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

Spider (2002 film)

Based on the novel by Patrick McGrath, Spider is the story of a schizophrenic man who tries to piece the memories of his mother’s disappearance as a child as well as memories of his father. Directed by David Cronenberg and screenplay by Patrick McGrath, the film is an exploration on memories and the effects it would have on someone who has become mentally ill. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson, John Neville, Bradley Hall, Lynn Redgrave, and Gabriel Byrne. Spider is a chilling yet mesmerizing suspense-drama from David Cronenberg.

Dennis “Spider” Cleg (Ralph Fiennes) has just left the mental hospital to live in a nearby safe-house in London as he’s in the care of a woman named Mrs. Wilkinson (Lynn Redgrave). With a room of his own and doing a few duties while befriending an old man named Terrence (John Neville). Dennis tries to piece the memories of what happened to his mother (Miranda Richardson) many years ago when she disappeared back in the 1950s. Tracing back to his memories as a child (Bradley Hall) where he lived a quaint life with his mother and father Bill (Gabriel Byrne) at a home near the London canals.

Dennis believes that his father had been having an affair with a woman named Yvonne (Miranda Richardson) as he thinks they had something to do with the disappearance of his mother. Trying to piece all of the puzzles over what happened, he goes back to the places that he lived as a child to find out what he remembered. Yet, his idea of memory and reality starts to blur when he sees Mrs. Wilkinson looking a lot like Yvonne which only furthers his confusion over what might’ve happened.

The film is about a mentally-ill man’s attempt to reflect on the horrifying memory about the disappearance of his mother and what might’ve happened to her. While he lives at a home where he’s under the care of an old woman who runs a home for those who are either old or mentally-ill as it’s nearby the area that he lived as a child. In this world, he tries to piece out what happened while thinking it all had to do with his father’s affair with a woman he had seen at a bar.

Patrick McGrath’s script is all about a mentally-ill man’s attempt to try and piece his recollections while his perception of memory becomes blurry due to the traumatic events of what happened. McGrath’s script has this great build up in the first two acts where it moves back and forth into past and present with the adult Dennis watching everything he remembers. Though things do become a bit confusing in its third act though it is intentional, the reveal is somewhat of a disappointment. Still, it would allow the audience to go back into recall what happened early in the film that might’ve led to the eventual reveal as McGrath’s script is truly an enigmatic one that brings more questions rather than answers.

David Cronenberg’s direction is quite straightforward in its approach yet there is still an element of style in the way he frames the scenes involving Dennis as he watches his life as a child with his parents to more intense scenes where Dennis mother makes a drastic discovery that possibly could’ve led to her disappearance. The element of suspense is there as Cronenberg is definitely a master of the genre in the way he builds up terrifying moments as well as trying to piece the clues of a mystery. Since the film is shot on location in London and its suburbs near the gas towers, he manages to make use of it without doing too much to the location for its past and present sequences.

Cronenberg would drop hints into the reveal while he was able to blur the line between past and present in the scenes in the third act. Yet, he is able to create something that is entrancing to look at as well as being able to keep the viewer guessing after the film has finished. Overall, the film is another remarkable achievement from David Cronenberg.

Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky does a superb job with the look of the London suburbs for its day and nighttime exteriors. Notably with the latter to help set a mood for the suspense as well as creating some wonderful lighting schemes for some of the interior settings to help maintain the dark tone of the film. Editor Ronald Sanders does an excellent job with the editing by utilizing a straightforward approach to the editing while taking on a methodical pace to build up the suspenseful moments of the film. Production designer Andrew Sanders does a nice job with the set pieces created from the drab room that Dennis lives in to the old look of the 1950s childhood home that he lived including his father’s shack near a garden.

Costume designer Denise Cronenberg does a wonderful job with the costumes from the more stylish 50s clothes the women wear to the more drab look of Dennis as an adult. Makeup artist Andrea Smith does a brilliant job with the different hair and makeup look for Dennis‘ mother, Yvonne, and the fantasy version of Mrs. Wilkinson. Sound editors David Evans and Wayne Griffith do terrific work with the sound from the intimate sounds of the interior locations to the more raucous atmosphere of the bar scenes. The film’s score by Howard Shore is truly divine for its very melancholic, piano-driven score with orchestral textures to play up some of the suspense and drama that occurs in the film.

