New York, New York

Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by Mardik Martin and Earl Mac Rauch from a story by Rauch, New York, New York is the story of a jazz saxophonist and a saxophone singer who meet on V-J Day in 1945 as they fall in love where they endure a turbulent relationship onstage and off-stage. A tribute to the old Hollywood films from the 1930s to the 1950s, the film is a musical drama set in the aftermath of World War II where two people try to maintain a relationship through love and music. Starring Robert de Niro, Liza Minnelli, Lionel Stander, Mary Kay Place, Barry Primus, Frank Sivero, Dick Miller, and special appearances from Clarence Clemons, Casey Kasem, and Jack Haley as the master of ceremonies. New York, New York is a lavish though uneven film from Martin Scorsese.

The film revolves around a jazz saxophonist and a USO singer who meet at a party on V-J Day where they become a couple, join a big band jazz group, form a band of their own, and deal with all sorts of things in their tumultuous relationship. It’s a film with a simple premise that is told in the span of nearly a decade from 1945 to the mid-1950s as focus on this couple who bring out both the best and worst in each other. The film’s screenplay by Mardik Martin and Earl Mac Rauch does play into the elements expected in a romantic drama with music yet there is an element of intense drama as it relates to the relationship between singer Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli) and jazz saxophonist Jimmy Doyle (Robert de Niro).

Their relationship starts off with Doyle trying to woo and win over Evans as the two prove that they learn they were supposed to meet on a blind date and their relationship develops slowly. Yet, once Evans gets a gig singing for a band where Doyle would find and follow her. He becomes part of the band and eventually form his own band but tries to control Evans’ fate as well as her career. Even when he tries to be the one with the glory and talent while Evans is just the voice but who has so much more to offer. While Doyle prefers to play with other musicians who he felt could match his talents as well as socialize with. It is Evans who is poised for stardom as things get complicated when she becomes pregnant with Doyle’s child.

Martin Scorsese’s direction is definitely extravagant for the world he is creating as it’s set from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s to reflect a period of old Hollywood where musicals were the thing. Shot largely at the MGM soundstages in Hollywood as well as parts of New York City and Los Angeles, Scorsese would create a setting that is lavish and filled with a lot of grand set designs to play into a world that was rich and innocent. Scorsese would create some unique wide and medium shots to get a scope of the nightclubs and places the characters go to while using stock footage to create that world of post-war New York City. Scorsese’s compositions do have elements of style that play into the way Scorsese would frame Evans and Doyle in a scene and the few moments where they are equal such as a scene of the two rehearsing with the band as they both share critiques on the drummer as well as a scene of the two arguing with a couple who are trying to park who were interrupting their own argument. Still, Scorsese also play into the craziness of their relationship such as their first meeting of Doyle trying to use his pick-up lines on her only to fail constantly unaware that they’re each other’s blind dates.

For all of the visual tricks and compositions that Scorsese creates in the film, it is clear that Scorsese is trying to make a film that is a homage to old Hollywood as some of the set backdrops do have that sense of artificiality that was prevalent from the past. Yet, to match it with some of the drama and the infighting between Evans and Doyle for some reason doesn’t mesh. Even as the attempts to blend both end up meandering the film a bit at times while Scorsese would be able to create some entertaining musical numbers though its attempts to infuse some drama ends up feeling messy. Still, the film’s climatic musical number that involves Evans in this massive set piece with top-notch dance choreography by Ron Field is a joy to watch as it play into what Evans could achieve that Doyle couldn’t deal with. Despite the shortcomings in its attempts to blend genres as well as wanting to be a homage to classic Hollywood films of the 1940s and 1950s. Scorsese still manages to create an enjoyable but uneven film about a tumultuous romance between a singer and a jazz saxophone player in the post-war era.

Cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs does amazing work with the film’s cinematography from the usage of some stylish lights for some of the interiors including a hallway scene as well as creating moods for some of the exterior scenes in day and night as it’s a highlight of the film. Editors Irving Lerner, Marcia Lucas, Bert Lovitt, David Ramirez, and Tom Rolf do terrific work with the editing as it some elements of styles including transition wipes, montages, and a few jump-cuts. Production designer Boris Leven, with art director Harry Kemm plus set decorators Robert De Vestel and Ruby R. Levitt, does incredible work with the set design as play into the look of the nightclubs and homes of the characters including the backdrops for some of the exterior sets.

Costume designer Theadora Van Runkle does fantastic work with the period costumes of the times from the blue shirt Doyle wears in the film’s opening scene to some of the dresses that Evans wears. Hair designer Sydney Guilaroff does nice work with the different hairstyles that Evans would sport throughout the entirety of the film. Sound editor Kay Rose does superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the clubs and venues that the characters go to. The film’s music by John Kander and Fred Ebb is brilliant for its big-band jazz score with some woodwinds and big sound along with songs that Evans would sing while music supervisor Ralph Burns would provide that mix of different jazz sub-genres as well as vocal pop and other styles of music that was around in those times.

