The Brutalist

 

Directed by Brady Corbet and written by Corbet and Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist is the story of Hungarian-Jewish architect who immigrates to America where he hopes to live the American Dream as he struggles with trying to find work until a wealthy man asks him to build something only for things to get worse. The film is study of a man who is given a chance to create something in his vision as he would struggle to get things his way while dealing with his own issues as well as the demands of this wealthy figure. Starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, Stacy Martin, Raffey Cassidy, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankole, Alessandro Nivola, Ariane Labed, and Guy Pearce. The Brutalist is a majestic and harrowing film by Brady Corbet.

Set from 1947 to 1963 with an epilogue set in 1980, the film is about a Hungarian-Jewish architect who arrives in America where a wealthy man later asks him to create something in tribute to his mother only for things to get complicated and troublesome. It is a film that is an exploration of ambition and art with this man being at the center of wanting to create something big, but he is forced to answer to the wills of this industrialist who would undermine everything. The film’s screenplay by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold is set into two different parts given the scale of the story of this man who is known for creating architecture that is unique in its brutalist style. The first scenes does not show its main character but rather his niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy) as she is being interrogated by Soviet officials in the aftermath of World War II where her uncle Laszlo Toth (Adrien Brody) is on a ship to America where he arrives in New York City.

The film then goes into its first part, entitled The Enigma of Arrival in which Laszlo arrives in Philadelphia where his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) meets and tells him the news that Laszlo’s wife Erzsebet (Felicity Jones) and Zsofia are alive through a letter as Laszlo would correspond with her as they continue to be stuck in Europe. In Philadelphia, Laszlo would work for Attila and his wife Audrey (Emma Laird) as the latter takes a disliking towards Laszlo as they sell furniture while also do renovation work where Attila is approached by a man in Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn) about renovating a library for his father in the industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) as a surprise. Aiding Laszlo is the African single father Gordon (Isaach de Bankole) whom Laszlo befriended during a food line where they share a love for heroin which Laszlo uses for pain in his body only to become addicts. The first half of the film is set in the span of five years from 1947 to 1952 where Laszlo would later meet Harrison, who is impressed with what Laszlo has done as he wants him to create an ambitious project in tribute to his late mother.

The second half of the film entitled The Hardcore of Beauty is set from 1953 to 1960 when Erzsebet and Zsofia finally arrive in Doylestown, Pennsylvania where Laszlo lives and works, yet Laszlo is shocked that Erzsebet suffers from osteoporosis while Zsofia has become temporarily mute because of war. The second half would have Laszlo deal with Van Buren’s consultants who try to undermine what Laszlo wants with Erzsebet observing everything around her, including Van Buren, whom she sees as charming but does not find him to be trusting. Even as an accident would force Van Buren to scrap the project temporarily until a few years later where he asks Toth to travel to Italy to meet with a colleague of Toth in Orazio (Salvatore Sansone) who introduces him to a special kind of marble but things between Toth and Van Buren becomes troublesome. The script plays into the plight that immigrants go through in America with Erzsebet realizing that her husband is unraveling as she learns things about what happened to him while is also dealing with her own physical pain.

Corbet’s direction is immense in its overall presentation as it is shot in the VistaVision widescreen presentation for 35mm film and on various locations such as Venice, Italy for its epilogue with much of the film shot on location in Budapest along with other locations in Hungary and Italy with additional shots in New York City. The film plays into this air of post-war uncertainty as Corbet uses long tracking shots to play into Toth’s encounter with his surroundings as one of the first big shots of the film is Toth seeing the Statue of Liberty upside down. The shot symbolizes what Toth would expect throughout the film as he arrives in New York City as part of its prologue where the body of the film’s first half is set in Doylestown where he meets his cousin Attila. Corbet’s usage of wide and medium shots do help bring in the sense of space that plays into the world that Toth encounters whether it is at the Van Buren mansion or the building that Toth is creating for Van Buren. The wide shots also play into the landscape of Pennsylvania as it includes these exhilarating shots of cars, buses, and trains speeding in a long take. The last of which would be a key moment in the film’s second half where Toth’s relationship with Van Buren begins to falter.

Corbet would also play with aspect ratios as it plays into the creation of this building that Van Buren wants as well as scenes set in Italy where they meet Orazio for some marble as well as meeting people who were part of an anarchist group during World War II. It is a sequence that plays into many revelations about Van Buren who would also discover Toth’s own issues as it relates to his heroin addiction that would lead to a traumatic event for Toth. The second half when Erzsebet arrives as she is a woman that is defiant where Corbet uses some close-ups to play into a woman that has been through a lot of her own trauma while is also dealing with pain that Zsofia can sooth with some medication. The scenes where Erzsebet meeting with Van Buren are filled with ambiguity, including a shot of Harry walking behind Zsofia as it raises some questions that Erzsebet has about Van Buren. The film’s epilogue set in 1980 at Venice with Zsofia as an adult (Ariane Labed) as she talks about the journey that her uncle has taken into his work as it plays into the myths and misconceptions of the American dream with Toth being confronted with these truths. Even as he deals with things that are traumatic and what this building that he created really means to him. Overall, Corbet crafts as grand and evocative film about a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant’s desire for the American dream only to realize that is a myth.

Cinematographer Lol Crawley does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its usage of the VistaVision format allows him to emphasize unique shots in the natural lighting for some of the daytime exterior shots as well as some unique low-key and colorful lighting for the interior scenes at night as it is a highlight of the film. Editor David Janco does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usage of montages that includes stock footage as well as some jump-cuts for some scenes as well as knowing when to cut for some of the long shots. Production designer Judy Becker, along with supervising art director Csaba Lodi plus set decorators Patricia Cuccia and Mercedesz Nagyvaradi, does tremendous work with the look of the Van Buren estate as well as the shop that Attila and Audrey run as well as the design of the building that Toth is building for Van Buren as it is another highlight of the film. Costume designer Kate Forbes does excellent work with the costumes from the expensive clothing that Van Buren and his family wear to the ragged clothes that Toth would wear during his time after being kicked out by Attila.

Hair/makeup designer Gemma Hoff does terrific work with the look of Toth in the bearded look he would have briefly to the hairstyles of the women including Maggie Van Buren with her hairstyle. Special effects supervisor Endre Korda and visual effects supervisor Artem Isaakyan do fantastic work with the visual effects for scenes that are set dressing such as a scene involving a train as well as the look of the building as it is getting built from afar. Sound designer Andy Neil and sound editor Steve Single do superb work with the sound in the way small things sound up close or from afar as well as the way construction machines sound from afar as it is among one of the highlights of the film.

The film’s music by Daniel Blumberg is phenomenal for its grand and sweeping music score with bombastic horn arrangements, discordant string arrangements, somber woodwinds, and themes that play into the sense of yearning and horror that includes an electronic piece for its epilogue with additional contributions by Vince Clarke. Music supervisor James A. Taylor does wonderful work cultivating a music soundtrack that features music from the 1950s and 1960s ranging from jazz music to pop music from the likes of Paul Anka and an electro-pop piece from the 80s by La Bionda.

The casting by Kristina Ederly and Cassandra Kulukundis is great as it feature some notable small roles from the duo of Charlie Esoko and Zephan Hanson Amissah as the younger and teenage version of Gordon’s son William, Benett Vilmanyi as Zsofia’s lover Binyamin in the film’s third act, Salvatore Sansone as Toth’s Italian friend Orazio who would show him the marble that he creates in Italy, Peter Polycarpou as Van Buren’s Jewish lawyer Michael Hoffman who would help get Erzsebet and Zsofia out of Europe, Maria Sand as Hoffman’s wife who is one of the few that is kind to Toth and his family, Michael Epp as an architectural consultant that Toth spars with, Jonathan Hyde as Van Buren’s contractor Leslie Woodrow who is baffled by what Toth wants in the construction of Van Buren’s building, and Ariane Labed as the older Zsofia in the 1980 epilogue where she makes a speech about her uncle’s work. Emma Laird is terrific as Attila’s wife Audrey who takes a disliking towards Toth believing that he is a nuisance as she makes a false accusation about him to Attila. Alessandro Nivola is superb as Toth’s cousin Attila who has assimilated into Catholicism as he helps Toth get a job only to kick him out due to the lie that Audrey made.

