Far from the Madding Crowd (2015 film)

Based on the novel by Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd is the story of a young woman in Victorian Britain who finds herself being pursued by three different suitors as she copes with what she wants and the role she needs to take. Directed by Thomas Vinterberg and screenplay by David Nicholls, the film is a study of a woman who is offered opportunities to improve her life as well as give into the temptations of the world around her. Starring Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Juno Temple, Tom Sturridge, Jessica Barden, and Michael Sheen. Far from the Madding Crowd is a sublime and compelling film from Thomas Vinterberg.

Set in 1870 Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria, the film follows the life of an independent-minded young woman who has inherited her uncle’s farm hoping to turn it into a source of income for a small British town as she is pursued by two different men while a farmer who works for her farm pines for her from afar. It’s a film that follows the life of this woman who is well-educated and humble as she is also an outsider of sorts that likes to work the farm as she has been raised by relatives. Yet, Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) is also someone determined to make her own mark in the world as David Nicholls’ screenplay follow every move she makes through good and bad times as she struggles to maintain her independence as well as be pursued by three different men. The first in the farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts) is this man that is also an individual as he would court Bathsheba early on but after losing his own farm due to circumstances beyond his control. He would help Bathsheba make her farm profitable as it gets the attention of the second suitor in William Boldwood (Michael Sheen).

Boldwood is a character that is just as interesting as Bathsheba and Gabriel as he is a wealthy man that could give Bathsheba a lot to offer as he is also quite kind and has some respect for Oak. Bathsheba, Gabriel, and Boldwood are definitely characters who are more well-defined in not just their development but also as people that characters actually care for. Something the film’s third suitor in Sgt. Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge) doesn’t have even though his character arc is well-defined as someone who was supposed to marry someone else but a simple misunderstanding leaves him heartbroken until he meets Bathsheba and seduces her. While his character is meant to be this despicable and dishonorable man that Oak doesn’t approve of, he is someone that seems to be more fleshed out but never develops into something more engaging as he is a major flaw in the film’s script.

Thomas Vinterberg’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in terms of the world that he presents as it is largely shot on location in Dorset as well as other rural parts of Britain. While many of the wide and medium shots around the locations are simple, Vinterberg does maintain something that still revels in style as he creates something that owes a lot to period films of the past. Yet, he would create some compositions in the medium shots and close-ups to maintain an air of intimacy in the way the characters interact while displaying bits of restrained sexuality in the way Sgt. Troy seduces Bathsheba in a scene involving a sword. There are moments where there is a liveliness and a sense of community to the farming scenes where Vinterberg definitely has some unique visual ideas for the way the film progresses as many of the scenes set in spring, summer, and fall have something that feels open. Yet, when Sgt. Troy enters the picture is when things become tense and tumultuous where the look changes into something drab and then comes winter where it play into not just decline for Bathsheba but also loss and desperation. All of which play into the journey she took and the role she seems to crave for and try to return to in a world that isn’t welcome to individual ideas. Overall, Vinterberg creates an engaging though flawed film about a woman trying to define herself in Victorian-era Britain.

Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of gorgeous sunlight for many of the exteriors as well as the way some of the interiors are lit for the scenes set at night. Editor Claire Simpson does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s intense moments. Production designer Kave Quinn, with set decorator Niamh Coulter and supervising art director Julia Castle, does amazing work with the set design from the interiors of the estates of Bathsheba and Boldwood to the look of the small town where many of the locals socialize at. Costume designer Janet Patterson does fantastic work with the costumes from the dresses that Bathsheba would wear throughout the course of the film to the clothes of the men including Sgt. Troy‘s uniform.

Makeup artist Belinda Parish and hair stylist Tracy Smith does nice work with the hairstyles of the women of that time as well as some of the beards and mustaches of the men. Sound designer Glenn Freemantle does superb work with the sound as it play into the liveliness of the social gatherings and meeting as well as in the sparse moments in the intimate scenes involving some of the characters. The film’s music by Craig Armstrong is wonderful as it has these lovely orchestral flourishes that play into the drama while being low-key in some moments with the music soundtrack filled with folk songs of the time including a ballad sung by Bathsheba and Boldwood.

The casting by Nina Gold and Theo Park is terrific as it feature some notable small roles from Tilly Vosburgh as a relative of Bathsheba early in the film, Bradley Hall as a young farmhand in Joseph, Sam Phillips as a recruiting sergeant for the army, and Hilton McRae as another farmhand in Jacob who proves to be quite loyal to Bathsheba and Oak. Juno Temple is wonderful as Sgt. Troy’s old flame Fanny as a young woman who was supposed to marry him but a misunderstand would lead her to ruins. Jessica Barden is fantastic as Liddy as Bathsheba’s aide who observes a lot of what is going on as well as have her say about what Bathsheba should do. Tom Sturridge’s performance as Sgt. Troy is definitely one of the worst aspects of the film not because his character is underwritten but also for the fact that Sturridge often presents himself as smug at times while never really do anything to make the character interesting.

Michael Sheen is brilliant as William Boldwood as a wealthy but lonely neighbor who has land that is quite profitable as well as court Bathsheba kindly where it’s a performance of restraint and charm as while Sheen also displays some humility as someone that is just a good man. Matthias Schoenaerts is amazing as Gabriel Oak as a farmer who lost it all as he works for Bathsheba where he tries to maintain his feelings for her as it’s one of the film’s best performances as Schoenaerts display that anguish but willingness to be loyal to the woman he cares for. Finally, there’s Carey Mulligan in a sensational performance as Bathsheba Everdene as a young woman who has inherited an estate and farm from her late uncle as she hopes to make it worth something again as she struggles to maintain her independence while coping with the complications of love as it’s one of Mulligan’s finest performances so far.

Far from the Madding Crowd is a stellar film from Thomas Vinterberg thanks in part to great performances from Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Michael Sheen. Despite some of the shortcoming aspects of the script, the film is still an interesting period drama that explores a woman’s search for herself in a world filled with many rules to keep her down. In the end, Far from the Madding Crowd is a superb film from Thomas Vinterberg.

Thomas Vinterberg Films: (The Biggest Heroes) - Dogme #1-The Celebration - (It’s All About Love) - (Dear Wendy) - (Submarino) - The Hunt (2012 film) - (The Commune)

© thevoid99 2016

Killer Joe

Directed by William Friedkin and written by Tracy Letts from his play, Killer Joe is the story about a young drug dealer who is going through money troubles as he and his family hire a contract killer to his mother so that he can collect the insurance money. The film revolves around a family trying to get money from someone they despise only to make a deal with someone they shouldn’t have trusted. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon, and Juno Temple. Killer Joe is a grimy yet unsettling film from William Friedkin.

The film is a look into the troubled world of a very dysfunctional family living in West Dallas, Texas where a young drug dealer named Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) is in deep debt as he owes a lot of money to loan sharks. The only way he can get the money is to have his mother killed so his younger sister Dottie (Juno Temple) can collect the insurance money worth $50,000 and he can split the money between himself, his sister, their father Ansel (Thomas Haden Church), and their stepmother Sharla (Gina Gershon). By hiring the detective/contract killer Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), they hope the plan would work but since the Smith family has no money. Dottie becomes Joe’s retainer until the money is given to Dottie but things become complicated leading to all sorts of trouble. Notably as Joe has some specific rules for Chris and Ansel to follow along with some secrets that could ruin things.

Tracy Letts’ screenplay plays into the dysfunctional world of this family where Chris is a young dealer who is in trouble because of his mother as he owes a lot of money. Though Chris is a fuck-up, he is desperate to get out of debt as he turns to his father for help but Ansel doesn’t have the money to help him out as Chris ropes the family in on the solution of how they can get some big money. By hiring Joe Cooper to do the job, Chris is unaware of the implications that he has bargained for as well as the danger he’s putting Dottie in. Especially as she’s this young, child-like woman who is kind of eccentric but also a representation of innocence though she too doesn’t like her mother very much as she’s also on board with the idea of having her mother dead. Joe is intrigued by Dottie as he wants to do a lot for her but is also a man who is a complete professional in what he does.

