Written and directed by James L. Brooks, Broadcast News is the story of a neurotic TV news producer who finds herself torn between her loyalty to a cynical reporter and a charismatic but dim anchorman. The film is an exploration of the world of news media where three people try to help bring news to the world in an ever-changing world. Starring Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks, William Hurt, Joan Cusack, Lois Chiles, Robert Prosky, Peter Hackes, and Jack Nicholson. Broadcast News is a witty yet captivating film from James L. Brooks.
The film revolves around a love triangle between a TV news producer, a veteran reporter, and a new anchorman for a Washington D.C. news station as they all try to report the news and sell it to the public. It’s a film that isn’t just an exploration of the world of news but also the lives of three people who are part of this world as they struggle to find their roles in it. Especially as their professional ideals and lives begin to clash with their own personal lives in this complicated love triangle where they’re all trying to do the same thing despite their different takes on the news. James L. Brooks’ script doesn’t just the explore the conflict about how the news should be presented and sold to the public but also in the ideals of these three characters.
The TV producer Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) is someone that believes that the news should be told and not embellished as it’s something the reporter Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks) also believes though he is more cynical about the way news is being told and commercialized for a mass audience. Coming into their lives is Tom Grunick (William Hurt) who has the looks and charm of a news anchor but isn’t very smart as he knows that where he wants to help as he met Craig during a convention about the ethics of news. Grunick is someone that has the look to report and tell the news to the public as he is everything Altman isn’t as he is nice and not trying to offend anyone. Altman is a prick because he is passionate about wanting to get the facts straight and be true to the news. While Craig doesn’t think highly of Grunick at first, she eventually realizes his potential as well as the fact that he is actually presentable and can do his job.
It’s not just in the development of the story and the characters where Brooks succeeds at but it’s also in the many quirks of the characters such as Craig who is quite neurotic and often cries daily. She is also not in a relationship or involved with anyone other than Altman until Grunick appears as he is a very interesting person despite his lack of intelligence. Altman is baffled by how Grunick would get work so easily yet when Altman is given the chance to cover the news. Grunick gives him a few pointers on how to present himself as it would be a turning point for him but also with some realizations that he must face. The film also features a subplot that comes in its second half as it relates to a dangerous layoff due to budget cuts as it plays into the reality of the TV news world where it’s not just about ratings but also money.
Brooks’ direction is very simple in terms of the compositions he creates yet does manage to infuse some style into the way the newsroom and what goes on behind the scenes are shown. The film opens with a trio of prologues that relates to the main characters as children as it shows exactly who they are and what they would become as adults. Shot largely in Washington D.C. with some parts shot in Maryland and Virginia, the film does play into a world that is very energetic and demanding where Brooks doesn’t use a lot of wide shots as he favors something more intimate in the medium shots and close-ups. There are moments where Brooks’ direction does have some style such as this shot of Grunick in the foreground shot from behind while Craig is in the background very far in a wide shot as it play into what goes on in news reporting.
One notable sequence involving trying to get tape and such for a news report is among one of the most inventive and exciting moments in the film where it does have this air of realism in what Brooks is showing. Even as it shows an editor trying to cut something to the last second and get it to be aired for the evening news. Brooks’ direction is also very light-hearted in scenes where there’s a gathering or moments that are quite comical but not overtly. It’s told with a sense of restraint while not being totally forced as well as some of the drama though it does get quite heavy towards the third act as it relates to the love triangle between Craig, Altman, and Grunick. Especially as it reveals a lot about who they are and what they want for the world of TV news reporting. Overall, Brooks creates an insightful yet riveting film about three people in a love triangle while trying to report the news to the world.
Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it‘s mostly straightforward to play into the look of the locations in its daytime/nighttime exteriors as well as some unique lighting for the interior scenes. Editor Richard Marks does brilliant work with the editing as it play into the frenzy of what goes on in the newsroom and behind the scenes along with some straightforward cutting for the dramatic and comedic moments outside of the newsroom. Production designer Charles Rosen and set decorator Jane Bogart does fantastic work with the look of the editing room in the news room and the homes of some of the characters.
Costume designer Molly Maginnis does nice work with the costumes as it is kind of casual with bits of style as well as some of the infamous clothing of the 1980s with fake shoulder pads. Sound editor Robert Grieve does terrific work with the sound from the way the chaos of trying to get a story displayed on television to the sound of the gatherings the characters go to. The film’s music by Bill Conti is wonderful for its score that is mainly a mixture of low-key piano-based music with some electronic keyboards to play into the world of the TV news.
The casting by Ellen Chenoweth is great as it features some notable small roles from Kimber Shoop as the young Grunick, Dwayne Markee as the young Altman, Gennie James as the young Craig, Stephen Mendillo as Grunick’s father, Ed Wheeler as an anchorman in George Wein, Glen Roven and Marc Shaiman as a couple of music composers trying to create a new theme for the news channel, Christian Clemenson as the TV editor Bobby, Leo Burmester as Craig’s father, Marita Geraghty as a date-rape woman that Grunick interviews, and a low-key cameo appearance from a faceless John Cusack as an angry messenger. In another notable small role that is a cameo of sorts, Jack Nicholson is superb as the evening news anchorman Bill Rorish as this legendary reporter that tells the news to the world as he carries some seniority as well as being the one guy everyone has to make sure he looks good. Peter Hackes is excellent as the news station boss Paul Moore who tries to keep things going while dealing with the financial chaos of the station. Joan Cusack is fantastic as Blair Litton as a staff member who is also Craig’s best friend of sorts who has an amazing scene running around the office to bring a tape in and evade all sorts of obstacles.
Lois Chiles is wonderful as anchorwoman Jennifer Mack who takes a liking towards Grunick as she would briefly go out with him. Robert Prosky is brilliant as Ernie Merriman as the station’s manager who tries to keep things afloat while being aware of the layoffs that might emerge. Albert Brooks is phenomenal as Aaron Altman as this very intelligent and idealistic reporter who has always been behind the scenes or covering events around him as he copes with Grunick’s presence as well as his attempts to bring some substance to the world of news. William Hurt is remarkable as Tom Grunick as this dim but kind-hearted reporter that has the looks and charms to be an anchorman as it’s a very complex character as he represents someone that wants to make the news more accessible. Finally, there’s Holly Hunter in an incredible performance as Jane Craig as a TV news producer who is torn between two men while often crying for some odd reason as it’s a very fiery and energetic performance that play into a woman trying to maintain the idea of what TV news should be.
Broadcast News is a marvelous film from James L. Brooks that features great performances from Holly Hunter, William Hurt, and Albert Brooks. It’s a film that is very smart as well as being very funny thanks in part to its witty script as well as a superb supporting cast. In the end, Broadcast News is a sensational film from James L. Brooks.