Isaach de Bankole is brilliant as Gordon as an African immigrant that Toth befriends as he would work closely with Toth where he also grounds him despite their heroin addiction which Gordon would later wean away from as he later becomes troubled by Toth’s erratic behavior late in the film. Stacy Martin is fantastic as Maggie Van Buren as Van Buren’s adult daughter who is the kindest of the Van Buren family as she is someone who manages the home while also doing whatever she can to help the Toths including a scene in the film involving Erzsebet. Joe Alwyn is excellent as Maggie’s twin brother Harry Lee, who is a slimy and entitled person that is hoping to win his father’s approval while also does a lot to make Toth uncomfortable as he also tries to seduce Zsofia into one scene that is filled with ambiguity. Raffey Cassidy is amazing in a dual role as Toth’s niece Zsofia who spends part of the film mute because of the war as a young woman that observes everything around her while she later regains her voice as she wants to move to Israel. Cassidy’s other role in the film is Zsofia’s daughter in the 1980 epilogue.

Guy Pearce is great as Harrison Lee Van Buren as a wealthy industrialist who is a powerful figure that hires Toth to create a community center in tribute to his mother where he deals with all sorts of things while wanting to own Toth in some way. Pearce has a sense of charm in his performance that is a cover for something sinister as a man that wants it all including Toth himself in the worst ways. Felicity Jones is tremendous as Erzsebet Toth as a Dachau Holocaust survivor who suffers from osteoporosis where Jones brings a subtle quality to a woman ravaged by a disease while she is also an observer into who Van Buren is and what he is doing to her husband. Jones also plays into this sense of restrained physicality as a woman that is suffering from a terrible disease yet her resilience to smell bullshit a mile away as her last scene in the film is one of terror and ferocity. Finally, there’s Adrien Brody in a spectacular performance as Laszlo Toth as a Holocaust survivor who goes to America hoping to reach the American Dream where Brody brings this gravitas of a man that has been through a lot yet is also hopeful until he endures a lot of obstacles and tribulations that would put him in dark places. Brody also maintains this sense of weariness in the many tribulations he endures as there is an anguish in what he brings as it is a career-defining performance from Brody.

The Brutalist is an outstanding film by Brady Corbet that features a sensational leading performance from Adrien Brody as well as top-notch supporting performances from Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce. Along with its ensemble cast, grand visual presentation, its study of ambition and the mythos of the American dream, and Daniel Blumberg’s evocative music score. It is a film that harkens back to legendary American epics as well as being this study of a man’s desire to reach the American Dream only to realize that it is a myth. In the end, The Brutalist is a magnificent film by Brady Corbet.

Brady Corbet Films: (The Childhood of a Leader) – Vox Lux

© thevoid99 2025

The Rover (2014 film)

 

Directed by David Michod and screenplay by Michod from a story by Michod and Joel Edgerton, The Rover is the story of a loner living in futuristic world following a global economic collapse as he pursues a group of thieves who had stolen his car with the help of one of the thieves’ younger brother. The film is a western of sorts as it plays into a man seeking revenge for what had happened as he take in a young man who provides some ideas for this loner who felt the world has gone against him. Starring Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, Scoot McNairy, David Field, Gillian Jones, and Susan Prior. The Rover is a gripping and evocative film from David Michod.

Set a decade after a global economic collapse similar to the Apocalypse, the film follows a loner who encounters a trio of thieves who stole his car as he goes after them with the help of the thieves’ younger brother who had been left for dead following a robbery. It’s a film that plays into a man who is driving through the Australian desert as he is just passing through as his world collapse when his car is stolen as he becomes hell-bent on getting it back as he takes this slow-witted young man with him despite being wounded and guilty by association. David Michod’s screenplay has a straightforward narrative while it also plays up into the ambiguity into why this man named Eric (Guy Pearce) wants his car back as he finds the wounded Reynolds (Robert Pattinson) to accompany him.

Yet, they journey into a world of lawlessness where American currency is worth more than Australian currency while the military is the police of sorts as everything is done with some secrecy where people hide from criminals or the military. For Eric, none of that matters as he’s already lost so much since the economic collapse as he just wants his car back while not giving a fuck who he has to kill. Even if he has to drag Reynolds into the fray though Reynolds prove to be more useful than Eric realizes as it plays into Eric’s own humanity which he seemed to have lost. Especially as Reynolds is just someone who is innocent but knows his way to get around the lawless environment to help Eric.

Michod’s direction definitely echoes aspects of the western as it is shot on various locations at the South Flinders Ranges in Australia as well as areas nearby the town of Maree. Michod plays this world where people live remotely or hide in their houses as if things are dangerous yet it begins with Eric stopping at a bar where there aren’t many people as there’s a shot of a truck tumbling following an accident with Eric on the foreground taking a sip while the truck is in the background tumbling. It plays into the lawless nature of the film where the three men steal Eric’s car as sees it from afar as he also notices the truck which he takes and goes after them in a chase but there is this air of psychology into how Eric tries to approach these men but it doesn’t go well prompting him to play into the world of lawlessness. It is in this moment where he finds the wounded Reynolds as he asks for his help but Reynolds is in need of medical care. Yet, having access to guns and health care isn’t easy as the former requires money while the latter requires secrecy as it’s something Eric has to cope with. Michod maintains some unique compositions including a lot of gorgeous wide and medium shots in not just capturing the scope of the locations but also in how unsettling it is in this post-apocalyptic setting. There are these intimate moments in Michod’s approach to the close-ups and medium shots in the way it develops Eric’s relationship with Reynolds as first it starts off with Eric treating Reynolds with indifference and only using him to get to his destination.

Yet, Reynolds is someone that isn’t treated with respect at first but his innocence in the things he talks about but also his survival instincts does make Eric care for him following a skirmish involving a few military officers whom Reynolds, his brother, and the other thieves were stealing from. It does play into something that would happen in the second as Michod doesn’t stray from the brutality of the violence as it adds to the eerie nature of the environment the characters are in. Notably as Eric has been de-sensitized by the world due to the fact that he is someone that is carrying his own demons as it does bring a lot of reason into why he wants his car back. The film’s climax is violent but it’s more about Eric helping Reynolds confront his brother as well as bring some order back to the world of lawlessness. Overall, Michod crafts a chilling yet mesmerizing film about a loner who accompanies a young man to confront a trio of thieves who stole his car.

Cinematographer Natasha Braier does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes including some shots in the morning and in the evening as well as the usage of low-key colorful lights for some scenes at night. Editor Peter Sciberras does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the suspenseful moments in the film. Production designer Josephine Ford, with set decorator Jennifer Drake and art director Tuesday Stone, does amazing work with the look of the motels, houses, and places that Eric and Reynolds venture into in their dilapidated state as it adds to the dreary look of the film. Costume designer Cappi Ireland does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward and casual to play into the hot area of Australia.

Hair/makeup supervisor Fiona Rees-Jones does terrific work with the look of the characters to help play into the grimy look as well as usage of mist to play to their reaction with their hot surroundings. Special effects supervisor Angelo Sahin and visual effects supervisor Dave Morley do fantastic work with the some of the special effects such as the truck tumbling scene as well as some of the violent moments in the film. Sound designer Sam Petty does superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations including some of the quieter moments as it adds to the film’s eerie tone. The film’s music by Antony Partos is incredible with its mixture of ambient and brooding electronic textures to play into the suspense while music supervisor Jemma Burns provides a soundtrack that adds to the film’s tone with music from Colin Stetson, Tortoise, the Ink Spots, Frances-Marie Uitti, and an offbeat track from Keri Hilson.