The casting by Suzanne Smith is extraordinary for the small ensemble that is created which includes Lynn Redgrave as the stern Mrs. Wilkinson, John Neville as the fun and playful Terrence, and Bradley Hall in a very chilling performance as the young Dennis. Gabriel Byrne is excellent as Dennis’ father Bill who is a man that is charming but also brooding where he tries to deal with his son’s behavior. Miranda Richardson is spectacular in three different roles as Dennis’ very loving mother, the very brash mistress Yvonne, and in a very stylized approach to Mrs. Wilkinson character. Finally, there’s Ralph Fiennes in a harrowing yet mesmerizing performance as Dennis Cleg. While it’s mostly a sort of silent performance where Fiennes often mumbles throughout the film. There is a very haunting quality to his role as a man still traumatized over what happened as he is trying to figure out what happened as it’s one of Fiennes’ best performances.

Spider is an entrancing suspense film from David Cronenberg that features outstanding performances from Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Richardson. While it is definitely a film that is very different from a lot of Cronenberg’s other films in terms of style and presentation. It is still one of the most interesting in how Cronenberg is able to explore a man’s mental illness and his attempt to piece lost memories of tragedy. In the end, Spider is an extraordinary film from David Cronenberg.

David Cronenberg Films: Stereo - Crimes of the Future - Shivers - Rabid - Fast Company - The Brood - Scanners - Videodrome - The Dead Zone - The Fly (1986 film) - Dead Ringers - Naked Lunch - M. Butterfly - Crash - eXistenZ - A History of Violence - Eastern Promises - A Dangerous Method - Cosmopolis - Maps to the Stars - Crimes of the Future (2022 film)

The Auteurs #26: David Cronenberg Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2012

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)

Based on the book by Dr. David Reuben, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is a series of short stories all about the world of sex. Written for the screen, directed, and starring Woody Allen, the film is essentially a collection of shorts as they each relate to different subjects about sex from perversion to what happens during ejaculation. Also starring Lynn Redgrave, Louise Lasser, Gene Wilder, Tony Randall, Burt Reynolds, John Carradine, and Regis Philbin. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is a hilarious comedy from Woody Allen.

In Do Aphrodisiacs Work?, a court jester (Woody Allen) tries to seduce the Queen (Lynn Redgrave) in medieval times as a sorcerer (Geoffrey Holder) gives him a potion to win over the Queen. What is Sodomy? is about a doctor (Gene Wilder) who meets an Armenian man (Titos Vandis) who claims to have fallen in love with a sheep. When the doctor meets the sheep, he falls in love with her. In Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching an Orgasm?, Fabrizio (Woody Allen) tries to figure out how to give his wife Gina (Louise Lasser) as he makes a startling discovery. Are Transvestites Homosexuals? has a middle-aged man (Lou Jacobi) dress up in women’s clothing during a dinner with family.

What Are Sex Perverts? is a game show where Jack Barry asks fellow contestants (Regis Philbin, Robert Q. Lewis, Pamela Mason, and Toni Holt) what perversion does this person have. In Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research and Experiments Accurate?, a researcher (Woody Allen) and a journalist (Heather McRae) meet with the controversial Dr. Bernardo (John Carradine) whose experiments has run amok leading to a large breast terrorizing a small town. In What Happens During Ejaculation?, a man is on a date with woman as a brain operator (Tony Randall) leads a control center filled with various men as they get ready to have sex while a sperm (Woody Allen) starts to worry.

