Logan (2017 film)

Based on the Marvel Comics character Wolverine created by Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and John Romita Jr. and a storyline by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, Logan revolves around an aging mutant who deals with mortality as he cares for his aging mentor and the discovery of a young girl who has powers similar to his as they’re being chased by anti-mutant forces. Directed by James Mangold and screenplay by Mangold, Scott Frank, and Michael Green, the film is the third film of an unofficial trilogy of the Wolverine/Logan character that is played by Hugh Jackman with Patrick Stewart as the ailing Charles Xavier/Professor X. Also starring Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen, Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, and Elizabeth Rodriguez. Logan is an enthralling yet heart-wrenching film from James Mangold.

It’s 2029 as mutants are nearly extinct with not a single one has been born in 25 years as the film revolves around an aging mutant who has given up trying to do good preferring to work as a limo driver in order to buy a yacht for himself and his ailing mentor Charles Xavier. During this time, Logan is being pursued by a nurse who has a young girl with her as she would later reveal to have powers similar to what Logan has in terms of its super-healing and using adamantium claws to attack. The girl is being pursued by a mysterious organization who want her where Logan and Xavier learn why as they decide to protect her and drive her to a mysterious sanctuary. The film’s screenplay is really more of a character study that relates to the Wolverine who has basically forsaken that name as he has reverted to his birth name in James Howlett. He’s also drinking to cope with the fact that he’s lost so many friends and has been unable to help forcing himself to just live by whatever job he can get to help himself and Charles with help from an albino mutant/tracker in Caliban (Stephen Merchant).

During a call for his limo service, Logan meets this nurse in Gabriella (Elizabeth Rodriguez) who offers him money to take her and this young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) to North Dakota near the Canadian border. Yet, Logan has been encounter by a militant named Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) to go after Laura where Logan and Xavier learn why Pierce wants Laura as it relates to a big revelation about a new generation of mutants who are being experimented on as an army with Laura and several others having escaped. Logan reluctantly takes Laura to North Dakota with the ailing Xavier who would have these monstrous seizures that would nearly freeze everything around him as his telepathic powers have become unstable due to his age. It makes Logan’s mission more difficult as he is also becoming ill due to the effects of the adamantium in his body that has made him age and his healing powers becoming much slower as well as ineffective. There is also this element of myth as it relates to Logan seeing that Laura has been carrying comic books that relate to his character as it drives him away from wanting to help her out. It’s that internal struggle that Logan faces in wanting to help but often faces obstacles where many others would be hurt or killed along the way.

James Mangold’s direction is definitely adventurous in terms of the setting but also quite confrontational as it relates to the violence as the film opens with a hungover Logan passed out on his limo being awoken by a gang trying to steal his hubcaps where he ends up killing them. Shot on various locations in New Orleans, various cities in New Mexico, and areas in Louisiana and Mississippi, the film does play into this mixture of the western, road movie, adventure, and drama as it relates to the humanity that Logan is trying to distance himself from. Mangold would use some wide shots for some of the vast locations Logan, Xavier, and Laura would go to as they’re being chased by Pierce and his army known as Reavers who capture remaining mutants they need. Though much of the film is set in various locations in the American Southwest including Mexico with some of it set in Las Vegas.

Mangold does maintain that sense of the western as it relates to the role that Logan is playing as well as one of the references Mangold uses in a film that Xavier and Laura watch. The film also has Mangold do something simple as it relates to the need of compassion and to help others when Logan, Xavier, and Laura meet a family in need of help as Logan does and they get shelter in return as it’s a brief moment of peace which is something Xavier needed as he had been filled with regrets for much of his life. The film’s third act is about Logan coping with something he never thought he would face which is mortality as he is aware of the fallacy of immortality having seen so many friends come and gone. Especially in moments that are quite brutal as Mangold doesn’t shy away from the fact that the film is very violent with lots of blood and deaths that are shocking to watch as it play into that struggle of humanity that Logan seems to lose faith on.

The third act which is set in the mountains where Laura, who had been largely silent, find these other mutant children who had been on the run is a moment where Logan sees a future that could be hopeful but doesn’t want to get close to it thinking he could undo it. The film’s climax isn’t just this showdown between Logan and these forces who want these children for their own reason but also everything Logan never wanted to be as well as to ensure this young girl that she never becomes what many evil forces wanted him to be. It’s a moment that is powerful but also heartbreaking as it conveys loss but also hope for a future generation. Overall, Mangold creates a visceral yet evocative film about a lost mutant who regains his purpose in life to help those in need of help including a young girl.

Cinematographer John Mathieson does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the sunny look of the American Southwest in its various locations as well as the usage of lights for some of the scenes set at night plus the abandoned compound where Logan, Caliban, and Xavier live in with its shades and such. Editors Michael McCusker and Dirk Westervelt do brilliant work with the editing as it captures the energy in the action while knowing when to slow down for the dramatic scenes without deviating too much into conventional editing styles. Production designer Francois Audouy, with set decorator Peter Lando and supervising art director Chris Farmer, does amazing work with the look of the abandoned factory/compound that Logan, Caliban, and Xavier live in as well as the farm home of the family Logan, Xavier, and Laura meet plus this mysterious lab for the people that Pierce works for. Costume designer Daniel Orlandi does nice work with the clothes from the military uniforms that Pierce and his team wears to the more casual look that Logan, Laura, and Xavier wears.

Special effects makeup artist Ozzy Alvarez does fantastic work with the look of Caliban as an albino whose weakness is sunlight as well as some of the gore in the characters that encounter Logan and Laura. Visual effects supervisors Richard Betts, Chas Jarrett, Doug Spilatro, and Chris Spry do incredible work with the visual effects in the way some of the action is presented as well as some set-dressing in some of the locations and the powers of some of the younger mutants plus a weapon created by the company Pierce works for. Sound designer Hamilton Sterling, along with sound editor Donald Sylvester, does superb work with the sound in creating sound effects for some of the weapons as well as the way some of the locations sound and the moments whenever Xavier is having a seizure. The film’s music by Marco Beltrami is wonderful for its orchestral score that play into the drama and action while music supervisor Ted Caplan provides a soundtrack that features elements of hip-hop, country, and blues with contributions from Jim Croce and Johnny Cash.

The casting by Lisa Beach, Sarah Katzman, and Priscilla Yeo is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Elizabeth Rodriguez as a nurse named Gabriella who had been taking care of Laura, Eriq La Salle and Elise Neal as a farming couple who take in Logan, Laura, and Xavier, Quincy Fouse as the farming couple’s son, Dave Davis as a convenience store clerk, and in roles of young mutants that are Laura’s friends that include Doris Morgado, David Kallaway, Han Soto, Jayson Genao, Krzysztof Soszynski, and Alison Fernandez as kids who are seeking shelter and not be used as weapons. Richard E. Grant is superb as Zander Rice as a scientist who is the film’s main antagonist as a man that is hell-bent on creating something that would give mutants a chance to be used as weapons and soldiers that can do anything under anyone’s command. Boyd Holbrook is fantastic as Donald Pierce as a militant working for Rice who is eager to capture Laura where he sports an artificial arm and is ruthless in his pursuit to capture Laura. Stephen Merchant is excellent as the albino mutant tracker Caliban as someone who helps take care of Xavier for Logan while being someone who knows that Logan is ill as he doesn’t take shit from him.

