Based on the book Boston Strong by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge, Patriots Day is the story about the 2013 bombing during the Boston Marathon and the subsequent manhunt to find the bombers. Directed by Peter Berg and screenplay by Berg, Matt Cook, and Josh Zetumer from a story by Berg, Cook, Eric Johnson, and Paul Tamasy, the film is a dramatic re-telling of the marathon bombing that killed three people and wounded several others as it would be followed by a manhunt on those that planned the bombing. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, J.K. Simmons, John Goodman, and Michelle Monaghan. Patriots Day is a riveting and intense film from Peter Berg.
On April 15, 2013, the annual Boston Marathon was held as it is a big event that brings people from around the world as well as the people from the city to run a marathon with locals cheering for those at the marathon. Yet, it was a dark day in the city when two bombs were exploded that killed three people and injuring hundreds more with some losing limbs and such. The film is about the 100-plus hours that occurred before the marathon and the manhunt for the two men that committed the acts of terror in the city with multiple storylines happening as it relates to those involved in these events. The film’s screenplay by Peter Berg, Matt Cook, and Josh Zetumer largely follows Sgt. Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) who is tasked with welcoming the racers at the finishing line to finish up his own suspension from the Boston Police Department.
Yet, he would be among those that would witness the bombing and go on the search to find the terrorists. The film does begin the day before the marathon as it relates to not just Sgt. Saunders trying to regain his trust with his superiors but also the lives of ordinary people who would be part of not just the marathon but also the manhunt including the two terrorists in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Alex Wolff) and his older brother Tamerlan (Themo Melikidze). The narrative would shift into the events of the day with a few subplots involving those who would have scary encounters with the Tsarnaev brothers though the script does a clunky job in introducing and establishing these small characters early in the film. Still, the script does play into the investigation led by Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon) of the FBI in collaboration with Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman) as it uses surveillance footage and such to find the identity of the terrorists as well as take part in the eventual manhunt that would occur in the nearby town of Watertown.
Berg’s direction is engaging for the way he captures a period in time told in the span of nearly five days as it begins with Sgt. Saunders on assignment where he would hurt one of his knees while getting a visit from Commissioner Davis during the assignment. Shot on various locations in and around Boston, Massachusetts with the main locations in the small towns of Quincy and the warehouse interior at Peabody. Berg does maintain a sense of momentum into what is happening such as the scene of the Tsarnaev brothers planting their homemade bombs and how a few characters would be at that location that includes a baby who was close to the bomb site but fortunately wasn’t killed. Berg’s usage of close-ups and medium shots doesn’t just play into the action but also in moments of the investigation and the manhunt that occurs in the film’s third act. There are usage of wide shots of the locations including a shot of the city just after it is being shut down so that the police and FBI try to find the Tsarnaev brothers.
For a film that is driven by suspense and action, Berg would also shoot scenes that are character driven such as a moment of Sgt. Saunders talking with a superior during the manhunt as he talks about what he encountered at the bombing and loss but also the realization of what needs to be done. Berg would also use these smaller moments that would include bits of humor as it relates to Watertown’s Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese (J.K. Simmons) at a shoot-out against the Tsarnaev brothers as it relates to the cigar he always smoke. It does help play into what is at stake as well as the fact that FBI and local officers work together to make things right as it all plays into the climatic showdown between them and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who would hide at an unusual place which is often expected from cowards like him. Overall, Berg creates a mesmerizing and gripping thriller about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the manhunt for the two terrorists who committed the attacks.
Cinematographer Tobias A. Schliesser does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of natural lighting for the daytime scenes along with the usage of available and low-key lights for many of the interior/exterior scenes set at night. Editors Colby Parker Jr. and Gabriel Fleming do amazing work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts help play into the action and drama as well as some of the film’s suspenseful moments. Production designer Tom Duffield, along with set decorator Ronald R. Reiss and art director Steve Cooper, do fantastic work with the look of the home that the Tsarnaev brothers live in as well as the warehouse interior that is used as the crime scene for Commissioner Davis and DesLauriers would use. Costume designer Virginia Johnson does terrific work with the costumes as it is largely casual along with the look of the police uniforms and the clothes that Tsarnaev brothers wore that would make them identifiable.
Special makeup effects artist Julie LeShane does brilliant work with the scenes just after the bombing in the way some of the characters look in their injured and harmed state to play into the horror of what happened. Special effects supervisor Matt Kutcher and visual effects supervisors Sean Devereaux do wonderful work with the film’s visual from the bombing scene to some set-dressing in a few set pieces in the film. Sound designers Dror Mohar and Piero Mura do superb work with the sound in the way the explosions sound from afar as well as the sounds of gunfire in the manhunt scenes as well as other sparse moments in the locations and action as it is one of the film’s highlights. The film’s music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is incredible for its eerie approach to dark ambient with its usage of synthesizers and electronic instruments along with some percussions in the background to help play into the suspense and drama as it is a highlight of the film.
The casting by Sheila Jaffe and Angela Peri is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz as himself recreating his moment days after the bombing, Khandi Alexander as a no-nonsense interrogator asking Tamerlan’s wife questions, Melissa Benoist as Tamerlan’s wife Katherine Russell who gets interrogated, Christopher O’Shea and Rachel Brosnahan as the couple in their respective roles as Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky who both were severely injured from one of the bombs, Jimmy O. Yang as Dun Meng who was carjacked by the Tsarnaev brothers and later escaped where he told Sgt. Saunders what happened to him, Vincent Curtola as Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino, Michael Beach as Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Jake Picking as MIT Officer Sean Collier who had an unfortunate encounter with the Tsarnaev brothers, Lana Candor as a MIT student Collier wanted to go out with, and James Colby as Boston Police Superintendent William Evans who aids in the manhunt as well as the investigation.
Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze are superb in their respective roles as Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev as the two men who planted the bombs during the marathon with Wolff being reluctant at first only to get the thrill of killing and Melikidze as the more aggressive of the two. Michelle Monaghan is fantastic as Carol Saunders as Sgt. Saunders’ wife who is also a registered nurse as she was at the marathon but unharmed as she tries to help her husband get healed up physically and emotionally. J.K. Simmons is excellent as Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese as an officer from Watertown who would be part of the shoot-out against the Tsarnaev brothers as he is a man of great skill that would help lead his fellow officers to battle as it’s a low-key yet badass performance from Simmons.
Kevin Bacon is brilliant as Special FBI Agent Richard DesLauriers as the man in charge of the investigation of the bombings as he turns to Commissioner Davis and Sgt. Saunders for help on the location of streets as well as making decisions of what information should go public. John Goodman is amazing as Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis as the head of police who is trying to maintain morale as well as getting everyone including his officers to see what they can find as it’s a low-key but memorable performance from Goodman. Finally, there’s Mark Wahlberg in a remarkable performance as Sgt. Tommy Saunders as a suspended police officer trying to back on the force as he deals with being near one of the bomb sites as he tries to help those in need as well as take part in the manhunt to find the Tsarnaev brothers as it’s a reserved and intense performance from Wahlberg as someone who is trying do what is right as well as ensure that he can make his home safer again.
