Midnight Express

Based on the non-fiction novel by Billy Hayes and William Hoffer, Midnight Express is the story of an American student in Turkey who is sent to prison for smuggling hashish as he tries to escape. Directed by Alan Parker and screenplay by Oliver Stone, the film is a prison drama set in Turkey where a young man befriends other prisoners as he would also endure torture as the character of Hayes is played by Brad Davis. Also starring Randy Quaid, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paolo Bonacelli, Paul L. Smith, Norbert Weisser, Peter Jeffrey, and John Hurt. Midnight Express is a haunting and gripping film from Alan Parker.

Told in the span of five years from 1970 to 1975, an American student named Billy Hayes is trying to smuggle 2kg of hashish in Turkey where he is sent to prison as he endures its torturous setting. It’s a film that is a prison drama set in one of the most brutal prisons in the world where this young American has to deal with beatings, horrific conditions, and prisoners who are more likely to kill you than be your friends. Oliver Stone’s screenplay opens with Hayes trying to smuggle as much hashish as he could yet Turkish custom officers know something is up. While an American official named Tex (Bo Hopkins) a deal for Hayes to find out who supplied him the hashish and be sent back to America without any trouble. Hayes becomes aware that something isn’t right where he is sent to prison as much of the film’s first act is about Hayes dealing with being in prison and his first trial where the prosecutor wants to give him a harsher punishment but the judge ruled that Hayes would serve a four-year sentence.

The film’s second act moves towards 1974 just as he had befriended an American prisoner in Jimmy (Randy Quaid), a British heroin addict named Max (John Hurt), and a Swede in Erich (Norbert Weisser) where Jimmy is eager to plot an escape from prison as it’s considered an impossible task. With 53 days left of his sentence, Hayes believes he will finally come home but an appeal by the prosecutor to the Turkish High Court changes everything as the sentence is expanded to 30 years. It play into this sense of loss and injustice that Hayes endured yet he is someone who had taken responsibility for his actions and felt that he’s done his time. It would lead to him, Jimmy, and Max to try and escape with its third act set in 1975 as it play into Hayes’ frustration as well as some of the corrupt elements of the prison where a prisoner in Rifki (Paolo Bonacelli) has made deals with guards and such that would help them both financially.

Alan Parker’s direction is astonishing in its approach to suspense and drama from the way he opens the film with Hayes trying to put as much hashish on his body and him at the airport hoping to get past customs. Shot mainly on location in Fort Saint Elmo in Valetta, Malta in Italy as Parker and his crew were unable to shoot on location in Istanbul as they were denied access to the location. The usage of Fort Saint Elmo would create this world that is Istanbul in the early 1970s where it’s a place where a lot of hippies would go there to get high but when one breaks the law there. The usage of wide shots get a look at the many locations as well as the prison itself where it is this unforgiving environment that is detached from the outside world where the prisoners have little clue of what is happening. The usage of close-ups and medium shots play into the space and intimacy in some of the rooms and cells along with the bathrooms and other rooms in the prison. Parker’s usage of tracking shots and careful compositions that include some of the trial scenes help play into the drama as well as Hayes’ struggle where he does what he can to maintain his sanity.

Parker’s direction also play into the brutality of prison where it’s much more different in Turkey where the warden will beat a man’s feet with his club or will do things that will break you physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s also a place where there’s few allies as where you mess with a prisoner, that prisoner will find a way to fight back. The film does feature some narration from Hayes as he’s writing letters to loved ones as endures his sentence while he, Jimmy, and Max would try to find a way out of prison. The film’s third act that takes place in 1975 which is about the attempted escapes but also Hayes’ action upon learning about what Rifki had been doing play into this act of desperation to escape once he and Max are sent to an asylum for the duration of their sentences. Overall, Parker crafts a visceral yet intense film about an American student serving time in a Turkish prison which is one of the most unforgiving places in the world.

Cinematographer Michael Seresin does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes as well as its usage of available lighting for many of the interiors including some scenes set at night. Editor Gerry Hambling does excellent work with the editing as it does have some unique rhythms that help play into the suspense and drama including some slow-motion cuts for a fight scene. Production designer Geoffrey Kirkland and art director Evan Hercules do amazing work with the look of the prison cells, courtrooms, and other places in the prisons and asylum as it adds to its harsh and brutal conditions.

Costume designer Milena Canonero does fantastic work with the costumes with the look of the ragged clothes that the prisoners wear including some of the ragged hippie-like clothing that Hayes, Jimmy, and Erich wear. Sound mixer Clive Winter does terrific work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the prison in the inside as well as the sense of terror and dread that occurs inside. The film’s music by Giorgio Moroder is great as it is largely a synthesizer-driven score that feature some intense pieces as well as somber pieces that play into some of the drama including a romantic moment between Hayes and Erich as it’s one of the film’s highlights.

The film’s superb cast feature some notable small roles from Michael Yannatos as a court translator, Peter Jeffrey as a British insane asylum patient Hayes meets late in the film in Ahmet, Gigi Ballista as a sympathetic Turkish judge, Michael Ensign as an American ambassador in Turkey, Franco Diogene as the Turkish lawyer Yesil, Mike Kellin as Hayes’ father, Yashaw Adem as the airport customs chief, and Kevork Malikyan as the prosecutor who wants Hayes to suffer for his actions. Bo Hopkins is terrific as a mysterious American official known as Tex who offers Hayes a deal only to work with the Turkish government in ensuring that Hayes goes to prison. Irene Miracle is wonderful as Hayes’ girlfriend Susan who was in Turkey when he got busted as she would later visit him late in the film in a weirdly-comical moment in the film.

Norbert Weisser is fantastic as the Swedish smuggler Erich as a man who sympathizes with Hayes as they briefly engage into a homosexual relationship to defy the country’s anti-gay laws. Paul L. Smith is excellent as the brutal prison warden Hamidou as this man that has great joy in beating up his prisoners as well as doing some of the most terrifying things to them. Paolo Bonacelli is brilliant as Rifki as a Turkish prisoner whom Hayes has to share his cell with as he and Max don’t like him much as he’s also someone that seems to have a lot of connection that can make his stay comfortable. Randy Quaid is amazing as Jimmy as an American prisoner who is in prison for stealing candles at a mosque as someone that is eager to get out any way he can despite the beatings he’s taken where he is determined to get out of Turkey and find salvation in Greece.

John Hurt is incredible as the English heroin addict Max as a man who is an offbeat figure as a man who is also willing to get out but knows a lot about law and such yet is driven to the edge over Rifki’s actions. Finally, there’s Brad Davis in an incredible performance as Billy Hayes as a young American student who gets caught smuggling hashish where he is later sent to Turkish prison as Davis displays a young man that is naïve in what he was trying to do and learn from his problems only to deal with the injustice where he becomes angry and determined to get out of Turkey any way he can.

Midnight Express is a sensational film from Alan Parker. Featuring a great cast, Oliver Stone’s riveting screenplay, dazzling visuals, and a hypnotic music score by Giorgio Moroder. It’s a film that explore the dangerous world of Turkish prisons as well as what men have to endure in a world that is far more intense as well as to find some sort of hope where the rules are different than their usual surroundings. In the end, Midnight Express is a phenomenal film from Alan Parker.

Alan Parker Films: (Play for Today-The Evacuees) - (Bugsy Malone) – (Fame (1980 film)) – (Shoot the Moon) – Pink Floyd: The Wall - (Birdy) – (Angel Heart) – (Mississippi Burning) – (Come See the Paradise) – (The Commitments) – (The Road to Wellville) – (Evita) – (Angela’s Ashes) – (The Life of David Gale)

© thevoid99 2019

Jackie (2016 film)

Directed by Pablo Larrain and written by Noah Oppenheim, Jackie is the story about Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis who deals with the death of her husband John F. Kennedy and the plans for his funeral while looking back at her time when she was the First Lady of the United States. The film is an unconventional bio-pic of sorts as it follows Onassis’ time as the First Lady and dealing with the shocking death of her husband as Natalie Portman plays Jacqueline Kennedy. Also starring Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Carroll Lynch, Richard E. Grant, Beth Grant, and John Hurt. Jackie is an evocative and rapturous film from Pablo Larrain.

