Halloween (2018 film)

Based on the 1978 film by John Carpenter and screenplay by Carpenter and Debra Hill, Halloween is a sequel to the 1978 film that revolves around the survivor of a killing spree as she learns that the madman has escaped and is killing again with her estranged family being the target. Directed by David Gordon Green and screenplay by Green, Danny McBride, and Jeff Fradley, the film explores a woman’s trauma and her estrangement from her daughter and granddaughter while getting ready for the madman that is coming back as Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode with Nick Castle also returning as the killer Michael Myers along with James Jude Courtney in the same role. Also starring Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, and Virginia Gardner. Halloween is a gripping and terrifying film from David Gordon Green.

40 years after events in which a madman killed a bunch of people with a young woman being its sole survivor, the film is about the madman in Michael Myers being transferred to a new facility where he escapes seeking to kill once again as well as go after the young woman he was unable to kill in Laurie Strode. What he doesn’t know is that Strode is more than ready to face him once again yet she is also coping with the fact that years of paranoia has made her estranged from her daughter and granddaughter. The film’s screenplay by David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, and Jeff Fradley definitely focuses on the events of what happened in the original John Carpenter film while dismissing everything else that came between through its sequels, reboots, and remakes including rumors that Strode and Myers were siblings. Instead, it focuses on the events of a few days where Strode is aware that Myers is about to be transferred as there are those interested in his actions as well as Myers’ psychiatrist in Dr. Ranbir Sartain (Haluk Bilginer) who was a student of Myers’ previous psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis.

Much of the action takes place in the span of three days with the first act being set two days before Halloween while its second and third act is set on Halloween as they play into Myers’ arrival back into the town where he had previously killed a bunch of people. Strode rarely steps out of her home as she would get wind about a bus accident knowing that Myers was on that bus as she warns her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) about what is to happen while Karen’s daughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) is out at a Halloween school party. Its third act is about the showdown at Strode’s home between Myers and Strode along with Karen and Karen’s husband Ray (Toby Huss) with Allyson trying to get to her home after her own encounter with Myers.

Green’s direction does have elements of style including a few visual homages to the 1978 film by John Carpenter. Yet, Green does infuse his own ideas in terms of the compositions he creates as well as the atmosphere he maintains throughout the film. Shot largely on location in and around Charleston, South Carolina, Green opens the film in the prison where he uses a lot of great wide shots to get a scope of the locations including the prison atrium where two British podcasters try to contact Myers. Throughout the entirety of the film, Myers’ real face is barely shown as Green wanted to maintain his mystique and intrigue as well as the idea that Myers might not be the one lurking to create this idea of misdirection. Even in the usage of close-ups and medium shots for moments of intimacy as it help play into the suspense while Green’s approach to the violence isn’t about gore but rather the impact and its act where he wouldn’t really show what is happening.

Green also creates these intense tracking shots that includes a scene of Myers walking to other people’s houses and just killing people at random including a scene in one person’s house as he kills someone yet there’s someone else there but he just ignores it. Green also emphasizes on the aftermath of a murder as it just adds to the terror while its second act that is about Myers just killing random people with Deputy Frank Hawkins (Will Patton) pursuing Myers having been the man who arrested Myers 40 years ago with Dr. Sartain also pursuing Myers but for his own reasons. The third act is about Strode and her family confronting Myers as Strode knew what was to come but also some revelations about why Strode and her daughter became estranged as the latter realizes what she must do as well. The showdown definitely recall visual traits from the 1978 film but also in maintaining that air of horror and suspense as well as the stakes of what Strode and her family has to face. Overall, Green crafts a riveting and haunting film about a woman protecting her family from the man who tried to kill her during a killing spree 40 years ago.

Cinematographer Michael Simmonds does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the usage of low-key and available light for some of the exterior scenes at night as well as for some eerie scenes in some of the homes at night. Editor Tim Alverson does terrific work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense and terror. Production designer Richard A. Wright, with set decorator Missy Berent Ricker and art director Sean White, does fantastic work with the look of Karen’s home as well as the home that Strode lives in with all of its locks and security settings as well as the rooms of some of the characters in the film. Costume designer Emily Gunshor does nice work with the costumes including Halloween costumes that random people wear for Halloween including Allyson’s Halloween costume.

Makeup effects designers Christopher Allen Nelson and Vincent Van Dyke does brilliant work with the makeup in some of the gory effects that are presented in the aftermath as well as the ragged look of Strode. Visual effects supervisor Simon Maddison does superb work with the visual effects as it is mainly some set dressing that include a few scenes of violence in the film. Sound designers P.K. Hooker and Chris Terhune, along with co-sound editor Will Files, do amazing work with the sound in creating that tense atmosphere for the suspense and terror as well as the sounds of people outside trick-or-treating and the scenes in the film’s climax.

The film’s music by John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies is incredible for its eerie and hypnotic electronic-based score that includes the original theme composed by John Carpenter while he, his son Cody, and Daniel Davies provide a lot of eerie textures into the music to build up the suspense and drama as it is a highlight of the film. Music supervisor Devoe Yates provide a decent music soundtrack that features an array of contemporary music from electronic dance music and country that is played in the background in the school party scene.

The casting by Sarah Domeier Lindo and Terri Taylor is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Jimbrail Nantambu as a young boy Allyson’s friend Vicky is babysitting for, Miles Robbins as Vicky’s boyfriend Dave, Drew Scheid as a friend of Allyson’s boyfriend in Oscar, Dylan Arnold as Allyson’s boyfriend Cameron, Omar Dorsey as the local head sheriff named Barker, Sophia Miller as a young Karen through flashbacks, Jefferson Hall and Rhian Rees in their respective roles as British true crimes podcasters Aaron Korey and Dana Haines who both try to get information about the murders 40 years ago from Myers and Strode, and Will Patton in a terrific performance as Deputy Frank Hawkins as the man who arrested Myers 40 years ago as he is eager to help Strode and stop him for good. Haluk Bilginer is superb as Dr. Ranbir Sartain as a student of Dr. Sam Loomis who has been Myers’ psychiatrist as he pursues him following Myers’ escape from a bus accident hoping to understand more of Myers’ state of mind.

Virginia Gardner is fantastic as Allyson’s friend Vicky who is aware of Allyson’s family history as she doesn’t do Halloween due to a babysitting gig yet she proves to be a kind person who knows something isn’t right. Toby Huss is excellent as Karen’s husband/Allyson’s father Ray Nelson as a man who is uneasy about his mother-in-law’s paranoia until things do become deadly as he helps her out in trying to deal with Myers. Andi Matichak is brilliant as Allyson as Strode’s granddaughter/Karen’s daughter as a teenage girl who is still trying to get to know her grandmother while would also have an encounter with Myers late in the film as she realizes what she has to do. Judy Greer is amazing as Karen Nelson as Strode’s estranged daughter who still harbors some resent towards her mother over how she was raised until she becomes aware of Myers’ presence prompting her to join her mother and take action.

In the role of Michael Myers, James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle are incredible in playing the character with the latter providing a brief appearance of Myers on a window and through his breathing while the former does much of the physical work and eerie presence that is crucial to the character as this killer who refuses to die. Finally, there’s Jamie Lee Curtis in a phenomenal performance as Laurie Strode as a survivor of Myers’ killing spree 40 years before who has become a troubled woman with PTSD and bad memories as she is aware that Myers will return as she is ready for him to come back and finish the job as it is a new layer to an iconic character that only Curtis could bring.

Halloween is a sensational film from David Gordon Green that features a great performance from Jamie Lee Curtis. Along with its ensemble cast, low-key approach to suspense and horror, study of trauma and fear, mesmerizing visuals, and a chilling music score. It’s a film that feels like a true sequel/companion piece to the 1978 film by John Carpenter as well as being a horror film that is more about atmosphere and characters rather than cheap scares and gore. In the end, Halloween is a phenomenal film from David Gordon Green.

