The End of the Tour

 

Based on the memoir Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself by David Lipsky, The End of the Tour is the story of Lipsky interviewing novelist David Foster Wallace in a five-day tour promoting Wallace’s novel Infinite Jest. Directed by James Ponsoldt and screenplay by Donald Marguiles, the film is a dramatic re-telling of Lipsky’s recordings with Wallace during this promotional trip as Lipsky gets to know the gifted but troubled novelist as he deals with newfound fame and expectations as Jesse Eisenberg plays Lipsky and Jason Segel as Wallace. Also starring Anna Chlumsky, Ron Livingston, Mamie Gummer, Mickey Sumner, and Joan Cusack. The End of the Tour is a compelling and somber film from James Ponsoldt.

Set almost entirely in the winter of 1996, the film revolves around a writer/journalist in David Lipsky as he is given an assignment to interview novelist David Foster Wallace during a five-day promotional tour for his best-selling novel Infinite Jest which has garnered loads of acclaim with Wallace being positioned as one of the greats. Yet, the film is really more about a man trying to get to know this novelist for a piece for Rolling Stone magazine yet both deal with their own issues in being lonely with Wallace struggling to deal with newfound fame as well as rumors about himself. Donald Marguiles’ screenplay is largely straightforward though it begins in 2008 where Lipsky gets the news of Wallace’s suicide as he goes over audio tapes that he recorded during their 1996 road trip as he reflects on that experience. The five-day tour that is a bit of a road trip with a flight from Bloomington-Normal, Illinois to Minneapolis where Lipsky and Wallace deal with the promotion as the former is trying to see if all of these claims of greatness towards the latter are really true.

James Ponsoldt’s direction is largely straightforward in terms of the compositions he creates as well as taking a simple story about a five-day promotional tour and turn it into this study of fame, expectations, and adulation. Shot largely on location in Michigan as well as additional locations in New York City and Minneapolis, the film plays into a moment in time where books were still big as well as pre-Internet media where both Lipsky and Wallace talk about its potential power. While there are some wide shots in some of the locations that the characters go to, much of the direction is intimate whether it’s in a car, a diner, a hotel room, or at a house through medium shots and close-ups. Notably as it play into two men just talking and trying to get to know each other as Lipsky is someone who had just released a book and wonders how Wallace had just achieved greatness. Yet, Wallace is this man who prefers the company of dogs at his home while he does have a couple of acquaintances he would meet in Minneapolis.

The scene where Lipsky chats with one of Wallace’s friends is a moment that showcase a few of the dark aspects of Wallace who believes Lipsky is flirting with her even though he has a girlfriend back in New York City. It adds to Lipsky’s intrigue towards Wallace as he is pressured from his editor to talk about these rumors about Wallace’s supposed heroin addiction when the reality is actually disappointing as it plays into Wallace’s persona as a man who wears regular clothing and a bandana as the theme of identity comes into play. Polsoldt plays up that tension as Lipsky is forced to have revelations about Wallace’s struggle with this newfound celebrity status as well as these expectations in relation to these great writers of the past. Notably in the third act towards the end of the tour as Lipsky wonders if everything Wallace is doing is an act but it turns out to be not as simple as he wishes it would be since great writers in the past played a persona that diverged from their true being. Yet, the reality shows a man just trying to hold on to a sense of self as well as destroy the façade of celebrity. Overall, Polsoldt crafts a riveting and evocative film about a writer/journalist reflecting on his five-day tour with David Foster Wallace.

Cinematographer Jakob Ihre does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it aims for a straightforward and natural approach with some lighting for some of the scenes set at night. Editor Darrin Navarro does nice work with the editing as it also play into being straightforward with some rhythmic cuts that play into reaction shots and conversations. Production designer Gerald Sullivan, with set decorator Yvette Granata and art director Sarah M. Pott, does fantastic work with the look of Wallace’s home and its lack of mystery as well as a bookstore in Minneapolis where he promotes the book. Costume designer Emma Potter does terrific work with the costumes as it is largely casual including the ragged look of Wallace as it plays into the fashion of the 1990s.

