope with the family patriarch but also themselves. The eldest in Danny (Adam Sandler) had just split up from his wife as he’s in New York City taking his 18-year old daughter Eliza to Bard where she is planning to study film while Danny is moving in with his father in Harold Meyerowitz (Dustin Hoffman) and hippy stepmother Maureen (Emma Thompson).
Also at the home is his younger sister Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) who is spending time to help out her father following an injury he suffered involving the dog while Maureen often goes away for seminars only to come back drunk. Danny and Jean are upset to learn that Maureen is planning to sell the family home as well as some of Harold’s art work with their younger half-brother Matthew (Ben Stiller) handling all of the finances. The unemployed Danny and Jean agree to create a retrospective at the Bard for Harold following an event for Harold’s old friend L.J. Shapiro (Judd Hirsch) where Danny reunited with his childhood friend in Shapiro’s daughter Loretta (Rebecca Miller). Yet, that event would prompt some issues from Harold who is jealous towards Shaprio’s success claiming that Shapiro is mediocre compared to himself. The section on Matthew who visits New York City from Los Angeles where he is starting his own accounting business deals with the fact that his own success doesn’t really impress his father as it also causes resentment from his half-siblings whom he is convinced are damaged because of their father. When Harold becomes ill due to the injuries he had sustained some time earlier, the siblings and Eliza deal with the possibility of his impending death as the script also showcase dialogue where Baumbach often have characters talking over one another as it play into the dysfunction of themselves and relationship with one another.
Baumbach’s direction does have some style yet much of his compositions are straightforward as much of the film is shot on location in New York City as well as areas upstate with Sarah Lawrence College playing the role of Bard. Baumbach does use wide shots that do play into some of the locations but much of his compositions emphasize on close-ups and medium shots to play into the interaction between the characters in the film. Notably as there are these elements that feel loose such as the first scene of Danny trying to find an open parking spot as he and Eliza are about to meet Harold as Baumbach also play into some of the awkwardness that is happening that includes some of the strange cuisine that Maureen has created. Baumbach’s approach to humor doesn’t play into these sexually-provocative student films that Eliza has created for her film class but also in the way the siblings react to a situation involving their father such as a scene of Matthew trying to go after a man who had mistakenly taken Harold’s coat.
Baumbach also plays into these moments of tension as it relates to Matthew’s absentee presence as it showcases a man who is still dealing with the fact that he has issues with his dad while his mother Julia (Candice Bergen) who was Harold’s third wife feels guilty over the way she treated Danny and Jean. The scenes in the second half as it relates to Harold being hospitalized and the idea of him dying does come into play where Jean does reveal a harrowing story of what happened to her as a teenager in relation to a friend of Harold a long time ago. It is followed by a moment of comical bonding for Danny and Matthew yet it would be followed by the two going to their father’s retrospective with Jean and Eliza as it showcases the pain that their father caused towards them. The film’s chapters emphasize on Danny, Matthew, Harold’s health, Jean’s story, and a final chapter on Harold’s fate but also the future that is Eliza. Yet, its ending is about these three siblings as they try to cope with their father’s shadow and how they would break out of it. Overall, Baumbach crafts a funny yet somber film about a family coping with the disappointments of their lives and the emotional chaos laid upon them from their father.
Cinematographer Robbie Ryan does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography to capture the autumn-like season of New York City and areas upstate including Massachusetts for the scenes at the hospital while maintaining some low-key lights for some of the interior scenes at night. Editor Jennifer Lame does excellent work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts help play into some of the film’s emotionally-intense scenes along with some stylish cuts for Eliza’s student films. Production designer Gerald Sullivan, with set decorator Kris Moran and art director Nicolas Locke, does fantastic work with the look of the home that Harold and Maureen have in the city as well as Maureen’s country home upstate as it is filled with all sorts of things including the former’s art work. Costume designer Joseph G. Aulisi does amazing work with the costumes from some of the clothes that Eliza wears to the strange and hippie clothing of Maureen.
Special effects supervisor Jeff Brink and visual effects supervisor Andrew Lim do terrific work on some of the film’s minimal effects that mainly is featured in some of Eliza’s student films. Sound editor Paul Hsu does superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects that are created for Eliza’s student films but also in being straightforward of the way a gathering sounds like or how things sound in a location such as Matthew talking to his son on the phone while at a gas station. The film’s music by Randy Newman is wonderful with its low-key yet piano-based score that plays into some of the film’s melancholia with some string-based pieces in some of the dramatic moments while Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham provide some offbeat music pieces for Eliza’s student films. Music supervisor George Drakoulias creates a fun soundtrack that features music from Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force, Cameo, Prefab Sprouts, and a few classical pieces and some original songs written by Adam Sandler and Noah Baumbach.
The casting by Douglas Aibel and Francine Maisler is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Sigourney Weaver as herself at Shapiro’s retrospective, Josh Hamilton as a friend of Loretta at the Shapiro retrospective, Danny Flaherty as Eliza’s boyfriend Marcus, Sakina Jeffrey as Dr. Malina Soni who watches over Harold, Gayle Rankin as the nurse Pam that also watches over Harold, Jerry Matz as an old friend of Harold in Paul whom Jean dislikes, Mickey Sumner as an attendee of Harold’s retrospective at Bard that Matthew becomes attracted to, Matthew Shear as Matthew’s colleague Gabe who tries to help out in handling Harold’s financial situations, and Adam Driver in a terrific one-scene performance as a client of Matthew’s in Randy who trying to get his dream apartment made despite the lack of finances he has. Candice Bergen is fantastic in her one-scene appearance as Matthew’s mother and Harold’s third wife Julia who hadn’t seen Harold in years while laments over the way she treated Danny and Jean feeling she only made things worse for them.
Judd Hirsch is excellent as L.J. Shapiro who is an old friend of Harold who is the embodiment of what Harold could’ve been if he wasn’t much of a prick yet Hirsch is someone who often praises Harold and his work feeling that Harold should’ve gotten more recognition. Rebecca Miller is brilliant as Shapiro’s daughter Loretta who is also an old childhood friend of Danny as the two reminisce about their childhood and being the children of artists as it prompts Danny into wanting to renew a relationship with her. Emma Thompson is amazing as Harold’s fourth wife Maureen as an alcoholic artist who often wears hippie-like clothing and cooks strange feasts as she is someone who believes she has a lot in handling Harold’s financial and health situations despite the fact that she’s kind of a flake though she does mean well.
Grace Van Patten is incredible as Eliza Meyerowitz as Danny’s daughter who is about to go to Bard to study film as she creates these sexually-provocative student films while lamenting over the idea of she can make it as an artist like her grandfather. Elizabeth Marvel is remarkable as Jean Meyerowitz as a woman who works for Xerox as she never showed any ambition while spending much of her time taking care of her father while eventually sharing a secret when she was a teenager that would shock her brothers and becoming a muse for Eliza. Dustin Hoffman is marvelous as Harold Meyerowitz as moderately-successful artist who laments over his lack of major success but also has this attitude where he thinks he’s better than many yet he is a fucking prick when it comes to his kids where he does make them feel terrible as it is one of Hoffman’s great performances.
Ben Stiller is great as Matthew Meyerowitz as the youngest of Harold’s three kids and half-sibling to Jean and Danny as someone who has found success through business and accounting while dealing with the fact that his success doesn’t mean much to his father and often brings a lot of insecurities towards his siblings whom he felt never had the chance to connect with. Finally, there’s Adam Sandler in a phenomenal performance as Danny Meyerowitz as the eldest of the three siblings as an unemployed man that was once a gifted musician but quit due to his insecurities as he copes with an unresolved limp and trying to take of his father as well as the lack of connection he has with his siblings as it is a somber yet charming performance from Sandler.
