Mood Indigo

 

Based on the novel Froth on the Daydream by Boris Vian, L’ecume des jours (The Froth of Days or Mood Indigo) is the story of a man who meets and falls for a woman who is dealing with an unusual illness caused by a flower growing in her lungs. Directed by Michel Gondry and screenplay by Gondry and Luc Bossi, the film is a genre-bending romantic-comedy that explores a man who falls for this woman as he tries to make her happy despite her illness. Starring Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh, Omar Sy, Aissa Maiga, and Charlotte Le Bon. Mood Indigo is a whimsical and heartfelt film from Michel Gondry.

The film follows a rich young man who meets and falls for a woman at a party as he would marry her only to deal with an illness she gained in their honeymoon caused by a flower in one of her lungs. It is a film with a simple premise as screenwriters Michel Gondry and Luc Bossi play into the whimsical world of this rich young man in Colin (Romain Duris) who lives with his cook Nicolas (Omar Sy) and a mouse (Sacha Bourdo) in a home that is unique. Attending a party hosted by Isis (Charlotte Le Bon) where he meets his friend Chick (Gad Elmaleh) and his new girlfriend in Nicolas’ niece Alise (Aissa Maiga). It is at the party where Colin meets Chloe (Audrey Tautou) as they take part in a dance craze and then meet again where he takes her to an underground forest as they fall in love and get married. Yet, things start to take a dark turn following their honeymoon when a flower flew into her lungs as it would cause this unusual illness.

Gondry’s direction can definitely be described as style over substance in terms of its overall presentation yet there is something charming to the way Gondry depicts the life of this rich man who lives in a home where a lot of objects have a life onto their own while the doorbell often acts like a bug that gets killed over and over again. Shot on location in Belgium with areas around Paris, France, Gondry creates a world that is offbeat where it’s not just Colin’s house that has moving objects but also the world around him that includes a ride he and Chloe ride on with the help of a construction crane. There are some unique wide shots that Gondry uses to get a scope into the world these characters are in while it is also full of eccentricities such as the way people dance to Duke Ellington (August Darnell) where they’re sitting but with bigger legs that are moving for the dance. The medium shots and close-ups do help play into the interaction between characters as well as the emphasis on the latter when it comes to moving objects created by stop-motion animation.

Gondry’s direction also play into the visual vibrancy as the first half of the film has this element of joy and whimsy though it does tend to overwhelm the story at times. The film’s second half when Chloe becomes ill is where the mood changes as it slowly play into this sense of decline. The look of the film becomes less colorful while the whimsy tone of it would also darken as Colin’s home starts to become smaller and unrecognizable. Even as there is this subplot in which Chick’s obsession towards this intellectual in Jean-Sol Parte (Philippe Torreton) would be his own downfall as well as cost his relationship with Alise as it adds to the declining presentation of the film in which the cinematography becomes more desaturated and colorless. Yet, Gondry does find a way to use the visuals to tell the story despite being overwhelmed by it add to this sense of odd yet entrancing tone of a man coping with the fact that he’s about to lose the love of his life. Overall, Gondry crafts an enchanting and heartfelt film about a man who falls in love only to later deal with the love of his life dying of a mysterious illness.

Cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of colors and lights to play up the sense of vibrancy to eventually going into a desaturated look and later black-and-white. Editor Marie-Charlotte Moreau does excellent work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts and stylish cuts to help play into the humor and surreal presentation of the film. Production designer Stephane Rozenbaum and art director Pierre Renson do phenomenal work with the look of the home that Colin has as well as the rooms and some of the places the characters go to as it is a highlight of the film. Costume designer Florence Fontaine does fantastic work with the costumes as it has elements of style in the clothes the characters wear as it play into the world that the characters live in.

The special makeup effects work of Olivier Afonso, Guillaume Castagne, Nicolas Herin, Frederic Laine, and Emmanuel Pitois do terrific work with the look of the characters such as Parte in his offbeat look as well as some of the prosthetics the main characters wear in some bits. Special effects supervisor Julien Poncet de la Grave, along with visual effects supervisors Benjamin Ageorges, Stephane Bidault, Jean Louis Dousson, and Arnaud Fouquet, does amazing work with the effects from the usage of stop-motion as well as prosthetics as it is a highlight of the film. Sound editor Damien Aubry does superb work with the sound in the way objects sound as well as how music is presented on location. The film’s music by Etienne Charry is wonderful for its jazz-based score with some playful piano pieces but also some somber themes to play into the drama while music supervisor Thomas Jamois creates a music soundtrack that features an array of music from artists/acts like Boz Scaggs, Duke Ellington, Ray Shanklin, Mia Doi Todd, Loane, and Ariel Ramirez.

The casting by Marie-France Michel is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Michel Gondry as a doctor, August Darnell aka Kid Creole as Duke Ellington, Zinedine Soualem as a factory plant owner that rules over Colin late in the film, Alain Chabat as a cook that Nicolas watches, Natacha Regnier as a pharmacist, Sacha Bourdo as the mouse who lives in Colin’s home as he wears a mouse costume, and Philippe Torreton as the writer Jean-Sol Parte as a writer/intellectual whom Chick worships as he ends up giving his followers some awful advice on life. Charlotte Le Bon is fantastic as Isis as a friend of Colin and Chick who hosts a party and eventually has a relationship with Nicolas as she also a friend of Chloe where she expresses concern for Chloe’s health. Aissa Maiga is excellent as Alise as Nicolas’ niece who falls for Chick over their love of Parte only to feel neglected by Chick’s growing obsession as it lead her to become angry and obsessed towards stopping Parte. Gad Elmaleh is brilliant as Chick as a friend of Colin who is a fervent follower of Parte as he hopes to have a life with Alise only to become more obsessed by Parte’s ideals as he loses sight of reality.

