Small Time Crooks

Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Small Time Crooks is the story about a criminal who wants to rob a bank with some friends only to learn that his wife’s cookie-selling venture has gone well as they deal with their newfound wealth. The film is a return of sorts to Allen’s more comedic films of the early 1970s as well as exploring the world of crime and the downsides of being wealthy. Also starring Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, Elaine May, Michael Rapaport, Elaine Stritch, Jon Lovitz, and Larry Pine. Small Time Crooks is a very funny film from Woody Allen.

The film revolves around a former criminal eager to rob a bank with some friends by buying an old pizza place as a cookie shop as a front while they try to rob the bank. Instead, the cookie shop becomes a success forcing the man to give up a life of crime yet he has a hard time dealing with being wealthy while his wife befriends an art dealer who teaches her the etiquette of being rich. It’s a film about the simple things in life but also the drawbacks of being rich where there’s an expectation to conform to the world of the rich. For this man’s wife whose gift in making cookies has made them rich, it gives her the chance to feel like she belongs to something unaware that the rich is also filled with people who are as shady as the poor.

Woody Allen’s screenplay is filled with a lot of humor as the character that he plays in Ray is someone who has had a past as a criminal but couldn’t deal with just being a dishwasher who is making scraps. With this new scheme he wants to do with some friends of his, he decides to find a way to steal some money for himself and his friends where he and his wife Frenchy (Tracey Ullman) can retire to Florida. With Frenchy’s talents in making cookies as a front for the real scheme, things go wrong except for Frenchy’s cookies that makes Ray and his friends rich as it becomes a major business. That’s what happens in the first act as the second act is about Ray’s difficulty with being rich while Frenchy conforms to that world leading to a third act that plays into revelations about the world of the rich and why wealth can be so fleeting. Though it’s a predictable scenario, Allen does infuse a lot of humor and charm into the story.

Allen’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of compositions as he doesn’t really do anything new but still add a sense of liveliness to the comedy. Notably the scene where Ray and his friends try to create a tunnel to dig into the bank where everything goes wrong. There’s a lot of craziness that Allen puts in for many scenes in the film including a dinner party where Ray is talking to people about things with Tequila being played in the background while Frenchy is having dinner with a couple of men with classical music playing in the background. With many of the scenes in the film set in New York City including a very funny sequence about Ray and Frenchy’s rise to success, it plays to how dim some of these characters are about handling a rising corporate business but it’s done in a pretty funny way. Overall, Allen creates a very delightful comedy about crime and the drawbacks of being rich.

Cinematographer Zhao Fei does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the look of the New York City exteriors in day and night to some of the lighting schemes for some of the film’s interiors. Editor Alisa Lepselter does nice work with the editing from the presentation of the TV interview Ray and Frenchy have to a montage of the diverging lives between Ray and French. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Jessica Lanier and art director Tom Warren, does fantastic work with some of the set pieces including the posh penthouse apartment that Ray and Frenchy live in that plays to some of the cheesy taste that Frenchy has.

Costume designer Suzanne McCabe does terrific work with the costumes from the colorful clothes that Frenchy wear to the more simple clothing of Ray and his friends. Sound editor Robert Hein does superb work with the sound from the mixing in the way the robbery plans try to go out while Frenchy is selling cookies. The film’s wonderful soundtrack includes an array of jazz and classical pieces from artists like Johann Strauss, Hal Kemp, Benny Goodman, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Champs.

The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Juliet Taylor is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Larry Pine and Kristine Nielsen as a rich couple Frenchy invites to her dinner party, Douglas McGrath as a lawyer Frenchy meets late in the film, Elaine Stritch as a rich socialite Ray tries to steal from late in the film, and as Ray’s friends who help him with the botched heist, there’s Michael Rapaport, Jon Lovitz, and Tony Darrow as they each bring in some very funny moments to the film. Hugh Grant is excellent as the very cultured arts dealer David who woos Frenchy with his knowledge on the arts and such.

Elaine May is amazing as Frenchy’s dim-witted cousin May as she says some very funny things while putting herself in situations that just ups the humor. Tracey Ullman is wonderful as Frenchy as a woman who has a hard time dealing with Ray’s schemes until she becomes a rich woman eager to be part of the rich world. Woody Allen is superb as the bumbling Ray where Allen brings in a lot of wit and humor to a role as a man trying to deal with wealth while wanting the more simple pleasures of life.

