Starting Out in the Evening

Originally written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/10/08 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Andrew Wagner and written by Wagner and Fred Parnes based on a novel by Brian Morton, Starting Out in the Evening tells the storing of a respected but aging novelist who is falling ill as his life unravels while being unable to finish a novel that has taken him ten years to write. Seemingly forgotten by the literary world comes an ambitious graduate student who is writing a thesis on the novelist where the reclusive novelist is reintroduced to his work and confront the demons that has haunt. A mediation on regrets and aging, the film is a study of a man desperate to find meaning in his work while dealing with regrets. Starring Frank Langella, Lily Taylor, Lauren Ambrose, and Adrian Lester. Starting Out in the Evening is a poignant, harrowing drama from Andrew Wagner.

Leonard Schiller (Frank Langella) for the past 10 years has been trying to work on a new novel. After four successful novels, the once great literary figure has fallen off the face of the earth. Now a college professor, the literary world has seemed to forgotten about him as he struggles to write a new novel. Yet, he's getting older and his health is failing him. Then he comes into contact with a graduate student named Heather Wolfe (Lauren Ambrose) who is planning to do a thesis on Schiller. Leonard isn't sure until her persistence wins him over. Leonard is also dealing with his daughter Ariel (Lily Taylor) who is approaching 40 and wants a child. Yet, she doesn't feel that it should be with current boyfriend Victor (Michael Cumptsy) as she learns her former boyfriend Casey (Adrian Lester) has returned to New York City.

Heather discusses the first two novels that Leonard wrote as they go into deep discussions on literature and what inspired him. Yet, she's looking to clues into why his writing style changed in relation to the death of his wife. Leonard doesn't try to reveal anything yet finds something charming in Heather as he invites her to a book signing party that Ariel couldn't attend. Leonard finds himself out of place as Heather defends his status to another writer (Jessica Hecht) over compromises. An attraction ensues but both Leonard and Heather resist the temptation. Ariel meanwhile, reconnects with Casey as the two start dating again much to Leonard's chagrin. Still, Casey's presence manages not to be distracting when Ariel is celebrating her birthday while Heather learns about facts that she hadn't heard about.

Heather confronts Leonard over the change in his writing style as well as why it's taking him so long. Yet, the attraction sparks as Ariel becomes a bit uncomfortable while Heather manages to complete her thesis. Yet, Leonard's health starts to wane while Casey and Ariel begin to hit bumps again in their relationship. Realizing that he might not finish his novel, Leonard begins to contemplate his life as well as his status as a writer.

First time director Andrew Wagner creates an eerie character study about an aging novelist whose status in the literary world is nonexistent. When a student tries to reintroduce him to the world, he's reluctant but willing only to realize he's running out of time. The subplot involving Ariel and Casey is more about a daughter trying to the next step in her life while her boyfriend is trying to figure out the next step in his. It's all about characters and their interaction and intentions. Though the character of Heather has great intentions, she struggles with the fact that she couldn't understand why Leonard Schiller had changed his writing style. Plus, she struggles with one of his book as she tries to be honest. It's a film about characters in the literary world and the people that become their characters. Wagner's direction is wonderfully intimate and engaging as if it's a film set on the stage.

Cinematographer Harlan Bosmajian creates a low-light look through digital cameras to create a style and intimacy to the film's interior settings that conveys the mind of Leonard Schiller with production designer Carol Strober and art director Dara Wishingrad creating that same look in the set designs and decorations. Editor Gena Bleier does fine work in the editing that emphasizes less on style and more on a pacing that's very smooth and nothing spectacular. Costume designer Claudia Brown also plays up to the film's look with contemporary clothing and suits for Frank Langella along with a youthful array of clothes for Lauren Ambrose. Sound editor Scott A. Jennings does excellent work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of New York City and its crowded, talkative literary world. Music composer Adam Gorgoni creates a melancholic, melodic score that plays up to the film's emotions without any huge arrangements or big sounds. Instead, the subtle score underplays the emotion of the characters and tone of the film.

The casting by Cindy Tolan is superb with appearances from Joie Lee as a poet, John C. Havens as a doorman, Jessica Hecht as a writer, Jeff McCarthy as a colleague of Leonard Schiller, and Michael Cumptsy as Ariel's boyfriend Victor. Adrian Lester is excellent as Casey, a former flame of Ariel who comes back to her life with new ambitions though is unsure about the idea of wanting a family. Lester's laid-back performance is wonderful as he shares the similar struggles of moving forward that Leonard deals with despite their differences. Lily Taylor is superb as Ariel, Leonard's adult daughter whose desire to want a child is also dealing with her father's relationship with Heather. Taylor's performance is wonderfully understated and charming as it proves that she remains one of indie cinema's best and most beloved actresses.