Hair stylist Stephanie Strowbridge does superb work with the look of Lipsky’s different hairstyle from a ragged look in 1996 to a more subdued hairstyle in 2008. Visual effects supervisor Matthew Bramante does wonderful work with the visual effects as it is mainly bits of set-dressing for some of the exteriors to play into the look of the 1990s. Sound editor Ryan Collins does amazing work with the sound as it plays into the atmosphere of some the locations including a scene at Mall of America. The film’s music by Danny Elfman is good for its low-key ambient score with music supervisor Tiffany Anders cultivating a brilliant soundtrack that features music from R.E.M., Wang Chung, Tindersticks, Brian Eno, Alanis Morrisette, Fun Boy Three, Felt, Pulp, the Association, Tracey Ullman, Nu Shooz, Pavement, Chaka Khan, and the Magnetic Fields.

The casting by Avy Kaufman is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Becky Ann Baker as a bookstore manager for one of Wallace’s signings, Anna Chlumsky as Lipsky’s girlfriend Sarah who is in awe of Wallace’s book, Mamie Gummer and Mickey Sumner as a couple of friends of Wallace in their respective roles in Julie and Betsy with the latter being a poet that Lipsky is interested in, Ron Livingston as Lipsky’s editor Bob Levin who reluctantly gives Lipsky the story to interview Wallace, and Joan Cusack as Wallace and Lipsky’s chaperone in Minneapolis in Patty Gunderson.

Finally, there’s the duo of Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel in tremendous performances in their respective roles as David Lipsky and David Foster Wallace. Eisenberg brings a reserved performance as a writer who is trying to understand who Wallace his as all of his romantic ideas of what he wants Wallace to be turns out to be false as he tries to figure out what makes Wallace great. Segel’s performance as Wallace is also reserved yet it has its quirks as someone who just wants to be a normal guy whose house is a mess and eats junk food as Segel plays it straight without being someone who wants to be pretentious or be this idea of a what great writer as he isn’t sure if he’s that great. Eisenberg and Segel had great rapport together as they just both look and feel relaxed while also showing some humor in their time together.

The End of the Tour is a phenomenal film from James Ponsoldt that features incredible performances from Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel. Featuring a great supporting ensemble cast, a compelling narrative, and a superb music soundtrack, the film is a fascinating story of a real-life interview between David Lipsky and the late David Foster Wallace just as the latter is ascending to fame despite his own issues with it that would haunt him for the rest of his life. In the end, The End of the Tour is a sensational film from James Ponsoldt.

James Ponsoldt Films: (Off the Black) – Smashed - The Spectacular Now - (The Circle 2017 film))

© thevoid99 2021

Ricki and the Flash

In Memory of Bernie Worrell (1944-2016)

Directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Diablo Cody, Ricki and the Flash is the story of a middle-aged rock singer who learns about her daughter’s divorce as she goes to see and help her while dealing with the family she left to pursue her dream as a rock star. The film is a simple family drama where a woman returns to her family to help her daughter as well as cope with the decision she made in abandoning them to pursue her dream. Starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer, Audra McDonald, Sebastian Stan, Ben Platt, Nick Westrate, and Rick Springfield. Ricki and the Flash is an exhilarating and heartfelt film from Jonathan Demme.

The film follows a woman who abandoned her family to pursue her dreams to be a rock star as she finally returns home after hearing about her daughter getting a divorce. It’s a film where a woman not only deals with not just the decisions she made to pursue her dreams but also make an attempt to set things right again for herself and her family. Especially as she still wants to play music in California as she fronts a band called the Flash. Diablo Cody’s screenplay doesn’t just explore the world that Linda “Ricki” Rendazzo (Meryl Streep) lives where she plays at a bar with her band that includes her guitarist Greg (Rick Springfield) who has feelings for her. It’s also in the fact that Ricki is struggling to get by as she’s working at an organic supermarket and paying off her debts. The first half of the film is about Ricki returning to Indianapolis to see her ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) and their daughter Julie (Mamie Gummer) as the latter has fallen apart because her husband left her for another woman.