The film revolves around Jacqueline Kennedy’s days following the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy on November 22, 1963 as she plans for the funeral and such while talking to a journalist (Billy Crudup) less than a month later after the funeral. Told in a non-linear narrative, Noah Oppenheim’s script follows Jackie as she talks about her time in the White House with brief glimpses of life as the First Lady as well as the events of the assassination and its aftermath. The interview with the un-named journalist, which is based partially on Theodore H. White’s article for Life magazine, has Kennedy talking about her work as First Lady that included restoring rooms at the White House that was filmed for a TV program. Yet, the bulk of the narrative has Jackie talking about the funeral procession and planning for her husband as she looks to historical events of the past for inspiration while dealing with the loss she’s carrying.

Pablo Larrain’s direction is stylish for the way it captures a period in time as it has a looseness in its approach to compositions and how it captures history. With many of the interiors shot in a studio in Paris, France with the funeral procession shot on location in Washington D.C., Larrain would aim for something simpler as he doesn’t go for a lot of wide shots with the exception of the funeral scenes. Much of his compositions aim for close-ups and medium shots while the film is shot largely on a 1:66:1 aspect ratio with the exception of Jackie’s TV special where she gives a tour of the White House which is shot in the 1:33:1 aspect ratio and in grainy black-and-white. Larrain’s approach to those scenes have him recreate the idea of what 1960s TV looked like with shots of Jackie being filmed by a crew as there is a tracking shot following her every move until it cuts to her in black-and-white. It’s among some of the stylistic choices in the film while there is also the scenes of the day of the assassination where Larrain shoots a medium shot of Jackie getting ready for the motorcade while there is a lot happening in the background.

Larrain’s direction also captures the events of the assassination and the bloody aftermath that is inter-cut with Jackie talking to the journalist about what she remembers and telling him what not to print. Even as Larrain would film scenes of Jackie’s meeting with a priest (John Hurt) where she deals with mortality and wonders why her husband had to die as it is among one of the finest sequences on film. There are also these intimate moments involving Jackie’s relationship with her brother-in-law Bobby (Peter Sarsgaard) and her personal secretary Nancy Tuckerman (Great Gerwig) that helps humanize Jackie who is coping with her grief as well as wanting to honor her husband in a way that leaders with big ideas would be honored. The film would culminate the funeral procession as it is a moment where all of the grief and trauma that Jackie faced. She maintains the sense of dignity that is needed in the role of First Lady. Overall, Larrain creates an intoxicating and riveting film about Jacqueline Kennedy’s time following the assassination of her husband.

Cinematographer Stephane Fontaine does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of naturalistic colors and lighting to play into many of the exteriors in the day along with some low-key lighting for some of the interiors as well as scenes set at night. Editor Sebastian Sepulveda does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other stylized cuts to play into the film’s non-linear narrative and Jackie’s own reflection of the events. Production designer Jean Rabasse, with set decorator Veronique Melery plus art directors Halina Gebarowicz, Mathieu Junot, and Emmanuel Prevot, does amazing work with recreation of the interiors of the White House including some of the famous bedrooms and the exterior sets of where Kennedy was to be buried. Costume designer Madeline Fontaine does amazing work with the costumes from the famed pink coat and hat Jackie wore on the day of the assassination to some of the gowns and such she would wear at various events of the past.

Makeup designers Sarai Fiszel and Odile Fourquin, with key hairstylists Janice Kinigopoulos and Catherine Leblanc, do fantastic work with the look of the hairstyles that the women had including Jackie’s hairstyle. Visual effects supervisors Thomas Duval, Sebastian Rame, and Tomas Roca do terrific work with some of the visual effects as it is mainly set-dressing with some recreation of the funeral procession and the way Jackie’s TV special is presented in its grainy footage. Sound designer David Miranda does superb work with the sound in the way some of the quieter moments at the White House are presented to scenes at Arlington and Jackie’s meeting with the priest where it has a natural atmosphere in the sound. The film’s music by Mica Levi is phenomenal for its orchestral score with its eerie usage of string arrangements and low-key textures to play into the drama while music supervisor Bridget Samuels provides a soundtrack that consists of a few classical pieces and a cut from the musical Camelot which Jackie plays on a record player.

The casting by Lindsay Graham, Jessica Kelly, Mathilde Snodgrass, and Mary Vernieu is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Sunnie Pelant as Caroline Kennedy, Brody and Aiden Weinberg as John F. Kennedy Jr., Julie Judd as Bobby’s wife Ethel, and Caspar Phillipson as President John F. Kennedy. John Carroll Lynch is terrific as Lyndon Johnson who would become the new President of the United States of America as he tries to give Jackie advice about the funeral while Beth Grant is wonderful as Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson who also wants to help as she also prepares for her new role as First Lady. Max Casella is superb as Jack Valienti who was Johnson’s assistant at the time where he also tries to organize the funeral service while Richard E. Grant is fantastic as William Walton who is Jackie’s collaborator in the White House restoration project as he helps her in the historical research for what she wanted for her husband’s funeral procession.

In one of his final film performances, John Hurt is excellent as the priest who meets Jackie to discuss faith as well as giving his views of what happened where it is this very restrained yet calm performance as it is one of Hurt’s finest performances. Billy Crudup is brilliant as the journalist who interviews Jackie at her home in Massachusetts as he tries to understand some of the answers Jackie is giving him as well as what he should tell the press. Greta Gerwig is amazing as Nancy Tuckerman as Jackie’s personal secretary who is Jackie’s director during the TV special for the White House restoration while also being a close confidant in being someone to talk to as it’s an understated yet touching performance from Gerwig. Peter Sarsgaard is marvelous as Bobby Kennedy as the then-Attorney General and Jackie’s brother-in-law who is trying to help Jackie with the funeral arrangements as well as doing his job and shielding her from any news that could upset her.

Finally, there’s Natalie Portman in what is definitely a performance for the ages as Jacqueline Kennedy. It’s a performance that is this fine mixture of radiance, restraint, anguish, and grace where Portman definitely disappears into the character where she captures many of the nuances and attributes of Jackie without deviating into an impersonation. Instead, Portman provides that air of dignity in Jackie in the way she copes with grief and the trauma of seeing her husband killed in front of her as well as the way she tries to maintain this role of regality that is needed in being a First Lady where it is definitely Portman in a career-defining performance.

Jackie is a tremendous film from Pablo Larrain that features an outstanding leading performance from Natalie Portman in the titular role. Along with its great supporting cast, inventive script by Noah Oppenheim, gorgeous visuals, top-notch technical work, and Mica Levi’s ravishing score. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules of a bio-pic by focusing on a specific time in the life of one of the great First Ladies in American history as she is aware of role in American history and how she tries to maintain that sense of dignity for herself and her husband. In the end, Jackie is a magnificent film from Pablo Larrain.

Pablo Larrain Films: (Fuga) – (Tony Manero) – (Post Mortem) – No (2012 film) - (The Club (2015 film)) – (Neruda)

© thevoid99 2017

The Osterman Weekend

Based on the novel by Robert Ludlum, The Osterman Weekend is the story of a network news broadcaster who has been approached by the CIA to meet with friends during a weekend outing to see if they‘re really KGB spies who are threatening national security. Directed by Sam Peckinpah and screenplay by Alan Sharp from a screen story by Ian Masters, the film is a suspense thriller set during the Cold War as it play into a eerie weekend for a man. Starring Rutger Hauer, John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Hopper, Meg Foster, Helen Shaver, Chris Sarandon, and Burt Lancaster. The Osterman Weekend is a fascinating though flawed film from Sam Peckinpah.

The film revolves around a controversial network news broadcaster, whose TV show has often criticized the American government, that is met by officials from the CIA and the FBI who tell him that his three powerful friends are KGB spies. It’s a film that isn’t just about trust but also a world where everyone is watched as it’s part of this emergence of a new world order as this news broadcaster finds himself targeted for his critiques of the government. Still, he has to force himself to see that there are dark forces as he reluctantly agrees to help them on the condition that the CIA director appears on his show as it would all revolve on this weekend outing with friends that becomes unlike any other weekend. Alan Sharp’s screenplay does create a lot of intrigue about not just national security but also in who to trust as the protagonist John Tanner (Rutger Hauer) becomes a pawn in a game run by the CIA director Maxwell Danforth (Burt Lancaster).