James L. Brooks Films: (Terms of Endearment) - (I’ll Do Anything) - (As Good as It Gets) - (Spanglish) - (How Do You Know)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Bill Polhad and screenplay by Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner from a story by Lerner, Love & Mercy is the story of the Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson told in two parallel narrative that focuses on Wilson in the mid-1960s where he was considered an eccentric but gifted music genius and in the late 1980s as a shell of his former self under the abusive of his therapist until a Cadillac saleswoman saves him. The film is an unconventional bio-pic that explores Wilson’s rise and descent into madness and mental illness and later be saved when he is at his most vulnerable as Paul Dano and John Cusack play the role of Wilson in the 60s and 80s, respectively,. Also starring Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti. Love & Mercy is ravishing and touching film from Bill Polhad.
The name Brian Wilson isn’t just synonymous with not music that would stand for eons but a man who was gifted yet troubled where he would succumb to mental illness and depression only to re-emerge a survivor and an icon. The film is about not just Wilson’s time in the mid-1960s where he would create the landmark album Pet Sounds as well as his attempts to make the album Smile. It’s also about the man 20 years later as he is under the control of therapist until he falls for a Cadillac saleswoman in Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks) who would later become his savior. All of which is told in a parallel, back-and-forth narrative style that reflects on Wilson’s mental descent in the 1960s as well as emerging out of that dark cloud of abuse and confusion in the 1980s.
The film’s screenplay by Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner create this narrative that plays into the highs and lows that Wilson would endure as a co-founder of the surf rock band the Beach Boys who were considered the American rivals to the Beatles in terms of creating top-notch pop songs. The film does give a brief insight into the Beach Boys’ rise where the bulk of the 1960s narrative begins with Wilson’s breakdown in an airplane that would ultimately keep him out of the road. Being grounded, Wilson would find a sanctuary at the studio where he would have all of the time in the world to create songs at his own pace while would wait for the band to return from touring to contribute vocals. That strand in the narrative shows not just the exuberance that Wilson had but also the emergence of his mental descent which was due to a lot of things such as drugs as well as his strained relationship with his father Murry (Bill Camp). The script also reveals the tension between Wilson and the band that ultimately led to the shelving of Smile.
The 1980s narrative which would inter-cut with the 60s narrative shows Wilson as a middle-aged man where it begins with him looking for a car to buy where he would meet Ledbetter who has no clue the man she was talking to is Brian Wilson. Yet, she somehow finds herself going out with Wilson, despite the presence of his therapist Dr. Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti), where she gets to know the man and see someone who is a good person but also in need of help. Especially as he had been disconnected from his family including two daughters, his ex-wife, his mother, and his band that includes his brother Carl and cousin Mike Love under Landy’s supervision as Ledbetter gets to know more of the real Wilson but also observe what Landy does. One key scene involves Ledbetter coming to Wilson’s home to bring food where she hears Landy screaming at a heavily-medicated Wilson during a songwriting session as Ledbetter learns from Wilson’s maid Gloria (Diana Maria Riviera) about the extent of Landy’s abuse. It’s a key sequence in the film that would have Ledbetter take a stand no matter what kind of dirt Landy could dig up on her. Though there are a few dramatic liberties that Moverman and Lerner do for dramatic reasons, they don’t stray too far from the real story nor do anything to exaggerate things other than show a very fragile man in need of saving.
Bill Polhad’s direction definitely has an air of style as it play into not just the world Brian Wilson was in but also in somewhat Hellish-existence he was living in under Dr. Landy’s abuse. Due to the film’s complex narrative, Polhad definitely aims for different visual styles as it relates to tone of the times as well as Wilson’s own state of mind. The 1960s narrative definitely owes a lot to style in terms of its usage of different film stock which help play into the Beach Boys rise and Wilson coming into his own as a producer and songwriter. Many of the compositions are quite simple in its usage of close-ups and medium shots where it would play into what Wilson is doing as he hears ideas in his head that would unfortunately morph into voices of doubt from his father and cousin Mike (Jake Abel). There is a bit of usage in the hand-held cameras yet Polhad prefers to keep things simple while also create elements that play into Wilson’s encounter with psychedelic drugs that were helpful at first only to turn on him towards his mental descent. The 1980s narrative has Polhad go for something much simpler but also with a look that is a bit more polished as it play into a world that is sort of modern but one that Wilson seems detached from.
While many of the compositions are a bit more detached in some aspects as it relates to Wilson’s mental state, it does play into a man trying to get back into the world through Ledbetter. One sequence in which Ledbetter spends the night with Wilson has this unique tracking shot where Wilson becomes paranoid that someone is watching as he begs Ledbetter to leave but still be with him as it is a heartbreaking scene that shows how scared Wilson is. Another sequence in the film’s third act is this strange montage that has the older Wilson confront his past in flashbacks and hallucinations as it relates to the voices in his head where the two Wilsons do see each other as it play into what he lost and what he could gain. Overall, Polhad crafts a mesmerizing and riveting film about the life of Brian Wilson through all of its trials and tribulations in two different time periods.
Cinematographer Robert Yeomen does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from the way many of the Californian location exteriors look to play into that sunny environment that inspired the music of the Beach Boys to some of the lush interiors inside the recording studios and the look of Wilson‘s two homes in the 80s that has this very lovely but unsettling look. Editor Dino Jonsater does brilliant work with the editing as it does play into the film‘s unique narrative style with its smooth transition cuts as well as some stylish montages and other cutting styles to play into some of the exuberance and dark moments in the film. Production designer Keith P. Cunningham, along with art directors Andrew Max Cahn and Luke Freeborn and set decorator Maggie Martin, does fantastic work with the home Wilson had in the 60s with its piano on top of a sandbox and the recording studios as well as the homes he had in the 1980s that are very sparse but also empty. Costume designer Danny Glicker does wonderful work with the costumes from the look of the 1960s clothes that many wear to the more casual look of the 1980s with the exception of the clothes that Ledbetter wore.
Makeup effects designer Tony Gardner does nice work with the look of some of the characters in the way they evolved in the 1960s as well as the comical yet terrifying look of Dr. Landy. Visual effects supervisor Luke T. DiTommaso does terrific work with some of the film‘s visual effects as it relates to Wilson‘s first acid trip that play into his desire for a new sound and some of its purity as well as a flashback sequence that relates to the story about how his father damaged his right ear. Sound designer Eugene Gearty and sound editor Nicholas Renbeck do excellent work with the sound in the way Wilson would hear things including a dinner sequence that would scare him as well as the more sparse moments during the scenes in the 80s where Wilson tries to deal with his mental state. The film’s music by Atticus Ross is incredible as it is largely a mixture of ambient sound textures as well as a collage of the music of the Beach Boys as their music is prominently featured along with a new song by Brian Wilson and other music that is played on the film from Dusty Springfield, the Moody Blues, Kenny G, and Heart.
The casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is great as it features some notable small roles from Oliver Polhad as the adolescent Brian Wilson in the flashback sequence, Morgan Phillips as Dr. Landy’s son Evan who watches over Wilson and Ledbetter during a boat trip, Erik Eidem as one of Wilson’s caretakers in Doug who becomes concerned of Dr. Landy’s treatment of Wilson, Joanna Going as Wilson’s mother Audree in the film’s flashbacks, and Diana Maria Riviera in a terrific role as Wilson’s maid Gloria who would help Ledbetter in saving Wilson. Other noteworthy small roles as members of the Wrecking Crew session players in Teresa Cowles as bassist Carole Kaye, Gary Griffin as keyboardist Al de Lory, and Johnny Sneed as drummer Hal Blaine along with Mark Linett as engineer Chuck Britz, Jeff Meacham as Pet Sounds lyricist Tony Asher, and Mark Schneider as Smile lyricist Van Dyke Parks as they play into the people who are in awe of Wilson’s gift as an artist.
Nick Gehlfuss and Graham Rogers are terrific in their respective roles as Beach Boys members Bruce Johnston and Al Jardine who both express a bit of reservation into what Wilson is doing. Bill Camp is excellent as Wilson’s father Murry who isn’t keen on what his son doing feeling it is straying from the formula as well as being this domineering figure that would continuously haunt Wilson for much of his life. Brett Davern is superb as Wilson’s younger brother Carl as one of the few who likes what his brother is doing while becoming concerned for his mental state of mind. Kenny Wormald is fantastic as Wilson’s youngest brother Dennis who likes what Wilson is doing while having a few reservations about its commercial prospects. Erin Darke is wonderful as Wilson’s first wife Marilyn who expresses concern about her husband’s mental state as well as trying to form the family that he would unfortunately become estranged to.
Jake Abel is amazing as Wilson’s cousin/Beach Boys vocalist Mike Love who expresses concern of not just what Wilson is doing musically but also for the fact that Wilson is straying from what made their music so popular. Paul Giamatti is marvelous as Dr. Eugene Landy as Wilson’s therapist during the 1980s who is trying to take care of him but his methods become abusive where he would even try to threaten Ledbetter as it’s a monstrous performance. Elizabeth Banks is phenomenal as Melinda Ledbetter as the woman who would become Wilson’s second wife as this former model-turned Cadillac saleswoman who befriends Wilson only to fall for him where she would also be the person that would save him and get back in touch with what was good in the world.
Finally, there’s John Cusack and Paul Dano in outstanding performances as Brian Wilson where both men provide unique aspects to the man. As the middle-aged Wilson in the 1980s, Cusack displays that sense of confusion and anguish into a man lost in a haze of medication as well as trying to find some good despite the paranoia he carries as it relates to Landy. As the young Wilson in the 1960s, Dano provides the exuberance to someone who realizes the power of his creativity as well as an innocence that he would eventually lose due to drugs and demons. Both Cusack and Dano create something that allows so many layers to the Brian Wilson myth but also ground it with a humanity and fragility that nearly destroyed the man.
Love & Mercy is an incredible from Bill Polhad that features the amazing dual performances of John Cusack and Paul Dano as Brian Wilson. Featuring an inventive narrative by screenwriters Michael Alan Lerner and Oren Moverman, a ravishing score by Atticus Ross, and Elizabeth Banks’ graceful performance as Melinda Ledbetter-Wilson. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules of the bio-pic genre while creating a unique study of a man/artist struggling with demons and his desire to create great music. In the end, Love & Mercy is a magnificent film from Bill Polhad.
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by David Cronenberg and written by Bruce Wagner that is based on his own book Dead Stars, Maps to the Stars is a story set in Hollywood revolving around an aging actress dealing with her career as well as the presence of her late mother while a therapist tries to get his young son to return to the world of celebrity culture. A film that explores the world of celebrity and its emphasis on Western culture, it’s a film that is satirical as well as having commentary on a world lost in fame. Starring Julianne Moore, John Cusack, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson, Olivia Williams, Evan Bird, and Sarah Gadon. Maps to the Stars is a visceral and ominous film from David Cronenberg.
The film is an exploration into the world of fame and celebrity culture through a multi-layered narrative involving a young child star trying to return to the world of celebrity culture while an aging actress copes with painful memories as she is haunted by the presence of her late mother. It’s a film that plays into people trying to be part of a culture where there’s a lot of expectations and demands in order to succeed. At the middle of this is a young woman named Agatha (Mia Wasikowska) who arrives from Florida as she would work for the aging actress Havana Segrand (Julianne Moore) as an assistant. Segrand is coping with demons as she seeks the help of self-help therapist Dr. Strafford Weiss (John Cusack) whose son Benjie (Evan Bird) is a teen child-star that is trying to remain sober while dealing with the pressures of stardom as he endure strange hallucinations.
Bruce Wagner’s screenplay definitely plays into not just people’s desire to wanting to make it in Hollywood but also how far they will go to the point that they lose elements of their sanity as well as their own identity. While Agatha is just an outsider who would befriend a limo driver named Jerome (Robert Pattinson) who is trying to make as an actor and a writer. She is someone that manages to have some connections to be part of that world yet is more of an observer who has an element of innocence but with a dark edge as she wears gloves and lots of clothes as she is a burn victim with a past of her own. By working for Havana Segrand, she gets access to the world of productions and places but is also aware that there is a lot more going on. Especially as Havana is a woman living in the shadows of her late mother Clarice (Sarah Gadon) who was a famous star until she died of a car crash when Havana was a child.
In the hopes to star in a remake of a film that her mother did years ago, Havana is hoping for a comeback but Clarice’s presence haunts her. By going to Dr. Weiss, she tries to exercise her demons as well as get a role in order to fulfill her own ego. The Dr. Weiss character is also a representation of egotism as he is a man that is making money through is own self-help books as well as exploit his own son while his wife Cristina (Olivia Williams) is Benjie’s manager as she does whatever to get him a part in a sequel for a film that made him a star. Benjie however, is struggling with trying to stay sober as well as be out of the public eye as he is succumbing to peer pressure as well as the need to be this teen sensation as he starts to see strange hallucinations involving the dead. It’s a film that features a lot of characters who are despicable while the Jerome character is the most normal as he is also an outsider who is just trying to get his break no matter how humiliating things are. Though there’s aspects of Jerome that makes him unsympathetic, it’s only because he has to do things in order to be part of this very turbulent and troublesome world.