Lauren Ambrose is great as Heather Wolfe, a young woman set to reintroduce Leonard to the world while exploring his books and writing styles. Ambrose plays the character with a lot of spunk and maturity while her character is also flawed in the fact that she ends up being a bit dishonest in raising hopes up when it collides with realism. Finally, there's Frank Langella is a purely masterful, extraordinary performance that shows the brilliance of the respected veteran actor. Langella's performance is filled with such ease while carrying a sense of history as if there's a lot to know about this man. The way Langella acts around with his actors and to situations where even him silent and not really doing proves how much he can do as an actor. It's a performance that was unjustly overlook at the most recent Academy Awards and it's one that audiences shall not forget.

Starting Out in the Evening is a brilliant, harrowing debut feature from Andrew Wagner helmed by a brilliant performance from Frank Langella. With great supporting performances from Lauren Ambrose, Lily Taylor, and Adrian Lester, it's a film that is very engaging while providing a sense of what the New York City literary world is like and how it's changed from the past. The film is wonderful for an audience that just wants to see actors act and explore different worlds as if it's all told in a theater. In the end, Starting Out in the Evening is a mesmerizing film that's led by one of cinema's finest and often overlooked actors, Frank Langella.

© thevoid99 2014

2012 Cannes Marathon: Do the Right Thing

(Played in Competition for the Palme D’or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival)

Written, directed, and starring Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing is the story about one hot summer day in a Brooklyn neighborhood as racial tension starts to boil. The film explores an entire day where an Italian pizza owner has to deal with numerous characters including a highly-vocal young man, a big man carrying a boom box, and his new pizza delivery boy who just wants to get paid. Also starring Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Rosie Perez, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, Steve Park, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Joie Lee, Roger Guenveur Smith, and Samuel L. Jackson. Do the Right Thing is a provocative yet harrowing drama from Spike Lee.

It’s a hot summer day in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn as Mookie (Spike Lee) has to go to work at a pizzeria owned by Sal (Danny Aiello). Working with Sal’s two adult sons in Pino (John Turturro) and Vito (Richard Edson), Mookie’s only concern is to get paid and see his girlfriend Tina (Rosie Perez) and son Hector whom he hasn’t seen in a week. Things get tense as the day goes on where Mookie’s friend Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito) is eating pizza at Sal’s as he is upset over why Sal’s Wall of Fame features Italians and wants to know if Sal will put some African-Americans on the wall. Instead, Buggin’ Out gets kicked out as he tries to start a boycott on Sal’s Pizza as the day continues to heat up where an old drunk named Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) tries to win the affections of an old woman named Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) who keeps looking out at the neighborhood.

Things continue to intensify as a trio of men (Robin Harris, Frankie Faison, and Paul Benjamin) watch the neighborhood deal with the heat while making complaints about Korean grocery store owner named Sonny (Steve Park) who had taken over the corner across from Sal’s for more than a year. Though Mookie is doing his job, he still has to deal with the prejudiced Pino who is not happy about working at his father’s place and is sick of being in an environment that he feels is filled with animals. Though Sal wants to maintain that his place is here to stay, he has an uneasy encounter with Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) who likes to blast Public Enemy’s Fight the Power at a loud volume as he later joins Buggin’ Out in the boycott against Sal that would include a mentally-challenged man named Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith) who meanders around the neighborhood trying to sell a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

With the day turning into night and closing time starts to emerge, the tension between Buggin’ Out and Radio Raheem towards Sal about wanting some African-Americans on the wall leads to a huge fight that culminates in an incident the neighborhood would never forget.

What happens on one hot summer day in a small section of Brooklyn where things become uneasy between an Italian-America pizzeria owner, his two sons, a young pizza delivery man, his friends, some teenagers, a trio of middle-aged men, two elderly people, a Korean grocery store owner, two cops, and a radio DJ that watches everything in his booth? Well, there’s a lot that happens in this film where it all centers around a pizzeria that has been around for 25 years and one guy is upset over the fact that there’s no brothers on Sal’s Wall of Fame filled with famous Italian-Americans. A lot of is from the perspective of a young man named Mookie who is just trying to get through this hot day while he delivers pizza by foot and deal with Sal and Pino for being late or just delivering the pizzas not on time. For Mookie, he could care less except for just getting paid and do what is right for his girlfriend and their young son.

There’s also subplots that is prevalent in the film’s screenplay as it includes this old drunk who wanders around the neighborhood trying to impress this old lady as both of them watch what is going on. Notably as the old man is trying to bring wisdom to a young group of teenagers who dismiss his wisdom while he would end up doing something noble. There’s also brief glimpses of a group of Puerto Ricans trying to get through the hot day where they would have an encounter with Radio Raheem along with a scene where Buggin’ Out gets upset at a guy (John Savage) for accidentally messing up his Air Jordans. It’s all part of what is happening in the course of a very hot day as things are starting to boil where a couple of cops (Rick Aiello and Miguel Sandoval) are looking around.

One of Spike Lee’s gifts as a storyteller is the way he creates characters who are truly interesting but also flawed. Notably individuals like Pino and Buggin’ Out who are both quite extreme in their views of the world. Pino can be called a racist since he often spouts racial slurs and is not enthused about working in a predominantly African-American area. In a conversation with Mookie, it is revealed that is favorite basketball star is Magic Johnson, his favorite movie star is Eddie Murphy, and his favorite musician is Prince. That revelation is quite strange as Pino tries to explain to Mookie that these guys he loves aren’t black or whatever. They’re just men as he tries to explain but it adds to the complications of who he is though Mookie doesn’t think he’s a total jerk.