Helping Danforth in assignment is an agent in Lawrence Fassett (John Hurt) who has his own motivations to do this as he believes the KGB killed his wife and wants revenge where he does whatever to help Tanner expose and hopefully get Tanner’s friends to defect. The second act would be set in Tanner’s home with his wife and son where their friends would appear for an annual weekend where no one, except for Tanner, knows they’re being watched by Fassett nearby through surveillance video. What was supposed to be a fun weekend ends up being very tense as the TV producer Bernie Osterman (Craig T. Nelson), plastic surgeon Richard Tremayne (Dennis Hopper), and the stock trader Joseph Cardone (Chris Sarandon) become uneasy by strange things happening. Though it does have a straightforward narrative, the script doesn’t flesh out the three men accused as spies fully as well as in what is revealed. Plus, the twists and turns become very messy as it does lose some insight into what is happening and which characters are good or evil.

Sam Peckinpah’s direction is definitely mesmerizing for the way it plays into the mystery and suspense as it starts off with a surveillance video of Fassett and his wife having sex until she is killed while he is in the shower. It play into this emergence of a world where everyone is watched as well as what kind of power the American government is willing to do during the age of the Cold War as well as target the media who have begun to question their tactics. Shot largely in Los Angeles, the film play into this emergence of an ever-increasing world of surveillance and media trying to manipulate what is truth and fiction. Much of Peckinpah’s approach to compositions are intimate as well as using a lot of intricate camera work to play into growing new world order in the Cold War. Especially with the usage of surveillance video as it adds to the suspense where Tanner would watch Fassett on a TV set talking to him and vice versa as there would be bits of humor that would emerge in the film.

There would be moments of violence such as a chase scene where Tanner goes after men attempting to kidnap his wife and son as well as a climatic confrontation involving Tanner where it has a lot of the stylistic touches that Peckinpah is known for. A lot of it is quite exciting and such yet the film does feel very muddled during the second act and its lead-up to the third where it loses some of its suspense. It’s not just the script that becomes messy but it is also the fact that there were some forces behind the scenes who wanted to create something with a lot of twists but it ends up becoming somewhat predictable and heavy-handed which is something Peckinpah isn’t about. Despite the flaws and the fact that he didn’t have final cut, Peckinpah does at least make a fascinating thriller about a TV broadcast reporter being used as a pawn to lure his friends who are believed to be KGB spies.

Cinematographer John Coquillon does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it largely focuses on low-key lighting and such for many of the film‘s interiors and nighttime exteriors through its low-grade film stock. Editors Edward M. Abroms and David Rawlings do some nice work with the editing as it feature some slow-motion cutting for some of the action including a great chase scene and in some of the action in the climax though it does feel muddled at times. Art director Robb Wilson King and set decorator Keith Hein do fantastic work with the look of the home that Tanner lives which is the setting for the weekend as well as the office that Danforth works at.

Sound designers Alan Howarth and Clancy T. Troutman do terrific work with the sound with the way some of the surveillance equipment is presented as well as in some of the action though the mixing is low in the way some of the dialogue is presented at times. The film’s music by Lalo Schifrin is pretty good for its jazz-like score with elements of keyboard and piano-based music as bits of orchestral music that play into the suspense though it feels like it doesn‘t do enough to make it intense.

The casting by Michael McLean is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Merete Van Kamp as Fassett’s wife, Christopher Starr as Tanner’s son Steve, Jan Triska as a KGB agent, Hansford Rowe as a general Tanner destroys on his TV show, and Sandy McPeak as Danforth’s right-hand man Stennings whom he aids in creating trouble with Danforth. Cassie Yates is good as Cardone’s wife Betty who becomes uncomfortable with the weekend due to the tension while Helen Shaver is fantastic as Tremayne’s wife Virginia as this wild and talkative woman with a cocaine addiction who just riles people up as she manages to piss off Tanner’s wife Ali. Meg Foster is excellent as Ali as Tanner’s wife who is wondering what is going on as she also suspicious of Fassett where she would have her moment as a full-on badass with a bow-and-arrow. Chris Sarandon is terrific as the stock trader Joseph Cardone as someone who becomes unhinged by what is happening on the weekend though it’s a very underwritten role. Dennis Hopper is superb as Richard Tremayne as a plastic surgeon who tries to maintain some control despite his wife’s drug addiction as he is the most sensible of the three men.

Craig T. Nelson is amazing as the TV producer Bernie Osterman as a man who is the most suspicious of the three that could be affiliated with the KGB as he is also a martial arts expert where Nelson manages to convey that ambiguity despite his ridiculous-looking mustache. Burt Lancaster is remarkable as the CIA director Maxwell Danforth as this man who is willing to do whatever it takes to win the Cold War while trying to get Tanner to see the bigger picture of what will happen as he also has some ambiguity to him. John Hurt is marvelous as Lawrence Fassett as a British agent working for the CIA who would aid Tanner in uncovering the truth to pursue his revenge over his wife’s death while there is also something about him that is ambiguous that is added with some offbeat humor. Finally, there’s Rutger Hauer in a stellar but flawed performance as John Tanner as this TV show host who finds himself being a pawn where Hauer doesn’t really do much to flesh out his character due to the faults of the script despite his determination to try and make sense of things and take action.

Despite the post-production tampering, faulty script, and muddled tone, The Osterman Weekend is still a terrific and fascinating film from Sam Peckinpah. Featuring a fantastic ensemble cast and a compelling look into the world of surveillance and national security. It’s a film that is definitely flawed but does say a lot about the dark aspects of the modern world in the age of the Cold War. In the end, The Osterman Weekend is a good yet messy film from Sam Peckinpah.

Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Straw Dogs - Junior Bonner - The Getaway - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - The Killer Elite - Cross of Iron - Convoy - The Auteurs #62: Sam Peckinpah

© thevoid99 2016

Watership Down

Based on the novel by Richard Adams, Watership Down is the story of community of rabbits who are being threatened by modern forces in a dystopian world. Written for the screen and directed by Martin Rosen, the film is a look into the concept of the Apocalypse from the viewpoints of rabbits as the film is narrated by Michael Horndern. Featuring the voices of John Hurt, Richard Briers, Denholm Elliott, Ralph Richardson, Simon Cadell, Michael Graham Cox, Harry Andrews, and Zero Mostel. Watership Down is a gripping and mesmerizing film from Martin Rosen.

Set in a modern world, the film revolves a group of rabbits who are forced to flee their home and find a new one after one of them has an apocalyptic vision. Along the way, they contend with the harsh world of nature as well as other creatures and a community of rabbits who represent a totalitarian view of the world. It’s a film that is sort of a dystopian film but it’s also a film about survival as these rabbits not only cope with the reality of man destroying their land for themselves but also realize what they have to do to ensure their own survival as it relates to female rabbits. Martin Rosen’s script doesn’t just emphasize a lot on survival but also the idea of a community that is free and doesn’t want to adhere to rules that are suppressive. It also opens with a fable about the species of the rabbit and why they’re considered prey in the animal food chain which does add a lot into their quest for survival.

Rosen’s direction is quite intoxicating in not just the way he creates these dazzling images set against the backdrop of the English countryside. It also has this sense of style in the animation that is very engaging with an air of realism that makes it more ravishing in its look. With the aid of animation director Tony Guy and supervisor Philip Duncan, the look of the two-dimensional, hand-drawn animation does bring a lot of life to not just the look of the characters but also in the way these rabbits deal with their situations including some very dark moments involving violence. The fact that it’s an animated film that has this very realistic and gripping take on violence with images of blood does manage to bring a lot of weight into the film as well as the theme of survival. The film opens with a sequence that was helmed by the film’s original director John Hubley (who died during production) which is presented in a more innocent fashion as it relates to the fable of the rabbits including its main figurehead who would create that sense of tension between rabbit and other animals.