The casting by Lynn Stalmaster is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Casey Kasem as a jazz radio DJ, Jack Haley as the master of ceremonies for the film’s big climatic number, Dick Miller as a club owner, Clarence Clemons as jazz trumpeter Cecil Powell, Adam David Winkler as Doyle and Evans’ son late in the film, Frank Sivero as Doyle’s friend Eddie DiMuzio, Harry Northup as an agent named Alabama, George Memmoli as a friend of Doyle in Nicky, Georgie Auld as the musician Frankie Harte, and Mary Kay Place as Evans’ replacement in Doyle’s band Bernice Bennett who later sings for another band. Barry Primus is superb as musician Paul Wilson who is a pianist for the band that Doyle is also in as he would later lead his own band with Bernice as the singer. Lionel Stander is fantastic as bandleader Tony Harwell who leads the band with Evans as the singer and Doyle as one of his saxophone players where he knows how talented both of them are but sees Evans as something special.

Robert de Niro’s performance as Jimmy Doyle has its moments where he displays a lot of charm and energy into the role as well as showing he can play saxophone. Yet, his character is unfortunately one of the vilest individuals on film as he doesn’t have many redeeming qualities often thinking more about himself where he can be possessive and selfish. He also tries to maintain his sense of pride and thinking he knows what Evans wants as it’s a performance that doesn’t give de Niro enough to show the good qualities in his character. Finally, there’s Liza Minnelli in a phenomenal performance as Francine Evans as a USO singer who falls for Doyle and sings for a band with Doyle as it’s a performance that is filled with a lot of comic timing and charisma. Although there’s moments that will make anyone wonder why she is still with Doyle as there’s moments where de Niro and Minnelli don’t really click. Minnelli still gives it her all when she sings and dances as she is the best thing in this film.

New York, New York is a good but messy film from Martin Scorsese. Despite its great visuals, amazing set design, incredible music soundtrack, and Liza Minnelli’s radiant performance. It’s a film that wants to be all sorts of things including this love letter to old Hollywood of the post-war era yet struggles to be intense and engaging yet it has a lot of faults in its execution. In the end, New York, New York is a terrific yet extremely flawed film from Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha - (Mean Streets) – Italianamerican - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence (1993 film) - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – The Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman (2019 film)) - Killers of the Flower Moon - (An Afternoon with SCTV)

© thevoid99 2018

Manny & Lo

Written and directed by Lisa Krueger, Manny & Lo is the story of two sisters who run away from foster homes as they trek to find places to crash until the oldest learns she is pregnant as they kidnap a baby store clerk to help them. The film is a coming-of-age tale where two sisters deal with the need to find a maternal figure as well as coping with growing pains as they’re respectively played by Scarlett Johansson and Aleksa Palladino. Also starring Mary Kay Place, Glenn Fitzgerald, and Paul Guilfoyle. Manny & Lo is a charming and captivating film from Lisa Krueger.

The film revolves around two sisters who both run away from different fosters home as they go on a road trip where they crash into houses that haven’t been sold while shoplift or do whatever to survive. When the eldest Lo learns she is pregnant as she and her younger sister Manny hide out in the country, they kidnap a baby store clerk due to her knowledge about babies despite the fact that she has no children. While it’s a story that is quite simple, it does play into many aspects about what these two young girls want from this eccentric woman named Elaine (Mary Kay Place) by taking her to this house in the middle of the woods as she becomes a profound influence for the two young girls. Lisa Krueger’s screenplay is largely told from the perspective of Manny as she is this 11-year old girl who is very mature for her age as she copes with Lo’s immaturity and sense of danger. While it’s clear the two are in need of a maternal figure, there is a conflict about whether they should have Elaine around as she is quite odd and doesn’t seem to mind getting kidnapped.

Krueger’s direction maintains that air of simplicity in the story as she mostly goes for shots that are quite entrancing in its usage of medium shots and close-ups. Shot on location in rural areas in New Jersey as well as nearby small towns, it’s a film that has the sense of wandering that is often prevalent in road movies but it’s mixed in with this coming-of-age tone that allows the story to be more compelling. Even in the way Krueger would shoot a few wide shots shown from the perspective of the two where they observe a location or a group of people. Some of it is played for laughs while it’s mainly a light-hearted in terms of the relationship between Elaine and the two girls. It does get more dramatic in the third act when it becomes clear of how much the girls need Elaine. Overall, Krueger creates a very engaging and touching film about two runaway sisters looking for a home and a maternal figure.

Cinematographer Tom Krueger does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the colorful yet naturalistic look of the daytime exterior/interior locations with some unique lighting for some scenes set at night. Editor Colleen Sharp does nice work as the editing is very straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the humor and drama. Production designer Sharon Lomofsky and set decorator Dina Goldman do terrific work with the look of the country home that Manny and Lo had found as it has that remoteness that they‘re looking for.

Costume designer Jennifer Parker does wonderful work with the costumes from the white nurse uniform that Elaine wears to the more casual look of Manny and Lo. Sound editor Richard King does superb work with the sound to play into the low-key sound of the locations as well as the way music is heard on location. The film’s music by John Lurie is fantastic as it is this mixture of folk-based music with elements of vibraphones and keyboards as it is very low key while the soundtrack features elements of punk and metal plus soul music from LaBelle.

