2017 Cannes Marathon: The Nice Guys

(Played Out of Competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival)

Directed by Shane Black and written by Black and Anthony Bagarozzi, The Nice Guys is the story of a down-on-his-luck private detective who teams up with an enforcer to find a missing young woman in 1977 Los Angeles amidst a world of corruption and pornography. The film is an offbeat neo-noir film that explores two mismatched men who work together to try and do good as they go into a wild adventure. Starring Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Margaret Qualley, Matt Bomer, Keith David, and Kim Basinger. The Nice Guys is a thrilling and exciting film from Shane Black.

The film revolves the worst private detective who reluctantly teams up with a brutish enforcer to find a missing young woman as she is connected to the death of a porn star. It’s a film with a simple premise involving mismatched men who work together to find this young woman as they venture into the world of pornography and its relation to the world of crime. The film’s screenplay by Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi is a mixture of noir with some offbeat humor as it play into the two protagonists who aren’t part of the police force nor do they do anything conventional which makes them a perfect team. The enforcer Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is a guy hired to beat people up as he would meet this loser private detective in Holland March (Ryan Gosling) during an assignment where he beats him up. When Healy is attacked by two thugs who is trying to find this missing young woman in Amelia Kuttner (Margaret Qualley), he turns to March for help with March’s young daughter Holly (Angourie Rice).

It’s not just the mystery that is so interesting but it’s also the characters as Healy and March are guys who try to help people but they never reach their full potential until they work together. During the course of the film as they work together to solve this mystery, Healy and March learn more about each other as they become unlikely friends with Holly gaining a second father of sorts in Healy. When the two meet up with a high-ranking official from the Department of Justice in Judith Kuttner (Kim Basinger) who is revealed to be Amelia’s mother. The search for Amelia becomes more complex as it becomes clear someone is after her since she knows something as it doesn’t just relate to her mother’s disdain towards pornography but also something to do with the auto industry.

Black’s direction is definitely stylish as it play into the world of 1970s culture as it begins with a young boy (Ty Simpkins) sneaking under his parents bed to see a porno magazine when a car suddenly crashes into his home with the body of the same naked woman from that magazine. Shot largely in Atlanta and Decatur, Georgia with many exterior locations in Los Angeles, the film play into a world that is in disarray with a gas shortage as well as a smog pollution looming over Los Angeles. Black would use some wide shots to establish some of the locations as well as go into this world of decadence as well as it play into a period where everything is unruly but exciting. Black would use some medium shots and close-ups to focus on the characters as well as some of these offbeat moments such as Holly reading a book in a yard next to her home or these surreal moments as it relates to some of the things March sees whenever he’s drunk.

Still, it help play into the story and development of these characters as it is about these two mismatched men trying to do good in the world no matter how fucked up things are. Even as it leads to this very extravagant yet thrilling climax involving all sorts of shit where it proves that these are two guys that can get the job done. Overall, Black creates a fun and exhilarating film about two mismatched men trying to find a missing young woman.

Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot does excellent work with the film’s colorful cinematography with its usage of colorful lights for some of the scenes at night as well as some natural lighting for the scenes set in the day with the exception of the low-lit bars. Editor Joel Negron does nice work with the editing as it has some unique style in its usage of jump-cuts as well as using rhythmic cuts to play into the comedy and suspense. Production designer Richard Bridgland, with set decorator Danielle Berman and art director David Utley, does brilliant work with the look of the different houses and places the characters go to as it play into the world of the late 1970s. Costume designer Kym Barrett does fantastic work with the period costumes from the dresses and clothes the women wear as well as the suits that Healy and March wear.

Visual effects supervisor Josh Saeta does terrific work with the visual effects as it is mainly some set dressing to recreate the look of 1977 Los Angeles as well as some backdrops for some of the driving scenes at night. Sound designer James Harrison and sound editor Oliver Tarney do superb work with the sound in creating some unique sound effects as well as play into the atmospheres involving the parties and some of the violence. The film’s music by John Ottman and David Buckley is wonderful as it is a mixture of orchestral-based pieces with elements of funk and jazz to play into the feel of the 1970s while music supervisor Randall Poster creates a fun soundtrack that features music from the Bee Gees, Earth, Wind, & Fire, the Temptations, Kool & the Gang, Andrew Gold, America, A Taste of Honey, Climax Blues Band, Brick, KISS, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Al Green, and Rupert Holmes.