Related: Halloween

David Gordon Green Films: George Washington - All the Real Girls - Undertow - Snow Angels - Pineapple Express - (Your Highness) – (The Sitter (2011 film)) – (Prince Avalanche) – Joe (2013 film) - (Manglehorn) – (Our Brand is Crisis) – (Stronger (2017 film)) – (Halloween Kills) – (Halloween Ends)

© thevoid99 2019

War for the Planet of the Apes

Directed by Matt Reeves and screenplay by Reeves and Mark Bomback from characters by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver from a premise by Pierre Boulle, War for the Planet of the Apes is about a group of apes who are in conflict with humans over the control of planet Earth as the leader of the apes copes with loss and uncertainty. The third film in the reboot series that follows the character of Caesar who is trying find peace for both apes and humans while also dealing with a group of apes who want him dead as the character is once again played by Andy Serkis. Also starring Woody Harrelson and Steve Zahn. War for the Planet of the Apes is a gripping yet somber film from Matt Reeves.

Set two years after events that lead to the start of a bloody war between apes and humans, the film revolves around a group of apes trying to find a new hiding place from a rogue army of humans lead by an extremist military figure who would attack its leader Caesar that lead to the death of his family prompting Caesar to go on a journey to find the colonel (Woody Harrelson) and kill him. The film is a revenge story of sorts yet it is really the study of an ape who had helped try to find a home and idea for other apes to follow as he struggles with an-ongoing conflict with humans while dealing with apes who have sided with the humans in this war that is raging on. The film’s screenplay by Matt Reeves and Mark Bomback follows the journey that Caesar takes part in where he wants to go on this journey for revenge by himself but longtime allies in Rocket (Terry Notary), the gorilla Luca (Michael Adamthwaite), and the orangutan Maurice (Karin Konoval) join him to find this vicious colonel.

Along the way, Caesar and his team would travel to find a fortress as they would encounter a lot of things including an orphaned girl they would later call Nova (Amiah Miller) and a talking chimpanzee who calls himself Bad Ape (Steve Zahn). The encounter with the two as well as a meeting with this colonel following his own capture would cause some serious revelations for Caesar as memories of his former friend-turned-foe in Koba (Toby Kebbell) would come into play. Upon meeting this colonel, Caesar learns that humans are suffering from the effects of the virus that killed them many years ago where the colonel sees it as de-evolution forcing him to go rogue from other forces as it’s not just apes he wants to kills but also humans carrying the virus.

Reeves’ direction definitely has this feel of a war film in terms of the grand presentation he creates in his approach to the battles as well as how the film opens with a patrol of human soldiers trekking through the woods to try and find this secret base. Shot largely on location in the Lower Mainland section of Vancouver with additional locations at the Kananaskis mountain range, Reeves does use wide shots of the locations as it play into the area where war is raging yet there is this element of guerilla warfare with the usage of close-ups and medium shots that add to the suspense. Even in the non-action scenes as it play into the apes interacting with each other through sign language as they cope with not just loss but also survival once they meet Nova through accidental means when Caesar commits an act that add to his own descent into hate where he would later be haunted by his actions. Reeves would use the moment of silence and sign language as a way for the apes to get a look into their surroundings as well as lament over their situation and Caesar’s thirst for revenge.

Once Caesar reaches the base that the colonel is stationed in as he deals with not just his own actions but also would become this martyr for the apes as he would endure the punishments of everyone. The film does have Biblical imagery as well as compositions that Reeves create that play into this idea of the Messiah yet Caesar isn’t interested in being a messianic figure. Even as he has to deal with this colonel where Reeves has the camera follow this man where he gives this monologue that says a lot about what he’s about and why he’s managed to alienate so many people yet he sees what he’s doing as a mission for the good of mankind. The film’s climax as it play into Caesar making a decision where he thinks about not just the apes but also this young girl he’s grown to care for as it would be in the center of a battle between humans with nature also playing its part. Overall, Reeves crafts a gripping yet wondrous film about an ape’s thirst for revenge for his family’s death forces him to come to terms with everything he’s done and face his own faults.

Cinematographer Michael Seresin does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it has this gorgeous exterior look of the daytime exteriors with its usage of snow and grey skies as well as the usage of lights for some of the interior scenes at night as well as the exterior scenes in the prison. Editors William Hoy and Stan Salfas do excellent work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts as well as not deviating to rapid fast-paced cuts in order to let shots linger for a few more seconds to establish the action. Production designer James Chinlund, with set decorator Amanda Moss Serino and supervising art director Maya Shimoguchi, does amazing work with the look of some of the shantytowns for some of the humans as well as the station that the colonel is living in. Costume designer Melissa Bruning does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual for the winter-time clothing that Nova wears as well as a vest that Bad Ape wears and the military clothing of the colonel and his men

Special effects supervisors Dan Cervin and Joel Whist, along with visual effects supervisors Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon, and Joe Letteri, do fantastic work with the visual effects including the motion-capture look of the apes as it is a highlight of the film. Sound designers Will Files and Douglas Murray do superb work with the sound in the way the apes would sound as well as the sounds of nature and other elements that help play into the action, suspense, and drama. The film’s music by Michael Giacchino is incredible for its rich orchestral score with its bombastic themes for the suspense and action as well as some low-key yet somber pieces for the dramatic moments while the only non-score piece played is a cover of the song Hey Joe performed by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The casting by Debra Zane is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Judy Greer, Max Lloyd-Jones, Devyn Dalton, and Sara Canning in their respective roles as members of Caesar’s family in his wife Cornelia, sons Blue-Eyes and Cornelius, and Blue-Eyes’ wife Lake along with Gabriel Chavarria as a soldier named Preacher who was spared by Caesar early in the film only to side further with the colonel. Other notable small roles and appearances include Toby Kebbell as the ghost of Caesar’s old ally in Koba, Ty Olsson as the gorilla Red who works for the colonel, Michael Adamthwaite as the gorilla Luca who is an ally of Caesar, and Aleks Paunovic as the albino gorilla Winter who reluctantly betrays Caesar out of fear for the colonel. The fantastic performances of Terry Notary, Karin Konoval, and Amiah Miller in their respective roles as the chimpanzee Rocket, the orangutan Maurice, and the mute human girl Nova display that air of humanity and compassion that Caesar is struggling to hold on to with Maurice being the film’s conscience.

Steve Zahn is excellent as Bad Ape as a chimpanzee who can speak as he is someone that’s been in hiding for years as he helps Caesar and his entourage with the location of the colonel’s base as he also expresses his own fears due to the loss he’s faced. Woody Harrelson is brilliant as the colonel as the leader of a rogue human army that is trying to wipe out apes but also humans who are starting not to speak as a way to ensure humanity’s dominance over apes as it’s a chilling yet riveting performance from Harrelson. Finally, there’s Andy Serkis in a phenomenal performance as Caesar as a chimpanzee who had been trying to find the apes a peaceful sanctuary as he copes with loss as well as uncertainty about his journey for revenge as Serkis displays so much emotion and gravitas by doing so little in his performance.

War of the Planet of the Apes is a spectacular film from Matt Reeves that features great performances from Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson. Along with its ensemble cast, eerie visuals, top-notch visual effects, Michael Giacchino’s score, and its story of revenge and sacrifice. It’s a blockbuster film that offers a lot more than what big-budget action-adventure films offer as it provides a lot of commentary about loss, revenge, and survival as well as showing that love and compassion is the key to victory. In the end, War of the Planet of the Apes is a tremendous film from Matt Reeves.

Related: Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

© thevoid99 2019

Three Kings

Written and directed by David O. Russell from a story by John Ridley, Three Kings is the story of four U.S. soldiers who plot a heist to steal gold from Saddam Hussein during the end of the 1991 Gulf War. The film is an unconventional war film in which four different men try to do something after the war in the hopes they can get home to better lives only to deal with all sorts of trouble that would also involve refugees in need of help. Starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, Spike Jonze, Nora Dunn, Judy Greer, Jamie Kennedy, Mykelti Williamson, Cliff Curtis, and Said Taghmaoui. Three Kings is a gripping yet exhilarating film from David O. Russell.

Set during the final days of the 1991 Gulf War and its aftermath, the film follows four U.S. soldiers who find a map in which they believe has Kuwaiti gold bullions in a bunker that belonged to Saddam Hussein as they plot to steal it to ensure a better life for themselves. It’s a film where these four men go on a mission by themselves without any kind of authority as they find the village with the gold bullions but they would also discover the village would feature some anti-Saddam dissidents who are asking for help as they would and try to deal with pro-Saddam forces despite the fact that a ceasefire had already happened. David O. Russell’s screenplay that is based on John Ridley’s original story where it explores these soldiers dealing with the aftermath of a war where there wasn’t a lot of action and coming home with not much is something the protagonists in the film are dealing with.