Dafne Keen is phenomenal as Laura as a young girl who sports powers similar to Logan as she spends much of the film being silent and observant until she is threatened as she is a fierce killer that hasn’t experienced a lot of tender moments as there is this nice balance of innocence and rage in Keen who is just a joy to watch. Patrick Stewart is incredible as Charles Xavier/Professor X as a powerful telepath who is dealing with a growing illness as he’s unable to control his powers as he is filled with remorse and frustration where Stewart provides some funny moments in his banter with Logan as well as display a sense of grace over his regrets and need for peace. Finally, there’s Hugh Jackman in a tremendous performance as the titular character as a mutant who has little purpose in his life as he is a man filled with anguish and loss where he is eager to just end it all in the hope he can never see anyone killed because of him as it’s Jackman delivering a performance that is really heartbreaking to watch but also filled with a sense of honor into the fact that only he can be the Wolverine.

Logan is an outstanding film from James Mangold that feature spectacular performances from Hugh Jackman, Dafne Keen, and Patrick Stewart. Along with its supporting cast, high-octane action, studies on humanity and mortality, and gorgeous visuals. It’s a film that definitely raises the bar of what a superhero-action film can be as well as provide something that is very emotional where it gives the Wolverine character a fitting send-off. In the end, Logan is a magnificent film from James Mangold.

Related: Shane - 3:10 to Yuma (2007 film)

X-Men Films: X-Men - X2: X-Men United - X-Men 3: The Last Stand - X-Men Origins: Wolverine - X-Men: First Class - The Wolverine - X-Men: Days of Future Past - Deadpool - X-Men: Apocalypse - Deadpool 2 – (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) - (New Mutants)

© thevoid99 2017

Eddie the Eagle

Directed by Dexter Fletcher and screenplay by Sean Macaulay and Simon Kelton from a story by Kelton, Eddie the Eagle is the real-life story of British Olympian Eddie Edwards who aspires to make it as an Olympian by being the first British to represent in the ski jump despite many obstacles including his lack of athletic gifts. The film is a simple story that plays into Edwards’ determination despite looking like a geek and teaming up with a former ski jump champion who sees his determination as Edwards is played by Taron Egerton. Also starring Hugh Jackman, Mark Benton, Keith Allen, Jo Hartley, Jim Broadbent, and Christopher Walken. Eddie the Eagle is a delightful yet winning film from Dexter Fletcher.

Set largely in late 1980s Britain, the film is the real life story of Eddie Edwards who is this young man that doesn’t look like an Olympian nor is someone that has the skills to be one yet somehow manages to become a hero for his home country. It’s a film that is typical of the underdog story yet it involves someone who dreamed about being an Olympian since he was a kid yet for all of his failures, bruises, broken bones, and such. Eddie Edwards for some reason just wouldn’t quit no matter how hard the obstacles are or the sense of indifference he endures from the British Olympic committee who sees him as a joke. The film’s script doesn’t just explore Edwards’ sense of determination but also in how he would try to find the sport that would give him the chance to be in the Olympics. Even as he’s given the chance to go to Germany to train without any sufficient funds where former U.S. ski champion Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) would watch and later train him by showing him the basics.

The script also explores the relationship between Edwards and Peary as the latter is someone that was seen as a gifted athlete who has become a washed-up alcoholic as he realizes that there’s something about Edwards that fascinates him. Even as Peary is a man that is still haunted by his own failures and the coach he had let down as he sees Edwards as a chance of redemption. By the time the film reaches the third act where Edwards goes to Calgary for the 1988 Winter Olympics despite the fact that he had to pay for his own trip and is being treated as a joke by officials and other athletes. He would some how manage to win the heart of the people who are baffled by his sense of heart and determination.

Dexter Fletcher’s direction is quite simple in terms of the compositions and the sense of excitement that looms throughout the film. Though he doesn’t really go for anything new while finding a nice balance of humor, drama, and exuberance. Fletcher does manage to find ways to keep the story engaging while not being afraid to by-the-books in terms of what is expected in the underdog scenario as it includes some unique training montages but also emphasize what makes ski jumping so unique in its simplicity. Shot in both Britain and in locations in Germany for the ski jump scenes including the film’s climax set in Calgary, Fletcher manages to create a world where things were simpler but also changing as it relates to Edwards where the Olympic officials see him as someone that they believe has no chance to represent Britain properly. Yet, Fletcher realizes that it’s not about someone winning a medal but rather someone who can make it to the Olympics whether he wins a medal or not but do it in a way that proves that anyone could do if they have heart, the determination, and some sheer balls. Overall, Fletcher crafts a very exhilarating film about a young man who determines to become an Olympian and prove that it could be done.

Cinematographer George Richmond does excellent work with the cinematography from the more low-key look of scenes set in Britain to the usage of lights for some of the scenes set at night during the mountains and ski training fields. Editor Martin Walsh does nice work with the editing as it is quite conventional with its montages and intense sports moments with the usage of slow-motion and some jump-cuts. Production designer Mike Gunn, with set decorator Naomi Moore and art directors Tim Blake and Astrid Poeschke, does amazing work with the look of Edwards‘ family home and the van that is owned by his father to the training facility in Germany as well as the look of the Olympic villages. Hair/makeup designer Nadia Stacey does terrific work with the look of Edwards from his terrible haircut as well as his imperfect teeth to create the look of someone who doesn‘t look like an Olympian.

Visual effects supervisor Matt Kasmir do brilliant work with some of the visual effects for scenes that is essentially set-dressing to recreate the look of 1988 Calgary for the film‘s climax. Sound editor Danny Sheehan does superb work with the sound in the way a jump sounds as well as the sounds of the crowd for the scenes at the Olympics. The film’s music by Matthew Margeson is wonderful for its mixture of low-key orchestral textures for the dramatic moments along with the usage of 80s-inspired synth-pop music to play into the feel of the 80s. The film’s soundtrack that is supervised by Gary Barlow of Take That provides a lot of music from the 80s from Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Thin Lizzy, Hall & Oates, and Van Halen along with new music from Frankie Goes to Hollywood vocalist Holly Johnson, Marc Almond of Soft Cell, Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet, Howard Jones, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

The casting by Reg Poerscout-Edgerton is phenomenal as it features from notable small roles from Tom Costello Jr. & Jack Costello as young versions of Edwards, Iris Berben as the German training camp bar mistress Petra, Rune Temte as the Norwegian coach, Mads Sjogard Pettersen and Marc Benjamin as couple of Norwegian ski jumpers, and Edvin Endre as the famed Finnish ski-jumping champion Matti “The Flyin’ Finn” Nykanen. Mark Benton and Tim McInnerny are terrific as the British Olympic officials with the former being someone skeptical of Edwards’ skills while the latter is a more old-school figure who believes Edwards is a total embarrassment. Jim Broadbent is fantastic in a small but fun role as the BBC commentator who becomes one of Edwards’ supporters. Christopher Walken is superb in his brief role as Peary’s old coach in Warren Sharpe whom Edwards would read about as well as learn the ideas of ski jumping where Peary would find the book and try to make amends with his old mentor.

Keith Allen and Jo Hartley are amazing as Edwards’ parents with the former as a stern father who is aghast at his son’s determination believing he’s become reckless while the latter is someone who believes in her son’s work while being the only person that is willing to give him the money to travel and train. Hugh Jackman is brilliant as Bronson Peary as a former ski jump champion who has become a washed-up snow groomer who takes a liking to Edwards as he decides to help him through some unconventional training as well as simplify things that can make Edwards a good ski jumper. Finally, there’s Taron Egerton in a remarkable role as Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards as this gangly, nerdy young man who is the opposite of what an Olympian looks yet has a sense of heart and determination that is so engaging while Egerton displays a physicality that adds a lot more to the character without the need to ham it up as it’s a really a performance deserving of someone to root for.