While Ansel and Sharla are characters who are only on board because of the money, once things become complicated in relation to what happens after Joe does the job. Notably as secrets are unveiled as well as resentment towards Chris over the danger they’re being put through as Joe is a man that is given a task for what he does and he wants what he’s being paid for. There were rules that Ansel and Chris had to follow but Chris’ conflict over what is happening to Dottie makes him uneasy as he tries to cancel the hit only to be reminded of the trouble he’s in. It adds to not just the conflict that Chris is facing but also the damage of his actions as he realizes how far down he’s in as he put his family in danger and has to deal with the consequences from not just the loan sharks but Joe as well.

The direction of William Friedkin is definitely unsafe and discomforting in not just the way he portrays a family that are dysfunctional and selfish but also the world they’re in as they live in a trailer park in the West Dallas, Texas. While there’s some scenes shot in New Orleans, Friedkin makes West Dallas into this very vast yet grimy place where things are in decay while and it’s a world where people tend to live by their own rules. It’s also a place where Friedkin uses Texas something that is considered Gothic with its images of lighting and rain where it plays a sense of doom that is to come while some of the locations showcase a place that had lost some of its splendor.

It’s not just West Dallas that’s a character in the film but also some of the presentation that Friedkin goes for as he maintains something that is stylish but also has this air of suspense in some of the film’s darker moments. Even in scenes between Joe and Dottie where Joe is entranced by Dottie’s innocence as there’s also an element of creepiness that occurs from Joe. The violence in the film is quite brutal that includes a scene where Chris is beaten by a couple of hoods. Yet, that is tame compared to the film’s final sequence where Joe confronts Sharla and Ansel over the insurance money where it involves some moments that will push the limits of how much someone can take. Even as it would later be followed by a chilly climax to showcase not just some dark truths but also something that is inevitable about everything else. Overall, William Friedkin creates a truly visceral yet mesmerizing film about greed and loyalty that refuses to play nice.

Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel does excellent work with the cinematography from a more naturalistic setting for the exterior scenes in the day to some more stylish use of lights in some of the nighttime interior and exteriors scenes including moments in the rain. Editor Darrin Navarro does fantastic work with the editing to play up the sensation of the violence as well as using some rhythmic yet methodical cuts to play out the film‘s suspenseful moments. Production designer Franco-Giacomo Carbone and set decorator Alice Baker do superb work with the set pieces from the empty pool hall where Joe meets Chris and Ansel to the trailer home the Smith family lives in that includes Dottie’s very innocent room that is filled with posters of pop idols.

Costume designer Peggy A. Schnitzer does nice work with the film‘s clothes as it‘s mostly casual and grimy though the look of Joe is very dark with his boots and black cowboy hat. Sound designer Steve Boeddeker and sound editors Aaron Levy and Mace Matiosian do amazing work with the sound to play out the air of suspense in some of the film‘s locations along with some moments where the sound creates an atmosphere to create something that is very intense. The film’s music by Tyler Bates is terrific as it‘s very low-key with its use of ambient music to underplay the suspense and drama. Music supervisor C.C. Adcock creates a soundtrack that is offbeat as it ranges from country music, rockabilly, folk music, and some reggae as it includes contributions from Lee Hazelwood, Clarence Carter, Southern Culture on the Skids, and Reverend Horton Heat.

The casting by Denise Chamian is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Danny Epper and Jeff Galpin as a couple of biker thugs who beat up Chris, Marc Macauley as the loan shark Digger that Chris owes money to, Sean O’Hara as the boyfriend of Chris’ mother Rex, and Julia Adams as Chris and Dottie’s mother Adele. Gina Gershon is excellent as Ansel’s wife Sharla who doesn’t really like Chris very much as she goes for the plan only for the money as she is also carrying a secret that would later impact things. Thomas Haden Church is superb as Ansel as a man who is unsure about getting involved with the scheme only to realize how beneficial it would be until he realizes the consequences it would bring.

Juno Temple is wonderful as Dottie as this very innocent young woman who is kind of an eccentric but also who is also quite girlish as she doesn’t seem to know what is really going on other than the fact that her mom is going to be killed. Emile Hirsch is amazing as Chris Smith as a young man in a lot of trouble as he tries to get himself out of trouble only to realize he’s made a deal that will bring in some serious consequences. Finally, there’s Matthew McConaughey in a performance for the ages as Joe Cooper where McConaughey is a man that is about his job while knowing what he can get in return as he’s also a man that’s in control but also instills a sense of order in what he does and what he wants as it’s definitely a performance full of terror and charisma.

Killer Joe is a phenomenal film from William Friedkin that features an unforgettable performance from Matthew McConaughey and a chilling screenplay from Tracy Letts. Along with a great ensemble that includes Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, and Gina Gershon, it’s a film that doesn’t want to play nice while not being afraid to be ugly and dirty. For William Friedkin, the film is certainly his most captivating but also his most harrowing as it shows a master returning to form. In the end, Killer Joe is an outstanding film from William Friedkin.

William Friedkin Films: (Good Times) - (The Birthday Party) - (The Night They Raided Minsky’s) - (The Boys in the Band) - The French Connection - The Exorcist - Sorcerer - (Brink’s Job) - Cruising - (Deal of the Century) - To Live and Die in L.A. - (Rampage (1987 film)) - (The Guardian (1990 film)) - (Blue Chips) - (Jailbreakers) - (Jade) - (12 Angry Men (1997 TV film)) - (Rules of Engagement) - (The Hunted (2003 film)) - Bug (2006 film)

© thevoid99 2013

Jack & Diane

Written and directed by Bradley Rust Gray, Jack & Diane is the story about two teenage girls who fall in love with each other as their romance intensify until one of them has to move away leading to all sorts of issues. The film is an exploration into young love as well as its complexities at such a young age. Starring Juno Temple, Riley Keough, Dane DeHann, Cara Seymour, Haviland Morris, and Kylie Minogue. Jack & Diane is an interesting but very messy film from Bradley Rust Gray.

After losing her cell phone, Diane (Juno Temple) wanders around Brooklyn trying to make a phone call as she enters a store where she meets a tomboy named Jack (Riley Keough). The two eventually go to a club where they kiss for the first time as their relationship starts to blossom. When Diane’s aunt Linda (Cara Seymour) finds out about the relationship, she isn’t happy as she revealed to Jack that Diane is leaving for Paris in two-weeks to attend school there. Jack is devastated where the two briefly break up until Jack learns something about Diane’s twin sister Karen. The two reunite as Jack and Diane spend their time together before Diane leaves for Paris where eventually, the two would make an encounter with strange things around them.

The film is essentially a love story between two teenage girls in Brooklyn where they spend their summer being together as one of them is set to leave for Paris to attend school there. Meanwhile, there’s some strange things happening as one of the girls has been having nosebleeds as she’s been going into some weird transformations that would shock both of them. While the premise is interesting, the screenplay ends up being meandering in terms of its plot schematics where it’s not sure where to go or what to do. There’s also some awkward writing in the dialogue while there’s also a lot of strange sub-stories regarding some things inside Diane’s body that would eventually be unveiled in the third act.

Bradley Rust Gray’s direction has some engaging moments in the way he builds up the relationship between Jack and Diane with some interesting shots as well as shooting it on location in Brooklyn. Yet, Gray seems unsure in what kind of film he wants to make where the screenplay really doesn’t do much to make the relationship more intriguing as the film progresses. Throughout the film, there’s these strange animated inserts by the Brothers Quay that establishes a lot of the things that’s happening to Diane. By the time the film reaches its third act, things start to drag when it comes to the eventual reveal about Diane and Jack’s encounter with it as it leads to very over-drawn moments concerning the film’s ending. Overall, Gray creates a film that had an interesting idea but falls flat in its inability to define itself as what kind of film it wants to be.

Cinematographer Anne Misawa does nice work with the photography from the wonderful look of the Brooklyn exterior settings to the array of lights at the club Jack and Diane attend. Editors Bradley Rust Gray and So Yong Kim do terrific work with the editing to capture the intensity of the relationship through some stylish cuts along with fade-outs for the transitions. Production designer Chris Trujillo and art director Matt Marks do some good work with the set pieces such as Diane‘s room as well as the club she and Jack go to. Costume designer Audrey Louise Reynolds does excellent work with the costumes from the tomboyish look of Jack to the more colorful clothing of Diane.

