Midnight Express

Based on the non-fiction novel by Billy Hayes and William Hoffer, Midnight Express is the story of an American student in Turkey who is sent to prison for smuggling hashish as he tries to escape. Directed by Alan Parker and screenplay by Oliver Stone, the film is a prison drama set in Turkey where a young man befriends other prisoners as he would also endure torture as the character of Hayes is played by Brad Davis. Also starring Randy Quaid, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paolo Bonacelli, Paul L. Smith, Norbert Weisser, Peter Jeffrey, and John Hurt. Midnight Express is a haunting and gripping film from Alan Parker.

Told in the span of five years from 1970 to 1975, an American student named Billy Hayes is trying to smuggle 2kg of hashish in Turkey where he is sent to prison as he endures its torturous setting. It’s a film that is a prison drama set in one of the most brutal prisons in the world where this young American has to deal with beatings, horrific conditions, and prisoners who are more likely to kill you than be your friends. Oliver Stone’s screenplay opens with Hayes trying to smuggle as much hashish as he could yet Turkish custom officers know something is up. While an American official named Tex (Bo Hopkins) a deal for Hayes to find out who supplied him the hashish and be sent back to America without any trouble. Hayes becomes aware that something isn’t right where he is sent to prison as much of the film’s first act is about Hayes dealing with being in prison and his first trial where the prosecutor wants to give him a harsher punishment but the judge ruled that Hayes would serve a four-year sentence.

The film’s second act moves towards 1974 just as he had befriended an American prisoner in Jimmy (Randy Quaid), a British heroin addict named Max (John Hurt), and a Swede in Erich (Norbert Weisser) where Jimmy is eager to plot an escape from prison as it’s considered an impossible task. With 53 days left of his sentence, Hayes believes he will finally come home but an appeal by the prosecutor to the Turkish High Court changes everything as the sentence is expanded to 30 years. It play into this sense of loss and injustice that Hayes endured yet he is someone who had taken responsibility for his actions and felt that he’s done his time. It would lead to him, Jimmy, and Max to try and escape with its third act set in 1975 as it play into Hayes’ frustration as well as some of the corrupt elements of the prison where a prisoner in Rifki (Paolo Bonacelli) has made deals with guards and such that would help them both financially.

Alan Parker’s direction is astonishing in its approach to suspense and drama from the way he opens the film with Hayes trying to put as much hashish on his body and him at the airport hoping to get past customs. Shot mainly on location in Fort Saint Elmo in Valetta, Malta in Italy as Parker and his crew were unable to shoot on location in Istanbul as they were denied access to the location. The usage of Fort Saint Elmo would create this world that is Istanbul in the early 1970s where it’s a place where a lot of hippies would go there to get high but when one breaks the law there. The usage of wide shots get a look at the many locations as well as the prison itself where it is this unforgiving environment that is detached from the outside world where the prisoners have little clue of what is happening. The usage of close-ups and medium shots play into the space and intimacy in some of the rooms and cells along with the bathrooms and other rooms in the prison. Parker’s usage of tracking shots and careful compositions that include some of the trial scenes help play into the drama as well as Hayes’ struggle where he does what he can to maintain his sanity.

Parker’s direction also play into the brutality of prison where it’s much more different in Turkey where the warden will beat a man’s feet with his club or will do things that will break you physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s also a place where there’s few allies as where you mess with a prisoner, that prisoner will find a way to fight back. The film does feature some narration from Hayes as he’s writing letters to loved ones as endures his sentence while he, Jimmy, and Max would try to find a way out of prison. The film’s third act that takes place in 1975 which is about the attempted escapes but also Hayes’ action upon learning about what Rifki had been doing play into this act of desperation to escape once he and Max are sent to an asylum for the duration of their sentences. Overall, Parker crafts a visceral yet intense film about an American student serving time in a Turkish prison which is one of the most unforgiving places in the world.

Cinematographer Michael Seresin does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes as well as its usage of available lighting for many of the interiors including some scenes set at night. Editor Gerry Hambling does excellent work with the editing as it does have some unique rhythms that help play into the suspense and drama including some slow-motion cuts for a fight scene. Production designer Geoffrey Kirkland and art director Evan Hercules do amazing work with the look of the prison cells, courtrooms, and other places in the prisons and asylum as it adds to its harsh and brutal conditions.

Costume designer Milena Canonero does fantastic work with the costumes with the look of the ragged clothes that the prisoners wear including some of the ragged hippie-like clothing that Hayes, Jimmy, and Erich wear. Sound mixer Clive Winter does terrific work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the prison in the inside as well as the sense of terror and dread that occurs inside. The film’s music by Giorgio Moroder is great as it is largely a synthesizer-driven score that feature some intense pieces as well as somber pieces that play into some of the drama including a romantic moment between Hayes and Erich as it’s one of the film’s highlights.

The film’s superb cast feature some notable small roles from Michael Yannatos as a court translator, Peter Jeffrey as a British insane asylum patient Hayes meets late in the film in Ahmet, Gigi Ballista as a sympathetic Turkish judge, Michael Ensign as an American ambassador in Turkey, Franco Diogene as the Turkish lawyer Yesil, Mike Kellin as Hayes’ father, Yashaw Adem as the airport customs chief, and Kevork Malikyan as the prosecutor who wants Hayes to suffer for his actions. Bo Hopkins is terrific as a mysterious American official known as Tex who offers Hayes a deal only to work with the Turkish government in ensuring that Hayes goes to prison. Irene Miracle is wonderful as Hayes’ girlfriend Susan who was in Turkey when he got busted as she would later visit him late in the film in a weirdly-comical moment in the film.

Norbert Weisser is fantastic as the Swedish smuggler Erich as a man who sympathizes with Hayes as they briefly engage into a homosexual relationship to defy the country’s anti-gay laws. Paul L. Smith is excellent as the brutal prison warden Hamidou as this man that has great joy in beating up his prisoners as well as doing some of the most terrifying things to them. Paolo Bonacelli is brilliant as Rifki as a Turkish prisoner whom Hayes has to share his cell with as he and Max don’t like him much as he’s also someone that seems to have a lot of connection that can make his stay comfortable. Randy Quaid is amazing as Jimmy as an American prisoner who is in prison for stealing candles at a mosque as someone that is eager to get out any way he can despite the beatings he’s taken where he is determined to get out of Turkey and find salvation in Greece.

John Hurt is incredible as the English heroin addict Max as a man who is an offbeat figure as a man who is also willing to get out but knows a lot about law and such yet is driven to the edge over Rifki’s actions. Finally, there’s Brad Davis in an incredible performance as Billy Hayes as a young American student who gets caught smuggling hashish where he is later sent to Turkish prison as Davis displays a young man that is naïve in what he was trying to do and learn from his problems only to deal with the injustice where he becomes angry and determined to get out of Turkey any way he can.

Midnight Express is a sensational film from Alan Parker. Featuring a great cast, Oliver Stone’s riveting screenplay, dazzling visuals, and a hypnotic music score by Giorgio Moroder. It’s a film that explore the dangerous world of Turkish prisons as well as what men have to endure in a world that is far more intense as well as to find some sort of hope where the rules are different than their usual surroundings. In the end, Midnight Express is a phenomenal film from Alan Parker.

Alan Parker Films: (Play for Today-The Evacuees) - (Bugsy Malone) – (Fame (1980 film)) – (Shoot the Moon) – Pink Floyd: The Wall - (Birdy) – (Angel Heart) – (Mississippi Burning) – (Come See the Paradise) – (The Commitments) – (The Road to Wellville) – (Evita) – (Angela’s Ashes) – (The Life of David Gale)

© thevoid99 2019

The Missouri Breaks

Directed by Arthur Penn and written by Thomas McGuane, The Missouri Breaks is the story of a rancher who hires a regulator to hunt down a horse thief whose gang has killed one of his men in an act of revenge while his daughter is in love with the head thief. The film is an offbeat western that play into a pursuit with some eccentric characters as it revolves around a man wanting to kill a thief. Starring Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid, Harry Dean Stanton, Frederic Forrest, John McLiam, and Kathleen Lloyd. The Missouri Breaks is a whimsical yet engrossing film from Arthur Penn.

