Shazam!

Based on the DC Comics series by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck, Shazam! is the story of a teenage boy who meets a wizard who grants him powers to become a superhero to deal with a man who is also given the powers featuring the 7 Deadly Sins. Directed by David F. Sandberg and screenplay by Henry Gayden from a story by Gayden and Darren Lemke, the film is a superhero/coming-of-age film of sorts where a boy says a word that would turn him into a superhero as he deals with not just who he is but also the idea of family as he gets adopted into a kind-loving home with five different adopted siblings. Starring Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou as the Wizard/Shazam. Shazam! is a witty and heartwarming film from David F. Sandberg.

The film revolves around a teenage kid looking for his birth mother as an encounter with bullies lead him to meet a mysterious wizard who gives him the power to become a superhero by saying a magic word in the hopes he can defeat another man who has gained entry into the Rock of Eternity as he is accompanied by the forces known as the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. It’s a film that has a simple premise yet it is really about a man and a boy who both encountered magic as they’re also lost due to the fact that they never had a family. Henry Gayden’s screenplay opens with a sequence set in 1974 where a young boy named Thaddeus Sivana (Ethan Pugiotto) would encounter the mysterious wizard known as Shazam who offers the boy the chance to become a hero yet the young Thaddeus is tempted by the Eye of Sin making him unworthy of the powers. The event would later cause a car accident that would paralyze his father as the older Thaddeus (Mark Strong) becomes obsessed with finding entry to the Rock of Eternity as he would eventually gain the Eye of Sin and defeat the Wizard unleashing monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Around the time the older Thaddeus gains the Eye of Sin and its monsters, a teenage boy named Billy Baston (Asher Angel) is a foster-child in Philadelphia searching for his biological mother as he’s taken to another foster home run by Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans, respectively) where he shares the home with five other foster children in the college-bound Mary Bromfield (Grace Fulton), the obsessive gaming/tech enthusiast Eugene Choi (Ian Chen), the shy and sensitive Pedro Pena (Jovan Armand), the youngest in Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman), and the superhero enthusiast Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) who walks with a crutch as he’s often the target for bullies. It is Billy defending Freddy from the bullies and an ensuing chase that would get him to meet the Wizard who gives him the powers to become the hero mainly for the goodness in Billy’s heart as well as hoping to defend the honor of the siblings that the Wizard lost many years ago due to Eye of Sin.

One of the strengths of the script isn’t just this duality between Sivana and Baston in their encounters with the wizard but what they are able to do with the powers they’re given. Though Baston admits to the Wizard that he’s not pure of heart, his willingness to at least stand up for his adopted family as well as at least wanting to reunite with his mother at least show someone who is a good person. Sivana’s motivations is someone who never felt love from his father and older brother as his obsession for magic makes him wanting to lash out at his family but also crave power with the help of the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins. The script also shows that when Baston becomes Shazam, he is given these powers but he uses it for money and mischief until he gets Sivana’s attention as he deals with the fact that he has to face off with someone who is powerful and wanting to kill him and anyone else trying to protect him.

David F. Sandberg’s direction is definitely full of exuberance in its tone while also bringing in some dark material as it relates to Sivana and his powers. Though the film is set largely in Philadelphia during the Christmas holidays, it is shot largely on location in Toronto as Philadelphia where it play into the misadventures of Baston but also a boy just trying to find a home. Sandberg does use some wide and medium shots to establish the locations but he also create some unique compositions that do have an air of simplicity into how Baston copes with his situation or how he interact with his adopted siblings. Even as there’s these bits of drama that showcases each of his siblings and who they are as well as Shazam would interact with a few of them such as Darla who immediately discovers Shazam’s true identity once he turns back to Baston. Sandberg also maintains a light-hearted tone such as a montage of Shazam learning what kind of powers he has as there is also an air of innocence for the fact that Shazam is really a young teenager who wants to know what it’s like to drink beers and go to strip clubs.