The direction also create these intense imagery that play into the idea of death and terror thanks in part to some dazzling sequences created by Luciana Arrighi for moments that do play into what one of the rabbits see. With the aid of layour artists Gordon Harrison, Peter See, and Ted Pettengell, the film maintains that look of the countryside as well as the look of the rabbit holes to play into where the rabbits want to seek shelter. It also would add to the film’s climax as it relates to the group of totalitarian rabbits led by half-blind general battling against a rabbit who briefly joined the group as a spy in the hope he can get the group of female rabbits to join his community and feel free. Rosen would also maintain a sense of atmosphere that plays a lot into the drama as the animation would feature these gorgeous images of rain as if they look real but in some of the intense moments as it relates to its climax. Overall, Rosen creates an evocative and riveting film about a community of rabbits trying to survive in finding their new home.

Editor Terry Rawlings does brilliant work with the editing as it is very straightforward in terms of some of the rhythmic cutting that plays out in the film‘s suspenseful and dramatic moments. Sound effects mixer Ray Mervin does excellent work with the film‘s sound effects in the way thunderstorm sounds as well as the way machines sound in some scenes. The film’s music by Angela Morley and Malcolm Williamson is amazing for its orchestral-based score that adds a lot to the dramatic and suspenseful moments of the film with additional work by music director Marcus Dods in supervising the soundtrack that includes the song Bright Eyes by Mike Batt and sung by Art Garfunkel for one of the film’s mesmerizing moments.

The film’s incredible ensemble voice cast features contributions from narrator Michael Hordern in one of the runaway rabbits in Frith, Joss Ackland as the mysterious grim reaper-like character in the Black Rabbit, Hannah Gordon as a female rabbit who is enslaved by the totalitarian group in Hyzenthlay, Denholm Elliott as a rabbit leader the group meets in Cowslip, and Harry Andrews as the evil leader of the totalitarian rabbits in Woundwort. Zero Mostel is fantastic as a wounded gull named Kehaar who would be an ally to the group of rabbits while Ralph Richardson is superb as the group’s old chief who doesn’t believe in one of the visions that a rabbit claims to see.

John Bennett is excellent as an aging rabbit who was an associate of the chief who later joins the group after his own dangerous encounter. Richard Briers is brilliant as Fiver as the one who sees these strange visions as he gets help from his brother in aiding the escape. Michael Graham Cox is amazing as Bigwig as the toughest rabbit who was close to their leader as he aids the community in many ways. Finally, there’s John Hurt in a phenomenal role as Hazel as Fiver’s big brother who helps his brother in the escape while being the unlikely leader as well as the one that is willing to rally everyone and provide the plans to escape and such.

Watership Down is a sensational film from Martin Rosen. Featuring a great voice cast, gorgeous visuals, top-notch animation, and a fantastic score, the film isn’t just a gripping animation film that appeals to more than just children but also offers a glimpse into the world of totalitarianism and dystopia into a setting that is simple and to the point. In the end, Watership Down is a tremendous film from Martin Rosen.

© thevoid99 2016

Only Lovers Left Alive

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Only Lovers Left Alive is the story of two vampire lovers reuniting when one wants to end his eternity as their reunion is shattered by the arrival of one’s sister. The film is a unique take on the vampire story as it plays to the fallacy of eternal life that revolves around a group of vampires who live in a strange world ranging from Tangiers to Detroit. Starring Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, and John Hurt. Only Lovers Left Alive is a compelling and intoxicating film from Jim Jarmusch.

The film explores the lives of two vampire lovers who had lived for countless centuries as they reunite after some time apart as they cope with not just mortality but also the human race. Even as these two lovers in Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton) live in separate worlds where the former lives in Detroit as a reclusive musician and the latter living in Tangier surrounded by books. Adam’s growing dissatisfaction with humanity has him wanting to end his life which Eve senses as she arrives to Detroit to cheer him up only for their renewed romance to be interrupted by Eve’s wild sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska) whom Adam dislikes. It’s a film that explores not just the fallacy of eternity but also in how two vampires who have live their live through influencing humanity only to realize that they have done so little which makes Adam despondent about his role in life.

Jim Jarmusch’s screenplay does use a traditional structure where the first act is set in both Detroit and Tangier to showcase the sense of longing that Adam and Eve have toward one another. Especially as they both have different human contacts where the only person Adam lets into his house is a rock n’ roll kid named Ian (Anton Yelchin) and gets his blood from a mysterious doctor known as Dr. Watson (Jeffrey Wright) whom he pays off. For Eve, she is surrounded by mystical wonders in Tangier as her contact is the famed writer Christopher Marlowe (John Hurt) who is revealed to be a vampire that has faked his death and lives under a different name. The second act is set in Detroit where Adam and Eve reunite as they cope with Adam’s longing to die as well as the beauty that is Detroit with all of its ruined homes and places that once made the city so great.

Ava’s arrival would only create trouble in the film’s second act as it plays to not just Adam’s growing dissatisfaction with humanity but also in the realization that humanity will get worse. The script would play into how Adam and Eve react to humanity where they would see some of its good but also a lot of bad as the latter becomes more evident as their thirst for clean blood becomes more scarce as time goes by. Even as the third act is set in Tangier where the idea of eternal life becomes less evident forcing Adam and Eve to contemplate their own mortality in a world that is rapidly changing.

Jarmusch’s direction is very unique in not just the environments where he sets the film but also in its approach to style. Notably as it involves scenes where the camera is shooting from above as it spins around to play into the sense of mysticism that vampires feel towards one another. Jarmusch’s direction is quite entrancing as the film is shot entirely at night where it plays into this world where vampires are coping with an ever-changing world as Eve surrounds herself with books while Adam is often surrounded by antique musical instruments and other things to connect with what was great about humanity. While a lot of Jarmusch’s compositions are very simple, he manages to do so much in the images he creates while making Tangier and Detroit characters in the film.

Jarmusch also maintains a sense of detachment in his direction where there aren’t a lot of close-ups in favor to showcase Adam and Eve’s observation with the human race in these different places. Especially in the differences between a place like Tangier with all of its beauty and mystique in comparison to the ruins and thrill that is Detroit. Jarmusch’s usage of zoom lenses and keeping things simple add to the sense of detachment and observation that looms over Adam and Eve while the scenes involving Ava are shown with a sense of danger as she is a character who is out of control and unpredictable like humanity itself. Once the film returns to Tangier, it becomes much more melancholic in the sense of uncertainty into whether Adam and Eve should continue or just fade away like the things they held on to for so many centuries. Overall, Jarmusch creates a very eerie yet evocative film about vampire lovers dealing with the fallacy of eternity.

Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from its use of dreamy lighting schemes for many of the film‘s exterior settings along with more low-key lights and shades for some of the interior scenes. Editor Affonso Goncalves does brilliant work in the editing with its stylish usage of dissolves and jump-cuts to play into the mystique and the dream-like world of Adam and Eve. Production designer Marco Bittner Rosser, with art director Anja Fromm and set decorators Christiane Krumwiede and Malte Nitsche, does fantastic work with the different homes of Adam and Eve where the latter is filled with antique instruments and vinyl while the latter is filled with lots of books. Costume designer Bina Daigeler does excellent work with the costumes from the white clothes of Eve to the dark clothes of Adam as well as the more stylish clothes that Ava wears.

Special effects makeup artist Joanna Koch and hair designer Gerd Zeiss do superb work with the look of the characters from the hair that Eve and Ava wear as well as the vampire fangs whenever they‘re thirsty for blood. Visual effects supervisor Malte Sarnes does nice work with the minimal visual effects that only involve the speediness of the vampires. Sound designer Robert Hein does terrific work with the sound from the way some of the locations sounds to the mixing in how records are played as well as the entrancing textures that looms into Adam and Eve in their surroundings. The film’s music by Jozef van Wissem is great as it features this very ominous use of the lute instrument to play into the world of Tangier while the score also features cuts from Jarmusch’s band SQURL that features vocals from Zola Jesus and Yasmine Hamdan that is mostly dense and drone-based music. The music soundtrack also features an array of music from Wanda Jackson, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, White Hills, Bill Laswell, Charlie Feathers, and other music ranging from soul to Middle Eastern music.

