National Lampoon's Vacation

(In Memory of Harold Ramis 1944-2014)

Directed by Harold Ramis and written by John Hughes, National Lampoon’s Vacation is the story of a family who travel cross-country from Chicago to California to go to the famed amusement park known as Walley World where everything goes from bad-to-worse during the journey. Based on a short story by John Hughes with additional contributions from Ramis and Chevy Chase who plays the lead role of Clark W. Griswold. The film is an unusual comedy that explores a family’s ill-fated journey where they have to deal with misdirection, a troubled station wagon, hick relatives, a very mean aunt, and a hot lady driving a Ferrari. Also starring Beverly D’Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, Christie Brinkley, and John Candy. National Lampoon’s Vacation is truly one of the greatest comedies ever created.

Family vacations is a chance for parents and their children to enjoy time with one another and do things like go to Disneyland or Universal Studios theme parks. What Clark W. Griswold and his family want to do is to go the happiest play in the world in Walley World and meet the mascot Marty Moose by traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles. By going cross-country on a very troubled station wagon, a lot goes wrong along the way as it would play to some of the series of misfortunes that occurs in the film. All of which involves a lot of laughs and all sorts of crazy shit for Clark, his wife Ellen (Beverly D. Angelo), son Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall), and daughter Audrey (Dana Barron). Add the very bitchy Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) who joins them during a stop in Kansas to drop her off to Phoenix.

John Hughes’ screenplay is based on his own real life experience about his own ill-fated trip to Disneyland where it all plays to all of the unfortunate things that can go wrong in a cross-country road trip through America. Throughout all of this ordeal, there is this strange optimism that is prevalent in Clark Griswold as he wants his family to experience a kind of journey that every American family has done. Even as he deals with all sorts of bad shit and a hot blonde (Christie Brinkley) driving a red Ferrari 308 GTS who tempts him from leaving his family. Yet, there’s Ellen who is the most grounded person of the family as she tries to remain realistic and deal with the chaos on the road as she even makes Clark visit her cousin Catherine (Miriam Flynn) and Catherine’s oddball husband Eddie (Randy Quaid). One aspect of the script that works isn’t its use of language but also in some of the dialogue that is largely improvised and full of wit that just adds to the brilliance of the film.

Harold Ramis’ direction is pretty simple in terms of the compositions and scenes he creates where he’s not doing anything flashy or go for something that is visually-astonishing. Instead, Ramis just create something that does feel like a road film where it’s shot on various locations in the U.S. with some wide shots and medium shots of the locations. By going into different locations in the U.S. from Chicago to Los Angeles, it adds to the sense of unpredictability to the film as well as some of its humor that feels loose and natural. Even in some of the moments that involve Clark being wooed by the hot lady during a picnic or the moment he finds himself in the ghetto of St. Louis and asks for directions unaware that his hubcaps are being stolen. It would eventually lead to the Griswolds finally going to Walley World as it is a climax that pays off and more. Overall, Ramis crafts a very entertaining and heartfelt comedy about a family road trip to Walley World.

Cinematographer Victor J. Kemper does excellent work with the cinematography from the vibrant look of the daytime interior/exterior settings to the simple lighting schemes for some of the film‘s nighttime scenes. Editor Pembroke J. Herring does nice work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward while using some slow-motion moments to play into some of the funnier moments like a homage to Chariots of Fire. Production designer Jack T. Collis and set decorator Joe D. Mitchell do terrific work with some of the set pieces from the different hotels and homes the Griswolds stay at to the look of Walley World.

Sound editors Bub Asman, Robert G. Henderson, and Alan Robert Murray do superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects that is created in the film. The film’s music by Ralph Burns is wonderful for its light-hearted orchestral score that plays to the film’s humor while its soundtrack features songs by June Pointer, Vanity 6, Nicollete Larson, the Fleetwoods, the Ramones, and a couple of original songs by Lindsey Buckingham including the theme song Holiday Road.

The casting by Susan Arnold and Phyllis Huffman is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as well as cameo appearances from Eugene Levy as a shady car salesman, John Diehl and Mickey Jones as a couple of sleazy mechanics, James Keach as a motorcycle cop, Brian Doyle-Murray as the Kamp Komfort clerk, and Eddie Bracken as Walley World founder Roy Walley. Other notable small roles include John P. Navin Jr. and a young Jane Krakowski as Rusty and Audrey’s cousins, John Candy in a hilarious performance as a Walley World security guard, and Christie Brinkley as the hot blonde in a Ferrari. Miriam Flynn is very good as the very kind cousin Catherine while Randy Quaid is a total hoot as the inbred cousin Eddie. Imogene Coca is great as the very mean and cold Aunt Edna who always take shots at Clark and make him do all sorts of shit while having no problem eating a sandwich drenched in dog piss.

Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall are amazing in their respective roles as Audrey and Rusty Griswold as two teens trying to deal with the chaos of the vacation as well as trying to get anything from pot to booze to cope while doing some funny things along the way. Beverly D’Angelo is great as Ellen Griswold as the realist of the family who tries to handle everything that is happening while being the voice of reason as she also has some funny lines. Finally, there’s Chevy Chase in an iconic performance as Clark W. Griswold as this very optimistic father who tries to give his family the greatest vacation ever no matter how bad things are as he says all sorts of funny things and so some funny shit as it’s definitely a performance for the ages.

National Lampoon’s Vacation is an outstanding film from Harold Ramis and screenwriter John Hughes. Thanks to a great cast and its theme on family along with a witty approach to the road film. It’s not just a film that stands as a touchstone of classic 80s comedies but also a film that has something for everyone as it’s a family film and a low-brow comedy rolled up into one. In the end, National Lampoon’s Vacation is tremendous film from the late Harold Ramis.

Harold Ramis Films: (Caddyshack) - (Club Paradise) - (Groundhog Day) - (Stuart Saves His Family) - (Multiplicity) - (Analyze This) - (Bedazzled) - (Analyze That) - (The Ice Harvest) - (Year One)

© thevoid99 2014

Goon

Directed by Michael Dowse and written by Evan Goldberg and Jay Baruchel, Goon is the story of a somewhat dim-witted yet kind bouncer who becomes an enforcer for a minor league hockey team in Canada where he eventually faces off with one of the sport’s great legends. The film is a sports comedy that revolves around a man trying to deal with fame as well as other things as this enforcer for the game of hockey. Starring Seann William Scott, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Jay Baruchel, Marc-Andre Grondin, Kim Coates, and Eugene Levy. Goon is a very funny yet off-the-wall sports comedy from Michael Dowse.

Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) is a bouncer who loves to watch hockey fights on TV as he just learned his idol Ross “The Boss” Rhea (Liev Schreiber) has just been suspended from the NHL for slashing his opponent in the back of the head. While Doug loves to watch hockey with his friend Pat (Jay Baruchel), who hosts a local show in Massachusetts, where they attend a local game. Doug gets himself in a fight with a player from another team who had said a homosexual slur that upset Doug as his older brother Ira (David Paetkau) is gay. The fight gets a lot of attention where Doug gets to be part of the local Assassins hockey team where he becomes a local sensation.

After the team’s coach decides to send Doug to Halifax to be part of a minor league Canadian team in the Highlanders, Doug moves to Canada where he stays at the apartment of the once promising player Xavier LaFlamme (Marc-Andre Grondin) who is afraid of being hit after getting a concussion from Rhea years ago in the NHL. Hired to protect LaFlamme, Doug becomes “The Thug” where he becomes a favorite in Halifax where he is praised by most of his teammates, Pat, and Ira though Doug’s parents (Eugene Levy and Ellen David) are unsure by Doug’s new job. Doug also falls for a young woman named Eva (Alison Pill) who also loves hockey but their relationship is complicated by the fact that she has a boyfriend.

After becoming the assistant-captain for the team and the prospect of going to the playoffs, things become difficult for Doug when he LaFlamme receives another concussion in which Doug retaliated by beating up an opposing player that has him being suspended for a game. With the team set to play St. John’s Shamrocks, Doug finally meets Ross Rhea at a bar as Rhea is set to retire as a Shamrocks player as the meeting proves to be a big moment for Doug. After that meeting, Doug realizes what kind of player he must be as he later faces Rhea in a crucial game for their teams in a spot for the playoffs.

The film is essentially the story of a hockey-loving bouncer who becomes a minor league hockey player through his fighting skills where he becomes a star in the Canadian minor leagues. Yet, he later has to face his idol in a climatic game where he ponders if he should just be a goon for the rest of his career or something more. The film is based on a true story about a legendary minor league hockey player named Doug Smith who had a reputation for being a goon that likes to fight other players during games. Yet, it is about how a young man tries to find his place in the world where he doesn’t know where to fit in as he later finds his gift while meeting the man who had a great reputation for being a goon.