Cody’s script also play into Ricki’s struggle with her family as well as the fact that the void she left was filled by Pete’s second wife Maureen (Audra McDonald) who did a lot for Julie as well Julie’s older brothers Joshua (Sebastian Stan) and Adam (Nick Westrate). The latter of which is gay while the former is about to get married to Ricki’s own surprise as she is also quite conservative in her views despite the music she plays. It adds a lot to the complexity of Ricki but also her own flaws as she is quite selfish as well as ignorant though she means well. Especially when she is confronted by Maureen despite what Ricki had done to help Julie as it would lead to this third act which revolves around Joshua’s wedding.

Jonathan Demme’s direction is quite stylish in terms of the looseness he creates for many of the scenes set in California while going for something that is more controlled and tight for the scenes set in Indianapolis as much of the film is shot in upstate New York. Yet, a lesser director would struggle with trying to create a balance in the two styles but Demme does find that balance where it never feels like two different films. Notably as the film features a lot of music from Ricki playing with her band as well as a scene where she plays a song to Pete and Julie. Demme’s usage of close-ups and medium shots for many of the scenes in Indianapolis are quite intriguing as well as playing into some of the family tension when Ricki sees her sons for the first time in years. The scenes at the bar where the Flash play is quite lively as it include some line dancing as well as moments that are quite raucous where Demme does use a few wide shots to capture the space of the bar. The film’s climax at Joshua’s wedding is a mixture of the different visual styles yet Demme does find a way for all of it to come together. Overall, Demme creates a touching yet entertaining film about middle-aged rocker coming home to help her daughter and mend old wounds with her family.

Cinematographer Declan Quinn does excellent work with the cinematography as it is very straightforward with some unique lighting for the interiors at the bar and the scenes set at night in both California and Indianapolis. Editor Wyatt Smith does nice work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few stylish cuts for some of the musical performances. Production designer Stuart Wurtzel, with set decorator George DeTitta Jr. and art director Patricia Woodbridge, does brilliant work with the look of the bar Ricki and the Flash play as well as the home that Pete and Maureen lives in at Indianapolis.

Costume designer Ann Roth does terrific work with the costumes from the stylish clothes of Ricki as well as the more straight-laced look of Pete and the mixture of both in Julie. Visual effects supervisor Luke DiTommaso does wonderful work with the minimal visual effects in the film as it‘s mostly a few set-dressing pieces for some of the scenes in Indianapolis. Sound mixer Jeff Pullman does superb work with the sound as it is straightforward as well as play into the energy of the concerts that Ricki and the Flash perform at. The film’s soundtrack features not just a lot of songs ranging from rock to pop music that Ricki and the Flash performs but also music from Spirit, the Feelies, and Electric Light Orchestra that is played in the background.

The casting by Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey is great as it features cameo appearances from Adam Shulman as a customer at Ricki’s supermarket, Bill Irwin as a father at a donut shop who is annoyed by Ricki and Julie’s conversation, Charlotte Rae as Pete’s mother, Beau Sia as Adam’s partner Desmond, and Gabriel Ebert as Julie’s ex-husband Max whom Pete and Ricki confront during a night-out with Julie. In roles as members of the Flash, there’s legendary Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell as keyboardist Billy, famed session drummer Joe Vitale as the drummer Joe, and famed session bassist Rick Rosas as the bassist Buster (whom the film is dedicated to) as they all provide a great presence to their roles as the musicians. Hailey Gates is wonderful as Joshua’s fiancee Emily who is bewildered by Ricki while Ben Platt is terrific as the bartender Daniel who worships at the altar of Ricki and the Flash. Nick Westrate and Sebastian Stan are excellent in their respective roles as Ricki’s sons Adam and Joshua with the former not really fond of his mother accusing her of being a homophobe with the latter wanting to make peace but is unsure of inviting her to the wedding.