David Cronenberg’s direction is very mesmerizing for the way he depicts the world of Hollywood as this place of conformity and expectations that seem unreal. While a lot of it is shot in Los Angeles and Hollywood with a few interior scenes set in Toronto, it does play into a film that has a very warped view of what Hollywood is as many of the characters, with the exception of Agatha and Jerome, live in these spacious mansions and are invited to the biggest parties around. While there’s some wide shots in the direction, much of Cronenberg’s approach to the compositions are simple in terms of close-ups and medium shots. Especially in scenes involving Agatha where her close-ups play to how she looked with her burned scars around parts of her head to play into a sense of realism that she has while everyone in Hollywood is trying to look young or be part of that culture.
The direction is also full of dark humor that plays into aspects of satire such as the commercials that Dr. Weiss has as well as his approach to therapy which is quite odd. Even as it’s clear that he’s just a man that will do anything to be famous and use his son’s stardom to become famous. Once there’s some revelations about his own past as well as his family starts to emerge, it adds to the sense of drama that emerges as well as to the issues that Havana is going through. Havana’s story has elements of surrealism as it relates to the presence of her own mother which is similar to the hallucinations that Benjie would go through. All of which play into demons that they face with Agatha being caught in the middle as this observer as she is connected to these people in some ways while keeping herself at a distance. Overall, Cronenberg creates a very captivating yet harrowing film about celebrity culture and people dealing with their demons in that world.
Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography to play into the sunny look of the locations in Hollywood along with some straightforward lighting for some scenes at night including some of the interior shots. Editor Ronald Sanders does excellent work with the editing as it‘s straightforward while using some unique rhythmic cuts to play into some of the surreal moments of the film. Production designer Carol Spier, with set decorators Sandy Lindstedt and Peter P. Nicolakakos and art directors Edward Bonutto and Elinor Rose Galbraith, does fantastic work with the look of the homes of the Weiss family as well as Havana to play into their personalities as well as the offices to showcase that world of celebrity culture.
Costume designer Denise Cronenberg does terrific work with the costumes from the long leather gloves that Agatha wears to the different array of clothes that the other characters wear as it‘s very posh in its look. Visual effects supervisor Jon Campfens does nice work some of the film‘s minimal visual effects which includes a chilling scene late in the film that plays to the drama. Sound editor Michael O’Farrell does superb work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the party scenes as well as the smaller moments such as the screams that Havana would endure in her moments where she‘s tested. The film’s music by Howard Shore is amazing for its mixture of somber orchestral music with a mixture of eerie electronic pieces that play into the sense of dread and dark drama that looms over the film.
The casting by Deirdre Bowen is phenomenal as it features some notable small roles from Carrie Fisher as herself, Jayne Heitmeyer as a rival actress of Havana, Domenic Ricci as that woman’s son, Kiara Glasco as a young girl Benjie visits at the hospital as she would haunt him later on, Gord Rand as a director that Havana hopes to work with, Sean Robertson as a young co-star of Benjie whom is seen as a threat, and Dawn Greenhalgh as Havana’s agent who tries to get Havana the role that she is coveting. Sarah Gadon is terrific as the ghost of Havana’s mother Clarice who is a manifestation of the bad memories that Havana has. Olivia Williams is superb as Benjie’s mother Cristina who also manages her son’s career as she tries to make sure he stays sober while dealing with some demons of her own. Robert Pattinson is excellent as Jerome as a limo driver that Agatha befriends as he tries to make it as an actor/writer as he tries to find ways to make it where he does things that he knows he isn’t proud of.
Evan Bird is brilliant as Benjie as this teen sensation trying to cope with fame and the need to be sober as he also deals with strange hallucinations that play into his fascination with death. John Cusack is amazing as Benjie’s father in Dr. Strafford Weiss as this self-help therapist who is trying to become famous while doing whatever to make sure his son stays famous as he’s a really despicable character. Mia Wasikowska is remarkable as Agatha as this young woman with burned skin who arrives to Los Angeles with some mysterious motives as she finds herself fascinated by celebrity culture as she works for Havana while dealing with things about herself as it’s a performance that is quite engaging but also very dark. Finally, there’s Julianne Moore in an incredible performance as Havana Segrand as this aging actress that is desperate to make a comeback while coping with issues as there’s a sense of vanity and smugness in Moore’s performance that is mixed with high-levels of insecurities as it’s Moore in one of her best performances to date.
Maps to the Stars is a rapturous yet exhilarating film from David Cronenberg. Armed with a great cast led by Julianne Moore and Mia Wasikowska as well as very unique insight into the world of celebrity, its culture, and all of the trappings of fame. Especially as it’s a film with some revelations about people and twists and turns that showcase how much people are willing to sacrifice to be adored only to fall apart by their own undoing. In the end, Maps to the Stars is a riveting and tremendously haunting film from David Cronenberg.
David Cronenberg Films: Stereo - Crimes of the Future - Shivers - Rabid - Fast Company - The Brood - Scanners - Videodrome - The Dead Zone - The Fly (1986 film) - Dead Ringers - Naked Lunch - M. Butterfly - Crash - eXistenZ - Spider - A History of Violence - Eastern Promises - A Dangerous Method - Cosmopolis
The Auteur #26: David Cronenberg: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich is the story about a puppeteer who takes an office job where he finds a portal where it’s destination is inside the head of actor John Malkovich. The film is an exploration into the world of a man eager to make a name for himself while dealing with his wife and an officer worker he has fallen for as they all go into Malkovich’s mind. Starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, Orson Bean, Mary Kay Place, and John Malkovich as himself. Being John Malkovich is a dazzling yet witty film from Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman.
The film is a simple story about a man who finds a portal where he enters the mind of actor John Malkovich as he takes his wife and a co-worker at a half-floor office to take part in the adventure. Yet, it would create a strange relationship as the two women fall where the wife would be in Malkovich’s body only for her husband to take over as he would take control of Malkovich in order to become an acclaimed puppeteer. It’s a film that has a very strange premise where people enter John Malkovich’s mind for a few fifteen minutes and then be popped out where they land into a ditch near the New Jersey turnpike. Yet it ends up being a very fascinating story about what can happen when someone enters a man’s body for fifteen minutes.
Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay is truly one of the most whimsical ideas ever to come across on paper where he brings in this unique fascination about the world of puppetry where Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) wants to gain fame with puppetry but is unable to get an audience forcing him to take a job at an office at the 7 ½ floor where he meets Maxine (Catherine Keener) whom he falls for. Though Maxine has no interest in Craig nor his frizzy-haired yet animal-loving wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz), she does become interested in Lotte only when she is inside John Malkovich’s head so she can have sex with Malkovich. It would lead to some jealousy in Craig’s part where he would enter Malkovich’s head realizing the kind of control he can have. Of course, Malkovich would find out as he realizes the craziness that is happening around him.