Leading the pack is Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) whose job is to escort TV reporter Adriana Cruz (Nora Dunn) as he is more interested in getting paid than do his job. He is joined by Staff Sgt. Chief Elgin (Ice Cube), Sgt. First Class Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg), and Private First Class Conrad Vig (Spike Jonze) who all want to get the bullions as they would have a friend in Specialist Walter Wogeman (Jamie Kennedy) to drive Cruz and her cameraman to a false location. Though they would find the gold bullions, they hope not to do anything else but pleas from anti-Saddam dissidents where a woman is killed by Iraqi forces who want to hold these dissidents hostage force Gates and his men to take action. Yet, it would become a big problem when Barlow is taken by Iraqi soldiers after a scuffle forcing Gates, Elgin, and Vig to retrieve him but they would have to make a deal with the dissidents who would help them but be accompanied to the Iranian border in return.

Russell’s direction is definitely stylish for the way it captures life during the Gulf War as well as the sense of danger that was emerging during the period of ceasefire in the aftermath of the war. Shot on various locations in the deserts of Casa Grande, Arizona and parts of California and Mexico, Russell aims for something that is immediate in the way soldiers deal with boredom in their lack of action as the first scene has Barlow killing an Iraqi soldier not knowing he was trying to surrender. The shot would be repeated in a cartoonish fashion where Vig describes to other soldiers what Barlow did as it just adds this air of exaggeration that the soldiers crave for since they didn’t see much action in Iraq and Kuwait. Russell would use wide shots to capture the scope of the locations yet would focus more on using medium shots and close-ups to capture some of the action in the bunker or to get a reaction from a soldier dealing with some kind of violence whether its comic or dramatic. The former would play into the lives that Barlow, Vig, and Elgin have before the war as well as an encounter with a cow on the way to the bunker that add to the film’s dark humor.

Russell’s approach to the suspense and action is stylish as he would shoot it with some hand-held cameras as well as creating some offbeat compositions to play into some of the darker moments in the film. Most notably a torture scene with Barlow having to deal with the consequences of his service in the military where he is forced to visualize what happened if he was in the shoes of the man who is torturing him. There are also these somber and sentimental moments that Russell would create such as Vig’s fascination with Islamic burials which provides a major moment in his development from this redneck who constantly says idiotic things to being a man open towards a culture that is foreign to him. It would culminate with Gates and his men accompanying these refugees in the hope they can have a better future in Iran despite its history with Iraq while Gates is also aware of the trouble he’s caused with his superiors in interfering with things he’s not supposed to be involved in. Overall, Russell creates a riveting yet intense film about a group of soldiers whose planned heist forces them to help dissidents during the aftermath of the Gulf War.

Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel does amazing work with the film’s stylish cinematography with the usage of grainy film footage, desaturated film color stocks, and other stylish looks to play into the craziness of the action scenes as well as in the suspense and black humor. Editor Robert K. Lambert does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion cuts, and other stylish cuts to play into the chaos of war as well as some of the suspense and its dark humor. Production designer Catherine Hardwicke, with set decorator Gene Serdena plus art directors Jann K. Engel and Derek R. Hill, does excellent work with the look of the old castles, villages, and bunkers where some of the action occurred as well as the interiors of some of the rooms where Saddam’s soldiers are stationed at. Costume designer Kym Barrett does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly straightforward from the camouflage the soldiers wear to the ragged clothes of the dissidents.

Visual effects supervisor David Sosalla does terrific work with the visual effects for the look of body parts shown from the inside of how they would react to a bullet as well as some of the action scenes. Sound editors Bruce Fortune and John Leveque do fantastic work with the sound in capturing the chaos that goes on in battle as well as the eerie atmosphere of the desert. The film’s music by Carter Burwell is superb for its low-key score that play into the drama and suspense with its mixture of Arabian music textures and orchestral arrangements while music supervisor Ralph Sall provide an offbeat soundtrack that include music from Rare Earth, the Beach Boys, Public Enemy, Chicago, Eddie Murphy, Plastic Bertrand, Snap, Johann Sebastian Bach, and U2.

The casting by Anne McCarthy and Mary Vernieu is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Holt McCallany as Barlow’s superior officer Captain Doug Van Meter who despises Barlow and his antics, Liz Stauber as Troy’s wife, Marsha Horan as Amir’s wife, Judy Greer as a rival journalist trying to get the story while having a tryst with Gates, Alia Shawkat as Amir’s daughter, Said Taghmaoui as an Iraqi interrogator who tortures Barlow, and Mykelti Williamson as Gates’ superior Colonel Ron Horn who doesn’t like what Gates is doing as well as suspicious in what he’s doing. Jamie Kennedy is terrific as Specialist Walter Wogeman as a bumbling soldier who is asked to accompany Cruz on an assignment to distract her from what Gates is doing as he is the film’s comic relief.

Cliff Curtis is superb as Amir as an anti-Saddam dissident who is seen bound and gagged where he helps Gates in the hopes that he can get other dissidents including his daughter to the Iranian border. Nora Dunn is fantastic as Adriana Cruz as a news reporter trying to get a major story about the Gulf War where she finds herself in a different journey where she would also make some discoveries about what is happening during the ceasefire. Spike Jonze is excellent as Private First Class Conrad Vig as a redneck soldier who idolizes Barlow as he often says dumb things and gets way over his head while realizing the reality of his situations where finds a sense of salvation in Islamic culture and their approach to death which he finds to be extremely fascinating.

Mark Wahlberg is brilliant as Sgt. First Class Troy Barlow as a soldier that is eager to come home as he deals with the lack of real action he faced where he takes part in the heist only to be captured as he deals with realities of war. Ice Cube is amazing as Staff Sgt. Chief Elgin who is kind of the film’s conscience as a man who takes part in the heist knowing what he will gain as he also copes with the reality as it relates to the dissidents. Finally, there’s George Clooney in an incredible performance as Major Archie Gates as a special forces soldier who is about to retire from the service as he sees the heist for gold bullions as a way out of not showing much only to realize the severity of where he is prompting him to take action and help these dissidents out of Iraq.

Three Kings is a tremendous film from David O. Russell. Featuring a great ensemble cast, stylish visuals, an offbeat soundtrack, and a story that plays into the fallacy of war and the need to help those in danger during its aftermath. It’s a film that doesn’t play into the conventions of a war movie as it showcases what men will do to make up for their lack of encountering action only to see the reality of a world in turmoil in the aftermath of war. In the end, Three Kings is a spectacular film from David O. Russell.

David O. Russell Films: Spanking the Monkey – Flirting with Disaster – I Heart Huckabees – The Fighter - Silver Linings Playbook - American Hustle - Accidental Love - Joy (2015 film) - The Auteurs #70: David O. Russell

© thevoid99 2017

Jurassic World

Directed by Colin Trevorrow and screenplay by Trevorrow, Derek Connolly, Rick Jafa, and Amanda Silver from a story by Jafa and Silver from characters created by Michael Crichton, Jurassic World is the story of theme park that displays dinosaurs to public is suddenly thrown into chaos when a genetically-modified dinosaur breaks loose and all hell breaks loose. Set twenty-two years after the events that was presented in the 1993 film Jurassic Park, the film plays into humanity’s encounter with dinosaurs where a park operations manager and a researcher try to save everyone with the aid of a few dangerous dinosaurs. Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Jake Johnson, Lauren Lapkus, Omar Sy, Judy Greer, Andy Buckley, B.D. Wong, and Irrfan Khan. Jurassic World is a thrilling and intense film from Colin Trevorrow.