The casting by Ellen Parks is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Cameron Boyd as a young boy Manny befriends, Glenn Fitzgerald as Lo’s boyfriend Joey who tries to do nice things for her, and Paul Guilfoyle as the owner of the country house who appears in its third act. Mary Kay Place is amazing as Elaine as this baby store clerk who knows a lot about what babies want as she helps Lo with her pregnancy while getting to know Manny. Aleksa Palladino is excellent as Lo as this 16-year old woman who is dealing with being pregnant as she is always aggressive and trying to keep things in control as she realizes that she needs Elaine.

Finally, there’s Scarlett Johansson in an incredible performance as Manny as it’s Johansson in one of her earlier performances. It’s a performance where Johansson has this very evocative quality where she is this 11-year old girl who is always being observing while trying to figure out what to do as she is clearly more mature than Lo as it’s just a real breakthrough for someone who would become one of cinema’s finest actresses.

Manny & Lo is a remarkable film from Lisa Krueger that features superb performances from Aleksa Palladino and Mary Kay Place as well as a mesmerizing performance from a young Scarlett Johansson. The film is definitely a unique genre-bending film as it’s part road-film mixed in with a coming-of-age drama that also has elements of humor. In the end, Manny & Lo is a sensational film from Lisa Krueger.

© thevoid99 2014

Being John Malkovich

Directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich is the story about a puppeteer who takes an office job where he finds a portal where it’s destination is inside the head of actor John Malkovich. The film is an exploration into the world of a man eager to make a name for himself while dealing with his wife and an officer worker he has fallen for as they all go into Malkovich’s mind. Starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, Orson Bean, Mary Kay Place, and John Malkovich as himself. Being John Malkovich is a dazzling yet witty film from Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman.

The film is a simple story about a man who finds a portal where he enters the mind of actor John Malkovich as he takes his wife and a co-worker at a half-floor office to take part in the adventure. Yet, it would create a strange relationship as the two women fall where the wife would be in Malkovich’s body only for her husband to take over as he would take control of Malkovich in order to become an acclaimed puppeteer. It’s a film that has a very strange premise where people enter John Malkovich’s mind for a few fifteen minutes and then be popped out where they land into a ditch near the New Jersey turnpike. Yet it ends up being a very fascinating story about what can happen when someone enters a man’s body for fifteen minutes.

Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay is truly one of the most whimsical ideas ever to come across on paper where he brings in this unique fascination about the world of puppetry where Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) wants to gain fame with puppetry but is unable to get an audience forcing him to take a job at an office at the 7 ½ floor where he meets Maxine (Catherine Keener) whom he falls for. Though Maxine has no interest in Craig nor his frizzy-haired yet animal-loving wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz), she does become interested in Lotte only when she is inside John Malkovich’s head so she can have sex with Malkovich. It would lead to some jealousy in Craig’s part where he would enter Malkovich’s head realizing the kind of control he can have. Of course, Malkovich would find out as he realizes the craziness that is happening around him.

Kaufman’s script doesn’t just succeed in creating a world that is offbeat and unique but also take its time to explain the idea of the portal without the need of too much exposition. Even as he introduces a quirky character in a man named Dr. Lester (Orson Bean) who reveals a lot about the portal in Malkovich’s head as he would help Lotte find a way to get Craig out of Malkovich’s head. Even where it plays into Craig’s selfishness and the eventual feelings that Maxine would gain over her affairs. Kaufman’s approach to characters including the way he creates scenes such as Malkovich entering into his own head would display something that is avant-garde but also very engaging to a wide audience not used to anything this weird.

The direction of Spike Jonze is very stylized not just in the way he displays many of Kaufman’s surrealistic ideas but also in giving the film an offbeat presentation that makes it seem like it’s a bit removed from reality. Much of it involves the world that Craig and Lotte live in where their apartment is filled with animals while the world of puppetry that Craig has poured himself into plays into the melancholia that he’s carrying. Even as the puppetry itself is very life-like at times to showcase the weight of the emotions into Craig’s craft though he is treated poorly by others or was just misunderstood. It’s part of the world that Jonze presents that includes the 7 ½ floor where everyone has to walk a little hunched because the ceiling is pretty low.

Much of it has Jonze take into some intimate medium shots and close-ups to present that world while the scenes inside John Malkovich’s head are very strange as it is shown from inside his head with a little iris shot that is often commanded by a hand-held camera. Much of it to display what Malkovich is doing where things get even weirder when Malkovich goes into the portal into his own head where it would play into one of the greatest sequences in film. The mixture of surrealism and puppetry add to the visual splendor of the film as Jonze utilizes all sorts of tricks and such to play into this world that is unique. Overall, Jonze crafts a very astonishing yet rapturous film about a group of people discovering a portal into the mind of John Malkovich.