The casting by Kirsty McGregor is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Nash Edgerton as a soldier who confronts Eric, Samuel F. Lee as a gun-toting acrobat, Anthony Hayes as a brutal soldier, David Field and Tawanda Manyimo as two of the thieves who steal Eric’s car, Susan Prior as a reclusive doctor named Dorothy who also shelters lost dogs, Gillian Jones as an aging opium den owner known as Grandma, and Scoot McNairy in a terrific performance as Reynolds’ older brother Henry who leads the gang of thieves as he also abandons Reynolds.

Finally, there’s the duo of Robert Pattinson and Guy Pearce in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Reynolds and Eric. Pattinson brings this air of innocence as a young man wounded during a robbery and left for dead as he deals with what happened to him but is also someone that has some strong survival instincts despite his lack of social skills. Pearce has this air of chilling restraint as someone that just wants to drive through the desert only to have his car stolen as he’s a man willing to get it back by any means necessary. Pattinson and Pearce do have this amazing rapport as two men trying to reach their destination but also confront those that had wronged them as well as made them feel worthless in a lawless world.

The Rover is an incredible film from David Michod that features great performances from Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson. Along with its gorgeous cinematography, eerie music score, unsettling tone, and its modern yet visceral approach to the western, the film is definitely a film that isn’t afraid to be grimy and violent while also playing into two men who feel rejected by this dark world only to stand up for some kind of principle that the world had lost. In the end, The Rover is a sensational film from David Michod.

David Michod Films: Animal Kingdom - (War Machine) – (The King (2019 film))

© thevoid99 2021

Prometheus

Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof, Prometheus is the story about two scientists who join a space crew to travel to a distant planet thinking they have found the origins of humanity in this unknown planet unaware of what might really be lurking. The film is a prequel of sorts to the Alien franchise which Scott had started back in 1979 where it explores ideas of faith and humanity in a sci-fi horror setting. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Rafe Spall, Kate Dickie, Benedict Wong, Sean Harris, and Guy Pearce. Prometheus is a sprawling though somewhat messy film from Ridley Scott.

The film is about these two scientists who believe that an archeological drawing might have the answer into who created humanity as they travel to a distant planet on a ship headed by the Weyland Corporation. What they would eventually find is something else as it causes a lot of trouble as well as the end of humanity. It’s a premise that is simple but since there are things in the story that leaves a lot of questionable gaps as well as the motivations into some of the characters. Driving the story is Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) who is convinced that the drawing she and her longtime boyfriend in scientist Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) is an invitation to find the answers of human existence as they convince the ailing Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) to help them find these answers.

The film’s screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof does raise questions into what might have existed in another world and were these so-called Engineers the creators of humanity. Yet, the script doesn’t really explain much into who they were and where they really come from as Dr. Shaw, Holloway, Weyland manager Meredith Vickers, and an android named David (Michael Fassbender) all try to find the answers. Yet, Vickers and David have motives that are very different as the latter is programmed by his master to find things where he would eventually tamper with some of his discoveries.

There aren’t clear motivation about Vickers as she is this very ambiguous individual as she is just looking over everything as she’s also being kept in the dark by David. Then there’s the ship’s pilot Janek (Idris Elba) who is the film’s realist who is convinced that something isn’t right as his confirmations prove to be true. It all plays to the element of suspense though its outcome doesn’t really payoff as it becomes very obvious as it’s a major flaw in the screenplay. Even as several characters get killed off and more questions start to emerge about what is inside this mountain they found in a planet.

Ridley Scott’s direction is quite spectacular in the way he presents the film from this opening sequence of an Engineer drinking this mysterious substance only to fall into a waterfall as he is disintegrating setting the stage for what he might become later on. Much of the film is set in mountains as much of the film’s location was shot in Iceland to play into a world that is unique and almost Earthly. Scott’s presentation of these locations do have a sense of wonder as it’s set in the late 21st Century where humanity is becoming more eager to find its origins in a planet that is vast and probably filled with all of those things. Much of the film’s interior settings as it’s all shot in a soundstage play into that element of suspense and mystery where it’s about the characters trying to find out what is inside this mountain.

Due to the script’s shortcomings, Scott doesn’t do enough to build up the suspense where it’s obvious what’s going to happen as a couple of characters encounter some strange alien being that will cause a lot of trouble. Even as it would later play into the elements of the third act where Dr. Shaw has to either hold on to her faith or just accept the truth. Yet, her decision becomes crucial as she is fully aware of what is out there as there’s an added twist to the story which creates more ambiguities to the story. Despite some of the flaws in the story, Scott manages to create a very solid and extraordinary film about the idea of human existence and where humanity comes from.

Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the dark look of the mountain caves where the characters try to observe to the lights inside the Prometheus spaceship all the characters live in. Editor Pierto Scalia does amazing work with the editing from the use of rhythmic cuts to play out the suspense and action that occurs in the film. Production designer Arthur Max, with set decorator Sonja Klaus and supervising art director John King, do fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the caves and the objects there to the interiors inside Prometheus. Costume designer Janty Yates does nice work with the look of the astronaut suit the characters wear when they go into the planet‘s exteriors as well as the clothes inside the spaceship.

Makeup designer Tina Earnshaw does terrific work with some of the film makeup effects such as the look of Peter Weyland as well as the Engineers. The visual effects by Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, and Martin Hill do brilliant work with the visual effects such as the 3-D holograms that appear on the visual maps inside Prometheus as well as some of the looks of the planet they landed on. Sound editors Victor Ray Ennis and Mark P. Stoeckinger do superb work on the sound to create some amazing sound design to play into the suspense as well as some of the scenes inside the spaceship and caves. The film’s music by Marc Streitenfeld is wonderful for its low-key yet brooding score to play into some of the wonders that is discovered as well as some ominous pieces to play into its suspense.

The casting by Nina Gold and Avy Kaufman is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it includes some notable small performances from Kate Dickie as the ship’s medic Ford, Emun Elliot and Benedict Wong as Janek’s wise-cracking co-pilots, Patrick Wilson in a flashback scene as Elizabeth’s father, Rafe Spall as the nerdy biologist Millburn, and Sean Harris as the more wild geologist Fifield who isn’t so sure about what is going on in the caves. Guy Pearce is terrific in a small role as Peter Weyland as this man who appeared as a hologram as an aging man who supports what Dr. Shaw and Holloway are trying to find. Logan Marshall-Green is excellent as Charlie Holloway as a scientist who is also eager to find the answers like Dr. Shaw as he becomes frustrated with the lack of progress in the search. Charlize Theron is pretty good as Meredith Vickers as this cold and distant manager who watches over the mission where Theron is hampered by the script by her lack of motivations and ambiguity which makes her performance a bit baffling to watch.

Idris Elba is fantastic as Janek as this no-nonsense pilot who just flies the ship as he doesn’t think this is going to go well as he also brings some humor to the film with his wisecracks. Michael Fassbender is amazing as the android David as a robot that is eager to please his creator while having the desire to want to be human despite some of his actions as Fassbender is just a real standout in the film. Finally, there’s Noomi Rapace in a remarkable performance as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw as this woman who relies on her Christian faith to believe that there is something out there only to find trouble as she deals with a lot that would challenge her idea of faith and existence as she dares to asks bit questions.

Despite some of the shortcomings and messiness of its script, Prometheus is still a worthwhile and engaging film from Ridley Scott. Thanks in part to some of the themes it presents as well as the performances of Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Idris Elba. It’s a film that has ideas that are compelling while balancing it with some suspenseful entertainment though it is quite flawed. In the end, Prometheus is a very stellar film from Ridley Scott.

Ridley Scott Films: (The Duellists) - Alien - Blade Runner - (Legend) - (Someone to Watch Over Me) - (Black Rain) - (Thelma & Louise) - (1492: Conquest of Paradise) - (White Squall) - (G.I. Jane) - (Gladiator) - (Hannibal) - (Black Hawk Down) - (Matchstick Men) - (Kingdom of Heaven) - (A Good Year) - (American Gangster) - (Body of Lies) - (Robin Hood) - (The Counselor) - (Exodus) - The Martian - (Alien: Covenant) - All the Money in the World

© thevoid99 2013

Iron Man 3

Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby and from the Extremis story arc by Warren Ellis, Iron Man 3 is the third installment of the Iron Man story in which Tony Stark faces with a new, mysterious enemy who is eager to wreak havoc into Stark’s life. Directed by Shane Black and screenplay by Black and Drew Pearce, the film picks up where The Avengers left off as Stark must deal with his role as Iron Man as he’s once again played by Robert Downey Jr. Also starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, James Badge Dale, Ty Simpkins, Jon Favreau, and Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin. Iron Man 3 is a thrilling and adventurous film from Shane Black.