Two boys are sent to the fictional island of Isla Nublar where their aunt is managing a theme park that displays dinosaurs where a newly-created dinosaur has broken loose and creating havoc forcing the aunt and a researcher to stop things. That is pretty much what the film is about as it is film with a simple story yet it also has a lot to offer as it relates what happens when those who play God create something that can’t be stopped. Even as there are those that want to create dinosaurs for means that go beyond what they’re mean to do while there are those who see things differently and actually want to gain the trust of the dinosaurs without disrupting the natural order of things. It’s a film that does say a lot about the ideas of nature but it’s also a film that manages to balance the ideas of sci-fi intelligence with a sense of fun in its approach to action and adventure.

The film’s screenplay, which was largely written by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, doesn’t just explore the dangers of re-creating dinosaurs but also what would happen when dinosaurs are created with genetic DNA strains that would allow them to be not just intelligent but also adapt to any kind of environment for their own gain. It’s an experiment that has made the park’s owner in this billionaire, in Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan), uneasy but he is forced to take responsibilities because of the sponsors he had to get to help sell the park who want these geneticists such as Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong) to make the dinosaurs bigger and scarier. The park’s manager in Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a workaholic that is asked to accompany her nephews in Gray and Zach Mitchell (Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson) as the former is a dinosaur buff.

Yet, she lets her assistant Zara (Katie McGrath) do the work as Claire is trying to deal with sponsors and making the park more successful but is unaware of what Dr. Wu as well as the park’s security head in Vic Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofrio) have created. The creation is this hybrid dinosaur known as the Indominus Rex that can do a lot as it’s made one of the park’s experts in Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) extremely uneasy as he’s managed to gain the trust of the velociraptors whom he had been studying. Once the Rex is loose and is killing other dinosaurs, Claire realizes she must team up with Grady to keep her nephews safe as he has a better understanding of the dinosaurs than nearly everyone working at the park. Especially as the more naturally-created dinosaurs are also unsafe from this new creation forcing Grady to have his velociraptors to stop this dinosaur but knows it might not be enough as it relates to the laws of nature.

Trevorrow’s direction is definitely grand in terms of the world that is created where dinosaurs are roaming the Earth but in an environment that they can adjust to with humanity being able to help them as well as be seen by the public as an attraction. Shot largely in Louisiana with a few shots in Hawaii, Trevorrow knows how to maintain something that is large in its scenery as well as the scope of these dinosaurs including one that emerges from the water to eat its food. There are some medium shots and close-ups to play into some of the intimacy as well as moments of terror where Claire, Masrani, and others are watching things unfold in a control room as well as scenes where Gray and Zach find themselves dealing with the Indominous Rex that led them to find the old Jurassic Park. Trevorrow’s approach to suspense is slow-building as it relates to exactly what these people are facing where it’s not just this dinosaur but also in the fact that it is much smarter than they seem to believe and can release other hostile dinosaurs.

Trevorrow also creates that sense of excitement during the second act where some pterosaurs were released where Grady would be the one to regain some control. There are moments of comedy as it includes a few lines as well as some tension between Claire and Grady who had previously dated while there is a moment where one of control room people tried to make out with another. It does play with much of the conventions where Trevorrow knows how to inject moments that aren’t meant to be serious. The film’s climax is quite thrilling where it’s not just about Claire, Grady, Gray, and Zach trying to evade the Indominous Rex but also trying to see if the velociraptors will fight for them despite the fact that they’re outmatched against the Rex. Yet, it would lead to not just a homage of sorts to the original film but also a moment that proves to be exciting and fun. Overall, Trevorrow creates an exhilarating and entertaining film about a dinosaur theme park being under siege by a dangerous dinosaur.

Cinematographer John Schwartzman does excellent work with the cinematography from the way the jungles and woods look with its air of grain in the colors for some of the daytime scenes to the low-key set of lights for the scenes in the control room as well as the eerie look for the scenes set at night. Editor Kevin Stitt does brilliant work with the editing as it is quite straightforward while it does feature some fast-cutting for some of the action though doesn‘t deviate too much in that style so that the audience can see what is going on. Production designer Ed Verreaux, with set decorator Ronald R. Reiss and senior art director Aaron McBride, does amazing work with the look of the park in its entirety and its attractions along with the control room and relics of the old park. Costume designers April Ferry and Daniel Orlandi do nice work with the costumes from the casual look of most of the cast with the exception of the clothes that Claire and Masrani wear as it’s more business-like.

Creature designer Stan Winston does phenomenal work with the look of the dinosaurs in every way and form to create something that looks and feel real. The visual effects work of Tim Alexander, Glen McIntosh, Michael Meinardus, and Tony Plett do superb work with not just some of the set dressing but also in the movements of the dinosaurs including the way the Indominous Rex can shield itself from its enemies. Sound designers Pete Horner and Al Nelson, along with sound editor Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, do terrific work with the sound in the way the dinosaurs sound as well as capturing the chaos in the park in some of its intense moments. The film’s music by Michael Giacchino does a fantastic job with the score by not just creating variations of John Williams’ theme but also create some new pieces for its suspense and moments of intense action.

The casting by John Papsidera is wonderful as it features cameo appearances from Jimmy Buffett as a man running from the pterosaur, Jimmy Fallon as himself in the gyro sphere ride video, director Colin Trevorrow as the voice of Mr. DNA, and Brad Bird as the voice of a monorail conductor. Other notable small roles include Colby Boothman as a new handler at the raptor cage, Eric Edelstein as the Indominous Rex control room supervisor, Katie McGrath as Claire’s assistant who is tasked to watch over the nephews, and Brian Tee as a security leader who tries to stop the Indominous Rex. Judy Greer and Andy Buckley are terrific as Gray and Zach’s parents with the former being concerned about her sister’s workaholic tendencies knowing that she and her husband are going through a divorce. Lauren Lapkus and Jake Johnson are superb in their respective roles as Vivian and Lowery as two control room employees who try to watch over everything with the latter being more of a geek in his work and towards dinosaurs.

Irrfan Khan is excellent as billionaire Simon Misrani who is the park’s owner who tries to deal with the demands for the park to do well where he is concerned about the creation of the Indominous Rex. B.D. Wong is brilliant as Dr. Henry Wu as a geneticist, who appeared in the first film, who would create the Indominous Rex to play up the demands as he would do things that are against the laws of nature. Omar Sy is amazing as Owen’s friend Barry who also has an understanding with the velociraptors where he treats them humanely like Owen. Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson are incredible in their respective roles as Gray and Zach as Claire’s nephews who deal with the dangers of the park with the former knowing a lot about dinosaurs and the latter being a typical but resourceful teenager.

Vincent D’Onofrio is great as security head Vic Hoskins who sees the potential in using dinosaurs as weapons as he believes the Indominous Rex can be helpful. Bryce Dallas Howard is remarkable as Claire Dearing as the park’s operations manager who answers to what the sponsors want as she realizes that the creation of the Indominous Rex is a bad idea where she helps Grady in trying to stop it as well as help her nephews. Finally, there’s Chris Pratt in a phenomenal role as Owen Grady as a former Navy officer who has made a connection with the velociraptors where he sees what the Indominous Rex can do where he tries to save everyone as it’s a role that has a lot of the everyman in being a badass but also being very funny.

Jurassic World is a sensational film from Colin Trevorrow. Featuring a great cast, amazing action sequences, Michael Giacchino’s soaring score, top-notch visual effects, and engaging themes about the laws of nature. It’s a film that manages to not only be scary and fun but also provide that great balance of being an entertaining film with brains. In the end, Jurassic World is an incredible film from Colin Trevorrow.

Colin Trevorrow Films: (Home Base) - (Reality Show) - (Safety Not Guaranteed) - (The Book of Henry) - (Star Wars Episode IX)

Related: (Jurassic Park) - (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) - (Jurassic Park III) - (Jurassic World 2)

© thevoid99 2016

Ant-Man

Based on the Marvel comic series by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, Ant-Man is the story of a recently-convicted thief who is given a chance to find redemption when he meets a scientist, who had created a shrinking technology many years ago, who wants his help to stop his former protégé from creating something similar to what he made in the hopes of global domination. Directed by Peyton Reed and screenplay by Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, Paul Rudd, and Edgar Wright from a story by Cornish and Wright, the film is an origin story of sorts where this thief is given a chance to do good and fulfill the legacy of the man who was once donned the suit known as Ant-Man. Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Wood Harris, Martin Donovan, Michael Pena, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Damian Dastmalchian, and Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym/the original Ant-Man. Ant-Man is an exhilarating and whimsical film from Peyton Reed.