The casting by Sarah Finn is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Ty Simpkins as the kid who finds the dead body of a naked porn star, Daisy Tahan as Holly’s friend Jessica, Yvonne Zima as a porn princess, Jack Kilmer as a friend of Amelia named Chet, Murielle Telio as the dead porn star Misty Mountains, Beau Knapp as a thug known as Blue Face, Yaya DeCosta as Judith Kuttner’s secretary Tally, Keith David as a thug who teams up with Blue Face, Matt Bomer as a mysterious hitman named John Boy, and Lois Smith as an old lady who claims her niece Misty is alive. Kim Basinger is excellent as Amelia’s mother Judith Kuttner as a top official for the department of justice who is eager to find her daughter as well as be very ambiguous about her war against pornography as well as dealing with a case involving the auto industry.

Margaret Qualley is brilliant as Amelia as a young woman that is trying not to be found by anyone as she knows something that could cause a lot of trouble as she is full of energy as well as naiveté thinking she could do something when it’s really more complicated. Angourie Rice is amazing as Holly March as Holland’s daughter who is a lot smarter than her father as well as be the conscious of sorts as she brings a lot of energy but also some wit as she is the real standout in the film. Finally, there’s the duo of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Jackson Healy and Holland March. Crowe is the straight man of the two as someone that is cool with beating people up as he uses his street smart to get things done while also being very funny in a restrained manner. Gosling is definitely the funnier of the two as someone who is kind of a bumbling idiot that always screw things up despite his good intentions. Crowe and Gosling have a great sense of rapport together as they’re always fun to watch while bringing out the best in each other.

The Nice Guys is a remarkable film from Shane Black that features top-notch performances from Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Along with a great supporting cast, nice visuals, and a fun premise, the film is definitely a neo-noir film that doesn’t take itself seriously while bringing in the things needed for an action-suspense film. In the end, The Nice Guys is an incredible film from Shane Black.

Shane Black Films: (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) - Iron Man 3 - (The Predator (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2017

Fool for Love

Directed by Robert Altman and written and starring Sam Shepard that is based on his play, Fool for Love is the story of a man who finds his former flame in a motel as he tries to get her to come back home. The film is an exploration into a couple’s relationship and their troubled past as well as the motel they’re staying in. Also starring Kim Basinger, Randy Quaid, and Harry Dean Stanton. Fool for Love is an entrancing yet eerie film from Robert Altman.

Set entirely in a motel in the middle of the desert, the film revolves a man who arrives to meet a former flame in an attempt to bring her home as she refuses while her father watches nearby. It is a film where these two people seem to have a history together where they love each other but also can’t stand each other while the woman May (Kim Basinger) is waiting for her date to arrive while her father (Harry Dean Stanton) watches from afar. It is a film that doesn’t just play into the fallacies of love but also into how intense things are where May and Eddie (Sam Shepard) have this love-hate relationship. Sam Shepard’s screenplay does feature a lot of monologues from the major characters in the film but also some flashback scenes that doesn’t just play into their past but also the past of May’s father. Even as May’s date in Martin (Randy Quaid) would arrive late in the film where he would hear some unsettling stories about May and Eddie’s history.

Though it is shot largely in Las Vegas, New Mexico in a motel setting, Robert Altman’s direction does maintain something that is very intimate but also with some stylistic visuals that makes it so much more. Notably in the fact that Altman uses a lot of wide shots to capture the whole setting of the film but also uses some tracking shots and other things to capture some of these conversations. The direction also has Altman use close-ups and medium shots to capture the conversation while using little motel houses to play up the sense of intimacy and tension that looms over May and Eddie. There are also elements of surrealism that relates to May’s father and his recollections of the past where the flashbacks become very prominent in the film’s third act where many secrets are unveiled by both May and Eddie to Martin with May’s father in the room. It’s also something where it does climax into something big but also something that was inevitable as it relates to May and Eddie’s troubled relationship. Overall, Altman creates a very engaging yet haunting film about love in the most complicated way.