The film revolves around Tony Stark battling an unknown enemy known as the Mandarin who is wreaking havoc on the world as he’s targeting the U.S. President (William Sadler). Yet, things become more complicated as Stark is dealing with anxiety issues relating to the events in The Avengers as he starts to alienate people close to him. Meanwhile, Stark is also dealing with the presence of Adrian Killich (Guy Pearce), who has been known for creating a virus that can help regenerate body parts, as he wants to go after Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to get Starks to help fund his work. It’s all part of a world in which Stark becomes overwhelmed as he has no idea what to do while eventually realizing that he’ll need to do things to help those he care for.

The screenplay by Shane Black and Drew Pearce explores not just Stark’s anxieties as well as his obsession to perfect the Iron Man suits he wears but also to use it so he can protect Pepper. Yet, he’s also dealing with the sins of the past as it relates to Killich who made an offer to Stark back in New Year’s Eve 1999 only to reject the offer while on that same night, he had a one-night stand with a botanist named Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) who would be one of the people that would create the Extremis virus. These sins would come back to haunt him as Stark tried to target the Mandarin in which one of his bombs put his former bodyguard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) into a coma. All of these incidents and the presence of the mysterious Mandarin would cause a lot of issues for Stark as he finds refuge in a small Tennessee town where he befriends a boy named Harley (Ty Simpkins) who would help Stark get back on his feet.

The script allows the Tony Stark character to not just face his demons and flaws but also face more brushes with death as he finally comes to the conclusion that he’s not just invisible. It’s not just Stark that is given a great character arc as the script also pays attention to Pepper Potts who grows into a much stronger woman who can put on an Iron Man suit and be helpful. There’s also a bit of buddy-comedy elements when it comes to Stark and his friend Colonel James Rhodes aka the Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle) who would later help Stark out in battling the Mandarin. Upon Starks’ eventual confrontation with the Mandarin, it becomes much more complex than it actually seems as it relates more to Killich’s work with the Extremis virus.

Black’s direction is quite typical of what is expected in an action blockbuster but Black does things to make it so much more. Notably as he creates scenes that are fun and full of humor while keeping the action thrilling as well as have some meaning. Black does create some unique shots that are simple including the scenes involving Starks and Potts while opening the film with this very humorous New Year’s Eve party in Switzerland that would set the tone for the entire film as it’s narrated by Stark. Many of the compositions are simple while the humor has the right note of just being unexpected but also natural where there is that sense of improvisation. Overall, Black creates a very solid and enjoyable action-blockbuster that manages to do a lot more than what is expected in its genre.

Cinematographer John Toll does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it‘s mostly naturalistic in some of its exteriors while using some more stylish lights for the scenes at night. Editors Jeffrey Ford and Peter S. Elliot do terrific work with the editing to create some rhythmic cut for the action scenes as well as a few montages for the flashback scenes. Production designer Bill Brzeski, along with set decorator Danielle Berman and supervising art director Desma Murphy, does amazing work with some of the set pieces such as the Stark mansion and the places set in Tennessee and Miami. Costume designer Louise Frogley does nice work with the costumes as it’s mostly casual with the exception of the Iron Man suits.

Visual effects supervisors Mark Bakowski, Erik Nash, Saravanan Stalin, and Christopher Townshend do brilliant work with the visual effects from the scenes of Iron Man flying in the air to some of the intense action scenes. Sound designer Ann Scibelli and sound editor Mark P. Stoeckinger do wonderful work with the sound from the layer of sound effects is used to some of the intimate moments in the mixing such as a bar scene where Stark gets information about the Extremis virus. The film’s music by Brian Tyler is very good as it‘s filled with bombastic orchestral music to play out its actions while music supervisor Dave Jordan brings in a few late 90s pop songs for the 1999 opening sequence as well as some funk music.

The casting by Sarah Finn is amazing as it features a massive collection of actors as it includes appearances from Miguel Ferrer as the vice president, Ashley Hamilton as an Extremis soldier, Shaun Toub reprising his role as Yinsen from the first film in the 1999 party scene, Paul Bettany as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S., and Stan Lee as a beauty pageant judge. Other notable small roles include James Badge Dale and Stephanie Szostak as a couple of vicious Extremis soldiers, Jon Favreau as Stark Industries security officer Happy Hogan, and Ty Simpkins as the boy Harley who helps out Stark in repairing the Iron Man Mk 42 suit. William Sadler is terrific as the American President as someone who is threatened by the Mandarin as he tries to maintain some sense of order. Rebecca Hall is wonderful as Extremis co-creator Maya Hansen as a botanist who had good intentions for the virus only to go into conflict of her own about working for Killian.

Ben Kingsley is great as the Mandarin as a mastermind terrorist who creates mysterious videos with great intimidation as Kingsley brings a lot of chew-scenery to his performance as the Mandarin. Guy Pearce is excellent as Aldrich Killian as a businessman who has a grudge towards Tony Stark as he uses the Extremis virus to become something that is very menacing. Don Cheadle is superb as Col. James Rhodes as a man who is concerned for Tony Stark while dealing with his new role as Iron Patriot as he would deal with the Extremis forces.

Gwyneth Paltrow is brilliant as Pepper Potts as she goes from someone who is dealing with Stark’s anxieties to being a woman that got tired of being pushed around as Potts finally gets to kick some major ass. Finally, there’s Robert Downey Jr. in a marvelous performance as Tony Stark/Iron Man as someone struggling with his role as well as with his own demons as Downey just adds more layers to the characters as someone who is flawed and vulnerable as well as finding a way to get back up.

Iron Man 3 is a remarkable film from Shane Black that features another winning performance from Robert Downey Jr. Thanks to a fantastic script and a brilliant supporting cast, the film is definitely a major improvement over its predecessor while being something more than just a typical blockbuster film. It’s also a film that has something for everyone while not wanting to take itself too seriously. In the end, Iron Man 3 is an excellent film from Shane Black.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One Films: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers (2012 film)

Marvel Phase Two Films: Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant Man

Marvel Phase Three Films: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man & the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Captain Marvel - Spider-Man: Far from Home

Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Eternals – Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)

Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)

Related: MCU is Cinema: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 – Pt. 4 – (Part 5) – (Part 6) – (Part 7) - The MCU: 10 Reasons Why It Rules the World

Shane Black Films: (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) - The Nice Guys - (The Predator (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2013

The Hurt Locker

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 8/9/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker tells the story of a bomb squad working on the streets of Iraq defusing bombs during the war. Leading the team is a man who loves doing the job for the hell of it while trying to deal with the chaos surrounding him with members of his team watching him. A part war-drama, part-psychological film, it's a movie that delves into the mind of what a bomb squad goes through in defusing bombs and being a soldier at war. Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, Evangeline Lilly, and David Morse. The Hurt Locker is a mesmerizing yet haunting war drama from Kathryn Bigelow and company.

It's 2004 in Baghdad as a new member of an elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit named Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) is now part of a new group filled by Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Elridge (Brian Geraghty). With 40 days left in their tour of duty, James has already become an eccentric figure as he refuses to take orders in order to get the job done. Even as he comes across one bomb attached to another which he defuses quite well despite a bit of pressure. Though Sanborn is frustrated over James' no-frills, all thrills attitude and his willing to put himself on the line. Elridge is already going through his own problems following the death of a superior (Guy Pearce) as he is now having psychological sessions with Colonel Cambridge (Christian Camargo). James meanwhile, feels at home in the line of duty and at war as he befriends a 12-year old Iraqi kid named Beckham (Christopher Sayegh) while defusing bombs all for the hell of it.