Buggin’ Out is another character that is quite extreme though his intentions about having brothers on the Wall of Fame is noble. It’s just that his approach rubs people the wrong way as he’s often dismissed or has to get some lesson from people about what he should do. Still, Buggin’ Out is on a mission to boycott Sal where he ends up gaining the very intimidating Radio Raheem in the boycott and things eventually goes out of control. Especially when it finally makes this very old-school yet kind man like Sal get even more angrier where his own hatred is unveiled in an intense scene that is followed by violence and chaos. All of this is in the eyes of a DJ named Mister Senor Daddy Love (Samuel L. Jackson) who, along with the three men in the corner, would comment everything that is going on in his neighborhood.

Lee’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of the compositions he creates as well as the mood he sets for these very simple yet tense dramatic scenes. Shot on location in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, Lee wanted to show a world that is vibrant and quite diverse but also a bit uneasy due to the heat wave that is happening. Scenes such as Mookie and Tina’s love scene with an ice cube along with some interior shots show the sweat and weariness of these characters. It would add to the boiling tension that occurs as Lee would always frame the actors a certain way to play up the drama.

Notably as there’s some montages such as a scene where characters spew out racial insults at someone to the camera only for Mister Senor Daddy Love to stop the montage so that everyone should just chill out. There’s a lot of intimate yet more simpler moments where Sal is flirting with Mookie’s sister Jade (Joie Lee) where there’s a camera panning to express the different feelings of both Mookie and Pino who feel uneasy about this relationship. There’s also some striking close-ups that add to the dramatic tension including shots where Lee takes advantage of using the crane to capture the neighborhood and the characters in this neighborhood.

For the film’s climatic moment where the tension boils in this pizzeria between Sal and Radio Raheem, Lee’s camera is always presented in a slanted composition where he’s waiting for the moment for things to finally just go out of control. There’s people in this crowd that is saying names of those who had died in these awful situations where its aftermath is one that will be frustrating because it ends up raising more questions than answers over what had happened. Did anyone in that film do the right thing? It’s not that easy to answer. Yet, Lee chooses to end the film with two very different quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X that each has different viewpoints about using violence as it is followed by the picture of the two that Smiley had been holding throughout the entirety of the film. Overall, Lee creates a truly mesmerizing yet very confrontational film that doesn’t take the easy road into exploring race relations nor does he want to imply something with an overbearing message.

Cinematographer Ernest Dickerson does an extraordinary job with the film‘s vibrant and colorful cinematography from the daytime exteriors to play up the heat to the interiors where the heat intensify where Dickerson creates some gorgeous lighting schemes to play up the tension. Editor Barry Alexander Brown does a brilliant job with the editing to play up the rhythm of the conversations to the racial-spewing montage that is wonderfully cut along with other stylish elements to help keep the film at a leisured pace. Production designer Wynn Thomas and set decorator Steve Rosse do excellent work with the set pieces such as Sal‘s pizzeria with its old-school Italian setting and its Wall of Fame along with the red wall that the old men in the corner sit at including other parts of the Bedford-Stuyvesant location.

Costume designer Ruth Carter does wonderful work with the costumes from the Brooklyn Dodgers shirt that Mookie wears in the film‘s first half to the more colorful clothing many of the characters wear. Sound designer Skip Lievsay does fantastic work with the film‘s sound from the way Radio Raheem‘s boom box blares Public Enemy‘s Fight the Power to varying degrees of volume to the chaos that occurs in the film‘s climatic moment. The film’s score by Bill Lee is superb for its mix of orchestral flourishes that features a soothing saxophone by Branford Marsalis and a trumpet from Terence Blanchard to play out the chaos and drama that occurs in the film. The film’s soundtrack a wonderful mix of music ranging from Ruben Blades’ salsa to the reggae of Steel Pulse. Yet, a lot of the film’s music is dominated by R&B and hip-hop from acts like Teddy Riley, Take 6, E.U., and Public Enemy.

The casting by Robi Reed-Humes is outstanding for the ensemble that is created as it includes notable appearances from John Savages as a man who accidentally runs over Buggin’ Out’s Air Jordans, Frank Vincent as a man with a vintage car, Richard Parnell Habersham as a kid named Eddie, Ginny Yang as the Korean store owner’s wife, Joie Lee as Mookie’s younger yet more responsible sister Jade, Steve Parks as the Korean grocery owner Sonny, and Luis Antonio Ramos as a Puerto Rican who battles Radio Raheem over who has the louder boom box. Other noteworthy small yet memorable performances include Frankie Faison, Robin Harris, and Paul Benjamin as the three men in the corner commenting about everything while Martin Lawrence, Steve White, Leonard L. Thomas, and Christa Rivers are very good as the four young people who play around at the neighborhood. Miguel Sandoval and Rick Aiello are also good as the two cops who try to maintain order despite the treatment they receive from the neighborhood.

