Ever since he recorded a parody of the Knack’s My Sharona into My Bologna in late 1979 that eventually lead to a long-standing career as an artist of his own who is famous for music parodies as well as some unique originals and genre parodies. “Weird” Al Yankovic is a figure that is difficult to define when it comes to being the subject of a movie bio-pic as a parody trailer from 2010 showed exactly what might’ve been. However like all other movie bio-pics before him, Yankovic too would play into the many plot schematics that is expected where that person comes from humble beginnings, being rebellious, creating the first hit song, becoming famous, doing drugs, alienating those, crashing down to Earth, killing some people along the way, doing mountains of cocaine, sex scandals with farm animals, losing everything including the money, going home, and then make that great comeback album that unfortunately sucked ass. Actually, a lot that was mentioned didn’t exactly happened to Yankovic in real-life as he never drank, did drugs, doesn’t eat meat, doesn’t say profanity in his records, and never took himself seriously but he does have an addiction to dessert.
Since Yankovic’s life doesn’t play to those schematics, that doesn’t mean that he and co-writer Eric Appel would make Yankovic’s own life to play into those many clichés with lots of exaggerations and such where much of the film takes place from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s with lots of anachronisms, dramatic liberties, inaccuracies, and all sorts of ridiculous embellishments that somehow work. Even in Yankovic’s relationship with his parents Nick and Mary Yankovic (Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson, respectively) is played into clichés with the young and teenage Yankovic (Richard Aaron Anderson and David Bloom, respectively) feeling like his parents don’t understand him though the reality was that Nick and Mary Yankovic were more than supportive as they would sometimes appear in Yankovic’s music videos and concerts to the delight of fans. Still, the script does play into the clichés where young Al tries to ponder his father’s hatred for the accordion and polka music where the latter of which is considered to be evil music where the teenage Yankovic was invited to a party unaware that it’s a secret polka party that is considered forbidden with the accordion also considered taboo. It is among these things that play into this surrealistic approach that Appel and Yankovic provide as well as the legendary story of Yankovic’s relationship with Madonna that supposedly never happened.
Appel’s direction is definitely stylized as it opens with Yankovic being sent to the emergency room where the ER doctor (Lin-Manuel Miranda) is about to declare Yankovic’s time of death until Yankovic gets up and asks the doctor for a piece of paper and a number 2 pencil. It then shifts to life of the young Yankovic trying listen to his favorite radio show hosted by Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson) who would later become Yankovic’s mentor. Shot largely on location in Los Angeles with additional locations in Pompona and Tarzana, California, Appel does keep a lot of the compositions straightforward with some wide and medium shots to establish some of the locations with the latter playing into some of the drama as it relates to Yankovic and his parents but also some strange sequences of how Yankovic creates the song Eat It after eating guacamole laced with LSD. It is among these strange yet hilarious moments that Appel creates where nearly every scene is a play of every cliché expected in a bio-pic but also being aware of how ridiculous it is.
Appel also create scenes that does spoof other films but also real-life moments from stories of other real-life musicians add to the sense of absurdity. Even when Yankovic finds himself in the ire of legendary Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar (Arturo Castro) who felt rejected when Yankovic passed on doing a show for Escobar’s birthday. Though the reality was that Yankovic and Escobar never met, the idea that the latter would be a fan of the former is still hilarious as it plays up the tone of the film that also delves into stylish action moments inspired by films of the 80s. The film’s climax does play into this sense of redemption yet because this isn’t based on any form of fact or anything realistic. It still has this absurdity into what Yankovic endures but also getting some unlikely inspiration for his magnum opus in a song that would give him validation but also the ire of some. Overall, Appel crafts a monumentally idiotic, stupid, and ridiculous film that manages to fucking hilarious and so much more about the life of one of the Weird One.
Cinematographer Ross Riege does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its colorful look for the daytime exterior scenes along with stylish lights for the interiors at the Yankovic home and for some of other interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Jamie Kennedy does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style in a few montages as well as some of the absurdist-humor moments in the film. Production designer Dan Butts, with set decorator Laura Harper and art director Jack Carnevale, does amazing work with the look of some of the places including the first mansion that Yankovic have as well as the villa where Escobar lived in. Costume designer Wendy Benbrook does fantastic work with the costumes such as the many Hawaiian shirts that Yankovic wore as well a few costumes for some of his songs as well the clothes that Madonna wore during that time in the 80s as well as a look she would have in the many years to come.
Makeup artist K.T. Chandler does nice work with the look of the characters including some of the celebrities Yankovic meets as well as a look his mother would have late in the film that would inspire one of his great songs. Visual effects supervisors Charles H. Joslain, Joseph Sperber, and Izzy Traub do incredible work with some of the visual effects with the most notable moment is the acid trip sequence in all of its insanity. Sound designer Mike James Gallagher and sound editor Anthony Vanchure do superb work with the sound in the way music is presented on a radio as well as certain sound effects that would play into Yankovic’s music. Music by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson, with additional music by “Weird” Al Yankovic, is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that is a spoof of dramatic-based music scores with elements of bombastic arrangements and rock textures for some of the action and fight scenes while music supervisor Suzanne Coffman cultivates a soundtrack feature some of the comedy music of the 1960s and 1970s that would inspire Yankovic as well as the music of the times including some new music by Yankovic including a new song for the final credits.
The casting by Wendy O’Brien is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Suzanne Krajewski-Yankovic as Tony Scotti’s wife in the European singer Sylvia Vartan, Michael McKean as a club MC, Dot-Marie Jones as a club goer who wants ice cream, Patton Oswalt as a heckler at the club, Josh Groban as a waiter an expensive restaurant, Seth Green as the voice of a radio dee-jay, Thomas Lennon as an accordion salesman who tells the young Yankovic that he’s going to get a lot of pussy through the accordion, Richard Aaron Anderson as the young Yankovic, David Bloom as the teenage Yankovic, and Lin-Manuel Miranda as the ER doctor who almost declares Yankovic dead. For the appearances in the party scene, the performances from Jack Black as famed radio dee-jay Wolfman Jack, Emo Philips as Salvador Dali, Conan O’Brien as Andy Warhol, Paul F. Tompkins as Gallagher, Demetri Martin as Tiny Tim, Nina West as Divine, Jorma Taccone as Pee-Wee Herman, Akiva Schaffer as Alice Cooper, and David Dastmalchian as Queen bassist John Deacon are a joy to watch as are some of the un-credited people who play other famous figures such as Elvira, Grace Jones, Devo, and David Bowie.
The performances of Tommy O’Brien, Jack Lancaster, and Spencer Treat Clark in their respective roles as Yankovic’s friends/bandmates in drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, guitarist Jim “Kimo” West, and bassist Steve Jay are terrific to watch as friends who support Yankovic but are troubled by his alcoholism while the duo of Will Forte and “Weird” Al Yankovic are fantastic in their respective roles of Ben and Tony Scotti as the men who would sign Yankovic with the former being completely dismissive of Yankovic’s talents. Quinta Brunson is excellent as Oprah Winfrey as the talk-show host who interviews Yankovic in his rise while her question about his parents would become a major plot-point while Arturo Castro is superb as the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar as a fan of Yankovic’s music until he gets pissed off that Yankovic turned out the invitation to celebrate his birthday. Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson are brilliant in their respective roles as Yankovic’s parents in Nick and Mary Yankovic with the former being a man who hates polka and accordions with a lot of anger where Huss brings a lot of laughs as the angry disapproving father with a secret to hide while Nicholson plays it straight as someone who supports her son but hopes he doesn’t anger his father as she would later turn her frustrations into something that would inspire one of her son’s greatest songs.