Eddie the Eagle is a wonderful film from Dexter Fletcher. While it is a very conventional film that does play into the underdog film formula. It is a film that manages to hit the right notes as well as display fantastic performances from Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton as well as a fun soundtrack. In the end, Eddie the Eagle is a stellar film from Dexter Fletcher.

© thevoid99 2016

Prisoners (2013 film)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Aaron Guzikowski, Prisoners is the story of two girls who had been abducted as a father and a detective both go on the search to find the girls. The film is an exploration into abduction as a man of the law tries to do things right while a father becomes obsessed with his search. Starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, and Melissa Leo. Prisoners is a gripping yet eerie suspense-drama from Denis Villeneuve.

Set during the Thanksgiving holidays in a small town in Pennsylvania, the film is about two girls who have been abducted as one of their fathers goes into a frantic search to find them while a detective does the same as the latter delve into many clues about abductions in the town. It all plays into two men who are both trying to find two girls as they suspect a young man with a RV truck but when evidence proves to have little results. It would force Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) to take the law into his own hands which would cause a lot of problems and obsessions for Dover. Even as Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to notice Dover’s troubled behavior as he is taking on the case with great care as he goes even deeper into dark secrets as it relates to many abductions in the town.

The film’s screenplay by Aaron Guzikowski explores what men will go through to find two girls who had been abducted on Thanksgiving Day as it plays into this search where Keller Dover and friend Franklin Birch (Terrence Howard) do whatever to find their daughters who were just going to Dover’s house on that day and were supposed to return. Instead, something goes wrong where Keller’s son Ralph (Dylan Minnette) reveals that he saw a RV truck nearby where the girls were playing nearby as Detective Loki manages to arrest the owner in a mentally-challenged young man named Alex (Paul Dano). Though Loki believes that Alex is innocent yet wants to keep an eye on him, it only angers Dover whose obsession with finding his daughter has him kidnapping Alex and torture him in his father’s old home as Franklin and his wife Nancy (Viola Davis) both realize what Dover is doing. For Franklin and Nancy, it makes them uneasy while Dover’s wife Grace (Maria Bello) has fallen apart to the point that she thinks her daughter is dead and blames herself.

The diverging paths that Dover and Loki take showcases what these two men would do as Dover basically suspects Alex due to comments or the fact that he was singing a variation of Jingle Bells which only triggers Dover’s rage as he would descend into alcoholism. While Detective Loki is the more practical of the two men, he would lose himself in the case as several false leads and troubling clues only get him in trouble as a man he suspects in Bob Taylor (David Dastmalchian) would only lead him to different paths. Loki would also question a pastor in Father Dunn (Len Cariou) who would also have some very strange answers that doesn’t just relate to the case but also in the town’s dark history concerning abductions.

Denis Villeneuve’s direction is very entrancing for the way he explores life in this small town in Pennsylvania that looks like every other town in America. Especially as it’s set during the Thanksgiving/Xmas holiday period where there isn’t a lot of sunshine but a lot of gray skies with bits of rain and snow to set the mood of the film. It’s quite grimy in its look as it starts off very calm until the drama kicks in where Dover and Franklin embark into their own search with no result which leads to Detective Loki who is called in as he was eating all by himself in a Chinese restaurant on Thanksgiving. The interrogation scenes are very intimate yet some of the drama that plays into the search and Dover’s own troubled descent does drag the film a bit where it has a sense of what is going to happen.

Things do pick up in the second act once it becomes clear of how far Dover will go to find answers much to the disgust of Franklin and Nancy as the direction becomes much tighter in terms of its suspense. Especially in the room that Alex would be in as Dover’s own form of torture to get answers where Villeneuve’s use of close-ups and medium shots come into play. Even in scenes relating to Loki’s own investigation where the use of recorded video footage in the interrogation scenes showcase how Loki can be in control or sometimes lose control. Things do come to ahead in its third act where it plays to the lost sense of obsession that looms in Dover and Loki trying to be the one person to make things right. Overall, Villeneuve creates a very terrifying yet powerful film about two men and their obsession to find two little girls who have been abducted.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins does phenomenal work with the film‘s cinematography as it has a very naturalistic look for many of its daytime interior/exterior scenes while the usage of lights and candles for scenes at night are truly exquisite to play into the dark mood of the film. Editors Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach do excellent work with the editing to create some unique rhythms to play into the suspense and drama as it often has this slow burn to play into the mystery over what happened to the girls. Production designer Patricia Vermette, with set decorator Frank Galline and art director Paul D. Kelly, does amazing work with the look of the homes the characters live in as well as the home that Dover‘s father lived in that he would use to torture Alex. Costume designer Renee April does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual to play into the look and seasonal setting of the film.

The makeup work of Donald Mowat and Pamela Westmore is brilliant for the beat-up look that Alex would sport after the abusive torture that Dover would give him as well as the look of his aunt Holly (Melissa Leo). Visual effects supervisor Phillip Feiner does terrific work with the film‘s minimal visual effects for the look of snowfall in a few scenes to play up as set-dressing. Sound editor Robert Alan Murray and sound designer Tom Ozanich do superb work with the sound to play into the sense of terror such as Alex‘s screams inside Dover‘s torture chamber as well as some eerie scenes set at home. The film’s music by Johan Johannsson is fantastic for its haunting score that is a mixture of low-key orchestral music and piano pieces with some ambient textures to set the dark mood while music supervisor Deva Anderson brings in a soundtrack filled with music by Radiohead, Ocean, and other traditional pieces.

The casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is great as it features notable small roles from Wayne Duvall as Detective Loki’s superior Captain O’Malley, Len Cariou as Father Dunn, Zoe Soul as Franklin and Nancy’s teenage daughter, Kyla Drew Simmons as Franklin and Nancy’s adolescent daughter who is abducted, Erin Gerasimovich as Drover’s daughter Anna who is also abducted, David Dastmalchian as a person Loki suspects in the film’s second act, and Dylan Minnette as Dover’s teenage son Ralph who watches over his mother while seeing his father begin to fall apart. Melissa Leo is terrific as Alex’s aunt Holly who claims that her nephew is innocent as she becomes a key player in the film’s third act. Paul Dano is excellent as Alex as a young man who is suspected of abducting the girls as he is captured and tortured by Dover.

Maria Bello is wonderful as Dover’s wife Grace as a woman ravaged by her daughter’s disappearance as she becomes lost in grief while Viola Davis is superb as Nancy Birch who discovers what Dover is doing as she tries to find reason as well as find her daughter. Terrence Howard is fantastic as Franklin Birch as a father who is coping with his own loss as he discovers what Dover is doing as he becomes anguished with wanting justice but also wanting to do things in the right way. Jake Gyllenhaal is incredible as Detective Loki as this detective who is trying to find the two girls any way he can while dealing with Dover’s insistence to find them as Gyllenhaal brings a sense of determination and care into his character as someone who is trying to do what is right. Finally, there’s Hugh Jackman in a remarkable performance as Keller Dover as this man who is obsessed with finding his daughter as he begins to suspect Alex as he descends into madness and nearly loses himself into what is important as it’s a very dark role from Jackman.

Prisoners is a fantastic film from Denis Villeneuve that features phenomenal performances from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. While it’s a film with some flaws, it is still compelling in exploring how far men will go to retrieve someone that they care for as well as someone whose job is to find that person and deal with the consequences. In the end, Prisoners is a marvelous film from Denis Villeneuve.