Cinematographer Pierre Mignot does excellent work with the film‘s vibrant and colorful cinematography to capture the neon lights of the motel exterior as well as some unique lighting for its interior settings plus some naturalistic images for the flashback scenes. Editors Stephen P. Dunn and Luce Grunenwaldt do nice work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to capture the intensity of the drama. Production designer Stephen Altman and set decorator John Hay do amazing work with the look of the motel homes and its diner as well as the trailer home that May‘s father lives in. Sound mixers Daniel Brisseau and Robert Gravenor do fantastic work with the sound to capture some of the naturalistic sound on location and on set as well as some of the things that goes on outside of the motel. The film’s music by George Burt is wonderful as it is this mixture of eerie orchestral music with some country music textures while much of the soundtrack features some country music pieces by Sandy Rogers and Waylon Jennings to play into the fallacies of love.

The film’s brilliant cast include some notable small performances from Jonathan Skinner as a young Eddie, April Russell and Sura Cox in respective versions as the young and teenage May, Deborah McNaughton as a mysterious woman stalking Eddie known as the Countess, Louis Elgolf as Eddie’s mother, and Martha Crawford as May’s mother in the flashback scenes. Randy Quaid is excellent in a small but memorable performance as May’s date Martin who appears in the film’s third act where he meets Eddie and May’s father as he tries to make sense of what he had just heard from Eddie and May.

Harry Dean Stanton is superb as May’s father as a man who observes what she and Eddie are doing while recalling elements of his own past that would be key to the story. Kim Basinger is great as May as this woman who is trying to start a different life working and living in a motel as she copes with Eddie’s presence and elements of her own past. Finally, there’s Sam Shepard in an amazing performance as Eddie as this man who traveled more than 200 miles to meet May in the hopes that he can bring her home as he is quite impulsive to deal with while revealing more to their troubled relationship to Martin.

Fool for Love is an excellent film from Robert Altman that features top-notch performances from Sam Shepard, Kim Basinger, Harry Dean Stanton, and Randy Quaid. While it might seem like a minor film from Altman in terms of its intimate setting, it is still a very compelling film that explores the fallacies of love. In the end, Fool for Love is a fantastic film from Robert Altman.

Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - Pret-a-Porter - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie's Fortune - Dr. T and the Women - Gosford Park - The Company - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion

© thevoid99 2015

Batman (1989 film)

Based on the DC Comics by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Batman is the story about a mysterious vigilante who battles corruption in Gotham City as he deals with a former mob enforcer who would become the Joker who is set to wreak havoc on the city. Directed by Tim Burton and screenplay by Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren from a story by Hamm, the film is an origin-story of sorts of how Bruce Wayne deals with the loss of his parents in the hands of the man who would become the Joker while falling for a photojournalist. In the role of Wayne/Batman is Michael Keaton while playing the role of the Joker is Jack Nicholson. Also starring Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Tracey Walter, Billy Dee Williams, Jerry Hall, and Jack Palance. Batman is an adventurous yet stylish film from Tim Burton.

The film is about Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego in Batman as he tries to save Gotham from chaos as its bicentennial is approaching. In this role of a vigilante who isn’t accepted by the police, Batman would spread fears into the criminals as he would fight the mob where an encounter with the enforcer Jack Napier at a chemical plant would have some repercussions where Napier falls into a chemical waste as he would survive and become a more psychotic killer in the Joker. The Joker would wreak havoc on Gotham forcing Batman to try and stop him while Wayne would deal with the trauma over his parents death as he falls for the photojournalist Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) who is helping a reporter in covering a story on Batman. It’s a film that isn’t a traditional origin-story but rather an interpretation into what drives Bruce Wayne into becoming Batman as well as coming to terms with his loss and the man who killed his parents when he was a kid.