The creature design by Gabe Bartalos is quite good for its sense of horror although it just adds to the confusing nature of the film. The animation by the Quay Brothers is a highlight for the way it looks though the inserts they put in doesn‘t really seem to help out the film‘s narrative. Sound designer Kent Sparling does superb work with the sound from the way the music is heard on location to the atmosphere of the locations the characters encounter at. The music by the group mum is a major highlight of the film for its ambient textures and space-like tone to convey the sense of longing between the two protagonists. Music supervisor Rachel Fox creates a wonderful soundtrack that features music by Jonsi, Shellac, the Dillinger Escape Plan, some electronic music, and a great cover of Yazoo’s Only You by the Flying Pickets.

The casting by Sig de Miguel and Stephen Vincent is stellar as it features some cameo appearances from pop queen Kylie Minogue as a tattooed lesbian that Jack hangs out with, Lou Taylor Pucci as a guy in a web video, Haviland Morris as Jack’s mom, and Dane DeHaan as Jack’s co-worker Chris. Cara Seymour is good as Diane’s aunt Linda though it’s a character that doesn’t get much to do. Finally, there’s the duo of Riley Keough and Juno Temple in their respective roles as Jack and Diane. Keough brings a restrained yet calm performance as the tomboyish Jack as she tries to figure out about Diane. Temple is more outgoing as Diane as well as the way she goes into awkward moments as their performances are a real highlight of the film despite its weak script.

Jack & Diane is a really underwhelming film from Bradley Rust Gray despite the lead performances of Juno Temple and Riley Keough as well as terrific film soundtrack. It’s a film that really has no idea what it wants to be where it ends up meandering throughout and leading the film to drag at times. In the end, Jack & Diane is a terribly incomprehensible film from Bradley Rust Gray.

© thevoid99 2012

The Dark Knight Rises

Based on the DC Comics, The Dark Knight Rises is the story of a battered Bruce Wayne who dons his role as Batman after an eight-year hiatus to battle a cat burglar and a large man who has taken over the League of Shadows who hopes to wreak havoc on Gotham. Directed by Christopher Nolan and screenplay by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan with story by Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer. The film is the third and final part of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy as it follows Bruce Wayne in his quest to bring peace for Gotham as Christian Bale reprises the role. Also starring Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Ben Mendelsohn, Matthew Modine, and Tom Hardy as Bane. The Dark Knight Rises is a magnificent end to the Dark Knight trilogy from Christopher Nolan.

Eight years after the events that involved Harvey Dent’s death, Gotham lives in a world of peace but based on a lie as Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) starts to feel uneasy about the lie. Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne is living a life as a recluse still lost over his grief and having Batman hide out. Yet, he learns that a cat burglar named Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) has broken into his safe as she had been trying to retrieve his fingerprints for a business rival in John Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn). Yet, Wayne learns about a far more sinister figure in a mercenary named Bane who plans to wreak havoc on Gotham. Realizing he needs to be Batman again, he has his left leg repaired while getting ready to face whoever as Bane has officially arrived at Gotham. Still, Wayne has to deal with his losses as he asks Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) to take over Wayne Enterprises with Lucius Fox’s help.

With Gordon recovering from a gunshot after discovering Bane’s hideout, he asks a young police officer in John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to watch over things as Peter Foley (Matthew Modine) takes when Bane finally storms Gotham’s financial stock market to wreak havoc. Yet, it would mark the first of his many confrontations with Batman who makes his return as Batman also confronts Kyle over her theft as she reveals what she’s been doing. She would eventually lead Batman to confront Bane where the confrontation proves to be disastrous for Wayne as he’s sent to a mysterious land that he cannot escape leaving Bane to destroy Gotham all by himself.

After learning some stories about the League of Shadows and having to see Gotham be on its own under Bane’s terror with help from a fusion device Wayne had hoped to use for clean energy. The fusion device becomes a bomb that will detonate leaving the people of Gotham in fear as its criminals are free leaving to do whatever they want. Having to see Bane’s destruction, Wayne realizes what he must do to destroy Bane and the League of Shadows from destroying Gotham as he’ll need the help of some people.

The film is about Bruce Wayne/Batman getting back in the swing of things when Gotham is being threatened by a terrorist who hopes to finish the job that Ra’s Al Ghul (Liam Neeson and Josh Pence as the younger Ra’s Al Ghul) was able to finish in Batman Begins. Yet, Batman also has to deal with a cat burglar who has been trying to steal things from him in order for a businessman to bankrupt Bruce Wayne as she eventually realizes that she is getting little in return as she eventually teams up with Wayne. It’s all about Bane’s plan to fulfill Ra’s Al Ghul’s desire to destroy Gotham at the pinnacle of its chaos and then rebuild it as a new society. Still, he has to face Batman and a few others who actually believe in good triumphing over evil.

While the screenplay does have trouble following along with what Bane is planning along with subplots revolving around John Daggett’s plans to bankrupt Bruce Wayne for the League of Shadows. It does succeed in fleshing out the characters and motivation as it centers around Wayne’s desire to finally return as Batman following an eight-year hiatus but finds himself facing foes that are more powerful than him. Particularly as his motivations get him into conflict with his longtime butler Alfred (Michael Caine) who believes that Wayne is headed for death where he eventually reveals a secret that he kept for eight years.

Then there’s Bane who is this villain that represents a physical force where literally in his confrontations with Batman but also conceptually in how he terrorizes Gotham. Yet, he’s also a very intelligent man who wants to punish Wayne for the lies he created eight years before and for wounding the League of Shadows several years before that. He may not be the anarchist of the Joker nor the more organized planning of Ra’s Al Ghul but Bane is still an interesting villain. While other new character like John Blake and Miranda Tate are also interesting with some back story about them. Another character who simply steals the show from everyone is Selina Kyle. Though she isn’t called Catwoman throughout the film, she is a character that is quite complex as she’s just a thief who likes to steal for herself while aiding others in hopes to clear her name. Yet, she has to deal with all sorts of things as she eventually becomes conflicted about stealing from Wayne once Bane starts to wreak havoc.

Christopher Nolan’s direction is definitely vast in the way he presents the film in its opening scene with this elaborate scene of a plane being captured by a bigger plane that is inter-cut with a scene of Bruce Wayne watching above Wayne Manor to see Commissioner Gordon praise Harvey Dent. It’s a big way to open a film that is ambitious but also intimate in the way Nolan creates small scenes involving Wayne’s own turmoil with his loss that includes a heartbreaking moment where Alfred makes a confession that becomes an emotional turning point for Wayne in his upcoming confrontation with Bane. Yet, there are few scenes where Batman appears as it’s mostly to do with Wayne’s struggle to find reasons to be Batman again while dealing with all of these new dark forces.

Through the vast compositions and big action scenes, Nolan’s direction is truly ambitious as it includes the climatic battle between Batman and Bane where there are revelations into how Batman must save Gotham from nuclear Armageddon. It’s all about creating suspense and moments where Nolan is waiting for the payoff as well as things where Wayne has to face some realities. While there’s a few things in the film that don’t work such as a fantasy sequence where Wayne sees Ra’s Al Ghul in a dream. Still, Nolan does enough for what is expected in a blockbuster superhero film genre with his rapturous shots and thrilling action sequences that does more than entertain. Overall, Nolan creates a truly solid film that ends his Dark Knight trilogy on a high note.

Cinematographer Wally Pfister does amazing work with the photography such as the vast opening sequence and other action sequence that carries a wide depth of field while creating amazing lighting schemes for some of the film‘s interior scenes. Editor Lee Smith does excellent work with the editing to play up the intensity of the action films as well as slowing things down to build up the suspense. Production designers Nathan Crowley and Kevin Kavanaugh, with set decorator Paki Smith and art directors James Hambridge and Naaman Marshall, do spectacular work with the set pieces such as the new Batcave as well as Wayne Manor and the prison that Wayne is put in during the film‘s second half.

Costume designer Lindy Hemming does superb work with the costumes from the look of the Batsuit and Bane‘s costume to the gorgeous leather look of Selina Kyle‘s cat-suit. Visual effects supervisor Paul J. Franklin does terrific work with the minimal visual effects created such as the wide shots of the bridges blowing up as well as other shots involving the Batwing. Sound designer Richard King does brilliant work with the sound from the way the chants sound at the prison scene to the layering of sounds to exemplify the chaos that occurs in the film‘s second half. The film’s score by Hans Zimmer is wonderful for its percussive-driven score to play out the intensity of the action along with more low-key yet heavy orchestral themes to play up the drama.