The film is a simple origin story of sorts of a man who shrinks to the size of an ant where he fights off bad guys and can go back to normal size whenever he can. Yet, it’s so much more as it is about redemption not just for the man who created the suit and myth but also the one who would don the suit and stop the creator’s former protégé from creating one of his own for his own gain. Plus, it’s also the story of what happens when something so brilliant as its creator realizes what could wrong as he also bears the weight of responsibility over what happened as it relates to the loss of his own wife. The film’s screenplay which was largely written by Adam McKay, with Rudd writing much of the comic dialogue, doesn’t just explore two men wanting to do things right but also cope with the responsibilities of themselves.

For Dr. Hank Pym, he was the man that found the formula to shrink himself into the size of an ant and succeeded to the point that he would become Ant-Man and would create a suit for his wife as Wasp. Yet, a mission that involved the two led to Wasp’s death where Pym felt deeply responsible as he had become somewhat estranged with his daughter Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) who works for Pym’s protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). Adding to the chaos for Pym is the fact that he refused to share his knowledge of what he created to anyone including his friends in S.H.I.E.L.D. where he realizes that Cross’ work on Pym’s formula is getting closer as he becomes uneasy about not in what could go wrong. It’s also in what happens if it goes into the wrong hands and used in ways that could make the world even worse where Van Dyne is aware of her father’s worries where she also works as a spy for her father. Upon meeting this recently-released thief in Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Pym realizes that there is a way he could fix the mistakes in his life.

The Lang character is also very interesting as he is just this brilliant thief that has just been released from prison as he also has a young daughter that he wants to be there for. Unfortunately, his criminal record prevents from finding work as well as be able to see and support his daughter while his ex-wife is about to marry a cop who doesn’t like Lang. When Lang meets Dr. Pym and Van Dyne, he isn’t sure about donning the suit which he stole early in the story while being unaware of its powers. Yet, he realizes that his skills as a thief and breaking into some of the most highly secure places can benefit where he would also bring in a group of criminals to help him and Dr. Pym in getting the suit that Cross has created. While the script does have a lot of exposition and a narrative structure that is expected from the world of superhero origins. It does have a lot of humor but also some big dramatic stakes as it relates to what Cross is up to and the people he plans on making money with that includes one of Pym’s former colleagues from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Peyton Reed’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of what is expected from a superhero origin story yet manages to find ways to bring in a sense of style into the story. Shot largely on location in San Francisco with some shots set in Atlanta, the film does maintain something that is more homegrown as it plays into Lang’s attempt to set his life back on course while Dr. Pym is forced to sit in the sidelines as his business has grown into something bigger than he realized under Cross’ leadership. Reed’s usage of wide and medium shots do play into some of the big moments in the film while using the latter for some of the intimate moments where Van Dyne would reluctantly train Lang in becoming Ant-Man in combat fighting. The meshing of genres do work where it’s not just in the action and suspense but also in the humor.

Much of the humor doesn’t just involve some of the action sequences and Lang’s banters towards situations and those he would meet. It’s also in the supporting characters such as Lang’s former cellmate Luis (Michael Pena) who would provide some of the funniest moments that involve people he know and what he heard in these dizzying sequences that are ridiculous but fun. Reed would also create an air of suspense that is part of a homage to heist films as it relates to the climax that would involve Lang and Cross where it is elaborate but also thrilling. Even as Reed maintains the idea of what is stake but also uncover some huge revelations about a world that Lang would encounter. Overall, Reed creates an engaging and fun film about a man who shrinks to the size of an ant to save the world.

Cinematographer Russell Carpenter does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it is largely straightforward with some stylish lights for scenes set at night as well as well as the way some of the film‘s action sequences are lit. Editors Dan Lebental and Colby Parker Jr. do nice work with the editing as it is quite straightforward with some stylish flair in some of the montages and in some of the action scenes without deviating into intense fast-cutting editing styles. Production designers Shepherd Frankel and Marcus Rowland, with set decorator Leslie A. Pope and supervising art directors Nigel Churcher and David Lazan, do amazing work with the look of Cross‘ lab as well as the home of Dr. Pym and the apartment where Lang lives with other former convicts. Costume designer Sammy Sheldon does fantastic work with the look of the Ant-Man suit as well as the Yellow Jacket suit that Cross is designing while much of the clothes are very casual.

Visual effects supervisors Jon Capleton, Dinesh K. Bishnoi, Jake Morrison, Greg Steele, Dan Sudick, and Alex Wuttke do brilliant work with the visual effects from the look of the ants as well as the way Ant-Man would shrink and reverse at times along with a very surreal sequence set during the film‘s climax. Sound designers David Farmer, David C. Hughes, and Shannon Mills, with co-sound editor David Laurie, do superb work with the sound in the way some of the sound effects are mixed along with some of the natural moments in some of the locations and how Lang hears them when he‘s shrunk. The film’s music by Christophe Beck is terrific for its bombastic orchestral score that plays into the sense of adventure and comedy along with some of the dramatic moments while music supervisors Alejandro de la Llosa and Dave Jordan create a fun soundtrack that features music from Camilo Azuquita, Roy Ayers, the Commodores, HLM, and the Cure.

The casting by Sarah Finn is incredible as it features appearances from Hayley Atwell and John Slattery as S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founders Peggy Carter and Howard Stark, respectively, who deal with Pym’s departure knowing they’ve screwed things up while Anthony Mackie makes a fun appearance as Sam Wilson/Falcon who has a big encounter with Lang in a key scene. Other notable small roles include comedian Garrett Morris as a man in a car Lang meets, Gregg Turkington as a Baskin-Robbins manager who reluctantly fires Lang, Abby Ryder Fortson as Lang’s daughter Cassie, Judy Greer as Lang’s ex-wife Maggie who is reluctant to let Lang back into their daughter’s life, Wood Harris as a police detective named Gale, Tip “T.I.” Harris and David Dastmalchian as a couple of Luis’ friends who help Lang and Pym out for the film’s climax, and Martin Donovan in a superb performance as former S.H.I.E.L.D. executive Mitchell Carson whom Cross wants to make a deal with.

Bobby Cannavale is terrific as Maggie’s new boyfriend Paxton who is also a police detective that isn’t very trustful towards Lang as he later tries to find him after Lang escaped from jail. Michael Pena is great as Luis as a former criminal who has a lot of connections as he tries to help Lang out while later being part of a scheme to help Lang and Pym stop Cross as he is also the most hilarious character in the film. Corey Stoll is excellent as Darren Cross as Pym’s former protégé who created a formula similar to what Dr. Pym has created as he plans to make it into something bigger as it’s a role filled with some dark, comical humor and a sense of bravado. Evangeline Lilly is amazing as Hope Van Dyne as Dr. Pym’s estranged daughter who works for Cross as a spy for her father as she also deals with the fact that her father is hiding some things from her as it relates to her mother.

Michael Douglas is phenomenal as Dr. Hank Pym as the creator of a shrinking formula that he would use to be the original Ant-Man as he copes with the dangers of what happens when his formula is into the wrong hands while he deals with his own regrets as it’s a role filled with a lot of weight as well as some humor. Finally, there’s Paul Rudd in a marvelous performance as Scott Lang as a notorious thief who is trying to start over and do right for his daughter only to be forced back into crime where he meets Dr. Pym and get his chance at redemption where Rudd definitely exudes the idea of being a hero while also providing some funny banter along the way to make Lang more engaging as a person as it’s one of his finest roles to date.

Ant-Man is a remarkable film from Peyton Reed that features amazing performances from Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, and Michael Pena. Not only is it a fun action-adventure film but also a compelling one as it relates to the themes of redemption and wanting to do the right thing in a world that is often very complicated. Even as it is told in an entertaining fashion without deviating too much from the story. In the end, Ant-Man is an excellent film from Peyton Reed.