Small Time Crooks is a terrific film from Woody Allen that features wonderful performances from Allen, Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, and Elaine May. While it might be a minor comedy from Allen, it’s still a very funny film that is full of lively moments that keeps the audience entertained. In the end, Small Time Crooks is a fantastic film from Woody Allen.

Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet and Lowdown - 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 2013

Mighty Aphrodite

Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Mighty Aphrodite is the story about a man who wants to know who is the real mother of his adopted son as he learns that she’s a prostitute where he decides to give her a better life. Inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, the film explores a man’s desire to improve a young woman’s life as it is told by a Greek chorus. Also starring Helena Bohnam Carter, Mira Sorvino, Michael Rapaport, Peter Weller, and F. Murray Abraham. Mighty Aphrodite is a charming yet exhilarating film from Woody Allen.

The film revolves around a sports writer who is amazed by his adopted son’s intelligence as he wants to know who is his real mother. Upon learning that she’s a prostitute, he decides to help giving her a better life in the hopes that his adopted son would be proud of her if ever meets her. It’s a film where a man is eager to help this ditzy but kind-hearted prostitute/porn actress get the chance for a better life. Even as he’s dealing with a marriage that is losing its passion as his wife is being drawn to an art dealer. All of it is told by a Greek chorus who pops into the story every once in a while to help this man do something or to warn him of the consequence he might bring.

Woody Allen’s script is filled with some humor and drama as it is largely driven by its protagonist Lenny Weinrib (Woody Allen) as he was someone who was hesitant about having a child until Max (Jimmy McQuaid) comes into his world as he enjoys fatherhood. With his marriage to Amanda (Helena Bohnam Carter) kind of losing its luster, Lenny goes on the journey to find out who is Max’s mother as it is revealed in the form of this prostitute named Linda Ash (Mira Sorvino). Linda is a very interesting character as she is someone who isn’t very bright as she comes from a very dysfunctional family but has aspirations to go to Broadway but still does trick and a porn gig every once in a while. It prompts Lenny to do something to help this young woman to have a good life where he would try to set her up with a boxer named Kevin (Michael Rapaport) where Lenny’s own life would have some revelations of its own.

Allen’s direction is quite straightforward though there’s elements of styles in some of the long shots he creates as well as the scenes of the Greek chorus as it’s shot in Sicily. The Greek chorus scenes are filled with some dance numbers choreographed by Graciela Daniele as it’s often lively but also help to tell the story. Even as the Greek chorus leader (F. Murray Abraham) would pop in the story to give Lenny some advice. It adds the sense of a man wanting to do something for this young woman who seems to go nowhere while not telling her that he’s the adopted father of her son. Though it’s a film that doesn’t play with traditional structure in order to play with the idea of reality and fiction. It does manage to find a balance in the story that it wants to tell as the overall result is a very fascinating yet heartfelt film from Woody Allen.

Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the low-key yet colorful look of some of the film‘s interiors to the more straightforward exterior scenes in the film. Editor Susan E. Morse does nice work with the editing from the transitions to go from the main story to the Greek chorus to a few montages to play up Linda‘s evolution. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Susan Bode and art director Tom Warren, does amazing work with the set pieces from Linda‘s apartment to the place where the Greek chorus tell their story.

Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does brilliant work with the costumes from the clothes that Linda wears to the robes the Greek chorus wears. Sound editor Robert Hein does terrific work with the sound to create an atmosphere in the locations as well as the scenes involving the Greek chorus. The film’s soundtrack consists of traditional Greek music mixed in with jazz and classical music to play up some of its humor and drama.

The casting by Juliet Taylor is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Paul Giamatti as an adoption agent, Tony Sirico as a boxing trainer, Jimmy McQuaid as Lenny and Amanda’s adopted son Max, and Claire Bloom as Amanda’s mother. F. Murray Abraham is excellent as the Greek chorus leader while Olympia Dukakis, Jack Warden, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, Danielle Ferland, and David Odgen Stiers make wonderful appearances as famous Greek gods commenting on the story or revealing some news that would impact the story. Peter Weller is terrific as an art dealer who tries to woo Amanda while Michael Rapaport is superb as a boxer who is set up to meet Linda.