The casting by Ellen Lewis is incredible as it features appearances from Yasmine Hamdan and the band White Hills plus a terrific small role from Slimane Dazi as Marlowe’s human assistant Bilal. Jeffrey Wright is excellent as Dr. Watson as the medical doctor who is Adam’s blood supplier who never asks questions while Anton Yelchin is fantastic as Adam’s rock n’ roll friend Ian who often does duties for Adam and his only real contact with the outside world that Adam grows to despise. John Hurt is brilliant as the writer Christopher Marlowe who is Eve’s supplier/mentor as he is an observer that had seen everything while dealing with the ever-changing world. Mia Wasikowska is amazing as Eve’s sister Ava who arrives unexpectedly as she likes to cause trouble and often drinks Adam and Eve’s blood supply to quench her thirst.

Finally, there’s Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton in magnificent performances in their respective roles as Adam and Eve. Hiddleston brings in this very reserved approach in his performance to display his discontent with humanity and the modern world while thinking his time might be up. Swinton has a more entrancing quality to her role as someone who lives in the moment as she is often amazed by her surroundings while being aware of how scarce good blood is becoming. Hiddleston and Swinton have this electrifying chemistry that play into their own observation with the world as well as with death as they bring in some humor and a heavy sense of drama to their performances.

Only Lovers Left Alive is a remarkable film from Jim Jarmusch that features great performances from Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton. The film is definitely an unconventional take on the vampire lore while injecting back some bite to the genre that is needed following a period of vampire stories that lack bite. Even as it plays to their own encounter with a modern world that becomes less interesting in its exploration of eternity. In the end, Only Lovers Left Alive is a ravishing yet tremendously rich film from Jim Jarmusch.

Jim Jarmusch Films: Permanent Vacation - Stranger than Paradise - Down by Law - Mystery Train - Night on Earth - Dead Man - Year of the Horse - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - Coffee & Cigarettes - Broken Flowers - The Limits of Control - Paterson - Gimme Danger - (The Dead Don't Die) - The Auteurs #27: Jim Jarmusch

© thevoid99 2014

Heaven's Gate (2012 Restoration Edition)

Written and directed by Michael Cimino, Heaven’s Gate is the story of a Harvard-educated marshal who finds himself in the middle of a conflict between rich and established cattle barons who wage war on a group of poor, European-based immigrants over claims of stealing cattle. A fictional account of the Johnson County War of 1892, the film is scathing look into the world of American Imperialism and the myth of the American dream as a man finds himself battling a friend as they’re both in love with a prostitute who is among the many that cattle barons want killed. Starring Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, Sam Waterston, John Hurt, Jeff Bridges, Brad Dourif, and Joseph Cotten. Heaven’s Gate is a visually-stunning and enthralling film from Michael Cimino.

Based on the real-life events of the Johnson County War in 1892, the film explores a piece of American history where a group of established cattle barons battled against small settling ranchers where these more established men hired killers with the backing of the American government. Yet, the film is a re-interpretation about these events as the cattle barons are portrayed as rich men who want to kill these poor European immigrants for stealing their cattle as they think of them as thieves and anarchists. On the other side is a group of European immigrants who only steal because they’re hungry as they just want to live in America and live the American dream. In the middle of this is the marshal of Johnson County in James Averill (Kris Kristofferson) who wants to smooth out the conflict before it gets more troubling yet he is a man full of complications and contradictions. Especially as he’s in a love-triangle with a bordello madam in Ella Watson (Isabelle Huppert) who is in love with an enforcer in Nate Champion (Christopher Walken) who is a friend of Averill.

The film’s screenplay is quite vast as it starts in 1870 where Averill graduates from Harvard with his friend William Irvine (John Hurt) and ends with an epilogue set in 1903 in Newport, Rhode Island. Yet, much of the story is set in 1890 Wyoming where Averill tries to use his wealth and education to help the people of Johnson County that is full of European immigrants that is this mix of German, Russian, Slavic, Dutch, and other ethnicities who are just trying to live good lives. Averill is inspired by the ideas that is instilled upon him from his Harvard graduation when its speaker the Reverend Doctor (Joseph Cotten) urges the graduates to use their knowledge to help those in need. That moment is mocked by Irvine who later finds himself as a man lost in his role as he becomes a rambling, poetic drunk who has no clue on what to do as he would regret those actions. Irvine is part of this faction known as the Stock Growers Association led by Frank Canton (Sam Waterston) who is a rich cattle baron that has a lot of government connections while being very arrogant about what he does.

It is all part of something that is very complex as well as containing lots of ambiguities as Champion is an enforcer of the Association as he just enforces the law where he does kill an immigrant and later threatening another from stealing as he is just a lawman. He’s also in love with Ella who doesn’t mind being paid either in cash or cattle for prostitution as she is this woman who is in love with both Champion and Averill. Averill wants to take her out of the world of prostitution and protect her from what is coming once he learns about what is going to happen. Yet, she prefers a life that is simpler which is something Champion is offering as he would later question what Canton and the Stock Growers Association is doing. Especially when Ella’s name is in a death list that features many immigrants where Averill tries to figure out what to do as he becomes troubled by his own personal issues and the longing for a life that isn’t complicated. It’s part of that sense of conflict he’s in because of Ella where he would eventually take part in this brutal battle between the Stock Growers Association and the immigrants with very bloody results.

The script does have flaws in some of the characterization as the William Irvine character is an ambiguous figure as he is this rambling, poetic drunk that had the power to make a difference with his wealth and education. Yet, he’s a lost figure who has no clue what he’s doing or why he’s still in the Stock Growers Association as there’s a scene where a character asks why is he even here. Another flaw is its politics where it’s clear that it is one-sided in the way Canton is portrayed as this snobbish and arrogant antagonist while the poor is treated more fairly though there’s aspects of them that are just as flawed where one of them would try to make a bargain only to get his ear shot off. Still, it is a commentary on the idea of American Imperialism where Americans try to infuse their own ideas and such all for something as childish as money.

Michael Cimino’s direction definitely recalls a lot of the visual traits of the western as well as his own fascination with American landscapes as he shoots with such a wide canvas that covers so much of the landscape as it’s largely shot in Montana. There are aspects of the film where Cimino definitely wants to create something that has the attribute of an epic with these massive wide shots that includes this terrifying shot of a large group of horsemen on top of a mountain about to kill someone. Cimino’s approach to the widescreen in its 2:40:1 aspect ratio would showcase some of the lavishness of the film such as the Harvard dance sequence where Averill and Irvine waltz around a tree with a bevy of beautiful women. The Harvard prologue serves as a place where Averill and Irvine are being tasked as men who have the power to make change and help those who are less fortunate. It’s something that would drive Averill to do what is right in Johnson County as he feels the need to do with the power and responsibility he’s given.

The direction is also quite excessive in terms of its attention to detail in the way 1890s Wyoming is portrayed in its buildings and such that would also include this beautiful sequence of people in a roller skating rink to showcase what it was like to have fun in those times. It is in contrast to the sense of terror that would happen as much of the violence is quite graphic and bloody where it would culminate into this very spectacular battle scene that is frenetic at times but also very direct with the cameras being on wagons and such as well as shooting it from multiple perspectives. There’s also some unique ideas in camera angles and crane shots that Cimino uses while he also creates some intimate moments that plays into this love triangle where there’s some humor but also a sense of longing as both Averill and Champion want to have a better future with Ella. Its climax in the battle and its aftermath would lead to not just this understanding over how things are but also the question into what difference Averill made. Especially as he tries to come to terms with his own identity and the responsibilities he has as the film ends with this somber epilogue in 1903 Rhode Island. Overall, Cimino has created a grand yet very visceral film about a dark piece of American history seen through the eyes of a marshal trying to make some kind of difference.

Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond does absolutely incredible work with the film‘s rich and evocative cinematography with its approach to sepia lighting for some of the film‘s interiors with its shading and such as well as the colorful exterior settings of Montana in the day time as well as some low-key yet beautiful lighting for some of the film‘s interior scenes. Editors Tom Rolf, William Reynolds, Lisa Fruchtman, and Gerald Greenberg do brilliant work with the editing with its unique approach to rhythms in some of the film‘s dramatic moments along with its frenetic cutting in the battle scenes. Production designer Tambi Larsen, along with set decorators James L. Berkey and Josie MacAvin and art directors Spencer Deverell and Maurice Fowler, does phenomenal work with the set design from the look of the small town of Sweetwater with its cabins and roller skating hall as well as the home of the Stock Growers Association.

Costume designers Allen Highfill does excellent work with the costumes from the suits that the men wear to the period dresses that the women along with the more lavish look in the Harvard dance sequence. Sound editor James J. Klinger does fantastic work with the soundtrack from the way gunfire is presented to the sound of cannons as well as some of the intimate moments as it is quite sprawling in its mixing and editing. The film’s music by David Mansfield is just sublime for its mixture of eerie string arrangements with these rich arrangements of acoustic guitars, mandolins, and balalaikas to play into the film’s Eastern European tone as it features some amazing themes plus reinterpretations of classical pieces and traditional themes as Mansfield’s score is one of the film’s major highlights.

The casting by Cis Corman, Tony Gaznick, and Jane Halloran is amazing for the ensemble that is created as it features some appearances from composer David Mansfield plus T-Bone Burnett and Huey Lewis & the News keyboardist Sean Hopper as the live band in the skating rink, Willem Dafoe as a bar waiter, Anna Levine and Caroline Kava as a couple of young prostitutes, Mary C. Wright as the fiery prostitute Nell, Tom Noonan as an Association hitman who tries to rape Ella, Mickey Rourke as Nate’s friend Nick Ray, Waldemar Kalinkowski as the immigrant photographer, Terry O’Quinn as cavalry leader Captain Minardi, and Roseanne Vela as a beautiful girl that Averill eyed on at the Harvard graduation. Other notable small roles include Geoffrey Lewis as a trapper friend of Nate’s, Ronnie Hawkins as a military leader working with Canton, Paul Koslo role as the town’s cowardly mayor, and Richard Masur as the train station manager Cully who is friends with Averill. Brad Dourif is terrific as the town commerce head Mr. Eggleston who would have this great monologue about what it means to be poor and from another country as he would inspire his fellow immigrants to fight back.

In a small yet crucial role at the Harvard graduation scene, Joseph Cotten is superb as the Reverend Doctor who speaks to the graduates to ensure the weight of responsibility they have for the future of America. John Hurt is wonderful as Averill’s old Harvard classmate William Irvine as this rambling drunk who often spouts poetry though his role is one of most flawed elements of the film. Jeff Bridges is excellent as the town proprietor John L. Bridges who runs the bar and skating rink as he is a friend of the immigrants and becomes one of their leaders in the battlefield. Sam Waterston is brilliant as the smarmy and arrogant Stock Growers Association leader Frank Canton who is a man that is driven by greed as he is someone that is full of himself as Waterston brings this smarmy quality to a character that everyone loves to hate.

Isabelle Huppert is fantastic as Ella Watson as this bordello madam who is caught in a love triangle with two men as she wants to maintain a life that she built for herself while dealing with the reality of what she is facing as her name is on a death list. Christopher Walken is marvelous as Nate Champion as an Association enforcer who is quite prejudiced towards immigrants as he would eventually question his bosses once Ella is targeted as he realizes that they’re breaking the law. Finally, there’s Kris Kristofferson in a remarkable performance as James Averill as a marshal with a very posh and educated background who tries to mediate a deadly situation as he deals with his own personal feelings for Ella while dealing with who he is and what he tries to do to make a difference.

The 2-disc Region 1 DVD/Region A Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a 2:40:1 theatrical aspect ratio in a widescreen format with 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound in a newly-restored transfer supervised by Michael Cimino in a new 216-minute cut where the only scene removed is the film’s intermission scene plus a few slightly-trimmed shots in some sequences. The first disc of the Blu-Ray is the film in its entirety as it is given a much richer transfer while on the DVD version, the film is split into two parts where the split occurs just after James Averill receives the death list.

The film’s second disc features many extras relating to the film and its notorious production starting with a 31-minute illustrated audio interview with Michael Cimino and producer Joann Carelli (which appears as an extra in the DVD‘s first disc). Through various still photos of the film and its production, Cimino and Carelli talk about the film where Cimino dominates much of commentary as he revealed that the version on the Criterion DVD/Blu-Ray is his final version. Cimino and Carelli talked about the research they went through about the actual Johnson County War as Carelli talked about Cimino’s approach to writing and how she discovered David Mansfield during the production. Cimino admits to not using monitors or watch dailies in his approach to directing while commenting on a lot of the things about the film as it’s a very compelling piece that showcased Cimino feeling validated that the film is being given a second chance.

The extras include new interviews with three people involved the film as the first is a nine-minute, twenty-three second interview with actor Kris Kristofferson. Kristofferson talks about what made him do the film as he was interested in the subject matter and working with Cimino. He felt it was a story that needed to be told as he admitted that Cimino was difficult and excessive but only because he wanted to get things right. Kristofferson admitted to being hurt over the film’s reception yet he doesn’t regret doing the film which he is still proud of while he also talks about the political aspects of the film where he felt that it was probably too controversial for audiences to handle.

The nine-minute interview with music composer David Mansfield has him talking about the music and his background as he had been proficient in a lot of string instruments. He was discovered by Joann Carelli who had seen him play with Bob Dylan in the mid-1970s as he was among several real musicians including T-Bone Burnett that were hired to play a band that actually played live music. Through his work and what he was able to do on the set, Cimino hired Mansfield to do the score as Mansfield talked about his approach to the score as well as infusing a lot of Eastern European influences into the music since his father is from a Eastern European background.

The eight-minute interview with second assistant director Michael Stevenson who talked about making the film as he knew what Cimino wanted in terms of scenery and in its attention to detail. Having worked with David Lean, Anthony Mann, and Richard Brooks, Stevenson knew that Cimino had that sense of wanting to get things right where Stevenson also talks about some technical moments in the film. Especially in how close Cimino was with his actors in making sure they would get their performances right as they trusted him as Stevenson would work with Cimino in his next two films. Other minor extras include a two-and-a-half minute restoration demonstration that showcases what had to be done as the film was drenched in sepia as a lot of work through digital scanning had to be made to restore its original color. The extras include a teaser and a TV spot for the film where the latter displayed the sense of controversy about the film.

The DVD/Blu-Ray set includes a booklet that features two pieces of text relating to the film. The first is an essay entitled Western Promises by the New York-based film writer and programmer Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan about the film. Vallan discusses much of what Cimino wanted to say in the film as well as its disastrous screening in November of 1980. Vallan also talks about the film’s politics and some of the aspects of the production as she feels like it is a film that got attacked over what was going on in its production and its cost rather than it was about. Even as it was well-received in Europe who were looking for the kind of films that old masters like John Ford and Howard Hawks used to make while it was getting trashed by American critics just as the film industry was in a state of transition in the age of the blockbuster as it’s a very engaging essay about the film.

The second piece of text is an interview with Michal Cimino for the November 1980 issue of American Cinematographer entitled The Film That Took On a Life of Its Own by the magazine editor Herb Lightman who was a guest camera operator on the film. Cimino talks about what he wanted to say and do with the film as well as his meticulous approach as he needed people who were able to recreate things from the past as he felt it was something that was lost at the time. Cimino also talked about wanting to shoot in certain locations where he said that if he ever found the right location, he would go ahead and shoot somewhere just to capture something that is just magical. Even as he would capture something that was just accidental yet felt right for the story as it is a compelling piece that showcased his perspective on the making of the film before it would have its notorious premiere.