Omar Sy is amazing as Nicolas as Colin’s cook/caretaker who runs the house as he makes great feasts and often provides a lot of help for both Colin and Chloe as he is sort of the film’s conscience where he watches Chloe in her ailing health. Audrey Tautou is incredible as Chloe as a woman who falls for Colin as she is into the world of whimsy and Duke Ellington while also becoming someone who deals with this illness as she is unable to cope with Colin struggling. Finally, there’s Romain Duris in a remarkable performance as Colin as a rich man who has it all and marrying Chloe seems to give him fulfillment until Chloe becomes ill where he struggles with his finances and the people in his life as well as the idea of losing Chloe.

Mood Indigo is a remarkable film from Michel Gondry that feature great performances from Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, and Omar Sy. Along with its ensemble cast, dazzling visual effects, incredible art direction, and its offbeat music soundtrack. It is a film, in its 126-minute cut, that explore love though its whimsical presentation can overwhelm the story at times. In the end, Mood Indigo is a marvelous film from Michel Gondry.

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

© thevoid99 2022

Daft Punk Unchained

Directed and shot by Herve Martin-Delpierre and written by Martin-Depierre and Marina Rozenman, Daft Punk Unchained is a documentary about the seminal French electronic duo who are considered the forefathers of the modern wave of electronic dance music. From the band’s early years as part of the alternative band Darlin’ to becoming icons in electronic music, the film doesn’t just play into their work as artists but also maintain a sense of mystique about them as they rarely do interviews as well as not make any kind of public appearances unless they’re wearing costumes as robots. The result is a fascinating film about one of the finest groups to ever come out in the world of electronic music.

From their formation in 1993 after being part of the French alternative rock group Darlin’ with future Phoenix-cofounder Laurent Brancowitz, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo would form the duo known as Daft Punk based on a review for their band as well as going to raves which were hot in those times. The film plays into not just their early beginnings but also the sense of mystique that has loomed over the band ever since the late 1990s where they started wearing masks and such to avoid what is typical of promotion in those days. On the first day of the new Millennium, the two would wear masks and such claiming they have become robots as it only increased their mystique even more as well as being more inaccessible to the press where they’re rarely seen unmasked.

Featuring interviews with collaborators such as Kanye West, Giorgio Moroder, Paul Williams, Nile Rodgers, Pharrell Williams, and filmmaker Michel Gondry. The film plays into not just their influence but also the albums they made and why they didn’t want to play by the rules with the industry. While they would use videos to promote their music, it would be their legendary performance at the 2006 Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California that would make them a very popular live act. The film also features rare audio interviews with Daft Punk that only adds more to their mystique. Director Herve Martin-Delpierre would also compile many rare archival interviews with the group before their decision to mask themselves as well as play into many of the stunts and such that played into their music and how they presented it.

Especially as prominent EDM figures such as Pete Tong and current EDM star Skrillex reveal exactly what Daft Punk has done for the genre. Through some stylish editing and the usage of music that had influenced Daft Punk including film footage from Brian de Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise. While many who talk about Daft Punk revel into their importance, it all plays into what the group is really about which is making good music and making it matter no matter if it’s retro or innovative.

Daft Punk Unchained is an excellent film from Herve Martin-Delpierre. Not only is it a film that fans of the group will enjoy but also will introduce those unfamiliar with electronic music the group’s importance for the genre. In the end, Daft Punk Unchained is a superb film from Herve Martin-Delpierre.

© thevoid99 2015

Dave Chappelle's Block Party

Directed by Michel Gondry and written and starring Dave Chappelle, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party is a documentary in which the comedian holds a block party in Brooklyn as it would feature a concert with several acts in R&B and hip-hop. The film would also showcase the stress that Chappelle was going through that would lead to the end of highly-revered comedy show in late 2004. Featuring performances by the Fugees, the Roots, Jill Scott, Kanye West, Mos Def, and Erykah Badu. The result is a fun and exciting documentary from Michel Gondry and Dave Chappelle.

On September 18, 2004, Dave Chappelle organized a block party in Brooklyn that would be a concert for the people not just from Brooklyn but also from his hometown of Dayton, Ohio whom he personally invited. Throughout the film, Chappelle expresses his love for Dayton and his locals who treat him like he’s one of their own and not think about him as the comedian that’s famous for. Among the people he brought in from Dayton is the Central State University Marching Band as they would perform with Kanye West at the show where Chappelle would converse with acts like the Roots, Dead Prez, Jill Scott, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and several others about music and art. The film would also include a one-off reunion from the Fugees that was the big surprise of the concert.

Through Michel Gondry’s very simple and engaging direction as it’s shot in 16mm film blown-up to 35mm where Gondry gets the chance to keep things lively as Chappelle seems relaxed throughout the shoot. Even as he talks about his frustrations with fame and some of the expectations he’s had as a comedy as it relates to the comedy show and big money deal that he would later walk away from some time later after the concert was filmed. Gondry would also have Chappelle converse with the locals in Brooklyn where they get a chance to speak about their views on the world where a lot of it is very light-hearted and humorous. Even as a couple who lives in a nearby church admit they’re not into hip-hop yet did manage to have fun at the show.

It’s apparent that the film is inspired by the 1973 concert documentary Wattstax in terms of its presentation and moving back-and-forth from the concert performances and interactions with the people in Brooklyn and Dayton. With the help of Ellen Kuras’ colorful cinematography, the stylized editing of Sarah Flack, Jeff Buchanan, and Jamie Kirkpatrick, and the sound editing of David F. Van Syke, the film has a very vibrant and crisp look that does play to the film’s simplicity while the concert performances from the act is always exciting and fun where it’s shot on the stage and where the audience is at. With additional help from production designer Laura Faggioni, art director Pete Zumba, and costume designer Whitney Kyles for the look of the stage and the clothes some of the performers wear. There’s a realness to the story as well in the performances where none of it feels boring as the music is a major highlight of the film that features some contributions from music supervisor Corey Smyth.

Dave Chappelle’s Block Party is an excellent concert documentary from Michel Gondry. It’s a film that is a very enjoyable one where it has some good tunes from the artists performing as well as some funny jokes from Dave Chappelle. Even as it’s a very positive film where it’s more about having fun and creating a community through music, art, and comedy. In the end, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party is a extraordinary film from Michel Gondry.