Mira Sorvino is brilliant as Linda Ash as this very ditzy but well-meaning young woman who is very uncertain about her life until she meets Lenny where she becomes a proper lady as it’s really a majestic breakthrough for Sorvino. Helena Bohnam Carter is amazing as Amanda as a woman dealing with the changes in her marriage to Lenny while being wooed by this art dealer as she’s unsure if she’s in love with Lenny or the art dealer. Woody Allen is great as Lenny Weinrib as a man whose concern for his son’s future has him going into a journey where Allen brings a sense of wit and warmth to his role as it’s one of his finest performances.

Mighty Aphrodite is a remarkable film from Woody Allen that features a radiant Mira Sorvino in her breakthrough performance as well as an incredible cast that includes Helena Bohnam Carter, Michael Rapaport, and F. Murray Abraham. The film is a nice mix of humor and drama where it has a bit of non-conventional storytelling but also a sweetness that is endearing to watch. In the end, Mighty Aphrodite is a fabulous film from Woody Allen.

Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - 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 2013

True Romance

Directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino, True Romance is the story of a couple who travel to California with a luggage of cocaine that they hope to sell for a good life. Yet, they find themselves in trouble with the mob who are after them as well as cops who learn what they’re going to do. The film is a love story mixed in with a bit of violence as it explores a couple trying to seek a good life for themselves. Starring Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport, Dennis Hopper, Bronson Pinchot, Gary Oldman, Tom Sizemore, Saul Rubinek, Val Kilmer, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn, and Christopher Walken. True Romance is a glorious yet spectacular film from Tony Scott.

A call-girl named Alabama (Patricia Arquette) meets a comic book store clerk named Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) at Sonny Chiba triple-feature where they fall in love and get married after a one-day courtship. When Clarence learns that Alabama’s pimp is a crazed madman named Drexl (Gary Oldman), Clarence decides to confront Drexl leading to a fight where Clarence kills Drexl and gets a luggage that he thought belonged to Alabama. When the two realize that the luggage isn’t Alabama but an entire stash of cocaine, the two make a plan to sell it in Hollywood so they can use the money to live the good life. After Clarence decides to tell his security cop father Clifford (Dennis Hopper) to see if anyone is looking for any suspects about who killed Drexl. Clifford helps Clarence out as he learns what his son and new daughter-in-law plan to do as he bids them goodbye.

After arriving to California to meet their friend Dick Ritchie (Michael Rapaport), Clarence and Alabama meet Dick’s acting class friend Elliot Blitzer who is an associated of famed film producer Lee Donowitz (Saul Rubinek) that is interested in buying cocaine. Blitzer calls Donowitz where Clarence talks to Donowitz about making a deal as it’s going to happen. With everything seemingly in place, a gangster named Vincent Coccotti (Christopher Walken) learns about Clarence and Alabama’s whereabouts where he sends his henchman Virgil to track them down. After Virgil confronts Alabama about where the drugs are, the two get into a fight where Clarence realizes the trouble they’re facing.

Even worse is that Blitzer got arrested for speeding and possession where he makes a deal with two detectives in Nicholson (Tom Sizemore) and Dimes (Chris Penn) about the drug deal. Just as Clarence and Alabama are to set to make their deal with Donowitz, both the police and the mob come in leading to a bloody standoff.

The film is essentially a love story between an Elvis-obsessed film buff who also loves comic books and a call girl who also shares his passion for kung fu movies where they get a suitcase of cocaine and hope to sell it big to start a life of their own. Yet, it would eventually lead to all sorts of trouble when the stolen suitcase of cocaine really belonged to the mafia as they go on the search for this couple while a couple of crooked detectives would eventually get involved in this shady deal. It’s a film that blends all sorts of genres where it’s a crime film, a love story, and has a bit of humor where it features an element of fantasy. A lot of it is told from the perspective of this call girl who has big dreams for something good to come into her life.

Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay, with contributions from Roger Avary, is definitely filled with a lot of his trademarks in terms of pop culture references, witty dialogue, and graphic depiction of violence. Yet, he is focused solely on these two very unique people in Clarence and Alabama as they’re just this young couple who are in love with each other and want something that can be theirs. Clarence is a guy who loves Elvis Presley, movies, comic books, and burgers while Alabama is just a girl who wants to have fun and eat a pie after seeing a movie. Neither of them really know about how to deal drugs or know anything about the criminal underworld as all they want is some money and get out of the way. Still, complications would arise due to the fact that the man Clarence kills is really an associate of the mafia led by this sadistic man who is really a quiet yet no holds barred kind of man.