The film revolves around a horse thief whose gang kills a rancher’s foreman who hung their friend over angering a rancher as they would later buy land from that rancher just to piss him off. Yet, the rancher is trying to find out who killed his foreman as he hires an eccentric regulator who plays by his own rules and would later cause all sorts of trouble. It’s a film that is about a thief trying to maintain a life that is honorable and decent yet he also copes with this regulator being around him and causing trouble as well as having issues with a rancher whose daughter he falls for. Thomas McGuane’s screenplay opens with the rancher David Braxton (John McLiam) hanging a young man named Sandy (Hunter von Leer) whose friend is the horse thief Tom Logan (Jack Nicholson) who runs a gang of horse thieves as they learn about their friend’s death. The first act is about Logan and his gang robbing a train to buy land near Braxton’s ranch to start a ranch of their own yet Logan would be the one tending to the ranch while his gang led by Cal (Harry Dean Stanton) travel to Canada to steal horses from the mounted police force.

Logan would meet Braxton’s daughter Jane (Kathleen Lloyd) who is intrigued by Logan though their affair would be kept secret except that her father’s hired regulator in Robert E. Lee Clayton (Marlon Brando) is watching as he suspects Logan involved in the death of Braxton’s foreman. Clayton is this man who is a real oddball as he arrives to the Braxton camp holding on to his horse on the side as if he’s hiding while he has an Irish accent and wears strange costumes. Yet, there’s an aspect of him that is ruthless and cunning in his pursuits though his initial meeting with Logan with Braxton is based on curiosity yet Logan is aware of his reputation as he just tries to not get into trouble. Even as the third act is about Braxton realizing the trouble Clayton is bringing as it would lead to all sorts of chaos in his pursuit of Logan and his gang.

Arthur Penn’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in the way he presents the American West as it is shot on various locations in Wyoming to play into this world of the West and in areas near the Missouri River. Penn’s usage of the wide shots do play into the vast scope and the attention to detail into the landscape from the trees on the mountains as well as the rivers and other parts of the film while he would maintain an intimacy through medium shots and close-ups as it relates to the characters. Penn’s compositions play into moments that are comical such as the train robbery scene as well as the way Clayton introduces himself. Penn would also maintain that air of humor and low-key drama to play into the characters that are trying to do their work in stealing horses or Logan trying to tend to his land. The smaller moments showcase Penn putting time in the characters while letting the action take hold during the third act as it relates to Clayton’s methods and what he does where the violence is intense. Even as it would play into this confrontation between Logan and Clayton with Braxton having some part in playing to the chaos that he’s created. Overall, Penn crafts an exhilarating and quirky film about a horse thief being watched and hunted by an odd regulator.

Cinematographer Michael Butler does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its gorgeous yet natural look for many of the daytime exteriors with some stylish and low-key lighting for some of the interior scenes set in the day. Editors Dede Allen, Gerald G. Greenberg, and Steven A. Rotter do excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward for some of the dramatic and comedic moments while using some stylish rhythmic cuts for some of Clayton’s antics. Production designer Albert Brenner, with set decorator Marvin March and art director Stephen Myles Berger, does fantastic work with the look of the Braxton home as well as the ranch that Logan runs and the home that his gang live in.

Costume designer Patricia Norris does amazing work with the costumes from the ragged look of Logan and his gang to the odd clothes that Clayton wears including a dress that he would wear as part of his disguise. Sound editor Richard P. Cirincione does terrific work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as some of the usage of gunfire and other weapons. The film’s music by John Williams is incredible for its offbeat approach to country and folk with some orchestral elements that add to the film’s odd yet enjoyable tone.

The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from James Greene and Luana Anders as a rancher and his wife that Cy would hide out at, Danny Goldman as a baggage clerk during the train robbery, Hunter von Leer as Logan’s friend Sandy who gets hung by Braxton, John P. Ryan and Frederic Forrest as a couple of Logan’s friends in his gang in their respective roles as Cy and Cary, and Randy Quaid in a superb performance as a young member of the gang named Little Tod who gives Logan the idea to rob a train as he is an able though naïve hood who is always helpful. John McLiam is terrific as David Braxton as a rancher who wants retaliation for the death of his foreman as he is also suspicious of Logan buying land near him. Kathleen Lloyd is fantastic as Braxton’s daughter Jane as a young woman who is often caring for her father as she becomes fascinated by Logan whom she sees as someone who has a lot more to offer as well as an escape from her stuffy life. Harry Dean Stanton is excellent as Logan’s right-hand man Cal who gets some of the film’s best lines and dialogue as he’s kind of the conscience of sorts who often puts Logan in his place but also is aware of how dangerous Clayton is.

Jack Nicholson is great as Tom Logan as a horse thief that is trying to go straight and live a decent life while falling for the rancher’s daughter as he becomes aware of Clayton’s presence as it’s a restrained performance from Nicholson where he displays some charm but also a grounded approach of a man that becomes uneasy by what is happening around him. Finally, there’s Marlon Brando in a phenomenal performance as Robert E. Lee Clayton as this offbeat and odd regulator that has Brando sport an Irish-American accent as well as a twangy-western accent in one sequence as it’s a strange yet exuberant performance that has Brando be funny but also ruthless in the way he does his job as it’s one of his more overlooked performances of his career.

The Missouri Breaks is a sensational film from Arthur Penn that features incredible performances from Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. Along with its gorgeous visuals, top-notch supporting cast, John Williams’ exhilarating score, and a compelling screenplay by Thomas McGuane. It’s a western that doesn’t play by the rules while maintaining much of the visual tropes and plot devices expected from the genre with elements of dark humor. In the end, The Missouri Breaks is a spectacular film from Arthur Penn.

Arthur Penn Films: (Portrait of a Murderer) – (The Left Handed Gun) – (The Miracle Worker) – (Mickey One) – (The Chase (1966 film)) – (Bonnie and Clyde) – (Flesh and Blood) – (Alice’s Restaurant) – Little Big Man - (Visions of Eight) – (Night Moves (1975 film)) – (Four Friends) – (Target (1985 film)) – (Dead of Winter) – (Penn & Teller Get Killed) – (The Portrait (1993 film)) – (Inside (1996 film))

© thevoid99 2018

Paper Moon

Based on the novel Addie Brown by Joe David Brown, Paper Moon is the story of a con man who reluctantly teams up with a young girl who could be his daughter as they go on the road to make money. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich and screenplay by Alvin Sargent, the film is a road film of sorts meshed with the caper film set during the Great Depression in Kansas where a man and a young girl team up and con people out of their money. Starring Ryan O’Neal, Tatum O’Neal, Randy Quaid, and Madeline Kahn. Paper Moon is a rich and witty film from Peter Bogdanovich.

The film revolves around a con man who attends a funeral for a woman he knew as he’s asked to take the woman’s daughter to St. Joe, Missouri from Kansas to her aunt as they go on a road trip where they con people and make money. It’s a film that blends all sorts of genres revolving around a man and a nine-year old girl during the Great Depression as they team up to make money and swindle people out of it. It’s an unlikely partnership between two people who don’t really know each other but they end up bringing the best in each other when it comes to making money. Alvin Sargent’s screenplay explore this unique dynamic between the con man Moses “Moze” Pray (Ryan O’Neal) and this young girl named Addie Loggins (Tatum O’Neal) who definitely don’t want to do anything with each other at first though Addie needs a ride to St. Joe, Missouri. Yet, the money that Addie is owed to for the loss of her money would be in Moze’s hands as she wants that money.