Then when a bomb site is nearby a United Nations building, James diffuses it quite successfully except bringing lots of anxiety to his team in taking off his bomb suit and refusing to wear headphones to listen to Sanborn's orders. Impressed by James' ability to just diffuse bombs is Colonel Reed (David Morse) who is amazed over James' experience in diffusing bombs. Though James reveals to have a life at home with a wife (Evangeline Lilly) and a baby boy, he prefers to work as a bomb tech without robots and go with his gut. When he, Sanborn, and Elridge encounter a group of contractors led by its leader (Ralph Fiennes), they are ambushed by a group of Iraqi militia where things get tense as Sanborn and Elridge with James' help manages to diffuse the situation. While it was a great day for the three as they all got drunk and beat each other up for fun, it was like all three men has finally clicked. With the days winding down, some traumatic events occur for all three that would shape their minds. With James getting more personal and even putting his own team in danger, everything would crash down for the three men with James starting to unravel over his life as a soldier and at home.

Films about the Iraq war in recent years has been filled with a lot of overwrought melodrama despite its noble intentions to reveal the horrors of war and in the injustice soldiers have to face. What makes this film very different is that it's about three men just doing their job as they all face their own personal turmoil inside of themselves. Of those three, it's William James that is the most compelling as he's a man that loves to take risks in order to get the job done and diffuse situations. Yet, he's also reckless, refusing to take orders, and is always on an adrenaline rush. James is a loose cannon but does have a compassionate side when he befriends an Iraqi kid who sells him DVDs and plays soccer with him though he has a hard time being that person at home despite his noble efforts.

Screenwriter Mark Boal does a superb job in creating a unique structure to the story which begins with a scene involving a bomb about to be diffused by the previous bomb tech. The first act is about Staff Sgt. James arrival to the unit while proving to be a unique figure to his team like the by-the-book Sgt. Sanborn and the young, insecure Specialist Elridge. Both of whom each are given some development and insight into their own characters with Sanborn trying to be in control while Elridge is haunted by his own issues where in some intense moments, he's comforted by James. Boal's screenplay is well-structured in not just introducing the character but providing a strong second act for the characters to finally bond and click with each other while the third act would unveil some harsh truths and situations involving the main three characters.

While Boal's script does manage to delve into the psychological elements of what is going on in battle and in diffusing a bomb along with the soldier's experience. It's Kathryn Bigelow's direction that is really the highlight of the film. Bigelow's engaging approach to the film by getting inside the battlefield, inside the action, and all of the drama that goes on is really what sets this film apart from not just the Iraq war films that came before in the past few years is that it's not melodramatic. At the same time, it is not very stylized, not filled with lots of CGI creations, or anything that is sprawling in its action scenes. Instead, it goes deep into the action with gun battles, explosions, and the tension that goes in diffusing a bomb while the soldiers have to look out to see if the enemy is watching. Utilizing a hand-held approach to the camera work in capturing all of the action and intensity. Bigelow's direction is truly remarkable in just being real, to-the-point, and not overglazing it with fast action, bloated scenery, or lifeless spectacles.

Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd does amazing work with the film's gritty, hand-held photography with elements of grainy shots in some of the nighttime scenes with little light. The action scenes are filled with close-ups of the action with camera blurs to emphasize a point-of-view shot from a sniper. Ackroyd's cinematography is exhilarating in its realism and in not being over-stylized. Editors Chris Innis and Bob Murawski do excellent work in the film's editing in providing some nice jump-cuts for some rhythmic editing along with rhythms to play up to the tension that is going in scenes where bombs are diffused or in the action. While it has a running time of nearly two-hours and fifteen minutes, it does have the feeling or pacing approach of a film that long which is brilliant as Innis and Murawski do some masterful work in the editing.

Production designer Karl Juliusson, along with set decorator Amin Charif El Masri and art director David Bryan, does fine work in the creation of bases and camps that the soldiers live in along with the designs of the bombs and devices. Costume designer George L. Little does good work in the design of the bomb suit that Jeremy Renner wears in order to unveil all of the detail of what bomb technicians have to wear. Sound designer/editor Paul N.J. Ottosson does spectacular work with the film's sound work in its action sequences and moments of suspense to add tension to all that is going on. Music composers Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders provide an excellent score with haunting arrangements from strings and drums to provide the tension and drama that is going on in the war scenes. For the film's soundtrack, three tracks are provided from the legendary industrial-metal band Ministry from their Rio Grande Blood album as it serves as amazing accompaniment for James' state of mind.

The casting by Mark Bennett is superb with appearances from Lost's Evangeline Lilly as Staff Sgt. James' wife, Hasan Darwish as a DVD vendor, Nabil Koni as a professor William visits, and Christopher Sayegh as Beckham, the boy Staff Sgt. James befriends. Christian Camargo is very good as Elridge's psychologist who may know what soldiers go through but has little experience in what goes on when they're on the battlefield. Making appearances in some very small roles include Guy Pearce as a bomb tech, David Morse as a lively colonel, and Ralph Fiennes as a British contractor carrying a sniper rifle. Brian Geraghty is excellent as Elridge, a young soldier who is dealing with the horrors of war as he tries to cope with it the best he can do. Anthony Mackie is superb as Sgt. Sanborn, the straight man of the story as he is the man who does things by the book while trying to deal with James' reckless persona as well as his own horrors about life after war.

Finally, there's Jeremy Renner in what is truly a remarkable performance. In the role of Staff Sgt. William James, Renner displays a swagger and nonchalant attitude to his character as a man who loves his job and is willing to take all the risks. While he has a compassionate side to him, Renner displays all of the conflict his character has to go through when he knows he has to go home. Yet, he couldn't help but be on an adrenaline rush when he knows that there's something wrong and he wants to go out there and fight. It's truly a star-making performance for the actor who has been famous for supporting roles and small parts as he's now an actor to watch out for.

The Hurt Locker is a sensational film from Kathryn Bigelow thanks to an amazing performance from Jeremy Renner. In an era of heavy-handed, melodramatic war films that does nothing but rally around a political message along with action films that are all spectacles and no sense of what is happening. This is the film that corrects all of those things in what is expected from their genres. Fans of smart action films and war films will no doubt enjoy this film for its sheer realism and ideas of what soldiers have to go through. For director Kathryn Bigelow, this film is truly her best work to date while it may not be as entertaining as Point Break or Strange Days. Yet, in a genre that's dominated by men helming action features. This film proves that not only can she do a great action film. It also proves that she's better than the guys in creating great explosions and action scenes. In the end, for a film that is smart, entertaining, and filled with great action sequences. The Hurt Locker is the film to go see.

Kathryn Bigelow Films: The Loveless - Near Dark - Blue Steel - Point Break - Strange Days - The Weight of Water - K-19: The Widowmaker - Zero Dark Thirty - The Auteurs #29: Kathryn Bigelow

© thevoid99 2012

Mildred Pierce (2011 TV Miniseries)

Based on James M. Cain’s 1941 novel, Mildred Pierce tells the story of a middle-class housewife’s struggle to give her children a better life during the Great Depression. Though she finds works as a waitress and begins to work her way up, she also begins to deal with the ambitions of her eldest Veda as their lives turn tragic. The story would eventually become a feature film in 1945 by Michael Curtiz that starred Joan Crawford in the title role, which would win her an Oscar for Best Actress. In 2011, the melodramatic story is told once again into a new medium for a five-part TV miniseries. This time, under the helm of one of American cinema’s great talents in Todd Haynes.

Directed by Todd Haynes with a teleplay by Haynes and Jon Raymond. Haynes’ adaptation of Mildred Pierce is a re-telling of the novel by expanding on the melodrama with the realism of the 1930s. While some might consider the project to be a companion piece of sorts to his 2002 film Far from Heaven. The miniseries is a different take on the world of housewives that Haynes had previously explored in Far from Heaven and Safe. Even as he goes for a grittier yet stylistic approach to the story with Kate Winslet in the title role. Also starring Evan Rachel Wood, Guy Pearce, Mare Winningham, Melissa Leo, Brian F. O’Byrne, James LeGros, and Hope Davis. Mildred Pierce is a sprawling yet evocative drama from Todd Haynes and company.