One aspect of the script that is noticeable is its schematic of sorts as the story is definitely similar to Terrence Malick’s 1973 debut film Badlands which is about two lovers going on a road trip during a killing spree that was largely inspired by the Starkweather-Fugate killings of the late 1950s. Though Clarence and Alabama aren’t killers, they do kill a few people who are essentially bad people. One notable scene is Alabama’s fight with Virgil as Virgil has this great monologue about what happens when one kills someone for the very first time. It’s part of the atmosphere that Tarantino writes with his dialogue that includes that very intense yet chilling meeting between Coccotti and Clifford Worley that is truly one of the greatest exchanges in film.

Tony Scott’s direction is purely thrilling in the way he creates the film’s intense moments of violence as well as some of its non-violent moments where he manages to keep the love story just as interesting. Scott does infuse a lot of footage from other films in the background to showcase this unique world where Clarence and Alabama will watch any kind of movie to establish who they are as he also finds a way to create unique shots of this relationship. Particularly in the scenes set in Detroit such as Clarence and Alabama’s visit to see Clarence’s dad where Scott isn’t afraid to put some light humor into the scene. Scott would also use these moments to let the story take a break from the dark moments of violence to ensure that it’s still a love story at heart.

In the film’s more intense moments, the violence is definitely stylized but also has an air of brutality. The famed Coccotti and Clifford Worley scene is presented with an intimacy and an air of suspense that is unsettling where both men try to push each other’s buttons in these very quiet exchanges. It’s among one of Scott’s greatest moments as a filmmaker as is the Alabama-Virgil fight where the violence is definitely visceral in the way it’s edited and presented. It’s no holds barred as there’s also an element of dark humor to keep things more intense where its climax is bloody in its emotional impact. The comes the climatic showdown where although its presentation is definitely more Tarantino, Scott does manage to keep his own approach by displaying the operatic cascade of violence. Overall, Tony Scott creates a dazzling yet stylish film that explores true love at its most craziest that is armed by Quentin Tarantino’s powerful screenplay.

Cinematographer Jeffrey L. Kimball does excellent work with the film‘s stylized photography from the grayish look of the Detroit locations to some colorful shots of its interiors as well as the more vibrant look of the Californian exteriors with its sunlight as well as the lighting schemes in the film‘s climatic standoff. Editors Michael Tronick and Christian Wagner do amazing work with the editing by utilizing stylish cuts for the film’s frenetic rollercoaster scenes along with some of it’s violent moments to slower, methodical cuts in the film’s romantic moments. Production designer Benjamin Fernandez, along with set decorator Thomas L. Roysden and art director James J. Murakami, does superb work with the set pieces from the honeymoon room that Clarence and Alabama stay at to the hotel suite that Donowitz lives in.

Costume designer Susan Becker does terrific work with the costumes from the outfits that Alabama wear to the more Elvis-inspired clothing that Clarence wears. Makeup artist Ellen Wong does nice work with the look of Drexl with his scar and eye. Sound editor Robert G. Henderson does wonderful work with the sound from the atmosphere of Clarence‘s meeting with Donowitz to the more intense moments in the film‘s violent scenes. The film’s music by Hans Zimmer is brilliant for its vibraphone driven score which is directly inspired by Carl Orff‘s Gaussenhauer theme which was the music used in Terrence Malick‘s Badlands. Music supervisor Maureen Crowe creates a fantastic soundtrack that features a wide range of music from acts like Aerosmith, Soundgarden, Charlie Sexton, Jon Waite, Billy Idol, the Skinny Boys, Shelby Lynne, the Big Bopper, the Shirelles, Robert Palmer, and Chris Isaak..

The casting by Risa Bramon Garcia and Billy Hopkins is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Eric Allan Kramer as Donowitz’s bodyguard Boris, Paul Bates as Drexl’s associate Marty, Maria Pitillo as Elliot’s date, Ed Lauter as Nicholson and Dimes’ superior, Anna Levine as a woman Clarence talks to in the film’s opening scene, and Conchata Ferrell as a casting director Dick auditions for. Other memorable small roles includes Samuel L. Jackson as a criminal Drexl cheats in Big Don, Val Kilmer as Clarence’s imaginary mentor in the form of Elvis, and Brad Pitt in a hilarious performance as Dick’s stoner friend Floyd. Gary Oldman is great as the white Rastafarian pimp Drexl while James Gandolfini is superb as the vicious henchman Virgil.