Kaufman’s script doesn’t just succeed in creating a world that is offbeat and unique but also take its time to explain the idea of the portal without the need of too much exposition. Even as he introduces a quirky character in a man named Dr. Lester (Orson Bean) who reveals a lot about the portal in Malkovich’s head as he would help Lotte find a way to get Craig out of Malkovich’s head. Even where it plays into Craig’s selfishness and the eventual feelings that Maxine would gain over her affairs. Kaufman’s approach to characters including the way he creates scenes such as Malkovich entering into his own head would display something that is avant-garde but also very engaging to a wide audience not used to anything this weird.
The direction of Spike Jonze is very stylized not just in the way he displays many of Kaufman’s surrealistic ideas but also in giving the film an offbeat presentation that makes it seem like it’s a bit removed from reality. Much of it involves the world that Craig and Lotte live in where their apartment is filled with animals while the world of puppetry that Craig has poured himself into plays into the melancholia that he’s carrying. Even as the puppetry itself is very life-like at times to showcase the weight of the emotions into Craig’s craft though he is treated poorly by others or was just misunderstood. It’s part of the world that Jonze presents that includes the 7 ½ floor where everyone has to walk a little hunched because the ceiling is pretty low.
Much of it has Jonze take into some intimate medium shots and close-ups to present that world while the scenes inside John Malkovich’s head are very strange as it is shown from inside his head with a little iris shot that is often commanded by a hand-held camera. Much of it to display what Malkovich is doing where things get even weirder when Malkovich goes into the portal into his own head where it would play into one of the greatest sequences in film. The mixture of surrealism and puppetry add to the visual splendor of the film as Jonze utilizes all sorts of tricks and such to play into this world that is unique. Overall, Jonze crafts a very astonishing yet rapturous film about a group of people discovering a portal into the mind of John Malkovich.
Cinematographer Lance Acord does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography with its use of low-key lights for some of the film‘s daytime and nighttime exterior scenes as well as something as displaying a sense of style into some of the film‘s interior shots with its lights. Editor Eric Zumbrunnen does excellent work with the film‘s editing with its use of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor. Production designer K.K. Barrett, with set decorator Gene Serdena and art director Peter Andrus, does brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of the 7 ½ floor as well as the portal leading to Malkovich‘s head and the home of Dr. Lester filled with books about the portal as well a shrine to Malkovich.
Costume designer Casey Storm does wonderful work with the costumes from the ragged look of Craig and Lotte to the more stylized dresses that Maxine wears as well as the clothes of Malkovich. Head makeup artist Gucci Westman and hair designer Emanuel Millar do fantastic work with the ragged look of Craig as well as the look of Lotte with her frizzy hair to play into their middle-class world. Visual effects supervisor Daniel Radford does phenomenal work with some of the film‘s visual effects which includes the scene of Malkovich entering his own head and seeing people as Malkovich. Sound editors Richard L. Anderson and Elliott Koretz do superb work with the sound to play into some of the sound effects of what goes on at the portal as well as some of the atmosphere in some of the film‘s locations.
The film’s music by Carter Burwell is exquisite for its somber yet rich orchestral score to play into some of the film‘s humor as well as melancholia with its elegant string arrangements to help further the music. Music supervisor Dawn Soler creates a terrific soundtrack that mostly consist of classical music for the puppet shows that Craig displays including the plays he creates as Malkovich as it also features a song by Bjork in the film’s final credits.
The casting by Justine Baddeley and Kim Davis-Wagner is incredible for the ensemble that is featured as it includes some notable small appearances from Sean Penn as himself, Octavia Spencer as a woman Craig meets in the elevator, W. Earl Brown as a client Craig meets early in the film, Carlos Jacott as Malkovich’s agent, David Fincher as a man interviewed for a Malkovich documentary, Spike Jonze as an assistant for a renowned puppeteer, and Charlie Sheen as a restrained, comical version of himself. Mary Kay Place is wonderful as the very odd receptionist Floris while Orson Bean is terrific as the eccentric LesterCorp head Dr. Lester who knows the secret about the portal in the 7 ½ floor.
In playing himself, John Malkovich is brilliant in conveying the man in his eccentricities while displaying his frustrations and confusion in what he discovers as well as being in control where he reinvents himself as a puppeteer. Catherine Keener is excellent as Maxine as a woman who has no interest in either Craig nor Lotte until she realizes that she can use them to have sex with Malkovich until she realizes her feelings for Lotte. Cameron Diaz is amazing as Lotte Schwartz as this weird woman who loves animals while displaying her desires to feel like a man when she’s inside Malkovich’s head. Finally, there’s John Cusack in a remarkable performance as Craig Schwartz as this talented but unappreciated puppeteer who is eager to succeed upon discovering the portal to Malkovich’s head as he decides to use Malkovich for selfish reasons which is a very funny yet dark performance from Cusack.
The 2012 2-disc Region 1 DVD/1-disc Region A Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio in a new digital transfer under the supervision of its director Spike Jonze that also includes a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound for the film. The only supplement in the first disc is a selected scene commentary with Michel Gondry who talks about the film and his friendship with Spike Jonze who later joins the commentary via speakerphone. Gondry talks about specific scenes as well as his friendly-rivalry with Jonze as well as meeting Kaufman for the first time as well as tidbits into the film as it’s a very enjoyable commentary from Gondry.
The second disc’s supplements is led by a 33-minute behind-the-scenes documentary directed by Lance Bangs. While it is a simple behind-the-scenes documentary, it is one that is quite funny at times but also reveals the difficulties in making a film with a half office building floor built where crew members had to be hunched for 13 hours. It also feature moments where Spike’s brother Sam Spiegel is on set where a lot of antics happen as it’s a fun doc to watch.
The 28-minute conversation between John Malkovich and humorist John Hodgman about the film where Malkovich talks about meeting Charlie Kaufman and reading his script where he was intrigued by it. Even as he also met Spike Jonze through Francis Ford Coppola where Malkovich revealed that he wanted Charlie Sheen to play his best friend since the script originally was supposed to have Kevin Bacon as Malkovich’s friend. Malkovich also dwelled on the film’s impact where he revealed that people in his age group at the time didn’t get but it was well-received by a younger audience who didn’t know much about Malkovich. Malkovich and Hodgman also talk about how things have changed since the film about the way celebrities are viewed as the result is a very engaging conversation that is funny at times but also quite sobering in the idea of fame and celebrity.
