Iron Man 3

Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby and from the Extremis story arc by Warren Ellis, Iron Man 3 is the third installment of the Iron Man story in which Tony Stark faces with a new, mysterious enemy who is eager to wreak havoc into Stark’s life. Directed by Shane Black and screenplay by Black and Drew Pearce, the film picks up where The Avengers left off as Stark must deal with his role as Iron Man as he’s once again played by Robert Downey Jr. Also starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, James Badge Dale, Ty Simpkins, Jon Favreau, and Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin. Iron Man 3 is a thrilling and adventurous film from Shane Black.

The film revolves around Tony Stark battling an unknown enemy known as the Mandarin who is wreaking havoc on the world as he’s targeting the U.S. President (William Sadler). Yet, things become more complicated as Stark is dealing with anxiety issues relating to the events in The Avengers as he starts to alienate people close to him. Meanwhile, Stark is also dealing with the presence of Adrian Killich (Guy Pearce), who has been known for creating a virus that can help regenerate body parts, as he wants to go after Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to get Starks to help fund his work. It’s all part of a world in which Stark becomes overwhelmed as he has no idea what to do while eventually realizing that he’ll need to do things to help those he care for.

The screenplay by Shane Black and Drew Pearce explores not just Stark’s anxieties as well as his obsession to perfect the Iron Man suits he wears but also to use it so he can protect Pepper. Yet, he’s also dealing with the sins of the past as it relates to Killich who made an offer to Stark back in New Year’s Eve 1999 only to reject the offer while on that same night, he had a one-night stand with a botanist named Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) who would be one of the people that would create the Extremis virus. These sins would come back to haunt him as Stark tried to target the Mandarin in which one of his bombs put his former bodyguard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) into a coma. All of these incidents and the presence of the mysterious Mandarin would cause a lot of issues for Stark as he finds refuge in a small Tennessee town where he befriends a boy named Harley (Ty Simpkins) who would help Stark get back on his feet.

The script allows the Tony Stark character to not just face his demons and flaws but also face more brushes with death as he finally comes to the conclusion that he’s not just invisible. It’s not just Stark that is given a great character arc as the script also pays attention to Pepper Potts who grows into a much stronger woman who can put on an Iron Man suit and be helpful. There’s also a bit of buddy-comedy elements when it comes to Stark and his friend Colonel James Rhodes aka the Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle) who would later help Stark out in battling the Mandarin. Upon Starks’ eventual confrontation with the Mandarin, it becomes much more complex than it actually seems as it relates more to Killich’s work with the Extremis virus.

Black’s direction is quite typical of what is expected in an action blockbuster but Black does things to make it so much more. Notably as he creates scenes that are fun and full of humor while keeping the action thrilling as well as have some meaning. Black does create some unique shots that are simple including the scenes involving Starks and Potts while opening the film with this very humorous New Year’s Eve party in Switzerland that would set the tone for the entire film as it’s narrated by Stark. Many of the compositions are simple while the humor has the right note of just being unexpected but also natural where there is that sense of improvisation. Overall, Black creates a very solid and enjoyable action-blockbuster that manages to do a lot more than what is expected in its genre.

Cinematographer John Toll does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it‘s mostly naturalistic in some of its exteriors while using some more stylish lights for the scenes at night. Editors Jeffrey Ford and Peter S. Elliot do terrific work with the editing to create some rhythmic cut for the action scenes as well as a few montages for the flashback scenes. Production designer Bill Brzeski, along with set decorator Danielle Berman and supervising art director Desma Murphy, does amazing work with some of the set pieces such as the Stark mansion and the places set in Tennessee and Miami. Costume designer Louise Frogley does nice work with the costumes as it’s mostly casual with the exception of the Iron Man suits.

Visual effects supervisors Mark Bakowski, Erik Nash, Saravanan Stalin, and Christopher Townshend do brilliant work with the visual effects from the scenes of Iron Man flying in the air to some of the intense action scenes. Sound designer Ann Scibelli and sound editor Mark P. Stoeckinger do wonderful work with the sound from the layer of sound effects is used to some of the intimate moments in the mixing such as a bar scene where Stark gets information about the Extremis virus. The film’s music by Brian Tyler is very good as it‘s filled with bombastic orchestral music to play out its actions while music supervisor Dave Jordan brings in a few late 90s pop songs for the 1999 opening sequence as well as some funk music.