Upon realizing what Moze does, she gets in the act of conning people out of money as Moze reluctantly makes her his partner-in-crime where the two create an act of selling bibles to recently-made widows. Addie would learn the trade of swindling people out of money while pretending to be Moze’s daughter as they would make money. The partnership would be threatened in the second act when Moze meets the exotic dancer Miss Trixie Delight (Madeline Kahn) whom Addie doesn’t like as she realizes what Miss Trixie is and how easy it is to con her. One of the Addie’s unique traits about her character is how to read and observe people as it is among her strengths in conning people and helping Moze while Moze is someone that is quite flawed as he’s quite careless in those he con as well as towards Addie at times. The third act isn’t just about the two dealing with failure but also biting more than they can chew when it comes to conning other people.

Peter Bogdanovich’s direction is definitely stylish not just for the fact that it’s shot in black-and-white but it’s also for playing into a period in time that was quite tough but also with a sense of hope. Shot on various locations in Kansas and Missouri, Bogdanovich’s usage of wide shots with the widescreen format definitely capture a great depth of field into the landscape filled with field and some dry locations as well as the way he would shoot characters into a wide shot. Bogdanovich’s usage of medium shots and close-ups would play into the relationship between Moze and Addie where there’s a lot of scenes shot in whatever car they’re in or at a motel room. There are also moments that are quite comical as it relates to the way Addie would help Moze in his scheme or how she would con a cashier over money claiming she gave her a $20 when she really gave her a $5 bill. Bogdanovich would take his time show how Addie would create that scheme as it has this sense of thought and planning as Bogdanovich would shoot things from her perspective and observation.

Another aspect of Bogdanovich’s evocative approach in the direction is where he also play into the things that would play into this kind of rise-and-fall scenario for these two beginning with Moze’s meeting with Miss Trixie. The scenes with Miss Trixie and her maid Imogene (P.J. Johnson) that are very funny where the latter would befriend Addie as she knows what is going on. The third act is a bit darker in terms of the people that Moze and Addie would encounter as well as the fact that the former’s luck and way to charm people doesn’t work as it does add to some reality which includes a chase scene shot in a long dolly-tracking shot. Even as it also play into the developing relationship between Moze and Addie where they find this unlikely dynamic in a father-daughter duo. Overall, Bogdanovich creates a riveting yet lively film about a con man who teams up with a young girl to swindle money out of people during the Great Depression.

Cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs does incredible work with the film‘s black-and-white photography in capturing the beauty of the landscapes as well as the usage of lights and shadows for some of the interior/exterior scenes set at night. Editor Verna Fields does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some jump-cuts to play into some of the action. Production/costume designer Polly Platt, with set decorator John P. Austin, does brilliant work with design of the motel sets and some of the props that were used in those times as well as the costumes from the clothes that Addie wears as well as the lavish stuff of Miss Trixie. Sound editors Kay Rose and Frank E. Warner is superb for its low-key and naturalistic sound as it play into some of the events in the location and the humor. The film’s music soundtrack consists of the music of the times like ragtime, country-western, and pop as well as some radio programs from Jack Benny.

The casting by Gary Chason is great as it include some notable small roles and appearances from Randy Quaid as a hillbilly named Leroy, Yvonne Harris as a widow that would pay more money for a bible due to Addie’s suggested fee, James N. Harrell as a minister in the film’s opening funeral scene, P.J. Johnson as Miss Trixie’s young maid Imogene, and John Hillerman in a dual role as a bootlegger and his deputy brother. Madeline Kahn is brilliant as Miss Trixie Delight as an exotic dancer at a carnival who woos Moze and spend his money as this early definition of a gold-digger. Finally, there’s the duo of Ryan and Tatum O’Neal in phenomenal performances as Moses “Moze” Pray and Addie Loggins, respectively. Ryan’s performance as Moze is this man who is quite good at what he does but doesn’t see the big picture as he’s more concerned about making and spending money. Tatum’s performance as Addie is definitely the highlight as she is this young girl that is fully aware of what is going on as she’s much smarter than Moze but is also a troublemaker who likes to smoke cigarettes. The O’Neals together are a joy to watch together in the way bring the best in each other through funny and dramatic moments.

Paper Moon is an outstanding film from Peter Bogdanovich that feature tremendous performances from the real father-daughter duo of Ryan and Tatum O’Neal. Along with gorgeous visuals, Alvin Sargent’s witty screenplay, and a fantastic supporting ensemble cast, it’s a film that showcases what two people could do to make money and bring out the best in each other. In the end, Paper Moon is a spectacular film from Peter Bogdanovich.

Peter Bogdanovich Films: Targets - (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women) - (Directed by John Ford) - The Last Picture Show - (What’s Up Doc?) - (Daisy Miller) - (At Long Last Love) - (Nickelodeon) - (Saint Jack) - (They All Laughed) - (Mask (1985 film)) - (Illegally Yours) - (Texasville) - (Noises Off) - (The Thing Called Love) - (To Sir, with Love II) - (The Price of Heaven) - (Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Women) - (Naked City: A Killer Christmas) - (A Saintly Switch) - (The Cat’s Meow) - (The Mystery of Natalie Wood) - (Hustle (2004 film)) - (Runnin’ Down a Dream) - (She’s Funny That Way) - The Great Buster: A Celebration

© thevoid99 2017

Fool for Love

Directed by Robert Altman and written and starring Sam Shepard that is based on his play, Fool for Love is the story of a man who finds his former flame in a motel as he tries to get her to come back home. The film is an exploration into a couple’s relationship and their troubled past as well as the motel they’re staying in. Also starring Kim Basinger, Randy Quaid, and Harry Dean Stanton. Fool for Love is an entrancing yet eerie film from Robert Altman.

Set entirely in a motel in the middle of the desert, the film revolves a man who arrives to meet a former flame in an attempt to bring her home as she refuses while her father watches nearby. It is a film where these two people seem to have a history together where they love each other but also can’t stand each other while the woman May (Kim Basinger) is waiting for her date to arrive while her father (Harry Dean Stanton) watches from afar. It is a film that doesn’t just play into the fallacies of love but also into how intense things are where May and Eddie (Sam Shepard) have this love-hate relationship. Sam Shepard’s screenplay does feature a lot of monologues from the major characters in the film but also some flashback scenes that doesn’t just play into their past but also the past of May’s father. Even as May’s date in Martin (Randy Quaid) would arrive late in the film where he would hear some unsettling stories about May and Eddie’s history.

Though it is shot largely in Las Vegas, New Mexico in a motel setting, Robert Altman’s direction does maintain something that is very intimate but also with some stylistic visuals that makes it so much more. Notably in the fact that Altman uses a lot of wide shots to capture the whole setting of the film but also uses some tracking shots and other things to capture some of these conversations. The direction also has Altman use close-ups and medium shots to capture the conversation while using little motel houses to play up the sense of intimacy and tension that looms over May and Eddie. There are also elements of surrealism that relates to May’s father and his recollections of the past where the flashbacks become very prominent in the film’s third act where many secrets are unveiled by both May and Eddie to Martin with May’s father in the room. It’s also something where it does climax into something big but also something that was inevitable as it relates to May and Eddie’s troubled relationship. Overall, Altman creates a very engaging yet haunting film about love in the most complicated way.

Cinematographer Pierre Mignot does excellent work with the film‘s vibrant and colorful cinematography to capture the neon lights of the motel exterior as well as some unique lighting for its interior settings plus some naturalistic images for the flashback scenes. Editors Stephen P. Dunn and Luce Grunenwaldt do nice work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to capture the intensity of the drama. Production designer Stephen Altman and set decorator John Hay do amazing work with the look of the motel homes and its diner as well as the trailer home that May‘s father lives in. Sound mixers Daniel Brisseau and Robert Gravenor do fantastic work with the sound to capture some of the naturalistic sound on location and on set as well as some of the things that goes on outside of the motel. The film’s music by George Burt is wonderful as it is this mixture of eerie orchestral music with some country music textures while much of the soundtrack features some country music pieces by Sandy Rogers and Waylon Jennings to play into the fallacies of love.