In her film debut, Rosie Perez is superb as Mookie’s profanity-spouting girlfriend Tina who bitches about Mookie not being there while Perez has a great moment dancing to Public Enemy in the film’s opening title sequence. Roger Guenveur Smith is terrific as the mentally-challenged Smiley while Bill Nunn is excellent as the intimidating Radio Raheem who sports two different rings that says “love” on the right and “hate” on the left. Richard Edson is pretty good as Sal’s much friendlier son Vito who is good friends with Mookie while John Turturro is amazing as the very prejudiced Pino who often spouts racial slurs while feeling embarrassed about where he’s working at. Giancarlo Esposito is incredible as the very outspoken Buggin’ Out who is trying to boycott Sal’s pizzeria in order to just to have some brothers on the wall.

Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee are wonderful in their respective roles of Da Mayor and Mother Sister as the two elderly individuals each provide insight into the surroundings around them with Davis trying to be the man of good despite wanting a beer. Samuel L. Jackson is great in a small role as Mister Senor Daddy Love who comments about everything that is happening as he even breaks the fourth wall by letting everyone chill. Spike Lee is great as the immature but determined Mookie who is keen on wanting to get paid while having to deal with some of the things in his life as he becomes more concerned for his family whom he hadn’t seen lately. Finally, there’s Danny Aiello in a phenomenal performance as Sal who is just trying to run his pizzeria in a hot day while dealing with Mookie’s attitude, Pino’s prejudice, and the tension that is happening as he finally loses it.

Do the Right Thing is a remarkable yet powerful film from Spike Lee. Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Lee, Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Ruby Dee, the late Ossie Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Rosie Perez, and Bill Nunn. It’s a film that is truly engrossing to watch for the way it plays out a lot of racial tension on one hot summer day. For those new to Spike Lee, this film is pretty much the best thing he did as well as a true landmark film for the way African-American life is depicted without playing down to stereotypes or with a message. In the end, Do the Right Thing is a magnificent film from Spike Lee.

Spike Lee Films: (She’s Gotta Have It) - (School Daze) - Mo' Better Blues - Jungle Fever - (Malcolm X) - Crooklyn - (Clockers) - (Girl 6) - (Get on the Bus) - 4 Little Girls - (He Got Game) - Freak - Summer of Sam - (The Original Kings of Comedy) - (Bamboozled) - (A Huey P. Newton Story) - (Jim Brown: All-American) - 25th Hour - (She Hate Me) - (Inside Man) - (When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts) - (Miracle at St. Anna) - (Kobe Doin’ Work) - (Passing Strange) - (If God is Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise) - (Red Hook Summer) - Bad 25 - Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - (Oldboy (2013 film)) - (Da Blood of Jesus) - (Chi Raq) - Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall - BlacKkKlansman - Da 5 Bloods - (American Utopia)

© thevoid99 2012

Coffee and Cigarettes

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Coffee and Cigarettes is a collection of 11 vignettes relating to people having conversations about anything while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. The film is a collection of 11 shorts, three of which were made prior in 2003 including the 1993 Somewhere in California segment that won Jarmusch the short film Palme D’or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. With an all-start cast that includes Roberto Benigni, Steven Wright, Joie Lee, Cinque Lee, Steve Buscemi, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, Cate Blanchett, Steve Coogan, Alfred Molina, Issach de Bankole, Jack & Meg White of the White Stripes, RZA & GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Bill Murray. Coffee and Cigarettes is fun collection of shorts and vignettes from Jim Jarmusch.

In Strange to Meet You, Roberto Benigni and Steven Wright meet as Wright is nervous about a dentist appointment during a conversation about their love coffee and cigarettes. Twins is about twins (Joie Lee and Cinque Lee) drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes in Memphis as a waiter (Steve Buscemi) tells them his theories about Elvis Presley and his twin brother Jesse. Somewhere in California has Iggy Pop and Tom Waits have an awkward conversation as Waits claims he’s a doctor while Pop offers him a drummer he has just worked with. Those Things’ll Kill Ya has Joseph Rigano and Vinny Vella talking about their vices as Vinny’s son Vinny Jr. asks for money via sign language in an act of silence.

Renée has Renée French drinking coffee and looking at magazine while a waiter (E.J. Rodriguez) tries to serve her. No Problem is about two friends (Issach de Bankole and Alex Descas) talking as Issach keeps asking Alex questions about some issues. Cousins is about Cate Blanchett meeting her cousin Shelly (Cate Blanchett) at a hotel lounge where they talk about their lives as Shelly reveals she has a new boyfriend. Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil has Jack White showing Meg the Tesla Coil he had while talking about the brilliance of Nikola Tesla.

Cousins? has Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan having tea in Los Angeles talking about their career as Molina shows him something claiming he and Coogan are cousins. Delirium is about GZA and RZA talking about alternative medicines and the dangers of caffeine where Bill Murray appears drinking a mug of coffee. Champagne is about two old men (William “Bill” Rice and Taylor Mead) talking about nostalgia as the music of Mahler.

