Directed by Chan-wook Park and written by Wentworth Miller with additional contributions by Erin Cressida Wilson, Stoker is a teenage girl who gets an unexpected from her uncle following the death of her father. The film is an exploration into the world of family as it goes into very dark places as it relates to a man’s relationship with his teenage niece where it goes into harrowing territory. Starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Dermont Mulroney, Lucas Till, Alden Ehrenreich, Phyllis Somerville, and Jacki Weaver. Stoker is a mesmerizing yet chilling film from Chan-wook Park.
The film is about a young teenage girl named India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) whose life is shaken by the death of her father (Dermont Mulroney) as the only person in her life is her mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) whom she doesn’t have much of a relationship with. The arrival of her uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) whom India had never known about shake things up even more as he raises a lot of intrigue for both India and Evelyn as the latter clings to Charlie for companionship. Still, something doesn’t feel right for India as mysterious disappearances involve people she knows start to happen while she becomes entranced by Charlie’s charm. After learning more about Charlie, India would also uncover more dark secrets about what really happened to her father as well as why she never heard about Charlie in the first place.
Wentworth Miller’s screenplay does explore the life of this young woman who is quite detached from reality in some ways as she is known to be gifted in art, piano-playing, and being a very skilled hunter. Yet, she’s also a loner as she always wears these schoolgirl shoes since childhood as she is very close to her father but her relationship with her mother hasn’t been easy. Notably as Evelyn is an unstable individual who seems to envy India over her relationship with her father while she has always been lonely. By the time Charlie comes to the house, Evelyn wants to be with him until she learns that Charlie is more interested in India that increases the already troubled relationship between the two women. Once India learns more about Charlie, she is both repulsed and fascinated by his secrets.
Miller’s script allows the mystery to unfold slowly while playing with the tropes of what is expected in a suspense/thriller. There are small characters who only appear briefly as they seem to know more than what India and Evelyn might realize. Yet, it does add to this element of mystery where it gives India a chance to piece things out where the third act has her not only making some realizations about herself but also why her father has never said anything about Charlie. Miller’s script also has some stylish dialogue that includes a few voice-overs and monologues including a very chilling one from Evelyn towards India that reveals a lot of the jealousy a mother has towards her daughter.
Chan-wook Park’s direction is very stylish though not in its look as Park is able to keep some of the visual elements a bit simpler where it’s shot on location in Nashville, Tennessee. Yet, Park is able to infuse a lot of interesting images to present this mixture of family melodrama with some suspense where he plays into the world of death as well as family. Park’s direction does have him using a lot of interesting framing devices to play into the sense of detachment between mother and daughter and how someone like Charlie could be placed in the middle of this lingering tension. Even where Park is intrigued by the mother-daughter tension where not a lot is revealed yet it is clear in the acting that these two women don’t really like each other but they still want something from another.
Park also creates some very interesting images to not just play out the suspense and melodrama but also do with a large degree of style. Notably in the tracking shots where his camera is often moving to capture the sense of movement such as India wandering around the house to observe Charlie. There are also images that play out the sense of style where Park would re-create images to explore India’s mind as she is pondering about her own persona that is dark at times but also girlish. Things do get unveiled in the third act where it goes into very dark territory that does play into Park’s fascination with violence as well as sexuality where it shows India becoming more of a woman to the surprise of her mother that adds more tension between the two. Overall, Park creates a very entrancing yet visceral film about family and the dark secrets that lurk in them.
Cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon does excellent work with the film‘s photography to play out some of the beautiful look of some of the location exteriors as well as some beautiful lighting schemes for some of the scenes at the Stoker home including its dark basement. Editor Nicolas de Toth does spectacular with the film‘s very stylized yet seamless editing that is filled with an array of jump-cuts and dissolves including some montages and match cuts that are just exquisite in its imagery and impact. Production designer Therese DePrez, along with set decorator Leslie Morales and art director Wing Lee, does amazing work with the look of the Stoker home as well as some locations around the area including the Stoker garden.
Costume designers Kurt and Bart do brilliant work with the costumes from the clothes that Charlie wears to the stylish yet clean-cut dresses and shoes that India wears to display her transition from teenager to womanhood. Sound designers Chuck Michael and John Morris do superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of some of the exterior locations including some scenes set in the house to play up that air of suspense. The film’s music by Clint Mansell is phenomenal for its eerie yet intoxicating score that is filled evocative piano pieces and brooding orchestral pieces as well as additional piano duets by Philip Glass along with songs by Lee Hazelwood with Nancy Sinatra and Emily Wells.