Patriots Day is a marvelous film from Peter Berg. Featuring a great cast, an engaging script, rapturous visuals, and a haunting score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It’s a film that play into a real-life event and showcase what some people are willing to do to bring justice back to a city that was rocked by terrorism. In the end, Patriots Day is a remarkable film from Peter Berg.
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Peter Berg Films: (Very Bad Things) – (The Rundown) – (Friday Night Lights) – (The Kingdom (2007 film)) – (Hancock) – (Virtuality) – (Battleship) – (Lone Survivor) – (Deepwater Horizon) – (Mile 22)
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the graphic novel The Coldest City by Antony Johnson and Sam Hart, Atomic Blonde is the story of a spy who travels to East Berlin to find a list of double agents before the collapse of the Berlin Wall during the final days of the Cold War. Directed by David Leitch and screenplay by Kurt Johnstad, the film is a spy thriller of sorts where a woman finds herself dealing with dark forces that want to stop during a crucial moment in world history. Starring Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella, and Toby Jones. Atomic Blonde is a high-octane yet exhilarating film from David Leitch.
Set in November of 1989 during the final days of the Cold War and the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the film revolves around a British spy who travels to Berlin before the wall’s collapse to retrieve a list of double agents that was in the hands of another spy. It’s a film with a simple premise yet it’s told in a reflective flashback style by its protagonist Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) who is interrogated by her superior in MI6 executive Eric Gray (Toby Jones) and CIA agent Emmett Kurzfield (John Goodman) over what happened in Berlin as much of the action takes place more than a week earlier where Broughton learns a fellow colleague had been killed as he had a list of double-agents in East Berlin that the Soviet Union wants. Kurt Johnstad’s screenplay plays into the back-and-forth narrative of Broughton telling her story of what had happened as she had been sent by Gray and MI6 boss C (James Faulkner) to travel to West Berlin before the wall is to collapse where she meets her contact in another MI6 agent in David Percival (James McAvoy) to help her retrieve the list.
Percival is an eccentric figure who spends time dealing in black markets in East Berlin as well as live in West Berlin as he is trying to get the list as well as a Stasi defector named Spyglass (Eddie Marsan) to West Berlin as he knows the names on the list that was hidden in a watch from the MI6 agent who had been killed. During the course of finding out what happened and to find this watch, Broughton is aware that she’s a target as there’s KGB spies in both East and West Berlin as she had also been warned about a double-agent named Satchel who might be causing trouble for all sides. At the same time, she meets a rookie French spy named Delphine Lasalle (Sofia Boutella) who also wants the list but also knows that there’s something not right in the scheme of things. Even as there’s also rogue KGB agents that want the list and sell it off for a lot of money no matter who gets it making Broughton’s mission much more difficult.
David Leitch’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of the setting as it play into a moment in time where the world is about to change as there are those who aren’t ready for this kind of change. Shot on location in Berlin with additional shooting set in Budapest, the film does play into a world that is changing yet there’s also something exciting over the element of rule breaking and chaos that is to emerge. While Leitch does include many of Berlin’s famous landmarks including a few shots of the re-created Berlin Wall with graffiti sprayed on the wall. Much of Leitch’s direction emphasize on the sense of intrigue as well as who is trying to con who and who can be the one to get the list first as Leitch would use close-ups and medium shots for these moments without emphasizing too much on style. There are some wide shots Leitch use in not just to establish the locations or what is happening in a moment in time but also in some intense set pieces that relate to the action including a scene where Broughton is in a car and fighting against a couple of KGB officers trying to kill her.
One key sequence in the film during the second act is an intricate fight scene set inside a building where Broughton is fighting against several KGB officers as it is presented in a long continuous shot with tracking and hand-held cameras. It’s a moment in the film that really showcases what Broughton has to do as the stakes of her mission becomes important yet there are also these twists and turns as it relates to the people she encounters as there are very few she can really trust. Notably as the scenes where she’s interrogated as she knows she’s being watched emphasize what she knows and what she doesn’t want to reveal as it does add to this blur of who is in the right and who is in the wrong. Overall, Leitch crafts a thrilling and gripping film about a British spy traveling to Berlin to retrieve a list of double agents before the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
Cinematographer Jonathan Sela does brilliant with the film’s colorful cinematography with its usage of bluish lights and moods for some of the interior scenes as well as the usage of neon lights in the clubs as well as other stylish looks for some of the daytime exterior scenes. Editor Elisabet Ronaldsdottir does excellent work with the editing with the usage of stylish fast-cuts without being too fast as well as some amazing invisible cuts for the film’s continuous fight sequence. Production designer David Scheunemann, with supervising art director Zsuzsa Kismarty-Lechner plus set decorators Zsuzsa Mihalek and Mark Rosinski, does fantastic work with the look of the clubs in Berlin as well as the apartments and places the characters go to or live at. Costume designer Cindy Evans does nice work with the costumes as it is stylish from the coats the characters wear to the Soviet and Stasi uniforms some of the officials wear.
Hair/makeup designer Paul Pattison does terrific work with the look of the characters from the different wigs and hairstyles that Broughton wears as well as the look of some of the people she meets. Special effects supervisor Gabor Kiszelly and visual effects supervisor Michael Wortmann do superb work with the visual effects as it is mainly set-dressing for some of the exteriors along with a few of the film’s action scenes. Sound designer Jonas Jansson, with sound editors Thomas Huhn and Nicklas Lindh, does amazing work with the sound in capturing the way music sounds in a club or on speakers as well as through the audio tapes that Broughton uses to spy on people and how she would cut the tapes to create what she discovered. The film’s music by Tyler Bates is wonderful for its electronic-based score that play into the action and suspense while music supervisor John Houlihan provides a kick-ass soundtrack of music that definitely play into the period of the 1980s from artists and acts like New Order, David Bowie, Queen, Depeche Mode, Information Society, the Reflex, After the Fire, Nena, Peter Schilling, Til’ Tuesday, A Flock of Seagulls, the Clash, George Michael, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and Public Enemy along with covers by Health, Marilyn Manson, and Kaleida plus a couple of Eastern European music of the times.
The casting by Zsolt Csutak, Marisol Roncali, and Mary Vernieu is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Barbara Sukowa as a coroner of the spy who is killed earlier in the film, Sam Hargrave as the MI6 agent James Gascoigne who is killed in the film’s beginning, Johannes Johannesson as the rogue KGB agent Yuri Bakhtin, Roland Moller as a high ranking Soviet official in Aleksander Bremovych, James Faulkner as the MI6 head C, Bill Skarsgard as Broughton’s East German contact in Gordon Merkel, and Til Schweiger in a terrific small role as a reclusive watchmaker who creates special watches with codes as he helps out Broughton. Toby Jones and John Goodman are superb in their respective roles as MI6 superior Eric Gray and CIA official Emmett Kurzfield who interrogate Broughton over what happened in Berlin with the latter also making a brief appearance in West Berlin to give Broughton a debriefing.