Heaven’s Gate is a tremendously rich and harrowing film from Michael Cimino. Armed with a great ensemble cast plus major technical achievements in its art direction, Vilmos Zsigmond’s photography, and David Mansfield’s score. It’s a film that showcases a man trying to make a difference in a conflict driven by greed and class differences set to a dark piece of American history. While it is a film that is flawed, it has aspects that are thematically provocative as well as visuals that really defines the concept of epic filmmaking. In the end, Heaven’s Gate is a remarkable film from Michael Cimino.

Michael Cimino Films: Thunderbolt & Lightfoot - The Deer Hunter - Year of the Dragon - The Sicilian - Desperate Hours (1990 film) - The Sunchaser - To Each His Own Cinema-No Translation Needed - The Auteurs #35: Michael Cimino

© thevoid99 2014

Snowpiercer

Based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer is post-apocalyptic film set in an ice age where survivors are living on a train as the poor and hungry rebel against the elite as they try to take over the train. Directed by Bong Joon-Ho and screenplay by Joon-Ho and Kelly Masterson from a screen story by Joon-Ho, the film is a futuristic dystopia where class is being separated as it all takes place inside a train. Starring Tilda Swinton, Chris Evans, John Hurt, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Alison Pill, Song Kang-ho, Go Ah-sung, and Ed Harris. Snowpiercer is a thrilling yet mesmerizing film from Bong Joon-Ho.

Set in an ice age in the middle of the 21st Century where survivors of the ice age live inside a train. The film is about a rebellion led by the poor who live on the tail-end of the train as they trek through their way to front to confront the mysterious creator of the train. It’s a film that explores not just class structures where the poor is forced to suffer and eat protein bars, unaware of its true substance, while enduring all sorts of abuse as the only person from the front they meet is the train minister Mason (Tilda Swinton). For a young man in Curtis (Chris Evans), it’s all too much for him to take as he would lead the rebellion with the help of his mentor Gilliam (John Hurt) where they free the gates designer Minsu (Song Kang-Ho) and his daughter Yona (Go Ah-sung) only to encounter all sorts of horrors of the train they’ve been living in.

The film’s screenplay does begin with bits of exposition about how the ice age had begun all due to an experiment, that was to combat global warming , suddenly went wrong and led to this dystopia where its survivors live on the train. Yet, that is only in the first few minutes as it fast-forwards 2031 where Curtis and his friends Edgar (Jamie Bell), Tanya (Octavia Spencer), and Andrew (Ewen Bremner) are planning a revolt where both Tanya and Andrew want to retrieve their respective child who had been taken by an associate of the train’s creator Wilford (Ed Harris) who is seen by Mason and the elite as a god. For Curtis, seeing friends die and children taken away as well as the horrors he had experienced has him wanting to confront Wilford as the journey he and his friends take becomes an arduous one where they see things that don’t make sense as it shows how oppressed they are.

Yet, Mason is just a spokesperson for the elusive Wilford as she is eventually taken hostage to take Curtis and his band of rebels to the train and its different compartments. Upon these encounters with the compartments, there are these strange ideas of satire in the way Wilford’s teachings are handled as it has this very offbeat approach to dark humor. A lot of it is quite absurd yet it adds that film’s approach of dystopia where everyone has to be in the train in order to survive or else endure the horrors of what is outside as the ice age is still happening. There are images of what is outside the train as it on the same track for an entire year that spans all over the world in this massive track that goes from continent to continent. All of which plays into a world where there maybe no hope yet Curtis believes the answer to that hope is at the front of the train and its engine.

Bong Joon-Ho’s direction is very chilling in the way he maintains a sense of atmosphere as it’s shot almost entirely inside a train. There are a few wide shots in the film yet much of the compositions that Joon-Ho creates are focused on medium shots and close-ups along with some unique camera angles to play into the sense of terror and suspense. At the same time, there’s an element of claustrophobia as some of the compositions are very tight as is the train compartments where the poor cluttered inside to showcase the tension that is building up. Some of which involve these very gruesome images of violence where Joon-Ho brings in a lot of shooting styles from hand-held to more controlled approaches of action and suspense while also creating some moments that is all shot in one take

There is that sense of build-up into each compartment that Curtis and his character go through as Joon-Ho creates these set pieces inside the train compartments that are very surreal as well as off-putting. Some of which is played for laughs such as this very strange scene where Curtis and his gang encounter a schoolteacher (Alison Pill) who is a very cartoonish character just like Mason in some respects. Of course, things become more dangerous and deadly where it would play into not just Curtis’ motivations into meeting Wilford but also the chance to know why he was put into these situations. Curtis’ meeting with Wilford is very climatic but also filled with a lot of revelations into Wilford’s own motivations that showcases a lot about humanity and its fallacies. Overall, Joon-Ho crafts a very intense and provocative film about a revolt inside a train in a futuristic ice age.

Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo does amazing work with the cinematography from the grimy look and lighting in some of the compartments such as the tail end to the array of lighting styles to play into the different look of the compartments to showcase its offbeat and surrealistic tone. Editors Steve M. Choe and Changju Kim do brilliant work in the editing in creating some very unique rhythms to play into the film‘s action, drama, and dark humor along other stylish cuts from slow-motion and such to play into its action. Production designer Ondrej Nekvasil, with set decorator Beata Brendtnerova and art director Stefan Kovacik, does superb work with the design of the train compartments from the very drab and stuffy look of the tail compartment to the very different settings of the compartments to play into its offbeat tone.

Costume designer Catherine George does excellent work with the costumes from the ragged look of the poor to the more colorful and cartoonish look of the rich. Hair/makeup designer Jeremy Woodhead does nice work with the look of the Mason character in her very weird presentation from her hair and teeth that makes her more like a cartoon than a serious authority figure. The visual effects work of Kang Changbae and Eric Durst is spectacular for not just the look of the train in its exteriors but also in some of the action set pieces as well as what Earth looked like in its ice age. Sound designers Sung Rok Choi, Timothy Nielsen, and Dave Whitehead do fantastic work with the film‘s sound from the way the train sounds inside and out to the some of the atmosphere in the different train compartments. The film’s music by Marco Beltrami is wonderful for its orchestral flourishes along with some bombastic, electronic-based pieces while some of the film’s soundtrack includes a classical piece by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as a song from Cream.

The casting by Jenny Jue and Johanna Ray is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Paul Lazar as the maker of the mysterious protein bars, Tomas Lemarquis as a Wilford agent known as Egg-head, Marcanthonee Reis as Tanya’s five-year old son Tim, Steve Park as an officer of Mason, Emma Levie as a strange associate of Wilford, Clark Middleton as a poor painter who makes portraits for his friends, Vlad Ivanov and Adnan Haskovic as Mason’s muscle-men, and Luke Pasqualino as the mute fighter of the rebellion known as Grey. Ewen Bremner is terrific as the angry yet resourceful Andrew while Alison Pill is very funny as the offbeat teacher who tries to teach children the ideas of Wilford.

Ed Harris is excellent in a small yet very memorable role as the mysterious Wilford as a man who runs the train as he believes that he can save the world. John Hurt is amazing as the aging rebel leader Gilliam as he would guide Curtis into leading the rebellion as he hopes to confront Wilford himself. Octavia Spencer is brilliant as Tanya as the woman of the group who aids Curtis so she can retrieve her son. Tilda Swinton is great as the train minister Mason as she is this very cartoonish and offbeat character that tries to assert authority but is really a slimy coward. Jamie Bell is superb as Curtis’ sidekick Edgar who aids him in every way while doing a few funny things yet proves to be very reliable in every situation. Go Ah-sung is fantastic as the clairvoyant Yona as this young woman who can see through the gates while being an emotional compass of sorts in the film as she deals with the different worlds she’s never encountered.

Song Kang-ho is phenomenal as the drug-addicted gate designer Namgoong Minsu as a man who can open gates while making some realizations of his own about what is happening in and out of the train. Finally, there’s Chris Evans in a remarkable performance as Curtis Everett as a rebel leader who had seen and endured so much as he decides to take charge and confront Wilford as it’s a role filled with command but also anguish over some of his decisions as it’s a truly Evans in one of his best roles to date.