The film’s screenplay does subvert a lot of the ideas of the origin story in order to make it a film in not just Jack Napier’s transformation as the Joker but also in how he would get Batman to emerge out of the shadows and save Gotham. When Wayne isn’t Batman, he acts as this reclusive and eccentric billionaire who is sort of aloof to the public including Vicki Vale and her journalist friend Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl) as it’s just a cover for the fact that he is trying to stop corruption in the hands of mob boss Carl Grissom (Jack Palance). Yet, Grissom would try to kill Napier who had been having an affair with Grissom’s mistress as it would force Napier as the Joker to kill Grissom and take over all of the operations. Yet, the Joker just wants to create chaos and destroy the Batman so he can rule Gotham. This would force Wayne to not only step up against the Joker but also deal with the wounds and trauma so he can gain some peace.

Adding to the dramatic elements of the story is the presence of Vicki Vale as she helps Knox try to find the identity of Batman as she gets close to Bruce Wayne where she and Knox eventually learn about Wayne’s past and his parents death. She would eventually become an object of desire for the Joker who would try to woo her in the most insane ways as it adds to some of the film’s dark humor.

Tim Burton’s direction is very extravagant in some of the set pieces he creates from the Axis chemical plant to the city of Gotham itself as it becomes a playpen of sorts for him. With its emphasis on miniatures and other special effects, Burton creates a film that does have a look that is quite dark but also very offbeat. Much of the staging of the fights and action sequences that is shot at Pinewood Studios in England has Burton going for a world that definitely seems to have a bit of a comic-book look but also a bit of realism. The compositions that Burton creates for those scenes are vast and powerful as it includes the climatic showdown between Batman and the Joker as well as an earlier confrontation at a museum.

The dramatic and humorous scenes are also interesting in the way Burton maintains a certain intimacy in his direction. Especially in the latter as the humor is very dark yet somehow manages to be very funny. There’s an energy to those scenes while the dramatic moments including a flashback scene of the death of Wayne’s parents are quite eerie but also somber in how Wayne tries to cope with that loss. That balance of humor, adventure, drama and suspense somehow manages to create a film that doesn’t have all of the attributes of a great blockbuster film but also something more. Overall, Burton creates a film that does more than what it needed to be while also being a whole lot of fun to watch.

Cinematographer Roger Pratt does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its use of shadows and such for some of the film‘s interior scenes at night as well as the elaborate lighting schemes for the parade and some of the exterior settings in Gotham. Editor Ray Lovejoy does brilliant work with the editing with its approach to rhythms that allows each moment to shown while slowing things down in the more dramatic portions of the film. Production designer Anton Furst, with set decorator Peter Young and supervising art director Leslie Tomkins, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of Gotham City as well as the places such as Wayne Manor, the Axis Chemicals factory, and other places in Gotham while Keith Short does superb work in the design of the Batmobile.

Costume designers Bob Ringwood and Tony Dunsterville do terrific work with the design of the costumes from the suits of the Joker as well as the costume that Batman wears. Makeup designer Nick Dudman does wonderful work with the design of the makeup that the Joker wears. Visual effects supervisor Derek Meddings does nice work with some of the visual effects that includes some animation and miniatures in some of the designs of the places in Gotham. Sound editor Don Sharpe does some fine work with the sound to create some of the film’s sound effects as well as the chaos that goes on in Gotham. The film’s music by Danny Elfman is great for its bombastic orchestral theme to play into some of the adventure and drama that occurs in the film while the soundtrack features an album of original songs by Prince that plays into the film‘s humor as it‘s mixture of funk and soul music with a bit of rock adds a unique flavor to the film.