The casting by Sarah Finn is amazing as it features a massive collection of actors as it includes appearances from Miguel Ferrer as the vice president, Ashley Hamilton as an Extremis soldier, Shaun Toub reprising his role as Yinsen from the first film in the 1999 party scene, Paul Bettany as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S., and Stan Lee as a beauty pageant judge. Other notable small roles include James Badge Dale and Stephanie Szostak as a couple of vicious Extremis soldiers, Jon Favreau as Stark Industries security officer Happy Hogan, and Ty Simpkins as the boy Harley who helps out Stark in repairing the Iron Man Mk 42 suit. William Sadler is terrific as the American President as someone who is threatened by the Mandarin as he tries to maintain some sense of order. Rebecca Hall is wonderful as Extremis co-creator Maya Hansen as a botanist who had good intentions for the virus only to go into conflict of her own about working for Killian.

Ben Kingsley is great as the Mandarin as a mastermind terrorist who creates mysterious videos with great intimidation as Kingsley brings a lot of chew-scenery to his performance as the Mandarin. Guy Pearce is excellent as Aldrich Killian as a businessman who has a grudge towards Tony Stark as he uses the Extremis virus to become something that is very menacing. Don Cheadle is superb as Col. James Rhodes as a man who is concerned for Tony Stark while dealing with his new role as Iron Patriot as he would deal with the Extremis forces.

Gwyneth Paltrow is brilliant as Pepper Potts as she goes from someone who is dealing with Stark’s anxieties to being a woman that got tired of being pushed around as Potts finally gets to kick some major ass. Finally, there’s Robert Downey Jr. in a marvelous performance as Tony Stark/Iron Man as someone struggling with his role as well as with his own demons as Downey just adds more layers to the characters as someone who is flawed and vulnerable as well as finding a way to get back up.

Iron Man 3 is a remarkable film from Shane Black that features another winning performance from Robert Downey Jr. Thanks to a fantastic script and a brilliant supporting cast, the film is definitely a major improvement over its predecessor while being something more than just a typical blockbuster film. It’s also a film that has something for everyone while not wanting to take itself too seriously. In the end, Iron Man 3 is an excellent film from Shane Black.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One Films: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers (2012 film)

Marvel Phase Two Films: Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant Man

Marvel Phase Three Films: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man & the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Captain Marvel - Spider-Man: Far from Home

Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Eternals – Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)

Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)

Related: MCU is Cinema: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 – Pt. 4 – (Part 5) – (Part 6) – (Part 7) - The MCU: 10 Reasons Why It Rules the World

Shane Black Films: (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) - The Nice Guys - (The Predator (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2013

The Town (2010 film)

Based on Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves, The Town is the story of a bank robber who meets and falls for a bank manager whose bank was robbed as he and his gang is being pursued by authorities. Directed and starring Ben Affleck and screenplay by Affleck, Peter Craig, and Aaron Stockard, the film is a bank robbery drama that is filled with elements of the caper genre as Affleck sets the film in his native Boston. Also starring Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Jon Hamm, Pete Postlethwaite, Slaine, Owen Burke, Titus Welliver, and Chris Cooper. The Town is a masterfully-crafted and thrilling heist drama from Ben Affleck.

After a robbery in Charlestown near Boston where a bank manager named Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) was taken hostage for the duration as the event left her traumatized. Later interrogated by FBI agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm), Claire talks about what she can remember as Frawley wants to lead the investigation over the robbery. Meanwhile, Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), Jem Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), Gloansy Magloan (Slaine) and Dez Elden (Owen Burke) go over the take as they believe that Claire has talked to the FBI. While Jem wants to get rid of her, Doug decides to do the job where he would later meet her as he starts to get to know her without wanting to do anything.

With Frawley and his partner Dino Ciampa (Titus Welliver) making theories about the robbery that they believe is connected to reputed crime boss Fergie Colm (Pete Postlethwaite), they start to target Doug and his team since Doug’s father Stephen (Chris Cooper) is already serving a life sentence. Doug and Claire’s relationship starts to grow after Doug told a very personal story about how his mother left him when he was six though Jem remains suspicious about what Doug is doing. Still, Doug’s time with Claire gives him enough reasons to want to leave the life of crime after another heist that nearly goes bad. Frawley’s investigation has Doug, Jem, Gloansy, and Dez being interrogated by Frawley and his men about the recent robberies.