Sandberg doesn’t just play into this innocence but also the selfishness that teenagers go through as Shazam isn’t aware of the fact that just because he has superpowers doesn’t mean he can just show them off. He also has to take responsibility once he meets Sivana as it would lead to the third act where Baston has some revelations about what happened to him as a child as it relates to his mother and what happened the day he got lost from his mother. It would be a moment where Baston has to learn the true idea of family but also show exactly what kind of man Sivana is as someone who may have powers and the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins. The film’s climax that has Shazam vs. Sivana and his army as it has this mixture of action, adventure, and humor. Most notably in who Shazam gets to help him fight as there are these small bits of innocence that occur but also moments that make fun of typical clichés expected in superhero films. Overall, Sandberg crafts an exhilarating yet enchanting film about a kid who becomes a superhero by saying a magic word. Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography the low-key and dark colors of the Rock of Eternity lair that the Wizard lives in as well as the world that Sivana is surrounded by to the more colorful look and wintery lighting of Baston and his family. Editor Michel Aller does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward in some parts while knowing when not to deviate into chaotic editing style for the action as it does let shots linger on as well as bring in some style in a montage sequence where Shazam tests his powers. Production designer Jennifer Spence, with set decorator Shane Vieau plus art directors Brandt Gordon and Colin Woods, does amazing work with the look of the Rock of Eternity as well as the home Baston and his adopted siblings live in. Costume designer Leah Butler does fantastic work with the clothes that Sivana wears as well as the clothes of Baston and his siblings and the suit he wears when he’s Shazam.

Prosthetics makeup designer Steve Newburn does terrific work with the look of Sivana with his eye as well as the look of the Wizard. Special effects supervisors Mark Lawton and Cameron Waldbauer, with visual effects supervisors Mike Wassel, Carey Villegas, and Kelvin McIlwain, do incredible work with the visual effects from the design of the monsters as well as in the special effects to play into Shazam’s powers. Sound designers Bill R. Dean and Erick Ocampo do superb work with the sound as it play into the powers both Shazam and Sivana have as well as some of the places the characters go to. The film’s music by Benjamin Wallfisch is marvelous for its bombastic orchestral score with themes that soar into the sense of adventure and humor while music supervisor Season Kent provides a fun soundtrack of music that feature pieces from Queen, Natalie Cole, Warrant, the Ramones, Bing Crosby, Calvin Harris with Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, & Big Sean, Bruno Mars, Cheap Shot, Dean Martin, Survivor, Twenty One Pilots, Niall Horan, and Naughty by Nature.

The casting by Rich Delia is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from the voices of Steve Blum, Darin De Paul, and Fred Tatasciore as the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins, Andi Ohso as a social worker in Emma Glover, Lotta Lotsen as Sivana’s researcher Dr. Lynn Crosby, Wayne Ward and Landon Doak in their respective roles as the adult and teenage version of Sivana’s older brother Sid, Carson MacCormac and Evan Marsh in their respective roles as the school bullies in Brett and Burke Breyer, Caroline Palmer as Billy’s mother Marilyn in a flashback scene and in a key scene in the third act, David Kohlsmith as the four-year old Billy Baston, Ethan Pugiotto as the young Thaddeus Sivana, and John Glover as Sivana’s cruel father who treats him like shit in the film’s opening sequence as well as being cold to him in a sequence where Sivana confronts him. Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans are terrific in their respective roles as Victor and Rosa Vasquez as foster parents who are good people trying to give Billy and his adopted siblings a good home as well as being really kind people.