Peyton Reed Films: (The Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes (1995 film)) - (The Love Bug (1997 film)) - (Bring It On) - (Down with Love) - (The Break-Up) - (Yes Man)

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One Films: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers

Marvel Phase Two Films: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Marvel Phase Three Films: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man & the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Captain Marvel - Spider-Man: Far from Home

Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Eternals – Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)

Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)

Related: MCU is Cinema: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 – Pt. 4 – (Part 5) – (Part 6) – (Part 7) - The MCU: 10 Reasons Why It Rules the World

© thevoid99 2016

The Great New Wonderful

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/20/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Danny Leiner and written by Sam Catlin, The Great New Wonderful is a multi-layered film revolving around five different stories in post-9/11 New York City as it involves an ambitious pastry chef, an old woman rekindling an old friendship, two Indian security chief officers, a couple dealing with their troubled son, and an accountant going into therapy. It's a film that plays into the lives of people as the deal with themselves and their own surroundings in New York City. Starring Olympia Dukakis, Jim Gaffigan, Tony Shalhoub, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Judy Greer, Tom McCarthy, Stephen Colbert, Naseerudin Shah, Sharat Saxena, and Edie Falco. The Great New Wonderful is a compelling yet flawed film from Danny Leiner.

Going through a break-up with his girlfriend, an accountant named Sandie (Jim Gaffigan) is seeking therapy from an oddball, office therapist named Dr. Trabulous (Tony Shalhoub). The therapy is taken into an unconventional approach as Sandie becomes evasive. Only Trabulous finally breaks through in which he reveals the anger that Sandie has been swallowing. In another part of New York, an old woman named Judie Hillerman (Olympia Dukakis) is stuck in a monotonous marriage with Henry (Ed Setrakian) as she spends her life doing the same thing while making collages. One day at a council meeting, she sees an old high school friend named Jerry Bono (Dick Latessa) where a couple of days later, they rekindle their friendship. Judie hopes this renewed friendship will break away from her monotonous life with her husband.

Back in the city, an ambitious pastry chef named Emme Keeler (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is trying to get some clients for the most competitive season of the year. Still living in the shadow of cake-queen Safarah Polsky (Edie Falco), Emme hopes to finally get one of her clients. Meanwhile, she is dealing with her own life with boyfriend Danny (Will Arnett) and after a meeting with Polsky, she decides to get into competition. With her team that included Alexa (Martha Millan), Clayton (Seth Gilliam), and Justin (Jim Parsons), they hope to attract the attention of a young actress named Lisa Krindel (Ari Graynor) which nearly falters but Emme gets the job. In another part of the city, Two Indian top-security guards in Avi (Naseerudin Shah) and Satish (Sharat Saxena) are watching over a visiting foreign general (Kapil Bawa). Avi and Satish discuss life as Avi talks about flirting with a woman he met a supermarket while Satish is feeling frustrated about the things in the world.

The fifth and final story revolves around a couple in David (Tom McCarthy) and Allison Burbage (Judy Greer) are dealing with their son Charlie’s (Bill Donner) who is starting to act out in a dysfunctional, violent way. While David is trying to get a client for his firm, Allison works as a teacher where Charlie's behavior has become strange in which he's wearing a cape and wearing hand puppets while not participating in any student events and starts to become violent towards them. Finally turning to the school's child psychologist Mr. Peersall (Stephen Colbert), it's been revealed that Charlie has been suspended several times and things aren't going great. A comment that Peersall says forces David and Allison to see what they can do with Charlie as everyone else is forced to deal about their own lives and all of their achievements and failures.

While the film does have moments that audiences can relate to. Not everything that screenwriter Sam Catlin and director Danny Leiner work. There are five stories. One of them is great which is the two Indian security guards since it's filled with a lot of humor and frustration of two men trying to deal with their lives. Two of them are excellent in the form of Emme's story and the story of Allison and David. The story of Emme is wonderfully told in how a young woman try to do anything to become the cake queen of New York only to realize that it's sometimes not worth it. The story of David and Allison is interesting for its mix of drama and humor, in which the latter is provided by a restrained Stephen Colbert in what he had to say. It's really wonderfully told. 

Another is fine yet flawed, in the story of Judie where despite its elliptical approach towards pacing, it does fulfill everything in her frustration with her marriage and how she tries to break the monotony. The only segment that doesn't work is the Sandie-Trabulous story since the dialogue, particularly Sandie’s evasiveness really gives the segment a lagging feel where it's becomes very inattentive and uninteresting despite Shalhoub's performance. The result is a film that is better in the sum of its parts rather than a whole. While they're all cut in an inter-connected way where all the stories are seen from one to another and to another, it does give the film a sense of being a bit uneven. Still, the film's ending for some of the stories do fulfill about everything that happened one year ago while it has a sense of irony. Despite the flaws and some heavy-handiness, it's still a film that has a bit of entertaining and profound moments.

Helping Leiner in his visual presentation of NYC is cinematographer Harlan Bosmajian whose use of colors ranging from sepia in the Judie Segment to more colorful flourishes in other sequences reveal the difference of the NYC world. Production designer Laura Ballinger and art director Tyler Q. Rosen also works to NYC's diversity from the posh world of Emme to the middle-working class world of David and Allison. Costume designer Alysia Raycraft also works to the film's different class structures on the clothing. Editor Robert Frazen does to do superb work on the cutting the film's structure in moving one segment to another where it doesn't lose its place or anything. Sound designer Jeff Kushner also does wonderful work, especially in the film's ending signifying the one-year anniversary of 9/11. The music of Brett Boyet and John Swihart is wonderfully plaintive to convey the emotions and moods of the characters and stories.

The film's cast is good for the most part with small, notable performances from Bill Donner, Seth Gilliam, Will Arnett, Ari Graynor, Martha Millan, Jim Parsons, Kapil Bawa, Ed Setrakian, and a cameo from playwright Tony Kushner. Jim Gaffigan is a good actor but the role he's been given and his performance was very bizarre and underwritten in a way that he's uncomfortably restrained and it lacks depth. Tony Shalhoub is a great actor and he is funny in his oddball approach but the story doesn't give him much to do and he's largely wasted in some ways. Olympia Dukakis is excellent in her role as the frustrated Judie who is trying to break from her monotonous lifestyle while Dick Latessa is wonderfully charming as her old school friend. Edie Falco is wonderful in her one-scene performance as Emme's rival Safarah who has seen all kinds of success but wants something that's fulfilling as she provides something for Emme. Maggie Gyllenhaal is excellent in her role as the ambitious but shallow cake-maker who is desperate to become queen while leading a posh-like lifestyle where she realizes how unfulfilling her life is in a scene where Gyllenhaal reveals the depth and emotions of her performance.

Judy Greer and Tom McCarthy are excellent in their roles as frustrated parents trying to handle their own love life as well as their anti-social, violent son. Stephen Colbert meanwhile, gives one of the film’s best performances, notably a scene where he steals the show with one line that really shows his talents as an actor and not as the usual Colbert reporter that people know. Sharat Saxena is excellent as the frustrated, grumpy Satish who is trying to figure out his own role in the world while being a guard for a foreign general. Bollywood icon Naseerudin Shah is really the film’s most likeable and charming performance as the charismatic Avi. Shah's wittiness on the mysteries of life and women really gives the film and his segment the most entertaining side as he is also a great comedic man to Saxena's straight-man role.

The Region 1 DVD for The Great New Wonderful from First Independent Pictures presents the film in the 16x9 aspect ratio and 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The special features the film has includes the film's theatrical trailer plus a trailer for the film version of David Mamet's play Edmond starring William H. Macy, Rebecca Pidgeon, Joe Mantegna, Julia Stiles, Mena Suvari, and Denise Richards. The features the film brings includes a two-minute character stills presentation featuring promotional pictures. The one-minute NYC Behind the Scenes featurette is really left-over footage of shots of NYC. One big feature of the film that will please its audiences are the film's five segments seen as shorts where audiences can watch the shorts but nothing new is added.

The deleted scenes segment includes 12-minutes worth of 7 deleted scenes with commentary from director Danny Leiner and screenwriter Sam Catlin. Scenes included an alternate opening with voice-over dialogue, Dr. Trabulous leaving a theater, Avi talking about sugar, David and Allison coming home from dinner where they talk to their son's baby sitter (played by Alexa Dziena of Broken Flowers), two scenes with Dr. Trabulous and Sandie where a woman (Karen Leiner) walks out crying and a scene of Trabulous talking about a play. One final scene involves a councilman and an old man talking. Leiner explained that they were cut due to creative reasons and timing. The feature-length commentary track from Leiner and Catlin isn't very interesting largely due to the fact that the two discussed the writing of the film and said "Oh this scene has good writing" and stuff. Not much talk on the cast and the film where the result is very boring and makes the film a bit unwatchable.