The casting by Marion Dougherty is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small appearances from William Hootkins as the corrupt Lt. Eckhardt, Lee Wallace as Gotham’s Mayor Borg, Tracey Walter as Jack’s right-hand man, David Baxt and Sharon Holm as Bruce’s parents in the flashback scene, Charles Roskilly as the young Bruce Wayne, Hugo E. Blick as the young Jack Napier, and Jerry Hall as Carl Grissom’s mistress Alicia. Jack Palance is excellent as Jack’s boss Carl Grissom who tries to have Jack whacked only to deal with the more psychotic Joker. Billy Dee Williams is terrific as the new district attorney Harvey Dent while Pat Hingle is superb as Commissioner James Gordon. Alfred Gough is wonderful as the very resourceful Alfred Pennyworth who helps Bruce in all sorts of things. Robert Wuhl is brilliant as the reporter Alexander Knox as he says some funny things while being the guy trying to get Vale not to get too close.

Kim Basinger is pretty good as Vicki Vale as this determined photojournalist who falls for Bruce Wayne while becoming the unwilling object of affection of the Joker. Jack Nicholson is magnificent as Jack Napier/the Joker as a mob guy who likes to take care of business only to become this very strange psychotic who always has some funny things to say while being a complete psychopath as it’s definitely one of Nicholson’s best roles. Finally, there’s Michael Keaton in a marvelous performance as the titular character/Bruce Wayne as Keaton brings this very restrained performance that has this brooding quality to both personas as well as a bit of aloofness in his approach to Wayne while being the badass as Batman.

Batman is a remarkable film from Tim Burton that features outstanding performances from Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. Along with a strong supporting cast and great set designs, it’s a film that definitely serves as a standard-bearer for many superhero blockbuster films while it’s also a film that is very fun to watch. In the end, Batman is an incredible film from Tim Burton.

Tim Burton Films: (Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure) - Beetlejuice - (Edward Scissorhands) - Batman Returns - Ed Wood - (Mars Attacks!) - (Sleepy Hollow) - (Planet of the Apes (2001 film)) - (Big Fish) - (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) - (Corpse Bride) - (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) - (Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)) - (Dark Shadows) - (Frankenweenie) - (Big Eyes) - (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children) - (Dumbo (2019 film)) - Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Batman Films: (Batman (1966 film)) - Batman Forever - Batman & Robin - Batman Begins - The Dark Knight - The Dark Knight Rises - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - The Lego Batman Movie - The Batman (2022 film)

© thevoid99 2014

Pret-a-Porter

Directed by Robert Altman and written by Altman and Barbara Shulgasser, Prêt-a-Porter is the story about a group of very different people who attend Fashion Week in Paris as some are reporting the events while some are just attending to see what is out there. The film is an exploration into the world of fashion that involves many people in the course of a week. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Kim Basinger, Lili Taylor, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Chiara Mastroianni, Linda Hunt, Sally Kellerman, Stephen Rea, Anouk Aimee, Tracey Ullman, Rossy de Palma, Forest Whitaker, Rupert Everett, Lyle Lovett, and Lauren Bacall. Pret-a-Porter is a witty yet chaotic comedy from Robert Altman.

The film is about many different groups of people attending Fashion Week in Paris where a lot is happening while a prestigious fashion president had died believing that he had been murder. In the course of the film, a lot happens as a fashion TV reporter covers the events that is happening while lots of affairs between fashion designers are happening. Two American journalists are forced to share the same hotel room while covering what is happening and a fashion designer is dealing with possible bankruptcy. Fashion magazine editors spar with each other to go get a prestigious photographer while a woman goes on a shopping spree around the city. All in the course of an entire week as it leads to a climatic fashion show where a designer presents the ultimate show in grand style.

The screenplay by Robert Altman and Barbara Shulgasser doesn’t really have any kind of singular plot as it’s all about the chaos of Fashion Week. Notably as there’s journalists trying to cover the event and make sense of it as it involves a New York Times photographer (Lili Taylor) and a fashion TV reporter named Kitty Porter (Kim Basinger). Yet, there’s also this story about this French fashion president in Olivier de la Fontaine (Jean-Pierre Cassel) who meets a mysterious man named Sergei (Marcello Mastroianni) where something happens leading to de la Fontaine’s death as his wife Isabella (Sophia Loren) seems relieved though is lover in fashion designer Simone Lowenthal (Anouk Aimee) is saddened as she is dealing with losing her business where her son Jack (Rupert Everett) does something that will save her business but with some reservations. Things get crazier as two different American journalists in Anne Eisenhower (Julia Roberts) and Joe Flynn (Tim Robbins) are forced to share a hotel to cover what’s been happening.