The concept of the film is about two or three people having conversations about practically anything while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. Throughout each segment, there is a looseness to the story as many of the conversations are improvised where people talk about many things throughout. Whether its about music, art, coffee, cigarettes, Nikola Tesla, anything, or maybe nothing at all. The idea of drinking coffee and having a smoke is something intriguing to Jim Jarmusch throughout many of these shorts that have been created from 1986 through 2003.

Through each short as they’re all presented in black and white with varying running times, Jarmusch is able to keep the camera still and often shooting the coffee and cigarettes. At the same time, he repeats a few motifs and dialogues to keep the all the shorts connected in one way or another. While a lot of the shorts work and a couple like Renée and Champagne don’t work entirely, Jarmusch does create what is certainly a fascinating film.

Helping Jarmusch with his vision are a team of cinematographers, editors, and production designers that get involved in the film throughout the years. With Frederick Elmes shooting a large portion of the material while Tom Di Cillo does Strange to Meet You, Robby Mueller on Twins, and Ellen Kuras for Renée and No Problem. The cinematography from the early parts have a grainy look while it becomes a bit more refined to complement the atmosphere of each section. Editor Jay Rabinowitz doing a lot of the segments while Jim Jarmusch and Terry Katz did Somewhere in California and Melody London doing Twins and Strange to Meet You. The editing is very tight and rhythmic to capture a lot of the conversations while Renée and Champagne kind of meanders a bit.

Mark Friedberg and Tom Jarmusch do a lot of the production design of the film to help set the mood for each segment that is happening while Dan Bishop does the Twins segment. For the sound work, longtime Jarmusch collaborator Anthony J. Ciccolini III does a lot of the sound work and mixing for all of the segments including the remixing for the older segments. The soundtrack is a mixture of music that is played the background though the film opens and closes with Louie, Louie by Richard Berry opening the film and Iggy Pop’s cover closing the film. The rest of the soundtrack includes pieces by Tom Waits, Jerry Byrd, the Stooges, Tommy James & the Shondells, the Skatalites, Funkadelic, and Gustav Mahler.

The cast is truly phenomenal as there’s a wonderful array of performers many of whom are playing themselves or exaggerations of themselves. Notable standouts include Bill Murray, RZA, and GZA in Delirium, Steve Buscemi in Twins, Steven Wright and Robert Benigni in Strange to Meet You, Steve Coogan and Alfred Molina in Cousins?, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits in Somewhere in California, and the White Stripes in Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil that features a cameo from Cinque Lee. The best performance easily goes to Cate Blanchett in the Cousins segment as she plays herself and her cooler cousin with long black hair and stylish clothes as it’s a funny, remarkable performance.

Coffee and Cigarettes is an entertaining yet captivating film from Jim Jarmusch. While it may not reach the heights of great films like Mystery Train and Night on Earth as a whole. Some of the vignettes do stand out as great little mini-masterpieces of Jarmusch as a filmmaker who likes to keep things simple and to the point. It’s a film that fans of his work will enjoy where they to get to revisit the older shorts and see some new ones. In the end, Coffee and Cigarettes is a stylish yet enjoyable 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 - Broken Flowers - The Limits of Control - Only Lovers Left Alive - Paterson - Gimme Danger - The Dead Don’t Die - (Father Mother Sister Brother) - The Auteurs #27: Jim Jarmusch

© thevoid99 2011

Crooklyn

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/23/07.

Following the 1992 historical, epic bio-pic on Malcolm X, Spike Lee took a break from making his cinematic epic that some considered to be his best work. After the break, Lee decided to make a low-key yet thoughtful film about family life in the 1970s in Brooklyn titled Crooklyn. Directed by Spike Lee that he co-wrote with sister Joie and brother Cinque, Crooklyn tells the story of a family trying to survive through money problems and troubles in their neighborhood from the perspective of a little girl growing into womanhood. Starring Delroy Lindo, Alfre Woodard, David Patrick Kelly, Isaiah Washington, Zelda Harris, Joie Lee, Bokeem Woodbine, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Spike Lee. Crooklyn is a thoughtful, personal feature film from the always prolific Spike Lee.

It's the 1970s in Brooklyn as kids play around the streets and stoops of the Brooklyn neighborhood. A mix of African-American, whites, and Puerto Ricans, it's a place filled with joy and bits of trouble. For the Carmichaels led by musician Woody (Delroy Lindo) and his teacher wife Carolyn (Alfre Woodard), it's a place where they raise their rowdy kids that consists of four boys and a young girl named Troy (Zelda Harris). Troy is a tomboy with an attitude who often calls bad names to other kids and have spats with her brothers including her eldest, Knicks-loving Clinton (Carlton Williams). While the rest of the brothers including the hungry Wendell (Sharif Rashed), the middle child Nate (Christopher Knowings), and the youngest child Joseph (Tse-Mach Washington) are rowdy and rambunctious, the family is still in a loving household. While the boys hang out with adults that include Puerto Rican Tommy La La (Jose Zuniga), Vic (Isaiah Washington), and Richard (Bokeem Woodbine). They often get into spats with the reclusive Tony Eyes (David Patrick Kelly), who lives with dogs and his place always stink. The boys are always supported by their mother and their neighbors into the spats with Tony though the boys do throw trash in his place.