Cinematographer Lance Acord does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography with its use of low-key lights for some of the film‘s daytime and nighttime exterior scenes as well as something as displaying a sense of style into some of the film‘s interior shots with its lights. Editor Eric Zumbrunnen does excellent work with the film‘s editing with its use of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor. Production designer K.K. Barrett, with set decorator Gene Serdena and art director Peter Andrus, does brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of the 7 ½ floor as well as the portal leading to Malkovich‘s head and the home of Dr. Lester filled with books about the portal as well a shrine to Malkovich.

Costume designer Casey Storm does wonderful work with the costumes from the ragged look of Craig and Lotte to the more stylized dresses that Maxine wears as well as the clothes of Malkovich. Head makeup artist Gucci Westman and hair designer Emanuel Millar do fantastic work with the ragged look of Craig as well as the look of Lotte with her frizzy hair to play into their middle-class world. Visual effects supervisor Daniel Radford does phenomenal work with some of the film‘s visual effects which includes the scene of Malkovich entering his own head and seeing people as Malkovich. Sound editors Richard L. Anderson and Elliott Koretz do superb work with the sound to play into some of the sound effects of what goes on at the portal as well as some of the atmosphere in some of the film‘s locations.

The film’s music by Carter Burwell is exquisite for its somber yet rich orchestral score to play into some of the film‘s humor as well as melancholia with its elegant string arrangements to help further the music. Music supervisor Dawn Soler creates a terrific soundtrack that mostly consist of classical music for the puppet shows that Craig displays including the plays he creates as Malkovich as it also features a song by Bjork in the film’s final credits.

The casting by Justine Baddeley and Kim Davis-Wagner is incredible for the ensemble that is featured as it includes some notable small appearances from Sean Penn as himself, Octavia Spencer as a woman Craig meets in the elevator, W. Earl Brown as a client Craig meets early in the film, Carlos Jacott as Malkovich’s agent, David Fincher as a man interviewed for a Malkovich documentary, Spike Jonze as an assistant for a renowned puppeteer, and Charlie Sheen as a restrained, comical version of himself. Mary Kay Place is wonderful as the very odd receptionist Floris while Orson Bean is terrific as the eccentric LesterCorp head Dr. Lester who knows the secret about the portal in the 7 ½ floor.

In playing himself, John Malkovich is brilliant in conveying the man in his eccentricities while displaying his frustrations and confusion in what he discovers as well as being in control where he reinvents himself as a puppeteer. Catherine Keener is excellent as Maxine as a woman who has no interest in either Craig nor Lotte until she realizes that she can use them to have sex with Malkovich until she realizes her feelings for Lotte. Cameron Diaz is amazing as Lotte Schwartz as this weird woman who loves animals while displaying her desires to feel like a man when she’s inside Malkovich’s head. Finally, there’s John Cusack in a remarkable performance as Craig Schwartz as this talented but unappreciated puppeteer who is eager to succeed upon discovering the portal to Malkovich’s head as he decides to use Malkovich for selfish reasons which is a very funny yet dark performance from Cusack.

The 2012 2-disc Region 1 DVD/1-disc Region A Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio in a new digital transfer under the supervision of its director Spike Jonze that also includes a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound for the film. The only supplement in the first disc is a selected scene commentary with Michel Gondry who talks about the film and his friendship with Spike Jonze who later joins the commentary via speakerphone. Gondry talks about specific scenes as well as his friendly-rivalry with Jonze as well as meeting Kaufman for the first time as well as tidbits into the film as it’s a very enjoyable commentary from Gondry.

The second disc’s supplements is led by a 33-minute behind-the-scenes documentary directed by Lance Bangs. While it is a simple behind-the-scenes documentary, it is one that is quite funny at times but also reveals the difficulties in making a film with a half office building floor built where crew members had to be hunched for 13 hours. It also feature moments where Spike’s brother Sam Spiegel is on set where a lot of antics happen as it’s a fun doc to watch.

The 28-minute conversation between John Malkovich and humorist John Hodgman about the film where Malkovich talks about meeting Charlie Kaufman and reading his script where he was intrigued by it. Even as he also met Spike Jonze through Francis Ford Coppola where Malkovich revealed that he wanted Charlie Sheen to play his best friend since the script originally was supposed to have Kevin Bacon as Malkovich’s friend. Malkovich also dwelled on the film’s impact where he revealed that people in his age group at the time didn’t get but it was well-received by a younger audience who didn’t know much about Malkovich. Malkovich and Hodgman also talk about how things have changed since the film about the way celebrities are viewed as the result is a very engaging conversation that is funny at times but also quite sobering in the idea of fame and celebrity.

The 15 ½ minute interview with Spike Jonze about his on-set photos has the director not just talking about his experience with the production. He also talked about photos where tries to recollect his memories about the shooting and some of the anxieties he went through since it was his first feature film. Jonze talks about his crew and cast in the film and some of things that went on in the production that didn’t make things easy which involved studio executives complaining about the look and a few other things. It’s a pretty enjoyable feature that is also directed by Lance Bangs.