Chris Penn and Tom Sizemore are amazing in their respective roles as determined detectives Dimes and Nicholson while Saul Rubinek is excellent as the charismatic film producer Lee Donowitz. Bronson Pinchot is very good as the reluctant Elliot Blitzer while Michael Rapaport is terrific as the reluctant but more willing friend Dick. Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken are outstanding in their respective roles as Clifford Worley and Vincenzo Coccotti where their scene together is truly a master class in the art of acting.

Patricia Arquette is brilliant as Alabama as a woman who is truly a call girl with a good heart and is full of joy but also someone who isn’t afraid to throw down. Christian Slater is fantastic as Clarence Worley with his charismatic persona and being engaging in conversations while also isn’t afraid to do what’s right. Slater and Arquette are the heart and soul of the film as they radiate chemistry while providing every moment for the audience to care about them.

True Romance is an incredible film from Tony Scott and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino. Armed with amazing dialogue, brutal violence, a wonderful soundtrack, and a great cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. The film is truly one of the most exciting and entertaining films of the 1990s. Not only is the film one of Tony Scott’s great films but also one of Quentin Tarantino’s great work where both men display their talents in this film. In the end, True Romance is an ass-kicking and thrilling film from Tony Scott and Quentin Tarantino.

Tony Scott Films: (One of the Missing) - (Loving Memory) - The Hunger - (Top Gun) - (Beverly Hills Cop II) - (Revenge) - (Days of Thunder) - (The Last Boy Scout) - (Crimson Tide) - (The Fan) - (Enemy of the State) - (Spy Game) - (Man on Fire) - (Domino) - (Déjà Vu) - (The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009 film)) - (Unstoppable)

© thevoid99 2012

Beats, Rhymes, & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Directed by Michael Rapaport, Beats, Rhymes, & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest is a film about the seminal hip-hop group from the 1990s who reunited for a 2008 tour after a long-decade break-up. The film explores the band’s history as well as the on-going turmoil between its members during the reunion tour as Rapaport joins them on the tour while interviewing other artists, fans, and family members who loved the group. The result is a truly fascinating and very engaging documentary from Michael Rapaport.

Most music bio-pics or specials about an artist or a group often derive into a certain formula about how they rose, got famous, made a great album, discover drugs and all sorts of crazy shit, implode, and then get back together or something. For a group like A Tribe Called Quest, they did follow that same path but not in the most conventional way as actor/filmmaker Michael Rapaport goes inside the group’s tumultuous yet loving relationship as they go on a reunion tour in 2008 that brought more trouble.

The film does follow a formula about the band’s rise and demise but Rapaport was smart enough to find ways to stray from that formula. Notably as he allows the group along with associates like De La Soul, Prince Paul, and the Jungle Brothers to discuss what it was like back then when hip-hop was emerging in the 1980s. The heart of the film is the relationship between its members Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White where they express their love for each other but also their frustrations towards one another. Notably as it begins with Q-Tip and Phife Dawg who knew each other since they were kids.

Since a Tribe Called Quest were also very influential in providing an alternative to the late 80s/early 90s gangsta-rap and the more commercial pop-rap music of the times. The film also revealed the Native Tongues scene that was the center of this alternative hip-hop scene that celebrated a more upbeat and eclectic side of the genre that was led by acts like Tribe, De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers, and Queen Latifah. Fans like producer Pharrell Williams and Common express their love for that scene as they feel it’s something really missed in hip-hop. The film also explored the albums the group made, notably the first three including the widely-lauded 1991 sophomore album The Low End Theory as the album's engineer claims that it’s the Sgt. Pepper’s of hip-hop.

While the film is about their history, Rapaport delves into the differing personalities of the group as they each dealt with their own issues with fame and stardom that eventually did tear the group apart. Notably as Jarobi left the group during the making of The Low End Theory due to other pursuits while Q-Tip grew to become a perfectionist leading to creative issues with him and Phife Dawg. Phife Dawg’s battle with diabetes was another issue that led to the band’s implosion in 1998 as the three-year gap between 1993’s Midnight Marauders and 1996’s Beats, Rhymes, & Life were sort of explained though the group admitted that’s where things really started to end as they made one more album in 1998’s The Love Movement as creative tension, personality issues, and frustrations with the music industry led to Q-Tip’s decision to end the group.