Audra McDonald is brilliant as Pete’s wife Maureen who had become the maternal void filled for Ricki’s children as she tries to make peace with Ricki as well as give her some truths that Ricki has to face. Mamie Gummer is amazing as Julie as Ricki’s daughter who has become a wreck following a divorce as she is quite funny in the way she does things as well as be someone who is very fragile. Rick Springfield is fantastic as Greg as the Flash lead guitarist who is in love with Ricki as he gives her some advice as well as tell her how important she is as a mother. Kevin Kline is incredible as Pete as Ricki’s ex-husband who tells Ricki about Julie as he copes with Julie’s mood as well as trying to maintain the peace in the family while admitting he still cares about Ricki. Finally, there’s Meryl Streep in a sensational performance as Ricki Rendazzo as this middle-aged rocker that is trying to reach her dream while helping out her daughter get back on her feet as it’s a lively and entertaining performance from Streep.

Ricki and the Flash is a marvelous film from Jonathan Demme that features a dazzling performance from Meryl Streep. Also featuring a witty script by Diablo Cody, a fantastic ensemble cast, and a killer soundtrack, the film is a heartfelt yet entertaining film that manages to be fun as well as state the importance of family. In the end, Ricki and the Flash is a remarkable film from Jonathan Demme.

Jonathan Demme Films: (Caged Heat) - (Crazy Mama) - (Fighting Mad) - (Handle with Care) - (Last Embrace) - (Melvin & Howard) - (Who Am I This Time?) - (Swing Shift) - Stop Making Sense - (Something Wild) - (Swimming to Cambodia) - (Married to the Mob) - (The Silence of the Lambs) - (Cousin Bobby) - (Philadelphia) - (Storefront Hitchcock) - (Beloved) - (The Truth About Charlie) - (The Agronomist) - (The Manchurian Candidate (2004 film)) - (Neil Young: Heart of Gold) - (Man from Plains) - Rachel Getting Married - (Neil Young Trunk Show) - (Neil Young Journeys) - (A Master Builder)

© thevoid99 2016

The Ward (2010 film)

Directed by John Carpenter and written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen, The Ward is the story of a young woman who is sent to a mental institution after an arson as she is haunted by a ghost from the institution. The film is a psychological thriller set in the mid-1960s where a woman copes with not just a ghost in this institution but why is it haunting her and the other women at the ward. Starring Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Lyndsy Fonesca, Laura-Leigh, Mika Boorem, and Jared Harris. The Ward is an engaging yet flawed film from John Carpenter.

Set in 1966 rural Oregon, the film revolves a young woman who is sent to a mental hospital after burning a farmhouse where she is sent to a special ward with four other women as they’re being haunted by a ghost who was killed in the ward. It’s a film that plays into a woman dealing with her surroundings as she wonders if she is getting out as she befriends a few of the women while they deal with this ghost and why it’s after them. While the story is a simple one, it also plays into the world of psychiatry as these women are trying to deal with their illnesses and hope to get out and return to the real world. Yet, the film’s screenplay has some strange ideas for the narrative which does try to be ambiguous over the ghost that is haunting these women but there’s some flaws in there as well as some unanswered questions that alludes to a young woman who is killed early in the film. Once the story progresses and characters get killed off, the film does become formulaic where it also raises some questions as the script does have some holes about what is going on and why this ghost is after these women.

John Carpenter’s direction is very intoxicating in the way he captures the life of a group of women inside this mental ward as many of them display different personalities. Even as he starts the film off with some conventional tactics where a young woman is killed by a ghost while the main character Kristen (Amber Heard) burns down a farmhouse. Carpenter does use some unique tracking shots as well as close-ups and medium shots to maintain a sense of intimacy plus a few wide shots for stylistic reasons. Yet, he is hampered by some of the script’s flaws where it does deviate from conventional scares as Carpenter tries to keep things unpredictable and play with the rhythms of suspense. Another aspect of the film that kind of hurts it is the twist in the end as it relates to the ghost and why Kristen is a major target. Still, it does make things interesting though it does leave a lot of unanswered questions. Overall, Carpenter creates a worthwhile though underwhelming film about a woman being haunted by a ghost.