The two films within the film are also shown on the DVD starting with the two-minute 7 ½ Floor Orientation which is this very cheesy orientation video about the 7 ½ floor. The four-minute “American Arts & Culture” Presents: John Horatio Malkovich: “Dance of Despair and Disillusionment” is a documentary piece that explores Malkovich’s rise as the ultimate puppeteer where he would bring new life to the art form that features a cameo from David Fincher as an editor for the Los Angeles Times.

The seven-minute and twenty-second documentary An Intimate Portrait of the Art of Puppeteering by Lance Bangs is about the art of puppetry told by Phil Huber who reveals his devotion to the craft. Even as he gives his opinion on the film while young puppeteers who went to see the film also gave their opinion as it’s a nice little doc from Bangs. The supplements also includes the film’s trailer and TV spots about the film. The DVD set features a booklet that includes a conversation with Spike Jonze and pop-culture critic Perkus Tooth about the film. It’s a strange conversation that is filled with a lot of humor where Tooth does much of the talking with Jonze being dumbfounded as it’s a great read.

Being John Malkovich is an outstanding film from Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Filled with dazzling surrealism and a great cast in John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, and John Malkovich. It’s a film that explores the desire of people trying to be someone else for fifteen minutes only for that person to be horrified by the discovery. In the end, Being John Malkovich is a spectacular film from Spike Jonze.

Spike Jonze Films: Adaptation - Where the Wild Things Are - Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak - Her - My Mutant Brain

Related: The Auteurs #54: Spike Jonze - The 25 Essential Videos of Spike Jonze

© thevoid99 2014

Smashed

Directed by James Ponsoldt and written by Ponsoldt and Susan Burke, Smashed is the story of a schoolteacher who decides to get sober as she deals with her alcoholism as well as the aspects of her troubled life including her husband who is also an alcoholic. The film is an exploration into a woman’s attempt to get sober as she also tries to deal with the world around her where her life had been driven by alcohol. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Megan Mullally, and Nick Offerman. Smashed is an extraordinary film from James Ponsoldt.

It’s a film that explores the world of a young woman whose drinking has finally gotten her to do some very dumb things where she would find herself waking up in places she doesn’t know or being hung-over in class where she actually vomited in front of her students. That moment along with other strange things forces her to confront the fact that she’s an alcoholic as she gets help from her vice-principal Dave (Nick Offerman) to go meetings as she also deals with the fact that her husband is also an alcoholic. During the course of the film, Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) tries to maintain her sobriety with help from Dave and a recovering alcoholic named Jenny (Octavia Spencer) as the latter becomes her sponsor. While Hannah’s husband Charlie (Aaron Paul) tries to be supportive, he continues to drink which causes problems into the relationship as Hannah’s need to be honest would finally cause more problems with her own life.

The film’s screenplay doesn’t have much of a plot as it’s more of a character study about this woman and her battle with alcoholism as she struggles to maintain her sobriety. Even as she admits to lying to her students by accident and later to her principal Mrs. Barnes (Megan Mullally) that she’s pregnant as she is later consumed with guilt over what she’s done. While Dave, who is also a recovering alcoholic whose been sober for nine years, is the first to notice Kate’s problems. He is also the one that offers her help while admitting to having his own issues trying to meet women which shows Kate that even maintaining sobriety is hard work. Notably as she’s forced to meet with her estranged mother (Mary Kay Place) as well as Charlie’s own drinking where she questions him about him really being supportive that would eventually cause some problems with the relationship.

James Ponsoldt’s direction is very engaging in the way he explores a woman’s struggles to becomes sober as Ponsoldt goes for a hand-held, cinema-verite style to make it feel as realistic as possible. Even as the drama gets intense that includes a scene of a drunk Kate walking to a nearby convenience store to buy alcohol at two in the morning where the clerk refuses to sell it to her because it’s against the law. Yet, a lot of the presentation is very simple in its framing as well as some scenes where Kate and Charlie ride bicycles through the city where they would be drunk early in the film. Even in the AA meetings where Ponsoldt keeps the direction very simple without the need to embellish and just keep it simple. Even as things would intensify in the course of the film where Kate struggles with her sobriety and the fact that she is an alcoholic where she realizes she needs to face up some responsibilities. Even as it would affect many parts of her life including her marriage. Overall, Ponsoldt creates a very poignant yet mesmerizing film about a woman’s struggle with alcoholism and her need to become sober.

Cinematographer Tobias Datum does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the nighttime exteriors of the locations in Los Angeles to the look of the bars and places the characters go to. Editor Suzanne Spengler does fantastic work with the editing to play up some of the chaos in the drama with some straight cuts as well as using some stylish cuts to help structure the story and create some abrupt moments. Production designer Linda Sena and art director Sarah M. Pott do nice work with the set pieces from the classroom that Kate teaches to the bars and meetings that she goes to.

Costume designer Diaz Jacobs does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual to play up the personality of the characters. Sound editor Ryan Collins does superb work with the sound to play out the atmosphere of the bars as well as the quietness of the AA meetings. The film’s music by Eric D. Johnson and Andy Cabic is wonderful as it features a largely indie-folk score to play out the drama while music supervisors Tiffany Anders and Lukas Barry bring in music that is similar to the score that includes pieces by Bill Callahan and Linda & Richard Thompson.