Though there wasn’t enough evidence to incriminate them, Frawley still decides to pursue them after learning that Doug is dating Claire as he decides to go after by revealing to her the truth. With Doug wanting to leave Charlestown and Boston as he tells Jem, Jem doesn’t like the idea as he reveals that Fergie wants them to do a job. Doug says no as he decides to tell Fergie himself only to realize that he’ll have to as Fergie decides to target Claire. With Doug deciding to do the job and tell Claire who he is and what he needs to do, Frawley decides to find out what will happen next as he targets Jem’s younger sister Krista (Blake Lively) for information on the job.

The film is a heist drama where a bank robber who was the son of a bank robber decides to give up the life of crime after falling for the bank manager he had taken hostage in a previous heist. Wanting to leave this life that he knew as it was passed down from his incarcerated father, he is forced to deal with loyal friends, a FBI agent, and a crime boss whose power reaches beyond the city of Boston that can put this man in check. The screenplay that Ben Affleck, Peter Craig, and Aaron Stockard create is brilliant for the way the heists are set-up and how everyone tries to do everything else afterwards while leading normal lives in their downtime. While there’s different narratives that would follow the actions of Doug and Frawley, the latter of which is trying to capture lead the hunt for Doug and crew.

Both men are presented in different ways where Doug is a criminal that does bad things but wants to try and keep things low key as he later decides to leave the life of crime. Frawley is just a guy that is just doing his job though he will do things to get answers that seem questionable although he’s not really a bad guy. Other characters like Jem and Claire are just as complex as Jem is just a criminal that wants to do what he feels is right and doing it carefully so he wouldn’t have to go back to prison after serving nine years for killing someone. Claire is also interesting because she is just this traumatized woman who doesn’t reveal everything in her interrogation as she befriends this guy while wanting to get her life back in order. The one character that doesn’t really work is Jem’s sister Krista since she’s only there as a plot device late in the film as it’s the one character that is badly underwritten.

Ben Affleck’s direction is definitely engaging for the way the heist scenes is played out while it’s the set-up and planning that is just as interesting. Shot on location in Boston, the film opens up with quotes about the world of Charlestown and its history of crime as it then goes into this amazing heist that moves a bit fast but also slows down to maintain the tension that occurs. While Affleck manages to keep things exciting and thrilling in these heist scenes with car chases and shootouts along with more low-key moments. He also balances it out with understated dramatic moments where it is about this man trying to help out this woman he had robbed without her knowing what he did.

With simple medium compositions and some camera movements to play out the drama. Affleck is able to keep the dramatic moments simple with bits of humor while also creating tension for scenes when Doug has to deal with Jem, Frawley, and Fergie in different situations. Notably as it would involve revelations that would add to Doug’s own understanding about his mother’s disappearance and why his father went to prison. Overall, Affleck creates a very smart and mesmerizing heist-drama that does a lot for what is expected in the genre and more.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit does a brilliant job with the film‘s photography filled with blue and green colors to exemplify the look of Boston with a bit of dark textures for some of the film‘s nighttime interior settings. Editor Dylan Tichenor does excellent work with the editing to play up the energy of the chase scenes while slowing things down for the film‘s tense heist scenes with its methodical pacing. Production designer Sharon Seymour, with set decorator Maggie Martin and art director Peter Borck, does terrific work with the set pieces for the film such as the banks and homes of the characters while a lot of the locations are actual sets including the climatic heist at Fenway Park.

Costume designer Susan Matheson does very good work with the costumes such as the masks Doug and the gang wear in the heists to more casual clothing for the rest of the characters. Sound editors Aaron Glascock and Curt Schulkey do amazing work with the sound work to capture the tense atmosphere of the climatic Fenway Park heist to the chaos of the chase with screeching tires and police sirens. The film’s score by Harry Gregson-Williams and David Buckley is wonderful for its bombastic and energetic orchestral score for some of the film‘s heist scenes along with more low-key piano-driven pieces to play up some of the drama in the film.