The film’s brilliant cast include some notable small performances from Jonathan Skinner as a young Eddie, April Russell and Sura Cox in respective versions as the young and teenage May, Deborah McNaughton as a mysterious woman stalking Eddie known as the Countess, Louis Elgolf as Eddie’s mother, and Martha Crawford as May’s mother in the flashback scenes. Randy Quaid is excellent in a small but memorable performance as May’s date Martin who appears in the film’s third act where he meets Eddie and May’s father as he tries to make sense of what he had just heard from Eddie and May.

Harry Dean Stanton is superb as May’s father as a man who observes what she and Eddie are doing while recalling elements of his own past that would be key to the story. Kim Basinger is great as May as this woman who is trying to start a different life working and living in a motel as she copes with Eddie’s presence and elements of her own past. Finally, there’s Sam Shepard in an amazing performance as Eddie as this man who traveled more than 200 miles to meet May in the hopes that he can bring her home as he is quite impulsive to deal with while revealing more to their troubled relationship to Martin.

Fool for Love is an excellent film from Robert Altman that features top-notch performances from Sam Shepard, Kim Basinger, Harry Dean Stanton, and Randy Quaid. While it might seem like a minor film from Altman in terms of its intimate setting, it is still a very compelling film that explores the fallacies of love. In the end, Fool for Love is a fantastic film from Robert Altman.

Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - Pret-a-Porter - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie's Fortune - Dr. T and the Women - Gosford Park - The Company - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion

© thevoid99 2015

The Last Picture Show

Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry, The Last Picture Show is the story of a group of teens who deal with their lonely surroundings as they also meet aging souls as they would contemplate their own future. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich and screenplay by Bogdanovich and McMurtry, the film is a look into a world where the old values of America starts to fall apart as it’s set into a small town in the middle of Texas circa 1951. Starring Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms, Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Ben Johnson, Randy Quaid, and Clu Gulager. The Last Picture Show is an entrancing yet somber film from Peter Bogdanovich.

Set in this small yet lonely Texas town in the early 1950s in the span of nearly a year, the film explores the lives of three teenagers as well as various adult figures dealing with their environment in a world that is changing around them. Leading the pack is a high school senior in Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) who is unsure of what to do after high school as he spends much of his time hanging out at a pool hall, a diner, and other places in his small town with nothing to do. With his friend Duane (Jeff Bridges) and Duane’s rich girlfriend Jacy (Cybill Shepherd), Sonny spends nearly a year trying to figure things out where he has an affair with his coach’s lonely wife Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman) while Jacy is eager to lose her virginity to Duane while her mother Lois (Ellen Burstyn) warns her about being with someone like Duane. All of which plays into a world of uncertainty in this small town that is just dying.

The film’s screenplay by Peter Bogdanovich and Larry McMurtry explore this world where even though it is set in nearly a year from October of 1951 to September of 1952. It feels like a film that is set into a very different time period where much of the loose morality of the 1960s and early 1970s come into play as Sonny, Duane, and Jacy would all deal with growing pains as they’re eager to leave the small town they’re in. Especially as there’s a world that is filled with so much change that these three want to be a part of but Sonny is still attached to the small town as he is guided by the town’s local figure Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson) who owns the diner, the pool hall, and movie theater that the people often go to. With Duane in tow, Sonny would often get into mischief as it showcases their lack of direction where their friendship would get complicated to do Duane’s immaturity which eventually played into his break-up with Jacy who wanted more.

The script also plays into the role of peer pressure as Jacy is eager to be with the crowd as she would skinny-dip while wanting to lose her virginity so that she can be with a popular boy in school. It would play into her own development as a young woman as she is guided by her mother Lois about the trappings of love affairs and such as well as being with someone like Duane. Yet, Lois is a woman that is lost in her own marriage and affair as it reveals that she did love someone and has regretted leaving that man while Ruth is a woman in an unhappy marriage as she deals with loneliness where Sonny helps her out and lead to their affair. Ruth, Lois, and Jacy are three of four women who play into Sonny’s life as the other is the diner waitress Genevieve (Eileen Brennan) who is a weary observer, like Lois and Sam, that has seen a lot in the small town and knows what is going on as she would also guide Sonny into finding his way. Even if it means leaving the small town that he has lived for all of his young life.

Bogdanovich’s direction opens and ends with this eerie image of the small Texan town where it feels like a ghost town with hard winds being heard and tumbleweeds passing by. It sets the tone of a film where it has this feel of aimlessness but also something that is quite entrancing where it is set in a crucial moment in time where everything is black-and-white with little contact of the world outside of this small town. Bogdanovich creates some unique shots to play into this emergence of a new world of sexuality that is emerging where Jacy is quite hesitant in some parts of the film but is also eager to fit in with the crowd such as the skinny dipping sequence. There’s also some very chilling scenes where Sonny, Duane, and their friends try to get the mute boy Billy (Sam Bottoms) to lose his virginity to a prostitute as it starts off comically but ends up being very somber where Sonny and his friends feel bad about what happened with Duane not owning up to his mistake.

Much of the direction is shot with some unique wide shots and some medium shots plus a few close-ups to play into the drama that is unfolding as Sonny deals with growing pains and temptation as it concerns Jacy. Especially as things become much grimmer in its third act as parts of this small town is starting to die while the sense of uncertainty starts to loom. Much of it would include some revelations about the town and the people that Sonny has known where he isn’t sure if he has to escape or just be part of it for good. Overall, Bogdanovich creates a very haunting yet intoxicating film about a group of people living in a desolate town in the middle of Texas.

Cinematographer Robert Surtees does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as it has this very timeless look to the film where it plays into that sense of a ghost town in its location in Texas as well as some unique lighting schemes and such to play into the mood of the drama. Editor Don Cambern does excellent work with the editing as it features bits of stylistic uses of jump-cuts and dissolves to play into the sense of dramatic energy in the film as well as the sense of aimlessness.

Production/costume designer Polly Platt and art director Walter Scott Herndon do amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the town in its desolate setting as well as the pool hall and movie theater while the costumes are terrific to play into the personality of the characters. Sound editor James M. Falkinburg does superb work with the sound from the way wind sounds to some of the moments in the film’s locations along with the film’s music as much of it is played on location as it features pieces by Hank Williams and other artists in country and pop music of the times.

The casting by Ross Brown is fantastic as it features some notable small roles from Sharon Taggart as Sonny’s girlfriend Charlene early in the film, Bill Thurman as Ruth’s husband, Gary Brockette as the popular senior Bobby that Jacy wants to be with, Sam Bottoms as the mute boy Billy that always hung around Sonny and Sam the Lion, Clu Gulager as Lois’ lover Aibilene who would later meet Jacy in a very haunting moment, and Randy Quaid as a rich kid named Lester who would take Jacy to the skinny-dipping party. Eileen Brennan is excellent as the kind-hearted waitress Genevieve who often serves Sonny and the other locals as she would help Sonny around and give him some guidance and food. Ellen Burstyn is superb as Jacy’s mother Lois who tries to warn her daughter about dating someone like Duane as she is embroiled in an empty affair of her own as she comes to term with her own regrets and what she doesn’t want her daughter to do.

Ben Johnson is amazing as the town leader Sam the Lion as this old man that had seen everything as he also displays some sentimentality about how simple things were in the past as he is aware of changing times as he guides Sonny into doing what is right. Cloris Leachman is radiant as the lonely housewife Ruth Popper as this middle-aged woman who has been neglected and depressed as she finds solace in the company of Sonny as there is a moment at the end of the film that is just astonishing as she is just riveting to watch. Cybill Shepherd is brilliant as Jacy Farrow as this young woman who is eager to fit in with the rest of her classmates as she is in love with Duane while becoming frustrated with her lack of prospects as she tries to come to terms with what she wants to do with her life.

Jeff Bridges is superb as Duane as an aloof young man who likes to party and such as he has very little idea into what Jacy wants while being forced to grow up and think about his own future. Finally, there’s Timothy Bottoms in an incredible performance as Sonny Crawford where Bottoms brings a boyish quality to a young man unsure of what to do as he begins an affair with a middle-aged woman while dealing with the tasks he’s given as well as temptation as it’s a truly mesmerizing performance from Bottoms.