The Great New Wonderful is a superb though uneven film from Danny Leiner. While it had a great cast as well as some wonderful stories about people living in post-9/11 New York City, it's a film that is has a lot to offer but also moments that don't work. In the end, The Great New Wonderful is a very good film from Danny Leiner.

© thevoid99 2015

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Directed by Matt Reeves and screenplay by Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a sequel to 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes where the ape Caesar and a human being try to forge a peace treaty between the apes and humans only to be undone by forces from both sides. The film is an exploration into a group of humans trying to survive and make peace with a group of apes while Caesar deals with his role as a leader as Andy Serkis reprises his role as the ape. Also starring Jason Clarke, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Keri Russell, Judy Greer, Toby Kebbell, and Gary Oldman. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a tremendous film from Matt Reeves.

Taking place more than a decade after the events of the previous film where a virus nearly wiped out humanity, the film is about Caesar and his family of apes dealing with the presence of surviving humans as Caesar doesn’t want a war as he and a man try to create peace between the two. Yet, Caesar’s attempt to create peace with the humans would be undone by one of his own in Koba (Toby Kebbell) who never trusted humans as he begins to question Caesar’s loyalty towards apes. While it’s a film with a simple premise, there is so much more as it plays to the theme of family as Caesar tries to hold on to his own family as his eldest son Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston) is caught between his father’s teachings and Koba’s methods. Especially as the human that Caesar meets in Malcolm (Jason Clarke) is trying to help humanity and his own family as it would remind Caesar of his own past.

The film’s screenplay explores the world of family as Caesar and his band of apes live in the woods where they are able to survive without electricity and all sorts of things that humans need as many follow Caesar’s teachings of apes together be stronger than anything or anyone. Yet, that is put to the test once the apes learn that there are a large group of humans that have survived where Caesar wants to ensure them that they don’t want a war. Though Malcolm and his wife Ellie (Keri Russell) along with his son Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee) would go to the apes’ home with a few humans to revive an old dam so that humans can have power again to survive. Caesar was a bit reluctant to trust them but understands that Malcolm actually means well though Koba is still suspicious thanks to a distrustful associate of Malcolm. Koba’s actions would definitely drive the film’s second act as he would do things that would have Caesar question everything himself as a war is about to happen with Koba leading the apes and a military leader in Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) leading the survivors.

Matt Reeves’ direction is typical of what is expected in a blockbuster film but he infuses it with not just a lot of great visuals and elaborate set pieces. He balances it with some real drama where it is about the apes and humans trying to create peace. While Reeves does use a lot of wide shots and some amazing tracking and crane shots for some of the film’s action scenes as well as the first battle between apes and humans. He also goes for close-ups and medium shots to play into the drama and also forge a bond between Caesar and Malcolm that reminds Caesar of his own past. Especially in the third act where Malcolm and his family would help Caesar as it proves some big revelations about the ideas of the world and how important family is as it relates to Caesar’s own relationship with Blue Eyes. Reeves knows when to put some moments that are quite cheerful in a film that is very dark and bleak at times. Even as it does play into this climax where Caesar would have to stop Koba from wreaking havoc and Malcolm stopping Dreyfus from creating more trouble as Dreyfus’s actions is motivated by fear. Overall, Reeves crafts a very compelling and thrilling film about apes and humans trying to live together in peace only to succumb to fear and hate.

Cinematographer Michael Seresin does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the naturalistic yet desolate look of the scenes set in the forests to the more stylized yet entrancing shots of the cities set at night. Editors William Hoy and Stan Salfas do fantastic work with the editing from the opening credits montage to reveal what happened in the events leading to the film as well as some rhythmic cuts for the action where it doesn‘t deviate from fast-cutting editing styles. Production designer James Chinlund, with set decorator Amanda Moss Serino and supervising art director Naaman Marshall, does superb work with the look of the forest homes that the apes live in to the ruined houses and fortresses the humans live in.

Costume designer Melissa Bruning does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual for what the humans wear. Visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri does brilliant work with the visual effects from the motion-capture look of the apes where it has an air of realism in the way they look in the performances as well as some of the set dressing for what San Francisco would look like in the future following the virus epidemic. Sound designers Will Files and Douglas Murray do amazing work with the sound from some of the sound effects as well as the apes sound and some of the moments in the film‘s locations. The film’s music by Michael Giacchino is incredible as the score is filled with some thrilling orchestral themes that are full of unique string and percussive arrangements as well as some bombastic themes for the action scenes.

The casting by Debra Zane is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Jon Eyez and Enrique Murciano as a couple of Malcolm’s associates who would help him restore the dam as they gained the trust of the apes, Kirk Acevedo as another associate of Malcolm who would get the group in trouble as well as he doesn’t trust the apes, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Malcolm’s son Alexander who would befriend the orangutan Maurice through his drawing and love of books. In the small role of the apes, there’s Judy Greer as Caesar’s wife Cornelia, Terry Notary as Caesar’s friend Rocket, Doc Shaw as Rocket’s son Ash who is Blue Eyes’ best friend, and Karin Konoval as Maurice who is Caesar’s closest advisor and one of the few who knows that human beings aren’t really so bad. Nick Thurston is terrific as Caesar and Cornelia’s eldest son Blue Eyes who becomes torn with the ideas of his father and Koba’s actions as he would see up close into the latter’s actions as Thurston would be one of the few apes to actually speak. Keri Russell is excellent as Malcolm’s wife Ellie as a former doctor who would gain Caesar’s trust when she helped the ailing Cornelia while being aware of what could happen as she tries to maintain a sense of hope for herself, Alexander, and Malcolm.

Jason Clarke is fantastic as Malcolm as a good man who just wants peace as he would be a reminder to Caesar on the good qualities of humanity as he tries to help defuse the situation between apes and humans. Gary Oldman is superb as Dreyfus as a military leader who is trying to get ready for any conflict as he is driven by grief and fear to fight the apes. Toby Kebbell is brilliant as ape Koba as this scared lab ape who has a huge distrust and hatred for humans as he questions Caesar’s loyalty where he would take action and eventually cause trouble. Finally, there’s Andy Serkis in a phenomenal performance as Caesar where Serkis brings that physicality to his performance as well a sense of weight as an ape who had seen it all but is aware that apes nor man are better than one another as he tries to come to terms with what he might lose and the future that his family would face.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a remarkable film from Matt Reeves. Armed with a great cast that includes Andy Serkis leading a group of actors in playing apes through performance-capture technology. The film is definitely a sequel that isn’t just superior than its predecessor but also offers so much more than what most summer blockbuster films usually bring. Even as it has strong themes on the idea of family as well as the concept of conflict. In the end, Dawn of the Planet Apes is a sensational film from Matt Reeves.

Related: Rise of the Planet of the Apes - War for the Planet of the Apes

© thevoid99 2014

The Descendants

Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming, The Descendants is the story of a man dealing with a boating accident that put his wife in a coma. While taking care of his two daughters he barely knows, he deals with revelations about his wife while facing the possible loss of land that he’s inherited for many years in Hawaii. Directed by Alexander Payne with an adapted script written by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, the film marks Payne’s return following a seven-year gap since his last film with 2004’s Sideways. Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, and Robert Forster. The Descendants is an extraordinary yet witty comedy-drama from Alexander Payne.

After learning that his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) has been in a boating accident that’s left her comatose, Matt King (George Clooney) is in shock as he has to take care of his 10-year old daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) whom he doesn’t see very much due to his busy work as a lawyer. Matt is also dealing with land he’s inherited for many generations as it’s set to expire in seven years where his cousins are interested in selling it to a developer. Matt and Scottie travel to another part of the Hawaiian islands to retrieve Scottie’s 17-year old sister Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) from boarding school about the news of Elizabeth’s accident. When Matt learns from a doctor that Elizabeth might not make it, Matt tells Alexandra the news where she reveals something more startling that Elizabeth has been having an affair.