Ian Chen and Jovan Armand are superb in their respective roles as Billy’s foster brothers in Eugene Choi and Pedro Pena with the former as gamer and tech enthusiast who is also a skilled hacker while the latter is a shy and sensitive kid having a hard time opening up as he doesn’t say much but is always helpful. Faithe Herman is fantastic as the youngest foster sibling in Darla Dudley as a sweet young girl who likes to cook while is also someone that is full of innocence and sees the good in people. Grace Fulton is excellent as Mary Bromfield as the oldest foster sibling who is bound for college yet is devoted to her family as she is willing to protect them. Jack Dylan Grazer is brilliant as Freddy Freeman as Billy’s foster sibling who is a superhero enthusiast as he helps Shazam understand his powers while trying to deal with his own disabilities and desire to have what Billy has as Shazam.

Djimon Hounsou is amazing as the Wizard who is called Shazam as a man of great power and magic who gives Billy his powers in the hopes that Billy can defeat Sivana and bring hope to the world. Mark Strong is remarkable as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana as a man obsessed with his encounter with the Wizard as a kid where he finally gains access where he aligns himself with the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins in the hope he can get Shazam’s powers to rule everything and everyone. Asher Angel is incredible as Billy Baston as a teenage kid trying to find his mother but is also reluctant to be part of a family only to realize what the Vasquez and his adopted siblings could give him. Finally, there’s Zachary Levi in a phenomenal performance as Shazam as Billy’s adult alter-ego who is a ball of energy and enthusiasm as someone trying to understand his powers but also what it means to be powerful and use them for good as Levi provides that air of innocence and exuberance that the character is about.

Shazam! is a tremendous film from David F. Sandberg. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a witty and lighthearted tone, a dazzling music score, and colorful visuals. It is a superhero film that doesn’t take itself seriously while showcasing some strong themes on family, power, and the idea of being a hero. In the end, Shazam! is a spectacular film from David F. Sandberg.

DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Aquaman - Birds of Prey – Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)

© thevoid99 2020

In the Mouth of Madness

Directed by John Carpenter and written by Michael De Luca, In the Mouth of Madness is the story of an insurance investigator who tries to find a mysterious horror writer who has disappeared as he deals with the phenomenon of his work. Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, the film is an exploration into the world of books and its power where a man deals with the chaos that surrounds him. Starring Sam Neill, Jurgen Prochnow, Julie Carmen, David Warner, and Charlton Heston. In the Mouth of Madness is a strange yet thrilling film from John Carpenter.

The film revolves an insurance investigator who is asked by a publishing company to find a popular horror writer and the manuscript of his new book as the writer itself had disappeared. The film plays into a man who went through a hellacious journey as he would tell his story to a doctor at a mental institution about what happened where his attempt to disprove a writer’s power would only have him question the world he is in. It’s a film that also explores the power of fiction where the investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is trying to believe that the small town he is in isn’t real but there’s too many things that have him question what is real and what is fiction.

Michael De Luca’s screenplay begins with Trent being taken to a mental asylum as he claims he’s not crazy though Dr. Wrenn (David Warner) wants to disprove that as Trent tells him his story. Trent is a very unique character as someone who is good at disproving many insurance claims as he thinks his search for the popular horror writer Sutter Cane (Jurgen Prochnow) is nothing more than another easy assignment as he’s joined by Cane’s editor Linda Styles (Julie Carmen). Styles is more in tune with Cane’s work though Trent is very dismissive but once they believe where Cane is, things become very strange where they arrive into a town that is named after one of Cane’s books. Styles would see things as she admits to try to fool Trent in getting the insurance money but what she and Trent would see wasn’t part of the plan where it becomes clear how dangerous the book is as well as Cane’s influence.

John Carpenter’s direction is very stylish not just in his approach to some of the compositions he creates but also in the strange world that is presented which plays into the works that Cane has created. While it is set largely in New York and New Hampshire, the film is actually shot in parts of Toronto and small town areas in Toronto play up this look of a world where it seems very innocent and quiet. Instead, Carpenter goes for something that is odd in terms of the compositions he creates in its close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots to display a world where it could be real, fictional, or both. It’s these kind of ambiguities that adds to the tone of the film where its second and third act is about the journey Trent and Styles would go to and the things they encounter. Plus, it is also clear that any chance for any of them to get out would be impossible as it adds to this blur of reality and fiction.