The casting by John Papsidera and Toby Whale is incredible for the ensemble that is created for the film. With notable appearances from Liam Neeson and Josh Pence as Ra’s Ah Ghul with the latter in flashback scenes, other standouts include Juno Temple as Selina’s assistant Holly Robinson, Brett Cullen as a Congressman Selina woos, Thomas Lennon as a doctor, John Nolan as a Wayne Enterprises board member, Nestor Carbonell as Mayor Garcia, Alon Abutbul as the scientist Dr. Pavel that Bane kidnaps early in the film, Matthew Modine as deputy commissioner Foley, Chris Ellis as a priest John Blake confides in, Ben Mendelsohn as the slimy John Daggett, Burn Gorman’s as Daggett’s assistant Stryver, and Cillian Murphy reprising his role as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in a mock trial scene.

Morgan Freeman is excellent as the always resourceful Lucius Fox while Michael Caine is brilliant as the very witty but concerned Alfred where the latter definitely pulls a lot of the emotional weight involving his relationship with Bruce Wayne. Marion Cotillard is excellent as philanthropist Miranda Tate who tries to get Bruce back in the world and be involved with a clean-energy machine that ends up being trouble. Gary Oldman is great as Commissioner Gordon who deals with the guilt he created from a lie as he becomes overwhelmed with facing Bane by himself only to find a new ally in John Blake. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is superb as John Blake, a hot-headed young cop turned detective who confronts Wayne about what really happened to Harvey Dent as well as try to figure out what Bane is doing. Tom Hardy is marvelous as Bane by exemplifying his physique as a huge force while proving to be a man of great intelligence and power as it’s definitely Hardy at his best.

Anne Hathaway is phenomenal as Selina Kyle where she definitely steals the show from everyone from the one-liners she gives to the way she is able to outwit Wayne in every way and form. It’s Hathaway bringing a lot of humor and physicality to a woman who can’t be trifled with as she gives out one of her greatest performances of her career. Finally there’s Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman where Bale gives another great performance by displaying the anguish and confusion of a man unsure if he’s willing to be Batman again while having to deal with all of these forces. It’s Bale creating a lot of realism to the character of Wayne while being more cunning as Batman where he is more unafraid to do whatever he needs to do to save Gotham.

The Dark Knight Rises is an exhilarating and thrilling film from Christopher Nolan. Thanks to a large ensemble cast that features top-of-the-line performances from Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. It’s a film that definitely lives up to the hype though it doesn’t top its predecessors in terms of excitement and storytelling. It’s also a blockbuster that manages to excite but also engage for the way it reveals on what Batman must do to save the world. In the end, The Dark Knight Rises is an incredible film from Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan Films: Following - Memento - Insomnia (2002 film) - Batman Begins - Prestige - The Dark Knight - Inception - Interstellar - Dunkirk - The Auteurs #13: Christopher Nolan

Batman Films: (Batman (1966 film)) - Batman (1989 film) - Batman Returns - Batman Forever - Batman & Robin - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - The Lego Batman Movie - (Justice League)

© thevoid99 2012

Atonement

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com at 1/20/08.

In 2005, an unknown director named Joe Wright brought another film adaptation of the beloved Jane Austen novel Pride & Prejudice to the big screen. With an all-star cast led by Keira Knightley, the film became an unexpected hit for the young director as Knightley herself received an Oscar nomination for her role as Elizabeth Bennett. Following the film's success, Wright's next plan was to adapt the beloved Ian McEwan about a love affair torn apart by a lie from a young girl who is trying to figure out her sins. The novel known as Atonement was a hit with critics and book readers as Wright chose to expand his ambitions into a huge film adaptation of McEwan's beloved novel.

Directed by Joe Wright with an adapted script by Christopher Hampton, Atonement tells the story of a young rich girl and the son of a housekeeper who fall in love only to be torn apart by a misinterpreted accusation of the girl's young sister. Following this supposed crime, the lovers try to come together during World War II while the young girl is trying to figure out her sins and the truth itself. Reuniting with Keira Knightley, Joe Wright takes a huge leap in making a film that is grander and more harrowing than his previous film. Also starring James McAvoy, Brenda Blethyn, Harriet Waller, Juno Temple, Patrick Kennedy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Danny Mays, with film director Anthony Minghella, and in the role of Briony, Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, and Vanessa Redgrave. Atonement is a rich, powerful study of sin and its effects from director Joe Wright.

It's the late 1930s as a young girl named Briony Tallis (Saorise Ronan) is completing a play she hopes to show when her eldest brother Leon (Patrick Kennedy) is set to return. Meanwhile, everyone is getting prepared as Briony wants to rehearse the play with her young cousins including Lola (Juno Temple) and twins Jackson and Pierrette (Charlie & Felix von Simson). Later that day, Briony talks to her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) about the housekeeper's son Robbie (James McAvoy) who is set to go to medical school with help from Cecilia's father. During a botched rehearsal for Briony's play, Briony sees a moment between Cecilia and Robbie that led to Cecilia jumping into a garden-infested fountain.

Later that day, Leon arrives with a friend named Paul Marshall (Benedict Cumberbatch) who wows Cecilia's cousins with chocolates. With Robbie invited to the dinner by Leon, Robbie's mother Grace (Brenda Blethyn) is amazed at how he’s starting to have a great future as he tries to write a letter to Cecilia about his feelings. Yet, when he sees Briony playing in the garden, he asks her to give the letter to Cecilia but then realizes he makes a mistake when Briony reads the letter that she gave to Cecilia. The night starts to become troubling when Briony catches Cecilia and Robbie having sex. Things become more complicated when Briony's behavior towards Robbie is aggressive when she is asked by her mother (Harriet Waller) to fetch the twins. When the twins aren't in their rooms, everyone goes for a search where Briony sees an incident involving Lola that changes everything.

Four years later in the beginning stages of World War II, Robbie is a soldier in Northern France as he is joined by Tommy Nettle (Danny Mays) and Frank Mays (Nonso Anozie) during a mission in France. Robbie accepted to become a soldier to avoid further jail time for a crime he didn't commit due to Briony's testimony years ago. Robbie thinks about a meeting he had with Cecilia six months before as she has become a nurse with a promise to her that he will return to her. Walking to the north beach of France with Tommy and Frank, the ill Robbie finally reaches the beaches of Dunkirk hoping to be evacuated with the rest of wounded soldiers. Meanwhile, Briony (Romola Garai) has become a nurse in training. Trying to figure out what she saw those years ago, she is trying to write a story while hoping to have contact with Cecilia through unsuccessful attempts. Briony finally understands the horrors of war where at one moment, she tries to comfort a dying French soldier named Luc (Jeremie Renier) as she tries to come to terms with her own misinterpretations.

When she finally finds Cecilia's address where three weeks before Robbie is sent to France, she meets her older sister and Robbie as she reveals what she really saw and everything. Yet, with so much bitterness towards her, Briony remains haunted until by the time she becomes 77-year olds and as a writer, Briony (Vanessa Redgrave) reveals what she wrote and the result of everything that had happened as she comes to terms of these events in her final days.

While Ian McEwan's story of sin and its effects, the film is a study of morality and how simple mistakes and misinterpretations can ruin the lives of people and such. Screenwriter Christopher Hampton and director Joe Wright creates a film about perspectives in the style of what happened and such. The first example is the broken vase scene where Cecilia dives into the fountain to retrieve a broken piece. The first scene is from Briony's young perspective and then the second is from Robbie and Cecilia's. This is a style of storytelling that is made famous by the Akira Kurosawa 1950 classic film Rashomon about a rape & murder told from four different perspectives. It's really a psychological film where Hampton and Wright are trying to get the audience to think about what they've seen and such.

The film is also a character study of sorts from the mind of Briony. Here's a young girl who saw a few things she didn't understand and then, when a crime that she witnesses turns out to go wrong. The motions in event happen as everything falls apart where this girl turned into a young woman is trying to figure out what she really saw and how she can atone herself from these incidents that she caused. Hampton's study of character and sin is really engrossing as the sadness and frustrations in both Robbie and Cecilia for their love together and how these events are forcing them to be apart. While there's an abrupt shift in that moment from Briony's life in World War II to her present time. It conveys the sense of Briony's state of mind from the previous event she just saw as she begins to think about as a 77-year old woman. The script is definitely faithful to Ian McEwan's novel in some respects while it really serves as a film that is part romance and part mystery.