Eddie Marsan is excellent as Spyglass as Stasi officer who wants to defect to the West as he knows the names of the double-agents where he becomes someone that Broughton has to protect. Sofia Boutella is fantastic as Delphine Lasalle as a French agent who is also after the list but also has feelings for Broughton as well as be aware of what is going on as she also has an idea of who the mysterious Satchel is. James McAvoy is brilliant as David Percival as a MI6 agent who aids Broughton as he also runs a black markets scheme in East Berlin as it’s an exciting performance from McAvoy who provides a lot of humor and swagger into his performance. Finally, there’s Charlize Theron in a phenomenal performance as Lorraine Broughton as a MI6 spy who goes to Berlin to retrieve a list as it’s an intense performance from Theron who brings some charm as well as a grittiness to the role as a woman who is hell-bent on succeeding in her mission as well as deal with what is at stake as it’s Theron in one of her career-defining performances.
Atomic Blonde is a tremendous film from David Leitch that features an incredible leading performance from Charlize Theron. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, intense fight scenes, and a killer music soundtrack. The film is definitely a fun and thrilling action-suspense film set during the final days of the Cold War that is filled with intrigue and excitement. In the end, Atomic Blonde is a spectacular film from David Leitch.
David Leitch Films: John Wick - Deadpool 2 - (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw)
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel by Joe Connelly, Bringing Out the Dead is the story of a paramedic who copes with the lives he’s lost while working the graveyard shift of his job where he later sees ghosts. Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by Paul Schrader, the film is an exploration of a man dealing with the severity of his work as well as his own faults where he would in the worst possible time with different partners. Starring Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Marc Anthony, Mary Beth Hurt, and Tom Sizemore. Bringing Out the Dead is a dark yet evocative film from Martin Scorsese.
Set in the span of three days in the early 1990s, the film revolves around the manic life of a paramedic who works the graveyard shift as he deals with the lives he wasn’t able to save and the emergence of ghosts that he sees including a young woman he wasn’t able to save. Along the way, he would work with three different partners as the craziness of three days would eventually take his toll while he would also encounter the daughter of a man he had just brought in who goes into a coma. Paul Schrader’s script isn’t just the study of a man that is just burned out as he is haunted by the ghost of a young woman whose life he couldn’t save. It’s also in the fact that he’s done this job for five years with mixed results but he past several months haven’t been good.
The script follows the three days in the life of Frank Pierce (Nicolas Cage) who would work with three different partners as well as encounter a strange group of people with only a patient’s daughter that he meets often as the only sense of normalcy he would have. The script also features a voice-over narration from Pierce as it expresses his sense of guilt and loneliness where he doesn’t get a lot of sleep and is numbing himself with alcohol and medication. Since it is set in early 1990s Manhattan in its most seedy and dark, the film also play into a world that is falling apart where a new drug has emerged and society is in chaos. A world that is starting to overwhelm Pierce as he becomes less confident in the lives he is trying to save while the different partners he work with don’t help matters either.
Martin Scorsese’s direction is very atmospheric for the way he presents early 1990s New York City as a world that is teetering on the edge where much of it is shot at night and in the early mornings. It’s a film that has Scorsese not only create something where there is a sense of danger and unpredictability in the course of three days but it’s also in showing a man that is about to fall apart. While Scorsese does include some wide shots and intricate camera angles in much of the shots with the city as its backdrop. Much of the film include mostly medium shots and close-ups to play into the sense of urgency that includes inside the ambulances and in the hospitals were doctors are struggling to save patients. Most notably this old man of a heart attack who keeps going back and forth into life and death as Pierce hears the old man who really just wants to die. Another person that frequently appears in the film is this brain-damaged man named Noel (Marc Anthony) who keeps asking for water as Pierce does whatever he can to help him.
The craziness in some of the moments in and out of the hospital has Scorsese using tracking shots to capture the action in a single take such as what goes on in ICU or what doctors had to do for one patient while several others are waiting. Scorsese does know when to slow things down as it relates to a key sequence in the second half where Pierce hangs out with the former junkie Mary Burke (Patricia Arquette) whose father is fighting for his life. The sequence would also serve as a wake-up call to Pierce as he is about to embark into his third night as it plays into his own revelations about himself and the guilt that consumes him. The film’s third act that includes a lot of manic shots and sequences that play into the craziness of the graveyard shift would say a lot into Pierce’s own views on death but also a chance that he could redeem himself. In the end, Scorsese creates a very eerie yet somber film about a paramedic coping with the insanity and darkness of his work in the span of three crazy nights.
Cinematographer Robert Richardson does phenomenal work with the film‘s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key lights and bits of brightness for many of the exterior scenes at night as well as the more bright look in the hospital scenes as Richardson‘s work is a major highlight of the film. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does incredible work with the editing where it does rely a lot on style to play up the sense of the craziness of working in the graveyard shift with its jump-cuts, speedy montages, and dissolves. Production designer Dante Ferretti, with set decorator William F. Reynolds and art director Robert Guerra, does excellent work with the look of the hospital wards and ICU rooms to play into the craziness and chaos that occurs as well as that stench of death that looms throughout the film. Costume designer Rita Ryack does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual that includes the uniforms that Pierce and his team wears.
Special makeup effects artist Manilo Rocchetti does fantastic work with the look of the Noel character with his dreadlocks and ragged look as well as the look of some of the patients Pierce would encounter. Visual effects supervisor Michael Owens does brilliant work with the visual effects as it relates to the manic hallucinations that Pierce sees including the ghosts as it relates to those whose lives he couldn‘t save. Sound editor Philip Stockton does superb work with the sound in creating some unique sound textures to play into the craziness of the streets and locations as well as the way the ambulance sounds when it is on the road. The film’s music by Elmer Bernstein is excellent as it is mostly low-key to play into the drama with its orchestral-based score as it also helps set the dark mood into the film. The film’s music soundtrack largely consists a diverse array of music from Van Morrison, Johnny Thunders, R.E.M., UB40, the Marvelettes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Big Brother & the Holding Company with Janis Joplin, the Who, and the Clash.
The casting by Ellen Lewis is great as it features notable small roles from Michael K. Williams as a drug dealer who is dying over this mysterious drug, Cullen O. Johnson as the dying man Mr. Burke, Afemo Omilami as the hospital police guard Griss, Arthur J. Nascarella as Pierce’s boss Captain Barney, Julyana Soelistyo as Sister Fetus, Cynthia Roman as the ghostly young woman named Rose who is stalking Pierce, Phyllis Sommerville as Mary’s mother, Harper Simon as a rock star who had overdosed on this new drug, Judy Reyes as a ICU nurse, Sonja Sohn as a friend of Mary in Kanita, and as two different dispatchers that Pierce would listen to in Queen Latifah and Martin Scorsese. Other notable small roles include Aida Turturro as a nurse who is trying to keep up with the chaos of patients coming in, Nestor Serrano as the doctor who is looking after one patient after another, Mary Beth Hurt as a nurse who talks to patients in a very cynical yet comical manner, and Cliff Curtis as a drug dealer friend of Mary who gives Pierce a drug in an attempt to help him.