The film’s cast is just marvelous as it includes some noteworthy appearances from Ralph Brown as a sheriff, Lucas Till as a classmate who constantly harasses India, Alden Ehrenreich as another classmate who is interested in India, Judith Godreche as a doctor, Phyllis Somerville as the Stoker family maid, Dermont Mulroney as India’s father Richard, and Jacki Weaver in a terrific appearance as India’s great aunt Gin who definitely knows a lot about some of the Stoker family secret. Nicole Kidman is great as Evelyn as a woman seemingly trying to put on a façade to deal with her grief as she clings to Charlie for companionship while harboring some resentment towards her own daughter over Charlie and her late husband Richard.
Matthew Goode is superb as Charlie where he has this very clean-cut look where he is handsome and charming but also has a very dark demeanor that is very intoxicating to watch as he later unveils more and more about who he really is. Finally, there’s Mia Wasikowska in a remarkable performance as India Stoker where Wasikowska displays a chilling restraint to her role as well as a low-key dark humor to her role as she just commands every scene she’s in by doing so little while also being quite confrontational as it’s definitely one of Wasikowska’s finest performances.
Stoker is an incredible film from Chan-wook Park that features top-notch performances from Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, and Nicole Kidman. While it’s a very stylized thriller with some unique images and themes on family, it’s also an interesting one that plays into some of the dark traits about families. For fans of Chan-wook Park, the film definitely serves as a reminder into why he’s one of the best filmmakers working today where he infuses the film with a lot of exotic imagery and heavy themes. In the end, Stoker is a tremendous film from Chan-wook Park.
Chan-wook Park Films: (The Moon Is… the Sun’s Dream) - (Trio) - Judgment (1999 short film) - JSA: Joint Security Area - Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance - (If You Were Me-Never Ending Piece and Love) - Oldboy - Three Extremes-Cut - Sympathy for Lady Vengeance - I'm a Cyborg but That's OK - Thirst - (Night Fishing) - (Day Trip) - The Handmaiden - (The Little Drummer Girl (2018 TV Series)) - Decision to Leave
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, Withnail and I is the story of two unemployed actors stay in a cottage for a week only for the holiday to go absolutely wrong testing the friendship of these two men. The film is an exploration into the lives of two very troubled men who drown their sorrows through alcohol and all sorts of vices only to find their holiday to be an unpleasant experience. Starring Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Ralph Brown, and Richard E. Griffiths. Withnail and I is a farcical yet witty comedy from Bruce Robinson.
It’s 1969 as two unemployed actors named Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and I (Paul McGann) go on a trip to the British countryside to take a break from their dilapidated lives only to find the trip to be unpleasant. Dealing with rain, lack of resources, and a willingness to get drunk, things get worse when Withnail’s uncle Monty (Richard E. Griffiths) arrives who tries to seduce I as things eventually go wrong for the two friends. It’s a film that explores the relationship of these two actors who are down on their luck as they’re waiting for a break yet nothing is happening. By taking a holiday, they hope that things will get better but they encounter lots of misadventures and moments that would test their friendship just as things were already problematic to begin with.
Bruce Robinson’s screenplay is based on his own struggles with alcoholism and life as a young struggling actor as the script is told largely from the perspective of I. A young man who lives in this very filthy flat with his friend Withnail as they’re both very talented but unable to find work as actors. There are some voice-over narration from I reflecting on his experiences as he also sees Withnail going through similar struggles except he is more selfish and comes from a very different background where he has a rich uncle who is gay. By going to the country to stay at Monty’s cottage on a week-long holiday, the two expect for things to be OK but it doesn’t. Monty’s unexpected visit would make things worse as Withnail would take advantage of his uncle’s generosity while making him claim that I is also gay.
Once in the country, Withnail and I enter a world that is far removed from their life in Camden as they don’t understand the way things work as they feel like they can come in and do whatever they want. Through some of Robinson’s witty dialogue, the two would often quote lines from plays and such while use their acting skills to bullshit their way through any situation. By the third act, things do go into chaos as it involves not just prospects for one of the men but also an indication of where things are going just as the 60s are about to end.
Robinson’s direction is very lively in the way he captures a period in time that reflects his experience in the late 1960s. Notably as he creates scenes that play up to this world of dreariness that is in sharp contrast to the peace-and-love vibe of the times. Withnail and I don’t look or dress like hippies but rather men who live in their own world filled with booze, pills, and other things. Yet, they’re comfortable with it except they’re low on money and are unable to find work. Robinson uses a lot of medium shots and some close-ups to establish the mood of these characters as well as some wide shots of their environment including some beautiful locations in the British countryside near Shap and Bampton. There, Robinson uses these wide shots and other compositions to establish the sense of alienation of these two men from this world they’re in.