Denis Villeneuve Films: August 32nd on Earth - Maelstrom - Polytechnique - Incendies - Enemy (2013 film) - Sicario - Arrival - Blade Runner 2049 - The Auteurs #68: Denis Villeneuve

© thevoid99 2014

The Wolverine (2013 film)

Based on the comic series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, The Wolverine is a spin-off film from the X-Men series in which Logan/Wolverine travels to Japan to meet an old friend who offers him the chance to be mortal only to encounter dark forces who want to end him as he also struggles with himself and the guilt over those he lost. Directed by James Mangold and screenplay by Mark Bomback and Scott Frank, the film is a stand-alone film in which Wolverine faces new dark enemies while dealing with the actions he caused in his past as Hugh Jackman reprises his role as the titular character. Also starring Hiroyuki Sanada, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Will Yun Lee, Haruhiko Yamanouchi, Svetlana Khodchenkova, and Famke Janssen as Jean Grey. The Wolverine is a smart and compelling film from James Mangold.

The Wolverine is a character that is known famously for his metallic claws as well as the ability to heal himself quite quickly which makes him invulnerable. Yet, the film showcases Logan/Wolverine troubled by guilt over the people he’s lost in his life until he is offered the chance to lose his immortality by an old friend in Japan whose life he saved in Nagasaki during the atomic bombing in World War II. For the Wolverine, he would eventually encounter mortality as it would be difficult to deal with as the visions he had of Jean Grey would also haunt him as he tries to protect his old friend’s granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto) from the Yakuza and those who want her dead over the fact that she would inherit her grandfather’s company. With the help of a mutant named Yukio (Rila Fukushima) who has the power to foresee death, Logan would do whatever it takes to protect Mariko from these forces.

The film’s screenplay does bring in some back story about how Logan met and saved the life of Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi) as Logan’s trip to Japan would have him think about the day and what they encountered. Yet, the film begins with that awful day in Nagasaki as well as Logan’s dreams about Jean and his vows to not hurt anyone ever as he has become a man lost in his grief until Yukio finds him in Alaska as a ragged warrior who refuses to kill or hunt. When he arrives to Japan to meet Yashida, he deals with Yashida’s very angry son Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada) as well as a mysterious chemist named Dr. Green (Svetlana Khodchenkova) who is also a mutant who is immune to toxins as she is one of the film’s antagonists along with Shingen and Mariko’s fiancée Noburo Mori (Brian Tee) who is a corrupt politician who hopes to marry Mariko for political and financial means. Yet, these individuals all have mysterious ways to immobilize Logan who is trying to protect Mariko from these people as he learns more about her and Yashida while trying to come to terms with his grief and facing mortality.

James Mangold’s direction is pretty stylish in terms of the set pieces and action sequences he creates while taking the time to slow things down so that audiences can get a breather and get to know the characters. Much of the compositions are straightforward in some cases as it includes some close-ups, medium shots, and some wide shots as some of it is in Japan plus some of the locations are in Australia. Mangold keeps much of the dramatic and humorous scenes in an intimate setting while much of the action scenes are quite spectacular such as Logan’s fight with Yakuza members on the bullet train. Yet, the climatic action sequence where Logan fights off against members of the Black Ninja Clan led by Mariko’s longtime friend Kenuichio Harada (Will Yun Lee) and later a mysterious enemy known as the Silver Samurai. While there are some flaws in the film in terms of exposition as well as a few twists, Mangold is able to keep things engaging as he balances a lot of the film’s action with some Japanese mythology on the samurai as well as Logan facing himself and the guilt he had been carrying. Overall, Mangold creates a very entertaining yet captivating film about a mutant trying to find meaning again in his life.

Cinematographer Ross Emery does excellent work with some of the film‘s naturalistic and slightly stylized look for some of the daytime exterior/interior scenes while going for some low-key filters and color scheming for the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Michael McCusker does brilliant work with the editing in creating a few montages while keeping things stylish for some of the film‘s action sequences as it doesn‘t deviate to chaotic-editing styles while going for something more straightforward in the dramatic scenes. Production designer Francois Audouy, with set decorator Rebecca Cohen and supervising art director Ian Gracie, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the lavish yet traditional Japanese home of Yashida to the secret home in Nagasaki where Logan and Mariko hide out at.

Costume designer Isis Mussenden does terrific work with the costumes from the Japanese robes as well as some of the stylish clothes that Yukio wears as well as the clothes that Dr. Green wears. Visual effects supervisors Phil Brennan and Nick Pill do superb work with the visual effects in some of the film‘s action sequences as well as the design of the creatures that would infect Wolverine and his immortality. Sound editors John A. Larsen and Donald Sylvester, with sound designers Chuck Michael and Dror Mohar, do amazing work in the sound for its sound effects as well as some of the distortions that it creates whenever Logan starts to feel vulnerable. The film’s music by Marco Beltrami is wonderful for its mixture of low-key electronic music with Japanese percussion music and bombastic string arrangements to play into the suspense and action.

The casting by Lisa Beach, Priscilla John, Sarah Katzman, Jessica Kelly, Yoko Narahashi, and Suzanne Smith is phenomenal for its ensemble as it features notable small performances from Haruhiko Yamanouchi as Logan’s old friend Yashida who offers Logan mortality while Famke Janssen is terrific as Jean Grey who would haunt Logan in his dreams and play into his sense of guilt. Brian Tee is very good as Mariko’s corrupt fiancée Mori who tries to gain power through marrying Mariko while Will Yun Lee is superb as Mariko’s childhood friend Harada who tries to protect her only to get into some trouble with Dr. Green who would use him as he becomes confused in his loyalties. Hiroyuki Sanada is excellent as Mariko’s father Shingen who becomes upset in being passed over by his father as he wants control of his father’s company. Svetlana Khodchenkova is amazing as the mysterious Dr. Green who spouts poisonous toxins as she is this slimy villain who is able to bring problems to Wolverine.

Rila Fukushima is brilliant as the skilled assassin/mutant Yukio who is a total badass as she is also Logan’s conscience of sorts as well as a sister to Mariko. Tao Okamoto is fantastic as Yashida’s granddaughter Mariko who deals with the loss of her grandfather as well as what she would inherit as she also tries to understand Logan as she tries to get him to find a reason to fight again. Finally, there’s Hugh Jackman in a marvelous performance as Logan/Wolverine as Jackman brings that sense of doing what is right as well as the anguish of a man wracked by grief and guilt as it’s a performance that makes the Wolverine character so beloved as only Jackman can bring that character to life.

The Wolverine is an excellent film from James Mangold that features an incredible performance from Hugh Jackman as the titular character. Not only is it one of the smarter action-blockbusters but also an entertaining one where it gives audiences a reason to care for the character all over again. Especially as it is a major improvement over the previous film that starred the character as well as being a solid entry in the X-Men film franchise. In the end, The Wolverine is a superb film from James Mangold.

X-Men Films: X-Men - X2: X-Men United - X-Men III: The Last Stand - X-Men Origins: Wolverine - X-Men: First Class - X-Men: Days of Future Past - X-Men: Apocalypse - Logan (2017 film) - Deadpool 2 – (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) - (New Mutants)

© thevoid99 2014

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Based on the X-Men comic story by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, X-Men: Days of Future Past is the story where the surviving members of the X-Men led by Professor X and his longtime nemesis Magneto ask Wolverine to go back in time to 1973 to stop an assassination that led to an all-out war on mutants as Wolverine would meet the younger Professor X and Magneto. Directed by Bryan Singer and screenplay by Simon Kinberg from a story by Kinberg, Jane Goldman, and Matthew Vaughn, the film is a multi-layered story where Wolverine travels back in time in an attempt to save mutants as well as deal with what Magneto and Professor X were back then. Starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Nicholas Hoult, Omar Sy, Evan Peters, and Peter Dinklage as Bolivar Trask. X-Men: Days of Future Past is a marvelous and sprawling film from Bryan Singer.