Marc Anthony is excellent as the troubled Noel as a brain-damaged man who constantly asks for water while being a danger to himself where Pierce is one of the few who actually tries to help him. John Goodman is fantastic as Pierce’s first partner Larry who is good at job though can be unreliable but is also the most level-headed guy that Pierce works with as he is aiming to become a captain. Ving Rhames is superb as Pierce’s second partner Marcus as stoic but cynical man that likes to preach Bible quotes as he is aware of Pierce’s depression and weariness only to not really make things any better. Tom Sizemore is brilliant as Pierce’s former partner Tom Wolls who would become his partner in the third act who is just as crazy in his thirst for blood while being the one guy who is more about the ride and chaos rather than saving lives.
Patricia Arquette is amazing as Mary Burke as a former junkie who deals with her father who might be dying or not as well as her own guilt about her relationship with her father where she befriends Pierce as the two both embark into their own journey into guilt and coping with death. Finally, there’s Nicolas Cage in a marvelous performance as Frank Pierce as this paramedic who is burned out, depressed, and guilt-ridden where he tries to deal with his work for three crazy nights in the graveyard shift where it is Cage being manic and somber as well as displaying a vulnerability to a man that is just about to crack.
Bringing Out the Dead is a remarkable film from Martin Scorsese. Featuring an eerie script by Paul Schrader, haunting visuals, a killer soundtrack, and a great ensemble cast led by Nicolas Cage. The film is dark yet intense film about a man teetering on the edge as he tries to save lives in the very late nights where he also deals with the specter of death. In the end, Bringing Out the Dead is a phenomenal film from Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) - (Street Scenes) - Boxcar Bertha - (Mean Streets) - Italianamerican - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) - Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lesson - Goodfellas - Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) - (Casino) - (Kundun) - (My Voyage to Italy) - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) - Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) - No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) - (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The 50 Year Argument) - Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Jeff Kanew and screenplay by Jeff Buhai, Miguel Tejada-Flores, and Steve Zacharias from a story by Tim Metcalfe, Revenge of the Nerds is the story about a group of misfit and oddball freshmen who decide to fight back against a jock fraternity with their intelligence in the hope that they can enjoy collegiate life. It’s a film that plays into the world of the underdog mentality as a group of young men deal with not just prejudice for being very different and weird but also realize that they can’t back down for who they are. Starring Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Curtis Armstrong, Timothy Busfield, Larry B. Scott, Andrew Cassese, Michelle Meyrink, Brian Tochi, Ted McGinley, Donald Gibb, Julia Montgomery, David Wohl, Bernie Casey, James Cromwell, and John Goodman. Revenge of the Nerds is a wild and rapturous film from Jeff Kanew.
The film is a simple story about a group of newly-arrived freshmen students who arrive to Adams College as they’re being harassed and ridiculed by a jock fraternity forcing these group of geeky and brainy men to fight back with their intelligence. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore the social politics of college but also how this group of odd and diverse misfits who don’t really fit into any kind of clique come together and stand up for themselves. Along the way, hilarity ensues involving panty raids, a party with an equally-odd band of sorority sisters, and other antics. Especially as they find ways to humiliate the jocks in their own unique way and win over people who have dealt with prejudice or have a hard time with conformity.
The film’s screenplay not only bring in a lot of humor to the film as it plays into many of the antics that occur but also portray many of the characters as real people. Leading the pack are Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine) and Gilbert Lowe (Anthony Edwards) who are just a couple of freshmen that want to study computer science and have some fun. Yet, because of the carelessness of the jock fraternity in the Alpha Betas when they burned their house down during a party. The freshmen including Skolnick and Lowe are forced to live in the gym with other outcasts including a near-sighted geek named Poindexter (Timothy Busfield), a Japanese student in Takashi (Brian Tochi), a 12-year old aerodynamics expert named Wormser (Andrew Cassese), the openly-gay Lamar (Larry B. Scott), and a perverted slob named Booger (Curtis Armstrong). There, the band of outcasts eventually find a house to live in and apply into a fraternity where they’re given a tryout by a fraternity president in U.N. Jefferson (Bernie Casey) to be part of his all-black fraternity known as Lambda Lambda Lambda.
The script also plays into this back-and-forth conflict between the nerds and the Alpha Betas as the jock themselves in star quarterback Stan Gable (Ted McGinley), Danny Burke (Matt Salinger), and Ogre (Donald Gibb) try to intimidate them physically and pull off these very mean pranks. At the same time, they would abuse their own power as leaders of the school’s Greek council to get things their way which only drive the nerds to fight back with the aid of the equally-nerdy and oddball sorority in the Omega Mus against the Alpha Betas and the Pi Delta Pi sorority in an annual competition. The script doesn’t just showcase these Nerds trying to prove that anyone can do it by being themselves but also be proud of who they are. Even as they manage to be a threat to the Alpha Betas and their idea of conformity and power.
Jeff Kanew’s direction is very simple as it doesn’t go for anything stylistic as it’s more concerned with creating a film that is consistently funny. Shot on location near Tucson, Arizona, the film plays into the world of college life outside of academics as it focuses on a world that is changing. One of which involves a group of jocks and party animals who often get in their way and not think about what is ahead of them. Then you have the nerds who arrive not only to expand their own intelligence but also find a place where they can have fun and also think of a future for themselves. Kanew’s approach to compositions often involve a lot of medium shots and close-ups as he’s more concerned with maintaining a sense of energy that is happening during the antics that occur such as the panty-raid sequence and the party scene with the Omega Mus where the nerds get very high on marijuana provided by Booger.
The film also features these very offbeat moments in the humor such as some of the scenes at the annual fraternity-sorority competition as it reveals exactly what the nerds would do if they’re forced to take part in physical competitions. There’s also moments where some of the humor is quite crass as it involves some of Booger’s own gross antics where he is able to challenge Ogre into a belching contest. It all plays into the wild world of college as it proves that nerds can party to but also not be afraid to say who they are. Especially in the film’s ending where one of them has finally had enough of the abuse in the hands of the jocks and felt that something needs to be said. Overall, Kanew creates a wild yet enjoyable film about a bunch of nerds taking a stand against a bunch of idiotic jocks.
Cinematographer King Baggot does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography to play into the sunny look of the locations along with some unique lighting schemes for some scenes set at night. Editor Alan Balsam does fantastic work with the editing with its stylish cuts from the sequence of the nerds cleaning up the house they would live in to some slow-motion cuts for some of the competitive moments. Production designer James L. Schoppe and set decorator Frank Lombardo do terrific work with the look of the gym and the home the nerds would live in as well as the hall of the Greek council.
Sound editor Michael O’Corrigan does nice work with some of the sound effects as well as some of the craziness that occurs in some of the parties and collegiate activities. The film’s music by Thomas Newman is brilliant for its mixture electronic-based music with some orchestral elements while music supervisor Martin Schwartz creates a fun soundtrack that features music from Michael Jackson, Queen, Gleaming Spires, Ya Ya, Andrea & Hot Mink, Bone Symphony, The Rubinoos, Jill Michaels and Pat Robinson, and Revenge (not the U.K. 90s group of the same name).
The casting by Susan Arnold and Paula Herold is great as it features some notable small roles from James Cromwell as Lewis’ dad, Alice Hirson as Gilbert’s mother, Matt Salinger as the Alpha Beta Danny Burke, Donald Gibb as the caveman-like Alpha Beta named Ogre, and David Wohl in a terrific performance as the college’s dean who sympathizes with the nerds as he is often bullied by the football coach. John Goodman is fantastic as the college’s football coach Harris who doesn’t like the nerds as he would encourage his players to humiliate them. Ted McGinley is superb as the star quarterback Stan Gable who sees nerds as inferior as he often cares more about himself than his girlfriend. Julia Montgomery is wonderful as Stan’s girlfriend Betty who is often pursued by Lewis as she deals with Stan’s selfishness.