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) is a sensational film from Noah Baumbach. Featuring a great ensemble cast with standout performances from Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Marvel, Grace Van Patten, and Emma Thompson, insightful and witty observation on family dysfunction and art, gorgeous visuals, and a terrific music score from Randy Newman. It is a rich and compelling film that explores family dysfunction as well as the idea of a family who are dealing with man’s legacy who is filled with complications and their own shortcomings but also themselves as they try to find ways to be together. In the end, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) is a spectacular film from Noah Baumbach.
Noah Baumbach Films: Kicking and Screaming (1995 film) - Highball - Mr. Jealousy - The Squid & the Whale - Margot at the Wedding - Greenberg - Frances Ha - While We're Young - Mistress America - De Palma - Marriage Story - (White Noise (2022 film)) - The Auteurs #41: Noah Baumbach
© thevoid99 2021
Based on the novel The Siege of Trencher’s Farm by Gordon M. Williams, Straw Dogs is the story of an American mathematician who moves to a small English town with his wife where they’re later terrorized by locals that includes a former flame of his wife as it leads to trouble. Directed by Sam Peckinpah and screenplay by Peckinpah and David Zelag Goodman, the film is a study of a man trying to live a peaceful life only to be confronted by the darkest aspects of humanity in a world he has very little clue about. Starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George. Straw Dogs is a harrowing yet visceral film from Sam Peckinpah.
Set in this small town in England, the film revolves around a couple who move into the place where it’s the hometown of the wife as she and her American husband become terrorized by some of its locals that would include a former flame of hers. It’s a film that isn’t just about a home invasion but a man being tested to do whatever it takes to protect himself and his wife as the former is seen as an outsider who has managed to rub the locals the wrong way without intending to. Especially as he’s just this mild-mannered mathematician that is more concerned with living a quiet life and writing a book. Yet, his attempts to socialize and befriend these locals only cause troubles in his marriage as the reappearance of his wife’s old flame would be the catalyst for chaos. The screenplay by Sam Peckinpah and David Zelag Goodman isn’t just an exploration of what a man will do to fight back but also deal with being a total outsider in this strange world. The protagonist David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman) is this intellect that is trying to escape from the world of conventional society for something that is simple and with very little distraction.
By going to the hometown of his wife Amy (Susan George), Sumner thinks he’s made the right choice but a series of small incidents would come into play as the men he’s hired to build his garage and do things around his home would be troubling as one of them is Amy’s former boyfriend Charlie Venner (Del Henney). While Sumner would gain a few friends in a former officer and a mentally-handicapped villager in Henry Niles (David Warner). His encounters with some of the locals that include the local drunkard Tom Hedden (Peter Vaughan) is suspicious about Sumner because he’s an outsider. The Sumner character is also someone that isn’t keen on being confrontational while he does get frustrated with what is happening around him as he and Amy start to bicker. Even as things start to happen towards the course of the story where it is clear Amy is hiding something from him that eventually leads to this home invasion led by Venner and Hedden over an incident that doesn‘t relate to the Sumners.
Peckinpah’s direction is restrained at first for the most part though it does have shots of blatant sexuality as it relates to Amy’s beauty and the fact that she often never wears a bra. Peckinpah makes no qualms in how he would present women as sexual beings even though he doesn’t see Amy as just that but a full-fledge character who is just attractive and manages to get men to look at her. Still, Peckinpah is more about that sense of this outsider arriving into a world that he has very little clue about where he uses some wide and medium shots to play into that sense of disconnect as well as Sumner’s attempt to be part of it no matter how awkwardly he tries to socialize with the locals. Peckinpah’s approach to the drama is very simple while he also would play into the suspense as it relates to a series of small events that would shake up the Sumners. One notable sequence in the film’s second act that involves an encounter between Amy and Venner as well as a friend of Venner while Sumner is at the countryside for a hunt. It’s a moment that marks a major plot-point for the film where a lot has changed as the tone of the film would get darker.
Notably in this harrowing climax as it relates to the home invasion that the Sumners would endure as well as what Sumner would learn about what happened to his wife that would eventually drive him to the edge. It is definitely one of the scariest and most violent climaxes Peckinpah has created with its array of camera angles and compositions that play into that sense of terror. Overall, Peckinpah creates a riveting and terrifying film about a mild-mannered man being forced to the edge to protect his wife.
Cinematographer John Coquillon does brilliant work with the film‘s low-key yet hazy cinematography with its usage of the fog for some of the scenes at night as well as the grayness in some of the locations set in England as it help sets the eerie tone of the film in its interior/exterior settings. Editors Paul Davies, Tony Lawson, and Roger Spottiswoode do amazing work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion cuts, superimposed dissolves, and montages to play into the sense of memory and violence that the Sumners would encounter. Production Ray Simm and art director Ken Bridgeman do excellent work with the look of the Sumners home as well as the pub where many of the locals socialize at.
Sound editors Garth Craven and Norman Savage do superb work with the sound from the quieter moments in the film as well as some of the tense moments involving guns and breaking glass. The film’s music by Jerry Fielding is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that play into the drama and suspenseful moments while some of the music is mainly traditional as well as a Scottish record that Sumner owns.
The casting by Miriam Brickman is fantastic as it include some small roles from Colin Welland as the local bishop, Peter Arne as Niles’ brother John, Cherina Schaer as the bishop’s wife, Len Jones as Hedden’s son Bobby, Sally Thomsett as Hedden’s daughter in the flirtatious Janice, T.P. McKenna as Major John Scott who befriends Sumner, and David Warner in an un-credited performance as Henry Niles as a mentally-handicapped man whom Sumner befriends and would later try to protect. Ken Hutchison, Donald Webster, and Jim Norton are terrific in their roles as three men who would work for Sumner only to do some very bad things as they would later try and terrorize the Sumner home as one of them is a friend of Venner. Del Henney is excellent as Charlie Venner as an old flame of Amy who wants to rekindle their love only to cause some trouble and later take part in the home invasion.
Peter Vaughan is brilliant as Tom Hedden as a local drunkard who doesn’t really like Sumner as he thinks Sumner is better than everyone while also have some disdain towards Henry Niles because he’s different. Susan George is amazing as Amy Sumner as this woman who is trying to make sense of what her husband wants as well as do things to antagonize some of the locals where she would eventually put herself in serious trouble. Finally, there’s Dustin Hoffman in an incredible performance as David Sumner as this mild-mannered mathematician that isn’t keen on confrontation as he tries to conduct his life without bothering anyone until he is being pushed to the edge where he is forced to act and defend himself and his wife anyway he can.
Straw Dogs is a phenomenal film from Sam Peckinpah that features a great performance from Dustin Hoffman. Along with a great supporting cast, eerie visuals, and some intense moments that isn’t for everyone. It’s a film that explores not just some of the dark aspects of humanity but also what it would take for a man to venture into that world. In the end, Straw Dogs is a spectacular film from Sam Peckinpah.
Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Junior Bonner - The Getaway - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - The Killer Elite - Cross of Iron - Convoy - The Osterman Weekend - The Auteurs #62: Sam Peckinpah
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the non-fiction novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra, Sleepers is the story of four young boys from the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City whose lives were changed when they were sent to a brutal juvenile hall as they endured sexual abuse by guards only to get revenge on them many years later as adults. Written for the screen and directed by Barry Levinson, the film is an exploration of men who deal with the abuse that had changed them as two of them go on trial for the murder of one with two of the men trying to find ways to mess the trial up as one of them is a prosecutor trying against them. Starring Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver, Billy Crudup, Ron Eldard, Brad Renfro, Joe Perrino, Jonathan Tucker, Geoffrey Wigdor, Bruno Kirby, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert de Niro. Sleepers is a chilling yet evocative film from Barry Levinson.