The casting by Kim Coleman and Avy Kaufman is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small performances from Kyle Gallner as Charlie’s brother Owen and Mary Kay Place as Kate’s estranged mother Rochelle. Megan Mullally is terrific as the school principal Mrs. Barnes who wonders what is going on with Kate as she think she’s pregnant until she learns the truth. Nick Offerman is excellent as Kate’s co-worker Dave who learns about her problems as he tries to help her out while revealing his own struggles in being sober. Octavia Spencer is amazing as Kate’s sponsor Jenny who helps her with being sober as well as tell her about the struggles that goes on. Aaron Paul is fantastic as Kate’s husband Charlie as a man who loves his wife as he hard time not drinking without her as he wants to be supportive but is afraid of how much she might change.

Finally, there’s Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a remarkable performance as Kate as a woman whose alcoholism has finally gotten out of control as she tries to be sober. Winstead’s performance is quite charming and engaging at times but also intense in the way she can act like a very crazed drunk who can be mean and confrontational. It’s definitely a performance that is unforgettable as well as a true break-out moment for Winstead.

Smashed is a phenomenal film from James Ponsoldt that features an incredible performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The film isn’t just a very realistic yet harrowing look into the world of alcoholism but also to showcase a woman’s struggle to be honest with herself and to be sober. Even as it showcases the lows that she goes through as well as deal with her husband’s own alcoholism. In the end, Smashed is a sensational film from James Ponsoldt.

James Ponsoldt Films: (Off the Black) - The Spectacular Now - The End of the Tour - (The Circle (2017 film)

© thevoid99 2013

Human Nature (2001 film)

Directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman, Human Nature is a multi-layered story about a psychologist who falls for a woman with a rare hormonal imbalance as the two find a man who had been raised by the wild in the hopes to get him back to civilization. The film explores the world of nature and how one tries to change another human being into being civilized only to create conflict about the idea of how to live. Starring Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto, Rosie Perez, Miguel Sandoval, Peter Dinklage, Mary Kay Place, and Robert Forster. Human Nature is a strange yet delightful film from Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman.

The film is about the idea of human nature in which a psychologist meets and falls for a woman with a rare hormonal imbalance that causes her to grow thick hair all over her body. While she tries to cure herself from that imbalance, the two find a man who had been raised in the wild as they try to get him back into the world civilization but it creates complications when the psychologist and his wife bicker over what is right and such. Notably as the psychologist tries to make this man conform to society but the man becomes conflicted with his role as a human being and what he once was. It’s a film that explores that conflict on what is natural and how people should behave as it is told from the three people who were involved in this experiment as they’re telling this story to other people.

Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay has a unique narrative as it is mostly told in flashback as its central protagonists in Dr. Nathan Profman (Tim Robbins), his wife Lila Jute (Patricia Arquette), and their subject named Puff (Rhys Ifans) all tell their stories about the conflict in human nature. For Lila, her rare hormonal imbalance that caused her to grow thick hair all over her body has made her a pariah as a child as she left society to live in the wild. After becoming a best-selling novelist and returning to society where she meets and falls for Nathan, she seems to have her life in control but still keeps her rare disease from Nathan. Until discovering Puff, Nathan’s idea of re-introducing Puff to human society causes trouble in Nathan’s relationship with Lila who becomes very insecure while Nathan begins an affair with his new French assistant Gabrielle (Miranda Otto). This would lead Lila to take Puff back to nature in the hopes to get him back into the world of the wild as complications would ensue.

Kaufman’s script is full of these ideas about the idea of human nature and how people should live. In Nathan, here’s a man that has all of these expectations put on him by his parents in which he has to live and act a certain way where he would later force Puff to live by these expectations in humanity. For Puff, he would become confused and frustrated by the restraints of humanity as he is unable to unleash his own sexual urges. It all has this sense of compelling drama that is told in a unique style where the narratives moves back-and-forth from the characters telling their stories to what happened in those stories. Yet, the script has some flaws as it featured some quirks that feels forced such as Nathan’s parents who have an adopted son that becomes their idea of the perfect child while there’s the character of Gabrielle who is interesting but there’s a secret about her that also feels forced as it suggests that her character is underwritten at times.

Michel Gondry’s direction is full of whimsical images as it plays to this world where there is this conflict between the world of the wild and the world of humanity. Some of which include some dream-like shots of Lila’s experiences in the wild where many of the scenes set in the forest feels free and such. Gondry’s direction is also intimate for some of the flashbacks of the lives that Lila and Nathan lived in as children as well as Nathan’s interview as it’s presented in a very serene yet wide look to display the sense of confusion he’s dealing with. While the quirky elements of the film does feel forced largely due to Kaufman’s desire to add humor the story, it only drags things for Gondry as it doesn’t match his own idea of whimsical humor. Despite the fact that the film is sort of uneven, Gondry does manage to create a compelling and charming film about the ups and downs of human nature.