By the time the Crane character is formally introduced as well as the world he is in, the influence of H.P. Lovecraft does come into play as far what Crane has written over the years as it starts to become real. Even in its third act where Styles’ encounter with Crane would have some serious repercussions on Trent who has no idea what is real and fiction. Some of it plays into the kind of creatures that Lovecraft is known for such as Cthulhu where it added to some of the elements of horror and dark fantasy that emerges where it would have a far more troubling aftermath once the film returns to the mental asylum where Trent tells his story to Dr. Warren. Even as the aftermath would not only play elements of the Apocalypse but also an ending that is very weird where it also breaks the fourth wall about the impact of the book. Overall, Carpenter creates a very eerie yet riveting film about an insurance agent who encounters the strange world of a horror novelist.

Cinematographer Gary B. Kibbe does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the colorful look of the small town exteriors in the day to the usage of lights for the scenes set at night as well as the scenes in the church where Crane lives. Editor Edward A. Warschilka does brilliant work with the film‘s editing with its stylish usage of fast-cut montages as well as rhythmic cuts to play into its suspense and terror. Production designer Jeff Ginn, with set decorator Elinor Rose Galbraith and art director Peter Grundy, does fantastic work with the look of the hotel Trent and Styles live in to some of the design of the place that Crane lives and works at which adds to the sense of horror and Lovecraft visual style. Costume designer Robin Michel Bush does nice work with the costumes from the casual clothes that Trent wears to the stylish clothes that Styles wear.

Special makeup effects designers Howard Berger, Robert Kurtzman, and Greg Nicotero do amazing work with the design of some of the creatures as well as some of the makeup and such in some of the characters who follow Crane and his work along with the look Trent would give to himself early in the film. Visual effects supervisor Bruce Nicholson does terrific work with the visual effects from the look of some of the backgrounds in the realm between the real world and fantasy as well as a few scenes involving the monsters. Sound editor John Dunn and sound designer John Pospisil do superb work with the sound to create some sound effects as well as some of the moments in the violence and terror. The film’s music by John Carpenter and Jim Lang is wonderful for its mixture of haunting electronic textures with some metal-based guitar music as it plays into the sense of darkness that looms in the film.

The film’s incredible cast includes some notable small roles from a young Hayden Christensen as a paperboy, Wilhelm von Homburg as a local from the small town named Simon, Frances Bay as a hotel owner named Mrs. Pickman, Bernie Casey as a friend of Trent early in the film named Robinson, and John Glover as the mental asylum director Saperstein. Charlton Heston is fantastic as the publisher Jackson Harglow who hires Trent for the insurance investigation claim as he wonders what is going on with Cane. David Warner is superb as Dr. Wrenn as the man who interrogates Trent at the asylum as he tries to figure out if Trent is really insane. Julie Carmen is brilliant as Linda Styles as an editor who joins Trent in the trip as she tries to comprehend what she is seeing while being the one person who knows Cane’s books as she tries to hold on to her humanity. Jurgen Prochnow is amazing as the writer Sutter Cane as a man whose imagination comes to life as he believes in the power of his work where he would unleash the Apocalypse. Finally, there’s Sam Neill in a remarkable performance as John Trent as an insurance investigator who is good at disproving things where he is challenged by what he sees as he tries to make sense of the chaos as there’s elements of humor in his performance that makes it one of his best.

In the Mouth of Madness is a phenomenal film from John Carpenter. Armed with a great cast, an intriguing premise, and engrossing elements of horror and suspense. The film is truly an off-the-wall horror/suspense film that plays into the world of reality vs. fiction as well as the power of what fiction can do. In the end, In the Mouth of Madness is an exhilarating and evocative film from John Carpenter.

John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault from Precinct 13 - Halloween - Someone’s Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward

The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2015