Rainn Wilson is amazing as Doctor Demento as the famed comedy dee-jay who would discover Yankovic and become his mentor where he would guide him but also introduce him to drugs much to his regret as well as wanting to become a father figure to Yankovic. Evan Rachel Wood is phenomenal as Madonna as the famous pop singer who seduces Yankovic in the hope he would parody one of her songs so she can get a big sales bump as Wood captures the voice and look of Madonna pitch-perfectly as well as that personality of a woman who wants to rule the world as it is truly one of her finest performances ever. Finally, there’s Daniel Radcliffe in a tremendous performance “Weird” Al Yankovic as a young man that wanted to create music as Radcliffe brings that offbeat humor to the role while also displaying that angst as someone wanting to win his father’s approval as Radcliffe plays up the absurdity in a performance that is truly one of his best.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a sensational film from Eric Appel that features a great leading performance from Daniel Radcliffe as well as incredible supporting work from Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss, Julianne Nicholson, and Evan Rachel Wood. It is a film that refuses to take itself seriously or to be accurate in favor of just being ridiculous as well as make fun of many of the clichés expected in movie bio-pics. In the end, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a phenomenal film from Eric Appel.
© thevoid99 2023
In 2006, actress Evan Rachel Wood met shock rocker Marilyn Manson at a party at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, California as it marked the beginning of a tumultuous, chaotic, and abusive relationship that ended in 2011 but left Wood with scars and PTSD as she tried to reclaim her life and acting career. Nearly a decade since the end of the relationship that saw her acting career going on an upswing through films like The Ides of March, Kajillionaire, and the TV show Westworld while raising a young son from her relationship with British actor Jamie Bell. There were still questions about her relationship with Manson as she and activist/artist Illma Gore tried to create a bill known as the Phoenix Act in the wake of the #MeToo movement to protect domestic abuse victims and extended the statute of limitations in California. It was then that Wood learned that she wasn’t the only person who had been abused by Manson as other women including Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco were among those who had been abused by the shock rocker.
Split into two parts, the film chronicles Wood’s life and career as it intercuts with her and Gore trying to create the Phoenix Act bill through the many journals and evidence Wood had gathered before and during her time with Manson. Among those also interviewed in the film are Wood’s parents David and Sara as well as her older brother Ira and her stepmother Ashley Wood as well as a few of the women who had relationships with Manson and were abused by him along with a couple of former assistants of Manson who witnessed the abuse but were kept quiet for years by Manson. Yet, the film has Amy J. Berg follow Wood in the course of nearly 2 years where she and Gore are trying to create this bill and also gather up evidence of the abuse Wood had suffered as they would keep it quiet during the pandemic.
The film is shot largely in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic where Wood and Gore gather all of Wood’s personal journals, photos, and other things relating to her relationship with Manson in the hope that authorities would look into all of this and create a serious case. Notably in extending the statute of limitations for victims from 1-3 years to something much bigger in the hopes that domestic violence abuse victims would be given more protection. The film would intercut not just Wood and Gore’s work into creating this bill with Wood being at home to raise her son (whose face is never shown on camera while his face is blurred when he’s on camera) but also in Wood telling her own life story and how she met Manson and the tumultuous relationship they were in. The first part that features these surreal animation bits created by Angelique Georges that depicts Wood as Alice of Alice in Wonderland as this young girl who is confused and then corrupted by Manson. It play into Wood’s own growing pains as her parents split up when she was 9 where she went with her mother to Los Angeles while her brother Ira stayed with their father as she didn’t speak to her dad for almost a decade.
While Wood would become successful and gain serious acting award nominations for her performance in the 2003 film Thirteen, it also had her typecast as troubled young girls in the films she would do despite some of the critical praise she gets. For a young woman who was born and raised in North Carolina for much of her early life and being homeschooled, Wood was someone who had a lot of social anxieties while was freaked out by the idea of sex as there is a humorous anecdote about how she discovered sex by finding a porno magazine as she had boyfriends between 2003 and 2006 but she was still shy and awkward. Then she met Manson while she was in a relationship with British actor Jamie Bell and Manson was then-married to burlesque performer/adult model Dita von Teese. Wood admitted back then that she wasn’t a fan of his music but was aware of him nor was she attracted to him physically but found him intriguing. Even as he claimed to be a fan of her work and wanted to get involved in a project about Lewis Carroll called Phantasmagoria with Wood starring and being credited as a co-writer.
It was then that Manson did things such as love-bombs and all sorts of things where he wouldn’t just break Wood’s relationship with Bell but also charm her and thus their relationship became public in early 2007 much to the shock of those close to Wood including friends and family. Notably as Manson told Wood to look into her business dealings and such as he helped drive a wedge between Wood and her mother Sara who was also her manager though a lot of Manson’s claims were untrue. The relationship started off innocently but things changed following the shoot for the music video Heart-Shaped Glasses from his sixth studio album Eat Me, Drink Me is when things went bad as Wood was given absinthe that was spiked with something as she was in an intoxicated state and ended up doing an un-simulated sex scene without her consent as it lead the relationship to take a dark turn where she would join him on tour and be treated miserably as even some of Manson’s personal assistants and roadies were forced to lock her into a room out of fear for their own safety.
The film’s second part chronicles more of Wood’s relationship with Manson that was an on-again, off-again relationship that included a lot of verbal, physical, and mental abuse where the only breaks Wood had was when she was working on a film such as The Wrestler which is a film Wood is proud of. Unfortunately, it didn’t ease things as the relationship became toxic where Wood witnessed Manson’s own fascination with Nazism as well as saying a lot of racial and prejudice things towards African-Americans and Jews where is at times forced to say the N word and is troubled by his anti-Semitism since she is Jewish. Despite a brief period where she returned to North Carolina where she was with her father and step-mother Ashley, she returned to Manson in a way to defuse whatever destructive behavior he had towards himself only for things to get worse. The final straw came following the moment she was working on Mildred Pierce where she was pregnant during the film as she ended up getting an abortion as he treated her coldly and told her to make dinner when she needed to rest.
The second part also has Wood talking about her experience with other former girlfriends of Manson plus two of his former personal assistants who witnessed his abuse as one of them had befriended Wood in 2007 on tour as he felt guilty of having to do things for Manson. Many of them share the stories of the abuse they suffered but also the pattern of behavior and abuse he had where it becomes clear that they’re not alone that motivated Wood to work more on the Phoenix Act. On September 11, 2020, Manson would release his 11th studio album We are Chaos where questions towards Manson about his past relationship with Wood lead to Manson storming off interviews. It was when many begin to speculate about the identity of Wood’s abuser following her own testimonies including one at Congress in 2018 where Manson is a suspect leading to Wood receiving death threats from his fans. The threats forced Wood to leave Los Angeles with her son and their dog Tommy to the South where she is close by her family including her father, stepmother, and brother Ira who is often at the house playing with his nephew. Gore would stay in Los Angeles to work on the Phoenix Act as she would talk to Wood who would be at her home.
Berg’s direction doesn’t just go into some of the detail into Wood’s journals and recollections but also though excerpts from a 2017 audiobook version of Manson’s 1998 memoir The Long Hard Road Out of Hell which was a bestseller at the time despite the fact that a lot of the things in the book have been embellished, exaggerated, and filled with half-truths as Wood felt there are things there that play into Manson’s own psyche. Even as there’s also clips from some of Manson’s tour videos including some unreleased short films he made that depicted graphic acts of violence including a few that Wood was in from Manson’s own website. There’s even an excerpt of Manson in an episode of Dinner for Five hosted by Jon Favreau where Manson and comedian Andy Dick talked about a short film with Daryl Hannah where both Manson and Dick seem to laugh about Manson’s short films and the women in the film with Hannah feeling uncomfortable. With the aid of cinematographers Jenna Rosher and Curren Sheldon, Berg keeps many of the interviews as well as some of Wood’s own time at home in a straightforward manner while also knowing when to step back. Still, she was given unprecedented access to allow Wood to display her vulnerabilities as she still gets emotional about her experiences. Even as that relationship after it ended still traumatized her and why it lead to her relationship with Jamie Bell following her time with Manson to not work out.