The screenplay that Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg creates doesn’t just explore the fanaticism of hockey but also the joy of the hockey fight. Yet, the Doug Glatt character is a well-meaning who just wants to do good things and fight for his team. Still, he is aware that he’s not a strong skater nor skilled in the game of hockey but his devotion for his team does manage to get him a lot of respect including his roommate who was once a promising player that is going through a slump of his own. In Doug’s idol Ross “The Boss” Rhea, here’s a man that has been through enough moments of the game where he has already accepted the fact that he’s a goon and sees Doug as the last man he has to face to see if he’s worthy to pass the torch to.

Michael Dowse’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of its visual presentation yet it is still engaging enough for the way it explores the fanaticism of hockey. Still, there’s an element of style to the film in the way the graphic violence of the fights are exaggerated to be not just funny but also gross. Shot largely in location in Manitoba, the film explores the world of Canadian hockey where the people are die-hard loyal fans while if they’re playing the province of Quebec. Those who leave that province for another team get the worst kind of insults in French. Dowse’s direction definitely has some unique shots and the way he presents things such as the climatic showdown between Doug and Rhea. Overall, Dowse creates a very funny and engaging comedy about the world of hockey and fans’ love for the fights.

Cinematographer Bobby Shore does wonderful work with the film‘s cinematography from the stylish lighting schemes of the film‘s nighttime exterior scenes to the more vibrant look of the scenes inside the hockey arenas. Editor Reginald Harkema does excellent work with the editing from the stylish, fast-cutting some of the film’s intense action scenes along with some more methodical cuts for some of its funny moments. Production designer Gordon Wilding, along with art director Scott Rossell and set decorators Robb Paraskevopoulos and Andrea Spakowski, does nice work with the set pieces from the look of the bars to the look of the Highlanders locker room.

Costume designer Heather Neale does good work with the costumes as a lot of it is very casual for many of the younger characters. Visual effects supervisor Darren Wall does terrific work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects such as the images of blood flying across the arena in some of the exaggerated violent scenes. Sound designers Pierre-Jules Audet and Jean-Francois Suave do superb work with the sound to capture the chaos of the arena along with some sound effects for some of the film‘s graphic fight scenes. The film’s music by Ramachandra Borcar is quite good though not very memorable as it‘s mostly low-key with its playful piano music. Music supervisor Evan Dubinsky does create a fun soundtrack that features music from Rush, the Allman Brothers Band, Lee Brooks, Ron Braunstein, Sheriff, Bruce Cockburn, and several others from the world of indie and hip-hop.

The casting by Lucille Robitaille is amazing for the ensemble that is created as it features some memorable appearances from Nicholas Campbell as the very funny Highlanders broadcaster, Ellen David and Eugene Levy as Doug’s very conservative though well-meaning parents, David Paetkau as Doug’s older gay brother Ira, Ricky Mabe, George Tchortov, and Richard Clarkin as Doug’s teammates, and Jonathan Cherry as the team captain Marco Belchior. Kim Coates is great as the Highlanders coach Ronnie Hortense who always spouts out insults and such either to his team or to whoever they’re facing. Marc-Andre Grondin is terrific as the skilled but troubled player Xavier LaFlamme who feels resentful over Doug’s arrival forcing him to finally deal with his own fears.

Alison Pill is wonderful as the hockey-loving Eva whose one-night fling with Doug becomes a relationship as she’s very conflicted for who she is and the fact that she has a boyfriend who is very nice. Jay Baruchel is excellent as the wild hockey fan Pat who helps Doug into becoming the great goon while saying all sorts of vile things on his show. Liev Schreiber is brilliant as the veteran goon Ross “The Boss” Rhea who deals with his own persona as well as the fact that there’s a new goon in the league who is going to take his spot. Finally, there’s Seann William Scott in a marvelous performance as Doug “The Thug” Glatt as he is just a man that is very kind but also a dim-wit as he tries to do what is right for the team and be their friend while becoming aware of his flaws as Scott definitely shows his range as an actor.

Goon is a remarkable and entertaining film from Michael Dowse. Featuring a terrific ensemble cast that includes Seann William Scott, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Jay Baruchel, and Kim Coates. It’s a film that definitely lives up to some of the great sport comedies as well as showing the craziness of the world of Canadian hockey. In the end, Goon is an enjoyable sports comedy from Michael Dowse.