Cinematographer Yaron Orbach does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography that helps set a mood for some scenes in some of the interiors including the hallways as well as some stylish lights to play into its sense of horror. Editor Patrick McMahon does nice work with the editing where it does play into the rhythms of suspense while some of it deviates towards fast-cutting style to play in jump-scares that doesn‘t work at times. Production designer Paul Peters, with set decorator Rachel M. Thompson and art director Vincent DeFelice, does brilliant work with the design of the ward and other aspects of the hospital where it doesn‘t make itself too much like the 1960s but rather something that is cut-off from the rest of the world. Costume designer Lisa Caryl-Vukas does fantastic work with the costumes where it sort of plays into early 60s clothing as it helps distinguishes the characters and their personalities.

Special effects makeup designer Greg Nicotero and Kevin Wasner do amazing work with the look of the ghost as well as some of the eerie elements of horror in who the ghost kills. Visual effects supervisor Jason McKee does terrific work with the visual effects as it relates to the ghost and some of the eerie elements in the film. Sound designers Javier Bennassar and Leslie Shatz do superb work with the sound to help create some textures into the sound and help build up some of the suspense and terror that looms in the film. The film’s music by Mark Kilian is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that plays into some of the drama as well as help creating the air of suspense throughout the film.

The casting by Pam Dixon is remarkable as it features some notable small roles from Susanna Burney as the chief nurse in the ward Nurse Lundt, Dan Anderson as the chief orderly Roy, Sali Sayler as the young woman who is killed by the ghost early in the film, Mark Chamberlin as a sad man that often makes a visit at the hospital as if he knows someone who was there, and Mika Boorem as the young woman named Alice who would later become the ghost that would haunt the ward. Jared Harris is excellent as Dr. Stringer as the hospital psychiatrist who is trying to help Kristen and the other women in the ward as he is a character that is quite ambiguous due to his methods as he really wants to help them. Laura-Leigh is fantastic as Zoey as the traumatized young woman who acts and dresses like a young girl as she is the most innocent person in the ward.

Danielle Panabaker is superb as Sarah as the snobbish young woman who likes to flirt with the orderlies as she isn’t convinced that something is haunting the ward. Lyndsy Fonesca is wonderful as Iris as the prim drawer who likes to make sketches as she knows the rules of the ward as she is also the most cautious. Mamie Gummer is brilliant as Emily as the most outgoing of the women as she knows what is going on as she is also quite tough but also carries some guilt over what happened to Alice. Finally, there’s Amber Heard in an amazing performance as Kristen as this young woman who is sent to the asylum for arson as she copes with the ghost as she tries to find a way to deal with it and hopefully get out of the asylum as it’s a very compelling performance from Heard.

While it is very conventional and has some very weak aspects in its script, The Ward is still a good film from John Carpenter. Armed with an excellent cast as well as some dazzling visuals, the film does manage to offer something a bit different from the current wave of mainstream horror films as it is told by one of the genre’s great masters. In the end, The Ward is a terrific though very flawed film from John Carpenter.

John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Halloween - Someone’s Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars

The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2015

Taking Woodstock

Based on the memoir Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life by Elliot Tiber and Tom Monte, Taking Woodstock tells the story of how the famous 1969 music festival in Bethel, New York came to life with the help of a young man who brought the festival to his town. Directed by Ang Lee with an adapted script by longtime collaborator James Schamus, the film is an exploration on Tiber’s young life as he tries to save his parents’ motel by getting more than half a million people to attend the festival. Starring Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Liev Schreiber, Jonathan Groff, and Eugene Levy with appearances from Paul Dano, Dan Fogler, Kelli Garner, Mamie Gummer, and Emile Hirsch. Taking Woodstock is a good though underwhelming film from Ang Lee.

Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin) is an aspiring interior designer/artist who returns home to the El Monaco Motel in his town of Bethel, New York as it’s in danger of foreclosure. With his parents Jake (Henry Goodman) and Sonia (Imelda Staunton) short on cash, Elliot decides to help them as he hopes to organize another small music festival to raise money. With the realization that he needs to raise the money by the end of the summer, he seeks help from a local drama troupe to help them as he hears the news about a concert festival that is looking for a location. Elliot, who is also the local chamber of commerce, offers a permit to the concert organizers where he meets Michael Lang (Jonathan Groff) who brings his team to scout the location. Finally finding the place on the farm of Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy), Yasgur makes them a deal to hold the concert on his land.

With Elliot having some money that could help his family, he faces some trouble with the locals and health inspectors looking over the hotel as a transvestite named Velma (Liev Schreiber) offers to help as security. With Elliot realizing that more than a 100,000 people will show up and a press conference where he gets high becomes a disaster. He gets into really big trouble with the organizers as people come in thinking it’s a free concert as a lot more people come in. With his parents working to deal with the people, Elliot meets a carpenter named Paul (Darren Pettie) whom he falls for though he wonders what his dad will think about his homosexuality.

With the Woodstock concert finally happening, Elliot tries to see the show as he encounters a couple of hippies (Paul Dano and Kellie Garner) while hanging out with his old friend Billy (Emile Hirsch), a former Vietnam vet. Elliot also tries to deal with his mother’s strict attitude while his father seems to enjoy having the young hippies around. With all of the things happening around him, Elliot ponders his life and the family he loves while trying to catch a glimpse of the show at Woodstock itself.

The film is about how the famed Woodstock festival in August of 1969 was organized and how it found its location near a motel run by a Jewish couple and their gay son where the woman is a Russian refugee. Yet, it’s an interesting story for some aspects of the film as it’s told from the perspective of a young man who is essentially trying to save the motel his parents had been working hard for. Once that motivation for Elliot to save his motel happens through getting Woodstock to come to his town, the film’s mood starts to change a bit from a comedy to a character study that doesn’t really work very well.

The third act has Elliot trying to go to the concert but the real disappointment isn’t that the film doesn’t get to show the concert as it’s happening. Instead, there’s an acid trip and a mud slide where it kind of meanders a bit. Then there’s the character of Elliot Tiber where as a protagonist, he isn’t very interesting despite his development and character struggle with his homosexuality. While there’s a bit of reference to the Stonewall riots, the homosexuality parts of the film doesn’t really fit in with the narrative. While screenwriter James Schamus does some fine work in creating some interesting supporting characters and the organization of the festival. He didn’t do enough to create a very engaging third act where isn’t sure what to do.

Ang Lee’s direction is very stylish in its presentation as the opening credits scene features a lot of split screens and multiple shots of events happening at the same time. Lee does a lot to create some light-hearted moments that includes some funny scenes of Elliot’s parents fighting some anti-Semitic kids or some mob guys or stuff where people decide to get naked. There is a looseness to the direction that makes it very engaging for most of the film. By the time it comes to the third act, there’s still a few funny moments but it starts to drag a bit once Elliot encounters various people where it includes a very silly acid trip with weird visual effects that looks very silly. While Lee does create some wonderful compositions and intimate camera work throughout the film, he creates a film that is pretty decent but loses its excitement in the third act.

Cinematographer Eric Gautier does some wonderful work with the film‘s colorful cinematography in capturing the gorgeous landscape of upstate New York. Gautier’s photography has a lushness to many of the daytime exteriors while creating a more intimate look for some of the interior scenes in the film along with the nighttime exterior shots. Longtime Lee collaborator Tim Squyres does some fantastic work with the editing by creating a lot of stylized cuts to re-create some of the shots and multiple split-screens that is really an ode to the original Woodstock movie.