The Last Picture Show is a tremendous film from Peter Bogdanovich. Featuring a brilliant ensemble cast as well as an astonishing look and presentation, it’s a film that explores a world that is truly American but cut-off from the rest of the country. Especially in a world that is changing where the youth of this small town is forced to make decisions about what to do with this new world that is emerging. In the end, The Last Picture Show is a phenomenal film from Peter Bogdanovich.

Peter Bogdanovich Films: Targets - (Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women) - (Directed by John Ford) - (What’s Up Doc?) - Paper Moon - (Daisy Miller) - (At Long Last Love) - (Nickelodeon) - (Saint Jack) - (They All Laughed) - (Mask (1985 film)) - (Illegally Yours) - (Texasville) - (Noises Off) - (The Thing Called Love) - (To Sir, with Love II) - (The Price of Heaven) - (Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Women) - (Naked City: A Killer Christmas) - (A Saintly Switch) - (The Cat’s Meow) - (The Mystery of Natalie Wood) - (Hustle (2004 film)) - (Runnin’ Down a Dream) - (She’s Funny That Way) - The Great Buster: A Celebration

© thevoid99 2014

National Lampoon's Vacation

(In Memory of Harold Ramis 1944-2014)

Directed by Harold Ramis and written by John Hughes, National Lampoon’s Vacation is the story of a family who travel cross-country from Chicago to California to go to the famed amusement park known as Walley World where everything goes from bad-to-worse during the journey. Based on a short story by John Hughes with additional contributions from Ramis and Chevy Chase who plays the lead role of Clark W. Griswold. The film is an unusual comedy that explores a family’s ill-fated journey where they have to deal with misdirection, a troubled station wagon, hick relatives, a very mean aunt, and a hot lady driving a Ferrari. Also starring Beverly D’Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, Christie Brinkley, and John Candy. National Lampoon’s Vacation is truly one of the greatest comedies ever created.

Family vacations is a chance for parents and their children to enjoy time with one another and do things like go to Disneyland or Universal Studios theme parks. What Clark W. Griswold and his family want to do is to go the happiest play in the world in Walley World and meet the mascot Marty Moose by traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles. By going cross-country on a very troubled station wagon, a lot goes wrong along the way as it would play to some of the series of misfortunes that occurs in the film. All of which involves a lot of laughs and all sorts of crazy shit for Clark, his wife Ellen (Beverly D. Angelo), son Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall), and daughter Audrey (Dana Barron). Add the very bitchy Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) who joins them during a stop in Kansas to drop her off to Phoenix.

John Hughes’ screenplay is based on his own real life experience about his own ill-fated trip to Disneyland where it all plays to all of the unfortunate things that can go wrong in a cross-country road trip through America. Throughout all of this ordeal, there is this strange optimism that is prevalent in Clark Griswold as he wants his family to experience a kind of journey that every American family has done. Even as he deals with all sorts of bad shit and a hot blonde (Christie Brinkley) driving a red Ferrari 308 GTS who tempts him from leaving his family. Yet, there’s Ellen who is the most grounded person of the family as she tries to remain realistic and deal with the chaos on the road as she even makes Clark visit her cousin Catherine (Miriam Flynn) and Catherine’s oddball husband Eddie (Randy Quaid). One aspect of the script that works isn’t its use of language but also in some of the dialogue that is largely improvised and full of wit that just adds to the brilliance of the film.

Harold Ramis’ direction is pretty simple in terms of the compositions and scenes he creates where he’s not doing anything flashy or go for something that is visually-astonishing. Instead, Ramis just create something that does feel like a road film where it’s shot on various locations in the U.S. with some wide shots and medium shots of the locations. By going into different locations in the U.S. from Chicago to Los Angeles, it adds to the sense of unpredictability to the film as well as some of its humor that feels loose and natural. Even in some of the moments that involve Clark being wooed by the hot lady during a picnic or the moment he finds himself in the ghetto of St. Louis and asks for directions unaware that his hubcaps are being stolen. It would eventually lead to the Griswolds finally going to Walley World as it is a climax that pays off and more. Overall, Ramis crafts a very entertaining and heartfelt comedy about a family road trip to Walley World.

Cinematographer Victor J. Kemper does excellent work with the cinematography from the vibrant look of the daytime interior/exterior settings to the simple lighting schemes for some of the film‘s nighttime scenes. Editor Pembroke J. Herring does nice work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward while using some slow-motion moments to play into some of the funnier moments like a homage to Chariots of Fire. Production designer Jack T. Collis and set decorator Joe D. Mitchell do terrific work with some of the set pieces from the different hotels and homes the Griswolds stay at to the look of Walley World.

Sound editors Bub Asman, Robert G. Henderson, and Alan Robert Murray do superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects that is created in the film. The film’s music by Ralph Burns is wonderful for its light-hearted orchestral score that plays to the film’s humor while its soundtrack features songs by June Pointer, Vanity 6, Nicollete Larson, the Fleetwoods, the Ramones, and a couple of original songs by Lindsey Buckingham including the theme song Holiday Road.

The casting by Susan Arnold and Phyllis Huffman is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as well as cameo appearances from Eugene Levy as a shady car salesman, John Diehl and Mickey Jones as a couple of sleazy mechanics, James Keach as a motorcycle cop, Brian Doyle-Murray as the Kamp Komfort clerk, and Eddie Bracken as Walley World founder Roy Walley. Other notable small roles include John P. Navin Jr. and a young Jane Krakowski as Rusty and Audrey’s cousins, John Candy in a hilarious performance as a Walley World security guard, and Christie Brinkley as the hot blonde in a Ferrari. Miriam Flynn is very good as the very kind cousin Catherine while Randy Quaid is a total hoot as the inbred cousin Eddie. Imogene Coca is great as the very mean and cold Aunt Edna who always take shots at Clark and make him do all sorts of shit while having no problem eating a sandwich drenched in dog piss.

Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall are amazing in their respective roles as Audrey and Rusty Griswold as two teens trying to deal with the chaos of the vacation as well as trying to get anything from pot to booze to cope while doing some funny things along the way. Beverly D’Angelo is great as Ellen Griswold as the realist of the family who tries to handle everything that is happening while being the voice of reason as she also has some funny lines. Finally, there’s Chevy Chase in an iconic performance as Clark W. Griswold as this very optimistic father who tries to give his family the greatest vacation ever no matter how bad things are as he says all sorts of funny things and so some funny shit as it’s definitely a performance for the ages.

National Lampoon’s Vacation is an outstanding film from Harold Ramis and screenwriter John Hughes. Thanks to a great cast and its theme on family along with a witty approach to the road film. It’s not just a film that stands as a touchstone of classic 80s comedies but also a film that has something for everyone as it’s a family film and a low-brow comedy rolled up into one. In the end, National Lampoon’s Vacation is tremendous film from the late Harold Ramis.

Harold Ramis Films: (Caddyshack) - (Club Paradise) - (Groundhog Day) - (Stuart Saves His Family) - (Multiplicity) - (Analyze This) - (Bedazzled) - (Analyze That) - (The Ice Harvest) - (Year One)

© thevoid99 2014

Bound for Glory

Directed by Hal Ashby, Bound for Glory is the story about the folk singer Woody Guthrie and how he came to prominence during the Great Depression as a voice for the people suffering from the Great Depression. Loosely based on Guthrie’s autobiography and adapted into script by Robert Getchell, the film explores the evolution of Guthrie’s music just as he tries to help out a group of Dust Bowl refugees in California during the Great Depression as Guthrie is played by David Carradine. Also starring Melinda Dillon, Ronny Cox, Gail Strickland, and Randy Quaid. Bound for Glory is an extraordinary film from Hal Ashby.

It‘s 1936 in Pamba, Texas as Woody Guthrie seeks to find work and money for his family while dealing with the Dust Bowl. With no jobs available, Guthrie leaves his family to go to California where he would meet all sorts of characters during his journey as he eventually reaches California by train and car where he meets a group of Dust Bowl refugees. Upon meeting folk singer Ozark Bule (Ronny Cox), Guthrie would eventually find an outlet for what he sees through folk music and eventually become a hero of the people through the radio. Yet, when radio sponsors want Guthrie to not sing controversial material and be compromised. Guthrie would make a drastic decision that would make him a hero to the world of American culture.