While the family continue their daily lives, money has become tight as Woody chooses to make his own music rather than playing traditional pop. Woody’s decision only troubles the family's financial situation as Carolyn has to make more money teaching summer school. The family dysfunctions that included Clinton's love for the Knicks over everything else finally causes a breakdown in which, Woody is forced to leave for a brief period time as he lives with his brother Brown (Vondie Curtis-Hall). Troy meanwhile, continues her rowdy ways as she attempts to shoplift but the store's manager Hector (Manny Perez) gives her a life lesson into stealing. The lesson doesn’t last long as Troy steals from her brother to buy ice cream for herself and one of her friends. After returning to make amends with Carolyn, Woody decides to take the family out on a road trip as a distraction to deal with the family's ongoing financial problems. Even to the point where they had to live on food stamps which was embarrassing to Troy.

Going down to Virginia to visit relatives in Uncle Clem (Norman Matlock), Aunt Song (Frances Foster), and their daughter Viola (Patriece Nelson). The real intention was to give Troy a new atmosphere as she is to stay with her relatives for the summer. The visit only alienated Troy despite Aunt Song's well-meaning behavior and a friend in Viola. Back in Brooklyn, the family gets up from their financial problems with help from Uncle Brown and Aunt Maxine (Joie Lee). Troy returns with a new look only to learn of some harrowing family problems. Troy realizes that her role as the only other woman in her dysfunctional yet loving family has to grow while having to deal with the worst. Even the boys have to face new troubles where they learn what is important.

Inspired by their youth growing up in the 70s, Crooklyn was a change of pace and style to the epic-biography of Lee's previous film, Malcolm X. This time around, Lee and his siblings create probably their most accessible feature to date. While the film lacks a strong plot and is a bit episodic, it's only to convey the sense of realism and nostalgia Lee wanted to show about the 1970s. At times, there are moments that are funny. There's moments of real, family drama, and there's even moments of heartbreak and tragedy. Yet, there's an optimism in the film while it's largely done in the perspective of the character of Troy. Troy is obviously inspired by Joie Lee, who wrote the film's original story. Her story is about a young girl growing into womanhood while dealing with the realities of life.

Lee's direction is wonderfully observant and atmospheric in conveying the times while he goes for style in the sequence involving the world of Aunt Song where on full-screen, the film looks cropped. It's to convey the sense of alienation of Troy while contrasting the fullness of what Brooklyn is back in the 70s before crack and gangs came in. Plus, Lee's approach towards the kids reveal the loss innocence of the times when those kids were playing outside and having fun rather than doing something destructive. While it's not a perfect film, it's honesty and personal touch still makes it an enjoyable, heartwarming film.

Cinematographer Arthur Jafa does excellent work in capturing the beauty and atmosphere of Brooklyn with some wonderful shots conveying the look of the road in the sky. Longtime production designer Wynn Thomas and art director Chris Shriver adds to the authentic touch of Brooklyn with the look of products of what they looked like back in the 70s to the furniture in the home of the Carmichaels. Longtime costume designer Ruth E. Carter also adds to the film's authentic look with bellbottoms, shirts, and all sorts of colorful clothes people wore in the 70s. Editor Barry Alexander Brown does some wonderful cuts to convey the structure and feel of the film without being too slow or too fast despite the episodic nature of the film. Sound designer Skip Leivsay also adds a nice touch to the atmosphere to reveal the sense of joy and nostalgia of Brooklyn in the 70s. Longtime composer Terence Blanchard brings a wonderful, dramatic jazz and orchestral score to present the drama and joy of the film. The film's soundtrack is wonderfully amazing with great cuts from Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, and many more.

The film's wonderfully diverse cast includes several memorable small performances and appearances from Bokeem Woodbine, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Joie Lee, Norman Matlock, Patriece Nelson, Manny Perez, Jose Zuniga, and Isaiah Washington. Cameos from RuPaul as a woman dancing in a shop with the store owner while Spike Lee and N. Jeremi Duru are hilarious as two, glue-sniffers trying to get money from the kids. David Patrick Kelly is excellent as the irritable neighbor Tony Eyes and a small part as a man named Jim. Frances Forster is wonderful as the well-meaning Aunt Song with Southern beliefs and manner. Tse-Mach Washington is great as the youngest brother Joseph while Christopher Knowings has a great scene that involved black-eyed peas. Sharif Rashed is funny as the hungry Wendell while Carlton Williams is great as Spike's alter-ego Clinton for his love of the Knicks including a great scene that involves the conflict of what was more important than the Knicks.