Told in the span of nearly 20 years, the film revolves around four boys living in the Hell Kitchen’s section of New York City where an act of theft just to eat hot dogs led to an accident that nearly killed a man. In response to what happened, the boys are sent to the Wilkinson Home for Boys where they would be abused physically and sexually by guards as the experience would haunt them as adults where two of them would finally get revenge on one of the guards as they’re tried for murder by one of the men who would mastermind everything to make sure he loses and his friends go free. It’s a film that is part of a revenge film but it’s also about abuse and what drove these men into trying to free themselves from this horrific experience. All of which is told by one of the men who is a journalist as he reflects on his childhood as well as what he wants to do where he even gets a local priest involved in the trial.
Barry Levinson’s script has a unique structure as much of the first half is set in the mid-to-late 1960s as it revolves around these four boys who were just regular kids that go to church, do small yet non-violent jobs for a local Mafia kingpin, and play stickball. Due to a prank where everything went wrong and be sent to this juvenile hall, their lives change thanks in part to this guard named Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon) who would abuse them in the worst way with three other guards. The abuse becomes intense to the point that they couldn’t even tell their parents nor their priest in Father Bobby Carillo (Robert de Niro). The film’s second half takes place fourteen years later where the boys become adults as Tommy Marcano (Billy Crudup) and John Reilly (Ron Eldard) have become career criminals and discover Nokes eating a restaurant where they confront and later kill him. With the aid of assistant district attorney Michael Sullivan (Brad Pitt) being their prosecutor who wants to lose the case against them with help from the washed-up alcoholic attorney Danny Snyder (Dustin Hoffman) to represent Marcano and Reilly.
Yet, Sullivan and Lorenzo “Shakes” Carcatetta (Jason Patric) are aware that it’s not enough to help Marcano and Reilly be found not guilty as they would also mastermind revenge on the three other guards with the aid of the local Mafia boss King Benny (Vittorio Gassman) as well as longtime childhood friend Carol (Minnie Driver) as the latter would later learn about the abuse Carcatetta, Marcano, Reilly, and Sullivan endured as Father Bobby would also learn what happened. Yet, the film’s third act is about what Father Bobby is being asked to do by Carcatetta to help Marcano and Reilly as it does become not just a moral issue but also in seeing if Father Bobby could help these men he knew as boys.
Levinson’s direction does have an air of style in the way he presents 1960s Hell’s Kitchen as a place where things were innocent despite some of the dark aspects that surrounds the boys such as Carcatetta seeing his mother be beaten by his father or some of the things that King Benny does to keep his neighborhood clean. It’s as if Levinson recreates 1960s New York City as a time where things were enjoyable and had a bit of danger to it that still made it fun with the usage of the wide and medium shots. By the time the film moves upstate at the juvenile hall, it becomes a much tighter and more unsettling film as Levinson’s direction really maintains that haunting atmosphere. The scenes of abuse are never shown as Levinson is more concerned about what will happen before and its aftermath which just adds that sense of terror.
Once the film reaches its second half, it is set in a more modern world but one that is very dark in terms of its imagery but also in the impact of the violence. Notably the scene where Marcano and Reilly see Nokes and confront him as it is quite eerie as well as being very violent. Levinson’s direction would become stylish in the way Carcatetta and Sullivan would set things up as it includes a meeting between King Benny and another crime lord in Little Caesar (Wendell Pierce) as it relates to the latter whose brother was in the same juvenile hall the four boys were in. It’s a small scene but one that showcases an air of respect in the world of crime but also in the fact that some debts just can’t be paid with money as King Benny would learn the truth about what happened to boys he had cared about despite what he does for a living. The trial scenes are just as intense emotionally as well as in the climax as it involves Father Bobby’s testimony as it is one of the most chilling moments in the film. Overall, Levinson creates a mesmerizing film about four men getting revenge on those that had abused them at a juvenile hall.
Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the sunny and lively look of the film‘s first act in Hell‘s Kitchen to the eerie look at the juvenile hall that includes some de-colored film stock for a football sequence between the kids and the guards. Editor Stu Linder does nice work with the editing as it has bits of style in a few montages while also being straightforward in its drama and some light-hearted moments. Production designer Kristi Zea, with set decorator Beth A. Rubino and art director Tim Galvin, does fantastic work with the look of the juvenile hall as well as some of the places in Hell‘s Kitchen and the restaurant where Marcano and Reilly see Nokes.
Costume designer Gloria Gresham does terrific work with clothes from the look of the kids in the 1960s to the clothes the characters would wear as adults in the 1980s. Sound designer Richard Beggs and sound editor Tim Holland do superb work with the sound in capturing the vibrant energy of Hell‘s Kitchen to the tense and scary world of the juvenile hall. The film’s music by John Williams is amazing for its low-key yet heavy orchestral score that plays into the drama with its string arrangements as it carries a lot of weight into the story while the soundtrack features an array of music of the 60s like Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the Beach Boys, Donovan, Spencer Davis Group, Love, Dusty Springfield, and Doris Day to music from the Gap Band, Soft Cell, and Everything is Everything.
The casting by Louis DiGiaimo is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from James Pickens Jr. as an African-American guard who doesn’t take shit from Nokes and protects the boys on their first day, Frank Medrano as a Hell’s Kitchen hood in Fat Mancho, Monica Potillo as the young Carol, Aida Turturro as a woman who witnessed Marcano and Reilly at the restaurant, Eugene Byrd as a tough African-American kid named Rizzo the boys befriend at the juvenile hall, Dash Mihok as a juvie who gets into a fight with Sullivan at the juvenile hall, Angela Rago as Shakes’ mother, and John Slattery as a kind English teacher at the juvenile hall. Other noteworthy small roles include Bruno Kirby as Shakes’ father who is strict but fair towards him and Wendell Pierce as the crime lord Little Caesar who is also Rizzo’s older brother as he learns the truth about what happened to him. In the roles of the three guards who abused the boys with Nokes in Jeffrey Donovan as the aspiring politician Henry Addison, Lennie Loftin as the corrupt Adam Styler, and Terry Kinney as Ralph Ferguson are superb in their roles as three men who are quite scary.
In the roles of the younger version of the boys, Joe Perrino as the young Shakes, Brad Renfro as the young Sullivan, Jonathan Tucker as the young Marcano, and Geoffrey Wigdor as the young Reilly are all amazing as they display an innocence to guys who live in the streets of Hell’s Kitchen as they’re unprepared for what they deal with as well as the abuse they’re too ashamed to unveil to their parents and Father Bobby. Vittorio Gassman is excellent as King Benny as a former bodyguard for Lucky Luciano turned local Mob king who learns about what happened to the boys as he does whatever to help them without leaning towards the world of crime. Minnie Driver is fantastic as Carol as a childhood friend who helps Shakes in trying to help Marcano and Reilly while learning about the truth about what happened to them as kids which made her very uneasy. Ron Eldard and Billy Crudup are brilliant in their respective roles as John Reilly and Tommy Marcano as two men who are haunted by their experience as they turn to crime where they finally get some vengeance upon seeing Nokes at a restaurant.
Dustin Hoffman is great as Danny Snyder as this alcoholic lawyer that is given a chance to defend Reilly and Marcano though he is largely unaware of the role he is playing other than getting a chance to become someone again. Robert de Niro is remarkable as Father Bobby Carillo as a priest who has been the one person the boys can turn to as he learns about what happens where he is put into a situation that goes against everything he’s been doing as a priest. Kevin Bacon is phenomenal as Sean Nokes as this abusive and sadistic prison guard who likes to beat up the kids as well as do things to them in his own perverse way of making them tough. Brad Pitt is marvelous as Michael Sullivan as an assistant district attorney who is masterminding the case as an act revenge as he tries whatever he can to lose convincingly while dealing with his own issues as it relates to the abuse he suffered as a kid. Finally, there’s Jason Patric in a tremendous performance as Lorenzo “Shakes” Carcaterra as a journalist who helps Sullivan in trying to get revenge but also is forced to tell Father Bobby and Carol the truth as he also reflects on his past that still haunts him.