Michel Gondry Films: Human Nature - Etneral Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 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 2014

The We & the I

Directed by Michel Gondry and written by Gondry, Paul Proch, and Jeff Grimshaw, The We and the I is the story of a group of teenagers riding on the same bus route during their last day of high school. The film has Gondry employ non-actors and newcomers to explore a day in the life of young kids in the Bronx coming home from school. The result is a fascinating and charming film from Michel Gondry.

The last day of school is a day where kids get ready for the summer and not think about anything related to school. The film is set on a bus route through the Bronx where a group of kids talk about what they’re going to do for the summer as friendships and relationships would evolve in the course of the entire day. The film’s script does have a traditional structure where it focuses on a bunch of high school kids goofing off and talking about their plans as well as some stories that would really shape the course of an entire day. Even as some of the characters in the film would go through some major changes in that day as it largely takes place inside a bus.

Michel Gondry’s direction is very simple in the way he sets the film nearly inside a bus on the streets of the Bronx yet he would create scenes that play into stories of real-life or fantasies. The scenes involving stories about a classmate of theirs who didn’t show up to school is shot in small, digital cameras in a full-frame aspect ratio as well as some flashbacks about a party where something might’ve happened. There’s also these scenes that is definitely part of Gondry’s oeuvre where he creates some fantasy scenes where a kid talks about a party he has or two kids who never talked to each other think about what to do together.

The fact that Gondry uses a lot of non-professional actors or non-actors adds not just to the sense of realism in the film but showcase young kids who are at a crucial point in their life. While some of them could be labeled as bullies, there’s a much more complex side to them that makes them more compelling as one of them would go into a real major development. Even as the girl he makes fun of throughout the film would have him wanting to apologize for his actions. With the help of casting director Mellicent Dyane, the natural approach to the acting where people like Michael Brodie, Teresa Lynn, Laidychen Carrasco, Alex Barrios, Jonathan Worrell, and Mia Lobo as the bus driver all give fantastic performances that some professional actors would love to do. Overall, Gondry creates a very charming and engaging film about a day in the life of young kids on the last day of school.

Cinematographer Alex Disenhof does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the use of natural lighting for the scenes in the bus to the grainy cellphone film footage in some of the flashback and fantasy scenes. Editor Jeff Buchanan does fantastic work with the editing in creating some stylish cuts with its use of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play with its humor and drama. Production designer Tommaso Ortino, with set decorator Matthew W. Herschel and art director Seth Williamson, does amazing work with the look of some of the fantasy set pieces from a party scene to some of the moments where kids deal with trouble in some fantasy sequences.

Costume designer Sarah Mae Burton does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly casual for the look of the film. The visual effects by Vance Miller does terrific work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects for some of the fantasy scenes as well as one scene in the bus. Sound editor Paul Hsu does superb work with the sound from the way cellphones sound to some of the things that goes on in the bus. Music consultant Linda Cohen does brilliant work with the film’s soundtrack with its use of old-school hip-hop from tracks by Young MC, Big Daddy Kane, Run-DMC, and a few others plus some ambient pieces by Boards of Canada.

The We & the I is an extraordinary film from Michel Gondry. Armed with a great cast of non-professional actors and a unique premise, it’s a film that could’ve failed in its simplicity. Yet, Gondry’s approach to realism as well as an element of fantasy makes the film so captivating. In the end, The We & the I is an excellent film from Michel Gondry.

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

© thevoid99 2014

The Science of Sleep

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/30/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by Michel Gondry, The Science of Sleep tells the story of a young Mexican who moves to France after the death of his father to live with his French mother. Taking a mundane job, he escapes into his often fanatical, dream world filled with his own ideas. Once he meets a new neighbor, he falls in love as his own world of reality and fiction collide. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Emma de Caunes, Alain Chabat, and Miou-Miou. The Science of Sleep is a marvel of a film that is true to the visual style of Michel Gondry.

The film explores the world of reality and imagination as a young Mexican man named Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal) moves to France following his father's death to live with his French mother (Miou-Miou) who got him a job cutting and pasting borders for calenders. It's a job that he doesn't like as he retreats to his dreams where he hosts a TV shows that mixes dreams and such. When he meets an artist named Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her friend Zoe (Emma de Caunes), he falls for Stephanie as the two are attracted by their own creative pursuits as the world of reality and fiction starts to collide as it would play into Stephane's refusal to accept reality.

Reality and fiction is a great conflict that many people can relate to. For Michel Gondry, it's the perfect theme for his visual style of filmmaking. The film is really about a young man who wants to get the girl of his dreams while dealing with his own reality which starts to collide with his fantasy. The character of Stephane is like a child since he has troubles dealing with his emotions as he reacts to things like a child, especially with Stephanie. Still, Gondry creates a fantastic story that is a bit more angst-driven than Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind while both films have the same amount of heart in creating a whimsical love story.

Gondry's directing definitely mixes the world of reality and fiction where for some audiences, it can be very confusing. Still, Gondry's visual presentation that includes things like cardboard cars, stop-motion animation, big hands, moveable special effects is very childlike in its imagination. In many ways, it's Gondry's most innocent film since it's about a man who is still a child that has trouble growing up to a woman who shares his imagination yet is grounded in the real world. While the film isn't as strong or as evocative as Eternal, this film does prove that Michel Gondry is indeed a brilliant director with wonderful, imaginative ideas.

Helping Gondry in his vision is cinematographer Jean-Louis Bompoint who brings a wonderful shade to the film's exterior and interior settings while using a lot of colors for some of the film's cosmic paint sequences that explores the emotions of Stephane. Production designers Ann Chakravety, Pierre Pell, and Stephane Rosenbaum are the real stars of the film's technical achievements. With their interior locations in Gondry's old apartment, the design of Stephane TV's studio filled with cardboard, cotton, and all sorts of arty material is very magical. With the help of some special effects team that included Lauri Faggioni who created the horse and sculptor Bruno Guillemet, the film is a masterpiece in production design as everything from big hands, cardboard cars, and moving towns is filled with life and wonder.