Altman’s direction is definitely engaging for the way he explores the world of fashion and what goes on in Fashion Week. Taking on a style similar to cinema verite, Altman captures all of the craziness that occurs while going inside into what goes in the world of fashion as shows are being prepared and such. Notably as the film features cameos from celebrities, models, and fashion designers as they’re part of this crazy yet fascinating world. The direction is also intimate and straightforward for scenes inside the hotel rooms and offices where many people work out as well as some moments in the fashion runway. It is still about the show and the world that is happening which also includes Sergei trying to contact Isabella as they’re revealed to be former lovers. Their scenes together is essentially an ode to their appearance in Vittorio de Sica’s 1963 film Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. While it’s a film that can be described as a rambling mess due to the many storylines that happens. It is still a very enjoyable and very exhilarating film from Robert Altman.

Cinematographers Jean Lepine and Pierre Mignot do excellent work with the look of Paris during Fashion Week with its many landmarks as well as the scenes inside the fashion shows and some of the film‘s interior settings. Editors Geraldine Peroni and Suzy Elmiger do wonderful work with the editing to capture the sense of chaos that occurs in the world of fashion as well as more straightforward moments in the intimate scenes. Production Stephen Altman, with set decorator Francoise Dupertuis and art director William Abello, does nice work with the looks of the hotels and the runway shows that occur including the very street-based show one of the designers at a metro.

Costume designer Catherine Leterrier does terrific work with the non-designer clothes some of the characters wear to maintain their lack of style while most of the characters wear clothes that display their unique personalities. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the runway shows to the chaos in some of the parties. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is delightful for its playful piano pieces and other cuts to play out the humor. Music supervisor Allan F. Nichols creates a fantastic soundtrack that features music from Massive Attack, Bjork, U2, Ini Kamoze, Salt-N-Pepa, the Rolling Stones, M People, Janet Jackson, the Cranberries, Pizzicato Five, Robert Palmer, Grace Jones, and many others to capture the spirit of the fashion world.

Finally, there’s the film’s amazing ensemble cast as it features cameo appearances from Bjork, Harry Belafonte, Cher, and David Copperfield along with supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Carla Bruni, and Christy Turlington, and fashion designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel, Issey Miyake, Christian Lacroix, and Gianfranco Ferre for Christian Dior as themselves. In small but notable roles, there’s Alexandra Vandernoot as a TV reporter, Jean Rochefort and Michel Blanc as police investigators, Teri Garr as an obsessed shopper, Danny Aiello as the shopper’s husband, Rossy de Palma as Simone’s assistant Pilar, Chiara Mastroianni as Kitty Porter’s aide Sophie Choiset, Ute Lemper as the pregnant model Albertine, Kasia Figura as the dim-witted assistant of magazine editor Sissy, and Jean-Pierre Cassel as the Fashion Week president Olivier de la Fontaine.

Sally Kellerman, Linda Hunt, and Tracey Ullman are great in their respective rules as the dueling magazine editors Sissy Wannamaker, Regina Krumm, and Nina Scant who all try to nab Stephen Rea’s very devious photographer Milo O’Brannigan who would provide a prank of his own all three where Rea is very funny. Lauren Bacall is wonderful as the colorblind fashionista Slim Chrysler while Lyle Lovett is terrific as the cowboy boots designer Clint Lammereaux. Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins are excellent as the dueling journalists Anne Eisenhower and Joe Flynn where they eventually fall for each other as they share a hotel room together. Lili Taylor is superb as the NY Times photojournalist Fiona Ulrich while Kim Basinger is hilarious as the somewhat dim fashion TV reporter Kitty Porter. Forest Whitaker and Richard E. Grant are fantastic in their respective roles as fashion designers in the street-wise Cy Bianco and the snobbish Cort Romney.