Sleepers is an outstanding film from Barry Levinson. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a multi-layered storyline, and eerie yet compelling stories about sexual and child abuse as well as vengeance. It’s a film that is stylish but also manages to do a lot without being heavy-handed nor go too far into material that is quite intense. In the end, Sleepers is a magnificent film from Barry Levinson.
Barry Levinson Films: (Diner) - (The Natural) - (Young Sherlock Holmes) - (Tin Men) - (Good Morning Vietnam) - (Rain Man) - (Avalon (1990 film)) - (Bugsy) - (Toys) - (Jimmy Hollywood) - (Disclosure) - (Wag the Dog) - (Sphere) - (Liberty Height) - (An Everlasting Piece) - (Bandits (2001 film)) - (Envy) - (Man of the Year) - (What Just Happened) - (You Don’t Know Jack) - (The Bay) - (The Humbling) - (Rock the Kasbah) - (The Wizard of Lies)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by David O. Russell and written by Russell and Jeff Baena, I Heart Huckabees is the story of an environmental activist who finds himself dealing with coincidences and such as he hires two existential detectives to help him as others also seek the help of the detectives. The film is an exploration into the world of existentialism as it’s told in a humorous manner as it also features a corporate executive who is the antagonist to the activist. Starring Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, Isabelle Huppert, Lily Tomlin, and Dustin Hoffman. I Heart Huckabees is a truly hilarious and captivating film from David O. Russell.
The film explores the struggles of an environmental activist who is trying to save some marshes from being destroyed in favor of a new department store as he battles a corporate executive who lied to him. Yet, the activist Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) finds himself encountering a tall Sudanese bellboy which prompts him to get the help of two existential detectives in Bernard & Vivian Jaffe (Dustin Hoffman & Lily Tomlin, respectively) where things get complicated as he finds himself in a bigger battle with Huckabees executive Brad Stand (Jude Law) who also hires the Jaffes. With a disgruntled client of the Jaffes in fireman Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlberg) leaning towards the nihilistic views of the Jaffes’ former protégé Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert) as Albert would join Tommy. Things get complicated when the Jaffes’ presence starts to ruin Brad’s life as his girlfriend/Huckabees’ spokeswoman Dawn Campbell (Naomi Watts) starts to rebel against her own image. All of which plays into a group of people questioning themselves as well as their ambitions and roles in life in a very humorous fashion.
The film’s screenplay by David O. Russell and Jeff Baena has an offbeat structure where the first act is about Albert’s frustrations to save the marshes and deal with Brad who constantly bullshits everyone including the people he works for about a story involving country-pop singer Shania Twain and a tuna sandwich. While the Jaffes claim that both Albert and Brad are the same due to their ambitions and the need to make a difference. It’s something Albert refuses to believe as his encounter with Tommy would have him see a much darker view. Tommy is a fireman who despises petroleum as he sees Albert as a man who believes in something where a series of events would have Albert lose the trust of the people trying to save the marshes who go to Brad who is bullshitting them. The second act is about Albert and Tommy turning to Vauban for help as well as revelations for Albert about his own life where Tommy would often combat the Jaffes about their views on how everything is connected while Tommy refutes that.
Then comes this third act where it is about Brad and his own ambitions where his own life would unravel. Even as his relationship with Dawn comes into question as Dawn is often seen wearing skimpy clothes to promote Huckabees as she begins to ask questions about herself and her own relationship. Especially as she would threaten the future of Huckabees and Brad getting into some trouble which would then lead to a major epiphany for all of those involved. Especially the Jaffes and Vauban whose opposing views on the ways of the world would suddenly come together.
Russell’s direction is simple in the way he would shoot some scenes but there’s also something that is very offbeat in the way he plays into many of the film’s humorous moments. Notably the way it opens with Albert cursing at himself for all of the problems he is having where his encounters with this Sudanese bellboy are comical. It plays to the tone of the film where a lot of the humor is absurd as the scene where Albert and Tommy are in a room with the other clients of the Jaffes to showcase a world that is chaotic. The scenes with Vauban doing her own teaches are also absurd as it tries to play into this comical idea of nihilism. There’s also some very offbeat fantasy scenes that play into Albert’s own struggles and his hatred for Brad.
The opposing views of the Jaffes and Vauban would add to the offbeat tone of the direction where Russell would showcase their views through minimal visual effects. The Jaffes present their ideas in dots and such to say that everything is connected in a variation of transcendentalism while Vauban is more grounded in reality where there aren’t any visual effects but one that is still darkly comic. It would all culminate in a scene where it plays into these two diverge forces finally coming together in a moment of enlightenment. Overall, Russell crafts a very witty yet engaging comedy about a young man dealing with the ways of the world and his place in the world.
Cinematographer Peter Deming does excellent work with the film‘s colorful cinematography to capture the naturalistic of the locations in California as well as some of its interiors where a lot of the film is shot on daytime. Editor Robert K. Lambert does brilliant work with the editing with its unique approach to montages and jump-cuts as it plays to the film‘s offbeat style. Production designer K.K. Barrett, with set decorator Gene Serdena and art director Seth Reed, does amazing work with the look of the Huckabees corporate building as well as the home office of the Jaffes to display their eccentric approach of transcendental philosophy.
Costume designer Mark Bridges does nice work with the costumes from the skimpy clothes that Dawn wears in her job to the different array of clothes that Vivian Jaffe and Caterine Vauban would wear. Visual effects supervisor Robert Barrett does fantastic work with the visual effects that play into the ideas of the Jaffes about connection and such as it‘s very playful. Sound editor Kelly Oxford does terrific work with the sound work to play into some of the sounds in the fantasy scenes as well as some of the moments in the location. The film’s music by Jon Brion is an absolute delight with its playful approach to the Chamberlin instrument as well as some folk-based pieces that he brings in to the film.
The casting by Mary Vernieu is incredible as it features some notable appearances from Shania Twain as herself, Richard Jenkins and Jean Smart as a couple who let the Sudanese bellboy live with them, Jonah Hill in his film debut as that couple’s son, Talia Shire as Albert’s mother, Bob Gunton as Albert’s stepfather, Tippi Hedren as a coalition leader who tries to save the marshes where she aligns herself with Brad, Isla Fisher as Dawn’s replacement later in the film, Ger Duany as the tall Sudanese bellboy in Stephen, and Kevin Dunn as the Huckabees executive manager Marty. Naomi Watts is excellent as Dawn Campbell as the Huckabees’ spokeswoman who is often in their commercials and is Brad’s girlfriend as her encounter with existentialism showcases Watts at her funniest as she questions her own image and such.
Isabelle Huppert is amazing as Caterine Vauban as this absurd nihilist who tries to show Albert and Tommy a world where there is nothingness as she proves to be quite extreme and convincing in her views. Dustin Hoffman is brilliant as Bernard Jaffe as this oddball existential detective who is trying to get people on board with his own ideas while Lily Tomlin is fantastic as Bernard’s wife Vivian who also expresses the same views while being more analytical about the people she’s working with. Mark Wahlberg is phenomenal as Tommy Corn as this fireman who rides a bike as he becomes lost in his own despair as he tries to find meaning as it’s Wahlberg in one of his funniest and most vulnerable performances.
Jude Law is superb as Brad Stand as this corporate executive who likes to tell a story about Shania Twain to win over people and such as he’s a man that is quite vain in his ambitions only to realize how empty they can be. Finally, there’s Jason Schwartzman in a marvelous performance as Albert Markovski as this frustrated environmental activist who tries to make a difference as he deals with the different ideas of existentialism and his own issues with Brad as it’s Schwartzman in one of his funniest roles.