Cinematographer Tim Maurice-Jones does excellent work with the cinematography from the look of Nathan‘s interview scene to some of the nighttime interior and exterior scenes the characters go into. Editor Russell Icke does brilliant work with the editing in creating some montages about the lives of the characters as children as well as to help structure the film in its unique narrative. Production designer K.K. Barrett, with set decorator Gene Serdena and art director Peter Andrus, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the lab that Nathan works as well as his interrogation room as well as some of the scenes in the forest.

Costume designer Nancy Steiner does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly business-like with its suits and dresses and such to play the sense of importance of what is expected in society. Visual effects supervisor Pierre Buffin does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects such as the look of the lab mice that Nathan has to some of the backdrops of the forests. Sound editors Francois Blaignan and Walter Spencer do superb work with the sound to capture the low-key atmosphere of the scenes in the forest to the more chaotic work of human society. The film’s music by Gramae Revell is wonderful as it‘s a mostly orchestral score with some melodic-driven pieces while music supervisor Tracy McKnight creates a soundtrack filled with some classical music as well as an original song that Lila sings that features lyrics by Charlie Kaufman.

The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small performances from Toby Huss’ as Puff’s dad, Hilary Duff as a young Lila, Miguel Sandoval as Nathan’s shrink Wendell, Peter Dinklage as a friend of Lila in Frank whom she met during her time in the circus, and Rosie Perez as Lila’s doctor friend Louise. One small performance that doesn’t work which plays into the film’s forced quirkiness is in Anthony Wisnick as Nathan’s adolescent adopted brother as he’s essentially a prop while Robert Forster and Mary Kay Place are good as Nathan’s parents who play as this idea of perfection right to the hilt that would drive Nathan into becoming extremely insecure.

Miranda Otto is very good as Nathan’s French assistant Gabrielle who always talks in a French accent where she does go a bit overboard at times as Otto does display some nice humor despite some of the issues with the way her character is written. Rhys Ifans is amazing as Puff as a man who was raised in the wild by his father and then brought back to society as he displays the sense of conflict and confusion of someone who is forced to live by rules that goes against everything he felt. Tim Robbins is superb as Nathan as a man who tries to make Puff fit in with human society as he becomes conflicted by his love for Lila and his time with Gabrielle as he eventually becomes frustrated by his own confusion about the ways of the world. Finally, there’s Patricia Arquette in a remarkable performance as Lila as a woman who deals with a rare disease as she becomes confused with the ways of the world as she also realizes what Nathan is doing to Puff as she tries to get Puff back into the world of nature.

Human Nature is an enjoyable film from Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. While it is a flawed film, it is still an engaging one thanks to its cast and theme on human nature. Notably as it features some of the quirky elements and unique writing style of Kaufman and Gondry’s whimsical visuals which does showcase something that is daring despite its flaws. In the end, Human Nature is a stellar film from Michel Gondry.

Michel Gondry Films: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Dave Chapelle’s Block Party - The Science of Sleep - Be Kind Rewind - Tokyo!: Interior Design - (The Thorn in the Heart) - The Green Hornet - The We & the I - Mood Indigo - (Is the Man Who is Tall Happy?) - (Microbe & Gasoline)

© thevoid99 2013

Citizen Ruth

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 4/8/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revised Content.

Directed by Alexander Payne and co-written with Jim Taylor, Citizen Ruth is the story of a spray-paint huffing woman who becomes pregnant as she is caught in the middle of a war between pro-choice figures and pro-life people. The film is comedy that not only ridicules both political sides of the issue but shows the absurdity of humanity all because of one screwed up, dim-witted, drug addicted woman named Ruth Stoops played by Laura Dern. With a cast that includes Mary Kay Place, Kurtwood Smith, Alicia Witt, Swoozie Kurtz, Kelly Preston, M.C. Gainey, David Graff, Tippi Hendren, Dern's real-life mom Diane Ladd, and Burt Reynolds. Citizen Ruth is a funny, smart comedy about a political debate that goes terribly wrong.

After getting kicked out by her boyfriend, Ruth Stoops seeks to find money to buy some alcohol and spray-paint to sniff at. After getting arrested for her troubles, Rush learns she is pregnant for the fifth time as Judge Richter (David Graf) puts her in jail for endangering her fetus. While the judge offers to lessen the charge if she has an abortion, Ruth meets a conservative Christian in Gail Stoney (Mary Kay Place) and her friend Diane Siegler (Swoozie Kurtz) as they've been released by Gail's husband Norm who also bails out Ruth. Gail and Norm take Ruth in she meets their rebellious, heavy metal-loving teenage daughter Cheryl (Alicia Witt) while learning that Norm is the local head of an anti-abortion group called the Baby Savers. After learning about Ruth and her situation, Norm wants to take her situation public as a meeting with Dr. Rollins (Kenneth Mars) and his nurse (Joan Hennecke) has them claiming that abortion is a new version of the Holocaust.