While most bio-pics often showcase how a person became famous and such, what makes this film different is that it only places to a certain part of the life of Woody Guthrie. Largely in how he would become a folk hero to many during the Great Depression and spread his voice to the people while having to deal with the responsibility of taking care of his family and being there for them. At the same time, he has to deal with what people want him to sing and in places where he has to sing to those who have no idea or any care about what he’s singing about.

While a lot of the events of the screenplay are fictional in order to tell the story of a man trying to fight the system as he has to deal with all sorts of forces and authority. It also shows a man who is flawed since he is neglectful towards his family at times though he doesn’t mean to. It’s a story that allows Woody Guthrie to be humanized rather than make him into a bigger icon as he’s just a man that wants to help people out and not ask for much in return. While the people he meets in his journey would definitely shape his outlook into the world, some would be helpful while others would just steer him into a direction that would have him rebel.

Hal Ashby’s direction is definitely stylish as well as engaging for the way he re-creates late 1930s America during the Great Depression. Notably as he sets the film in California as parts of Texas and the American Southwest where it’s a world that is wide open where people are moving all over the country looking for work. Ashby’s direction is often ever-moving where he uses all sorts of hand-held cameras to capture the crowd moving around including the first-ever use of the Steadicam for some of those scenes. There is something freeing and loose in those scenes along with the scenes where Guthrie hops on the train where he’s left to his own devices and deals with whatever he has to face. By the time he’s in California, it’s a place where there’s opportunities but also hard-ship as he realizes what is going on and is able to do something about it.

When he sings songs on the radio and for shows in places where he is extremely out of place, the direction shows a sense of claustrophobia where it feels like a different film of sorts. Even as the confines of the environment of where Guthrie has to do this and that has him acting out. Notably late in the film where he brings his family from Texas to California only to abandon them again where it shows that he is definitely lost and unsure of what to do. The film’s ending is poignant for not just the decision Guthrie makes in this very beautiful environment that he doesn’t belong. It’s where Guthrie goes afterwards as with the songs he sings where each song is served as a device to tell a story. Overall, Ashby creates a very fascinating and uncompromising portrait one of American music’s great figures.

Cinematographer Haskell Wexler does exquisite work with the film‘s very beautiful cinematography to complement the landscape of the American Southwest while utilizing soft lenses to play up its beauty. Editors Robert C. Jones and Pembroke J. Herring does wonderful work with the editing to use montages for a few scenes of Woody‘s road trips as well as more straightforward cuts for the rest of the film. Production designer Michael Haller, along with set decorator James Berkley and art directors James Spencer and William Sully, does brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of the camps to the homes and places that Woody encounters.

Costume designer William Theiss does nice work with the costumes to play up the look of late 1930s period where the men wear ragged clothes and the women wear something that‘s classy but also ragged. Sound mixer Don Parker does terrific work with the sound to capture the raucous nature of the impromptu concerts and atmosphere of the camps. Music supervisor Leonard Rosenman creates a unique soundtrack filled with a lot of the folk music of the times as well as many of the songs by Woody Guthrie that is performed by David Carradine along with some additional orchestral pieces to play up orchestral versions of Guthrie’s songs.

The casting by Lynn Stalmaster is excellent as it features some memorable appearances from James Hong as a diner owner, Brion James as a pick-up truck driver at the border, M. Emmet Walsh as a driver whose wife was offended by a comment Woody makes, Bernie Kopell as Woody’s agent who tries to get him big gigs, Ji-Tu Cumbuka as a hobo that Woody meets on the train, John Lehne as the radio station manager who tries to get Woody to play it safe, Elizabeth Macey as the wife of a young migrant worker, and Randy Quaid as the young migrant worker who befriends Woody in California. Gail Strickland is terrific as Pauline who befriends Woody in California as she would become someone who would confuse Woody in his own journey.

Melinda Dillon is great in two different roles as the folk singer Memphis Sue whom Woody would duet for songs on the radio and as Woody’s first wife Mary who tries to deal with Woody’s new role and his abandonment. Ronny Cox is amazing as folk singer Ozark Bule who gets Woody to spread his music all over California through the radio only to deal with the troubles Woody has to deal with as he tries to help him to compromise. Finally, there’s David Carradine in a magnificent performance as Woody Guthrie where Carradine displays a great sense of charm and wit to the man while proving to be a very engaging singer that can bring a lot of the attitude that Guthrie is known for.

Bound for Glory is an outstanding film from Hal Ashby that features a superb performance from David Carradine as Woody Guthrie. The film is definitely one of the most compelling music bio-pics for deviating from convention and tell the story of how Guthrie became a voice for the people. It’s also a film that revels into the world of Guthrie’s music and how is still manages to connect many years since they were made. In the end, Bound for Glory is a remarkable film from Hal Ashby.

Hal Ashby Films: The Landlord - Harold and Maude - The Last Detail - Shampoo - Coming Home - Being There - Second-Hand Hearts - (Lookin’ to Get Out) - (Let’s Spend the Night Together) - (Solo Trans) - (The Slugger’s Wife) - 8 Million Ways to Die

© thevoid99 2012

Brokeback Mountain

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/8/06 w/ Additional Edits.

Throughout the world of gay cinema in independent films, the subject of homosexuality has been explored throughout whether in its anarchistic view of Gregg Araki, the Douglas Sirk setting of Todd Haynes, or to the elliptical, harrowing viewpoint of Gus Van Sant. By the mid-90s, independent films was definitely a great area to explore homosexuality as most films about gays have always been praised through the independent film community. Then in the mid-90s, the controversial cartoon show South Park commented in an episode about a Sundance film festival of sorts comes to South Park where Eric Cartman has complained that, "independent films are those black and white hippy movies. They're always about gay cowboys eating pudding." Well, years later since that infamous episode, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's take on independent films has finally come true. A movie about gay cowboys... who don't eat any pudding called Brokeback Mountain.

Based on a short story by Annie Proulx, Brokeback Mountain is a tale about two young men in the 1960s who work as ranchers as their feelings toward each other become something secretive. After years of separation and new wives, they would meet again for 20 years on as they come to term with their sexuality and feelings. Directed by acclaimed Taiwan director Ang Lee with a screenplay by Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain is more than a gay cowboy movie but something more about the exploration of love when homosexuality was taboo. Starring Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Anna Faris, Linda Cardellini, and Randy Quaid. Brokeback Mountain is a poignant, elegant drama from the prolific Ang Lee.

It's 1963 in Signal, Wyoming as two young men are looking for work at a ranch. A ranch boss named Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid) comes in and hire the two men to run the herd of sheep into the mountains. Joe takes Ennis del Mar (Heath Ledger) to lead the pack as he is joined by a Texas boy named Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) where the two ride through the wave of mountains. While Jack is more outgoing about his dream to be a rodeo champion, Ennis prefers to keep things to himself. Immediately, the two work and work throughout the day watching the sheep and camping out. While Ennis hopes to use the work to raise money so he can marry his girlfriend Alma (Michelle Williams), he finds himself having good company with Jack as they drink and eat deer. Then during one cold night after a moment of drinking,  Jack lets Ennis sleep in his tent where things get really comfortable.

At first, it becomes a denial stage but their growing feelings for each other gets stronger as Ennis begins to open up more about how he was raised by his siblings. During their job, Joe begins to look very suspicious about the closeness of Ennis and Jack as the two end their stint and the ranch. The time for them also ends as Jack hopes to see him again soon. One year later, Ennis marries Alma while Jack tries to return to Wyoming to meet Ennis for a ranching stint but is rejected while Ennis doesn't make it. Jack returns home to Texas where he catches the eye of rodeo princess Lureen Newsome (Anne Hathaway) as the two wed and raise a son. While Jack has a nice life in Texas, Ennis' life with Alma and their two daughters Alma Jr. and Jenny has its good and bad moments. Then one day, Ennis receives a letter from Jack as he asks to visit.