Director Joe Wright whose lush, stylized approach to directing that made his feature-film debut Pride & Prejudice such a delight to watch now takes a huge step forward into crafting his style. The presentations, the compositions he creates as well as the atmosphere from the dream-like world of the Tallis estate with its gardens and ponds to the harsh, desolate world of Dunkirk beach that included an unbroken tracking shot from a steadicam that conveys the sense of horror and sadness. What is clear is that Wright is becoming more confident as a director as he takes the audience back in time to a period where things are tense and such that included such moments of horror during the war. Even Wright's dramatic presentation is more intimate as directs the actor in a theatrical approach, particularly in the Tallis estate scenes and the sequence involving Cecilia, Robbie, and the 18-year old Briony. Overall, Wright has now become a director who is on his way to fulfill his potential.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does some wonderful work with his lush presentation of the Tallis exterior daytime scenes with some intimate lighting in some of the darker, interior scenes in the estate. The nighttime sequences are wonderfully colorful as it conveys the sense of emotion while the war-time scenes are wonderfully shot to convey its horror. Notably a scene where Robbie with his fellow soldiers walk into the woods to see an act of horror that has McGarvey doing some amazing work. Editor Paul Tothill does some great cutting from the use of backwards movement to the perspective cutting. Tothill's editing is truly superb to convey the sense of emotion and action that goes on. Even through the very emotional scene of Briony, Cecilia, and Robbie that has a rhythm to confirm every moment of drama that goes on.

Production designer Sarah Greenwood with art director Ian Bailie and set decorator Katie Spencer do amazing work in the posh look of the Tallis estate with all of its period look in the furniture, antiques, and such while the war-time scenes are great to convey the dirty, working-class look. Even in the ruins of the Dunkirk scenes are wonderfully built to convey the sense of horror and tragedy. Costume designer Jacqueline Durran does great work in the period-style costumes from the swimsuits Knightley and Ronan wears to the dresses that Knightley wears at night and in the wartime scenes. Durran's costumes are wonderfully exquisite to the times as even the men whether in tuxedos or in army gear are great. The sound work of Catherine Hodgson, recordist Danny Hambrook, and mixer Paul Hamblin is wonderful in capturing the atmosphere of war in the arrival of the Dunkirk scene while it's in greater use to the Tallis estate scenes in some of young Briony's writing in mix with Robbie's writing a letter to Cecilia.

The film's music consists of operatic and classical pieces by Claude Debussy and Giacomo Puccini plus wartime music by Walter Kent & Nat Burton and the prayer piece Dear Lord & Father Of Mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier and Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry are featured. Yet, the music that dominates the film is the sweeping score of Dario Marianelli. Marianelli's score is truly one of 2007's best film scores with its huge arrangements and rhythmic orchestration that includes themes of Briony that is accompanied by a typewriter-rhythm while the more romantic score is very dramatic with flourishing arrangements. The music of the Dunkirk is also sweeping and dramatic with its sense of horror and tragedy as Marianelli creates a score that truly amazing in its own.

The casting by Jina Jay is superb with wonderful small performances from Belgium actor Jeremie Renier as a wounded French soldier, Nonso Anozie as Frank Mays who walks with Robbie in the woods of Northern France, Gina McKee as Briony's head nurse Sister Drummond, Alfie Allen as servant Danny Hardman, film director Anthony Mingella as the interviewer who interviews the 77-year old Briony, Charlie & Felix von Simson as Briony's twin cousins Jackson and Pierrette, and Pride & Prejudice co-stars Peter Wight as a police inspector, and Brenda Blethyn in a great performance as Robbie's caring mother. Harriet Waller is also good as Cecilia and Briony's mother who adores Briony's talents while in shock over Robbie's actions in the crime.

Patrick Kennedy is good as Cecilia's eldest brother Leon while Benedict Cumberbatch is excellent as the charming Paul Marshall. Juno Temple is also excellent as Briony's cousin Lola who manages to become a key player in an incident as she acts a precocious young teenager. One of the film's best supporting performances is Danny Mays as Robbie's fellow soldier Tommy Nettle who brings some humor with some comments but becomes the companion who tries to comfort Robbie in the dire of times.

Keira Knightley delivers a fine performance as Cecilia, a young woman who is deeply in love with Robbie though she couldn't show her feelings publicly. When the love is gone, she is a woman desperate for him as she refuses to have contact with her sister. While it's not as good as her previous collaboration with Wright in Pride & Prejudice, Knightley is at least proving that she's more than a pretty face. James McAvoy delivers an amazing performance as Robbie, a man with ambitions to become a doctor and Cecilia's lover who is good, kind man. When he’s accused of a crime he didn't commit and becomes a soldier, McAvoy's performance is just amazing for his observation and weariness as he sells the sense of frustrations and tragedy of his character. McAvoy and Knightley display amazing chemistry in the scenes they’re in as McAvoy has the look and presence of traditional leading men that came before him.

In the roles of Briony, the trio of actresses for the role are all superb in their performances. Newcomer Saorise Ronan is amazing as the 13-year old Briony, a young girl who has a crush on Robbie and has aspirations to be a writer as she conveys the misguided innocence of a young girl. Ronan's performances in the more dramatic scenes are great for her quick-wit reaction and angst that is displayed as her performance is just unforgettable. Equally as great as well as impressive is Romola Garai as the 18-year old Briony. Garai's performance is astonishing for her sense of restraint in how she tries to come to terms with her actions while not having contact with a lot of people.

Her scene in her attempt to atone for her actions is more surprising as she completely restrains herself from the more dramatic Knightley and forceful McAvoy. It's in that scene that Garai steals the show as she is proving to be one of Britain's finest actresses. Vanessa Redgrave is brilliant in her brief role as the 77-year old Briony who is still trying to find forgiveness in her final days as Redgrave's performance is just powerful for her look and weariness.

Atonement is a rich, powerful, and haunting masterpiece from Joe Wright and company helmed by fantastic performances from Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, and the trio of Saorise Ronan, Romola Garai, and Vanessa Redgrave. While fans of the book might have some issues with the adaptation, they will at least enjoy Wright's interpretation of the book. Those who loved Pride & Prejudice will be amazed in what Wright did as a director as his next film will definitely be one to anticipate for. In the end, for a rich film that questions sin and its consequences, Atonement is the film to go see.

Joe Wright Films: Pride & Prejudice (2005 film) - The Soloist - Hanna - Anna Karenina

(C) thevoid99 2011

Kaboom

When Gregg Araki returned to the film world following a five-year hiatus with 2004’s Mysterious Skin. The film became a surprise hit in the world of art house and indie theaters as Araki was back in a big way. In 2007, Araki made his most accessible and surprising film of his career in a stoner comedy called Smiley Face that starred Anna Faris. The film proved to be another surprise proving that the often controversial Araki could make a film that was entertaining. Following another break in trying to develop projects, Araki would finally return in 2010 with his first original project in more than a decade with the sci-fi comedy entitled Kaboom.

Written, edited, and directed by Gregg Araki, Kaboom tells the story of an 18-year old film student having a sexual awakening as he tries to find himself. Along with his other friends discovering their own sexual awakening, the film student would also have surreal fantasies featuring two different women leading to questions about a possible apocalypse. The film recalls Araki’s mid-1990s Teenage Apocalyse Trilogy of films that included Totally Fucked Up, The Doom Generation, and Nowhere but with a new, post-millennium sensibility. Starring Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Juno Temple, Roxane Mesquida, Chris Zylka, Kelly Lynch, and longtime Araki-cohort James Duval. Kaboom is a witty, colorful sci-fi thriller/comedy from Gregg Araki and company.

Smith (Thomas Dekker) is an 18-year old film student confused about his sexual preference as he rooms with a hunky, blond surfer named Thor (Chris Zylka). Smith is bothered by a recurring dream he has featuring Thor, his mother (Kelly Lynch), and his lesbian best friend Stella (Haley Bennett) along with two women he doesn’t know. Already having a weird experience in college that includes a stoned resident advisor named the Messiah (James Duval). Things get weirder during a party where one of the women in his dreams is Stella’s new girlfriend Lorelei (Roxane Mesquida). He later meets a British student named London (Juno Temple) where the hallucinogenic cookies he ate has him seeing strange things including an encounter with the other woman (Nicole LaLiberte) in his dreams.