Sound designers Dominique Gaborieau, Guillaume Le Bras, and Guillaume Sciama do great work in playing the sound to some of the film's gadgets and such. Editor Juliette Welfling also plays to the film's eccentric feel with some nice jump-cut and backwards editing to convey the madness of Stephane's mind. Costume designer Florence Fontaine also does great work in the costumes to the animal clothing Stephane, Serge, and Guy wore to play a song for Stephanie to some of Stephanie's clothing as it brings a lot of innocence. Composer Jean-Michel Bernard brings a largely acoustic, keyboard-driven score to the film while composing his own original ballad that conveys the emotions of Stephane while he makes a cameo as a piano-playing policeman.

The film contains a wonderful cast mostly filled with French actors as they all spoke French with a bit of English and broken Spanish. Small performances from Yvette Petit as Christine's friend and Alain de Moyencourt as her magician boyfriend Gerard are wonderful while Miou-Miou is great as Stephane's concerned mother Christine who has a great scene in one of the film's fantasy sequences. Pierre Vaneck is good as the snotty boss Mr. Pouchet who is very funny in another of Stephane's dream while Aurelia Petit and Sacha Bourdo are great as Stephane's co-workers who end up becoming part of the fantasy with their own stuffy attitudes. Emma de Caunes is excellent as Stephanie's flirtatious friend Zoe who tries to get Stephanie to be super-cool while being nice to Stephane. The best supporting performance goes to Alain Chabat as the perverse yet experienced Guy who tries to give Stephane advice about women while stealing the showing a punk-rock leather jacket in a scene where he is getting a lot of women.

Charlotte Gainsbourg gives one of her best and more charming performances as fellow dreamer and artist Stephanie who shares in Stephane's quirky and eccentric dreams yet is grounded into the real world. Gainsbourg has a beauty reminiscent of her famed mother Jane Birkin while combining some of the grittiness that she displayed in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarratu's 21 Grams. This is another great performance from the multi-talented Gainsbourg. Gael Garcia Bernal continues to display his talents as one of the best actors of his generation. Bringing a childlike innocence to the character, it's truly his most energetic and whimsical performance to date as Bernal brings a lot of humor and drama to the character. Bernal has great chemistry with Gainsbourg while his performance is also filled with sadness in the fact that he's trying to find answers from his late father where Bernal brings real depth to a young man who doesn't know how to grow up. It's probably the best performance he's ever given.

The Science of Sleep is a sprawling yet whimsical film from Michel Gondry. Thanks to the performances of Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg, the film has something to offer for those who love the conflict of reality and fiction as well as a strange love story. Conventional film audiences might not get the film but art house audiences and fans of Gondry will indeed enjoy this film. In the end, for a film that has a lot of heart and imagination, The Science of Sleep is the film to see.

Michel Gondry Films: Human Nature - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Dave Chappelle's Block Party - 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

Be Kind Rewind

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/19/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Michel Gondry, Be Kind Rewind tells the story of a junkyard worker whose attempts to sabotage a power plant goes haywire. When he accidentally creates a magnetic field, he goes to his best friend's video store and accidentally erases the contents of the video tapes. In order to keep the store going, they create new versions of the films that become cult hits only to later deal with authorities. The film explores not just Gondry's love of spontaneity but also his themes of imagination and innocence told through a couple of bumbling men. Starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz, and Sigourney Weaver. Be Kind Rewind is a funny, imaginative, and heartwarming film from Michel Gondry.

In Passaic, New Jersey, a man named Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) runs a VHS-rental video store with his assistant Mike (Mos Def). The two muse about jazz musician Fats Waller whom Mr. Fletcher claims was born in the building where he runs the video store. One of the regulars who attends the store is Mike's klutzy friend Jerry (Jack Black) who often causes accidents while wanting to sabotage a nearby power plant. With the video store losing money and in danger of being demolished to become a condo unless Mr. Fletcher can provide money. Mr. Fletcher decides to go out of town for several days to attend a Fats Waller memorial with Mike running the store with his order to keep Jerry out of the story. Unfortunately, Jerry's attempt to sabotage the power plant went badly where he goes to the video store unknowingly erasing all of the content of the video tapes.

When one of the store's regular customers in Mrs. Falewicz (Mia Farrow) wants to see Ghostbusters, Mike and Jerry decide to make their own version with cheap special effects and the two playing the characters themselves. When another customer wanted to see Rush Hour 2, Mike and Jerry make their own version where they get help from a local named Alma (Melonie Diaz) to help. The film versions they created have become successful as Mike, Jerry, and Alma decide to create their own versions of the films as the demands suddenly increase with the community being involved. When Mr. Fletcher returns to the store, he reveals that he's planning to get the store going as a DVD-rental place.

For Mike, it's disheartening but Jerry and Alma press on where they make more to Mr. Fletcher's surprise as the films they make help raise money to save the story. When a couple of bailiffs (Sigourney Weaver and Paul Dinello) arrive, they decided to have the tapes destroyed due to copyright infringement forcing the store's future to look even bleaker with Mr. Fletcher revealing some harsh truths. Yet, it would take an entire community to rally for one final hurrah to save the store as it's time is running out.

The film is about two things in one whole film. One is the decline of the VHS-rental, mom-and-pop video stores and the rise of corporate, DVD-rental chains. The other is about a community rallying together to watch and make home films of the movies they always wanted to be in and such. While some of the film's humor might seem a little childish with a few moments that don't work along with the script often delving into conventional and sentimental territory. Yet, Michel Gondry manages to create a film that is filled with some of the thematic qualities of his work with innocence, light-humor, and heart in his script.

