The Jane Austin Book Club

Based on the novel by Karen Joy Fowler, The Jane Austen Book Club is the story of a group of women and one man who come together to read and discuss the books of Jane Austen as the stories start to mirror elements into their own lives. Written for the screen and directed by Robin Swicord, the film is an exploration into the world of love as six different people use the works of Jane Austen to help them with their lives. Starring Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, Hugh Dancy, Mark Blucas, Kevin Zegers, Jimmy Smits, and Lynn Redgrave. The Jane Austen Book Club is an enchanting and witty film from Robin Swicord.

The film plays into the lives of five different women and a man who come together to read and discuss the six novels by Jane Austen as the books would inspire some to find love along with other things that play into the works of Jane Austen. Among them is a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog breeder named Jocelyn (Maria Bello) whose best friend Sylvia (Amy Brenneman) is going through a split from her husband who is having an affair with another woman. Joining the two is Sylvia’s daughter Allegra (Maggie Grace) who is exploring her sexuality while leading the club is Bernadette (Kathy Baker) who knows the three as she brings in a prim French teacher in Prudie (Emily Blunt) whom she met at a Jane Austen film festival. The wild card in the group is a young man Jocelyn meets in Grigg (Hugh Dancy) who is a fan of sci-fi novels as he had never read anything of Austen as Jocelyn hopes to hook him up with Sylvia.

Robin Swicord’s screenplay does have a lot that goes on yet it is structured as it plays to each character selecting a book to read where they all come together to discuss it as well as dealing with various individual issues. Among them is Sylvia coping with her split as well as Allegra being in a lesbian relationship while Prudie deals with her marriage to her neglectful husband Dean (Marc Blucas) as she starts to fall for one of her students Trey (Kevin Zegers). While there’s some elements that are quite predictable as it relates to Jocelyn befriending Grigg, it does play into some of the elements that is expected in Austen’s work as Bernadette is also an oddball character as she had been married several times but has no regrets about it. All of which play into these characters all talking about Austen’s novels and their own interpretations it through a monthly meeting as a lot happens in these six months.

Swicord’s direction is very simple as it doesn’t aim for anything with rich or stylish visuals but rather a film that plays more into the lives of different women as it’s set in Sacramento as well as other areas in California. Swicord does go for a few wide shots for some of the scenery in California as she mostly goes for close-ups and medium shots to present the film. Swicord also create scenes that mirrors some of the stories that Austen has created as it plays to Prudie’s longing to get attention from her husband or Sylvia coping with the split from her husband Daniel (Jimmy Smits). Swicord’s approach to scenes with multiple characters to involve her going for medium shots and knowing who to focus on in the frame as it relates to the discussion about a book by Austen. Even as some of these characters would try to find themselves not just through the books of Austen but also either find new love or use these books to bring old lovers back together. Overall, Swicord creates a very engaging film about a group of people reading and finding something in the works of Jane Austen.

Cinematographer John Toon does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography to emphasize on a sepia-like look for some of the daytime exteriors along with low-key lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Maryann Brandon does nice work with the editing as it‘s very simple with a few montage cuts to play into each of the characters reading the book to begin the month as well as some rhythmic cuts. Production designer Rusty Smith, with set decorator Meg Everist and art director Sebastian Schroeder, does brilliant work with the look of the homes of the characters including Grigg‘s own visual take on Northanger Abbey.

Costume designer Johnetta Boone does terrific work with the costumes as it is mostly casual with the exception of the hippie clothes that Prudie‘s mother wears. Visual effects supervisor Carey Villegas does some fine work with the minimal visual effects in the film such as a shot of Allegra about to go skydiving and a key scene that plays into Prudie‘s own dilemma. Sound editor Michael J. Benavente does superb work with the sound as it plays into some of the things that goes on some of the characters’ home as well as some of the gatherings they go to. The film’s music by Aaron Zigman is wonderful as it‘s low-key with its mixture of folk and keyboard-based music as well as a few string-based cuts while music supervisor Barklie K. Griggs brings in an electric soundtrack of music from Paolo Nutini, Feist, Snow Patrol, Madeleine Peroux, and Aimee Mann.