After getting a USB flash-drive in his coat pocket and seeing a strange ritual that involved the woman, later to be revealed as Madeleine O’Hara. Smith wants to know who she is as London reveals that she knows her from her sociology class. Smith would later have weird encounters with three animal-masked men as London reveals more news while Stella would reveal some strange things about Lorelei. At a nude beach, Smith meets Hunter (Jason Olive) whom he would have sex with while Stella is trying to break things off with Lorelei who is revealed to be a witch with powers. With London helping Smith out in the investigation while taking time to have sex with Thor’s friend Rex (Andy Fischer-Price), Smith gets a mysterious message that would about Madeleine’s missing body.

With Smith’s 19th birthday happening, he gets another weird message along with more sexual encounters with Hunter, London, and a surprise. The birthday gets more surprising as he attends a concert where he meets a young guy named Oliver (Brennan Mejia), whom he had been contacting and saw at a party weeks before. Still, Smith’s night gets stranger when he sees a woman who looked like Madeleine as he asks her questions. The night gets stranger when Smith and Stella would have their own strange encounters where Smith makes a breakthrough over what is happening. Even as London helps with an answer leading to a cult as it becomes clear that something is happening.

The film is essentially a genre-bending film that recalls not just Araki’s past teen-angst films of the 1990s but also his exploration with surrealism as it features clips from a couple of films by Luis Bunuel. Yet, the movie is about a young man’s sexual awakening as he encounters mysterious, surreal surroundings leading him to the discovery of a strange cult. Still, it’s a film where Araki gets to refine his filmmaking and his themes of sexual exploration and teenage identity. This time around, he doesn’t fuse it with a lot of pop culture references or cameos that sometimes become a distraction with his past work.

The story is interesting though uneven as the first half is this zany, free-wielding comedy with elements of sex and bits of suspense. The second half becomes more of a suspenseful, sci-fi kind of film with lots of ideas about cults. Still, Araki manages to make things engaging and also entertaining in the way he presents stories with stylized dialogue and dazzling sequences.

Araki’s direction is definitely as potent as ever as he is given more to do with his camera while creating scenes that are fun to look at. Even in creating sex scenes that are surreal from the viewpoint of its characters. Yet, Araki manages to create a lively world of college life that is about having sex, going to parties, and all of those things. Yet, the framing of the scenes along with the suspenseful, surreal moments he creates is definitely mesmerizing in its imagery. Despite the limited budget he has, Araki was able to create sci-fi moments that are very strange yet electrifying to watch.

Since it’s a largely stylized film that includes some weird transitional wipes and other stylized cuts to create something vibrant due to Araki’s work as the editor. Even as he creates a lot of intense moments for the film’s suspenseful scenes as it’s clear that Araki is becoming more confident as a director. While the film’s abrupt, what-the-fuck ending will definitely turn off a lot of people. It’s Araki’s way of subverting things since the film was to lead to a climatic ending as it does end things with a bang, literally. Whatever flaws the film has, it is proof that Araki is getting better as a director.

Cinematographer Sandra Valde-Hansen does a fantastic job with the film’s vibrant yet colorful photography. Notably in the party scenes where the lights are filled with dazzling colors mixed in with blue and pink while the nighttime scenes are exquisite in its haunting presentation. Valde-Hansen’s photography is definitely the film’s technical highlight for the way it allows the film to be stylized without over-doing it.

Production designer Todd Fjelsted, along with set decorator Kristen Rajterowski and art director J.B. Popplewell, does an excellent job with the film‘s art direction from the blackish look of the restaurant where the students eat to the parties they attend. The art direction and set pieces created for the film are amazing to look as it plays to Araki’s style. Costume designer Trayce Gigi Field does a spectacular job with the film‘s costumes from the big earrings that Stella wears to the 80s-like clothing that London wears. The costumes are fun to look at as its’ another of the film’s technical highlights.

Visual effects supervisor Wesley Cronk does some very good work with the minimal visual effects needed for the hallucination scenes as well as weird sex scenes involving Stella and Lorelei. Sound editor Trip Brock does a fine job with the film’s sound in capturing the atmosphere of the parties along with the climatic suspense scene towards the end of the film.

Music composer Robin Guthrie, along with Vivek Maddala, Ulrich Schnauss, and Mark Peters, does a wonderful score that is a mixture of shoe gaze, dream-pop, and ambient music. Notably in playing some of the dream sequences that Smith encounters throughout the film. Music supervisor Tiffany Anders helps create a diverse yet intoxicating soundtrack that features A Place to Bury Strangers, the Horrors, the xx, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, Friendly Fires, Metro Area, Airiel, Tears Run Ring, Cut Copy, Helen Stellar, Placebo, Explosions in the Sky, the Big Pink, the Depreciation Club, and Ladytron. The mixture of indie and electronic music is definitely amazing as with any of Araki’s films. The soundtrack and score is always a highlight of his films.

The casting by Jenny Jue and Johanna Ray is superb for the use of young actors needed as well as veterans. Small yet notable performances include Michael James Spall as a mysterious cult figure, adult film star Christine Nguyen as a girl Thor sleeps with, Carlo Mendez as a trailer for Smith’s mom, and Nicole LaLiberte as the mysterious Madeleine. Other notable small but memorable roles include Andy Fischer-Price as Thor’s surfer buddy Rex, Brennan Mejia as Oliver, Jason Olive as the nude-beach guy Hunter, and James Duval in a hilarious performance as stoner resident advisor the Messiah.

Roxane Mesquida is incredibly sexy and cool as the witchy yet mysterious Lorelei who seduces Stella and freaking her out. Chris Zylka is funny as the very attractive blond surfer Thor who often says silly, stupid things around Stella while is often impressed by Smith’s sexual appetite. Kelly Lynch is very good in a small role as Smith’s workaholic mom who is carrying a big secret about what is going on with him. Juno Temple is great as London, the British student who helps Smith in his journey to find out what is going on while having a great sexual appetite where Temple has a great monologue about how to perform oral sex on a woman.

Haley Bennett is excellent as Stella, Smith’s sarcastic arty friend who helps him out while dealing with her own strange encounters with Lorelei as Bennett gets to play cool. Finally, there’s Thomas Dekker in a superb role as the sexually-confused Smith. Dekker plays up to the character’s naiveté in his sexual exploration while learning about the dreams he’s having in relation to the strange things he is dealing with as Dekker does a fantastic job.

While it may not live up to the brilliance of Mysterious Skin or past films like The Living End and The Doom Generation. Kaboom is still a stellar yet entertaining film from Gregg Araki. Armed with a great ensemble cast that includes Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple, and James Duval. It’s a film that fans of Araki’s work will enjoy in its style and how he engages the characters in their situations. While it’s not a perfect film that has a very odd ending, it is a film that definitely plays with people’s expectations of a genre-bending film like this. In the end, Kaboom is a colorful, mesmerizing, and funny film from Gregg Araki.

Gregg Araki Films: (Three Bewildered People in the Night) - (Long Weekend (0’ Despair)) - The Living End - Totally Fucked Up - The Doom Generation - Nowhere - (Splendor) - (This is How the World Ends (TV)) - Mysterious Skin - Smiley Face - (White Bird in a Blizzard)

© thevoid99 2011

Greenberg

Since the release of 2005’s The Squid & the Whale following an eight-year hiatus from filmmaking. Noah Baumbach came back with a film that surprised audiences and critics over its portrait of divorce from the perspective of children. Two years later, Baumbach paid tribute to Eric Rohmer with Margot at the Wedding that starred Nicole Kidman, Jack Black, and Baumbach’s then-wife Jennifer Jason Leigh. After being in the American east coast for a large portion of his films, Baumbach moved west towards his next project about a man trying to get his life with Greenberg.

Directed by Noah Baumbach with a script written by Baumbach based on a story he conceived with Jennifer Jason Leigh. Greenberg tells the story of a man who decides to housesit his brother’s home following a mental breakdown as he then meets his brother’s personal assistant. The film is an exploration of depression and starting over. Starring Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans, Merritt Weaver, Chris Messina, Brie Larson, Juno Temple, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Greenberg is a poignant yet witty film from Noah Baumbach and company.

Florence (Greta Gerwig) is a personal assistant for a man named Phillip Greenberg (Chris Messina) who is about to go on a six-week vacation to Vietnam to open a hotel with his family. Coming to stay over at Phillip’s house for the duration is his brother Roger (Ben Stiller) who needs a place to stay following a stay at a mental hospital in New York City. Florence has problems of her own having just broken up from a relationship with no idea what to do with herself. Upon Roger’s arrival, the only instruction Roger needed to do at home is to take care of the family dog while Florence helps him out with things.