Editors Miranda Yousef and Veronica Pinkham help gather not just some of Wood’s own home videos of her time with her family when she was young but also in some of the home videos she had during her time with Manson as it help bring a lot of weight into a lot of the things that she went through as she had to fake things for the public. Even as she was being slandered by celebrity gossipers and assholes like Perez Hilton who slut-shamed her and said things that are just obscene. Sound designer Mike James Gallagher and sound recordist Ashley Maria also do work in not just capturing many of the natural sounds in the shoot but also in some of the audio excerpts including some of the home videos of Wood’s time with Manson. The film’s music by Aska Mitsumiya is largely an ambient score as it play into the drama and many of the traumatic events that Wood went through.
Phoenix Rising is an incredible film from Amy J. Berg. Not only does it explore a woman recounting her experience in being abused but also trying to survive and overcome it while also sharing stories with those who endured the same experience of abuse. While it is not an easy film to watch in due to the graphic detail into the severity of the abuse Evan Rachel Wood endured in that relationship but also in the fact that she managed to overcome it and eventually out him in the hope that he is held accountable and that abuse victims can be protected through this bill in the hope that it becomes law. In the end, Phoenix Rising is a phenomenal film Amy J. Berg.
Amy J. Berg Films: (Deliver Us from Evil (2006 film)) – West of Memphis - (An Open Secret) – (Every Secret Thing) – (Prophet’s Prey) – (Janis: Little Girl Blue) – (The Case Against Adrian Syed)
© thevoid99 2022
The film revolves around a family of scam artists who are trying to get money to pay their rent as they bring in an outsider to take part of their schemes as it would bring chaos to this family including their 26-year old daughter who doesn’t know much about affection or social skills. It is a film that explore a family who live on the fringes of society as they spend much of their life grifting and doing whatever they can to make money though the home they live in is often leaking due to construction next door as they’re trying to get money to pay their rent. Miranda July’s screenplay is straightforward in its narrative yet it is more of a character study of this family often spend their time doing these scams with their daughter Old Dolio Dyne (Evan Rachel Wood) doing much of the work despite her lack of social skills.
Her parents in Robert (Richard Jenkins) and Theresa (Debra Winger) prefer to do scams as a way to live outside of society but things are getting tough until Old Dolio creates a scam involving contest tickets she won for a trip to NYC as it relates to a lost luggage and insurance money they can collect. Yet, things don’t go well until they meet Melanie (Gina Rodriguez) on the flight back as she befriends them and takes part of their schemes as a way to do something where she is able to get them some money and such in ways that Old Dolio isn’t able to do. While Melanie’s contributions do make the family thriving and money, it would also alienate Old Dolio as Melanie would take notice as she becomes aware of the way Robert and Theresa behave towards their daughter as it is filled with a lot of complications.
July’s direction is largely straightforward in terms of its compositions and setting as it is largely shot in California to play into this world where it is becoming harder to scheme and grift for anyone who doesn’t live in conventional society. While there are wide shots that July has created whether it is to capture the scope of a location or the space of a room where the characters are in. Much of her direction is intimate with a lot of usage of medium shots while there are close-ups used sparingly to play into some of the emotional moments in the film. There are some quirky elements in the film such as how the Dyne family would hide from their landlord (Mark Ivanir) as well as how Old Dolio would enter the local post office through some maneuvering in order to not be seen by a camera. July also showcases how the family live in this office building that is leaking soap as they owe $1,500 in rent as it what motivates the family to try and scrounge up some money. There’s a scene in the second act where the Dyne family and Melanie go to the home of an ailing old man as he’s lying on his bed dying where he asks everyone to just bring some life to the house as it is this moment where everyone is just trying to give this man some comfort yet Robert and Theresa become more concerned with just getting money and then do something that is unexpected that would only add more discord in their relationship with Old Dolio.
July’s direction also play up into the fear with earthquake as it would be this metaphor for a family’s dynamic shaking up with Melanie kind of being the source of this shake up. Notably in a scene in its third act where Melanie and Old Dolio are in a gas station bathroom where a big earthquake happen as it’s shot completely in the dark where Old Dolio goes on a monologue about the idea of life with images of stars emerging. The aftermath of that scene has July shooting everything in one-take on a Steadicam tracking shot as it showcases a moment that is about Old Dolio’s reaction to what just happened. It is a moment that does showcase not just a world that opens for Old Dolio but also some revelations for Melanie who realizes how troubled Old Dolio is as she is someone who has been sheltered for far too long. Even as they also have to deal with Robert and Theresa where July brings up that air of ambiguity into whether the things they do are genuine or are they’re continuously playing a role. Overall, July crafts a witty yet compelling film about a family of scam artists who take in an outsider that would disrupt their lives and lifestyle.
Cinematographer Sebastian Wintero does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as its emphasis on natural and available lighting with some stylish lighting for some of the daytime/nighttime interior scenes. Editor Jennifer Vecchiarello does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the drama and humor. Production designer Sam Lisenco, with set decorator Devynne Lauchner and art director Jessica Shorten, does fantastic work with the look of the home that the Dyne family live as well as the home of the old man they steal from and Melanie’s home. Costume designer Jennifer Johnson does nice work with the costume from the green tracksuit jacket that Old Dolio wear along with her baggy clothes as well as the ragged look of Robert and Theresa and the more stylish clothing of Melanie.
Makeup artist Katalin Urszuly and hair stylist Cindy Welles do amazing work with the look of Old Dolio with her long hair as well as the ragged look of Theresa to make them look like a family. Visual effects supervisor John Stewart does terrific work with the film’s minimal visual effects in a few bits of set dressing for scenes in New York City as well as the darkened room scene where Old Dolio talks about the stars. Sound editor Bjorn Ole Schroeder and sound designer Kent Sparling do incredible work with the film’s sound in the way earthquakes tremble as well as other sounds from the construction next door to the sound of buses and other small moments as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Emile Mosseri is wonderful for its piano-based score with elements of ambient as it play into some of the humor but also in the somber moments in the film while music supervisor Gabe Hilfer create a soundtrack that features some music ranging from indie, hip-hop, and country with Bobby Vinton’s Mr. Lonely being a prominent song as it play into Old Dolio’s emotional state.
The casting by Mark Bennett is superb as it feature some notable small roles and appearances in Adam Bartley as a hot tub salesman, Diana-Maria Riva in a dual role as the voice of Melanie’s mom and a birth teacher in Farida, Da’Vine Randolph as a masseuse whom Old Dolio tries to scam, Rachel Redleaf as a young pregnant woman passing flyers, Michael Twaine as a dying old man Melanie and the Dynes go to for a scam only to bring life to his house, Patricia Belcher and Kim Estes as a posh couple Old Dolio tries to scam, and Mark Ivanir in a terrific performance as the Dynes’ emotional landlord as a man who is trying to run construction of his soap factory who is just troubled by the Dynes’ inability to get him his money. Richard Jenkins and Debra Winger are incredible in their respective roles as Robert and Theresa Dyne as a married couple who are scam artists as they prefer to not live in conventional society with Robert being someone who is trying to plan things and Theresa often being the one to make sure things are executed well as they bring some humor but also in also someone who prefer to hide their emotions.
Gina Rodriguez is remarkable as Melanie as a young woman Robert and Theresa meet on a flight back to California who takes part in their scams and get things done for them but becomes concerned about their motivations as well as the growing schism involving them and their daughter whom she befriends. Finally, there’s Evan Rachel Wood in a magnificent performance as Old Dolio Dyne as this emotionally-stunted woman who talks in a weird way as it is this haunting performance of this woman who knows how to perform a scam but is unable to deal with emotions and other things as she lack social skills. Wood’s performance also has this physicality that play into someone who has trained herself to do scams but is often still when it comes to the world outside of scams as it is definitely a career-defining performance for Wood.