In a world where mutants are being exterminated by gigantic robots known as Sentinels, the film is about the small band of X-Men led by Charles Xavier/Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Erik Leshnerr/Magneto (Ian McKellan) trying to survive the last days of the war. Upon learning that Kitty Pryde has the power to send people back in time through their consciousness, Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) volunteers since he is the only one that is strong enough to withstand the rigors of time travel. Wolverine travels back to 1973 in order to convince the younger Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) to come together and stop Raven Darkholme/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating the Sentinels designer Bolivar Trask. While the remaining X-Men wait for the army of Sentinels to attack while protecting Logan and Kitty, Logan would face an even bigger battle in convincing Xavier and Erik to come together despite their major differences.

The film’s screenplay by Simon Kinberg explores not just the fragile relationship between the young Xavier and Erik as they’re driven apart by their own differences but also in how much their falling out has hurt them. For the young Charles Xavier, he has become a despondent and bitter man that mourns those he lost and cared for as he becomes addicted to a serum that allows him to walk but not use his powers. For Erik, he becomes far more angrier as he is locked 100 feet below the Pentagon for killing John F. Kennedy, though Erik claims he was trying to save him, while becoming more determined to ensure the mutants desire as the number one species. Then there’s Mystique who is the lost woman who also endured the loss of many friends as she is torn between the two ideals of Erik and Charles as she would also be ultimately responsible for the Sentinels program to come ahead and set the wave for the end of mutants.

The antagonist in Bolivar Trask isn’t really a villain but someone who wants to ensure peace in the world as he admires mutants but also fears them as he would create the Sentinels in the hope that it would save the human race. Yet, he would be unaware of what his creation would do as his impending death would only mean more trouble which adds to the dramatic stakes of the film. Wolverine becomes a much more prominent character in the film as he is someone that does carry a lot of emotional baggage as he understands what the younger Xavier, Erik, and Raven are going through. Just as Xavier had helped guide him when he was lost, Wolverine realizes he must do the same thing to the younger Xavier who had lost so much hope over everything as Wolverine has to remind him of an even bleaker future where the young Xavier would meet his older version as the latter needs him to hope again. It would prompt Xavier to reach out to Raven and Erik in the third act to tell them what is at stake in this very spectacular climax.

Bryan Singer’s direction is very sprawling in terms of not just the set pieces and different time periods that is presented. It’s also a film where it is about the stakes of a small number of mutants trying to survive this dystopian and apocalyptic world. Much of the direction has Singer not only use a lot of wide shots to display the look of a bleak world where the X-Men are in China awaiting for the last stand against the Sentinels. There’s also some unique medium shots where the characters are placed in the frame while Kitty is sitting in a chair as she is taking Wolverine back in time through his consciousness. Singer’s direction for the scenes set in 1973 has a mixture of different aspect ratios and footage as it plays to a place in time where things are less complicated but it’s in a world that is on the brink of Armageddon.

While Singer would inject some humors such as a very powerful sequence where Xavier, the young Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), and Wolverine help Leshnerr break out of prison with the help of a mutant known as Quicksilver (Evan Peters). It is still an action-suspense film where it takes place in various locations such as the U.S., France, China, and other places as it is a very worldly film where a lot is happening. Some of it would involve the fallout over the Vietnam War as well as this climax in Washington, D.C. where Xavier, Beast, and Logan have to stop Raven and Magneto in their separate pursuits to kill which is also showcase in parallel to the final battle between the X-Men and the Sentinels in the future. Overall, Singer crafts a very spectacular and engrossing film about a group of mutants trying to band together to stop their own extinction from happening.

Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel does incredible work with the film‘s cinematography from the bleak look of fortress where the X-Men makes their last stand with its low-key lights to the more vibrant and colorful look of the scenes in 1973. Editor/music composer John Ottman does fantastic work with the editing with its stylistic approach to rhythmic cutting to play into the action and suspense while his music score is filled with some bombastic orchestral arrangements to play into suspense and drama while the soundtrack features songs from Roberta Flack, Jim Croce, and other artists from the 70s. Production designer John Myhre, with set decorator Gordon Sim and supervising art director Michele Laliberte, does amazing work with the set pieces from the Chinese fortress where the X-Men make their last stand to the prison that Magneto lived in as well as the school that Xavier used to run as it becomes a place of ruins.

Costume designer Louise Mingenbach does wonderful work with the costumes from the 70s clothing the characters wear in the 1970s sequence to the leather-uniform of the X-Men as they make their final stand. Visual effects supervisor Richard Stammers does brilliant work with the visual effects from the design of the Sentinels to the look of the dystopian world where the X-Men are at. Sound designers Craig Berkey, Warren Hendricks, and Chuck Michael, with co-sound editor John A. Larsen, do superb work with the sound from the way the Sentinels sound when they use their weapons to the layers of sound effects that occur in the action sequences.

The casting by Roger Mussenden is great for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small appearances from Lucas Till as Havok, Josh Helman as a young William Stryker, Mark Camacho as President Richard Nixon, and Michael Lerner as a senator concerned about the Sentinels program. Other noteworthy performances that are major standouts include Omar Sy as Bishop, Fan Bingbing as Blink, Daniel Cudmore as Colossus, Shawn Ashmore as Bobby/Ice Man, Adan Canto as Sunspot, Booboo Stewart as Warpath, and Halle Berry in a terrific performance as Storm as she helps lead the other mutants for the final stand. Evan Peters is fantastic as Quicksilver as a mutant who is known for his speed as helps out Wolverine, Hank, and Xavier retrieve Magneto while Nicholas Hoult is superb as the young Hank McCoy/Beast who watches the young Xavier while using his powers when he needed as he would often spar with Magneto.

Ellen Page is excellent as Kitty Pryde as the mutant who can walk and run through objects while having the ability to put mutants back in time through their consciousness as she deals with what she had to do. Peter Dinklage is pretty good as Bolivar Trask though his character is a bit underwritten as he’s not a full-fledge villain but one that is just simply afraid of mutants but also has admiration for them. Jennifer Lawrence is wonderful as Raven Darkholme/Mystique as a former companion of Xavier and Leshnerr who is torn between their respective ideals while eager to assassinate Trask unaware of what she will do and what will happen to her. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan are amazing in their respective roles as the older Xavier and Magneto as two men who try to maintain their survival while displaying their own regret over the schism that tore them apart.

Michael Fassbender is brilliant as the young Magneto as a man who still filled with a lot of rage and frustration as he wants to wipe out the human race over not trusting the mutants while also wanting to kill Raven in an attempt to stop the future from happening. James McAvoy is incredible as the young Xavier as a young man ravaged by grief and bitterness as he refuses to see what lays ahead for him as he realizes the fears he has to face in order to save the world. Finally, there’s Hugh Jackman in a remarkable performance as Logan/Wolverine as the mutant who can attack with his metallic claws and heal pretty fast as he is sent back in time to convince Xavier and Magneto to come together while being aware that he’s the last person that can convince them considering the emotional baggage that he carries.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is a phenomenal film from Bryan Singer. Thanks to its ensemble cast, unique concept, and sprawling visuals, it’s a film that has all of the tropes of a blockbuster film while also being a film that is smart and not wanting to take itself too seriously despite its grim tone. It’s also a film that manages to stand on its own in comparison to films of the franchise where it shows some clips from previous films but also allows enough ideas into what to expect from the characters and such. In the end, X-Men: Days of Future Past is a sensational film from Bryan Singer.