Zelda Harris gives an exhilarating performance as the no-nonsense, all-attitude tomboy Troy who brings such joy and energy to her performance. Harris really shines in the film's comical and emotional moments that gives her character some wonderful development. Delroy Lindo is brilliant as the struggling yet charismatic Woody who tries to hold the family together in all of its problems as he serves as the glue of sorts despite his need for artistic recognition. Finally, there's Alfre Woodard in a knock-out performance as the no-nonsense Carolyn. Woodard brings all kinds of emotions as the stern, tough, and caring mother who tries to calm everything down and make sure all the kids behave themselves. Woodard alongside Harris, is the performance to watch who shows how a woman plays her role in a family that is dysfunctional but loving.

While Crooklyn maybe considered as a minor film from Spike Lee, his personal touch and semi-biographical take really adds a sense of nuance and care to this film. With a great cast and a story that revels in nostalgia and realism, this is really one of Lee's premier films. While it's also his most optimistic and positive, it's also a reminder of how far Lee is willing to stretch his talents with the help of his siblings. In the end, for a film that reminds everyone about family and the good times that was the 1970s, Crooklyn is the film to go see.

Spike Lee Films: (She’s Gotta Have It) - (School Daze) - Do the Right Thing - Mo' Better Blues - Jungle Fever - (Malcolm X) - (Clockers) - (Girl 6) - (Get on the Bus) - 4 Little Girls - (He Got Game) - Freak - Summer of Sam - (The Original Kings of Comedy) - (Bamboozled) - (A Huey P. Newton Story) - 25th Hour - (Jim Brown: All-American) - (She Hate Me) - (Inside Man) - (When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts) - (Miracle at St. Anna) - (Kobe Doin’ Work) - (Passing Strange) - (If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise) - (Red Hook Summer) - Bad 25 - Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - (Oldboy (2013 film)) - (Da Blood of Jesus) - (Chi Raq) - Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall - BlacKkKlansman - Da 5 Bloods - (American Utopia)

© thevoid99 2011

Mo' Better Blues

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/12/07.

Following Spike Lee's widely acclaimed masterpiece Do the Right Thing in 1989, Lee chose to take a break from his socially-conscious films for an exploration in jazz. 1990's Mo' Better Blues is the story of a jazz musician who tries to juggle his professional career and personal life through a series of bad decisions. Written and directed by Spike Lee, the film marked Lee's first collaboration with Denzel Washington who plays the fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam. Also starring Lee and his regulars John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Wesley Snipes, Joie Lee, Bill Nunn, and Samuel L. Jackson plus Cynda Williams, Robin Harris, and Charlie Murphy. Mo' Better Blues is a brilliant, passionate love letter to jazz and music in all of its chaos.

It's 1969 as a young Bleek Gilliam (Zakee Howze) is practicing his trumpet in front of his mother Lillian (Abbey Lincoln) while his father (Dick Anthony Williams) insists that he should go out and play with his friends. 20 years later, Bleek is an accomplished trumpet player leading a jazz quintet that included saxophonist Shadow (Wesley Snipes), pianist Left Hand Lacey (Giancarlo Esposito), bassist Bottom Hammer (Bill Nunn), and drummer Rhythm Jones (Jeff "Tain" Watts). Managing Bleek and his band is Bleek's childhood friend Giant (Spike Lee) where the band has always been selling out the same club they've been playing for years. While the group has been successful, tension has started to rise where Shadow wants more money and have more say in the band yet it remains Bleek’s band while his band mates insist that Giant is a bad manager.

While Bleek seems comfortable in his professional life, he also has a loving relationship with his accountant girlfriend Indigo (Joie Lee) while playing catch with his father. Giant meanwhile, continues to gamble with a bookie named Petey (Ruben Blades) that only brings more troubles to his gambling debts. While rehearsing, Bleek gets a visit from his mistress Clarke (Cynda Williams) who wants to become a singer. Still, tension between Bleek and his band over money and management has increased while Bleek and Shadow often have problems with Left Hand's lateness, some of it due to his French girlfriend Jeanne (Linda Hawkins). Giant's financial troubles worsen when he's confronted by the club' financial managers the Flatbush brothers (John and Nicholas Turturro), bouncers Eggy (Charlie Murphy) and Rod (Leonard L. Thomas), and Petey over money.

With Bleek continuing to work on his music, Shadow is making plans to break on his own where he tries to surround himself with Clarke. Then one night at the club where it's packed, Bleek plays a new number to discuss the roots of jazz while another night, he professes his troubling love affairs and passions in a song called Mo' Better Blues. After a night in which both Clarke and Indigo wore the same red dress, Bleek's love affairs finally comes to ahead and takes it toll. After talking to Giant, he begins to wonder about Giant's own gambling problems. Giant's problems finally caught up with him as he is injured by a bookie named Madlock (Samuel L. Jackson). With Bleek and Giant's problems increasing along with the bad decisions, Bleek decides to help Giant out but the tension between him and Shadow have finally come to ahead where Bleek and Giant are forced to confront everything including themselves.