Kajillionaire is a sensational film from Miranda July that features an outstanding leading performance from Evan Rachel Wood. Along with its supporting cast, gorgeous visuals, and its exploration of family dynamics who live on the fringes of society. It is a film that is an unconventional heist film of sorts yet it is really a study of an emotionally-withdrawn family who use their daughter for scams only to bring an outsider to help them as it would bring a schism to the family dynamics. In the end, Kajillionaire is a spectacular film from Miranda July.
Miranda July Films: Me and You and Everyone We Know - The Future (2011 film)
© thevoid99 2022
Set in futuristic world where a worldwide power outage has occurred, the film revolves around two sisters who deal with this event as they’re forced to live alone and deal with their surroundings and the resources they have. It’s a film with a simple premise as it spans into nearly two years as it plays into these two young women who are forced to deal with their new situation as they live remotely in a house in the middle of the forest while having little gasoline for the power generator they have in the house. Patricia Rozema’s screenplay is straightforward as it play into the lives of these two sisters in Nell (Ellen Page) and Eva (Evan Rachel Wood) as the former is studying to be a doctor while the latter is trying to restart her dance career following an injury when the power goes out as they’re unable to do anything. The film’s first act is about the two sisters dealing with this newfound worldwide power outage with their father (Callum Keith Rennie) as they try to find ways to survive and with the little fuel they have in the car.
Yet, an accident would leave both of the sisters to fend for themselves as the second act has them dealing with their lack of resources but also what they want individually as Nell had befriended a young man in Eli (Max Minghella) who claims there’s something happening on the American east coast as Nell wants to join him. However, it would also mean abandoning Eva who is already struggling with living without power and is becoming depressed. The film’s third act involves the aftermath of an incident that impacted both sisters as they deal with dwindling resources as well as their home becoming inhabitable.
Rozema’s direction doesn’t bear a lot of stylistic choices in the compositions in order to be straightforward in the world that Nell and Eva are dealing with. Shot on various locations in the British Columbia province in Canada, the film does play into this small town world where Nell and Eva are part of a remote community that is often dominated by technology but everything changes due to this worldwide power outage. Rozema does use a lot of wide and medium shots to get a scope of the locations including the forest near the house that Nell and Eva live in as the house itself is a character in the film that included a dance studio where Eva practices. The medium shots also play into the intimacy of the home that include a lot of straightforward compositions involving Nell and Eva including a scene where they argue about using the gas for the power generator.
There are also close-ups as it play into some of the emotional moments in the film including a traumatic event that would shake both women late in the second act as it adds to the dramatic tone of the third act. Even in scenes where both women are emotional as it play into not just loss but uncertainty as it play into something they have to deal with but also a home that is crumbling prompting them to start something new. Overall, Rozema crafts an engaging and evocative film about two sisters surviving during a worldwide power outage.
Cinematographer Daniel Grant does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it plays into the natural usage of lighting for many of the exteriors including some low-key natural lighting for scenes at night including fire and available light. Editor Matthew Hannam does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward as it plays into some of the dramatic moments as well as some livelier bits and some of the intense moments in the film. Production designer Jeremy Stanbridge, with set decorator Shannon Gottlieb and art director Tara Arnett, does amazing work with the look of the house Nell and Eva live in as the house is a major character in the film in displaying the rooms and such in the house including the detail on the roof that is in need of repair early in the film as well as a small shack that Nell and Eli find. Costume designer Aieisha Li does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely casual in the clothes that many of the characters wear in the film.
Visual effects supervisors Ryan Jensen and Kevin Little do terrific work with the visual effects as it mainly focuses on a key event towards the end of the film. Sound mixers Kristian Bailey and Kirk Lynds do superb work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the forest and its surroundings as well as its emphasis to record all of the sparse moments in the locations. The film’s music by Max Richter is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that is largely based on string arrangements to play into the air of uncertainty and loss while music supervisor Velma Barkwell provide a soundtrack that mainly consists of two songs including a cover of Wild is the Wind by Cat Power and a song by Sylvan Esso and Amelia Meath.
The film’s incredible ensemble cast feature some notable small appearances from Sandy Sidhu as a woman quizzing Nell during an online test exam, Jordana Largy as Eva’s dance teacher, Michael Eklund as a creepy supermarket clerk named Stan, Wendy Crewson as Nell and Eva’s late mother who is seen through home movies, Callum Keith Rennie as Nell and Eva’s father who is with them in the early days of the power outage, and Max Minghella in a superb performance as Eli as a young man Nell befriends and falls for as he suggests they all go to the east coast to find jobs and power.
Finally, there’s the duo of Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Nell and Eva. Page provides that air of grounded realism and quirky humor to her role but also knows when she has to be serious as she reads a lot and does whatever she can to make sure she and Eva have resources. Wood brings in that air of uncertainty as a dancer who is recovering from a knee injury as she is struggling to keep things going while also coping with loss and later an event that would trouble her. Page and Wood together have this chemistry and rapport as two young women dealing with a worldwide power outage as well as trying to survive and live with little resources as they’re the major highlights of the film.
Into the Forest is a remarkable film from Patricia Rozema that features great performances from Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood. Along with its wondrous setting, gorgeous visuals, and a somber music score, the film is a fascinating drama that explores two young women dealing with a worldwide power outage and their need to survive amidst loss and trauma. In the end, Into the Forest is a marvelous film from Patricia Rozema.
© thevoid99 2021
Directed and edited by Pamela B. Green and written by Green and Joan Simon with narration by Jodie Foster, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache is a film about the life and career of one of cinema’s early pioneers who was also considered to be one of the first real auteurs who also owned and ran her own studio. The film showcases the woman’s career as well as the films she created as well as why she was often overlooked during her career and the re-discovery of her work. The result is an engrossing and wondrous film from Pamela B. Green.
In 1895, a secretary for engineer/industrialist Leon Gaumont attended a private screening of a film entitled Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory by Auguste and Louis Lumiere. The secretary that is Alice Guy saw a new medium as from 1896 to 1920, she made hundreds of films that would not just pioneer cinema as an art form but also would create techniques and ideas that would be the basis of cinema itself. Like the Lumiere Brothers, Georges Melies, and Edwin Porter, they would create short films that would showcase cinema’s tool in the world of storytelling yet it would be Guy that would take the format much further prompting others including Melies to step up their game. In 1907, Guy married Englishman Herbert Blache as he would be Gaumont’s production manager in the U.S. until 1910 when she and Blache formed the Solax Company to make their own films as she would use the slogan “be natural” to those who worked at the studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
One of Guy-Blache’s innovations in filmmaking was the creation of the Gaumont Chronophone system that allowed her actors to lip-sync to pre-recorded music and use the music to sync up to the film footage as it was the early ideas of sound heard in film. Guy was also ambitious as she made a 25-part series of shorts relating to Jesus Christ as it was quite bold for its time. Another form of innovation that she did during her time in New Jersey was make a film with an entirely black cast in A Fool and His Money as it was made because white actors didn’t want to work with black actors prompting Guy-Blache to just hire an all-black cast regardless of prejudice. She also made films that had gender roles reversed as well as tackle subject matters that not many were willing to go into.
Then came World War I as business started to hurt Guy-Blache’s studio but also this emergence of businessmen wanting to take over the world of cinema including Thomas Edison prompting many studios to move to California rather than work with Edison who wanted to have a lot of control on the world of film through his own equipment and such. Herbert Blache would also move to California due to his affairs with other women leading to the two to divorce in 1922 as she returned to France with their children never making films again. Especially as she wouldn’t receive the proper credit for her work with Gaumont becoming more of a businessman in running his own studio as things would get tougher during the Great Depression and World War II though Gaumont would try to rectify his faults in giving her proper credit despite people around him telling him not to.