© thevoid99 2013

Heavy Metal

In Honor of National Metal Day

Directed by Gerald Potterton and screenplay by Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum, Heavy Metal is a collection of animated short films that revolves around a young girl who is frightened by an orb by telling her a collection of stories filled with fantasy and horror. The film is based on various stories written for the Heavy Metal magazine as it revolves into various stories that takes animated films away from the idea of family feature films to much darker and more racy material. With a voice cast that includes John Candy, Harold Ramis, Roger Bumpass, Richard Romanus, August Schellenberg, and Eugene Levy. Heavy Metal is a stylish yet surreal animated film from Gerald Potterton.

An astronaut named Grimaldi (Don Francks) arrives home to see his daughter (Caroline Semple) as he shows her a green orb. Suddenly, the orb lights up and kills Grimaldi as it reveals itself to be the Loc-Nar (Percy Rodriguez) who tells the young girl various different stories before he can destroy her. The first involves a cab driver (Richard Romanus) who accidentally saves a young woman (Susan Roman) from treacherous aliens who want the Loc-Nar orb. Meanwhile, a nerdy teen named Dan (John Candy) gets a version of the Loc-Nar orb as he’s transported into another world as he becomes a buff man named Den who finds himself battling two forces over the Loc-Nar orb.

At a space station, the Loc-Nar arrives at a space station for the trial of a disgraced space captain named Sternn (Eugene Levy) where a witness named Hanover Fiste (Roger Bumpass) finds the Loc-Nar orb as trouble ensues. The Loc-Nar later encounters a B-17 plane in battle as a pilot (George Taouliatos) notices that his crew are dead and the orb has made them into zombies. Meanwhile, a scientist (Roger Bumpass) arrives at the Pentagon to discuss the mysterious events on Earth as he and a buxom secretary (Alice Playten) are taken by a mysterious spacecraft run by a horny robot (John Candy) and two coke-sniffing aliens (Eugene Levy and Harold Ramis). The Loc-Nar then tells the last story about a Taarakian warrior named Taarna who seeks revenge against the death of her people.

The film is about a mysterious yet deadly orb that terrifies a young girl as she is told various different stories about the journey it took before he arrived in this house. During the course of the film, the Loc-Nar orb would tell dark stories of the journey he takes to the people who encounters. Among them is a lowly cab driver in a futuristic yet decayed New York City who encounters the daughter of a scientist who has the orb as he has to deal with aliens that want the orb as it’s told in a film-noir style. Other stories include a nerdy kid that becomes a badass dude who gets to have sex with two hot chicks, a comedic story about a disgraced captain whose plan to cheat in his trial backfires by someone the orb, and a story about a robot and two stoned aliens who take a buxom woman as the robot has sex with her.

A lot of the stories told in the film involves lots of racy nudity and crass humor that isn’t for everyone’s taste but it’s part of the world that director Gerald Potterton manages to create based on this very graphic yet stylish magazine inspired by heavy metal culture. Through these different segments, the narrative does manage to hold together because it is all tied to this orb. There’s elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror that goes into this film as Potterton’s approach to the direction is to keep these sequences together and make sure they’re connected to one another. The animation for many of these segments are all very different as some are cartoonish like the Sternn and robot/two aliens segments while some mix things up for more racy material with a bit of surreal yet gnarly visual animation backdrops. The overall work is truly mesmerizing but also engaging in what is truly an entertaining animated film.

Editors Ian Llande, Mick Manning, and Gerald Trip do a great job with editing to play up to the rhythm of some of the segments as well as making sure each segment can get a smooth transition from one to the other. Production designer Michael C. Gross does a nice job with the set backgrounds created for a majority of the segments in the film while art director Pat Gavin does a lot of the work on the Den segment. Sound editor Peter Thillaye does a wonderful job with the sound to help enhance some of the action that goes on in the stories.

The film’s major technical highlight is the music as it features a bombastic score by Elmer Bernstein that is very adventurous and thrilling as it plays up to a lot of the action sequences of the film. The soundtrack is a wonderful mix of hard rock and metal as it features music from acts like Riggs, Sammy Hagar, Don Felder, Donald Fagen, Journey, Stevie Nicks, Cheap Trick, Devo, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Grand Funk Railroad, Trust, and Nazareth. The overall score and soundtrack is truly a must-have for fans of hard rock.

The cast for the film consists largely of Canadian actors, some of which were from the SCTV show as voices by its regulars like John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Harold Ramis all provide the right humor to the various characters they play along with additional voice work from Jackie Burroughs, August Schellenberg, John Vernon, Joe Flahtery, and revered voice actor Roger Bumpass.