X-Men Films: X-Men - X2: X-Men United - X-Men III: The Last Stand - X-Men Origins: Wolverine - X-Men: First Class - The Wolverine - X-Men: Apocalypse - Logan (2017 film) - Deadpool 2 – (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) - (New Mutants)

© thevoid99 2014

Australia (2008 film)

Directed by Baz Luhrmann and screenplay by Luhrmann, Ronald Harwood, Stuart Beattie, and Richard Flanagan from a story by Luhrmann, Australia is the story of an Englishwoman who travels to Australia to discover her husband’s death as she takes over the cattle business with a help of a drover while taking care of a half-Aborigine boy. Set in the late 1930s to early 1940s during the start of World War II, the film is an epic story of how a woman tries to take control of her destiny while dealing with forces that are trying to stop her as she tries to protect a young boy. Starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walters, David Wenham, Bryan Brown, Ben Mendelsohn, Jack Thompson, and David Gulpilil. Australia is a grand though underwhelming film from Baz Luhrmann.

The film revolves around a period in time where half-Aborigine children, known as the Stolen Generations, were taken away from their families by the governments of the early 20th Century to be integrated with white societies. Notably as it has a plot revolving around a boy named Nullah (Brandon Walters) who is half-Aborigine where he intrigues an aristocratic Englishwoman in Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) who later becomes the maternal figure he needed following the death of his mother. While she embraces the new world she has arrived into as well as gaining the trust of a hardened yet kind man known as the Drover (Hugh Jackman). She also deals with all sorts of trials and tribulations relating to her burgeoning cattle business as well as witnessing the bombing of Darwin in 1942 where many characters deal with its impact and near-tragedy.

The screenplay that Luhrmann and his co-writers create is very multi-layered with lots of storylines revolving around many characters set in the span of three years from 1939 to 1942. While there are moments in the story that do falter a bit such as the mystery into the death of Lady Ashley’s husband where it is obvious into what really happened. It does play into the arrival of this woman who comes into a land that she has no knowledge about as she is seen as an outsider of sorts. By discovering why her husband went to the Australian outback which involves cattle, she decides to take control by protecting Nullah who had been mistreated by the very cruel Neil Fletcher who had been working for the cattle baron Lesley “King” Carney (Bryan Brown). With the help of the Drover and various other people, the film’s first act is about Lady Ashley’s arrival into Australia and becoming the competition that Carney tries to avoid.

The second act isn’t just about Lady Ashley’s romance with the Drover and the brief happiness she has with him and Nullah but also revelations into her husband’s death and what Aborigine children have to do which also plays into the presence of Nullah’s grandfather King George (David Gulpilil) whom Fletcher claimed had killed Lady Ashley’s husband. The third act takes place in 1942 during World War II where Lady Ashley, the Drover, and Nullah are separated as Nullah was taken to a remote island with other half-Aborigine children as Lady Ashley vows to get him back as she thinks of him as her son. The script does allow its principle characters like Lady Ashley and the Drover to develop where the latter is also an outsider because of his friendship with the Aborigine as he had a wife who was Aborigine.

While some of the ideas about the attitude towards Aborigines at the time is a bit heavy-handed in the story, it does play into the fact that both the Drover and Lady Ashley are outsiders who are willing to do right for those people despite what society thinks. The antagonist in Neil Fletcher is a conniving individual who does have a secret of his own though it is one aspect of the character that doesn’t work where it is also obvious. Still, there is something about Fletcher as he’s character that audiences love to hate as he often spouts the words, “pride is not power”.

Luhrmann’s direction is definitely grand in the way he presents Australia during that time period where it is a mixture of a lot of genres ranging from the sweeping romantic epic, the costume dramas, some comedy, the war film, and elements of the western. It’s a film that is all over the place where it can be called a mess a times but it makes up for as Luhrmann aims to create a film that recalls the epics of the past. Shooting on location in Australia including the Never Never desert in the Outback, Luhrmann uses the locations to present something that is visually-astonishing as well as epic to express how vast the land is. The place itself is just as much as a character of the film as everything else.

There are also moments in the film when Luhrmann knows where he doesn’t need to be extravagant where he does keep things simple in the way the characters interact with each other. Luhrmann does create some shots that are filled with a lot of lively moments and surprises to amp up the romance or the drama including some very harrowing scenes of the Darwin bombings. Though there are bits of the film’s ending which are over-drawn, it does work to reinforce the idea of love and family that the three central characters need from one another. Overall despite some of its messy moments and a few flaws in the story, Luhrmann does create a very worthwhile and engaging film about love and identity.

Cinematographer Mandy Walker does amazing work with the film‘s very gorgeous and colorful cinematography from the look of the rugged landscape with its naturalistic look to the more stylish scenes in some of the interiors and exterior settings in Darwin. Editors Dody Dorn and Michael McCusker do excellent work with the editing as it plays to an air of style with some rhythmic cuts for some of the film’s action moments as well as some montages to help establish a few key moments in the story. Production/costume designer Catherine Martin, with set decorator Beverley Dunn and supervising art director Ian Gracie, does fantastic work with the set pieces to recreate the look of late 1930s Darwin with its bars as well as the home Lady Ashley has in the Outback while the costumes that Martin creates are just beautiful to play up the evolving style of Lady Ashley along with the rugged look of the Drover who also shows that he has a very classy side to himself.

The film’s visual effects by Chris Godfrey does wonderful work with some of the film‘s visual effects for the extravagant Darwin bombing scene as well as a few visual effects shots in the Outback. Sound designer Wayne Pushley does superb work with the sound to capture some of the tense atmosphere in the Outback along with more layered sound work in the Darwin bombing scenes. The film’s music by David Hirschfelder is terrific for its use of sweeping orchestral arrangements and bombast along with some serene moments that includes the use of Somewhere In the Rainbow that becomes a key piece for Nullah and Lady Ashley. The soundtrack consists of music from that period with its mix of jazz, Australian folk, and pop along with new songs by Elton John and Angela Little to play up the sense of adventure and romance in the film.

The casting by Nikki Barrett and Ronna Kress is brilliant as it features a large collective of actors for this film. The film features appearances from Bill Hunter as a skipper, Barry Otto as a government representative overseeing the cattle industry, Ursula Yovich as Nullah’s mother, Ray Barrett as Lady Ashley’s British counsel, Sandy Gore as King Carney’s wife Gloria, Yuen Wah as a Cantonese chef living in Faraway Downs, Jacek Koman as the Faraway Downs saloon keeper Ivan, and Tony Barry as Sgt. Callahan who heads the Northern Territory police unit. Essie Davis is very good as King Carney’s daughter Catherine who is an admirer of Lady Ashley while Jack Thompson is quite funny and excellent as Lady Ashley’s alcoholic accountant Kipling Flynn. David Ngoombujarra is wonderful as the Drover’s brother-in-law Magarri who helps him out while Ben Mendelsohn is terrific as the army officer Captain Dutton who becomes a close ally for Lady Ashley.

David Gulpilil is amazing as the mysterious Aborigine King George who aids Lady Ashley and the Drover through the Outback despite his distrust towards the whites. Bryan Brown is great as the cattle baron King Carney as a man eager to have a monopoly in the cattle industry. Brandon Walters is remarkable as the half-Aborigine boy Nullah who becomes the one person in Lady Ashley’s life to make her stay in Australia as he also helps her become a rich cattle baron. David Wenham is superb as the very slimy and conniving Neil Fletcher who tries to do whatever to bring down Lady Ashley.