The documentary also has Pamela B. Green who also serves as the film’s editor not just trying to find out more about Guy-Blache and her films but also asking many other filmmakers, historians, actors, and such including Julie Taymor, Peter Bogdanovich, Evan Rachel Wood, Ava Duvernay, Peter Farrelly, Andy Samberg, Julie Delpy, Lake Bell, Gillian Armstrong, cinematographer John Bailey, and many others about Guy-Blache as many of them admit to never having heard of her. There is also the story of Green not just trying to find information about her films and her life but also meeting those who knew someone who knew Guy-Blache including descendants of Guy-Blache such as her great-great granddaughter as well as descendants of Leon Gaumont as there’s a scene where the descendants of Guy-Blache and Gaumont would go to various locations where Guy-Blache made some of her films. Much of Green’s direction and editing is straightforward with a few montages of film archivists finding some of Guy-Blache’s work while also going into the difficulty of restoring her work.
The film also features archival interviews from Guy-Blache from the late 1950s and early 1960s with narration by Jodie Foster who reads some of Guy-Blache’s comments and letters with a rare audio interview between Guy-Blache and a film historian in Brussels who wonders why she isn’t credited for her work. Notably as historians dating back to the 1940s would often omit her as some claim there was a lot of resentment towards her because she was a woman as some even question the validity of her claims in the mid-1970s after she had died in 1968. It would be Guy-Blache’s daughter Simone and other historians that would keep Guy-Blache’s name alive while Green would also talk to relatives who found old letters, photos, and notebooks that lead to many clues that show proof of Guy-Blache’s claims. Upon discovering the shorts of Guy-Blache, cinematographer John Bailey and others at the Academy Arts and Science would try to recreate one of her shorts with comedy actors Chris Kattan and Horatio Sanz with the same camera that Guy-Blache used.
Sound editors Casey Langfelder and Daniel Saxlid, along with sound designers Marcello Dubaz and Kent Sparling, do superb work in providing many of the audio archives from Guy-Blache’s interview with the Belgian film historian that his grandson had kept all of these years while also capturing all of the people who are interviewed for the film as they all talk about discovering Guy-Blache and her importance in film history. The film’s music by Peter G. Adams is terrific for its mixture of low-key electronic music and ambient pieces as it play into the search for Guy-Blache’s films and everything about her. Even as Green showcases old photos of the studio she created in New Jersey as well as visual recreation of the studio itself and where filming took place in the studio.
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache is a phenomenal film from Pamela B. Green. It’s a film that anyone interested in film history or film itself must see as it not only does some correcting into some of the real stories about cinema’s birth but also in showcasing one of its pioneers and her innovative work. Especially as it showcases the woman’s work and her brief yet illustrious career that proved how influential she was. In the end, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache is a sensational film from Pamela B. Green.
Related: The Short Films of Alice Guy-Blache Vol. 1
© thevoid99 2020
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed, Thirteen is the story of a thirteen-year old girl who befriends a bad girl in middle school as she is introduced to the world of chaos and self-destructive behavior as she would worry her mother. Loosely based on Reed‘s own experiences, the film is a coming-of-age film that explores a young girl‘s growing pains and her mother becoming frightened by her daughter‘s behavior. Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, Brady Corbet, Jeremy Sisto, Deborah Kara Unger, D.W. Moffett, Vanessa Hudgens, Kip Pardue, and Holly Hunter. Thirteen is a thrilling yet haunting film from Catherine Hardwicke.
The film follows the life of a thirteen-year old girl who goes from a sweet and caring honor student with a lot of promise who then befriends a popular bad girl as she becomes an unruly bad girl exploring sex, drugs, and alcohol much to the worry of recovering alcoholic mother. It is told in a very straightforward fashion as this young girl doesn’t just struggle with being in middle school but also the transition of growing out of an adolescent into becoming a teenager who would do wild things as she is introduced to all sorts of things by a girl who is also thirteen. The film’s screenplay by Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed which is sort of based on the latter’s experiences as a young girl that is struggling to find herself in that period between childhood and adulthood as it is very confusing and volatile at times. For the protagonist Tracy Freeland (Evan Rachel Wood), she is a young woman that is full of innocence but there is something about her that is off and confused.
Notably as Tracy often feels slighted by her mother Melanie (Holly Hunter) who devotes time trying to work as a hairdresser as well as spend time with a recovering addict in Brady (Jeremy Sisto) whom Tracy isn’t fond of. When Tracy enters middle school as this epitome of goody two-shoes kind of girl, she is mocked by some of her classmates as she begs her mother to get trendy clothes to fit in. Once the popular bad girl Evie Zamora (Nikki Reed) takes notice of Tracy as well as see what Tracy does to fit in, Tracy becomes part of this clique of girls wearing racy clothing and do outrageous things. When Evie’s legal guardian Brooke (Deborah Kara Unger) goes away for a convention for a few weeks, Evie would temporarily live with Tracy, Melanie, and Tracy’s older brother Mason (Brady Corbet) for a while. Melanie reluctantly let Evie live with them as she becomes a positive maternal figure for Evie in some ways but she eventually would drive a wedge between Melanie and Tracy. The latter of which becomes more destructive and less caring as it makes everyone uncomfortable except for Evie.
Hardwicke’s direction is definitely stylized with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as create certain moods in the photography to help express the whirlwind of emotions that Tracy would go through. Shot on location in and around Los Angeles, California on 16mm film, Hardwicke would go for something that is intimate where she mainly uses a lot of close-ups as well as some medium shots to play into the family dynamic as well as the growing friendship between Tracy and Evie. While there are some wide shots, it also has this stylized approach to the way the camera moves such as the scenes of Tracy and Evie walking around Hollywood where Tracy gets really high and loses Evie who would be someplace else as Mason would make a chilling discovery of what Tracy has become. The direction also play into this air of recklessness into what Tracy and Evie would do such as the opening scene of how wild these girls are and it would return again as it shows how far Tracy has descended. By the time the film reaches its third act, the de-saturated look in the colors become less defined and moodier as it play into that descent but also some of the realities that even Melanie is unprepared for. Overall, Hardwicke creates a gripping yet visceral film about a thirteen-year-old girl trying to grow up too fast in the worst ways.
Cinematographer Elliot Davis does incredible work with the film‘s stylish photography with the usage of blue-colored filters as well as some grainy yet de-saturated look of some of the scenes set in the daytime and at night in the interior/exterior scenes. Editor Nancy Richardson does excellent work with the editing as it features a lot of stylish jump-cuts and dizzying fast cuts as it play into the craziness of what Tracy would go through as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Carol Strober, with set decorator Donti Hurst and art director John B. Josselyn, does fantastic work with the look of the home the Freelands live in as well as some of the shops the characters go to.
Costume designer Cindy Evans does wonderful work with the costumes from the stylish clothes that Tracy and Evie would wear as well as some of the clothes that Melanie wears. Sound designer Frank Gaeta does superb work with the sound as it play into some of the chaotic moments that go on at the house and at some of the locations as well as some of the quieter moments in the film. The film’s music by Mark Mothersbaugh is amazing for its electronic-based score that features some playful melodies as it also has bits of rock and pop to play into the culture that Tracy and Evie are in while music supervisors Michelle Norrell and Amy Rosen provide a soundtrack that play into that world as it features music from Liz Phair, Clinic, Folk Implosion, MC 900 Ft. Jesus, the Like, Katy Rose, Kinnie Star and Carmen Rose, and Imperial Teen.