The 15 ½ minute interview with Spike Jonze about his on-set photos has the director not just talking about his experience with the production. He also talked about photos where tries to recollect his memories about the shooting and some of the anxieties he went through since it was his first feature film. Jonze talks about his crew and cast in the film and some of things that went on in the production that didn’t make things easy which involved studio executives complaining about the look and a few other things. It’s a pretty enjoyable feature that is also directed by Lance Bangs.
The two films within the film are also shown on the DVD starting with the two-minute 7 ½ Floor Orientation which is this very cheesy orientation video about the 7 ½ floor. The four-minute “American Arts & Culture” Presents: John Horatio Malkovich: “Dance of Despair and Disillusionment” is a documentary piece that explores Malkovich’s rise as the ultimate puppeteer where he would bring new life to the art form that features a cameo from David Fincher as an editor for the Los Angeles Times.
The seven-minute and twenty-second documentary An Intimate Portrait of the Art of Puppeteering by Lance Bangs is about the art of puppetry told by Phil Huber who reveals his devotion to the craft. Even as he gives his opinion on the film while young puppeteers who went to see the film also gave their opinion as it’s a nice little doc from Bangs. The supplements also includes the film’s trailer and TV spots about the film. The DVD set features a booklet that includes a conversation with Spike Jonze and pop-culture critic Perkus Tooth about the film. It’s a strange conversation that is filled with a lot of humor where Tooth does much of the talking with Jonze being dumbfounded as it’s a great read.
Being John Malkovich is an outstanding film from Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Filled with dazzling surrealism and a great cast in John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, and John Malkovich. It’s a film that explores the desire of people trying to be someone else for fifteen minutes only for that person to be horrified by the discovery. In the end, Being John Malkovich is a spectacular film from Spike Jonze.
Spike Jonze Films: Adaptation - Where the Wild Things Are - Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak - Her - My Mutant Brain
Related: The Auteurs #54: Spike Jonze - The 25 Essential Videos of Spike Jonze
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Woody Allen and written by Allen and Douglas McGrath, Bullets Over Broadway is the story about a young playwright eager to succeed on Broadway as he hires a gangster’s girlfriend to star in the play while working with a gangster escort on re-writes to make sure his play is a success. The film is an exploration into the world of theater as well as one trying to not make compromises with his art with the help of a man who unknowingly has the gifts to be an artist. Starring John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Tilly, Chazz Palminteri, Mary-Louise Parker, Tracy Ullman, Jack Warden, Jim Broadbent, and Rob Reiner. Bullets Over Broadway is a fantastic yet witty film from Woody Allen.
Set in the 1920s, the film explores a young playwright trying to stage a play without compromise as he is convinced that he’s an artist. In order to get his play produced that will feature a renowned diva, he reluctantly accepts his producer’s offer to put in a gangster’s girlfriend who wants to become an actress despite her lack of talent. The woman’s escort is a mob henchman who has to watch her all the time as he would eventually bring in some ideas that would not only change this writer’s play but also the idea about art and what it takes to be an artist. It’s a film that explores the world of a man trying to define himself as an artist as he is eager to succeed in his own terms but has a hard time making compromises. Especially as he is someone who has the talents to be a writer but is often bogged down by rules and ideas that seem detached from reality until this gangster’s henchman would be the one that would open the doors of the idea of art.
The screenplay by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath not only goes into great lengths to explore the world of theater as well as what it takes to be an artist. It also showcases a world in which individuals all are taking part in a play as there’s egos involved and also the danger for the fact that only a few people know that funding this play is a gangster (Joe Viterelli). For David Shayne (John Cusack), it’s a compromise he has to live with for the sake of his career as he’s amazed by the gifted but boozy leading lady Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest). Yet, he has to deal with the gangster’s girlfriend Olive (Jennifer Tilly) who is determined to succeed despite the fact that she’s a loudmouth and isn’t very good though Shayne thinks there’s potential. Along with a brilliant but insecure leading actor named Warner Purcell (Jim Broadbent) and a supporting actress in Eden Brent (Tracey Ullman) who always carries her dog.
It’s a strange mix of people that are involved with this play as Shayne is also directing the play but his actors have a hard time connecting with the script until Olive’s bodyguard Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) would say things that he felt is hindering the story as he comes up with ideas that turned out to be great. It would prompt Shayne to secretly work with Cheech as the latter becomes more aware of his gifts though he still enjoys bumping people off. Once the story develops where Shayne becomes more confident in his work, there also comes the trappings of success where Shayne would alienate his longtime girlfriend Ellen (Mary-Louise Parker) while Cheech realizes what he must do in order for the play to become a big success as he cares more about its chance to be great. All of which would play into Shayne’s realization of what it means to suffer and sacrifice for your art.
Allen’s direction is truly exquisite in not just the way he presents the 1920s New York City and Broadway but also a period in time where a writer is trying to create something new without making compromises. While there’s an intimacy to the play that is present in the film, there’s also a sense of beauty for the scenes in the city including a moment between Shayne and Sinclair that has this gorgeous backdrop behind them. Allen also creates some unique compositions where he puts the actors in a scene while also using some moments of violence to play up that world of the gangster including the place where Cheech would kill people. It all would play into that world of art and a man’s desire to succeed as an artist where Allen would find ways to mesh humor and drama in the story while playing to that theme about art without doing it in an overbearing way. Overall, Allen creates a truly riveting film about a man’s desire to become an artist and the trappings of what one has to do to succeed as an artist.
Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the look of the nightclubs with its lights to some of the more low-key lighting schemes for the nighttime exterior scenes. Editor Susan E. Morse does excellent work with the editing to create some rhythmic cuts for some of the lively moments involving the gangsters while most of the cutting is quite straightforward. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with art director Tom Warren and set decorators Susan Bode and Amy Marshall, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the play and nightclubs to the home where Olive lives
Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does fantastic work with the costumes from the clothes the men wear to the array of dresses the women wear to play up that sense of style. Sound editor Robert Hein does terrific work with the sound to play up the atmosphere of the theater along with the sounds of gunfire for the gangster scenes. The film’s soundtrack is wonderful for the music that is played that includes pieces by Cole Porter, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, the Gershwin Brothers, and Duke Ellington.