The most interesting part of the film is the 2008 reunion which they admitted doing for the money partly because of Phife’s health issues at the time. What Rapaport manages to do is go inside the fighting between Q-Tip and Phife where things do intensify not just onstage but also backstage where the film opens with the band’s last show of their 2008 tour where Q-Tip expresses his frustration with the whole thing. There’s no sides to take in these arguments but through Rapaport’s direction, it does allow some sympathy towards the whole group including Ali and Jarobi who both seem uncomfortable by these events.

Another great thing about Rapaport’s direction is the fact that he doesn’t try to impose himself or be the center of attention in the documentary as he knows this is their story. Through the use of archival TV footage including music videos and TV performance clips, Rapaport shows the group’s evolution from the first album to the last album. With the help of cinematographer Robert Benavides for the look and editor Lenny Mesina to maintain a leisured pace. The film does play into a style as it includes some animated sequences including the film’s stylish opening credits.

Aside from the interviews with artists and fans that include the Beastie Boys, De La Soul, Pharrell Williams, Prince Paul, the Jungle Brothers, and many others. The highlight of the film is the music as it features a lot of the music by a Tribe Called Quest along with music of the times like the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul along with some of the music they sampled like Minnie Ripperton. Including some hip-hop based score music by Madlib, the music of the film is just truly intoxicating to hear.

Beats, Rhymes, & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest is an extraordinary and fun documentary film from Michael Rapaport. Fans of the group will no doubt see this film as the ultimate story that does more than what is expected in most music biography stories. Notably as it plays with the usual formula of those artist/group stories. For people new to the group including those who aren’t fans of hip-hop. It is a documentary that allows that audience to be engaged into the story while seeing that these four men can love each other but also hate each other at the same time. In the end, Beats, Rhymes, & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest is a marvelous film from Michael Rapaport.

A Tribe Called Quest Albums: (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm) - (The Low End Theory) - (Midnight Marauders) - (Beats, Rhymes, & Life) - (The Love Movement)

© thevoid99 2012

Beautiful Girls

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/2/03 w/ Additional Edits.

In January of 2002, filmmaker Ted Demme died of a heart attack at age 37. By then, he was already one of the promising filmmakers around with such acclaimed films like The Ref and 2001’s Blow. Demme was also responsible for creating the show Yo! MTV Raps in the late 80s that helped put hip-hop in the mainstream and with filmmaking uncle Jonathan, Ted was a practitioner for music and comedy since he directed comedy specials for Denis Leary and making a hip-hop film Who’s the Man? in 1993. In 1996, Ted Demme released one of his most acclaimed films to date with the nostalgic, buddy-comedy Beautiful Girls.

Beautiful Girls is about a young man in his mid-30s attending a high school reunion in a small town in Massachusetts. With his array of high school buddies, they talk about their relationships with women as well as the trouble around them. While the film recalls elements of the 1983 Lawrence Kasdan film The Big Chill, Beautiful Girls doesn't sway into the nostalgia of that film to encompass a more working class, modern tone to the film. Written by Scott Rosenberg and directed by Ted Demme, Beautiful Girls is a fun, heartwarming comedy with a lot of laughs and a lot of heart.

Willie Conway (Timothy Hutton) is a NYC bar pianist who decides to go to a high school reunion in his small hometown. Willie ponders about  his job as a pianist since he’s done little success and isn’t sure if he wants to get married to his girlfriend Tracy (Annabeth Gish). Once he arrives, he meets up with old pal Michael “Mo” Morris (Noah Emmerich), a family man with loving kids and caring wife Sarah (Anne Bobby).  After some time with Mo, Willie returns home to see his widowed father Dick (Richard Bright) and dim-witted brother Bobby (David Arquette) who are still troubled by the death of Willie's mother. Willie encounters his neighbor, a 13-year old girl named Marty (Natalie Portman) where they struck up a friendship as she wonders about the Conway’s sad household.