The casting by Jakki Fink, Shani Ginsberg, and Christina Sibul is great as it feature some notable small roles from Charles Duckworth as a teenage boy that Tracy likes in Javi, Jenicka Carey as a friend of Evie in Astrid, Cynthia Ettinger as a frequent customer of Melanie, Sarah Clarke as a family friend of Melanie, Kip Pardue as a neighbor named Luke that Evie would seduce, Vanessa Hudgens as a friend of Tracy who would be abandoned only to maintain her nice-girl persona, and D.W. Moffett as Tracy and Mason’s father who is startled by what happened to Tracy as he is unsure of what is happening. Deborah Kara Unger is terrific as Evie’s guardian Brooke who gives Evie a home and often lets her do what she wants while having a scary moment during the film’s climax as it relates to Tracy’s behavior. Jeremy Sisto is superb as Melanie’s boyfriend Brady as a recovering addict who is trying to redeem himself despite being disliked by Tracy as he becomes aware of the bad influence Evie has become.
Brady Corbet is excellent as Mason as Tracy’s older brother who has a thing for Evie but eventually becomes overwhelmed as he realizes how bad of an influence she’s become. Nikki Reed is amazing as Evie Zamora as a troubled teenager who is popular as she is quite wild and can do a lot of things as she introduces Tracy to a lot of things while being a true friend of sorts where she goes to Melanie in needing a positive maternal figure. Holly Hunter is brilliant as Melanie Freeland as a woman that is struggling to raise two kids as she is unaware of what her daughter is going through as she then becomes scared of what Tracy is becoming as she has a hard time about all that is happening. Finally, there’s Evan Rachel Wood in a phenomenal performance as Tracy Freeland as a thirteen-year old girl who goes from sweet and innocent to being unruly and unpredictable as it’s a wild and scary performance from Wood who displays all of the manic energy and terror of being a teenager.
Thirteen is a spectacular film from Catherine Hardwicke that features incredible performances from Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, and Holly Hunter. Along with an excellent supporting cast, dazzling visuals, and a fantastic music score and soundtrack. It’s a film that is quite intense as a coming-of-age drama where it does have elements that feel very real but also provide some hope about how a parent handle the growing pains of a child. In the end, Thirteen is a tremendous film from Catherine Hardwicke.
Catherine Hardwicke Films: (Lords of Dogtown) - (The Nativity Story) - (Twilight (2008 film)) - (Red Riding Hood (2011 film)) - (Plush) - (Miss You Already)
© thevoid99 2016
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/8/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Written and directed by David Jacobsen, Down in the Valley is the story of a cowboy who meets a rebellious teenage girl as they begin a torrid relationship as he copes with the modern world. The film is an exploration into a man who finds himself in a world where he tries to play cowboy as he faces the darker realities of the modern world. Starring Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, Rory Culkin, David Morse, and Bruce Dern. Down in the Valley is an enchanting yet uneven film from David Jacobsen.
Arriving onto the San Fernando Valley, a cowboy named Harlan (Edward Norton) enters into the strange, vast world filled with gas stations, shops, and cars. To Harlan, it's a mysterious world as he lives at a motel and takes a job at a gas station. Meanwhile, a rebellious, 17-year old girl named Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood) also feels lonely since she lives with her father Wade (David Morse) and her shy, 13-year old brother Lonnie (Rory Culkin). Since Tobe doesn't get along with her father, she often goes out with her friends including April (Kat Denning) where on the way to the beach, Tobe meets Harlan at the gas station. An attraction immediately happens as Harlan joins Tobe and her friends to the beach where they fall in love. After introducing Harlan to Lonnie, Wade becomes uncomfortable at Tobe's new relationship with Harlan.
After a night in the town driven by Ecstacy, Harlan and Tobe's relationship becomes passionate which makes Wade uneasy. Even when Harlan and Tobe decide to go horseback riding where the horse's owner named Charlie (Bruce Dern) accuses Harlan of theft. After Wade deals with Charlie, he forbids Tobe to see Harlan again. Still, Tobe's love for Harlan remains strong as she has to go San Diego for the weekend to be with her friends. Harlan however, tries to live without Tobe for the weekend often pretending to be in some Western or writing a letter to a man named Joe. Hoping for Tobe to return on the day she was supposed to, he finds Lonnie where he takes Lonnie shooting since Wade owns some authentic guns. Upon returning home, Wade finds Lonnie with Harlan and threatens to shoot him if he doesn’t leave his family alone.
Learning what Wade had done, Tobe meets Harlan where she asks him to leave the family alone till Wade cools down. With his cowboy fantasy starting to blur with reality, Harlan gets in trouble as he gets kicked out of his hotel while trying to steal things hoping to win Tobe back. Still, Harlan finds himself alienated by the modern world as he remains stuck in the Old West. After meeting Tobe after some time away from her, he plans to make an escape with her but Tobe isn't sure what's going on. After an accident, Harlan's vision of the Old West begins to collide with reality as he tries to kidnap Lonnie and have a confrontation with Wade, who finds out some troubling news about Harlan from an investigator (Geoffrey Lewis).
Films about reality against fantasy does often require strange fantasy sequences but for what writer/director David Jacobson goes for is an internal conflict in a man who has a love for the West but finds himself alienated by the modern world. While the film is largely inspired by the work of the legendary Terrence Malick, notably Badlands, the film does have the same poetic imagery and dialogue in terms of what Harlan is in and in his relationship with Tobe. Despite the Malick-esque imagery and imagery, the film's script is very flawed. While some can figure out the tense relationship between Wade and Tobe, there's no back story into their tension. Plus, the first half of the film is a love story while the second half becomes a modern-day Western where they're both interesting but makes the film to be uneven. Despite a lot of wonderful imagery, scenes, and everything else, Jacobson doesn't seem to know what kind of film he's making though the performances do remain consistent with its Badlands-like tone.
Helping Jacobson in his unique vision is cinematographer Enrique Chediak whose wonderful photography of many of the film's exterior settings, notably the hills of the San Fernando Valley is breathtaking as well some night sequences that shows the nightlife of Los Angeles in all of its glory. Production designer Franco Giacomo Carbone and set decorator Robert Greenfield do fantastic work in providing the idea of the West in a fantasy sequence for Harlan while showing the colorful and modern look of Los Angeles. Costume designer Jacqueline West does great work in creating the cowboy look for Norton while giving Evan Rachel Wood some wonderful dresses.
Editors Edward Harrison and Lynzee Klingman does wonderful work in providing a rhythmic, stylized editing that gives the film a nice flow and feel. Sound designer Scott Sanders does some great work in the film's sound, including a scene where Harlan goes to a synagogue that reveals his alienation. The film's haunting score is filled with wonderful guitar work from Peter Salett that brings a sense of suspense and atmosphere to its varied sequences. The soundtrack is largely filled with dreamy mixes of music ranging from mariachi to old-school Western songs as well as cuts from Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Calexio, and two great tracks from Mazzy Star where the vocals of Hope Sandoval provide some of the film's most haunting moments.
The film’s cast includes some wonderful small performances and cameos from Ira David Wood IV, Kat Dennings, Ty Burrell, Elizabeth Pena, and Geoffrey Lewis as an investigator. In a small role, Bruce Dern is great as a haggard ranch owner who is suspicious of Harlan’s motives and understanding of Wade’s control issues. David Morse is excellent as the strict, caring Wade who is trying to talk to his children while dealing with Harlan as Morse does some outstanding work in the scenes he's in. Rory Culkin is amazing as the shy, scared Lonnie who tries to seek some kind of adventure and confidence as he often relies on his sister and Harlan since his dad isn't around much. Evan Rachel Wood is fantastic as Tobe as this young woman who copes with growing pains as she falls for Harlan while having a hard time dealing with Harlan's eccentricities. Finally, there's Edward Norton in a brilliant performance as Harlan as this troubled man who seems like someone that is out of step with the times as he wants to play cowboy in a world that is very complicated as it is this very fascinating mix between fantasy and reality.