I Heart Huckabees is a smart and compelling film from David O. Russell. Armed with a great ensemble cast and very witty ideas about existentialism, the film is certainly a comedy that doesn’t play to any conventions. Especially as it showcases the idea of existentialism in its most absurd. In the end, I Heart Huckabees is a remarkable film from David O. Russell.
David O. Russell Films: Spanking the Monkey - Flirting with Disaster - Three Kings - The Fighter - Silver Linings Playbook - American Hustle - Accidental Love - Joy (2015 film) - The Auteurs #70: David O. Russell
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy, Midnight Cowboy is the story of a Texan hustler who works with a con man in the street of New York City where they deal with its decay and adversity. Directed by John Schlesinger and written by Waldo Salt, the film explores the friendship between two different men as they struggle to survive in the dark world of New York City. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, John McGiver, Brenda Vaccaro, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Salt, and Barnard Hughes. Midnight Cowboy is a captivating and exhilarating film from John Schlesinger.
The film explores the friendship between two very different men as they struggle to survive the bad part of New York City where they’re ostracized for being different. One of them is a hustler from Texas who arrived to the city on a bus with the hopes to make money by bedding lonely rich women. Instead, Joe Buck (Jon Voight) finds himself dealing with the reality of his situations as he is accused of being gay because of his cowboy outfit as he gets the attention of a crippled con-man in Enrico Salvatore “Ratso” Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) who tries to con Buck yet the two would team up as Rizzo would become Buck’s manager. Yet, they would face lots of adversity as Buck and Rizzo would do whatever to survive and hope to get their hustling business started as well as the desire to move to Florida.
Waldo Salt’s screenplay has a unique structure where its first act is about the hopes and dreams of Buck wanting to go to New York City in his cowboy get-up. Along with a suitcase full of cowboy clothes and such, he’s also carrying emotional baggage from his past as he is haunted by some of these moments. It would serve as motivation for his need to succeed in New York City where he knows that he has an agile body and the ability to pleasure women. Unfortunately, Buck’s idea of being this aw-shucks cowboy who is quite gentlemanly towards women has become passe where he only attracts the attention of gay men. Through meeting Rizzo, Buck would be able to survive the city a little big longer as Rizzo is a con-man with a lot of street smarts. Though he often walks with a limp and looks very dirty but he sees some potential in Buck despite the cowboy get-up.
Salt’s script would also include some dialogue that would play into the drama as well as this unlikely friendship between Buck and Rizzo where the latter tells the former that the cowboy get-up is worn out and that anyone who wears that crap is gay. Buck would be baffled as he couldn’t believe that idea since John Wayne is a cowboy and straighter than anyone. It is part of Buck’s naivete about the ways of the world he’s in yet he and Rizzo do have dreams of living the good life in Florida. Yet, their adversities are often due to Buck’s naiveté as well as some misunderstanding and such where its third act would have the two at a party which would play into some major after-effects. Especially as Rizzo is already ill as he constantly coughs that would later worry Buck.
John Schlesinger’s direction is quite stylish in the way he presents some of the film’s dizzying flashbacks as well as some of the misadventures Buck would have in New York City. Much of it is told in this frenetic style of sorts where there’s a lot of hand-held cameras and strange sequences as it plays to a world where Buck has no clue into what he’s in as if he is an alien. Though things start off in a more light-hearted fashion where Schlesinger shoots Buck in an optimistic fashion where he is on a bus traveling from Texas to New York. There’s an intimacy to some of these compositions as well as how Schlesinger would frame Buck and Rizzo in their decayed apartment that sort of acts as an extension of Rizzo’s personality and declining health.
The direction would also include these very engaging scenes where New York City is a character in the film as it plays into this world of dreams and nightmare just as the city is starting to change in many ways. Much of which would baffle Buck who later learns how to tough it out where he and Rizzo would deal with cab drivers and all sorts of low-life people in the city. The flashback scenes would play into the world that Buck wanted to escape but also a world that he feels like he no longer belongs him where he and Rizzo are still searching for a place that can really feel like home for them. Especially as the film’s climax would have Buck become the engine to drive them to Florida in the hope for a fresh start. Overall, Schlesinger crafts a very compelling yet eerie film about two men surviving the streets of New York City.
Cinematographer Adam Holender does excellent work with the film‘s different photography styles with its vibrant use of colors in some of the exterior and interior settings along with some black-and-white stuff for a few flashbacks and dizzying sequences as well some grainy camera shots for a party scene. Editor Hugh A. Robertson does amazing work with the film‘s stylish editing with its use of jump-cuts and dissolves to create some montages that are quite dizzying and hypnotic to play into the strangeness that Buck would encounter. Production designer John Robert Lloyd and set decorator Philip Smith do terrific work with the look of the apartment Rizzo and Buck would stay at as well as the party they go to.
Costume designer Ann Roth does fantastic work with the costumes from the shirts and hat that Buck wears to the more ragged look of Rizzo. Sound editors Vincent Connelly and Jack Fitzstephens do brilliant work with the sound editing in the sound montages they create for the flashbacks as well as the scenes where Buck would be baffled by his surroundings. The film’s wonderful music soundtrack features a few score pieces by John Barry that plays into the sense of fantasy and plight that Buck and Rizzo would face well as the Fred Neil song Everybody‘s Talkin‘ that is sung by Harry Nilsson as other contributions from Nilsson, Randy Newman, and Warren Zevon to play into the crazy world of 1960s New York City.
The casting by Marion Dougherty is absolutely incredible as the film would feature some early appearances from M. Emmet Walsh as a VF passenger on the bus to New York, Bob Balaban as a student Buck would meet at a movie theater, Warhol superstar Viva as a party host, Jennifer Salt as an old girlfriend of Buck from the film’s flashbacks, Ruth White as Buck’s grandmother in the flashbacks, Gary Owens and T. Tom Marlow as different versions of the young Buck, Barnard Hughes as a troubled townie Buck meets late in the film, and John McGiver as a mysterious man Rizzo would use to con Buck. Brenda Vaccaro is wonderful as a young socialite Buck and Rizzo meets at a party that would be a major deal breaker for Buck in his desires to be a hustler. Sylvia Miles is fantastic as an aging socialite Buck meets early in the film who would prove to be a lot of trouble.
Finally, there’s the performances of Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight as both of them give absolutely outstanding performances in their respective roles as Enrico Rizzo and Joe Buck. Hoffman has this air of griminess to his character that makes him quite confrontational as well as be a bit of a slime ball but there is a lot of grit into his role as he is just trying to guide Buck into surviving New York City while hiding his own ailments. Voight brings a sense of charisma to his performance as this naïve Texan who wants to hustle but finds himself in a world that he doesn’t know. Hoffman and Voight have great camaraderie in the way they display their friendship as well as their differences which adds to the film’s brilliance.
Midnight Cowboy is a tremendous film from John Schlesinger that features riveting performances from Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. The film is definitely a very provocative yet mesmerizing film that explores two different men trying to survive the harshness of New York City in its most chaotic. Especially as it’s also a film about loneliness and a world where two men feel out of step with that world. In the end, Midnight Cowboy is a phenomenal film from John Schlesinger.
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the comic novel by Thomas Berger, Little Big Man is the story of a white man who was raised by the Cheyenne Indian nation since he was a child in the 19th Century as he deals with prejudices that Native Americans face during the Indian Wars in America. Directed by Arthur Penn and screenplay by Calder Willingham, the film is a revisionist western that mixes satire with elements of tragedy where a man deals with his identity as well as a world that doesn‘t make any sense. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George, Martin Balsam, Richard Mulligan, and Cal Bellini. Little Big Man is a whimsical yet engaging film from Arthur Penn.