Roger meets up with his old friend Ivan (Rhys Ifans) as he also tries to reacquainted with other old friends including his ex-girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who is now married. Aware of the changes that his old friends have in their lives, Roger decides to hang out with Florence as they connect through their own melancholia. Even as she invites him to a show where she’s singing. While her friend Gina (Merritt Weaver) isn’t sure that Roger is right for her, she’s interested in him because she feels kind of sorry for him. Even though he can be very angry all the time over everything.

When the dog becomes sick and Florence helps him out, Roger is having a hard time trying to relate to Florence as well as his old friends. A drink with Beth doesn’t go anywhere while he ponders what could’ve been when he and Ivan had a band that was very close to having a record deal that was thwarted by Roger back then. During his time with Ivan as Florence meets Ivan, Ivan isn’t sure about the relationship which is already having its ups and downs. Notably when Florence gets sick and had to go to the hospital. For Roger, he gets an unexpected visit from his sister-in-law’s stepsister Sara (Brie Larson) and her friend Muriel (Juno Temple) where a party happens as it leads to some unexpected events for Roger and the life that he’s leading.

The film is about two lost souls connecting with one another as they spend six weeks together trying to sort out their lives. Yet, it’s also about two people each dealing with their own identities. For Florence, she’s just a 26-year old woman trying to figure out what to do with herself while dealing with a break-up and being used for sexual pleasure with other men. Still, she is someone that is at least able to help people out and try to make something of herself no matter how flawed and young she is.

Then there’s Roger Greenberg who is someone having a hard time relating to the world and has just gotten out of a mental hospital. Upon his stay in Los Angeles, he finds himself having trouble relating to old friends and what they’re doing. The only one that is willing to give him the time of day is Ivan. Ivan however, is a character that is willing to listen to Greenberg complain about the world and everything else. Then in one scene, Greenberg asks Ivan if anyone had said anything about him as Ivan, reluctantly, says the truth about what people say. Greenberg is a man that is complicated and high-strung about everything where even his brother doesn’t help matters as Greenberg is doing his best to do things.

Baumbach’s screenplay is definitely an amazing character study about a man in crisis along with his fascination towards a 26-year old woman. His direction is also fascinating in the way he observes behaviors and events that happens around these characters. Even where he can make a children’s birthday party seem awkward though everyone else except Greenberg is having fun. The direction for the film is also very intimate with conversation pieces in various locations in Los Angeles by allowing some close-ups and two-shots for those scenes. Baumbach also creates scenes with humor that is mostly low-key while not over-dramatizing anything. Including some scenes where there’s a lot going on as one character is trying to be the center of attention. While the film does lag in a few spots, it is definitely one of Baumbach’s finest films.

Cinematographer Harris Savides does an excellent job with the film’s colorful photography as he takes advantage of the sunny look of Los Angeles. Even in capturing the nighttime look of the city in its exterior and interior settings with a wonderful intimacy that is truly gorgeous to watch. Savides’ work is definitely one of the film’s major highlights. Editor Tim Streeto does a fantastic job with the film’s editing in terms of creating amazing montages for a party scene where Greenberg is having different conversations with other people. Also in bringing jump-cuts for scenes where Florence is driving her car as it’s wonderfully stylized for a very unconventional film.

Production designer Ford Wheeler, along with set decorator Elizabeth Keenan and art director Curt Beech, does a very good job with the posh look of the Greenberg home that Roger is living in along with the more middle-class yet casual world that Florence lives in. Costume designer Mark Bridges also does a good job with the costumes from the casual, bohemian dresses that Florence wears to the casual, jeans-sweater shirts that Roger wears with everyone else looking more adult except for the young people Roger encounters. Sound editor Paul Hsu along with mixer Felix Andrews does an amazing job with the film’s sound from the intimate setting at the homes and club that Florence sings to the parties that Greenberg attends.

Music by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem is definitely another of the film’s highlights as it is a mixture of moody electronic music with elements of rock along with folk-driven pieces. Additional cuts from music supervisor George Drakoulias as he fills the rest of the film’s soundtrack with cuts by the Steve Miller Band, Paul McCartney, Albert Hammond, Galaxie 500, Lily Allen, Serge Gainsbourg, the Association, and Duran Duran. The soundtrack is definitely one of the most diverse and creative soundtracks of 2010.

The casting by Francine Maisler is superb with its array of memorable performances. Among them in the small roles include Mark Duplass as a former bandmate of Greenberg, Susan Traylor as Greenberg’s sister-in-law, Zach Chassler and Mina Badie as a couple who often swims in the Greenberg family pool, Chris Messina as Greenberg’s brother, and the dog Sam as the Greenberg family dog Mahler. Brie Larson and Juno Temple are very good as two young girls who party with Greenberg while Merritt Weaver is excellent as Florence’s friend Gina. Jennifer Jason Leigh is superb as Greenberg’s ex-girlfriend Beth who is polite to him though is not willing to go further with him about anything.

The film’s best supporting performance definitely belongs to Rhys Ifans as Ivan. Ifans plays the guy who listens to Greenberg while showing what is going on as he has a great scene that reveals what kind of a person Greenberg is and what kind of man Ivan is at this moment. It’s definitely a wonderful performance for Ifans who manages to let Ben Stiller outdo him only to get him late in the film. Greta Gerwig is radiant as Florence as a young woman who is just trying to find herself while being someone who knows she’s a bit immature and says a lot of things. Even as she is inexperienced in the way she handles things as Gerwig just brings a realism to her role as a lost soul just trying to find something.

Ben Stiller gives what is definitely his best performance in quite a long time during a period of some bad, mainstream-driven comedies where he makes a fool of himself. Stiller creates a character that is at times, un-likeable because he is so angry with the world and couldn’t relate to anything. Yet, there is also someone who is vulnerable and childlike in Stiller’s performance as the moments where’s not talking and just being quiet are very touching. Stiller’s scenes with Greta Gerwig are great to watch in the way interact along with the awkwardness as he allows himself to be funny in subtle moments. It’s definitely Stiller proving himself that outside of comedy, he is a capable and engaging dramatic actor.

While it may not live up to such films as Kicking & Screaming and The Squid & the Whale, Greenberg is a superb film from Noah Baumbach. Armed with fantastic performances from Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, and Rhys Ifans. It’s a film that is a wonderful exploration of self-identity and depression with elements of humor and realism. Even as fans of Noah Baumbach will see this as one of his finest films of his amazing career. In the end, Greenberg is a smart and engaging drama from Noah Baumbach and company.

Noah Baumbach Films: Kicking & Screaming - Highball - Mr. Jealousy - The Squid & the Whale - Margot at the Wedding - Frances Ha - While We're Young - Mistress America - (The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)) - Marriage Story - De Palma - The Auteurs #41: Noah Baumbach

© thevoid99 2011

The Other Boleyn Girl

Originally Written and Posted on 3/2/08 w/ Additional Edits.

 

In the 16th Century, Henry VIII ruled England while he was known more for having six wives during his reign. The most famous wife of them all was his second Anne Boleyn who would later be beheaded in an accusation of adultery in 1536 three years after she became queen. During those years, she gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I who would be raised by Anne's sister Mary. The story of Anne Boleyn was then told from another perspective by novelist Phillippa Gregory from her sister Mary in the book entitled The Other Boleyn Girl. The book was a success as it's now become a film adaptation in the same name.

The Other Boleyn Girl tells the story of Anne and Mary Boleyn's relationship as sisters until they're met by Henry VIII. When Mary is chosen over Anne, she becomes the king’s mistress until Anne gets his attention and a rivalry ensues between the two sisters. Directed by Justin Chadwick with a screenplay by Peter Morgan of The Queen fame, the film is a dramatic re-telling on one of the greatest affairs in English history. Playing the title role of Mary Boleyn is Scarlett Johansson and as Anne Boleyn, Natalie Portman. With Eric Bana in the role of Henry VIII, the film also stars Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jim Sturgess, Juno Temple, and Ana Torrent. The Other Boleyn Girl is a superb though by-the-books period drama from Justin Chadwick and screenwriter Peter Morgan.