Rupert Everett is pretty good as the slimy Jack Lowenthal who does something without his mother’s consent while Anouk Aimee is phenomenal as the respected fashion designer Simone Lowenthal who deals with Olivier’s death as well as the prospect of losing her business. Finally, there’s Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in marvelous performances in their respective roles as Sergio/Sergei and Isabella where they play former lovers who finally meet after many years where Mastroianni brings a lot of humor with Loren bringing an element of class to her role as well as a sexiness that is still captivating.

Pret-a-Porter is an excellent film from Robert Altman. Featuring a wild ensemble cast full of actors, models, fashion designers, and all sorts of people. It’s a film that captures the craziness that is Fashion Week while taking time to inject humor into that world. While the film is a bit of a mess, it is still enjoyable for the way Altman explores a world that is fascinating. In the end, Pret-a-Porter is a remarkable film from Robert Altman.

Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie’s Fortune - Dr. T & the Women - Gosford Park - The Company (2003 film) - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion

© thevoid99 2013

007 James Bond Marathon: Never Say Never Again

Based on Ian Fleming’s Thunderball that was co-written with Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham, Never Say Never Again is the story of an aging James Bond returning to action to investigate the theft of nuclear bombs by SPECTRE as he travels to the Bahamas to confront one of its members. Directed by Irvin Kershner and screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr., Dick Clement, and Ian Le Frenais, the film is an updated remake of Thunderball as Sean Connery returns to play Bond for one last run. Also starring Kim Basinger, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Barbara Carrera, Bernie Casey, Rowan Atkinson, and Max von Sydow as Blofeld. Never Say Never Again is a compelling yet adventurous film from Irving Kershner.

Following a training exercise, James Bond is sent to a health spa to get in shape where he notices something strange going when a nurse (Barbara Carrera) beats up a patient named Jack Petachi (Gavan O’Herlihy). The nurse is revealed to be Fatima Blush, a member of SPECTRE, who wants Petachi to place nuclear bombs in two cruise missiles for SPECTRE to steal. The mission succeeds as Blush disposes of Petachi as word is sent to SPECTRE’s leader Blofeld who makes a threat to the world about the bombs he has. The news forces M (Edward Fox) to revive the 00 section as Bond is back in the game to find the bombs as he goes to the Bahamas to follow SPECTRE’s second in command in Maximillian Largo (Klaus Maria Brandauer).

Bond meets Blush where he tries to get information only to survive a series of assassination attempts where British official Nigel Small-Fawcett (Rowan Atkinson) reveals that Largo’s yacht went to Nice, France. With help from Felix Leiter, Bond locates Largo’s yacht where he would meet Largo’s mistress Domino Petachi (Kim Basinger) at a spa as he would later see her again at charity event in a casino. Bond also meets Largo for the first time as the two play a 3D video game of world domination where Bond wins as he would complicate things after telling Domino about what really happened to her brother. After another assassination attempt that Bond survived, he and Leiter try to sneak onboard Largo’s yacht where Bond is captured as he is later taken to Palmyra. Learning about what Largo is up to for SPECTRE, it’s up to Bond to once again save the world.

In this updated version of Thunderball, the film is about an aging James Bond who is suddenly asked to get back in the game to stop another plot from SPECTRE involving nuclear warheads and extortion. It’s a story that has Bond taking on new challenges as well as aging where he deals with the fact that he’s almost feeling irrelevant. It would take SPECTRE and a few minor incidents that would allow M to reactivate Bond back into the game as the rules have changed but what Bond must do remains the same. In facing Maximillian Largo, Bond meets someone who is intent on doing something for SPECTRE as he treasures a lot of things including his mistress Domino. When he has to deal with Bond, a real dark side emerges as he realizes how much of a threat Bond is. While the screenplay plays to a formula that is expected, it does manage to create moments of suspense and humor that does work for what is needed.