With Ruth suddenly used as a pawn for Norm and Gail's cause, a protest towards an abortion clinic's guard named Harlan (M.C. Gainey) leads to chaos where Ruth steals money for her own drug use as she's caught by Norm. Diane decides to take Ruth in for protection where she reveals herself to be spy for a pro-choice group that she leads with her lesbian-lover Rachel (Kelly Preston). With Norm and Gail learning about Diane, a national debate happens as Norm calls in the entire Baby Savers group as Ruth is caught in the middle with Diane calling for Harlan for help as they learn Jessica Weiss (Tippi Hendren) will make a counterattack towards the Baby Savers. With the Baby Savers wanting to give Ruth money to keep her baby, Harlan makes the same offer to give Ruth a choice for her own. While the Baby Savers' national leader Blaine Gibbons (Burt Reynolds) arrives to help with the protest in front of Diane's farm. Ruth becomes unsure of the world she's in as well as her future as the abortion debate intensifies.

While films about political issues tend to tread into treacherous waters, what Alexander Payne does is find humor in these issues. While he is known as a liberal, Payne decides to go into neither side and make fun of both sides. Where he and co-writer Jim Taylor decide to paint the Baby Savers as a bunch of hypocritical, bland folks with a leader who likes to be massaged by his adopted son. The pro-choice advocates are seen as a bunch of kooky hippies. The genius of the film is in the screenplay and Payne's solid direction where both sides do have their points but the story is really about one woman and her own decision. The film does have an ending that will upset many not because of her choice but its unconventional approach, especially the fact that she's a very self-destructive, unemployed, and somewhat idiotic woman who doesn't know what to do. It's a satire film that doesn't try to play it safe and the result shows the brilliance of commentary that Payne and Taylor have in their subject matters.

If Payne and Taylor's script is well-written, so does Payne’s directing style and location choices where he chooses a rural, American landscape of his home state of Nebraska along with parts of Iowa. With cinematographer James Glennon, Payne goes for a somewhat gray, bleak outlook of Middle American culture with its small towns, poor houses in the ghetto to the more clean suburban outlook thanks to Glennon's grayish cinematography and the detailed production design of longtime Payne cohort Jane Ann Stewart. The film also includes some masterful and stylized editing from longtime editor Kevin Tent who utilizes a smart, playful approach to his editing that makes the film leisurely placed. Then there's the plaintive score of Rolfe Kent who brings in some fantastic orchestral pieces that plays to Tent's editing paces with a touch of jazz rhythms is familiar with many of Payne's films.

Part of the genius of Citizen Ruth is in its casting and all of the film's supporting cast plays their part with great hilarity and satire. While small performances from David Graff, Alicia Witt, Jeremy Sczepaniak, Kenneth Mars, Joan Hennecke, and Sebastian Anzaldo III are memorable, one of the funniest cameos comes from Dern's real-life mom and actress Diane Ladd in a hilarious dialogue confrontation between her and her daughter. Tippi Hendren is excellent in her brief performance as pro-choice leader Jessica Weiss while Burt Reynolds is extremely hilarious as the Baby Savers leader with his bad wig and conservative views that are out there, especially in a scene where he's topless.

Kurtwood Smith and Mary Kay Place also bring humor to their ultra-conservative caricatures while Place does write some of the film's original songs with Payne & Taylor that are downright funny and spiritual. Kelly Preston is also funny as Kurtz's lesbian lover with a kooky affinity for hippie songs about the moon. M.C. Gainey also shines as sleazy Harlan with his radical views on politics while Swoozie Kurtz pulls double duty as Diane with her high-pitch voice as the conservative Diane with the more stern, funny tone of the ultra-liberal Diane.

Laura Dern is the real stare of the film with her complex and hilarious performance as the film's title character. Dern doesn't make her character totally likeable despite her self-destructive behavior but her comedic antics are just so wonderful to watch. Dern makes her character a bit of an idiot but not a total idiot, especially when she thinks about her plans for her money while we sympathize with her about her knowledge as being the center of a huge political debate. Dern's performance is truly the spark that drives the film.

Citizen Ruth is one of the reasons why Alexander Payne is considered to be one of American cinema's leading voice, because of his subject matters and approach to satire. The acclaim of Citizen Ruth would lead him to direct the high school election satire of Election in 1999 that somewhat parallels are own electoral ideals and scandals. Payne's films are very American for their subject matters whether it's the satire of Citizen Ruth and Election, the discussion of ageism and value of life in About Schmidt, to his recent, Oscar-award winning view of a man's depression and affinity for wine in Sideways. It's clear that after four films, Payne is likely to become the one true American director that sees things in a realistic and funny way. Another thing that makes Payne's film so unique is that each of the central protagonists are loveable, flawed losers we can root for.

Citizen Ruth isn't a bad place to start when it comes to the works of Alexander Payne though Election seems like the better introduction. Fans of Payne will find this as a great debut though for those serious about the issue of abortion will find this film to be very offensive. With a great cast led by Laura Dern, Citizen Ruth is a winner for its witty satire and realistic views on politics as it stands as a fine debut for Alexander Payne and company.

Alexander Payne Films: Election - About Schmidt - Sideways - Paris Je T'aime-14e Arrondissment - The Descendants - Nebraska - (Downsizing) - The Holdovers - (Tracy Flick Can't Win) - The Auteurs #5: Alexander Payne

(C) thevoid99 2011