Hugh Jackman is marvelous as the Drover as a man who knows Australia better than anyone as he comes off as a very rugged yet stubborn man but also one who is very kind and can become a gentleman. Nicole Kidman is radiant as Lady Sarah Ashley as a woman who arrives to the country as an outsider only to become a more proud and fierce woman eager to lead and become someone not to be messed with. The scenes with Kidman and Jackman are just glorious to watch as the two have great chemistry together as they are among one of the film’s highlights.

Despite some of its shortcomings in its story, Australia is a still a visually-gorgeous and stellar film from Baz Luhrmann. Thanks to the leading performances of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman along with some amazing technical work and a supporting cast. The film is definitely a worthwhile film that has a lot to offer though it is a bit of a mess at times. In the end, Australia is a very good film from Baz Luhrmann.

Baz Luhrmann Films: Strictly Ballroom - William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet - Moulin Rouge - The Great Gatsby (2013 film) - The Auteurs #23: Baz Luhrmann

© thevoid99 2013

Les Miserables (2012 film)

Based on the novel by Victor Hugo and its musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, Les Miserables is the story about a convict who becomes a mayor in France only to be haunted by the presence of a police inspector as he goes on the run with a young girl to take care of for her mother as they later deal with a growing revolution. Directed by Tom Hooper and screenplay by Boublil, Schonberg, William Nicholson, and Herbert Kretzmer, the film is an exploration into redemption and seeking the chance to find a new life while facing old fears. Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Helena Bohnam Carter. Les Miserables is a sprawling yet spectacular musical from Tom Hooper.

After serving 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread for his nephew, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is released on parole as he tries to find work only to be shunned for his conviction as he finds shelter at a church. After stealing some silver from that church and later captured, the bishop (Colm Wilkinson) claims that he gave the silver to Valjean as he later tells him to use it to start a new life. Eight years later, Valjean reinvents himself as a mayor only to deal with the presence of a police investigator named Javert (Russell Crowe) whom Valjean know who was the lead guard at the prison many years ago. Meanwhile, a woman named Fatine (Anne Hathaway) was fired by a foreman as she is seeking to get money for her young daughter Cosette (Isabelle Allen) who is living at another home. Fatine is forced into prostitution as she is later saved by Valjean who realizes what’s happened to her as he vows to Fatine that he will find Cosette and take care of her.

After evading Javert who had learned about Valjean’s true identity, Valjean finds Cosette who is living with a couple in Thenardiers (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bohnam Carter) as he gives them money to take Cosette off their hands. After realizing Javert is in Paris looking for him, Valjean and Cosette hide in a convent where Valjean is able to escape from Javert. Nine years later as Valjean becomes a father to Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), revolution is happening as Cosette catches the eye of a young revolutionary named Marius (Eddie Redmayne). Also in Paris are the Thenardiers and their daughter Eponine (Samantha Barks) who is in love with Marius as she reluctantly shows his where Cosette lives.

After realizing that Javert is nearby, Valjean runs away again with Cosette until the battle rages on where he learns that Cosette has fallen in love with Marius as he decides to help Marius with the revolution. When Javert is in the battle as a spy and later captured by the revolutionaries, he and Valjean come face-to-face where Valjean would make a decision about their fates.

The film is the story about a convict who seeks to find redemption after being in prison for 19 years over a small crime as he is haunted by who he is as well as an inspector who doesn’t believe that this man will redeem himself. Along the way, he finds salvation and love as he does whatever it takes to do right for a woman who had been wronged and for a young girl to become a beautiful young woman who later falls for a revolutionary. In the course of the film, it is a story about people all trying to get something whether it’s to fulfill a sense of duty, to find love, to be loved, or to gain redemption in these terrible times during the early 1800s in France after the French Revolution.

The screenplay is faithful to the musical as it explores a lot of the complexities of these characters as it is largely about Jean Valjean’s yearning to find redemption for his sins where he would do things for those he felt had been wronged or what he had done. Yet, he is pursued by Inspector Javert who is convinced that Valjean is a criminal and always will be a criminal as once he learned Valjean had broke parole. He is determined to do whatever to get him back in prison as an act of duty. When Valjean reinvents himself as a mayor where he hopes that people will be treated well, he learns about a woman who had been fired and goes into prostitution in Fatine. Fatine is someone who just wants to work to give money to help care for her illegitimate child as she goes into great despair thinking there is no good in the world until Valjean saves her where he would vow to do right for her by becoming a father to her daughter.

When Valjean takes Cosette away from the cruel Thenardiers, who likes to steal from their customers at their inn, he hopes to give Cosette a life that is good and will allow her to become a woman. Yet, times would change in the face of another revolution in France where Cosette would fall for this young revolutionary in Marius as he becomes torn between love and duty as he is unaware that the Thenardiers’ daughter Eponine is in love with him as she would play a key part in the story. Eventually, things would collide where Valjean would have to get involved with the revolution in order to do whatever to give two young people a future while facing his own demons as well as Javert.

Tom Hooper’s direction is definitely big in terms of its presentation as it is a musical that isn’t shot on some stage or a soundstage. Instead, it is shot as if it was on location where things are big and the musical numbers also play up to the grandeur of the story. While there’s a few moments such as some shaky hand-held camera work that doesn’t entirely work at times, Hooper does manage to keep things in tact through these sprawling compositions filled with crane shots, tracking shots, and other stylistic shots to maintain that air of spectacle. Hooper does also bring things where it is intimate in order to display emotions or something that helps tell the story.

Since this is a musical, there isn’t a lot of spoken dialogue as a lot of it essentially sung. Notably on the set where it adds to the emotional tone of the story such as the I Dreamed a Dream scene where it is shot in one unbroken take to capture the sense of anguish and loss that Fatine is going through. While the bombastic music that is by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil does play into the many emotions of the film, Hooper’s direction makes sure that the music isn’t distracting while taking a few moments for the singing to stop for a few dialogue interplay with the actors. Still, it is about what is sung and how it helps tell the story as Hooper knows when to keep things simple that includes the film’s ending. Overall, Tom Hooper crafts a very heart-wrenching yet dazzling musical that has all of the splendor in what is expected in the genre.

Cinematographer Danny Cohen does excellent work with the film’s photography from the somewhat de-saturated look of the colors in the exteriors to the more simplistic yet stylish lighting schemes in the interiors. Editors Melanie Anne Oliver and Chris Dickens is terrific for its stylish approach to cutting by using some fast cuts on some of the film’s upbeat numbers while going for more methodical cuts in the ballads. Production designer Eve Stewart and supervising art director Grant Armstrong do amazing work with the set pieces from the dreary look of the prostitutes area to the chaos that is set in Paris for the film’s revolutionary scenes including its climatic battle.

Costume designer Paco Delgado does brilliant work with the costumes from the lavish yet ragged look of some of the women‘s clothing to the uniform that Javert wears. Hair and makeup designer Lisa Westcott does superb work with the look of the characters for Valjean as he ages in the years to the more offbeat look of the Thenardiers. Visual effects supervisors Richard Bain and Sean Mathiesen do wonderful work with some of the exterior settings to recreate the look of early 1800s France. Sound designer Dominic Gibbs along with sound editors Lee Walpole and John Warhurst, does fantastic work with the sound to blend all of the voices in multiple singing parts as well as the intimacy in some of the solo parts of the singing.

The casting by Nina Gold is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Aaron Tveit as Marius’ revolutionary friend Enjolras, Daniel Huttlestone as the adolescent revolutionary Gavroche, Michael Jibson as the foreman who fires Fatine, Patrick Godfrey as Marius’ grandfather, Natalya Angel Wallace as the young Eponine, and Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop of Digne who would play a key part into the direction Valjean would take into his life. Helena Bohnam Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen are delightful as the very funny Thenardiers who like to steal and do whatever as they later try to profit from the revolution. Eddie Redmayne is superb as Marius as a young man who is torn with his devotion for the revolution and the love he has for Cosette as he later deals with the aftermaths about what he’s gained and lost.