Part 1

It’s 1931 during the Great Depression in Glendale, California when Bert Pierce (Brian F. O’Byrne) leaves his home and his wife Mildred after accusations of infidelity. With her two young daughters in the glamorous Veda (Morgan Turner) and the playful Ray (Quinn McColgan), Mildred realizes that she needs work. While her neighbor Lucy Gessler (Melissa Leo) helps out along with Bert’s business partner Wally Burgan (James LeGros). Still in 1931, as Mildred struggles to find work in any kind of field. While an employment agent helps her find work, she gets a job offer to work for a maid by a rich woman named Mrs. Forrester (Hope Davis).

Mildred turns her down as she continues to try and find work where during a lunch break, she sees an argument between waitresses as the manager (Mark Margolis) fires one of them. Realizing they’re short, Mildred volunteers for the day as she accepts the job of being a waitress. While she only tells Lucy about the job, she hopes that no including Veda would know about this.

Part 2

With help from Ida Corwin (Mare Winningham), Mildred succeeds as a waitress as she brings in some money. While things are fine at the restaurant, the only thing the customers complain about is the pie as Mildred brings in pies of her own to help boost things. Realizing that she can make money on her own with her cooking skills, she also learns the ropes of the restaurant business with Wally’s help to start a restaurant. Though Wally reveals that in order for Mildred to have her own business, she needs to divorce Bert. Bert reluctantly does so though he still gets the chance to see his daughters.

Mildred’s secret comes out when her new assistant Letty wear Mildred’s waitress dress. Mildred has a confrontation with the snobbish Veda while revealing the plans she’s having for the restaurant. On the last day of her job as a waitress, a man named Monty Beragon (Guy Pearce) arrives as he asks Mildred for a day at the beach in Santa Barbara. Mildred accepts where romance happens between Mildred and the fruit company heir. On the way home, Mildred would encounter tragedy that would change her life as well as her relationship with Veda.

Part 3

After the family tragedy Mildred faced, she decides to move forward to open her restaurant called Mildred’s. With her maid Letty (Marin Ireland) helping out for the first day, it starts off slow until it grew in that first night. With Ida and Lucy helping out, the first night becomes successful as Monty makes an appearance much to the delight of Veda. With Monty in Mildred’s life and making an indelible impression on Veda, everything seems to be going well. Even as Monty gets a chance for Veda to audition for a prestigious music teacher. Though the audition is a success, Mildred knows that she has to get a top piano for Veda so she can continue to practice.

With Prohibition on its way out and Monty having money troubles, Mildred takes Lucy’s advice to have a little bar in her restaurant. Yet, it’s not enough to deal with Monty’s financial issues while Veda’s time with Monty makes Mildred uneasy. Even as Veda is unimpressed by Mildred’s present while saying things that upset Mildred about Veda’s conversations with Monty. At a rainy night on New Year’s Eve, Mildred confronts Monty about his conversations with Veda along with the fact that she works and he doesn’t.

Part 4

With Mildred’s becoming a success as Mildred hopes to expand her business, Lucy finds a location at Laguna that would become a place where Mildred would exceed her finances. With help from Wally and Ida, Mildred’s third restaurant at the Laguna becomes another success as she also expands her entrees. After the news of her teacher‘s death, Veda (Evan Rachel Wood) tries to get an audition with a famed music impresario named Treviso. Instead, the audition becomes a disaster leading Veda to party with a group of young people.

Mildred is worried about Veda’s partying ways as she gets an unexpected visit from Mrs. Forrester. What Mildred learns from Mrs. Forrester has her worried while she asks Veda what happened. Veda revealed she turned to Wally for help as Mildred learns the realization of what Veda is trying to do. Yet, what is more shocking is Veda’s motivation to do so as Mildred kicks her out. With Veda gone, Mildred focuses on her business yet she longs for information about Veda. Then, she hears the news from Bert that Veda has succeeded as an opera singer.

Part 5

After learning about Veda’s success and hearing her sing through the radio, Mildred is desperate to contact her. She realizes that Veda’s music instructor is Treviso who is happy about working with Veda though suggests to Mildred to not make any contact with her for her own sake. With ideas of finding a new home in Pasadena, Mildred runs into Monty as they reconnect. Selling her his estate, the two get married as Veda makes a surprise appearance. Though everything seems fine as Veda becomes a big success. Mildred learns about some holes in her finances as it becomes clear what’s been happening. Even Bert reveals what’s been happening as people from her business have tried to warn her about something. It is there that Mildred faces not only betrayal but also heartbreak.

While the original 1945 film was a noir-like melodrama set in the 1940s, it was a very stylized approach to what James M. Cain had originally intended with the book. Under the direction of Todd Haynes, Cain’s story about a woman trying to win the heart of her ungrateful daughter expands into something much bigger and more realistic. Even as Haynes uses Mildred’s struggle early in the miniseries as an allegory to what was going in the late 2000s during the troubled economy. Yet, Haynes and co-writer Jon Raymond delve into the story about this woman’s desperate to succeed in her own times and win her daughter’s heart. Even by going to Cain’s novel and bring in characters that weren’t present or under-utilized in Michael Curtiz’s 1945 film.

The relationship between Mildred and Veda is the heart of the miniseries while characters such as Bert Pierce, Ida Corwin, Wally Burgan, and Monty Beragon are more prominent in the book. Even the character Lucy Gessler, who wasn’t in the 1945 film, is presented in the miniseries. With these supporting characters, they bring in their own perspective about the Mildred and Veda relationship though it’s told through Mildred’s perspective.

Since it’s told in nearly six-hours and in five parts, it’s all about Mildred’s progression from a wife whose husband has left her for another woman to struggle on her own. When she eventually takes a job as a waitress so she can raise her daughters. During this time as a waitress, she learns about the restaurant business and with the help of a few people. She starts her own restaurant and eventually succeeds by turning it into an empire. Yet, part of the motivation isn’t to give her daughters the chance to feel secure but also for them to have a very good life. Unfortunately, one of them wants more than that.

The character of Veda is someone that wants ambition and wants to succeed at any cost. When family tragedy occurs in the Pierce family, it does bring Veda and Mildred closer which also serves as Mildred’s reason to want to have Veda around her. Instead, Veda becomes more ambitious and falls for Monty’s lifestyle. The chance to play music and later, become a singer is Veda’s chance to not only leave Glendale but also leave the mother who she feels is holding her back.

With the relationship of the two progressing throughout the duration of the story, there comes various people involved that would look at this relationship. The one person that would help create the divide in the two is Monty. Monty is a rich playboy who likes to live a lifestyle that he can afford, at first. By the time his own finances dry up, he goes to Mildred for money as she takes care of him. Instead, his own time with Veda would be the breaking point as they won’t see each other for a few years. When he does reappear, he would be responsible for the reunion between Mildred and Veda. Yet, that wouldn’t last as he would create the problems Mildred would face the near-ruin of everything she’s worked for. What’s even worse isn’t just betrayal but also an indication of how foolish she can be.

Part of Mildred’s fault is her ability to try and please others such as Monty and Veda. Yet, they take advantage of her hospitality making Mildred into a tragic figure of sorts. Even by the miniseries’ climatic moment is where she finally reaches her breaking point following everything that has just happened to her. The ending of the miniseries isn’t as stylish as Curtiz’s film but it’s an indication of what Mildred has learned and realizes in the end.

The teleplay by Haynes and Jon Raymond succeeds in not only the character study of Mildred Pierce as well as other characters. They succeed in also creating the environment of what was it like during the Great Depression. Through Haynes’ sprawling yet stylish direction, he creates something that is not just reminiscent of 1970s cinema. He also brings a contemporary approach to the story while retaining the language of the 1930s. Yet, Haynes is always having his camera interested in what is going on with Mildred’s world and through the people around her.