Production designer David Gropman, along with set decorator Ellen Christiansen and art director Peter Rogness, does some fine work with the look of the motel that Elliot lives in along with the farm and places that he frequents to. Costume designer Joseph G. Aulisi does some excellent work with the costumes from the straight-laced clothes that Elliot wears to the more lavish clothes many of the hippies wear. Visual effects supervisor Brendan Taylor does some OK work with the visual effects for the acid trip scene where some of the animation is inspired but it doesn‘t fit in with the tone of the film and makes the scene to be very silly. Sound editors Eugene Gearty and Phillip Stockton do some good work with the sound to capture the quietness of the town to the chaos and blaring music once the concert starts to happen.

The film’s score by Danny Elfman is a very folk-driven score to play to the setting that is 1969 with brimming acoustic guitars as it’s mostly set in sparse places. While Elfman’s score is very good, the rest of the music is surrounded by cuts from the music of the time such as Richie Havens, the Band, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Janis Joplin, Arlo Guthrie, Blind Faith, the Doors, the Seeds, Love, Ravi Shankar, Jefferson Airplane, and the Grateful Dead plus a song from Judy Garland to complement the taste of the gays. The overall soundtrack is a real highlight of the film since it brings a bit of nostalgia as well as a primer for new listeners to the music of the times.

The casting by Avy Kaufman is pretty good for the large ensemble that is created that includes memorable appearances from Skylar Astin as Woodstock organizer John P. Roberts, Richard Thomas as Reverend Don, Darren Pettie as the construction worker Elliot falls for, Adam LeFerve as a local who despises Elliot for bringing hippies to the town, Mamie Gummer as Lang’s assistant Tisch, and Dan Fogler in a tolerable performance as the theater troupe leader. Other notable appearances include Paul Dano and Kelli Garner as a couple of hippies who take Elliot on an acid trip along with Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Billy’s older brother and Emile Hirsch in a comical though overdone performance as the Vietnam Vet Billy.

Eugene Levy is very good in a very laid-back performance as the farmer Max Yasgur who offers his land to the Woodstock organizers while wowing them with his chocolate milk. Liev Schreiber is excellent as the drag-queen Velma who is very tough and cool while being the one person who helps loosen up Elliot’s parents. Jonathan Groff as Michael Lang is one of the film’s most uninspiring moments as he ends up looking very goofy while not really giving the Lang character anything to do except say “hey man” and “groovy” with just a straight face.

Henry Goodman and Imelda Staunton are great as Elliot’s parents as they bring a lot of humor to their characters. Goodman as the more laid-back father who finds an ally in Velma as they fight off anti-Semitic youths as he also sports some subtle humor to his character. Staunton is even funnier as the Russian immigrant mother who often spouts stories of how she walked from Russia to America with cold potatoes while being the more strict as it’s a remarkable role for the British actress. Demetri Martin is OK as Elliot Tiber as he tries to make the character he plays interesting but is unable to do since he‘s practically a comedy actor. The problem is that Martin isn’t very engaging in his performance as he mostly stares at his surroundings while doesn’t really he seems unsure what to do in some of the performance as it’s a pretty uninspiring performance.

Taking Woodstock is a film that has a lot of good moments but loses steam in the third act that includes a very dull lead performance by Demetri Martin and the lack of footage from the famed Woodstock concert. Audiences who are interested in the history of the famed music festival will find this to be insightful over how it got organized though the actual Woodstock movie is a much better introduction about the festival. For its director Ang Lee, the film is pretty much one of his weaker efforts as he creates something that is very loose and lively though is unable to keep things interesting in the third act. In the end, Taking Woodstock is a fine film from Ang Lee despite some underwhelming moments.

Ang Lee Films: Pushing Hands - The Wedding Banquet - Eat Drink Man Woman - Sense & Sensibility (1995 film) - The Ice Storm - Ride with the Devil - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Hire: Chosen - Hulk - Brokeback Mountain - Lust, Caution - Life of Pi - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - The Auteurs #19: Ang Lee

© thevoid99 2011