While the script has a nice story despite a few flaws, the direction that Gondry definitely raises the script's weakness with his imaginative presentation. Bringing his music video background to the forefront, Gondry truly is a director in his own world where he proves that anyone could make a film with shabby sets and such. Even in the use of home video cameras with night vision is an example of Gondry's unique vision. Even in one of the film's big moment, he goes for something that is black-and-white or scenes with one take for a movement of Mike, Jerry, and Alma making one film and then move to another. It's Gondry proving that he can create something whimsical with a lot of heart and humor for audiences who love the power of film and wish they can be in them in their own remakes.

Cinematographer Ellen Kuras does a wonderful job with the film's cinematography with the use of the home video camera with its grainy look and cheesy night vision along with scratchy black-and-white footage. Kuras' work is phenomenal in how she captures the look of Passaic, New Jersey in its actual location along with some wonderful nighttime exterior shots. Notably in the film's final scene with its sepia-like exterior and intimate, low-light interior scenes. Editor Jeff Buchanan does excellent work with the film's editing with rhythmic and jump-cuts to get the film moving in such a unique pace that it's all done leisurely and without going into style-over-substance. Production designer Dan Leigh along with set decorator Ron von Blomberg, and art director James Donahue do spectacular work with the film's set designs of the sets created for the film and cheesy special effects made for a homemade feel that looks wonderful and imaginative.

Costume designers Rahel Afiley and Kishu Chand do fantastic work with the costumes that are imaginative in the cheap remake versions of the films that are made, notably the Robocop suit that Jack Black wears in their remade version. Visual effects supervisor Fabrice Lagayette does an excellent job with the film's minimal special effects scenes like the buzzing screens and the scene where Jerry gets electrocuted by the power plant that would cause him to create a magnetic field. Sound editor Paul Hsu with mixer Pawel Wdowczak do excellent work with the film's sound effects and location sounds to create a whimsical atmosphere for the film. Music composer Jean-Michel Bernard brings a light-hearted, whimsical score to play up to the film's humor and heartfelt moments with smooth, elegant arrangements. The soundtrack consists of music from Fats Waller, the Gap Band, Ray Parker Jr., Billy Preston, and other jazz cuts to complement the film's devotion to jazz.

The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is excellent for its casting choices that includes Arjay Smith as a local DVD store owner named Manny, Chandler Park as Mrs. Falewicz's nephew Craig, Paul Dinello as a bailiff, Irv Gooch as a mechanic named Wilson, and I'm Not There star Marcus Carl Franklin as a local kid. Sigourney Weaver is excellent in a cameo-like role as a bailiff who shuts down the store while Mia Farrow is great as a neighbor/loyal customer who is amazed by the remakes as she finds hope in them. Danny Glover is wonderful as Mr. Fletcher, an elderly video store owner trying to deal with changing times and developments as he thinks about conforming while trying to salvage whatever hopes and dreams he have.

Melonie Diaz is brilliant as Alma, a local girl who originally becomes an actress and later help run the video store with rules as Diaz's performance truly shines. Even as she steals scenes from the always boisterous Jack Black where Diaz has great chemistry with both Black and Def. Mos Def is wonderful as Mike, the straight man who is trying to save a video store for Mr. Fletcher while becoming an unlikely visionary in the films he and Jack Black make. Def is more restrained that Black while having a few funny moments in his performance. Jack Black is very good in his usual Jack Black-type of character as a clumsy, boisterous, and innocent character who likes to play around and be the funny guy. Yet, Black wisely under play his persona in order to give his co-stars more to do while being the typical funny guy. Though it's a typical performance from Black, it's one that works for what the film is needed and only a guy like Jack Black could play a character like Jerry.

While the film doesn't live up to the brilliance of films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind is still an entertaining, funny, and heartwarming film from Michel Gondry. While fans of Gondry's work will enjoy his imaginative vision and thematic quality, the film doesn't exactly live up to expectations in comparison to his previous films. Still, Gondry does manage to make something that is enjoyable to watch thanks in part to the cast led by Jack Black and Mos Def. In the end, Be Kind Rewind is a whimsical film from Michel Gondry that plays up to his themes of innocence and imagination.

Michel Gondry Films: Human Nature - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Dave Chapelle's Block Party - The Science of Sleep - 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

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

The Green Hornet (2011 film)

Based on the radio series and 1960s cult TV show by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, The Green Hornet is about a publishing heir who teams up with his father’s longtime mechanic named Kato to fight crime while dealing with a mob boss going through some personal issues of his own. Directed by Michel Gondry and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the film is a modern take on the origin story of the Green Hornet and his friendship with Kato; that was played famously by Bruce Lee on the TV show. Starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, Edward James Olmos, David Harbour, and Christoph Waltz. The Green Hornet is an entertaining action-comedy from Michel Gondry.

After the death of his publishing magnet father James Reid (Tom Wilkinson), Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) ponders what to do as he’s given control to run his father’s newspaper in Los Angeles. When he decides to rehire Kato (Jay Chou) based on the coffee he made, the two talk about Britt’s dad as Kato reveals the things he’s done for Britt’s dad such as fix up his cars. Britt learns that Kato’s work is far more extensive than the typical mechanic work as the two decide to vandalize the statue of Britt’s dad where they encounter a crime scene as the two fight off criminals. This gives Britt an idea to go vigilante as he and Kato form their own vigilante team with Britt calling himself the Green Hornet.

With Britt telling the paper’s longtime managing editor Mike Axford (Edward James Olmos) to do more coverage on the Green Hornet, Britt gains a new secretary in Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz) who reveals to have a great knowledge on criminology. Yet, the attention about the Green Hornet’s antics gets the attention of crime lord Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) whose days of power is starting to wane. With Chudnofsky having a mid-life crisis, he decides to go after the Green Hornet as tension starts to emerge between Britt and Kato over the attention towards the Green Hornet as well as trying to win Lenore’s affections.

Following a spat with Kato, Britt meets up with one of his father’s longtime colleagues in district attorney Frank Scanlon (David Harbour) where Britt learns that his father’s death may have not been some accident. With help from Lenore based on her crime expertise, Britt realizes that there is a conspiracy going on that involves Chudnofsky as he realizes what to do but couldn’t do it alone.