There are scenes throughout the miniseries where Mildred is looking around whether she’s inside a car or at a restaurant looking around. It’s as if she’s is feeling detached by the world around her. Even as Haynes understands what Mildred is going through with her life. Even as the story progresses, she becomes more refined while is awaiting to be reunited with Veda. The scenes where Veda performs an opera is truly captivating as it’s shown not just from Mildred’s perspective but also in how Veda is displaying those emotions through her singing. It’s not just Veda singing to her mother where it seems like she’s being grateful underneath all of that performance is a young woman becoming more detached from the woman who tried to give her everything.

Haynes’ direction truly succeeds in creating a feeling of detachment while bringing new life to the world of the Depression in California though it’s mostly shot in the state of New York. The look of the 1930s during the Depression might not seem as decayed or in ruins but rather a period where people are struggling while trying to get things moving. Even as he creates wonderful shots and camera movements to get into the emotion of the story. Even as he ends each part with some sort of cliffhanger as the end of the first part really shows a great example of what is happening. The result is truly a magnificent miniseries helmed by one of American cinema’s great filmmakers working today.

Cinematographer Edward Lachman does a superb job with the miniseries’ gorgeous photography. Lachman plays up the sunny yet dreamy quality of many of the miniseries’ exteriors that gives it a Californian feel. For many of the interiors, Lachman brings in an amazing array of lighting schemes whether its to reflect sunlight against the glass in some scenes or creating a mood for what is happening. Lachman’s photography is truly exquisite as it is definitely the highlight of the miniseries’ technical work.

Editors Alfonso Goncalves and Camilla Toniolo do a phenomenal job with the editing of the entire series. With Goncalves on the first two parts, Toniolo on the third, and both doing the last two parts. The editing works in playing up to the drama and uncertainty about Mildred early in the story. Even as presents the story in a leisured yet methodical pacing while not making it too slow. While it’s length works as a miniseries which allows each part to be separated at over an hour each. The editing also works to convey the intense melodrama that occurs throughout the miniseries as it is definitely some fine work.

Production designer Mark Friedberg, along with set decorator Ellen Christiansen and art director Peter Rogness, does a great job with the recreation of 1930s California from the look of the restaurants and homes that characters lived in. Even with the cars as Freidberg and his team do something that is truly spectacular with the period setting including the grand scenes for the opera. Costume designer Ann Roth does a spectacular job with the costumes for the miniseries. Roth’s costumes plays up to the evolution of Mildred’s character from a middle-class woman struggling to find work to a woman with lavish clothes running a business. Even with Veda’s clothes early as child with someone wanting top-class to a much more grander style of clothing to represent her narcissistic personality.

Visual effects supervisor Lesley Robson-Foster does a very good job with the minimal sound effects to enhance the look of 1930s America along a few shots for some of the driving scenes. Sound designer Leslie Shatz does an amazing job with the sound work for the miniseries. From the way cars sounded back then to the surroundings Mildred would encounter throughout duration of the miniseries along with the homes she lives in. Shatz’s work is truly stellar in the way she allows the sound to intensify the dramatic elements of the miniseries.

The score by Carter Burwell is truly wonderful for the way Burwell plays up to the melodrama as well as the period of the music. Creating a score filled with lush arrangements and orchestral flourishes that is bombastic and also understated to play up the drama. Even with something as plaintive as a piano to help play to Mildred’s complex emotions. Music supervisor Randall Poster helps with the soundtrack by creating a mix of 1930s pop music at the time, notably I‘m Always Chasing Rainbows that serves as Mildred‘s sort of theme. Poster also selects varied classical opera pieces for Veda to play with vocals by Sumi Jo to serve as Veda’s voice. The music overall is fantastic as it’s another highlight of the miniseries.

The casting by Laura Rosenthal is definitely top-notch with the array of people that appears throughout the entire miniseries. In small but notable appearances include Paul Sparks as an agent trying to get Veda to New York City in the fifth part of the series, Mark Margolis as the diner boss, Miriam Shor as a diner waitress, Elvy Yost as Mildred’s secretary in the latter part of the miniseries, Halley Feiffer as one of Mildred’s waitresses, and Marin Ireland as Mildred’s maid/assistant Letty. Quinn McColgan is very good as Mildred’s youngest daughter Ray who provides all of the warmth and playfulness that anyone could ask for in a kid. Hope Davis is excellent in a small but pivotal role as Mrs. Forrester, a rich woman who snidely offers Mildred a job in the first part only to return in the fourth when she confronts Mildred about Veda.

Mare Winningham is great as Ida Corwin, a diner waitress who helps Mildred run the restaurant while being the person who tries to warn Mildred about the finances. James LeGros is wonderful as Wally Burgan, a businessman who occasionally sleeps with Mildred early in the series to help her start a business while being the man who would make decisions that baffles Mildred. Melissa Leo is phenomenal as Lucy Gessler, Mildred’s best friend and confidant who helps her run the restaurant business while trying to warn Mildred about Veda’s behavior. Brian F. O’Byrne is extremely impressive as Bert Pierce, Mildred’s first husband who leaves for another woman only to become a supporter of her and one of the few people she trusts. O’Byrne truly brings an everyman quality to Bert who is kind of a sap but a guy that is sympathetic as his own relationship with Mildred in the progression of the story becomes one of the most interesting as O’Byrne really shines.

Guy Pearce is amazing as Monty Beragon, the charming playboy who wows Mildred with his tastes as he helps her succeed. Yet, Pearce also brings a devilish quality to Beragon as he is someone who is more brutish and also lazy as a guy who just likes to live a lifestyle that he can’t really afford. It’s Pearce at his finest as he and Kate Winslet have some wonderful chemistry whether they’re in love or hating each other. For role of Veda Pierce, two actresses play the character in two different age groups. For the younger Veda, Morgan Turner is superb as this young, ambitious little girl who scoffs at the idea of the working class while being very spoiled. Turner adds a smugness to that character that makes her someone that anyone would love to hate. Yet, it’s a remarkable performance from the young Turner as it’s really a set-up for what will Veda become as a teenage girl/young woman played by Evan Rachel Wood.

Evan Rachel Wood gives, what is probably the best performance of her young career so far. Not only does she make Veda more unlikable, she makes Veda into a monster that anyone wishes would be dead. Wood truly brings a very dramatic flair to her character by being a bit over the top and also bringing the idea that she is a talented singer/musician in the way she mimics things. By the time the story progresses and she becomes larger than life, Wood definitely has moments she nearly steals the scenes from Kate Winslet including a nude scene that is one of the most infuriating moments of the miniseries. It is definitely a break-out performance for the young Evan Rachel Wood.

Finally, there’s Kate Winslet in what is definitely one of her greatest performances of her career. In playing the titular character, it is a very different performance than the one Joan Crawford gave in the 1945 performance. It’s stripped down and also very direct about a woman struggling to bring security to her young daughters and to succeed on her own terms. Winslet brings a real weariness to her character while her physicality in the way she reacts to things is just startling. Even as she has a great rapport with her fellow actors including Evan Rachel Wood where the two have great scenes together about their troubled relationship. While it may not be her best performance of her career, it is certainly among one of her best in an amazing career.

Mildred Pierce is a spectacular yet mesmerizing miniseries/melodrama from Todd Haynes featuring a towering performance from Kate Winslet in the title role. Along with some fantastic supporting work by Evan Rachel Wood, Morgan Turner, Guy Pearce, Melissa Leo, Mare Winningham, and Brian F. O’Byrne. It’s definitely a story that really plays to its sense of ambition and heartbreak. While it may not be as overly stylized as Michael Curtiz’s 1945 film, it is definitely a more realistic take on James M. Cain’s novel though both have the same idea. While it is a long story to watch, it is told in the right medium as a miniseries as Todd Haynes truly went all out for this story. In the end, the 2011 miniseries of Mildred Pierce is a dazzling yet intense project from Todd Haynes.