Samantha Barks is amazing as Eponine as the daughter of the Thenardiers who is in love with Marius as she tries to deal with his feelings towards Cosette as she would play a part into the revolution. Isabelle Allen and Amanda Seyfried are wonderful in the different age of Cosette with Allen as the young girl seeking to find someone to treat her right while Seyfried adds to sense of longing as the older Cosette as she has a wonderful moment in her duet with Redmayne. Russell Crowe is excellent as Inspector Javert with his rugged presence and his determination to maintain his sense of duty though there’s some parts in Crowe’s singing where he is trying a bit hard though he is better suited in the ballads when he doesn’t try so hard.

Anne Hathaway is outstanding in her small yet unforgettable performance as Fatine where Hathaway displays all of the anguish and torment the character goes to as she later deals with loss and later peace. Hathaway’s performance of I Dreamed a Dream is truly the highlight of the film where the singing is raw yet so filled with emotion that it is an indication of Hathaway’s talents as an actress. Finally, there’s Hugh Jackman in a tour-de-force performance as Jean Valjean where Jackman not only brings in that sense of physicality and strength that was needed for the part. Jackman also brings in a sensitivity and conflict to man unsure of himself as he seeks to find redemption as it is definitely a crowning achievement for the Australian actor in all counts including his singing.

Les Miserables is a phenomenal film from Tom Hooper that a remarkable ensemble cast and a look that plays to its ambition. It is a film that indicates that the musical will never go away when it’s executed in the right way. Notably as it features amazing songs and dazzling set pieces that plays to the many emotions of the story. In the end, Les Miserables is a marvelous film from Tom Hooper.

Tom Hooper Films: (Red Dust) - (The Damned United) - The King's Speech

© thevoid99 2012

Scoop

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/14/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Scoop is about a young, American student trying to be a journalist gets a big scoop from a ghostly spirit who is trying to catch a tarot-card carrying serial killer. Helping the student is an American magician who suspects a rich heir as does the ghostly spirit while the young woman falls for the handsome suspect. Taking cues from his old films and love of mystery and comedy, Allen goes for laughs as the films reveal he's been re-inspired. Also starring Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Ian McShane, Romola Garai, and Charles Dance. Scoop is an entertaining, witty mystery from Woody Allen.

Revered British journalist Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) has just died as he meets a woman named Jane Cook (Fenella Woolgar) on their way to the afterlife. When Cook revealed that she had been poisoned by her boss and rich heir Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman), she believes that he's the Tarot Card killer who has been killing hookers in a similar style to Jack the Ripper. Strombel jumps off the boat to give someone the scoop as a young college student journalist named Sondra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson) is trying to catch a break. Going to a magic show with her friend Vivian to see Sidney Waterman aka Splendini (Woody Allen) perform magic tricks, Sondra is part of the act as she sees Strombel giving her the scoop of a lifetime.

When Sondra learns who Strombel was and finds information about the Tarot Card killer, she talks to Sidney about his magic box where they see Strombel's spirit who gives them more information. Sondra and Sidney decides to to investigate Lyman, who is the son of a well-respected lord (Julian Glover) as they managed to get into a posh gym through Vivian's connections where Sondra meets Peter Lyman as she calls herself Jade Spence with Sidney posing as her father. The two get invited to the Lyman estate as Sondra doesn't think that Lyman is the killer as she starts to fall for him. When Sidney holds another magic show, Strombel appears out of the box in front of an audience as he gives Sidney information about a vault in Lyman's home. Sidney goes to Lyman's home during the party as he goes into the vault and finds nothing much to Sondra's disappointment until she later finds a deck of tarot cards when she spends the night.

After turning to Vivian's father (Charles Dance), a newspaper editor, about what she believes, Sondra realizes that it might not be enough until the news that the real Tarot Card killer was caught. Sondra meets Peter again to confess who she really is as the two starts a relationship. Sidney however, doesn't think the case is over as he still suspects Peter Lyman as Strombel makes a last appearance where Sidney realizes who the Tarot Card killer is.

While the film doesn't rank up there with Allen's earlier, funnier films of the early 70s or some of his other comedies and the 80s and 1990s, Scoop does achieve in what Allen aimed for. A witty, clever mystery that features laughs and the kind of neurotic, insecure characters that Allen is known for. The screenplay is really Allen's most entertaining since Sweet & Lowdown where he finds the right timing for comedy while building the suspense of mystery where although it's kind of predictable. The adventure is still fun to watch where Allen's direction and locations of London really brings a new energy to his comedic style. Allen understands that mystery can be funny and he uses these flawed, characters who aren't smart or very driven but have something that audiences can relate to. Overall, the film features Allen in his finest.

Cinematographer Remi Adefarasin, who worked on Match Point, returns to bring in a more colorful, vibrant look of London in its exterior setting of the country side to the posh, interiors of some of the locations. Production designer Maria Djurkovic and art director Nick Palmer do excellent work into the look of posh London with its inspiring locations as well as costume designer Jill Taylor for the dresses that Scarlett Johansson wore. Editor Alisa Lepselter does some wonderful, tight editing to the film a nice, leisurely pace in its 96-minute running time. The film's soundtrack is filled with a lot of classical cuts that Allen has often compiled but most of its is done in a playful way along with elements of suspense as the music really adds a lot of wit and joy.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with notable small performances from Julian Glover, Kevin R. McNally, and Fenella Woolgar. Other minor performances from Charles Dance as Mr. Malcolm and Romola Garai as Vivian are excellent and memorable in their supporting roles. Ian McShane is very funny and intelligent as the wise, driven Joe Strombel. McShane, often known for playing dark, brooding characters, proves his range as a comedy actor where he plays his character very straight and intelligent as he steals every scene he's in. Hugh Jackman is wonderfully charming as the shady, charismatic Peter Lyman. The Australian-born actor proves he can do an authentic English accent while bringing a lot of wit and complexity to his character. Coming off films like the X-Men series and The Prestige, Jackman proves that he can do comedy and bring a lot of joy into a performance. Woody Allen is very funny in his usual, neurotic persona. While it's essentially Woody playing himself, Allen sticks with what works and it's consistently funny and witty as Allen brings a cleverness to his role while performing some magic tricks.

While not up to par with the sarcasm in Ghost World and the eerie minimalism of Lost in Translation, Scarlett Johansson gives an excellent performance as Sondra Pransky. A far superior performance than she gave in Match Point, in which it was uneven, Johansson brought more layers as she plays a nerdy, frumpy kind of woman who is driven but not very confident. When Johansson plays the sensual Jade Spence, it's all done in a comical way as Johansson plays a great straight-woman to Allen while having some wonderful chemistry with Jackman. It's clearly one of her better performances and far superior to the recent ones in The Black Dahlia and The Prestige also with Jackman.

While not as groundbreaking or one of his great films, Scoop is still a clever, witty mystery-comedy from Woody Allen. With a great cast led by Allen, Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, and Ian McShane, it's a film that is filled with some wonderful, funny moments while being entertaining at the same time. Though it's one of the better films he's made in the 2000s, Scoop is a good and enjoyable comedy from Woody Allen.

Woody Allen Films: What’s Up, Tiger Lily? - Take the Money & Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love & Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer Night’s 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 & Fog - Husbands & Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don't Drink the Water - Bullets Over Broadway - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - 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 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011