While the film is essentially an origins story set in modern times about the Green Hornet and his partnership with Kato. Screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg do try to infuse their own brand of silly humor to the origins story as they make the Britt Reid character someone who feels insecure about never being able to make his dad proud while finding some kind of brotherhood in Kato. Then there’s Chudnofsky as he’s a criminal who starts to go through issues due to the arrival of younger criminals as he thinks he’s becoming a dinosaur. While Rogen and Goldberg are able to make Reid, Kato, Chudnofsky, and Lenore very interesting characters, the only flaw in the script is that it does follow the formula of a typical origin story that involves hero partnerships. Still, Rogen and Goldberg are able to do more with the formula by bending genres and create engaging characters.

Michel Gondry’s direction is wonderful though it lacks a lot of the stylistic flair that he’s been known for with a lot of his film. While he does do a few ideas such as multiple split-screens, speedy montages, and other abstract shots that is typical of his work. There’s not enough of that as Gondry’s direction is more standard with action-comedies in terms of fast-paced action sequences and light-hearted scenes of humor. Yet, Gondry does make sure the film is entertaining and funny as he was at least able to create a solid film that does what is expected with the genre.

Cinematographer John Schwartzman does a nice job with the cinematography with some stylish shots to complement the comic-book like look of the film or some of the day and nighttime exterior shots while utilizing some wonderful shading for some of the interior scenes. Editor Michael Tronick does a very good job with the editing as he creates some wonderful, fast-paced rhythms for the action scenes along with stylish cuts like the multiple split-screen sequence.

Production designer Owen Paterson and set decorator Ronald R. Reiss do a wonderful job with the set pieces such as the Reid estate garage as well as the Reid mansion along with the building that Britt‘s father runs. Costume designer Kym Barrett does an excellent job with the costumes from the old-school suits that Chudnofsky wears to the costumes that Britt and Kato wear. Visual effects supervisors James Dixon and Justin Jones do some fantastic work with the visual effects such as the stuff involving the Black Beauty cars and various action sequences in the film. Sound mixers Nerses Gezalyan and John Pritchett do some terrific work with the sound to play up the action in all of its chaos.

The film’s score by James Newton Howard is stellar for what is expected with action-comedies in terms of bombastic orchestral scores that flows and such though it’s nothing that is really outstanding. The film’s soundtrack features an array of music ranging into various genres as it features cuts by Anvil, the White Stripes, Digital Underground, Coolio, Johnny Cash, the Rolling Stones, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Van Halen, the Greenhornes, and Jay Chou bringing his own Asian-pop into the mix.

The casting by Francine Maisler is brilliant as it features an ensemble cast that includes appearances from Edward Furlong as meth chemist, Jamie Harris and Chad Coleman as a couple of Chudnofsky’s henchmen, Analeigh Tipton as a date of Britt early in the film, and James Franco in a cameo as a young gangster Chudnofsky very early in the film. Edward James Olmos is very good as a longtime editor friend of Britt’s dad who tries to warn Britt about covering the Green Hornet while David Harbour is also good as a district attorney who tries to get Britt involved into schemes for his own political gain. Tom Wilkinson is pretty decent in a very small role as Britt’s dad as it’s really more of a cameo that doesn’t give him much to do. Cameron Diaz is excellent as Lenore, a secretary whose criminology expertise unknowingly helps Britt and Kato in how to create their own schemes while proving to be very smart as it’s a wonderful role for Diaz to be the straight woman.

Christoph Waltz is wonderful as the villain Chudnofsky as Waltz brings a very slimy quality to a criminal that essentially goes into a mid-life crisis while trying to find a way to make himself intimidating. Jay Chou is superb as Kato as Chou brings a real charm to his character though his English at times is a bit hard to understand. Yet, Chou was able to make his character a joy to watch as it’s a great tribute to the late Bruce Lee. Finally, there’s Seth Rogen who brings in his usual comic persona to the character as it’s pretty good performance that allows him to be brash and funny though it doesn’t entirely work at times. Still, he and Chou are able to make a good combo as they’re able to keep things exciting and funny.

The Green Hornet is a pretty good film from Michel Gondry thanks in part to a wonderful ensemble cast and its willingness to be entertaining. In comparison to a lot of other films based on comics or other superhero-driven material, it’s kind of weak since there isn’t a lot that really gives the film a chance to stand out. In terms of the other films that Gondry has done, it’s his weakest work to date despite the fact that he’s able to inject a few of his visual tricks into the film. In the end, The Green Hornet is a fun film that does what is expected for its genre.

Michel Gondry Films: Human Nature - 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 We & the I - Mood Indigo - (Is the Man Who is Tall Happy?) - (Microbe & Gasoline)

© thevoid99 2011

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/31/04 w/ Additional Edits & Extensive Revisions.

Did you just get off a nasty breakup? Did the bad memories of the person you loved getting to you? Well, here in Lacuna, Inc., we decide to help remove those awful memories so you can get a chance to live a happier life without pain and heartbreak. There’s only one problem; Lacuna, Inc. doesn’t exist because it’s from the crazed imagination of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Michel Gondry in their 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet about a couple who both just gone to a nasty breakup and decided to remove their memories of each other when one of them all of a sudden doesn’t want to anymore. With a fine supporting cast that includes Tom Wilkinson, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, and Mark Ruffalo, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a surreal, wondrous romantic-comedy that bends the idea of love.

After an awful break-up, Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) tries to deal with his heartbreak as he learns that his longtime girlfriend Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) has left him for another guy. When he tries to talk to her, she claims to have no recollections of who he is. Turning to his friends Rob (David Cross) and Carrie (Jane Adams), Rob gives Joel a card which revealed that Clementine has erased all of her memories of him. Joel decides to do the same as he meets Lacuna, Inc. chief Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) for the procedure as he ultimately decides to get rid of Clementine from his memories. With help from Howard's secretary Mary (Kirsten Dunst) and his two geeky technicians in Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and Patrick (Elijah Wood), things start to become surreal as Joel starts to look into his memories.