Irving Kershner’s direction is very extraordinary in the way he opens the film with Bond on a dangerous training exercise as well as the fact that it carries a lot of the tropes of the Bond film. Still, Kershner does manage to create some things that does standout such as the video game sequence to establish the new world Bond has to encounter. Notably as he has to face villains who are keen to rid of him in such grand style as Kershner makes sure that each attempt escalates to see how far they want to get rid of Bond. With locations shot in the Bahamas and the French Rivera, Kershner’s direction always has great compositions to play out the locations as well as the atmosphere in those scenes. Overall, Kershner does an excellent job in creating a Bond film that has all of its attributes as well as a unique take on the character.

Cinematographer Douglas Slocombe does terrific work with the photography from the colorful locations of many of the film‘s exteriors to the soft lenses used in some of the film‘s close-ups. Editor Ian Crafford does nice work with the editing to play up the energy of the action sequences while using more slower cuts to play out its suspense. Production designers Stephen B. Grimes and Philip Harrison, along with set decorator Peter Howitt and art director Leslie Dilley, do fantastic work with the set pieces such as the health spa and the rooms in Largo’s yacht.

Costume designer Charles Knode does brilliant work with the costumes from the clothes the men wear to the array of lavish clothing that Fatima Blush wears to express her wild personality. The visual effects work of David Dryer is pretty good for some of the effects-driven scenes such as the video game battle between Bond and Largo. Sound recorder Simon Kaye does superb work with the sound to play out the atmosphere in the casino scenes as well as some of the action sequences. The film’s score by Michel Legrand is wonderful for its lush, orchestral-driven score that is mixed in with some rhythmic elements to play out the action. The title song by Legrand and lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman is a nice, sweeping ballad sung by Lani Hall that plays in the film’s opening credits as well as a more rhythmic version for the closing credits.

The casting by Maggie Cartier is amazing for the ensemble that is created as it includes some notable performances from Valerie Leon as a lady in the Bahamas, Prunella Gee as a spa therapist Bond meets, Saskia Cohen Tanugi as Bond’s French contact, Gavan O’Herlihy as Jack Petachi, and Rowan Atkinson in a very humorous performance as a foreign office representative Bond meets in the Bahamas. Other noteworthy small roles as regular characters of the Bond franchise include Pamela Salem as Miss Moneypenny, Alec McCowen as the witty Q, and Edward Fox as a more stricter version of Bond’s superior M. Bernie Casey is excellent as Bond’s CIA friend Felix Leiter while Max von Sydow is great in a somewhat campy performance as Blofeld.

In one of her early film appearances, Kim Basinger is very good as Largo’s mistress Domino Petachi who is unaware of her boyfriend’s actions as she ends up aiding Bond. Barbara Carrera is superb as Largo’s henchwoman Fatima Blush who tries to get rid of Bond as she brings a lot of exuberance to her character. Klaus Maria Brandauer is terrific as Maximillian Largo by displaying a sense of dark charm to his character as well as the way he is willing to be very evil in his actions. Finally, there’s Sean Connery in a remarkable performance as James Bond where Connery brings a real sense of grit and weariness to the role of an aging Bond who deals with possible irrelevancy and going back to being the man who will save the world.

Never Say Never Again is a marvelous film from Irving Kershner that features an incredible performance from Sean Connery as James Bond. While it may not have some of the elements of other James Bond films, it still has the spirit of Bond in terms of its suspense and action. Notably as it provides a unique take on the character that audiences love. In the end, Never Say Never Again is a fun and stellar film from Irving Kershner.

James Bond Files: The EON Films: Dr. No - From Russia with Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball - You Only Live Twice - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Diamonds are Forever - Live and Let Die - The Man with the Golden Gun - The Spy Who Loved Me - Moonraker - For Your Eyes Only - Octopussy - A View to a Kill - The Living Daylights - Licence to Kill - GoldenEye - Tomorrow Never Dies - The World is Not Enough - Die Another Day - Casino Royale (2006 film) - Quantum of Solace - Skyfall - SPECTRE - No Time to Die

Non-EON Films: Casino Royale (Climax! TV Episode) - Casino Royale (1967 film)

Bond Documentaries: Bond Girls Are Forever - True Bond - Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007

© thevoid99 2012