Jack drives up to Wyoming and meets Ennis for the first time in four years where Alma begins to see the two doing things that they're not supposed to do as fishing buddies. Through the years, Jack and Ennis would see each other and talk about their own lives at home during their trips to the mountains while coming home to their wives. The trips though proved to be more and more troubling in the years on as Ennis' family life goes into chaos while Jack's sexual tendencies starts to get to him as during another trip, their relationship becomes more troubling to hide.

While there have been many tales of homosexual romance and the tragic consequences, Brokeback Mountain is a film that handles the troubling circumstances in the most poignant way that doesn't carry the need for any explosive dramatics. Much of that credit goes to Ang Lee for his observant and restrained approach to directing the film since he allows more intimacy between the characters. Especially in how the film's story is told from the early 1960s to the early 80s where homosexuality was taboo. While the film doesn't break ground in the ideas of homosexuality in those times, especially in places like Texas and Wyoming. The film shows all the troubles that goes on in two men's attempt in maintaining a natural, loving relationship.

With a fantastic script by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurty, the film has a very interesting structure with the first act being these two young men meeting each other and falling in love while trying to claim in their words, "I ain't queer". The second act is where the film has a unique structure where it starts off the separate lives of Jack and Ennis and their relationships with their wives and children. The story moves back and forth to their own individual stories to the two coming together and talk about what's going on, especially a haunting story where Ennis reveals a thing he saw with his father. Then comes a very troubling third act where both men struggle with their sexuality and the different lives they lead outside of each other. Jack is more outgoing, content, and proud of who he is and where his life is as everything around him is great yet he wants more. He would wander off places and find things while Ennis' life is a lot harder and tougher since he keeps things to himself while trying to find something.

The direction by Ang Lee is exquisitely amazing since he aims for a natural feel and look to the film while his choice of locations are very inspiring, especially from those mountains where the film has an epic feel of sorts. Especially in its structure where he chooses to film an intimate moment without any music or everything else that's going on. Just a shot of these two men whenever they're talking or being silent. The ending of the film is pretty anti-climatic since the last shot just quiets everything down. It confirms the tragic nature of the film where the tragedy is the fact that despite these feelings for each other, Jack and Ennis couldn't be together because at that time, the idea of it is wrong. Especially in how Jack wants to and forget about what other people thinks yet "being queer" in places like Wyoming or in Texas  in those times will certainly get these men killed. Even by 201, in those areas despite the fact that people are more aware of homosexuality, homophobia still goes on today.

Helping Ang Lee in his epic vision is Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto who does amazing work in many of the film's exterior scenes from his shots of the mountains on day and night to the fields of the west. His cinematography truly captures the American heartland at its finest while doing wonderful work in many of the film's interior scenes. Production designer Judy Becker and art director Laura Ballinger do a great job in contrasting the worlds of Jack and Ennis were Jack's home life is clean with all the fine things Lureen's family have and the down-home world of Ennis. Especially in how Becker designs the home of Alma and Ennis where everything that is broken or missing is all over the place. Costume designer Marit Allen also does great work in the costumes for the men with their blue jeans and cowboy hats to the different style of clothing from the women. Editors Dylan Tichenor and Geraldine Peroni do great work in the film's editing with wonderful dissolve and fading cuts that helps the film move in its 134-minute pacing along with some wonderful sound work from Eugene Gerty for capturing the atmosphere of the mountains and fields.

The film's music which is done by composer Gustavo Santaolalla is wonderful subtle and melancholic with its mix of acoustic guitars, country textures, and orchestral arrangements that doesn't overplay the drama while adding tension to what is going on. It's one of the most memorable and poignant score pieces. The soundtrack which includes additional work from Marcelo Zarvos features cuts from the likes of Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Rufus Wainwright, Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette, and Steve Earle that plays to the film's world of the American heartland.

Finally, we have the film's superb cast that includes fine performances from Kate Mara, Cheyenne Hill, and Hannah Stewart as Ennis' eldest daughter Alma Jr. along with Sarah Hyslop and Brooklynn Proulx as the youngest daughter Jenny. Other performances from Graham Beckel and Mary Liboiron as Lureen' parents, Roberta Maxwell and Peter McRobbie as Jack's parents are all wonderful including David Harbour as a friend of Lureen. Anna Faris does a wonderful, scene-stealing performance as a talkative friend of Lureen named LaShawn who represents that upper class world that Jack lives in. Linda Cardellini is also great as Cassie Cartwright who tries to understand Ennis amidst the chaos of his life as she realizes how introverted he is. Randy Quaid is also great as the tough, conservative Joe Aguirre who sees things that he thinks is wrong as he does wonderful work in the film's early scenes.

While it's a small role in some sense, Anne Hathaway does wonderful work as Jack's wife Lureen with her fast-living, rich lifestyle who provides a nice sense of comfort and companionship Jack needed though she is unaware of who he really is. While her performance is not entirely great when she is forced to wear a wig, Hathaway manages to pull off a memorable and convincing performance of a woman unaware of everything while being devoted to her husband. The film's best performance truly goes to Michelle Williams as Alma. Williams pulls off all the emotional punches of a woman who is in shock at what she sees and her reaction is heartbreaking. Williams pulls off all the troubles of what she does since her character doesn't know what to think or what to do which leads to the chaos that her husband will have to go through. In her many scenes with real-life boyfriend Heath Ledger, the two have great chemistry together as Williams brings a career-making performance.

Finally, we have Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger who both bring the performances of their young career as the two protagonists trying to fall in love in a world that is very in those times. The chemistry of the two is very natural along with the tension they bring in their frustration over the outcome of their relationship when their characters get older. Jake Gyllenhaal has the more showy performance as the more extroverted Jack Twist since he likes to do crazy things and get into risky situations while at home in Texas, he lives that life while maintaining control. Including one scene about his son should be raised where he reveals who is boss. Gyllenhaal deserves a lot of credit for his performance. Heath Ledger is the more introverted and troubled performance as a man who doesn't talk much while being haunted by things around that he doesn't want to reveal. Ledger pulls off all the anger and strictness of a man who has a hard time dealing with himself while disconnecting himself from those around him including his wife and children. It's two great performances for those two young actors.

Brokeback Mountain is a brilliantly poignant and heartbreaking film from Ang Lee with a wonderful film team and a cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, and Michelle Williams. While the film isn't groundbreaking to the works of Gus Van Sant or Todd Haynes, it's still one of the best love stories ever told. While it's likely that this film will or already inspire parody and in some cases, controversy. It's a movie that reveals on how far humanity has gone in the feeling of love between two men. It's a movie that must not be missed on how tragic the world was when everything seemed wrong as Ang Lee creates another great film in Brokeback Mountain.

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

(C) thevoid99 2011

The Last Detail

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/15/09.

After two acclaimed feature films with 1970's The Landlord about a young rich white man becoming a landlord at an African-American community and 1971's Harold & Maude about a 20-year old heir finding life through a lively 78-year old woman. Hal Ashby was definitely a director on the rise. Yet, those two first films would later give Ashby the acclaim and reputation he would have in the years to come. In 1973, Ashby released a film that drew lots of controversy over its language based on a novel by Daryl Poniscan about two sailors accompanying a young man to prison entitled The Last Detail.

Directed by Hal Ashby with an adapted screenplay by Robert Towne, The Last Detail follows two sailors accompanying a much younger sailor to a Naval prison in Portsmouth. During the trip, the sailors deal with the injustice the young sailor is going through as they try to give the young man some freedom before having to ship him off to prison. With an all-star cast led by Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James, Carol Kane, Michael Moriarty, and Nancy Allen. The Last Detail is a harrowing yet comical film from the late, great Hal Ashby.