The film is essentially a collection of shorts where Woody Allen answers these questions about sex. Through these seven shorts that Allen creates, he gives each one a different style and presentation to answer these questions in his own style. Do Aphrodisiacs Work? is a medieval times piece where a court jester tries to have sex with the queen with references from Hamlet while What is Sodomy? is a straightforward drama about bestiality where a doctor falls in love with a sheep. Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching an Orgasm has Allen paying tribute to Federico Fellini as he sports sunglasses like Marcello Mastroianni while the dialogue is spoken entirely in Italian as it has this style that is based on Fellini’s films. Are Transvestites Homosexuals? is a straightforward comedy about a guy that just wants to wear women’s clothing where the real answer is that it all depends on the man.

What Are Sex Peverts? has Allen presenting that segment as an old-school 1960s TV game show program with all of these perversions presented in a very silly form. Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research and Experiments Accurate? is essentially a version of Frankenstein with someone as a version of Igor (Ref Sanchez) which reveals a doctor’s insane ideas about sex as a giant tit runs amok forcing a researcher to try and stop the tit. Then it all closes with this hilarious idea of what happens during sex as it’s all controlled by a guy in a NASA-like control center with a switchboard guy (Burt Reynolds) as they all go on a mission for the sex to be successful. The way Allen presents these stories into different genres and in different frames allows him to stretch his creativity as he creates a very funny and intelligent film about sex.

Cinematographer David M. Walsh does an excellent job with the photography that is very colorful for a lot of the sequences while giving the Aphrodisiacs segment a lush look while the Perversion sketch a very grainy black-and-white look. Editor Eric Albertson does a superb job with the editing as it’s presented in a straightforward manner while playing to certain rhythms for certain sketches such as the Orgasm and Ejaculation segments.

Production designer Dale Hennesy and set decorator Marvin March do a great job with the set pieces created such as giant boob in the Research segment along with the control room in the Ejaculation segment. Sound editor John Strauss does a nice job with the sound work to capture the chaos of the control room in the Ejaculation segment while the rest of the film is pretty straightforward. The film’s score by Mundell Lowe is wonderful as it plays to different music styles from medieval folk music for the Aphrodisiacs to more ragtime jazz music throughout as the film opens and closes with Cole Porter’s Let’s Misbehave.

The casting by Marvin Paige is wonderful as it features appearances from Robert Q. Lewis, Pamela Mason, Toni Holt, and a young Regis Philbin as contestants in the Perversion sketch with Jack Barry playing himself and Erin Fleming as the girl in the Ejaculation segment. Other notable small roles include Anthony Quayle as a king and Geoffrey Holder as a sorcerer in the Aphrodisiacs scene along with Titos Vandis as the Armenian man and Elaine Giftos as the doctor’s wife in the Sodomy segment. From the Ejaculation segment, there’s funny appearances from Tony Randall as the control room operator along with Burt Reynolds as the switchboard guy while John Carradine is very funny as Dr. Bernardo in the Research segment along with Ref Sanchez as Igor.

Heather MacRae is very good as the journalist in the Research segment who falls for the young researcher while Lynn Redgrave is very funny as the Queen who takes the aphrodisiac with a big surprise of her own in the Aphrodisiac segment. Allen regular Louise Lasser is excellent as the very sexy Gina in the Orgasm segment while Lou Jacobi is really a joy to watch as the man dressing up in women’s clothing in the Transsexual segment. Gene Wilder is great in a hilarious performance as the doctor who falls for a sheep in the Sodomy segment. Finally, there’s Woody Allen who is amazing in his varied roles for the films as he plays up his own nebbish persona in the segments he appears such as the cool Fabrizio in the Orgasm section while being a sperm in the Ejaculation scene.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is a very witty and whimsical comedy from Woody Allen. The film is among one of Allen’s most absurd and entertaining films of his early period from the late 60s and early 70s. It’s also a film for anyone that is curious about sex will get to see something that is presented with humor and doesn’t dumb things down. Even though the subject of homosexuality and transvestitism is much more complex nowadays and more accepted than it was back in the 1970s. Still, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is a fun and riotous comedy from Woody Allen.

Woody Allen Films: What’s Up, Tiger Lily? - Take the Money & Run - Bananas - Sleeper - Love & Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows & Fog - Husbands & Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don't Drink the Water - Bullets Over Broadway - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)

The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011