After confronting a couple of life-long friends in Mark (Rob Huebel) and Kai Mitchell (Mary Birdsong) about Elizabeth’s extramarital affair, Mark reluctantly reveals that the man she’s been seeing is a real estate agent named Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard). Upset over what his wife has done and overwhelmed with plans for the 25,000 acres of land he might be selling. Matt decides to tell friends and Elizabeth’s father Scott (Robert Forster) about Elizabeth’s status as the only that doesn’t know is Scottie. With Alexandra’s boyfriend Sid (Nick Krause), Matt takes the girls to Kauai for a vacation while he and Alexandra try to find Brian Speer. Matt also shows the girls the land he’s been trusted to for many years as he meets his cousin Hugh (Beau Bridges) who reveals some information about who might get the island if the sale will happen.

After finding Speer and learn he has two sons and a wife named Julie (Judy Greer), Matt and Alexandra try to figure out what to do to tell Speer about what happened. With only Scottie to tell about her mother, Matt faces some big decisions about his own life as well as what to do with the land that’s been passed down to him for generations.

What happens to a man when his life as a trustee to 25,000 acres of land is set to expire while learning that his comatose wife has been cheating on him? Well, that is essentially the situation that Matt King is going through as he’s a man that is being pulled in every direction while having to take care of the two daughters he’s not really close with. Eventually, he starts to bond with them as they deal with their mother’s comatose state while being joined by the eldest daughter’s boyfriend in these adventures to tell the news to family and friends about his wife. Then another adventure occurs when he takes his daughters and Sid to the land he’s been trusted to while hoping to confront the man his wife has been having an affair with.

Alexander Payne and his co-writers create a story that is about a lot of themes as well as characters who are more than what they’re expected to be. Yet, it all centers around Matt King’s revelation about himself as he’s faced with what to do about 25,000 acres of land and taking care of his daughters for his comatose wife. King is obviously a flawed man as he’s an absentee father of sorts who has no idea how to deal with the rambunctious Scottie as he asks his more troubled teenage daughter Alexandra to help out. Yet, she is dealing with her own issues and the guilt over the fact that her last moments with her mother weren’t very pleasant. For Alexandra, she and her father figure out how to tell Scottie the horrible news while dealing with the fact that her mother did cheat on her father.

While there is a lot of drama as well as great character development for both Matt and Alexandra while the characters they surround themselves with like Sid are more than just caricatures or a form of comic relief in the case of Sid. Sid, Brian Speer, Matt’s cousin Hugh, and other minor characters do get a chance to show a complex side of themselves in how they react to the news or help out in the situation. While it’s clear that the ending over Elizabeth’s fate is inevitable, it’s all about what Matt, Alexandra, and Scottie had to endure and deal where they all find some form of closure and learn to become better people in the process.

Payne’s direction is truly engrossing in the way he presents this drama about a man and his daughters while making it a whole lot more than what the story suggests. Since the narrative is told from Matt’s perspective through some voice-over narration about his own world and his faults, Payne always make sure the camera follows King in everything he’s doing. Notably a scene about the revelation of his wife’s affair as he runs to the home of his friends to confront about what they know. It’s done with a great sense of precision and framing in the way King reacts and to how the camera is placed in where he’s running to. Payne’s direction has a great degree of style for his presentation that includes a lot of light-comedic moments as well as dramatic moments.

The scene where Alexandra reacts to the news about her mother’s possible fate as she is underwater in a swimming pool is told in a very simple manner in what she is feeling. Payne doesn’t make it into something overly dramatic by just using sparse sound work to capture that moment. While the intimacy of these dramatic moments and how he presents some comical moments show the wide range of ideas that Payne can do as a filmmaker. He’s also known for making locations be part of the story as he shot the film all on location in Hawaii where he doesn’t just show the grand beauty of the island landscapes. He also shows that there’s parts of that place where it looks like a typical American city. For the scene where King shows his daughters and Sid the acres of land he’s been trusted to, it is shown with a grand style that is jaw-dropping to watch. Overall, Payne creates what is truly a mesmerizing yet heart wrenching film about a man trying to find peace in his troubled family life.

Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael does a brilliant job with the film‘s photography as he gives Hawaii a look that isn‘t meant to be just beautiful. Since some of it is shot on rainy days and partly-sunny weathers, Papamichael is able to use the landscape to set the mood of what the characters are dealing with some great exterior shots while utilizing some wonderful interiors to help create tense mood such as the scene where Alexandra and Matt confront Brian. Editor Kevin Tent does a terrific job with the editing as he brings a lot of style to the editing such as a few transition wipes and dissolves to keep the pace lively and methodical as well as a few jump cuts to play up some of the comic moments of the film.

Production designer Jane Ann Stewart, with set decorator Matt Callahan and art director T.K. Kirkpatrick, does an excellent job with the look of Matt‘s home with all sorts of pictures and maps as well as Elizabeth‘s hospital room and the hotels and cottages Matt and his daughters visit in Kauai. Costume designer Wendy Chuck does a wonderful job with the costumes used in the film such as the casual yet colorful clothing that Matt wears along with the youthful clothing that Alexandra and Scottie wears. Sound designer Frank Gaeta does a great job with the sound work to emphasize the crashing waves that surrounds Hawaii to the intimate scenes where the sound work is low-key yet effective to play up its dramatic elements.

Music supervisor Dondi Bastone does a phenomenal job with the film’s soundtrack as it’s mostly carried by an array of Hawaiian folk music. Featuring contributions from performers like Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson, and Reverend Dennis Kamakahi. The music plays up to some of the emotions of the film with simple yet melodic-driven ukulele pieces as it’s definitely a major highlight of the film.

The casting by John Jackson is superb as he creates an ensemble cast that is definitely flawless. Featuring notable small yet memorable roles from Milt Johnson as Elizabeth’s doctor, Rob Huebel and Mary Birdsong as Matt’s friends Mark and Kai Mitchell, Beau Bridges as Matt’s laid-back cousin Hugh, renowned pro surfer Laird Hamilton as Elizabeth’s boat driver Troy, and Patricia Hastie in an incredible silent role as the ailing Elizabeth King. Matthew Lillard is very good as Elizabeth’s lover Brad Speer as he tries to deal with Matt as well as the fact that his affair might ruin his marriage. Robert Forster is excellent as Elizabeth’s father Scott who is upset over what happened as he tries to make Matt and Alexandra feel guilty over their issues with Elizabeth.

Nick Krause is very funny as Alexandra’s laid-back yet helpful boyfriend Sid while Judy Greer is wonderful as Brad’s caring wife Julie whom Matt and Alexandra feel sorry for. Amara Miller is terrific as Matt’s 10-year old daughter Scottie whose energetic performance brings a real complexity to a girl that seems lost without her mom while doing all sorts of things that confuses her father. Shailene Woodley is magnificent in a real break-out performance as Alexandra as Woodley brings a real maturity to a girl filled with guilt as she tries to help out her father with the news that she revealed to him.

Finally, there’s George Clooney in a tremendous performance as Matt King. Clooney strays from the charming persona he’s been known for by giving a much more serious and frantic performance as a man dealing with lots of issues. Clooney does bring some light-hearted funny moments in the film while he also proves that he can be a fool and show the anguish of frustration that his character is going through. Clooney’s best scenes are with Woodley and Miller in how he’s trying to deal with their issues while being the caring man that is just trying to be the best father he can. It’s definitely one of the best performance Clooney has given in his career.

The Descendants is a fantastic yet compelling film from Alexander Payne featuring a great ensemble cast led by George Clooney. Along with wonderful supporting work from Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, and Judy Greer. It’s a film that has Payne delving into the world of loss and redemption while creating characters that are very real and engaging. The film definitely ranks up there with some of Payne’s best film proving that he is one of the most unique voices in American cinema today. In the end, The Descendents is an amazing and heartfelt film from Alexander Payne.

Alexander Payne Films: Citizen Ruth - Election - About Schmidt - Sideways - Paris Je T'aime -14th Arrondissement - Nebraska - (Downsizing) - The Holdovers - (Tracy Flick Can't Win) - Auteurs #5: Alexander Payne

© thevoid99 2011