Michelle Meyrink is brilliant as the nerdy Judy who befriends Gilbert as she would help him and the nerds meet her sorority in the Omega Mus who are total party animals. Bernie Casey is phenomenal as Lambda Lambda Lambda leader U.N. Jefferson who is reluctant to have the nerds join his fraternity until he realizes what they’re capable of in being able to stand up for themselves. Brian Tochi and Timothy Busfield are excellent in their respective roles as Takashi and Poindexter as two very different nerds with Tochi as a Japanese exchange student and Busfield as a near-sighted nerd with thick glasses.
Andrew Cassese is amazing as the 12-year old genius Wormser who becomes very interested in women while Larry B. Scott is fabulous as the openly-gay Lamar who is quite smart but also has great fashion sense. Curtis Armstrong is incredible as Booger as a slob who doesn’t fit in anywhere as he parties with the nerds and gets them to have fun. Anthony Edwards is remarkable as Gilbert Lowe as the more sensitive nerd who is able to find a girl but is also the one guy that refuses to be intimidated as he rallies the nerds into standing up for themselves. Finally, there’s Robert Carradine in a marvelous performance as Lewis Skolnick as a nerd with a distinctive laugh that is eager to have a good time and be smart while is also someone that just wants to be accepted.
Revenge of the Nerds is a tremendous film from Jeff Kanew. It’s a film that manages to not only explore the social world of college cliques but also manages to find some heart and laughs into a bunch of people who don’t fit in while being able to be proud of who they are. In the end, Revenge of the Nerds is a spectacular film from Jeff Kanew.
Related: (Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise) - (Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation) - (Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love)
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Dan Scanlon and written by Scanlon, Daniel Gerson, and Robert L. Baird, Monsters University is a prequel film to 2001’s Monsters Inc. in which Mike Wazowski meets Sulley at Monsters University where they start out as rivals and later become friends. It’s a film that explores two different monsters trying to find themselves in college and hope to make it into the big leagues as Billy Crystal and John Goodman respectively reprise their roles as Mike and Sulley as does Steve Buscemi as Randall. Also featuring the voices of Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Peter Sohn, Nathan Fillion, Charlie Day, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine, Alfred Molina, and Helen Mirren as Dean Abigail Hardscrabble. Monsters University is a witty and enjoyable film from Dan Scanlon and Pixar Animation Studios.
The film is about how Mike Wazowski and James “Sulley” Sullivan became friends as they first met as freshmen college students at the prestigious Monsters University where they started out as rivals. Especially as Wazowski’s roommate was none other than future nemesis in Randall Boggs where they were friends at first. Yet, it’s a film where both Mike and Sulley not only become friends through a series of unfortunate events as they try to major the Scare program at the university. It’s also in how they try to get back into the program by being part of the annual Scare Games where they reluctantly team up with a fraternity full of outcasts to compete with other fraternities and sororities. During that process, the two would become friends but also realize how much they need each other to make it in the big leagues.
The film’s screenplay definitely explore a lot of the motivations and complexities of the two characters as Mike had always wanted to be a scarer since he was a kid during a school field trip as he studied hard to get to Monsters University. Despite his knowledge and determination to be a scarer in the Scare program, what he lacks is the look to really be scary. While Sulley has that look and the skills to be a scarer as he comes from a family of scarers, he doesn’t have the patience to learn which makes him arrogant and foolish. Due to an incident in a final program, the two are kicked out of the program where they reluctantly become part of this fraternity full of oddballs that don’t look or act scary. With Mike’s determination and Sulley’s natural ability, the two would make Oozma Kappa not just the surprise underdogs but also find a brotherhood that Mike and Sulley would later cherish.
Dan Scanlon’s direction is definitely filled with a lot of the ideas that is expected in a college film with frat parties and such. Much of it is full of humor and hijinks while it is balanced by drama and moments that help shape the characters and the story. Much of it involves images that play into the building friendship between Mike and Sulley while adding a few references of things to come in Monsters Inc. that would include the seeds of the eventual rivalry between Sulley and Randall. With the help of animation directors Andrew Gordon and Robert H. Huss, the look of the animation is definitely lively as it’s definitely what is expected from the animation team at Pixar with Scanlon providing lots of interesting framing and such to play into the humor and drama. Overall, Scanlon creates a very solid and entertaining film about two different monsters who become best friends in college.
Cinematographers Matt Aspbury and Jean-Claude Kalache do amazing work with some of the lighting schemes for some of the film‘s interior settings to add to the visual flair of the film. Editor Greg Synder does fantastic work with the editing in terms of creating a few montages and rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor and party atmosphere. Production designer Ricky Nievra does brilliant work with the look of the University where it has this Ivy League look but also a world that is like a party and an institution to learn.
Sound designer Tom Myers does superb work with the film‘s sound to play into the sound effects that occur in some of the games as well as the places the monsters go to. The film’s music by Randy Newman is excellent for its mixture of low-key and suspenseful orchestral music to a lot of the playful drumline music of colleges as the soundtrack includes a mix of pop, electronic music, and metal music from the band Mastodon.
The voice casting by Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher is incredible as it features an amazing ensemble that features voice appearances from Pixar regulars John Ratzenberger as the Yeti, Bonnie Hunt as young Mike’s schoolteacher, and Bob Peterson as Roz. Other notable small voice roles include Bobby Moynihan as the Roar Omega Roar member Chet, Beth Behrs as the Python Nu Kappa sorority girls, John Krasinski as a top-scarer that the young Mike meets, Tyler Labine and Aubrey Plaza as the Greek Council leaders hosting the Scare Games, Noah Johnston as the young Mike, Bill Hader as a slug student trying to get to class, and Julia Sweeney as Squishy’s sweet mother Sherri who loves to clean and listen to Mastodon. Nathan Fillion is terrific as the Roar Kappa Roar fraternity leader who is arrogant as the quintessential jock while Steve Buscemi is excellent in reprising his role as the slick and skillful Randy who starts out as a nerd to a member of the Roar Omega Roar fraternity.
Alfred Molina is superb as scare professor Derek Knight who looks at what kind of skills that Mike and Sulley have early on and see if it can elevate them. Helen Mirren is amazing as Dean Hardscrabble as this no-nonsense monster who knows who has what it takes to be a scarer as she watches over what Mike and Sulley can do to see if they can prove her wrong. In the roles of the Oozma Kappa fraternity members, there’s Joel Murray as the middle-aged octopus ex-salesman Don Carlton, Sean Hayes and Dave Foley as the two-headed twin brother monster Terri and Terry Perry, Charlie Day as the wild and furry Art, and Peter Sohn as the very unconventional Squishy as they’re all fantastic in their roles. Finally, there’s Billy Crystal and John Goodman in brilliant performances in their respective roles as Mike Wazowski and James “Sulley” Sullivan as they bring that sense of fun and complexity that makes them so endearing to watch as a reminder into why they were a great duo in Monsters Inc.