The casting by Deborah Aquila, Jennifer L. Smith, and Tricia Wood is incredible as it features some notable small roles from Nancy Travis as Grigg’s guest for the final meeting, Gwendoline Yeo as a doctor Allegra meets, Parisa Fitz-Henley as a young woman that Allegra would date early in the film, and Lynn Redgrave as Prudie’s hippie mother who would often cause trouble upon Prudie’s visit she would overwhelm her daughter. Marc Blucas is terrific as Prudie’s husband Dean who doesn’t seem to understand what his wife wants as he would cancel a trip to Paris to go to a basketball game. Kevin Zegers is superb as Trey as a high school student that flirts with Prudie as he expresses some charm as well as listen to her. Jimmy Smits is excellent as Daniel as Sylvia’s husband/Allegra’s father who leaves Sylvia for another woman as he tries to make it easy for her only to make things worse.

Maggie Grace is fantastic as Allegra as a young woman trying to explore her sexuality while taking on some dangerous stunts to cope with the issues in her family. Amy Brenneman is amazing as Sylvia as Allegra’s mother who is coping with her split from Daniel as she also tries to get her life together. Kathy Baker is riveting as Bernadette as she is the leader of the club as she brings a lot of humor as well as some unique insight into the books. Hugh Dancy is brilliant as Grigg as a sci-fi reader who joins the club as someone no one knows as he doesn’t know anything about Austen yet manages to understand the world of Austen while introducing Jocelyn to the books of Ursula K. Le Guin. Maria Bello is wonderful as Jocelyn as a control freak who tries to help out Sylvia and try to hook Grigg up with Sylvia only to deal that she probably has feelings for Grigg. Finally, there’s Emily Blunt in a remarkable performance as Prudie as she is the film’s standout as a young French teacher who joins the club through Bernadette as she copes with her husband’s neglect as well as many other things as Blunt displays a sense of anguish to her performance where she manages to steal the show.

The Jane Austen Book Club is a marvelous film from Robin Swicord. Armed with a great cast as well as a captivating story about a group of people coming together to read books. It’s a film that manages to convey not just the love of books but also the works of Jane Austen and how it manages to inspire people in the world of love. In the end, The Jane Austen Book Club is a phenomenal film from Robin Swicord.

© thevoid99 2015

Take Shelter

Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter is the story about a man who has an apocalyptic dream as he struggles to create a shelter. With his obsession becoming more intense, his relationship with his family becomes strained as he is convinced that something bad will happen. Starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Ray McKinnon, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Kathy Baker. Take Shelter is a chilling thriller from Jeff Nichols.

Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) is a respected laborer who has a loving wife in Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and a lovely yet deaf daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart) as they live happily in Texas. Then Curtis starts to have strange nightmares that revolves around an apocalyptic storm that is to wreak havoc. While Curtis is unsure about the dreams he’s having as it felt very real to him, he chooses not to tell his wife as they’re on the verge of having money for surgery for their daughter’s chance to hear. After the dreams intensify and he tells a doctor about it, he reluctantly takes pills only to realize that he’s starting to see things that might actually be happening.

While he suspects that he might be suffering from schizophrenia due to the fact that his mother (Kathy Baker) has been hospitalized for it. Curtis suddenly becomes paranoid as he decides to fix up and expand a tornado shelter in his backyard. While his friend and co-worker Dewart (Shea Whigham) reluctantly help out, Samantha wonders what is going on as she finds herself asking questions about Curtis’ behavior. Curtis finally tells Samantha about his nightmares following a health scare as well as revealing that he’s taken a loan to build his shelter. With his dreams becoming more ominous, Curtis’ paranoia starts to affect everyone as the whole town is convinced that Curtis has gone crazy. Curtis wonders if he is going crazy until a dream has him convinced that a storm is definitely coming.

The film is about a man’s belief that his apocalyptic nightmares are coming true as he starts to question his own sanity and the decisions that he’s making. Throughout the film, Curtis LaForche ponders if he is imagining all of this or does he really think it’s happening as a visit to see his mother would only raise more questions about his state of mind. Jeff Nichols creates a film that is part-apocalyptic thriller and part-family drama as it all centers towards a family man who is desperate to create a shelter for his family. His script dwells into this man’s paranoia that starts off with a nightmare and then shifts back into his real life as he would later have trouble deciphering in what is real and what is a dream. Curtis would question his own state of mind but couldn’t escape what he feels as his wife would start to believe that he might be telling the truth despite her own initial feelings and confusions about what her husband believes.