Heavy Metal is a phenomenal yet exhilarating animated film by Gerald Potterton. It is a film that is proof that animated films don’t have to be squeaky clean to be entertain while delving into various genres to excite those that live for sci-fi and fantasy. Particularly for any young teenage boy that wants to naked breasts shown in animated film as this film has everything that a teenage boy wants in a film. In the end, Heavy Metal is an awesome film that has lots of great action, cool scenery, trippy visuals, and most of all, major boobage.

© thevoid99 2011

Taking Woodstock

Based on the memoir Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life by Elliot Tiber and Tom Monte, Taking Woodstock tells the story of how the famous 1969 music festival in Bethel, New York came to life with the help of a young man who brought the festival to his town. Directed by Ang Lee with an adapted script by longtime collaborator James Schamus, the film is an exploration on Tiber’s young life as he tries to save his parents’ motel by getting more than half a million people to attend the festival. Starring Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Liev Schreiber, Jonathan Groff, and Eugene Levy with appearances from Paul Dano, Dan Fogler, Kelli Garner, Mamie Gummer, and Emile Hirsch. Taking Woodstock is a good though underwhelming film from Ang Lee.

Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin) is an aspiring interior designer/artist who returns home to the El Monaco Motel in his town of Bethel, New York as it’s in danger of foreclosure. With his parents Jake (Henry Goodman) and Sonia (Imelda Staunton) short on cash, Elliot decides to help them as he hopes to organize another small music festival to raise money. With the realization that he needs to raise the money by the end of the summer, he seeks help from a local drama troupe to help them as he hears the news about a concert festival that is looking for a location. Elliot, who is also the local chamber of commerce, offers a permit to the concert organizers where he meets Michael Lang (Jonathan Groff) who brings his team to scout the location. Finally finding the place on the farm of Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy), Yasgur makes them a deal to hold the concert on his land.

With Elliot having some money that could help his family, he faces some trouble with the locals and health inspectors looking over the hotel as a transvestite named Velma (Liev Schreiber) offers to help as security. With Elliot realizing that more than a 100,000 people will show up and a press conference where he gets high becomes a disaster. He gets into really big trouble with the organizers as people come in thinking it’s a free concert as a lot more people come in. With his parents working to deal with the people, Elliot meets a carpenter named Paul (Darren Pettie) whom he falls for though he wonders what his dad will think about his homosexuality.

With the Woodstock concert finally happening, Elliot tries to see the show as he encounters a couple of hippies (Paul Dano and Kellie Garner) while hanging out with his old friend Billy (Emile Hirsch), a former Vietnam vet. Elliot also tries to deal with his mother’s strict attitude while his father seems to enjoy having the young hippies around. With all of the things happening around him, Elliot ponders his life and the family he loves while trying to catch a glimpse of the show at Woodstock itself.

The film is about how the famed Woodstock festival in August of 1969 was organized and how it found its location near a motel run by a Jewish couple and their gay son where the woman is a Russian refugee. Yet, it’s an interesting story for some aspects of the film as it’s told from the perspective of a young man who is essentially trying to save the motel his parents had been working hard for. Once that motivation for Elliot to save his motel happens through getting Woodstock to come to his town, the film’s mood starts to change a bit from a comedy to a character study that doesn’t really work very well.

The third act has Elliot trying to go to the concert but the real disappointment isn’t that the film doesn’t get to show the concert as it’s happening. Instead, there’s an acid trip and a mud slide where it kind of meanders a bit. Then there’s the character of Elliot Tiber where as a protagonist, he isn’t very interesting despite his development and character struggle with his homosexuality. While there’s a bit of reference to the Stonewall riots, the homosexuality parts of the film doesn’t really fit in with the narrative. While screenwriter James Schamus does some fine work in creating some interesting supporting characters and the organization of the festival. He didn’t do enough to create a very engaging third act where isn’t sure what to do.

Ang Lee’s direction is very stylish in its presentation as the opening credits scene features a lot of split screens and multiple shots of events happening at the same time. Lee does a lot to create some light-hearted moments that includes some funny scenes of Elliot’s parents fighting some anti-Semitic kids or some mob guys or stuff where people decide to get naked. There is a looseness to the direction that makes it very engaging for most of the film. By the time it comes to the third act, there’s still a few funny moments but it starts to drag a bit once Elliot encounters various people where it includes a very silly acid trip with weird visual effects that looks very silly. While Lee does create some wonderful compositions and intimate camera work throughout the film, he creates a film that is pretty decent but loses its excitement in the third act.