Robinson’s approach to comedy is based on a sense of improvisation to add the sense of something unexpected. Notably in one of the film’s most famous scenes in which Withnail and I go into a tea café and demand cakes and wine just as the place is about to close. There are also some very comical moments involving Monty’s attempt to woo I as Monty is clueless to the fact that I isn’t gay and I becomes very uncomfortable. Still, Robinson does maintain that air of theatricality in the performances as it relates to Withnail and I acting their way into a situation as if they’re doing Shakespeare in certain places. Overall, Robinson crafts a very charming and off-the-wall comedy about a holiday gone wrong.
Cinematographer Peter Hannan does nice work with the film‘s low-colored photography from the dreary look of Camden and the countryside in the daytime during the rain to the more low-key lighting schemes in some of the film‘s nighttime interior scenes. Editor Alan Strachan does terrific work with the editing by using rhythmic cuts to play out some of the film‘s humor along with some straightforward cutting in some of its dramatic moments. Production designer Michael Pickwoad and art director Henry Harris do wonderful work with the look of Withnail and I’s dirty flat as well as the cottage they stay in.
Costume designer Andrea Galer does superb work with the costumes to complement the dreary look of the film while giving Monty some finer clothes to represent his flamboyant personality. Sound editor Alan Paley does some excellent work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the scenes in the cottage as well as some scenes in the flat. The film’s music by David Dundas and Rick Wentworth is brilliant as it’s mostly a folk-based score to play out the emotions of the characters while its music soundtrack consists of music from the times that included some jazz as well as cuts by King Curtis, Jimi Hendrix, and the Beatles.
The casting by Mary Selway is amazing as it features some very memorable small roles from Michael Elphick as a poacher from the countryside and Ralph Brown as the philosophical hippie Danny. Richard E. Griffiths is splendidly funny as Withnail’s uncle Monty as he tries to woo I while dealing with some of the chaos that goes on in his cottage. Finally, there’s the duo of Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann in outstanding performances in their respective roles of Withnail and I. Grant brings a very wild performance as a man who loves to drink and takes control of any situation where Grant is always commanding while spouting all sorts of quotes. McGann brings a more reserved performance as the straight-man I as he also displays some great comic reactions to his own situations including those involving Monty. Grant and McGann together make a fantastic comic team as they pillage and act their way into every situation as they are a major highlight to the film.
Withnail and I is an incredible film from Bruce Robinson that features brilliant performances from Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann. It’s a film that is truly filled with absurd and shocking moments while not giving in towards convention as it’s also very funny. It’s also a very captivating film that explores a holiday gone wrong when it involves two unemployed men with nothing to do in the late 60s. In the end, Withnail and I is a remarkable film from Bruce Robinson.
Bruce Robinson Films: (How to Get Ahead in Advertising) - (Jennifer 8) - (The Rum Diary)
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by David Fincher and screenplay by David Giler, Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson from a story by Vincent Ward, Alien 3 is the story of Ellen Ripley waking up after crash-landing on a refinery planet near a prison. There, she deals with her new surroundings as well as the fact that an alien had boarded her escape pod as she and various prisoners try to fight off the alien. With Sigourney Weaver playing the role of Ellen Ripley once again. The film also stars Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Brian Glover, Ralph Brown, Paul McGann, Danny Webb, Pete Postlethwaite, and Lance Henriksen. Alien 3 is a thrilling yet messy film from David Fincher.
After crash-landing into a refinery planet that includes a maximum security prison nearby, Ellen Ripley wakes up to learn that she is the only survivor of the crash leaving everyone else dead while the android Bishop (Lance Henriksen) is damaged beyond repair. In the care of the prison’s doctor Clemens (Charles Dance), Ripley learns what has happened as she looks at the crashed pod where she believes something was on board. Ripley convinces Clemens to perform an autopsy on one of the bodies as Ripley realize nothing is there as she is given permission by the prison’s superintendent Harold Andrews (Brian Glover) to hold a funeral. After shaving her head and accepting the fact that she’s in a prison full of men who hadn’t seen a women in years, Ripley deals with her new surroundings only for something bad to happen when one of the prisoners is found dead.
Andrews leads the inspection as the outcast prisoner Golic (Paul McGann) returns feeling deranged as Ripley believes something isn’t right. Taking what was left of the android Bishop as well as the flight log, she learns that an alien did board the pod though Andrews doesn’t believe so but the prisoner Dillon (Charles S. Dutton) believes that Ripley is right. More incidents emerge as Dillon, Ripley, and the other prisoners realize that there is an alien in the prison that is killing everyone but Ripley. With Andrews’ assistant Aaron (Ralph Brown) reluctantly taking command and no weapons available, the situation becomes dire as everyone tries to make plans to trap the alien and kill it with toxic waste. Yet, more problems emerge where Ripley makes an unsettling discovery that would only bring more trouble. With Ripley, Dillon, Aaron, and the remaining survivors left to deal with the alien as a rescue team from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation is coming. Ripley and the prisoners do whatever it takes to kill the alien.