The casting by Juliet Taylor is superb for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small appearances from Tony Sirico and Tony Darrow as a couple of henchmen, Debi Mazar as Cheech’s girlfriend Violet, Benay Venuta as a theater patron Shayne meets at a party, Rob Reiner as the writer Sheldon Flender who is also Shayne’s mentor, Harvey Fierstein as Sinclair’s agent Sid Loomis, Jack Warden as the play’s producer Julian Marx, and Joe Viterelli as the gangster Nick Valenti. Mary Louise-Parker is wonderful as Shayne’s girlfriend Ellen as a woman who supports Shayne until success comes in as well as his fascination with Helen Sinclair. Tracey Ullman is terrific as Eden Brent as a supporting actress trying to get her part to be good while bringing her dog whom Helen dislikes. John Broadbent is excellent as Warner Purcell as a gifted actor who takes a liking towards Olive while he is also revealed to be a compulsive eater.
Jennifer Tilly is amazing as Olive as a young woman who is determined to be an actress despite her lack of talents as Tilly brings a lot of humor and charisma to her performance. Chazz Palminteri is brilliant as Cheech as a gangster’s henchman who has a gift for coming up with great ideas as he becomes someone who realizes his gift as he does whatever it takes to make it be a big success. Dianne Wiest is fantastic as Helen Sinclair as a veteran actress who likes to drink but is also so gifted as she seduces Shayne in the hopes that she can become much bigger. Finally, there’s John Cusack in a marvelous performance as David Shayne as a playwright eager to succeed without compromises while dealing with some of his flaws as a writer as he hopes to finally create something that will be great only to deal with the other compromises he must face as a person.
Bullets Over Broadway is an incredible film from Woody Allen. Armed with a great ensemble cast, amazing set pieces, a fun soundtrack, and an intriguing take on the world of art. It’s a film that definitely stands as one of Allen’s triumphs as well as riveting period piece about a man trying to do something new in the world of theater. In the end, Bullets Over Broadway is a sensational film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don’t Drink the Water - 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 - Scoop - 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 2013
Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Shadows and Fog is the story about a clerk who is asked by a vigilante group to help him capture a serial killer where he later meets a circus performer as they spend an entire night encountering strange things. Based on Allen’s one-act play called Death, the film is a tribute to the works of Franz Kafka as well as the German Expressionism films of early 20th Century as Allen explores the world of death and love. Also starring Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, Madonna, John Cusack, Jodie Foster, Kenneth Mars, Kathy Bates, Philip Bosco, Lily Tomlin, John C. Reilly, Kurtwood Smith, and Wallace Shawn. Shadows and Fog is a visually-entrancing though sort of messy film from Woody Allen.
A killer (Michael Kirby) is on the loose during a shadowy and foggy night in the early 20th Century where a nebbish clerk named Kleinman (Woody Allen) is reluctantly part of a vigilante group to capture this killer. Meanwhile, a circus performer named Irmy (Mia Farrow) leaves her boyfriend Paul (John Malkovich) after catching him making out with another circus performer. Kleinman and Irmy would cross paths where they would encounter more vigilantes who believe Kleinman is the killer as well as all sorts of strange things in the course of an entire night. It’s a story that definitely recalls some of the work of German Expressionist filmmakers like Fritz Lang as well as the ideas of writer Franz Kafka.
Yet, not everything in Woody Allen’s script works as it’s obvious that Allen wants to create a blend of suspense, comedy, and drama with themes of existentialism and bravery. Unfortunately, all of those ideas couldn’t come together to make something cohesive where things get messy while the Kleinman character is not one of Allen’s great creations.
Allen’s direction is quite entrancing as he definitely wants to go for that look of not just film noir but also German Expressionism as he sets the film in the early 20th Century where it’s always filled with a lots of shadows and fog to create an atmosphere. Filled with some very exotic shots in many of the film’s exteriors as it’s all shot in a studio along with some long-takes to play out this very strange world. There’s also some sequences where Irmy would seek refuge from prostitutes to give the film a break from the suspense for something more relaxing though it does hurt the film’s pacing a bit. While Allen’s approach to humor isn’t anything new, it does have some moments that are fun to watch though the scenes of Kleinman often being accused and such does get tiresome. Overall, Allen creates a fine though messy film about a man and a woman going after a serial killer.
Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma does brilliant work with the film‘s stylish black-and-white photography for many of the film‘s exteriors to create shadows and shades to set the mood while keeping things more straightforward in the interior scenes with the exception of the scenes at the circus. Editor Susan E. Morse does nice work with the editing to play up some of its suspense and humor with its straightforward approach to cutting. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with art director Speed Hopkins and set decorators George DeTitta Jr. and Amy Marshall, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the exterior sets to the look of the circus and brothel the characters encounter.
Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does terrific work with the costumes from the look of the prostitutes and circus performers to the clothes the police and vigilantes wear. Sound editor Robert Hein does excellent work with the sound to play up many of the film‘s suspense with its sparse sounds and other moments to emphasize its humor. The film’s music largely consists of circus music as well as the works of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht to play up the period of the time.
The casting by Juliet Taylor is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Michael Kirby as the killer, Donald Pleasence as a doctor doing autopsies, John C. Reilly and William H. Macy as police officers, Wallace Shawn as a business rival of Kleinman, Julie Kavner as Kleinman’s ex-fiancee who wants to kill him, Kate Nelligan as Kleinman’s girlfriend who is upset when he asks if Irmy could crash at her place, Charles Chagrin as a mysterious spiritualist named Spiro, James Rebhorn, David Odgen Stier, Daniel von Bargen, Kurtwood Smith, and Fred Gwynne as vigilantes, Josef Sommer as a priest, Philip Bosco as Kleinman’s cruel boss, and Kenneth Mars as the circus magician Armstead whom Kleinman adores.
Other notable small performances includes Madonna as a circus performer Paul makes out with, John Cusack as a student who frequently goes to the brothels, and as the trio of prostitutes, Jodie Foster, Kathy Bates, and Lily Tomlin as they give very wonderful performances. John Malkovich is excellent as Paul as a circus performer who wants to be respected as he cheats on Irmy where he later tries to find her and gain her forgiveness. Mia Farrow is amazing as Irmy as a sword-swallowing performer who is frustrated by Paul as she seeks to find herself while helping Kleinman catch the killer. Finally, there’s Woody Allen in a fine performance as Kleinman as a man who reluctantly takes part in finding a killer though he has no idea what to do as he’s often being cowardly.
Shadows and Fog is a good film from Woody Allen though it’s a messy one despite its gorgeous visuals and a brilliant ensemble cast. Though it’s definitely one of Allen’s weaker films, it is still engaging for the way he is able to create a suspense-comedy in the form of German Expressionism and make it enjoyable. In the end, Shadows and Fog is a terrific film 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 and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - 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 - Scoop - 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 2013
Based on the novel by Pete Dexter, The Paperboy is the story about a reporter and his younger brother trying to investigate the murder of a sheriff by trying to free a man accused of the murders. Yet, things become complicated when the young man finds himself being attracted to the incarcerated man’s lover as it leads to all sorts of trouble. Directed by Lee Daniels and screenplay by Daniels and Dexter, the film is an exploration into the world of the American South as it reveals the motives of people as well as those who are unaware of what they’re in for. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, David Oyelowo, Macy Gray, and Scott Glenn. The Paperboy is a dark yet disturbing film from Lee Daniels.