The Lions Gate/ThinkFilm Region 1 DVD of Down in the Valley presents the film 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround & 2.0 Stereo sound in 16x9 widescreen presentation. The DVD also brings trailers to not just this film but The King w/ Gael Garcia Bernal and William Hurt, I Love Your Work by Adam Goldberg, and other films. Two big special features are on the DVD. The first is a 21-minute Q&A session with Edward Norton and director David Jacobson as they're interviewed by Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers. In the interview, Jacobson talks about the collision of fantasy and reality and how the San Fernando Valley has a mystique concerning the West. Edward Norton talked about getting the script in 2003 and wanting to work with Jacobson as the two developed the project and both wanted Evan Rachel Wood for the role of Tobe after seeing her in thirteen in which the two widely praised her as well as the other actors as Norton was laid-back in the interview.
The second big special feature is a nine-minutes worth of four deleted scenes. The first is an extended opening sequence involving Tobe and Lonnie on a bridge in which Lonnie causes an accident. The second is a deleted scene where Harlan looks for a new hat and buys the white dress that Tobe would wear. The third is touching scene involving Lonnie and Wade about an incident in where Lonnie professes his innocence. The final scene is an extended sequence of a supposed fantasy scene where Harlan talks to a cowboy played by Ty Burrell.
Down in the Valley is a superb yet flawed film from David Jacobsen that features top-notched performances from Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, Rory Culkin, and David Morse. While it is uneven in its exploration of fantasy and reality, it does manage to bring in some compelling ideas about the complications of the modern world. In the end, Down in the Valley is a stellar film from David Jacobsen.
© thevoid99 2015
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/14/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Directed by Julie Taymor and written by Taymor, Dick Clement, and Ian La Frenais, Across the Universe is a musical inspired by the music of the Beatles about a Liverpool boy who travels to America to find his long-lost father as he falls in love with an American girl during the 1960s. The film is an exploration into a period of time set to the music of the Beatles as it plays into the idea of peace and love through some of the most tumultuous moments of the 1960s. Starring Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy, T.V. Carpio, and cameos from Eddie Izzard, U2's Bono, and Frida star Salma Hayek. Across the Universe is a dazzling and off-the-wall film from Julie Taymor.
In his dour world of Liverpool, a young man named Jude (Jim Sturgess) is hoping to find his father in America, who left his mother (Angela Mounsey) as a baby. Leaving behind his girlfriend Molly (Lisa Hogg) and the world he's known for all of his life, Jude enters into a new world. Landing himself in Princeton, he finds his father Wes Huber (Robert Clohessy) working as a janitor while revealing that he has his own family. Staying in his father's bunk in Princeton, Jude befriends a student named Max (Joe Anderson) after a night of fun. Max, who lives in an upper class home of sorts, invites Jude to Thanksgiving as they meet Max's sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). When Max announces to his family his decision to drop out of school and go to New York City, only Lucy is supportive of the decision with Jude joining along.
Arriving at the city, they stay at the apartment of a singer named Sadie (Dana Fuchs) who has also invited African-American singer-guitarist JoJo (Martin Luther McCoy) as well as a young Asian-American named Prudence (T.V. Carpio). For a while, things to be great with Jude pursuing his artistic pursuits in drawings and paintings as Max decides to invite Lucy to the city. Lucy, still in mourning over the death of her high school boyfriend Daniel (Spencer Liff) at the war, falls for Jude as everything seems to be fine. Then Max receives news that he's been drafted to join the Army forcing Lucy to deal with her feelings towards the war. With Max hoping not to get drafted, things get tense when Sadie is considered for a label deal of her own rather than her band with JoJo. After a party with Dr. Roberts (Bono), they end up taking a trip and have another party with Mr. Kite (Eddie Izzard) as Prudence has joined his circus.
Upon their return to New York City, Max has been drafted and sent to Vietnam for the war. Sadie and JoJo begin to separate while Lucy becomes more involved in activism with an activist named Phil (Michael Ryan). Jude however, decides to not be involved with peace movements in order to pursue his own art which causes friction with Lucy. Yet, as things become tense and nothing is improving over the war or the protests, Jude tells Lucy about her involvement as he and JoJo try to find their own worlds through their art. Finally after another protest where Jude, is suddenly involved, things start to fall apart as Jude gets help from the last he expects to help him as everyone is forced to look inward.
While musicals aren't for all audiences, a musical with music by the Beatles is a tough sell yet the result is definitely spectacular. Even from the mind as someone as ambitious from Julie Taymor. While the result isn't entirely perfect, what she brings to the film is a look that is completely its own and with the music of the Beatles, Taymor brings everything back to the 1960s. With puppet-like sets, visual collages, and everything that seems to represent the psychedelic 60s, it's definitely a film that will stimulate as well as warp the mind of the viewer.
The film's script definitely has an interesting structure in how the music is presented and where it's taking place. The first act starts off very innocently with early music from the Beatles including some more upbeat tracks. From the dour world of Liverpool that Jude lives to the beautiful suburbia that Lucy lives in. Yet, the tone begins to change when both Lucy and JoJo have their first encounter with death, in JoJo's case, the death of a family member following the Detroit riots in '67. In the second act, the music is geared towards mid-60s Beatles where everything at first seems fine and then chaos ensues. By the third act which is around '68-'70, things start to wind down as everyone faces their own sense of disillusionment. Yet, a lot of what happens includes many references to not just that period but also the moments that happened to the Beatles as well.
The script works for the most part though it starts out very clunky and when a musical sequence is going to happen, the audiences tends to know what's going to happen. That's part of the film's weakness at first even as it has the feeling where the performance feels like a music video. Yet, as the film continues, things start to relax as the audiences know what's going to happen where the music and story finally gel. A lot of credit goes to Taymor in her presentation that includes some wonderful sequences that involves dancers and sets where the whole film does feel like theater. Then there's the music that plays to the film and by the second act, it starts to feel very natural and comforting while the message that goes in terms of what was going in the 60s doesn't feel heavy-handed. It's more about what the characters are going through and such.
Helping with Taymor's vision in terms of her staging and musical numbers is choreographer Daniel Ezralow whose choreography feels natural and not in an engaging way that would make the viewer uncomfortable. It actually works to emphasize the emotions and the feeling of where the characters are. Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel use of lights from the multi-colored lights mixed in with animation sequences, visual effects design by Dongho Lee that brings some joy and rhythm to whatever sequence that's going on. Delbonnel's photography is exquisite with some wonderful exterior shots that look naturally dreamy while the interiors are amazing to the staging of the film. Editor Francoise Bonnot does some fine work with a lot of the film's editing without making into that rapid, MTV-style of cutting that's dominant in a lot of films. Instead, it moves very well with the rhythm and tone of the music as well as the emotions in the performances.
Production designer Mark Friedberg along with set decorator Ellen Christansen and art director Peter Rogness do some amazing work in the film's production. Whether it's the flashing lights that pop up during the bowling alley sequences, a hospital scene that involved a bunch of nurses played Salma Hayek, the puppets, and a lot of the recreation of 1960s psychedelic clubs, and the Liverpool club that's a reference to the Cavern where the Beatles played in their early years. The overall work on the production is amazing in every detail and look with its use of locations. Costume designer Albert Wosky does some great work with the film's look whether it's the leather-like, black look of Jude, the upper-class look of Lucy, to the psychedelic looks of Sadie and JoJo. Each look the film has in its costume works well with the period. Even in the makeup by Mary Aaron and Louise McCarthy do great work, even with the masks that some of the people wear.
Sound effects editor Wyatt Sprague does some great work in creating the atmosphere of the locations where the characters are as it plays to the tone of the film, particularly in the second and third act. Taymor's husband and music composer Elliot Goldenthal brings a nice film score that plays to Max's horrors at war as well as the sense of disillusionment that comes in the third act with its soft, orchestral score. The rest of the film soundtrack is definitely filled with Beatles covers and to its surprise, they were all actually well performed and sung by the cast. Standout cuts include Jeff Beck's guitar performance of A Day In The Life, Martin Luther McCoy's While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Because by the entire cast, and many more. It's an overall fantastic soundtrack.