Monsters University is an excellent film from Dan Scanlon and Pixar Animation Studios. While it may not reach the heights as its predecessor or other films of Pixar, it is still an entertaining and heartfelt film that has all of the tropes that made Pixar one of the best animation studios ever. Even as it’s a film that just wants to give its audience something to enjoy and have characters to root for. In the end, Monsters University is a superb film from Dan Scanlon and Pixar.
Pixar Films: Toy Story - A Bug's Life - Toy Story 2 - (Monsters Inc.) - (Finding Nemo) - The Incredibles - Cars - Ratatouille - WALL-E - Up - Toy Story 3 - Cars 2 - Brave - Inside Out - The Good Dinosaur - (Finding Dory) - (Cars 3) - Coco - Incredibles 2 - Toy Story 4 - (Onward) - (Soul (2020 film))
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the book by Robert M. Edsel, The Monuments Men is the story about a group of men that consists of art experts and historians who become part of a special Allied force in World War II to save works of art that is to be burned by the Nazis. Directed by George Clooney and screenplay by Clooney and Grant Heslov, the film is a World War II adventure in which soldiers team with artists and historians to save works of art with the help of a French woman. Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. The Monuments Men is an adventurous and fun film from George Clooney.
The film is based on a true story about a group of art historians, curators, and museum directors who take part in a special mission to retrieve pieces of art stolen by the Nazis and return it to its owners. Even as they learn that Adolf Hitler has written a decree to burn the artwork in case of the Nazis’ defeat while the Soviet Union is also trying to get their hands on the artwork before the Allies do that. It’s a premise that is very intriguing in the way it plays a role in history although George Clooney and co-screenwriter Grant Heslov seem unsure in how to tell the story and make it so much. While they create some very interesting characters and maintain that sense of suspense of the mission itself. It seems like Clooney and Heslov want to do something that is funny and touching but also have the story be filled with some adventure and suspense where the result is a script that isn’t sure what it really wants to be.
Clooney’s direction for the film is simple but also ambitious for the story he is trying to tell as much of the film is set in Britain, France, Germany, and Belgium. It’s a film that is quite worldly with some great set pieces and wide shots to play into the locations while also having a sense of intimacy in the way some of the characters interact with each other. There’s also a recurring air of suspense where it plays into the action that these men have to face as they aren’t soldiers but rather men of art. Especially as the film’s second half showcases the kind of sacrifices these men make where it does play into some of the drama where the suspense does intensify once the presence of the Soviets would emerge. Though there isn’t a lot of gun fights in the film, Clooney is still able to keep things going despite the inconsistency in tone for the film. Overall, Clooney crafts a very delightful film about men trying to save art in the final years of World War II.
Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael does fantastic work with the cinematography from its use of lights for much of the film‘s interior and nighttime exterior/interior scenes as well as some scenes in the caves with its use of lighting in order to convey a look that is reminiscent of some of the artwork presented in the film. Editor Stephen Mirrione does nice work with the editing to play into some of the film‘s suspense and action as well as using some unique rhythms for its humor. Production designer James D. Bissell, with set decorator Bernhard Henrich and supervising art director Helen Jarvis, does brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of Hitler‘s plans for his ultimate museum to the caves in Germany and the places in Paris. Costume designer Louise Frogley does terrific work with the costumes from the uniform the men wear to the dresses that the Claire Simone character wears.
Visual effects supervisors Asregadoo Arundi and Dominic Parker does excellent work with the visual effects for some of the visual backdrops that appears in the film. Sound editor Oliver Tarvey does superb work with the sound to play into much of the film‘s action as well as some of its quieter moments. The film’s music by Alexandre Desplat is amazing for its orchestral score where it‘s bombastic at times but also playful with its drum cadences while music supervisor brings in some music of that period for the characters to listen to during the break from the action.
The casting by Jina Jay is marvelous for the ensemble that is created in the film as it features some notable small performances from Holger Handtke as a Nazi colonel who reveres the art that is stolen as well as Justus von Dohnanyi as the Nazi officer Stuhl that Simone worked for as she would help the men find him in order to get the art that was stolen. Dimitri Leonidas is terrific as the German-speaking U.S. soldier Sam Epstein who accompanies Lt. Stokes in the missions as he aids them in the missions while hearing what the Germans have said. Hugh Bonneville is excellent as Major Donald Jeffries as a British art collector who is eager to search for a statue of Madonna that becomes a crucial MacGuffin to the story. Bob Balaban is superb as Pvt. Preston Savitz as an art expert who provides not just some of the film’s best comic moments but also some of the more touching moments in the film. Jean Dujardin is amazing as the French art expert Lt. Jean Claude Clermont who despises Nazis while being a man of wit and charm as he is eager to reclaim the art the Nazis stole from his country.
John Goodman is fantastic as sculpture expert Sgt. Walter Garfield as he also brings some humor to the film while expressing his love for sculptures. Bill Murray is great as the architect Sgt. Richard Campbell as a quick-witted guy who always says funny things while feeling homesick for his country. Cate Blanchett is brilliant as the French Claire Simone as a member of the resistance who spies on the Nazis as she helps Lt. Granger in finding some of the locations of the stolen artwork despite her misgivings over what the Allies want to do with the art. Matt Damon is wonderful as Lt. James Granger as an art expert who travels to France to meet with Simone in order to find the location of the stolen artwork as he brings some nice humor the role. Finally, there’s George Clooney in a stellar performance as Lt. Frank Stokes as the leader of the gang who is eager to retrieve these pieces of arts in the hopes that people will see them again after the war while dealing with the sacrifices made for these dangerous missions.
The Monuments Men is a pretty good film from George Clooney that is armed with a great ensemble cast that includes Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, and Hugh Bonneville. While it doesn’t live up to the ambitions of the story as well as being inconsistent in tone, it is still a film that is worthwhile for those who enjoy World War II stories. In the end, The Monuments Men is a stellar film from George Clooney.
George Clooney Films: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - Good Night, and Good Luck - (Leatherheads) - The Ides of March
© thevoid99 2014
Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis is the story in the week of a life of a struggling folk singer who is talented but also his own worst enemy as he deals with his own failures as well as his lack of success. The film is an exploration into the Greenwich folk music scene of the early 1960s where one man deals with his own gift and his faults as a person as the character is played by Oscar Isaac. Also starring Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, and John Goodman. Inside Llewyn Davis is an extraordinary film from the Coen Brothers.
The film is essentially about a man who is undoubtedly talented but is a wandering fuck-up who manages to make a mess out of himself and the people he’s with. Notably as he is this musician who hasn’t been successful while still grieving over the death of his singing partner as he’s trying to make whatever money he can get and catch a break. Yet, Llewyn Davis is practically his own worst enemy as he is quite critical of others in the Greenwich folk music scene that is happening while he also learns that one of his fellow musicians in Jean (Carey Mulligan) is pregnant as he might be the father. It’s a film that takes place in the span of a week where it’s essentially a character study about this man trying to find his place in the world only to face all sorts of tribulation.