In his subconscious, Joel starts to see all of memories of Clementine starts to disappear as he immediately starts to regret what he's doing. Meanwhile in the real world, Joel is asleep as Stan and Patrick are removing his memories at Joel's apartment. Mary later shows up to help as Patrick leaves to go on a date with his new girlfriend that he calls Tangerine. Joel meanwhile, begins to examine the moments when he and Clementine weren't getting along as he then reflects on the good times as he talks with her in his memory as she learns what is going on. With Patrick out with his new girlfriend, Mary parties with Stan as things get weirder when the two learn that Joel is doing things inside his subconscious as they call Howard for help.

Howard finally arrives to help out as he sees what is going on as things become complicated over his feelings towards Mary. Back in Joel's subconscious, Clementine helps Joel to try and salvage all of the remaining memories left as Joel begins to regret what he's done. Meanwhile, Mary learns something about her own past in relation to Howard as his wife Hollis (Deirdre O'Connell) makes an appearance leaving everyone to question what they're doing.

Directed by Michel Gondry based on a story that he, Charlie Kaufman, and Pierre Bismuth came up with Kaufman writing the screenplay, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind isn’t just a vast improvement over their first collaboration together for the uneven but funny 2001 film Human Nature. It’s also Kaufman’s best work since 1999’s Being John Malkovich that was directed by Spike Jonze who also did 2002’s Adaptation with Kaufman. In the illustrious words of film critic Roger Ebert, Charlie Kaufman is one weird dude. There’s probably no screenwriter as famous as Charlie Kaufman since he comes up with stories of surrealism that are fascinating yet human. His screenplay for this film is filled with ambiguities and unpredictable moments where it’s like when did this happen or why is this character here? At first, it might seem inconsistent but Kaufman makes sure things don’t move to fast so the audience can get a chance to know what’s going on.

Michel Gondry definitely brings his training from his days as a music video director up to par for film. Where he had some fine moments in Human Nature, he finally gets his chance by manipulating visual techniques and bring this element of suspense as if you’re wondering what’s going to happen next or what’s going to drop. With the dizzying yet colorful cinematography of Ellen Kuras, Gondry brings up all of these elements of weird symbolism to heighten the suspense of a romantic comedy while belting out some strong dramatic moments from the actors. For Gondry, this is clearly not just his breakthrough film but he will indeed become a director to watch for. If Kuras’ blurry, colorful cinematography gives the film a lush look, the film score by Jon Brion of atmospheric, melancholic textures plays up to the film’s quirkiness and drama as well as songs from Beck, Electric Light Orchestra, and the Polyphonic Spree. Already, this is the first candidate for the best film soundtrack of 2004, so far.

If the screenplays of Kaufman always had a stellar cast, this one shines in its performances. While the smaller roles of David Cross, Jane Adams, and Deirdre O’Connell are fun to watch and do serve well, the film really pays more attention to principle cast of six actors. Though Elijah Wood wasn’t shown a lot in the film, he is excellent as the manipulative Patrick who tries to worm his way into Joel’s mind by scoring in order to score with women. After the success of his role as Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Wood scores with this performance by playing the role sensitively despite his intentions. Mark Ruffalo is funny as the geeky Stan with his brainiac mind and sensitivity as he plays around in his underwear with Kirsten Dunst while showing some sympathy later on in the film’s final act relating to Dunst’s character.

Kirsten gives a radiant yet exciting performance in the role of Mary. While Dunst is a master in comedy in her scenes when she’s stoned and dancing around in her underwear, Dunst displays some restrained dramatic performances in her scenes with Tom Wilkinson as she learns a secret about her while trying to prove to everyone she isn’t this dumb secretary. Dunst really shines in this film as she balances comedic theatrics and restraint drama. Tom Wilkinson brings in a masterful, charming performance as Dr. Howard Mierzwiak by playing the role in an American accent with a sense of humor and drama that shows Wilkinson’s range. There is probably no one better to play Mierzwiak better than Wilkinson since he is definitely someone that can do both comedy and drama.

The film’s two best performances easily go to Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Whereas Carrey has been known for playing crazy roles and Winslet in more restrictive, dramatic roles, the two definitely do the opposite in their performances. The chemistry with Carrey and Winslet are moving and fun as both play off their performance with spontaneity and romanticism. Kate Winslet delivers probably her best performance to date, as she feels relaxed and free with the punk-hair color changes and exuberance as she brings a wild personality to her performance. Winslet proves that she could be funny while displaying a touching moment in the film’s final act. Jim Carrey delivers his best performance overall even though he’s done drama before in Peter Weir’s The Truman Show. Carrey’s performance is extremely moving with his bowled, messy haircut, and puppy-dog sadness as he uses his comedic talents in a few scenes that are funny, especially when he acts like a child. In the dramatic moments, he definitely moves you with his mood as he brings in a performance that outshines all. Both Carrey and Winslet right now deliver the best performances of the year and hopefully, don’t get overlooked at the Oscars.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of the year’s brightest and most original romantic comedies in the past five years. With its colorful cinematography, an offbeat screenplay, Michel Gondry’s surreal direction, and a great ensemble cast led by the romantic performances of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind clearly stands as one of the best films of 2004. For Charlie Kaufman, it’s right now his best screenplay while Michel Gondry proves himself as a director who knows how to manipulate images and minds with its quirky screenplay that surprises you right to the end. For a romantic film that is funny and moving, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the film to see.

Michel Gondry Films: Human Nature - Dave Chappelle'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 2011

Tokyo!

Tokyo! is an omnibus film by three different filmmakers about the city of Tokyo for three different stories. For this film, non-Japanese directors were employed as Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-ho provide their own different stories set in Tokyo. Starring Ayako Fujitani, Ryo Kase, Ayumi Ito, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Denis Lavant, Jean-Francois Balmer, Julie Dreyfus, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yu Aoi, and Natao Takenaka. Tokyo! is an extraordinary ominbus from the trio of Gondry, Carax, and Joon-ho.