The film is told from the perspective of a 121-year old man who recalls his life when he was raised by the Cheyenne Indians following the death of his parents in an ambush where he would eventually take on various roles in the course of life which would culminate in Battle of Little Big Horn. Yet, that 121-year old man would endure many prejudices and injustice in the course of his life as he is known as Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) yet his Cheyenne name is Little Big Man as he is known for being small but with a big heart as he is raised by the wise yet eccentric Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George). Throughout the course of his life, he encounters a horny preacher’s wife in Mrs. Pendrake (Faye Dunaway), a swindling salesman named Meriweather (Martin Balsam), Wild Bill Hickok (Jeff Corey), and all sorts of individuals including General George Armstrong Custer (Richard Mulligan).
The film’s screenplay begins and ends with the elderly Crabb who tells his story to an interviewer (William Hickey) who starts doubting Crabb’s story until Crabb talks about everything he’s experienced. Though he would be raised by Old Lodge Skins and treated fairly by the tribe with the exception of a young Cheyenne in Young Bear (Cal Bellini) who would later owe a life debt to Crabb who saved his life. During a battle with the cavalry, Crabb would get wounded and later be sent to the world of the white where he would endure many adventures. One of which include marry a Swedish immigrant (Kelly Jean Peters) and later a Cheyenne woman named Sunshine (Aimee Eccles) along with her sisters. Still, he would also endure the atrocities that Armstrong and the cavalry would do where he would wait for some vengeance. At the same time, he also deals with the complications over the state of the world and questions into why Native Americans are being killed because they refuse to conform with the rest of society.
Arthur Penn’s direction is quite vast in terms of what he wanted to say about the American cavalry’s war with the Native Americans during the late 19th Century as it relates to some of the things that were happening in the Vietnam War. Much of it is played with humor and some dark humor as it is told from the perspective of a man stumbling around his surroundings as he would try to be religious, a gunslinger, aiding a crooked salesman, run a shop that goes wrong, and all of the things that white people do which makes him unhappy and desperate. Penn’s direction would include a lot of wide shots of the landscapes as much of it was shot in Montana along with some scenes in Alberta, Canada to play into that feel of the American West. It’s a world that is quite free whenever Crabb is with the Cheyenne though there’s moments that are quite absurd that includes the portrayal of General Custer. Custer is shown as an egotistical and offbeat lunatic who is so full of himself as he would be a sense of bafflement to everyone including his own soldiers.
The film would have some violent moments where Crabb watches the slaughters of women and children in the film as it would lead him to see Custer’s death happen. It’s aftermath would force Crabb to see that it would be a hollow victory as it would unveil a much bleaker future as the old Crabb would endure that sense of loss. Overall, Penn crafts a very sensational and provocative film about a man trying to find his identity as he endures prejudice and the horrors of humanity.
Cinematographer Harry Stradling Jr. does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the colorful yet vibrant daytime exteriors of the desert and plain locations to the use of lighting for some of the interior scenes as well as some shots set at night. Editor Dede Allen does brilliant work with the editing with its use of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor and drama. Production designer Dean Tavoularis, with set decorator George R. Nelson and art director Angelo P. Graham, does amazing work with the design of the soda pop shop that Crabb and Mrs. Pendrake go to as well as the teepees that the Cheyenne tribe stays in.
Costume designer Dorothy Heakins does fantastic work with the design of the lavish dresses that Mrs. Pendrake wears as well as the gunslinger suit that Crabb would wear for a brief moment. Makeup designer Dick Smith does superb work with the makeup design to showcase Crabbe as an old man who would tell his story. The sound work of Bud Alper and Al Overton Jr. do terrific work with the sound to play into the sound of gunfire as well as some of the moments that goes on in the battle scenes. The film’s music by John Hammond is wonderful for its mixture of folk and blues to play into the film’s quirky humor as well as some of the darker moments such as the cavalry cadence numbers.
The casting by Gene Lasko is phenomenal as it features some notable small performances from William Hickey as the skeptical interviewer, Thayer David as the very cruel Reverend Pendrake, Ruben Moreno as the Cheyenne warrior Shadow That Comes in Sight who would take Crabb to the Cheyenne tribe, Robert Little Star as the flamboyant Little Horse, Carl Bellini as the very eccentric yet unfriendly warrior Young Shadow, Carole Androsky as Crabb’s older sister Caroline who had become a bandit, Alan Howard and Ray Dimas as the younger versions of Crabb, Kelly Jean Peters as Crabb’s Swedish wife Olga, and Aimee Eccles as the Cheyenne woman that Crabb saves and later marries in Sunshine. Jeff Corey is terrific as Wild Bill Hickok who learns about Crabb’s reputation as a gunslinger only to reveal to him what it takes to be a true gunslinger. Martin Balsam is excellent as the oily salesman Meriweather who uses his disability to swindle people and such as he would play into Crabb’s encounter with the world at its worst.
Richard Mulligan is brilliant as General George Armstrong Custer as this very off-the-wall individual who thinks so highly of himself to the point that he is this moron that is unaware of what is going to happen to him. Faye Dunaway is fantastic as Mrs. Pendrake as this wife of a preacher who falls for Crabb as she shows him the ways of temptation while later appearing as a woman trying to find herself. Chief Dan George is great as Old Lodge Skins as this Cheyenne chief that had seen it all as he would guide Crabb into the ways of life as well as the troubles of the ways of the white man. Finally, there’s Dustin Hoffman in a remarkable performance as the titular character/Jack Crabb as this white man who is raised by the Cheyenne as he tries to deal with his identity as well as the ways of the world as it’s a performance that has Hoffman be funny but also full of humility and bewilderment as a man that deals with the horrors of humanity.
Little Big Man is a marvelous film from Arthur Penn that features a riveting performance from Dustin Hoffman. It’s a film that showcases the world of the American West and some of the atrocities that happened to Native Americans where it’s told with some satirical humor and some dark moments. Overall, Little Big Man is a phenomenal film from Arthur Penn.
Arthur Penn Films: (The Left-Handed Gun) - (The Miracle Worker) - (Mickey One) - (The Chase (1966 film)) - (Bonnie & Clyde) - (Flesh and Blood (1968 film)) - (Alice’s Restaurant) - (Visions of Eight) - (Night Moves (1975 film)) - The Missouri Breaks - (Four Friends) - (Target (1985 film)) - (Dead of Winter) - (Penn & Teller Get Killed) - (The Portrait) - (Inside (1996 film))
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Marc Forster and written by Zach Helm, Stranger Than Fiction is the story of an IRS auditor who learns that he’s a character in a book that’s being written as he also learns that he is about to die. The film is an exploration into a man learning about his death as he tries to make some changes where he falls for an anarchist baker while the writer tries to figure out how to end her book. Starring Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Tony Hale, Linda Hunt, and Dustin Hoffman. Stranger Than Fiction is a quirky yet charming film from Marc Forster.
The world of reality and fiction is very unique as the film is an exploration of a man who hears a mysterious voice where he learns that he is a character for a book being written as the writer reveals that he will die. While dealing with this crisis about his death, Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) tries to come to terms with his work as an IRS auditor as he falls for an anarchist baker in Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Especially as he decides to live his life without thinking about numbers while coming to a literary professor about his experiences. Meanwhile, the book’s writer in Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) is dealing with trying to find a way to kill Harold Crick for her book where Crick eventually finds out the identity of the narrator he’s been hearing. It all plays into a writer dealing with her own artistic morality and a man dealing with who he is as they both endure their own existential crises.
Zach Helm’s screenplay starts off playing into what Harold Crick does as he lives his life based on numbers as it is part of a routine that he does. Much of it is told through Eiffel’s narration where all of a sudden, Crick starts to hear her voice as it would affect his work where he would meet his greatest challenge in Ana who despises everything that Harold does as she refuses to pay taxes that she owes. Harold’s encounter with Ana and some of things that’s happening to him in his life would force him to make some changes as he seeks the advice of literary professor Jules Hibbert (Dustin Hoffman) who is asked to find any idea on who the author is which adds to this blur of reality and fiction.