Nichols’ direction is truly hypnotic from start to finish in the way he opens the film with a man doing household activities outside where it starts to rain but water color is very different. Nichols creates something where it starts off as this intimate drama set nearby Austin, Texas that follows a man being a laborer who is competent and friendly while his wife sells her own handmade clothing in fair markets. Nichols does change that calm, happy tone for a darker one by creating lots of sequences involving rain and storms to play up Curtis’ state of paranoia as the film becomes a thriller but an unconventional one due to the dramatic material in the film. Nichols also creates amazing wide shots and eerie camera movements to play up the suspense as it leads to this big moment when the storm might actually happen. The result is a truly engrossing yet exhilarating film from Jeff Nichols.

Cinematographer Adam Stone does a brilliant job with the film‘s stylish yet gorgeous photography from the sunny look of the Austin suburbs to the haunting exteriors of the rain and lightning scenes plus some eerie interior shots including one in the actual shelter that Curtis has built. Editor Parke Gregg does an excellent job with the editing to help create suspense in the dream sequences as well as play up the paranoia that surrounds Curtis. Production designer Chad Keith, along with set decorator Adam Willis and art director Jennifer Kilde, does fantastic work with the set pieces created from the home of the LaForches to the shelter that he builds.

Costume designer Karen Malecki does a very good job with the clothes as a lot of it is very casual to what people would wear in Texas, that is cowboy clothing. Visual effects supervisor Chris Wells does a superb job with visual effects that is created such as the lightning and the horde of flying birds that Curtis sees. Sound designers Joshua Chase, Will Files, and Lyman Hardy do great work with the sound work to help play up the suspense and intimate locations that occurs such as Curtis’ big blow-up at a restaurant. The film’s score by David Wingo is wonderful for its melodic-driven pieces in the piano and guitars along with heavy orchestral pieces to play up the drama and suspense that occurs in the film.

The casting by Lillian Pyles is terrific for the ensemble that is created as it includes noteworthy appearances from Lisa Gay Hamilton as a counselor Curtis meets, Ray McKinnon as Curtis’ older brother Kyle, Katy Mixon as Samantha’s friend Nat, Heather Caldwell as Hannah’s teacher, Scott Knisley as Curtis’ doctor, and Robert Longstreet as Curtis’ boss. Tova Stewart is excellent as Curtis’ deaf daughter Hannah for the way she is silent throughout the film while Shea Whigham is wonderful as Curtis’ best friend/co-worker Dewart who is confused by Curtis’ actions and the decisions that Curtis would make later in the film. Kathy Baker is superb in her one scene performance as Curtis’ mentally-ill mother who reveals her own recollections of her breakdown that would question Curtis’ state of mind.

Jessica Chastain is radiant as Curtis’ wife Samantha who is baffled by her husband’s irrational thinking as well as the fact that she’s been kept in the dark. It’s a very captivating performance from the actress as she has a lot to do while showing her frustrations and sadness in the way she has to deal with her husband and how she tries to ground him. Finally, there’s Michael Shannon in an outstanding performance as Curtis LaForche. Shannon brings a manic sense of fear to his role as a man seemingly lost in his paranoia while he also shows a sense of warmth in low-key scenes where he’s just a loving father and husband. Yet, there’s also a calmness to the way Shannon brings out the craziness of his character as it’s definitely one of his best performances of his career.

Take Shelter is a tremendous yet haunting film from Jeff Nichols that features magnificent performances from Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. The film is definitely powerful for the way it uses suspense to capture a man’s descent into madness though he could be telling the truth. The film also serves as a real breakthrough for Jeff Nichols who is definitely one of the new voices working in American cinema. In the end, Take Shelter is a marvelous yet suspenseful film from Jeff Nichols.

Jeff Nichols Films: Shotgun Stories - Mud - Midnight Special - Loving (2016 film) - The Auteurs #58: Jeff Nichols

© thevoid99 2011