The cast is definitely unique with cameos from Dylan Baker as Max & Lucy's father, Bill Irwin as their uncle, James Urbaniak as Sadie's manager, Salma Hayek as a gorgeous nurse (who wouldn't want her as 6-7 nurses?), and Joe Cocker doing a cover of Come Together in three different roles including a pimp that's a sight to see. U2's Bono makes a glorious cameo while sporting a cool American accent as this guru named Dr. Roberts. Other small appearances from Robert Clohessy, Angela Mounsey, Linda Emond as Lucy's mother, Lisa Hogg, Spencer Liff, and Michael Ryan are good in their small roles. T.V. Carpio is excellent as the confused Prudence who is trying to find her own identity as well as her own role in the world. Though her role is small, she makes most of her appearances leaving the viewer wanting more as she does a nice cover of I Want To Hold Your Hand. Dana Fuchs is impressive as the bohemian, Janis Joplin-like singer Sadie who is just sexy and a hell of a vocalist as her renditions of a few Beatles song in a bluesy style.
Martin Luther McCoy is great as the Jimi Hendrix-like character JoJo who can play a mean guitar while doing some spirited, soulful renditions of While My Guitar Gently Weeps while his duets with Fuchs are just awe-inspiring to convey their love-hate relationship. The film's real breakthrough performance is Joe Anderson as the non-conforming Max who brings a very energetic, spirited performance that is a sight to watch. The British actor not only sports a perfect American accent but his singing and dance is equally as impressive in songs like Hey Jude, Happiness Is A Warm Gun with Salma Hayek, and With A Little Help From My Friends with Jim Sturgess. Jim Sturgess is incredible as Jude, a young man who just wants to make art and have fun. Sturgess' vocal performance is amazing as he definitely adds emotions and angst into the songs, notably Revolution, Across The Universe, Girl, and Something. Sturgess not only can sing but also act as his chemistry with Evan Rachel Wood is insatiable. Evan Rachel Wood delivers a strong yet complex performance as Lucy who starts out as an innocent young girl who is forced to find reason over the death of her first boyfriend. Wood definitely is the acting veteran among her main cast while proving to sell herself not just in the film's dramatic moments but also the musical performances. Wood's vocals are definitely impressive and natural as she sings them with such life on songs like It Won't Be Long, If I Fell, and Blackbird.
Across the Universe is a marvelous film from Julie Taymor. While it is a very flawed film, it is a film that manages to be a lot of things as it includes a superb cast and amazing technical work. Especially as it has something to offer for fans of the Beatles to see these songs be re-interpreted for a new generation. In the end, Across the Universe is a visually spectacular film from Julie Taymor.
Julie Taymor Films: Titus (1999 film) - Frida - The Tempest (2010 film) - The Auteurs #42: Julie Taymor
© thevoid99 2014
Written and directed by Woody Allen, Whatever Works tells the story of a frustrated intellectual who leaves his upper-class New York life to enter its Bohemian section where he meets a young Southern girl and her family as he deals with the drawbacks of his new change in life. The film explores a man who befriends a young Southern girl and her family as he unknowingly changes their views on life. Starring Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley Jr., Henry Cavill, and Michael McKean. Whatever Works is a pretty delightful comedy from Woody Allen.
The film is about this very brilliant but frustrated individual who chooses to live a much simpler life after a breakdown in his marriage where he later meets this young Southern runaway. Reluctantly taking her in, he becomes fascinated by naiveté as they later marry until her mother finds her as she eventually becomes part of the New York City art world. It’s a film where this man’s rants about the world and humanity suddenly seeps into the mind of a young woman as she eventually starts to become an individual of sorts and later has her mother becoming part of a world that is very different from the conservative world of the American South.
Woody Allen’s screenplay is about people coming into their own in a very new environment yet it is largely told by this man named Boris (Larry David) whose cynical view on the world itself has him baffled when he meets this very charming 21-year old girl named Melody (Evan Rachel Wood). Even as he imposes his own ideas about everything to her as she starts to form her own opinions on things though they aren’t strong as his as it would eventually influence her own mother Marietta (Patricia Clarkson) who unexpectedly arrives in an attempt to bring her own. Instead, she is introduced to a few of Boris’ friends and becomes a very different woman in the course of a year. Allen’s script is uneven at times as it often features a lot of rants from Boris who is always breaking the fourth wall down and talks to the audience to give his ideas on things and such where it gets a little old at times.
Allen’s direction has him returning to New York City after a brief period spending time in Europe. While he doesn’t do anything new in terms of compositions, he does manage to create a sense of looseness in the way he directs his actors. Notably as he creates moments where Boris would rant to his friends about everything as he tells the story about his first suicide attempt and then go into his story about how he met Melody. Allen does manage to take his time and do a bit of satire where he sort of makes fun of the New York art world as Marietta becomes this art photography who specializes in nude photography that would baffle her husband John (Ed Begley Jr.) who had left Marietta for her best friend. Though it loses some steam in the third act and the plotting isn’t as strong as it wanted it to be. Allen still manages to create a very engaging yet fun film about a man whose intellect inspires a Southern family to find their way in the world.
Cinematographer Harris Savides does fantastic work with the film‘s cinematography from the vibrant yet sunny look of its daytime exteriors to some more colorful lighting schemes for the scenes at night including some of its interior scenes. Editor Alisa Lepselter does excellent work with the editing as it features a few montages to play up Melody and Marietta‘s respective growths as well some rhythmic cuts to play out the film‘s humor. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Ellen Christiansen and art director Tom Warren, does terrific work with the set pieces from the look of Boris‘ apartment to the art gallery that Marietta would eventually present.
Costume designer Suzy Benzinger does wonderful work with the costumes from the youthful clothes that Melody wears to the more fashionable New York Bohemian clothes that Marietta would wear after her transformation. Sound editor Robert Hein does superb work with the sound as it is often low-key while it would play to some moments that would move the story forward. The film’s music largely consists of classical and jazz music from artists like Ludwig Van Beethoven, Jackie Gleason, Groucho Marx, Heinz Kiessling, Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd, and Red Garland.
The casting by Juliet Taylor, Laura Rosenthal, and Ali Farrell is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features some memorable appearances from Michael McKean, Adam Brooks, and Lyle Kanouse as friends of Boris whom he frequently talks to, Christopher Evan Welch as a man John meets late in the film, Carolyn McCormick as Boris’ ex-wife in a scene where Boris has a night terror and tries to kill himself, Jessica Hecht as a woman Boris meets late in the film, Conleth Hill as a philosophy professor Marietta meets, and Olek Krupa as an art gallery agent who also meets and falls for Marietta. Ed Begley Jr. is terrific as Marietta’s husband John who unexpectedly arrives to New York City to find out what his daughter and wife are up to as he’s baffled by their changes. Henry Cavill is very good as a young man that Marietta meets as she tries to set him up with Melody in the hopes that Melody can meet someone who isn’t Boris.
Patricia Clarkson is amazing as Melody’s mother Marietta where Clarkson brings a lot of energy as a woman who starts off as this God-fearing woman from the South that is eager to return her daughter back home only for one of Boris’ friend to discover her gifts as a photography that would change her completely. Evan Rachel Wood is remarkable as Melody as this young Southern girl who runs away to New York City from Mississippi as she becomes Boris’ new wife where she learns to be a woman with some intelligence as Wood has this charm and exuberance to her character that is fun to watch. Larry David is excellent as Boris as a man troubled by the world and is convinced is full of idiots until he’s amazed by this young naïve woman and starts to guide her about the ways of the world as it’s a pretty funny performance from David.
Whatever Works is a pretty good film from Woody Allen thanks to the performances of Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, and Patricia Clarkson. While it is flawed as some of David’s rants get a little old while the story is also uneven. It is still a very lively film that explores an intellect meeting those who are beneath him intellectually yet would make an impact on his life and his views on the world. In the end, Whatever Works is a terrific film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet and Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra's Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1
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