It's Mary Boleyn's wedding day as she is set to wed William Carey (Benedict Cumberbatch) with her older sister Anne and younger brother George (Jim Sturgess) watching. With their parents Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance) and Lady Elizabeth Boleyn (Kristin Scott Thomas) watching as well, arriving to the wedding is Elizabeth's brother The Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) who tells Thomas news of the king's dissatisfaction with his wife Queen Katherine of Aragon (Ana Torrent), who could no longer bear children, let alone a son. With King Henry VIII losing interest in the queen, he seeks a mistress as Anne is suggested to be in the running. Though Elizabeth isn’t happy by the news, Anne reluctantly decides to take the chance in being the king's new mistress as well as a lady-in-waiting for the queen.

Henry arrives to meet the Boleyns as he catches the eye of Anne where she tries to impress with horseback riding. Unfortunately, Anne managed to get the king injured as he meets Mary who nurses him. Mary suddenly is set to become the new mistress as well as lady-in-waiting with William Carey given a position to work with the king and Duke of Norfolk. Mary reluctantly takes part as she has an encounter with the queen as she finds herself satisfying the king in many ways. Anne meanwhile, elopes with Henry Percy (Oliver Coleman) that gets her and the family in trouble as she is sent to France in exile. With George also set to be married to one of the king's lady-in-waiting in Jane Parker (Juno Temple), things look good for the Boleyns when Mary finds herself pregnant. With Mary now forced to lie in bed, Anne returns from exile as she charms the king while rejecting his gifts in order to maintain his attention towards Mary.

Mary eventually, gives birth to a boy but Anne's ambitions to have Henry's heart and such manages to have Henry ignore the newborn boy as well as Mary. Anne's charms wins over Henry with Mary now set to live in the country with her son while no longer married to William Carey. When troubles arises for Henry's desire to divorce Katherine and have Anne as his new queen, Mary returns to help Anne in her bid. When Henry makes the decision to break from the Catholic Church and form his own, he gets his divorce and Anne Boleyn becomes the new Queen of England. Yet, her plan to give birth to a son falters when she ends up giving birth to a girl named Elizabeth. When Anne makes attempts to give Henry a son, he starts to have his attention towards Jane Seymour (Corrine Galloway). Anne seeks help from Mary and George about getting a son as Mary decides she wants out. Joining her is William Stafford (Eddie Redmayne) who had long desired her as the two move to the country.

When Anne is suddenly accused of treason with George also indicted on the crime, Mary returns to London to help out her siblings. Mary makes a final plea for the king to spare her sister as the Boleyn family falls apart with the girls' mother distraught over what her husband and brother had done.

While the film doesn't have a serious approach to historical contents while not telling the audience when exactly the events in the film occurs. It does faithfully tell about Henry VIII's affairs with Anne Boleyn while taking on the perspective of Mary Boleyn. Credit goes to screenwriter Peter Morgan for delving into the film's historical approach as well as the love triangle between Henry VIII and the Boleyn sisters. While Anne Boleyn is portrayed as an ambitious, bitchy character, Mary is her opposite as a simple, shy character where the two seems to have something to offer to Henry VIII. The perspective of characters as well as the rest of the Boleyn family is wonderfully portrayed, particularly of Lady Elizabeth Boleyn who is forced to watch her daughters be treated like objects.

Director Justin Chadwick does a solid job in capturing the drama and atmosphere of the period. While nothing about the filmmaking is groundbreaking, Chadwick does deserve credit for creating a grand film that is true to the period-drama genre while delving into some amazing scenes for its drama and the tone of the times. Not everything Chadwick does is great, notably the love scenes as he emphasizes on styles that includes blurry shots that doesn't work. Chadwick falters in that while the suspense of something very dramatic that is to come lacks momentum. Still, despite its flaws, the film is a good period-drama.

Cinematographer Kieran McGuigan does an excellent job with the film's colorful tone in its exterior settings with the sunlight to convey the moods of the film. Some of the nighttime, darker scenes with elements of blue lights and shading is lovely to watch though it's not really much to get excited about. Editors Paul Knight and the legendary Carol Littleton does some wonderful work in the film's leisurely pacing while utilizing jump-cuts for some of the film’s dramatic exchanges between characters. Production designer John Paul Kelly, set decorator Sara Wan, and art director David Allday do an excellent job with the film's look of the interior homes with the look of chairs, tablecloths, and beds.

Sandy Powell's costume designs are wonderfully exquisite to the design of the dresses for the Boleyn sisters, Henry VIII's clothing, and the look of the period itself. Powell's work is truly superb as it is authentic to the look and feel of the 16th Century. Sound editor Julian Slater and mixers Ed Coyler and John Casali do excellent work in creating an atmosphere of the times including some of the film’s dramatic scenes that included a layering of an argument between Henry and Anne while the scene is showing Mary taking care of baby Elizabeth. The music of Ed Shearmur is wonderfully subtle with bass-heavy orchestration to convey the film's sense of drama without any epic arrangements and such.

The cast assembled by Karen Lindsay-Stewart is superb with appearances from Daisy Doidge-Hill, Kizzy Fassett, and Finton Reilly as the young Anne, Mary, and George Boleyn, respectively along with Alfie Allen as the king's messenger and Corrine Galloway as Henry's soon-to-be third wife Jane Seymour. From the Joe Wright adaptation of Atonement, supporting actors Benedict Cumberbatch as William Carey and Juno Temple as Jane Parker are excellent in their roles while Temple has a bigger role as George Boleyn's wife whom George doesn't seem to like very much. Oliver Coleman and Eddie Redmayne as the respective lovers of Anne and Mary are excellent with Redmayne in a bigger role as a man who desired Mary while sympathizing with her role in court.

Spanish actress Ana Torrent is excellent as Katherine of Aragon who intimidates Mary while having a presence that is very regal as she has a wonderful, subtle confrontation with Natalie Portman. David Morrissey is also great as the ambitious, conniving Duke of Norfolk whose connection to the king only causes trouble with his family as he is a character that cares more about prestige than family. Mark Rylance is brilliant as the ambitious Thomas Boleyn who decides to have his daughters become the king's mistresses hoping to ensure a prestigious position for him. Kristin Scott Thomas is superb as Lady Boleyn who is more concerned about her daughters' happiness instead of wealth as she is forced to see her family disintegrate. Thomas' scene where her anger at her husband and brother is just powerful.

Jim Sturgess is wonderful as George Boleyn, the loyal brother of Anne and Mary who hopes to protect them until he's forced to do something for Anne as he becomes confused and hurt. Eric Bana is okay but not great as Henry the VIII. The restraint and lack of heavy emotions makes the character of Henry the VIII very dull. Even when he has to be compared to Jonathan Rhys-Meyers of The Tudors mini-series.  Henry the VIII is supposed to be a man that is big and full of himself as Bana doesn't really do anything but sit around and just give orders.  It's a really uninspiring performance though there's moments where he can be romantic but doesn't exude the sexuality of the young Henry the VIII.

The film's best performances goes to the double-power combo of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, where if they were one, they'd be called Scartalie Porthansson. Portman's witty, sly, charming performance as Anne Boleyn as she exudes sexiness while using her smiles and giggles to win everyone. While her British accent isn't perfect, Portman makes up for it with her winning performance as her dramatic work is superb. After a series of lackluster films and performances, Scarlett Johansson delivers her strongest performance since 2004's A Love Song for Bobby Long. Using her minimalist approach to performance, Johansson brings subtlety and grace to her performance as Mary Boleyn. While Johansson has often been known for her beauty, that becomes second as her portrayal of the shy, innocent Mary is amazing as Johansson delves into the pain and confusion of her sister's ambitions as well as her role.

While both actresses manage to hold their own against Eric Bana, it's the scenes when they're together that's just dynamite. The two actresses seem to be in ease with other while displaying a masterful sense of drama as the two fight and comfort each other in powerful some powerful scenes. Both are great at crying but the two of them cry together, overwhelming.

While it's not a perfect film, The Other Boleyn Girl is still an enjoyable period film that's entertaining and engaging. Thanks to the double-powerhouse combo of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson with wonderful support from Jim Sturgess, and Kristin Scott Thomas. It's a film that history buffs might seem to enjoy once they don't take some of the historical context to seriously. Fans of both Portman and Johansson will no doubt consider their performances to be essential among their respective filmography. More importantly, the film is a showcase for the two as they show some of Hollywood's more well-known, lesser-talented young actresses how it's done. So in the end, The Other Boleyn Girl is a very good though flawed period film that is watchable thanks to the acting talents of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson.

(C) thevoid99 2010