The film is essentially a continuation of Ellen Ripley’s story and her encounter with an alien where she finds herself in an all-men’s maximum security prison where she’s surrounded by murders, rapists, and all sorts of things yet they’re not her problem. The problem is that there’s an alien that got attached to her pod and ended up getting its way into the prison. With no weapons on board and a bunch of scared prisoners who have also embraced a form of Christianity, it looks like there’s no sense of hope. Yet, there’s Ripley who has faced these aliens before yet she finds herself dealing with other problems that would make her a bigger liability.
The screenplay definitely plays to the element of suspense as well as its sense of horror and the stakes that these prisoners have to encounter. Yet, it plays too much into the formula of what happens where there isn’t a lot of surprises that occur while there’s very few characters that the audiences seem to care about. While the script’s lack of surprises in the way many characters are killed off is too as well as the involvement of the corporation that comes in late in the film. There is still something that is engaging in the way Ripley deals with the situation but there’s new stakes that emerges for her. Even as she makes a discovery in the film’s second half where it adds to the problems that emerge as she is aware that she is becoming more of a liability.
David Fincher’s direction is very stylish in terms of the presentation that is created with very fast and fluid camera work for the chase scenes along with more intimate moments involving the characters. Yet, there’s moments in the film where it definitely shows that Fincher definitely didn’t have a lot of control due to some very dodgy visual effects scenes and other moments that makes the film a bit silly. It’s also a major step-down from its predecessors considering that there’s not a lot of surprises and the suspense doesn’t carry much weight. Things get more clumsier in the third act not just in the final battle but the arrival of the corporation where it plays to things that are quite obvious as well as something that could’ve been a fitting finale. Overall, Fincher does a decent job with the film but it is hampered by the fact that the studio interfered too much to let him really give the story more bite.
Cinematographer Alex Thomson, with additional work by Jordan Cronenweth, does nice work with the film‘s photography with its sepia-drenched look to convey the dreary look of the prison. Editor Terry Rawlings does some excellent work with the editing to maintain the air of suspense as well as using dissolves and jump-cuts to help create some intense moments in the film. Production designers Norman Reynolds and Michael White, along with set decorator Belinda Edwards and supervising art director Fred Hole, does superb work with the look of the prison as well as the hallways and boiler rooms where it often takes place.
Costume designers David Perry and Bob Ringwood do fine work with the costumes as it‘s mostly ragged prison clothes and coats that the prisoners wear. Special effects supervisor George Gibbs and the visual effects of Philip Sharpe do some terrific work with some of the visual effects though some of the animation including the movement of the alien looks just downright silly. Sound editor Gary S. Gerlich and sound designer Harry E. Snodgrass do some excellent work with the sound to maintain that sense of terror that occurs throughout the film. The film’s music by Elliot Goldenthal is wonderful for the way it plays out the drama and the suspense with its orchestral bombast.
The film’s ensemble cast is brilliant as it does feature some nice small performances from Paul McGann, Pete Postlethwaite, Holt McCallany, and Danny Webb as prisoners who help out Ripley fight the alien as well as Ralph Brown as Andrews’ assistant Aaron and Lance Henriksen making a cameo as the damaged android Bishop and its creator. Brian Glover is terrific as the prison’s warden Harold Andrews who gets to chew up the scenery while Charles Dance is excellent in a more low-key yet subtle performance as Dr. Clemens who befriends Ripley. Charles S. Dutton is superb as the prisoner Dillon who helps Ripley out in fighting the alien while making sure that all of the prisoners know what they have to do in order to survive.
Finally, there’s Sigourney Weaver in a brilliant performance as Ellen Ripley where Weaver gets to display more leadership as well as internal conflict as a woman having to fight another alien while dealing with something that she realize that would impact everything else.
Alien 3 is a good though underwhelming film from David Fincher. While it features an excellent performance from Sigourney Weaver, the film is definitely among one of the weakest entries of the franchise due to its lack of surprises as well as some incomprehensive moments. For fans of David Fincher, this film isn’t the great debut that it wants to be as it doesn’t feature a lot of the visual traits that he’s known for in later films. In the end, Alien 3 is an engaging but somewhat lackluster film.
David Fincher Films: Se7en - The Game - Fight Club - Panic Room - Zodiac - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Social Network - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Gone Girl
The 15 Essential Videos of David Fincher - The Auteurs #61: David Fincher
Alien Films: Alien - Aliens - Alien: Resurrection
© thevoid99 2012