Especially as some of the fiction is played in Eiffel’s head as she struggles with writer’s block while she is being watched by an assistant in Penny Escher (Queen Latifah) who is making sure that Eiffel finishes her book. Yet, reality and fiction would eventually collide when Eiffel learns that the character she is creating is indeed real where it would play not just into her conflict about her ending but also a conflict in Harold over what he would do. Even as Hibbert would play a role into Harold’s fate based on his literary expertise as it plays into the conflict of what is right for the sake of art.
Marc Forster’s direction is very simple in terms of his compositions yet manages to infuse a lot of light-humor and drama to play into the quirkiness of the film. Much of it is shot on location in Chicago which plays into this world that is quite modern but also quaint as it serves as this unique reality in Harold’s life where he has his routines only for things to fall apart in the course of the film. Some of the direction include some unique wide shots, medium shots, and close-ups along with some very engaging approach to the framing in the way Crick is portrayed early on as he is shown in very tight framing devices. Things definitely change once he starts to loosen up and the film begins to feel much looser while the scenes involving Eiffel are a mixture of differing styles where she’s dreaming in some scenes while her struggles are shown in very direct medium shots and close-ups. Even as Forster maintains that idea of comedy vs. tragedy that adds to the film’s conflict where it would play into the climax over what might be Harold’s death. Overall, Forster crafts a very exhilarating and witty portrait of a man who learns about his death as he starts to live and defy the expectations of his possible fate.
Cinematographer Roberto Schaefer does excellent work with the film’s cinematography where he infuses a few shadings and such for some of the film’s interior settings along with low-key lights for some scenes set at night while keeping the daytime scenes very simple. Editor Chesse does nice work with the editing with its rhythmic cuts to play into some of the film’s action and humor while infusing a few montages in the film. Production designer Kevin Thompson, with set decorator Ford Wheeler and art director Craig Johnson, does fantastic work with the very lifeless look of Harold‘s apartment and the IRS office to the more colorful and lively look of Ana‘s bakery and home.
Costume designer Frank L. Fleming does terrific work with the costumes as it’s mostly casual while the clothes that Ana wears play to her anarchist ideals. Visual effects supervisor Kevin Tod Haug does amazing work with the visual effects that often pop-up to play into Harold’s obsession with numbers. Sound editor Geoffrey G. Rubay is superb for the way it plays into some of the film’s locations as well as Harold’s reactions to what he’s hearing. The film’s brilliant music soundtrack is supervised by Brian Reitzell and Britt Daniels as they provide their own score that mixes a few orchestral pieces with some post-punk based cuts while the soundtrack includes pieces by the Clash, the Jam, Spoon, Wreckless Eric, Delta 5, and M83.
The film’s casting by Kathy Driscoll and Francine Maisler is great as it features some notable small performances from Linda Hunt and Tom Hulce as two shrinks that Harold meets upon his breakdown plus a terrific performance from Tony Hale as Crick’s co-worker and friend Dave who tries to find a fun life outside of work. Queen Latifah is excellent as Penny who watches over Eiffel to see if she’ll finish the book while being baffled by Eiffel’s quirky behavior. Dustin Hoffman is amazing as Professor Jules Hibbert as this very smart man who knows about the ideas of literature as he tries to help Harold over his situation while being someone who will play into Harold’s fate. Emma Thompson is brilliant as Karen Eiffel as a revered novelist who is struggling to finish her book and kill Harold Crick as Thompson brings a lot of humor to her character as well as an internal conflict over artistic morality.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is fantastic as Ana Pascal as this fiery baker who refuses to pay her taxes due to her anarchist beliefs as she tries to torture Harold only to realize that he’s not a bad guy as it’s a performance full of humor and warmth. Finally, there’s Will Ferrell in a remarkable performance as Harold Crick where it’s Ferrell in a very restrained performance where he endures all sorts of humiliating moments while trying display someone who had been obsessed with his routines only to be alive as it’s a performance with a lot of heart that showcases Will Ferrell doing more than what is expected from him in the comedies he’s usually in.
Stranger Than Fiction is a phenomenal film from Marc Forster that features a winning lead performance from Will Ferrell. Along with great supporting work from Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah, and Dustin Hoffman. It’s a film that plays into the world of reality and fiction plus a man trying to find a new lease on life. In the end, Stranger Than Fiction is a witty yet sensational film from Marc Forster.
Marc Forster Films: (Everything Put Together) - (Monster’s Ball) - Finding Neverland - (Stay (2005 film)) - (The Kite Runner) - Quantum of Solace - (Machine Gun Preacher) - (World War Z)
© thevoid99 2014
Written, directed, and starring Jon Favreau, Chef is the story of a once-revered chef who becomes creatively frustrated as a public meltdown forces him to start all over again as he buys a food truck and takes his young son on a cross-country trip to regain his love for cooking. The film is a return to Favreau’s independent roots after a period of high-budget blockbuster features as the film explores a chef not only returning to his own roots but also try to remember why he wanted to become a chef. Also starring Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., EmJay Anthony, Amy Sedaris, and Dustin Hoffman. Chef is a dazzling and enjoyable film from Jon Favreau.
What happens to a chef when he is forced to make the food he doesn’t enjoy making as he is forced to start over again by going on his own and run a food truck? That is essentially what the film is about where Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) was someone who used to enjoy cooking but working in a posh Los Angeles restaurant where he is forced to cook meals he’s done so many times has him stifled as well as becoming neglectful towards his 10-year old son Percy (EmJay Anthony). After a negative review from a food critic who once championed him, he sends the critic a message on Twitter unaware that his response when viral forcing Carl to meltdown and lose his job. With the help of his ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara) and her ex-husband Marvin (Robert Downey Jr.), Carl buys a food truck as he takes Percy and his loyal friend Martin (John Leguizamo) across the country in the hopes to find joy again as a chef and regain the family he had neglected.
Jon Favreau’s screenplay doesn’t just explore a man being compromised by food critics and people he is forced to work for but also have him lose sight of what is really important in his life. For Carl, being a chef was something he was good at as he wanted to make some good food for people to enjoy but his boss (Dustin Hoffman) wants him to make the same menus that had made their restaurant one of the best in Los Angeles. For Favreau, it’s a story that showcases the frustrations of doing something for other people and not enjoy it as he allows the character of Carl to try and find something where he can enjoy cooking again. By taking Percy on the road with Martin, Carl not only tries to find ways to find that joy in cooking but sharing it with his son who would inspire him to be not just a better cook but also a better father. Though it’s a story that is predictable, it is filled with a lot of heart as well as humor where Favreau blends all sorts of genres and more.
Favreau’s direction is pretty simple in the way he presents these different storylines while going for compositions and such that are very simple. Even with the use of social media and cell-phone cameras, Favreau would use these tools to express a man trying to get his name and reputation back in a new world where everything is almost public. Shooting in various locations such as Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Austin, and other places in America. Favreau goes for a lot of a medium shots and close-ups while also infusing some stylish shots to play in to Carl Casper’s desire to find happiness again. The food truck that he would eventually buy would become a character in the film as it represented Carl’s rebirth while the food itself is just as important. It showcases the beauty and love Carl has in making food where it looks so good that it will have the audience wanting to eat it so bad. Overall, Favreau crafts a very delightful and delicious film about a chef seeking to regain his love for cooking with the help of family and friends.
Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau does excellent work with the cinematography from not just the vibrancy of the many locations in its exterior scenes but also the low-key lighting in some of its interiors such as the restaurants and kitchens. Editor Robert Leighton does amazing work with the editing as it‘s straightforward in its approach to humor and drama while using some stylish montages including one notable montage in the film‘s third act that proves to be very effective. Production designer Denise Pizzini, with set decorator Bryan Venegas and art director Alicia Maccarone, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the restaurant that Carl worked at to the food truck where he would find his joy again.