Todd Haynes Films: Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story - Poison - Dottie Gets Spanked - Safe - Velvet Goldmine - Far from Heaven - I'm Not There - Carol - Wonderstruck - Dark Waters (2019 film) - The Velvet Underground

Related: Mildred Pierce (1945 film) - The Auteurs #3: Todd Haynes

© thevoid99 2011

Memento

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 7/14/10.

Before reviving the Batman franchise back from the dead and becoming one of top directors working in cinema.  Christopher Nolan was just an unknown who had only made a few short films in the late 80s and early 90s.  The British-born director made his first feature film called Following that was released in 1998 to cult success in the festival circuit.  Two years later, Nolan would make another film that was more ambitious but also would mark the arrival of a new visionary who would help change the idea of what films could do that would be called Memento.

Based on the short story Memento Mori by Christopher Nolan's younger brother Jonathan, Memento tells the story of a man who had suffered a head injury as he is unable to create new memories.  During this incident, the man tries to uncover a murder with help of old memories and individuals helping him out.  Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is a non-linear journey into a man's mind as it blends film noir, psychological drama, and all other sorts of genre into what some called one of the most original films of its time.  Starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Mark Boone Junior, Stephen Tobolowsky, Callum Keith Rennie, and Joe Pantoliano.  Memento is a haunting, mind-bending film from Christopher Nolan.

Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) has just killed a man as he takes a photograph only to remember what he had just done.  Yet, with a condition that makes him unable to create new memories.  He is forced to take down notes, even on photos to investigate the murder of his wife (Jorja Fox).  Helping him in the investigation is a guy named Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) whom Leonard believes isn't trustworthy.  Staying at a motel where he briefly chats with the manager Burt (Mark Boone Junior), he also gains contact and help from a bartender named Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) who helps him in finding information and such.

During the investigation, Leonard recalls old memories about a man named Sammy Jankis (Stephen Tobolowsky) who suffered from the same condition Leonard is dealing with.  During the investigation, he encounters a drug dealer named Dodd (Callum Keith Rennie) to get some information as it leads him to some confusing leads from Natalie and Teddy.  Even as he tries to uncover memories about Natalie's boyfriend Jimmy (Larry Holden) while trying to figure out the puzzle he's created as he believed is being mislead.  When it finally comes down to what happens, it leads to some shocking revelations about his own memories and what he wants to believe.

The film's premise is simple since it's about a man trying to find the man who killed his wife.  Yet, it's more complicated by a protagonist who has no short-term memory nor has the ability to create new ones.  In the process, he is confused and having to jot down notes and take photographs to uncover the leads of his investigation.  Along the way, he encounters people who can lead him to find out the truth but what happens turns out to be more complicated since he isn't sure what to believe or who is telling the truth.  At the same time, there's a subplot based on his memories about a man dealing with the same condition that Leonard Shelby encountered when he was just an insurance investigator.

The premise and journey is told in a non-linear structure where the black-and-white segments is Leonard recalling the memory about Sammy Jankis while leading up to the climatic moment where everything turns to color again.  The scenes in color are sequenced in a backwards style of storytelling.  What Christopher Nolan and his younger brother Jonathan did was follow what Jean-Luc Godard stated about story structure.  There's a beginning, a middle, and an end.  It's just that any of those three story doesn't have to follow in the same sequence.  It could be told in the middle, ending, and then the beginning or some other way.

Nolan's screenplay is a mixture of genres ranging from psychological drama to film noir where some of the dialogue is presented in a noir-like fashion.  At the same time, there's a bit of humor.  While the journey following Leonard's investigation at times, can be hard to follow.  The journey is a ride that is truly entrancing where the audience can figure out if he's being mislead or someone is steering in the right direction.  The two main supporting characters in Natalie and Teddy are individuals who might not be who they seem once the film goes into the beginning or middle but they're not also trying to manipulate Leonard for their own gain.  Still, they're shady but at least try to do some good.

Nolan's script is filled with memorable yet eerie characters while his script is definitely a mind-bender that plays with traditional structure.  Yet, it is his direction that really gives the film a chilling feel.  He lets the audience follow him while getting a chance to revisit scenes as they've begun while going back and forth to his phone conversation to the investigation.  There's a sense of repetition that goes on so that Nolan can give the audience an idea of what it feels like to be Leonard Shelby.  Even as the camera follows Shelby or creating sequences that allows the audience to figure out what is happening as they're on a backwards journey.  Nolan has created what is truly a mesmerizing yet haunting film that is truly ingenious.

Nolan's longtime cinematographer Wally Pfister does excellent work with the visual look of the film with some colorful yet eerie photography for many of the film's reverse-chronological sequences.  The black-and-white photography for some of the other scenes are entrancing in its tone as Pfister‘s work is superb.  Editor Dody Dorn does fantastic work with the film's editing in creating tight sequences that move seamlessly while using repetition to emphasize the state of mind of its protagonist.  Dorn's editing is truly amazing as it's the film's technical highlight.

Production designer Patti Podesta, along with set decorator Danielle Berman, does a very good job with the look of the motel rooms and homes that Leonard encounters as the film mostly takes place on location.  Costume designer Cindy Evans does nice work with the costumes as it's mostly casual clothing while Guy Pearce wears the same suit for nearly the entirety of the film.  Sound editors Gary S. Gerlich and Richard LeGrand Jr. do phenomenal work with the film's eerie sound mix to convey the film's noir-like tone.  Even as they capture the atmosphere of the location that the film is at.  The music score of David Julyan is wonderful for its subtle yet ethereal feel with just the use of synthesizers to explore the mind of Leonard Shelby.  The music is another highlight in the film's technical field which includes David Bowie's Something In the Air for the film's closing credits.

The casting by John Papsidera is wonderful for its array of actors who stand out in small but memorable roles.  Notable appearances includes famed comedy actor Thomas Lennon as Sammy's doctor, Kimberly Campbell as a hooker, Larry Holden as Natalie's boyfriend Jimmy, and Jorja Fox as Leonard's wife.  Other small but notable roles come from Mark Boone Junior as a hotel manager who often converses with Leonard and Callum Keith Rennie as a shady drug dealer named Dodd.  Harriet Sansom Harris is excellent as the wife of Sammy while famed character actor Stephen Tobolowsky is great as Sammy, a man who has the same brain disorder that Leonard has in a flashback sequence.

Joe Pantoliano is great as the smarmy yet sympathetic Teddy.  A man who helps Leonard in the investigation while trying to lead him to the right direction.  While there's a sleaziness to Pantoliano's character, there is also a nice subtlety and humor to the character as it's one of the actor's finest performances.  Carrie-Anne Moss is also great as Natalie, a bartender who helps Leonard in his investigation while taking advantage of his brain disorder.  Though she can play a character who is manipulative, she at least is a character that does have a good side as she does give Leonard some hope.

Finally, there's Guy Pearce in one of his finest performances of his career. In the role of Leonard Shelby, Pearce delves into a man who is confused as he writes down notes whether it's on a photograph or tattooing them in his body.  Pearce's quiet yet chilling performance is definitely one for the ages as Pearce really dwells into the complex mind of Leonard Shelby.

When the film premiered in 2000 through various film festivals late in the year including Venice, Deauville, and Toronto.  Buzz grew over the film while becoming a festival hit as it finally made its American premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.  After finally getting a distributor with Newmarket, the film became a smash hit as it gave Christopher Nolan lots of attention as well as offers from various studios.

Memento is an extraordinary yet hypnotic film from Christopher Nolan and company.  Featuring superb performances from Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano.  The film is truly a mesmerizing journey into a man's troubled mind while allowing the audience to come along for the ride.  Fans of Nolan's work will definitely rank this very high as one of his best films.  Though some might not be into Nolan's non-chronological approach or its noir setting, it is still a compelling and dazzling film that really goes against the conventionality of Hollywood.  In the end, Memento is a chilling yet provocative film from Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan Films: Following - Insomnia (2002 film) - Batman Begins - The Prestige - The Dark Knight - Inception - The Dark Knight Rises - Interstellar - Dunkirk - Tenet - Oppenheimer - The Auteurs #13: Christopher Nolan

© thevoid99 2011