The film is the story about this idealistic reporter and his younger brother trying to see whether this man had killed a sheriff some years ago. In order to get answers, the reporter brings his British associate for help along with a woman who had been writing letters to this incarcerated man claiming she’s in love with him. Eventually, things become complicated as the reporter is trying to find the truth in the hopes he can unveil the mystery while his younger brother is attracted to this woman who is quite messed up herself as she desires this man she’s been writing letters to. It’s a film that is filled with lots of ambiguity not just in the characters but the situations that occur where the story is told largely by this maid whom the brothers adore though she’s not present in a lot of what happens in the film.
The screenplay by Lee Daniels and its novelist Pete Dexter is quite unique for the fact that it’s a story about a group of people investigating a murder that happened a few years ago as it’s set in the late 1960s. Through the narration of the maid Anita (Macy Gray), she reveals a lot about what happened as it begins with the mysterious murder of this feared sheriff as a man named Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack) was accused of the murder. For the reporter Ward Jensen (Matthew McConaughey) and his associate Yardley Acheman (David Oyelowo), they return to Ward’s hometown to investigate the murder to see if what Van Wetter is really innocent. With the help of Ward’s younger brother Jack (Zac Efron) as their driver, they also bring in Van Wetter’s lover Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman) into the mix though they had never met.
During the course of the investigation, a lot happens as Jack finds himself attracted towards Charlotte as he also to deal with other things in his home life as he often antagonizes the more clean-cut and ambitious Yardley. Jack is also bewildered by his brother as there’s also something about him that is ambiguous yet his intentions as a reporter is still clear as he’s hoping to find the truth and do what is right rather than what sells stories. While the story is really about Jack and all that he encounters during this investigation. The fact that it’s told by Anita does make it strange since she is really a minor character in the film and she does give a lot of exposition that is unnecessary. Particularly since the stuff she reveals is something the audience can already figure out.
Lee Daniels’ direction is quite stylish in the way he presents a typical period time set in the summer of 1969 in a small town in Florida. Notably as he makes sure that it’s not clean-cut where he utilizes moments that are definitely shocking and tawdry. Even as it’s an environment where there’s an element of racism where African-Americans aren’t treated fairly and people do say racial slurs towards them. Even towards someone as refined as Yardley who is this British man that has no idea of what life is like in America where he describes Ward’s hometown as a shit-hole. Even Ward doesn’t want to come back to place but reluctantly does so since the crime happened near his home. While the film is a melodrama of sorts, there’s also elements of camp in some of the things that happen.
Notably a scene where Charlotte and Hillary first meet where it’s completely off-the-wall in terms of its presentation. It’s a film that isn’t afraid to not be shocking though it does go overboard at times. Still, Daniels is intrigued by the world that the characters venture into where it does get darker in the third act as lots of revelations are unveiled. Particularly about certain characters as some of them aren’t exactly as they seem to be. Notably for Jack and Charlotte as they’re definitely the most clear-cut characters of the film who are aware of their complications and don’t carry a lot of secrets. That is probably one of the reasons why Jack is so attracted to her though he has to deal with the fact that she is devoted to Hillary where it does lead to a powerful climax. Overall, Daniels creates a compelling film that is messy at times but still engaging for the sense of style that he brings to this very grimy story.
Cinematographer Roberto Schaefer does brilliant work with the film‘s colorful yet gritty look to capture the beauty and ugliness of 1969 Florida with its small town look and sunny beaches as well as the chilling scenes in the swamps. Editor Joe Klotz does great work with the editing with its use of jump-cuts and multiple split screens to add an element of style to the film. Production designer Daniel T. Dorrance, along with set decorator Tim Cohn and art director Wright McFarland does excellent work with the set pieces from the garage that Ward and Yardley work at to the decayed look of the swamp home that the Jensen brothers encounter.
Costume designer Caroline Eselin does wonderful work with the costumes from the trashy look of Charlotte with her stylish clothes to the more straight-laced clothes the men wear. Sound mixer Jay Meagher does terrific work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the swamps as well as some of the places the characters go to. The film’s music by Mario Grigorov is superb for some of themes created ranging from melancholic piano pieces to brooding electronic cuts where the latter adds an element of suspense. Music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein creates a fantastic soundtrack that features a lot of the soul and pop music of the late 1960s to complement the times.
The casting by Leah Daniels and Billy Hopkins is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features notable small roles from Scott Glenn as Jack and Ward’s father W.W., Nikolette Noel as W.W.’s new girlfriend Nancy whom the boys dislike, and Ned Bellamy as Hillary’s disturbing uncle Tyree. Macy Gray is OK as the Jensen’s maid Anita whom the boys adore though Gray doesn’t really do much to make her character more interesting as she’s also the film’s narrator. John Cusack is unfortunately miscast as Hillary Van Wetten as this very repulsive man who is in love with Charlotte as there’s a seediness to him where it seems like Cusack is trying to do his impression of Nicolas Cage at times. David Oyelowo is very good as the snobbish Yardley who is a man with refined tastes as he doesn’t like Jack very much at all while he has an agenda of his own that would conflict with Ward’s intentions for the story.
Nicole Kidman is amazing as the very tawdry and trashy Charlotte as a woman who is so intent on meeting Hillary as she finds herself fascinated by Jack while reluctantly helping him and Ward out in the investigation where she finds herself in big trouble. Matthew McConaughey is incredible as Ward Jensen as he is this man with an idealism to help spread the truth where he goes into conflict with his estranged father while getting the kind of help he can from Ward while he is carrying a secret of his own. Finally, there’s Zac Efron in a remarkable performance as Jack Jensen as this former swimmer turned paperboy who deals with the events that are surrounding him as well as his attraction towards Charlotte where Efron finally gets to show his chops as a serious actor as he can be confrontational as well as being un-likeable at times.
While it is a film that does have some flaws, The Paperboy is still an interesting yet unsettling film from Lee Daniels. Thanks to the top-notch performances from Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, and Matthew McConaughey, it’s a film that explores a period in time where things are secretive as well as being nothing as it seems to be including people. It’s also a film that isn’t afraid to not take itself so seriously though it does make the film a mess at times. In the end, The Paperboy is a pretty good film from Lee Daniels.
Lee Daniels Film: (Shadowboxer) - Precious - (The Butler)
© thevoid99 2013