The film’s screenplay by the Coen Brothers takes it time to showcase the journey that Llewyn Davis takes in the span of an entire week where the first act is about Davis’ struggle in Greenwich where he crashes in various places while dealing with Jean’s news as her husband Jim (Justin Timberlake) asks him to do a session for a song Jim has made. While Llewyn has some respect for Jim, there is some jealousy over the fact that Jim is successful despite the fact that he doesn’t have Llewyn’s gifts as a real artist. After meeting another folk musician that Jim and Jean had befriend in Troy (Stark Sands), the film would have this second act of Llewyn traveling to Chicago with a stray cat he had found. The cat that Llewyn encounters is a symbol of what Llewyn could do if he doesn’t screw up yet there’s a side of him that is definitely full of fear where Llewyn isn’t sure if he can take care of a cat let alone a child since Jean could be carrying his child.
The film’s second act also has Llewyn encountering a strange music impresario named Roland Turner (John Goodman) and his valet Johnny Five (Garrett Hedlund) who accompany him to Chicago for this audition with a renowned manager named Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham). The trip itself would be strange where it would add to Llewyn’s own doubts about himself where he would eventually arrive into Chicago with a lot of emotional baggage that he’s gained in the past few days. The third act would be about his return to New York City where it would play into the aftermath of his Chicago trip and the uncertainty of what to do next as it plays into Llewyn’s own fallacies as a man and as a musician.
The direction of the Coen Brothers is truly exquisite in not just the way they recreate the 1960s Greenwich folk music scene but also set it around a man who feels more and more out of place with the scene he was once a part of. Much of the direction have the Coens use a lot of wide and medium shots where it’s largely shot in New York City to play into a world that is constantly changing and thriving. There’s some close-ups and very interesting moments that the Coens create such as a scene of Llewyn trying to catch this stray cat called Ulysses whose owners are these music aficionados who often invite him to crash at their place. Yet, the scenes involving the cat as well as the opening sequence of Llewyn playing at this smoky, dimly-lit venue where it showcases where he’s coming from and the emotional baggage that he’s carrying.
The film does also become a road film of sorts in the second act where the images of the car driving on the road are quite entrancing as it showcases that uncertainty of Llewyn as he’s a man with no home or no direction home. The film in some ways is a folk song being played on screen as the Coens also shoot a few scenes in Chicago where it’s cold and Llewyn faces one bad situation after another before his audition. The compositions become much more stark in not just its imagery but also in the way it explores Llewyn’s own faults and the uncertainty he faces. Overall, the Coen Brothers create a very fascinating and engaging film about a man’s faults and the uncertainty that he carries about who he is and what he does.
Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel does brilliant work with the film‘s very lush and colorful cinematography that is filled with exotic colors for some of the film‘s interior scenes that includes the small venue that Llewyn and other folk musicians play at as well as the richness for some of the film‘s daytime and nighttime exterior scenes. Under the Roderick Jaynes alias, the Coen Brothers do excellent work in the editing where they use a lot of stylish cuts from its fade-outs and transitions to play into the drama that unfolds throughout the film. Production designer Jess Gonchor, along with set decorator Susan Bode Tyson and art director Deborah Jensen, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the folk venue that the characters play at to the very thin hallways in the apartments the characters live in.
Costume designer Mary Zophres does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely based on the clothes of the early 60s from the flamboyant look of Roland Turner to the straight-laced clothes that Jean and Jim wear. Visual effects supervisor Alex Lemke does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects created such as the scenes of snow appearing on the nighttime road scenes. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the film‘s sound from the atmosphere of the folk clubs as well as some of the calmer moments of the scenes on the road. Music archivist T-Bone Burnett does an outstanding work in compiling the film’s soundtrack as many of the actors in the film do their own singing as the songs chosen for the film do help tell the story. Notably as the music features contributions from Marcus Mumford and Chris Elridge in many of the songs played which also includes a rarity from Bob Dylan.
The casting by Ellen Chenoweth is great for the ensemble that is created as it includes some notable appearances from Adam Driver as a folk musician who aids Llewyn in a session for Jim, Jeanine Serralles as Llewyn’s older sister Joy, Max Casella as a folk club owner, Ethan Phillips and Robin Barlett as the music aficionados who let Llewyn crash at their place as they’re also Ulysses’ owner, Alex Karpovsky and Helen Hong as party guests that Llewyn meets at the aficionados’ home, Stark Sands as Jim and Jean’s friend Troy who is a good musician that Llewyn is annoyed by, and F. Murray Abraham in an excellent performance as the revered talent manager Bud Grossman who watches Llewyn plays as he decides his fate. Garrett Hedlund is terrific as Turner’s valet Johnny Five as he is very quiet throughout the film but there is something about him that adds to the strangeness of Llewyn’s encounter with Turner.
John Goodman is fantastic as the eccentric and flamboyant music impresario Roland Turner as a man who walks with two canes while musing on all sorts of things as his presence would leave Llewyn even more troubled. Justin Timberlake is amazing as Jim Berkey as this very talented and successful folk musician who is an all-around nice that just wants to help Llewyn out any way he can. Carey Mulligan is brilliant as Jean Berkey as a folk singer who despises Llewyn as she also tries to help while telling him that she’s pregnant with what might be their child which she has a hard time dealing with. Finally, there’s Oscar Isaac in an incredible performance as the titular character who is talented but unable to take his talents forward as he carries a lot of emotional baggage and a cat. It’s a performance that is eerie to watch where there’s aspects about him which are endearing but he’s also a guy that continuously fucks up every chance he has giving Isaac a career-defining performance.
Inside Llewyn Davis is a remarkable film from Joel and Ethan Coen that features a marvelous performance from Oscar Isaac. The film is not just an intriguing look into the failures and faults of a man but also the 1960s folk music scene in which he was a part of and how he feels out of place in that world. Especially where it’s a film that showcases what a struggling musician has to go through to make it in an ever-changing world. In the end, Inside Llewyn Davis is a phenomenal film from the Coen Brothers.
Coen Brothers Films: Blood Simple - Raising Arizona - Miller's Crossing - Barton Fink - The Hudsucker Proxy - Fargo - The Big Lebowski - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - The Man Who Wasn't There - Intolerable Cruelty - The Ladykillers - Paris Je T'aime-Tulieres -To Each His Own Cinema-World Cinema - No Country for Old Men - Burn After Reading - A Serious Man - True Grit - Hail, Caesar! - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The Auteurs #9: The Coen Brothers: Part 1 - Part 2
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by John Gatins, Flight is the story of a substance-abusing airline pilot who manages to stop an airplane from crashing as he later tries to deal with addiction to drugs and alcohol. The film marks a return for Robert Zemeckis after a period of helming motion-capture animated films as he explores a man dealing with his addiction and actions. Starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, Bruce Greenwood, and Melissa Leo. Flight is a harrowing yet gripping film from Robert Zemeckis.