Cinematographer Eric Gautier does some wonderful work with the film‘s colorful cinematography in capturing the gorgeous landscape of upstate New York. Gautier’s photography has a lushness to many of the daytime exteriors while creating a more intimate look for some of the interior scenes in the film along with the nighttime exterior shots. Longtime Lee collaborator Tim Squyres does some fantastic work with the editing by creating a lot of stylized cuts to re-create some of the shots and multiple split-screens that is really an ode to the original Woodstock movie.

Production designer David Gropman, along with set decorator Ellen Christiansen and art director Peter Rogness, does some fine work with the look of the motel that Elliot lives in along with the farm and places that he frequents to. Costume designer Joseph G. Aulisi does some excellent work with the costumes from the straight-laced clothes that Elliot wears to the more lavish clothes many of the hippies wear. Visual effects supervisor Brendan Taylor does some OK work with the visual effects for the acid trip scene where some of the animation is inspired but it doesn‘t fit in with the tone of the film and makes the scene to be very silly. Sound editors Eugene Gearty and Phillip Stockton do some good work with the sound to capture the quietness of the town to the chaos and blaring music once the concert starts to happen.

The film’s score by Danny Elfman is a very folk-driven score to play to the setting that is 1969 with brimming acoustic guitars as it’s mostly set in sparse places. While Elfman’s score is very good, the rest of the music is surrounded by cuts from the music of the time such as Richie Havens, the Band, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Janis Joplin, Arlo Guthrie, Blind Faith, the Doors, the Seeds, Love, Ravi Shankar, Jefferson Airplane, and the Grateful Dead plus a song from Judy Garland to complement the taste of the gays. The overall soundtrack is a real highlight of the film since it brings a bit of nostalgia as well as a primer for new listeners to the music of the times.

The casting by Avy Kaufman is pretty good for the large ensemble that is created that includes memorable appearances from Skylar Astin as Woodstock organizer John P. Roberts, Richard Thomas as Reverend Don, Darren Pettie as the construction worker Elliot falls for, Adam LeFerve as a local who despises Elliot for bringing hippies to the town, Mamie Gummer as Lang’s assistant Tisch, and Dan Fogler in a tolerable performance as the theater troupe leader. Other notable appearances include Paul Dano and Kelli Garner as a couple of hippies who take Elliot on an acid trip along with Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Billy’s older brother and Emile Hirsch in a comical though overdone performance as the Vietnam Vet Billy.

Eugene Levy is very good in a very laid-back performance as the farmer Max Yasgur who offers his land to the Woodstock organizers while wowing them with his chocolate milk. Liev Schreiber is excellent as the drag-queen Velma who is very tough and cool while being the one person who helps loosen up Elliot’s parents. Jonathan Groff as Michael Lang is one of the film’s most uninspiring moments as he ends up looking very goofy while not really giving the Lang character anything to do except say “hey man” and “groovy” with just a straight face.

Henry Goodman and Imelda Staunton are great as Elliot’s parents as they bring a lot of humor to their characters. Goodman as the more laid-back father who finds an ally in Velma as they fight off anti-Semitic youths as he also sports some subtle humor to his character. Staunton is even funnier as the Russian immigrant mother who often spouts stories of how she walked from Russia to America with cold potatoes while being the more strict as it’s a remarkable role for the British actress. Demetri Martin is OK as Elliot Tiber as he tries to make the character he plays interesting but is unable to do since he‘s practically a comedy actor. The problem is that Martin isn’t very engaging in his performance as he mostly stares at his surroundings while doesn’t really he seems unsure what to do in some of the performance as it’s a pretty uninspiring performance.

Taking Woodstock is a film that has a lot of good moments but loses steam in the third act that includes a very dull lead performance by Demetri Martin and the lack of footage from the famed Woodstock concert. Audiences who are interested in the history of the famed music festival will find this to be insightful over how it got organized though the actual Woodstock movie is a much better introduction about the festival. For its director Ang Lee, the film is pretty much one of his weaker efforts as he creates something that is very loose and lively though is unable to keep things interesting in the third act. In the end, Taking Woodstock is a fine film from Ang Lee despite some underwhelming moments.

Ang Lee Films: Pushing Hands - The Wedding Banquet - Eat Drink Man Woman - Sense & Sensibility (1995 film) - The Ice Storm - Ride with the Devil - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Hire: Chosen - Hulk - Brokeback Mountain - Lust, Caution - Life of Pi - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - The Auteurs #19: Ang Lee

© thevoid99 2011