Snowpiercer is an outstanding film from Bong Joon-ho. Armed with a great ensemble cast as well as captivating themes on humanity, dystopia, and class structure. It’s a film that manages to do a lot of things where it’s not just an action film with brains but it’s also quite funny at times as it hits all of the marks and more. In the end, Snowpiercer is a sensational film from Bong Joon-ho.

Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother - Okja - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho

© thevoid99 2014

Alien

Directed by Ridley Scott, Alien is the story of a crew from outer space who encounter an alien that’s trying to kill its crew as they’re trying to return to Earth. From an original story by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett with a screenplay by O’Bannon and additional work from David Giler and Walter Hill. The film is a sci-fi horror film where a space crew tries to fight a mysterious creature. Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Yaphet Kotto, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ian Holm. Alien is a chilling yet engrossing sci-fi horror film from Ridley Scott.

On their way home to Earth, the commercial ship Nostromo is carrying 20 million tones of mineral ore and refinery with a crew of seven led by Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt). With a crew that includes executive officer Kane (John Hurt), navigator Lambert (Veronica Cartwright), senior science officer Ash (Ian Holm), engineers Brett (Harry Dean Stanton) and Parker (Yaphet Kotto), and warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). The crew receive a transmission to discover a nearby planet as the crew board a shuttle though not everyone thinks it’s a good idea. Dallas, Kane, and Lambert investigate the planet where they find a ship while Brett and Parker try to repair the shuttle due to its shaky landing where Ripley decodes the transmission message realize that something isn’t right.

When Dallas, Kane, and Lambert go inside the ship, Kane discovers eggs inside a chamber where a creature becomes attached to his helmet. After recovering Kane from the chamber, Dallas and Lambert try to re-enter the shuttle but Ripley refuses due to quarantine protocol until Ash opens the door against Ripley’s word. With the creature attached to Kane’s head, Ash tries to dissect the thing only to realize that its blood is filled with acid bringing more problems to everyone. Though the creature was eventually detached and dead, Ash still wants to dissect as Kane seems to have recovered only for something to go wrong. With an alien creature now on the loose and there’s no conventional weapons on board the main ship, Dallas and the crew decides to go after and kill the alien. Eventually, things get worse where Ripley makes a discovery that challenges everything that’s happening as she and remaining survivors decide to flee and fight off the alien.

The film is essentially a sci-fi horror story where a crew answer a distress call only to discover something wrong as an alien is on board their ship as they have to kill the damn thing. That’s pretty much it in the schematics of a horror-suspense film set in space where characters are eventually killed off one-by-one. Still, it’s a film that is about a crew that is very diverse as they would do things that would threaten their livelihood. Leading all of this is Ellen Ripley, a protagonist that is not many others before her as she is this headstrong woman that knows what to do and is willing to follow rules but knows that they can be broken if necessary.

Though she isn’t the head of this commercial ship, she is the film’s conscience of sorts following the events where they land on this planet after she decodes the warning. When one of its member is attacked by some alien life form early in the film, she knows that decision is made since she fears that bringing something alien would risk everything. Yet, it would the Ash character that would drive everything that would happen afterwards. Ash is a very complex character who is driven more by science though his motives become much more mysterious as the film progress. Notably as his actions would eventually cost the lives of the crew who are trying to kill the alien.

Dan O’Bannon’s screenplay definitely creates a lot of chilling suspense and stakes that occur throughout the film. Notably as it would involve individuals who are all quite flawed as they’re facing an alien that is going to kill them. All they want to do by the film’s second half is to just kill this alien and go home. In the schematics of horror, it becomes more complicated due to the actions of one character as well as a computer that would further raise the stakes. O’Bannon’s script is truly amazing for the way it plays things out that would lead to a climatic battle between the alien and whoever is left.

Ridley Scott’s direction is truly mesmerizing from the way he films the scenes in outer space with the stars and planets to the intensity of the suspense in these claustrophobic vents and hallways inside the space station. With these engaging compositions of the way he opens the film to introduce the characters with this simple yet wide shot of the pods opening. He lets the audience soak up the world they live inside this space station with amazing rooms including this one room where the mother computer runs everything as Captain Dallas tries to figure out the destination and such where he would find this distress call. By the time the film goes into this mysterious planet where crew members enter this very strange spaceship.

The way the art direction helps set the mood as well as the creature effects that would reveal the alien, that is designed by H.R. Giger, to help move the story forward from this entrancing sci-fi suspense into a horror film where the characters are trying to kill this alien. The horror isn’t as gory as one would expect but the way the alien would pick off a character and why things go out of their control adds to the stakes of survival. What Scott creates in the end is a masterfully-crafted and entrancing film that definitely adds a lot of nuance and ideas to what a sci-fi film should be.

Cinematographer Derek Vanlit does excellent work with the film‘s evocative cinematography that is filled with dark colors and lighting shades to play up the brooding tone of the film in its many interior scenes. Editors Terry Rawlings and Peter Weatherly, with additional work by David Crowther for its 2003 director’s cut, do fantastic work with the editing by utilizing rhythmic cuts to play up the suspense as well as stylish dissolves for the film‘s sleeping pod scenes to introduce the characters. Production designers Michael Seymour and Roger Christian, with set decorator Ian Whittaker and art director Leslie Dilley, do brilliant work with the amazing set pieces created such as the interior of the alien ship as well as the look of the Nostromo space ship in its exterior along with its interior sets including the mother room.

Costume designer John Mollo does nice work with the costumes from the underwear the crew wear in the sleeping pods to the different array of uniforms and casual clothing that expresses each character along with the look of the astronaut suits. Special effects supervisors Nick Allder and Brian Johnson do amazing work with the special effects such as the Nostromo miniature look as well as the exterior look of outer space and the movement of the alien and creature design. Sound editor Jim Shields and mixer (for its 2003 director’s cut) Andrew I. King do superb work with the sound from the way the alien creature screams to the noises of computers and engines inside the space station. The music score of Jerry Goldsmith is wonderful for its orchestral flourishes to play out the drama and suspense that occurs throughout the film.

The casting by Mary Goldberg and Mary Selway is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it includes some small work from Helen Horton as the voice of the mother computer and Bolaji Badejo as the alien. Notable performances include Yaphet Kotto as the cynical yet humorous Parker and Harry Dean Stanton as the witty Brett. Veronica Cartwright is very good as the highly-emotional Lambert who is overwhelmed by the situation that is happening though is more in control as a navigator. John Hurt is excellent as the executive officer Kane whose discovery of the alien eggs would have awful repercussions for him. Tom Skerritt is superb as Nostromo captain Dallas who tries to maintain control of everything while dealing with the alien creature.

Ian Holm is great as the science officer Ash whose desire to explore the alien as well as undermining protocol for mysterious reasons adds to a very complex performance to his character. Finally, there’s Sigourney Weaver in her breakthrough performance as Ellen Ripley. In the first of four films where she would play the character, Weaver brings a real sense of control as a woman that is trying to make sure things don’t go wrong while having to deal with the implications of all that is happened. It’s a truly spectacular performance for the actress as it’s also one of the greatest female protagonists ever played on film.

Alien is an outstanding and intensely-mesmerizing sci-fi horror film from Ridley Scott led by an incredible performance from Sigourney Weaver. The film is definitely not just one of Ridley Scott’s great films but also one of the definitive films of the sci-fi genre in terms of its ambition and suspense. Notably as it’s a film that creates tension and chills where a space crew tries to fight off an alien where everything is on the line. In the end, Alien is a stunning yet ravishing film from Ridley Scott.

Ridley Scott Films: (The Duellists) - Blade Runner - (Legend) - (Someone to Watch Over Me) - (Black Rain) - (Thelma & Louise) - (1492: Conquest of Discovery) - (White Squall) - (G.I. Jane) - (Gladiator (2000 film)) - (Hannibal) - (Matchstick Men) - (Kingdom of Heaven) - (A Good Year) - (American Gangster) - (Body of Lies) - (Robin Hood (2010 film)) - Prometheus - (The Counselor) - (Exodus) - The Martian - (Alien: Covenant) - All the Money in the World

Alien Films: Aliens - Alien 3 - Alien Resurrection

© thevoid99 2012