Interior Design (Written and directed by Michel Gondry, based on the short story comic Cecil & Jordan in New York by Gabrielle Bell).

Hiroko (Ayako Fujitani) and Akira (Ryo Kase) have arrived in Japan to stay at the home of their friend Akemi (Ayumi Ito) for the first screening of Akira’s first film. The couple is also looking for an apartment while dealing with low money and parking tickets prompting Akira to take a job. For Hiroko, she finds herself not really doing anything and trying to find an apartment as their car has been impounded. With the screening for Akira’s film happening, Hiroko ponders her own existence as something strange happens to her in her moment of despair.

Merde (Written and directed by Leos Carax)

A strange man (Denis Lavant) comes out of the sewers to wreak havoc and terrorize people as many wonder who he is and what is he doing. After more chaos that led to the deaths of many, the man is captured with no one able to understand him. A French lawyer named Maitre Voland (Jean-Francois Balmer) arrives to Japan to communicate with the man as a trial is set to happen. Yet, the trial becomes a media circus as the man’s statement of hate divides people as he is to be sentenced to death by hanging if found guilty.

Shaking Tokyo (Written and directed by Bong Joon-ho)

A hikikomori (Teruyuki Kagawa) is living a life of isolation has he hasn’t left his apartment for a decade with his telephone being the only outside link so he can order food with the money he has. One day, he makes his first eye contact in a decade to a beautiful young woman (Yu Aoi) who is delivering pizza as an earthquake happens and she faints in his apartment. Though he was able to revive her, she leaves as he yearns to see her again. When a new pizza delivery man (Natao Takenaka) reveals that she quit, the man seeks to find her as he goes outside for the first time in a decade.

The film is essentially about three different stories all set in Tokyo for each director to create their own forty-minute story about things happening in Tokyo. For those three filmmakers, they each get a chance to put their own stamp about life in Tokyo from their own perspective. In Michel Gondry’s short, it’s about a woman whose attempt to help her filmmaker boyfriend in finding an apartment and to help him is a mixture of Gondry’s whimsical humor but also with bits of light-drama that includes his own quirky visual style. Leos Carax’s film is a comedy about a man wreaking havoc creating a state of anarchy as he’s put on trial in a film that is dark but also very humorous. Bong Joon-Ho’s short is a more dramatic piece about the world of the hikikomori in this touching tale of isolation and longing.

The shorts that each filmmaker creates adds to the beauty that is Tokyo and its people as the stories that Gondry, Carax, and Joon-Ho create from an outsider perspective allows the audience to be engaged by these stories. With the characters they present through the different locations in Tokyo, the three filmmakers create a film that is truly spellbinding and imaginative. Whereas most omnibus and anthology films tend to have segments that are great and some that aren’t, this film manages to do more by actually having three great segments that combines into one dazzling film.

The cinematography by Masami Inomoto (Interior Design), Caroline Champetier (Merde), and Jun Fukumoto (Shaking Tokyo) each has a distinctive yet grainy look to the film but they also allow themselves to add their own elements to each segment. Inomoto brings in more stylish look to the coloring for Gondry’s segment while Champetier adds something much darker to the look of the trial scenes in Carax’s segment. Yet, it’s Fukumoto who stands out with a more sunnier yet lush look for many of the interior settings in Joon-Ho’s segment. The editing of Nelly Quettier for Carax’s segment is the most stylish for its jump-cuts and multiple split-screen segments. Cedric Fayolle’s visual effects work for the segments by Gondry and Carax is superb as he creates a wonderful look to a transformation sequence in Gondry’s segment while providing some explosive stuff for Carax’s segment.

The production design work Hiroshi Hayashida for Gondry’s segment is among the best of the three for its claustrophobic look in the apartment while Mitsuo Harada’s work in the Carax segment doesn’t include much except for the cave that the stranger lives in. The set pieces for Joon-Ho’s segment by Toshihiro Isomi is wonderfully stylish for its stack of pizza boxes, books, and various objects. Paul Hsu’s sound work in Gondry’s segment is very good for capturing the chaotic atmosphere that is Tokyo. The music of Etienne Charry for Gondry’s segment and the original music of Byung-woo Lee for the rest each provide some wonderful moments for the film. Charry adds a sense of whimsy to Gondry’s piece while Lee provides some more ominous pieces for Joon-Ho’s segment with a more comical piece for Carax’s score.

The casting is excellent as the film includes some small but notable appearances that include Satoshi Tsumabuki as a businessman that Akira meets in Interior Design, Julie Dreyfus as a interpreter in Merde, and Naoto Takenaka as the pizza delivery man in Shaking Tokyo. In the Interior Design segment, Ayumi Ito provides a very good performance as Akemi, a friend of Hiroko who tries to help her while Ryo Kase is also good as Hiroko’s ambitious filmmaking boyfriend Akira. Ayako Fujitani is brilliant as Hiroko as a young woman lost in a world of ambition and trying to find something as she feels useless in her life. In Merde, Jean-Francois Balmer is very funny as the lawyer while Denis Lavant is great as the strange creature who wreaks havoc upon everyone. In Shaking Tokyo, Yu Aoi is wonderful as an eccentric yet shy pizza delivery girl while Teruyuki Kagawa is phenomenal as the equally shy yet secretive man living as a total recluse.

Tokyo! is a charming and exhilarating omnibus film from the trio of Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-Ho. Fans of these filmmakers will no doubt enjoy the shorts they make while it also offers something for those new to the omnibus/anthology films. It’s a film that proves what omnibus films can do when its filmmakers are each on the same page about how to make all their material into one great package. In the end, Tokyo! is an extraordinary film that features some of the best work of Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-ho.

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

Leos Carax Films: Boy Meets Girl - Mauvais Sang - Les Amants du Pont-Neuf - Pola X - Holy Motors - Annette - The Auteurs #36: Leos Carax

Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host - Mother - Snowpiercer - Okja - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho

© thevoid99 2011