The film is this exploration into the life of an airline pilot who is brilliant but troubled by his substance abuse when he suddenly does the impossible and save a bunch of lives during a crash landing that could’ve killed everyone on board. Yet, he not only deals with the fact that there were a few people that did die but also the questions into whether he’s a hero or was he negligent in his role during this event. In turn, Captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is forced to face not just what he did but also his substance abuse as he’s an alcoholic who also occasionally does some cocaine. While meeting a recovering heroin addict in Nicole (Kelly Reilly), he tries to deal with the lies he has created as friends try to help him yet the guilt over the lives that were lost and his actions continue to haunt him. It’s a film that is about a man dealing with guilt where he would eventually reach his bottom.
John Gatins’ screenplay is largely a character study about Whitaker as he’s a man that is divorced and he doesn’t see his son very much while he spends most of his time drinking and doing some cocaine with a flight attendant. He’s even intoxicated during this flight where everyone could’ve died but he has somehow managed to pull something off that some describe as miraculous. The film’s first act not only follows Whitaker’s day where he nearly crashed the plane but also Nicole who would reach her bottom after nearly dying of a heroin overdose. Whitaker’s encounter with Nicole would have him thinking about getting sober but his demons would often come back which would threaten their relationship as Nicole is eager to stay clean.
Adding to the chaos of Whitaker’s life is an impending hearing he has to face about his role where he asks those to lie for him so he can save his own skin. Still, there are those like his friend Charlie (Bruce Greenwood) who wants to help as does Whitaker’s lawyer Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle) but Whitaker proves too much to be a man who is just unraveling. Especially as he is convinced that he’s failed as a husband and father as he hopes this hearing he is to attend will get him back on a plane and just do what he does without compromise.
Robert Zemeckis’ direction is unique in not just some of the way he presents the drama but also in the fact that it is a story of a man not willing to face his demons as he is waiting to hit his bottom. Much of the direction in terms of the drama is pretty straightforward but also entrancing in some of the close-ups he creates to showcase the sense of pain and denial that Whitaker is dealing with. He also puts in some little details into the compositions such as the line of coke that is on a small mirror or a tiny bottle of vodka. There is a sense of unpredictability in the way Zemeckis captures a man that could be falling apart one day or be sober the next though it all plays into Whitaker’s state of mind as he just wants to self-destruct or lash out at someone. Still, Zemeckis wants to present Whitaker as a good man in a scene where he helps Nicole move out of her apartment where he fights off her landlord as he would offer her a place to stay. Even as he accompanies to meetings where Zemeckis has the camera on a person talking as well as Whitaker’s reaction where it does play into a sense of foreshadow.
The plane crash sequence is definitely one that is filled with terror and gripping suspense where Zemeckis maintains a claustrophobic intimacy of what goes on in the cockpit as well as where the passengers are sitting as the plane would go upside down. The shots of the plane from the outside are quite spectacular to play into the horror and the sense of the impossible that Whitaker pulled off. Still, that moment would be shown in numerous occasions including the hearing that Whitaker attends as it’s definitely one of the most chilling moments of the film as it is also its climax. One that is just unforgettable not just in its dramatic impact but also in the way Whitaker has to face not just truths about himself but everything else he did in that day. Overall, Robert Zemeckis creates a very powerful drama about a man facing his own demons and the lies that he surrounds himself with.
Cinematographer Don Burgess does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from some of daytime locations in Atlanta as well as the scenes in the Whitaker farm to some of the interior scenes such as some shots in hotels and the bars that Whitaker goes to. Editor Jeremiah O’Driscoll does brilliant work with the editing from the use of rhythmic cuts for the film‘s intense moments in the plane to some of the stylish cuts for some of the film‘s dramatic moments. Production designer Nelson Coates, with set decorator James Edward Farrell Jr. and art director David Lazan does fantastic work with the set pieces such as the plane as well as the farm that Whitaker lives in as a sanctuary to get away from the press and the world.
Costume designer Louise Frogley does terrific work with the costumes where it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the hippie-like look of Whitaker‘s friend/drug dealer Harling. Visual effects supervisors Kevin Baillee and Hitesh Shah do amazing work with the visual effects for the scene of the plane where it plays into that sense of danger where it looks like it‘s going to crash as it‘s one of the film‘s major highlights. Sound designers Dennis Leonard and Randy Thom do superb work with the sound to capture what was going on inside that plane as well as some of the sound mixing to play into the troubled state of mind from Whitaker as well as Nicole early in the film. The film’s music by Alan Silvestri is wonderful for its broad orchestral score for some of the film’s intense moments along with low-key cuts to underscore the drama while its soundtrack contains a mix of music from the Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Marvin Gaye, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and several others.
The casting by Scot Boland and Victoria Burrows is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small performances from Nadine Velazquez as the stewardess Whitaker is with in the beginning of the film, Peter Geraty as the airline owner who wants to punish Whitaker for making him lose money, Garcelle Beauvais as Whitaker’s ex-wife Deana, Justin Martin as Whitaker’s son who doesn’t want to see him, Tamara Tunie as a flight attendant that survived the crash as she knows about Whitaker’s substance abuse, and James Badge Dale in a very memorable one-scene performance as a cancer patient Whitaker and Nicole meet at the hospital. Brian Geraghty is terrific as Whitaker’s co-pilot Ken Evans who would survive the crash as he would be a key person that would force Whitaker to confront his demons. Melissa Leo is wonderful as a NTSB investigator who interrogates Whitaker at the hearing.
John Goodman is very funny as Whitaker’s drug dealer Harling who always comes in to a Rolling Stones song as he would find ways to get Whitaker back up as he’s also a very unique individual who is an enabler but also the one person that can get him to focus. Don Cheadle is superb as Whitaker’s lawyer Hugh Lang who tries to get Whitaker to face the reality of his situation while admitting to not liking him. Bruce Greenwood is excellent as Whitaker’s friend Charlie who tries to help him deal with the legal things as well as trying to get him sober no matter how impossible it is. Kelly Reilly is fantastic as Nicole as this recovering heroin addict who befriends Whitaker as she would also live with him for a while as she would struggle with his alcoholism and her need to be sober.
Finally, there’s Denzel Washington in a magnificent performance as William “Whip” Whitaker as a man who lives a very exciting but empty life of being an airline pilot as well as doing all of the things a pilot does. Yet, he is a man that is denial over his substance abuse as he is also quite cruel and abusive to others which adds a sense of power to Washington’s performance. He can make Whitaker a despicable human being but also one who is sympathetic and in need of help as it is definitely Washington creating one of his best roles ever.
Flight is an incredible film from Robert Zemeckis that features a tour-de-force performance from Denzel Washington. Along with strong supporting work from John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood, and Don Cheadle. The film is definitely one of Zemeckis’ best films that explores a man falling apart in the wake of a nearly catastrophic event where he does something miraculous. Even as he is forced to wake up and face the demons in his life. In the end, Flight is a phenomenal film from Robert Zemeckis.
Robert Zemeckis Films: (I Wanna Hold Your Hand) - (Used Cars) - (Romancing the Stone) - Back to the Future - (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) - (Back to the Future Part II) - (Back to the Future Part III) - (Death Becomes Her) - (Forrest Gump) - (Contact) - (What Lies Beneath) - (Cast Away) - (The Polar Express) - (Beowulf (2007 film)) - (A Christmas Carol (2009 film)) - The Walk (2015 film) - (Doc Brown Saves the World) - (Allies (2017 film))
© thevoid99 2013