Costume designer Laura Jean Shannon does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the clothes that Inez wears. Visual effects supervisor Bryan Godwin does terrific work with the minimal visual effects which involved tweet pop-ups appearing and the little Twitter bird flying around so it would help Carl get a good word of mouth. Sound editor Steve Slanec does superb work with the sound from the way the kitchens sound to some of the raucous atmosphere of the locations. Music supervisor Mathieu Schreyer does great work with the film‘s soundtrack with its mix of soul, jazz, and Cuban-jazz music to play into its sense of vibrancy that includes some low-key jazz-inspired pieces by Lyle Workman.
The casting by Sarah Finn is incredible as it features some notable appearances from Amy Sedaris as Inez’s publicist Jen who suggests to Carl to do a reality show, Jose C. Hernandez as Inez’s musician father, Bobby Cannavale as Carl’s sous chef Tony who would reluctantly replace Carl after he got fired, and Robert Downey Jr. in a very funny performance as Inez’s ex-husband Marvin who would give Carl the food truck. Scarlett Johansson is wonderful as the restaurant hostess Molly who is a lover of sorts for Carl as she thinks it’s best that he quit his job while Oliver Platt is terrific as the food critic Ramsay Michel who blasted Carl’s cooking at the restaurant. Dustin Hoffman is fantastic as Carl’s boss Riva who forces Carl to make the same menu that had made him famous as Hoffman has this great monologue about playing the hits that would frustrate Carl.
EmJay Anthony is amazing as Carl and Inez’s son Percy who wants to be with his dad while learning the ropes in being a good cook. John Leguizamo is excellent as Carl’s loyal line chef Martin who joins Carl on the road while being very funny as he provides lots of laughs and enthusiasm to his role. Sofia Vergara is superb as Carl’s ex-wife Inez who is still friendly with her ex-husband as well as wanting to help him where it’s a low-key yet effective performance from the actress. Finally, there’s Jon Favreau in a marvelous performance as Carl Casper as this chef who used to love to cook but becomes frustrated by being compromised as well as being a neglectful father as he tries to regain his joy to cook and his family as it’s a role where Favreau gets to be funny as well as show some heart in his performance.
Chef is a remarkable film from Jon Favreau. Joined by a superb ensemble cast and a fun soundtrack, the film is a truly delightful comedy that explores the world of cooking and a chef’s desire to find joy again in cooking. For people who enjoy films about food and cooking, this film will definitely have them desiring the food they see and wish it was available to them. In the end, Chef is a phenomenal film from Jon Favreau.
Jon Favreau Films: (Made) - (Elf) - (Zathura) - Iron Man - Iron Man 2 - (Cowboys & Aliens)
© thevoid99 2014
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/13/09 w/ Additional Edits.
Directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson with a screenplay by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger based on a story by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris. Kung Fu Panda tells the story of a kung fu-loving panda in ancient China who is mistakenly chosen to become a legendary warrior. Meanwhile, an angry tiger breaks free from prison to wreak havoc on a peaceful valley as the only person that can stop is the panda. A mixture of martial arts films with comedy, light-drama, and inspirational drama. It's a film that is truly entertaining while having something to say. With an all-star voice cast that includes Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, David Cross, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, Ian MacShane, Dan Fogler, Michael Clarke Duncan, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, and Jackie Chan. Kung Fu Panda is a charming, fun, and entertaining film from Mark Osborne & John Stevenson.
The film is a lot of things but really, it's about a panda who becomes an unlikely hero despite the fact that he's clumsy, fat, and not knowing a lot of skills that a kung fu master would have yet. There's something else that makes the film far more than just an entertaining film with action sequences and comedy. It's about how a teacher like Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) can make a fat, clumsy panda like Po (Jack Black) into a warrior that he's destined to be. At first, Shifu is convinced that Po is not the Dragon Warrior only to realize that he might be the only person that can help rectify the mistake he made in raising Tai Lung (Ian MacShane) to believe that he would be the Dragon Warrior.
While Shifu has taught his students in ways that is traditional, with Po, he realized that he can't teach him the same way he taught the Furious Five. In this unconventional approach, both teacher and student bond while becoming unlikely heroes where the student gains confidence while the teacher finds a sense of redemption and peace that he's craving for. That's one of the big themes about the film while the secret revealed in the Dragon Scroll is actually much simpler than it is. For someone as inexperienced and with a limited knowledge of kung fu like Po to face someone as fierce and as skilled as Tai Lung seems like a total mismatch. Yet, it's not about how many moves or how fast or powerful your moves are. It's all about what you can do with what little you know and how to apply while still getting the job done.
The writers of the film do an amazing job in creating universal themes that aren't heavy-handed along with memorable characters and development for the story to be engaging. The direction of Mark Osborne and John Stevenson is truly superb in its recreation of ancient China along with sequences and set pieces that are phenomenal. Notably the action sequences that move with great rhythm and composed with great style that is similar to the film work of Zhang Yimou as well as Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. At the same time, they make a martial arts film that isn't a parody but rather as an action film with dabbles of humor and drama. The visual look of the film is definitely stunning as they do raise the bar for everything they did in comparison to the other work that Dreamworks animation do. While it may not have the vast visual flair of Pixar, Osborne and Stevenson do succeed in crafting a solid film that is entertaining and enlightening.
The animation is definitely phenomenal with some fantastic lighting designs by cinematographer Yong Duk Jhun along with art direction by production designer Raymond Zibach and art director Tang Kheng Heng in the look of the Jade Palace and prison where Tai Lung stayed. Clare De Chenu's editing is definitely phenomenal in its sense of rhythm while using jump-cuts and freeze-frames for the action sequences to keep things going. Sound designer Ethan Van der Ryn and sound editor Erik Aadahl do great work in the sound of swords and grunts that goes on for the action sequences. The music of Hans Zimmer and John Powell is wonderful for its mixture of intense orchestral pieces for action scenes along with traditional Chinese music for its scenery and atmosphere. The soundtrack also includes a fantastic cover of Kung Fu Fighting performed by Cee-Lo and Jack Black.
The casting is excellent with some cameo voices from Wayne Knight, Laura Kightlinger, JR Reed, and Jack Black's Tenacious D partner Kyle Gass. Michael Clarke Duncan's voice as the prison warden Vachir is wonderfully comical along with Dan Fogler as the scared goose Zeng. Randall Duk Kim provides the right notes for the wise tortoise Master Oogway while James Hong provides a nice warmth and humor to the role of Po's goose father Mr. Ping. In the roles of the Furious Five, Seth Rogen provides some nice humor as Mantis while David Cross plays straight man as the calm, restrained Crane. Lucy Liu is very good as the sensitive Viper while Jackie Chan adds some humor and restraint as Monkey. In the role of Tigress, Angelina Jolie is excellent as the humorless and skillful warrior who doesn't respect Po only to realize that she is not strong enough to face Tai Lung.
Ian MacShane is great as Tai Lung, the fierce warrior who is anxious to attain the Dragon Scroll while is filled with lots of hate and anger over the fact that he wasn't chosen the first time around. Dustin Hoffman is brilliant as Master Shifu, a skillful master who at first ridicules Po while possessing no humor until he realizes how he can reach him where Hoffman displays a sense of warmth and charm. Finally, there's Jack Black who is perfectly cast as Po, the title character who is this clumsy yet funny panda who becomes this great warrior while displaying some vulnerability and confidence that makes his character appealing.
Kung Fu Panda is a marvelous film from Dreamworks Animation. With an amazing voice cast and phenomenal technical work, it's a film that is visually stunning but also entertaining. While the story is formulaic but works, it is a film that is worth watching over and over again as Kung Fu Panda is just a fun, enlightening film to watch.
© thevoid99 2013