While this film is a wonderful mediation on the love for jazz. It's really a movie about a man whose ego and passion for music and women get the best of him while his inexcusable trust for his manager lead to his own personal downfall. The subplot of Giant and his problems does make an interesting story that contributes to the film’s plot. Although it also makes the film a bit uneven in the stories of these two men. Lee also exposes the really dark world of the music business as well as the world of jazz that shows its evolvement. Particularly in how purists have problems with the idea of mainstream success where there's a brief mention of Kenny G, who is known to be loathed by jazz purists. Lee's script and his observant, stylized direction really gives the film a feeling that is entertaining and paying tribute to the world of jazz and the blues. The film also serves a character study of ego and passion through the character like Bleek Gilliam.

Lee's longtime cinematographer Ernest Dickerson brings a wonderful presentation with his use of colors and light to emphasize the emotions and passion of the music and the character of Bleek. The interior settings, notably the club with shots of red, blue, orange, and green reveal the richness of the atmosphere as it's some of the best cinematography captured on film. Production designer Wynn Thomas and set decorator Ted Glass add to the authenticity to the intimate, wooden-look of the club that Bleek and his band play to the homegrown world of Brooklyn along with the posh-like look of a jazz club near the end of the film. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter adds to the colorful style with the suits that the men wear along with the Giants shirts that Bleek wears in a scene where he plays catch with his father to the different dresses that Cynda Williams and Joie Lee wears. Editor Samuel D. Pollard brings a stylized touch to the editing with jump cuts, perspective shots, and everything to add rhythm to the film. Sound designer Skip Lievsay also brings a nice atmosphere to the film's club sequences with the noise of people and music blaring.

Then there's the music with a wonderful, orchestral score work from Lee's father Bill to add the flair of blues and classical to convey the sense of drama. Longtime composer Terence Blanchard along with Branford Marsalis create some of the jazz compositions performed in the film that rings true to the music while the rest of the soundtrack features a lot of jazz cuts including one famous one from John Coltrane.

The fil's cast is wonderfully assembled with cameos from Bill Lee, Flava Flav in the opening credits, and the late comedian Robin Harris as the club's top comedian. Other noted small performances from Charlie Murphy, Linda Hawkins, Zakee Howze, Leonard L. Thomas, and Abbey Lincoln are memorable while Samuel L. Jackson and Ruben Blades are excellent as the bookies with Jackson also playing the voice of Senor Love Daddy from Do the Right Thing. Lee regular John Turturro and brother Nicholas bring humor as the fast-talking accountants bring some needed humor to the film. Dick Anthony Williams is great as the Bleek's caring father while Bill Nunn and Jeff "Tain" Watts are excellent in their brief roles as the rhythm section of Bleek's band. Cynda Williams is excellent as the seductive, hungry Clarke whose lack of attention leads her to having an affair with another man. Joie Lee is wonderful as the more mature, down-to-earth Indigo who seems like the only woman who can ground and confront Bleek and his ego.

Giancarlo Esposito is great as the suave, artistic Left Hand who always shows up late and acts more different than his band mates playing the Euro-man of the group. Wesley Snipes is great as Bleek's rival saxophonist whose idea of jazz and success serves as the right antagonism for Bleek where Snipes truly stands out in his performance. Spike Lee gives an excellent performance as the socially-awkward, problematic Giant with his charmed behavior and bad habits that makes him a wonderful, memorable character. Lee does great work in bringing some humor to a very flawed character. Finally, there's Denzel in a fantastic performance as Bleek Gilliam. Denzel proves his versatility as a performer doing a bit of rapping and singing while giving Bleek a full-on complexity to a man that's flawed by his ego and his passion for music. It's a tour-de-force performance from Denzel Washington.

While Mo' Better Blues might not be a masterpiece like Do The Right Thing or Malcolm X, it’s still one of Spike Lee's finer films. Fans of jazz music will appreciate the touch and authenticity that Lee adds to the film while it also marks as a great collaboration between him and Denzel Washington. The film is also entertaining with style along with some substance. It also has a lot of memorable scenes and performances from its cast. In the end, for anyone wanting to watch something cool with a bit of jazz and lots of Denzel, watch Mo' Better Blues.

Spike Lee Films:  (She's Gotta Have It) - (School Daze) - Do the Right Thing - Jungle Fever - (Malcolm X) - Crooklyn - (Clockers) - (Girl 6) - (Get on the Bus) - 4 Little Girls - (He Got Game) - Freak - Summer of Sam - (The Original Kings of Comedy) - (Bamboozled) - (A Huey P. Newton Story) - 25th Hour - (Jim Brown: All-American) - (She Hate Me) - (Inside Man) - (When the Levees Broke:  A Requiem in Four Acts) - (Miracle at St. Anna) - (Kobe Doin' Work) - (Passing Strange) - (If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise) - (Red Hook Summer) - Bad 25 - Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - (Oldboy (2013 film)) - (Da Blood of Jesus) - (Chi Raq) - Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall - BlacKkKlansman - Da 5 Bloods - (American Utopia)

© thevoid99 2011