Billy "Badass" Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and "Mule" Mulhall (Otis Young) are called upon by their M.A.A. superior (Clifton James) to transport an 18-year old sailor named Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid) to the Portsmouth Naval Prison. Meadows is charged with stealing $40 from a box belong to the wife of a Naval Commandant where he will serve 8 years in prison. Buddusky and Mulhall are given shore patrol duty to accompany Meadows on a week trip to Portsmouth with stops to Washington D.C., Camden, New York City, and Boston. During this week-long trip, Buddusky and Mulhall noticed that Meadows is a shoplifter as he revealed that he never got the $40 he was meant to stole. After trying to run from them and later confessing he was a shoplifter, the men sympathize with Meadows realizing he's just a kid.

During a stop at D.C., the two men decide to give Meadows a last chance at some freedom before he goes to prison. During a stop at a bar, Buddusky wants to get Meadows some beer but instead threatens the bartender (Don McGovern) only to buy some beer later on. During that period of drunken beer, they talk about things as Buddusky asks Meadows if he ever got angry about anything. Realizing the kid has never confronted anyone, Buddusky shows him some lessons about confrontation. The next day, they stop to Camden to see Meadows' mother only to see that she's not there. Distraught, Meadows hides in the bathroom on the train after some harsh comments from Buddusky where Mulhall warns Buddusky about messing things up.

The trio stop in New York City where they get into a fight with some Marine guys, eat at a sandwich place, and encounter a Buddhist church meeting that Meadows is transfixed by. After doing some chanting, he meets a woman named Donna (Luana Anders) who heard him chanting as she invites the men to a party. The party left a lasting impression as they travel to Boston in hopes for Meadows to get laid, which he succeeds with a young hooker (Carol Kane). With the harsh realization of his final hours, Buddusky and Mulhall are aware that Meadows won't survive prison for eight years because he never really did anything wrong.

The film is a part-buddy comedy, part-road film, and part-social commentary about the military and its ideas of the law. The fact that an 18-year-old kid nearly stole $40 from a charity box from the Commandant's wife and gets 8 years for it seems rather ludicrous. Really, the kid should've gotten some a far lesser punishment like mopping the floor of base camps of something. What the film really is about is a journey of three men giving a young man a last dose of freedom before having to be sent to prison for 8 years where he'll be mistreated and abused by some hard-ass Marine grunts.

The screenplay by Robert Towne is truly phenomenal, particularly its hard-nosed, racy dialogue filled with dirty language in which the usage of the word "fuck" is used prominently. That's the kind of language and talk sailors use as they talk about bad stuff about the Marines and get into fights with them. The screenplay also has some great idea about character as Buddusky is the guy who takes charge of things, the wild one, and the mouthpiece for all that is bad. Then there's Meadows, an innocent kid who likes to steal things while being completely unaware about the real world. Holding it all together is Mule, the straight man to Buddusky as he reminds Buddusky of their duty while having the time to loosen up and speaking his mind on this motherfuckin' chickenshit detail.

The direction of Hal Ashby is superb in having a sense of movement as they travel from Norfolk all the way to Portsmouth. The rambunctiousness in the road trip aspect of the film has something that is unpredictable yet fun to watch. He lets the audience have a good time with these three Naval guys drinking beer, going into fights, and eating hot sausage sandwich. At the same time, he makes them aware that Buddusky and Mule have a duty to do and there's a real sadness to what would happen. Even though Meadows is given a chance to live a little, what he's facing is just wrong. Ashby's approach to the drama, even as he is doing through a constant sense of movement from a train and a bus. What happens in the end is that these two guys have to do their jobs as their Navy for life or else they'll be in trouble. The overall approach to Ashby's direction is truly masterfully as he is providing a sense of observation and study into the themes and individual that play out through this film.

Helping Ashby in his vision is cinematographer Michael Chapman whose hand-held, loose camera work really gives the film a style that works to Ashby's improvisational approach. Some of the exteriors including the scenes in snowy Boston are beautiful while he goes very deep into some of the dramatic action that goes on. The interior work is wonderfully lit as it plays up to the intimate scenes as well as some moments of humor and drama. Editor Robert C. Jones does great work in the film's stylish editing with the use of dissolve transitions and jump-cuts to give the film a rhythmic feel as it works to keep the leisurely pace going.

Production designer Michael D. Haller does fine work in the look of the hotels, church, and the brothel that the three men encounter as it's done with a sense of realism and style. Costume designer Theodore R. Parvin does excellent work in the look of the Naval suits that the three men wear in its detail from the hats and coat buttons. The sound work by Tom Overton and sound editor Sharron Miller do some very good work with the sound capturing the shakiness of the trains and the raucous atmosphere of the cities and train stops. Music composer Johnny Mandel brings a delightful score filled with melodic woodwinds and some themes revolving around a cadence-like drum fill.

The casting by Lynn Stalmaster is phenomenal as it features some early appearances from Gilda Radner as a Buddhist church goer, Nancy Allen as a partygoer, Carol Kane as a hooker, and Michael Moriarty as a Marine officer. Cameos from cinematographer Michael Chapman as a cab driver and director Hal Ashby as a man in a bar along with small roles from Don McGovern as a bartender, Luana Anders as another Buddhist church goer that Meadows encounter, and Clifton James as a Naval superior are also great. The late Otis Young is great as "Mule" Mulhall, the Naval seaman who is one of the patrol officers who is essentially the conscience and straight man of the story. Young's performance is definitely laid back while being the kind of guy you don't want to mess with as he even gets to spew out some harsh things about the detail.

In one of his early film roles, Randy Quaid, who got the part from a young John Travolta at the last minute, delivers a brilliant performance as Larry Meadows. A troubled 18-year-old who has a penchant for stealing things though it's really for things that are childish. Showing some innocence to his performance, Quaid really sells the troubled personality of the young man as it's definitely one of his great performances from the revered character actor. Finally, there's Jack Nicholson in what is truly one of the best roles of his career. Nicholson's exuberant, energetic, and exhilarating personality filled with angst and saucy language is Nicholson at his finest. At the same time, underneath his fiery personality is a man who clearly shows sympathy for the troubled Meadows as he realizes the injustice of it. While the film has Nicholson being the wild, crazy guy he's known for, there's also some depth into the character as he's just a man dealing with the injustice of the military.

Released in December of 1973, after months of delay by Columbia Pictures over the film's excessive use of profanity. The film received some critical attention while nabbing 3 Oscar nominations for Robert Towne for Adapted Screenplay, Randy Quaid for Best Supporting Actor, and Jack Nicholson for Best Actor. Though it wasn't a commercial success, the film did prove to be a big hit at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival where Nicholson won Best Actor that year. Later that year, Nicholson won Best Actor at the British Academy Awards, which he tied himself for his other performance in Roman Polanski's Chinatown. The film's acclaim and accolades helped Ashby's reputation as the film became a seminal classic in the years to come.

In 2006, acclaimed indie director Richard Linklater expressed interest in adapting a sequel to The Last Detail called Last Flag Flying. In the adaptation, Larry Meadows reunites with Buddusky, now a bar owner, after Meadows' own son was killed in the Iraq War. While Randy Quaid had expressed interest in playing the character again after being sent a script by Linklater, he said he would do it if Jack Nicholson was on board. Though Otis Young passed away in 2001, there were rumors that Morgan Freeman would play the role if the film would ever happen.

The Last Detail is a raunchy, funny, and harrowing comedy-drama from Hal Ashby and screenwriter Robert Towne. Led by the great performances of Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid, and the late Otis Young, it's a film that is still in-your-face and entertaining as it's filled with laughs and some profound things about the injustice of military laws. For audiences new to Hal Ashby, this is one of his essential films among his prolific period in the 1970s. Audiences who wanted to see why Jack Nicholson is so revered should see this as one of his finest performances to date. In the end, The Last Detail is a superb, chaotic, and enriching film from the late, great Hal Ashby.

Hal Ashby Films: The Landlord - Harold & Maude - Shampoo - Bound for Glory - Coming Home - Being There - Second-Hand Hearts - (Lookin' to Get Out) - (Let's Spend the Night Together) - (Solo Trans) - (The Slugger's Wife) - 8 Million Ways to Die

© thevoid99 2010