Willie also meets up with the rest of his buddies led by snowplow chief Tommy (Matt Dillon), quiet guy Kev (Max Perlich), and loudmouth Paul (Michael Rapaport). Tommy is a former jock who has a loving girlfriend Sharon (Mira Sorvino) while is cheating on her with a married woman named Darian Smalls (Lauren Holly). Paul meanwhile, is having relationship troubles as well as his girlfriend Jan (Martha Plimpton) since he’s suspecting her of sleeping with the meat cutter at her job at a local restaurant. Willie feels happy with his pals since they’re having relationship troubles except for Mo as they often hang out at a bar owned by their pal Stinky (Pruitt Taylor Vince). Paul tries to propose marriage to Jan but it becomes a failure as he suspects her of her affair with meat cutter as their relationship ends. Tommy meanwhile, is having some trouble with his relationships with Sharon and Darian.

Willie befriends Marty as he asks what the kids do nowadays which isn’t much as she is going out with some boy named Andrew.  Willie feels a bit jealous since he finds himself enchanted by Marty. After meeting with Paul in Tommy’s apartment, Willie and Tommy meet up with Sharon’s friend Gina (Rosie O’Donnell) as she talks about what men want from women. During a birthday party for Tommy, Darian makes her presence felt as Sharon learns what is going on and she finds herself being unhappy and breaks up with Tommy. Then one night at Stinky’s, his cousin Andrea (Uma Thurman) visits as the men serenade her with the Neil Diamond classic “Sweet Caroline”. Paul finds himself trying to make moves on Andrea, just to piss off Jan.

Paul nabs a date with Andrea while Willie has an encounter with Marty at a skating rink where Marty tells him that he’s her new boyfriend. Willie likes the idea but is afraid things will change and references Winnie the Pooh about changing as Marty is given time to think about whatever relationship they might have. Tommy meanwhile, is feeling guilt from his breakup with Sharon as he learned what a cold bitch Darian really is as he later gets in trouble with her husband Steve (Sam Robards). Paul's date with Andrea becomes a disaster leading Paul to have a rant about women to Willie the next day.  After a conversation with Andrea, Willie ponders his own relationship issues as Tracy finally arrives where he realize what he wants while wanting to help out his friends with their own issues.

What makes Beautiful Girls such an appealing film is its chemistry with the cast. Ted Demme and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg crafted a story that couples could relate to as well as smart-alecks about men and women. Even as it includes a great monologue about how men are attracted to plastic models by Rosie O'Donnell that is one of the film's highlights. Even as it features commentary on men about their own immaturity. Demme even gives the film a working class tone in its small town as something a bit real with wonderful cinematography from Adam Kimmel and Tony Janelli. The music in the film is also worth noting since it’s soundtrack is very diverse with old-school classics from Neil Diamond, the Rolling Stones, Kiss, Jethro Tull, and Billy Paul to more modern stuff from Afghan Whigs, Pete Drodge, Split Enz, Ween, Morphine, and Chris Issak.

The performances in the film are all top-notch led by the enigmatic Timothy Hutton who leads the film with his masterful portrayal as a man in his mid-30s struggling with his identity with women. Matt Dillon is excellent as the hard-nosed jock Tommy while Noah Emmerich plays the film’s sweet conscious that is well utilized. The smaller male roles of David Arquette, Richard Bright, Max Perlich, Sam Robards, and Pruitt Taylor Vince are also well used while Michael Rapaport steals the show with his comedic rants and one-liners. Bringing the film some balance is the female performances. Mira Sorvino brings a lovely performance as the neglected Sharon while Uma Thurman brings a lovely performance as Stinky’s cousin who plays the men’s attraction but brings brains to the role. Rosie O’Donnell is easily the most hilarious performance of the film since she rants a lot about men and stuff while Lauren Holly is excellent as the cold bitch who really doesn’t know how mean she is to men. The smaller roles of Annabeth Gish, Martha Plimpton, and Anne Bobby standout as well while Natalie Portman brings the film’s best performance as the precocious, innocent Marty, who was named after a grandfather she never knew.

Beautiful Girls is an excellent, heartwarming comedy from the late Ted Demme that shines from its cast and script. Though the film at times has predictable moments, it overcomes that through its humor and chemistry from the cast. Fans of comedy will enjoy the rants of Rapaport and O’Donnell while more dramatic fans will love the performances of Hutton and Portman. The film has something for everyone. Sadly, Ted Demme won’t be making any more films like this but at least he captured something magical with Beautiful Girls.

(C) thevoid99 2010