The casting by Lora Kennedy is superb for the ensemble that is created as it includes small appearances Dennis McLaughlin as Fergie’s henchman Rusty, Titus Welliver as Frawley’s partner Ciampa, Victor Garber as a bank manager in the opening heist scene, and Chris Cooper in a small but memorable role as Doug’s incarcerated father Stephen. Other notable small roles include Slaine and Owen Burke in their respective roles as robbers Gloansy and Dez while Pete Postlethwaite is great as the very chilling crime boss Fergie. Blake Lively is pretty unremarkable as the very underwritten role of Doug’s ex-girlfriend/Jem’s sister Krista as she is often seen drunk and desperate as it’s just a very bad performance.

Jon Hamm is incredible as the cunning FBI agent Frawley who is willing to go to great lengths to capture Doug and Jem while is willing to do things that are questionable though effective. Jeremy Renner is brilliant as Doug’s best friend Jem who is this aggressive robber that isn’t afraid to do what is needed as he tries to understand why Doug wants out as it’s one of Renner’s best performances. Rebecca Hall is phenomenal as Claire who tries to deal with the trauma of being robbed as she finds comfort in Doug’s presence only to be more troubled by who he really is. Ben Affleck is excellent as lead bank robber Doug who tries to come to terms with his criminal life as he seeks a way out while dealing with all of the consequences as he tries to redeem himself.

The Town is a rich and engaging heist-drama from Ben Affleck that features a terrific ensemble that includes Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, and Jon Hamm. Fans of heist films will definitely enjoy the film for the way the heist is played out and set-up along with the tension that occurs. Notably as Affleck creates a film that doesn’t stray into conventions and keep things simple with its drama and suspense. In the end, The Town is a remarkable film from Ben Affleck.

Ben Affleck Films: (Gone Baby Gone) - Argo - (Live by Night) - Air (2023)

© thevoid99 2012

Please Give

Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, Please Give is the story about a couple and their daughter dealing with an aging neighbor as they befriend the woman‘s adult granddaughters. Meanwhile, one of the granddaughters try to deal with her lonely life as she starts dating while her grandmother’s neighbor tries to help out any way she can over her worry with the state of the world. Starring Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Ann Guilbert, Sarah Steele, Amanda Peet, and Rebecca Hall. Please Give is a clever yet intriguing film from Nicole Holofcener.

Kate (Catherine Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) are vintage furniture sellers who have a teenage daughter named Abby (Sarah Steele) who is going through her own growing pains. Living next door is an aging, cranky neighbor named Andra (Ann Guilbert) who is about to turn 91 as she is often cared by her kind yet lonely granddaughter Rebecca (Rebecca Hall). Kate often bumps into Rebecca as they would often have conversations as Rebecca is a radiology technician for breast cancer while her older sister Mary (Amanda Peet) is a cosmetologist. When Kate and Alex invite Andra, Rebecca, and Mary for Andra’s birthday dinner, Kate and Alex reluctantly reveal what they will do to Andra’s apartment when she passes away which doesn’t surprise the more cynical Mary.

With Kate worried about her daughter’s desire to purchase expensive jeans, she wants to help out those who really need things as she often gives money to the homeless and try to volunteer to help out other people. Alex meanwhile, becomes interested in Mary as he goes to her spa for a facial where flirtation ensues with the two. While helping out a patient named Mrs. Portman (Lois Smith), Rebecca meets her patient’s grandson Eugene (Thomas Ian Nicholas) as the two go out where she takes Andra and Mrs. Portman on a ride to the Catskills Mountains. Kate learns that some of the furniture she bought and sold is being sold once again by another competitor which only adds to her anxieties about the state of the world. With Abby more worried about her face and trying to fit in, Alex becomes upset over Kate’s issues while Mary starts to not help Rebecca in caring for Andra leading to a very drastic moment for all involved.

The film is about a group of people dealing with themselves as an old, cranky woman is about to likely to die as her neighbors want her apartment so they can expand their own. While the neighbors don’t want to do anything to hurt anyone, it does leave one of her granddaughters relieved about the whole other while the other is saddened by that prospect. For these four adults and a teenager, they’re all trying to deal with their own place in the world as characters like Kate and Rebecca are two women that really mean well in their generosity. Though it would often backfire for Kate who does upset Abby over the idea of giving away money. Rebecca is a bit more cautious as she has a hard time leading a normal life as she is devoted to taking care of her grandmother until she actually meets someone who is actually a nice guy.

While Alex, Abby, and Mary aren’t entirely selfish people despite their desires for wanting certain things. Alex is just trying to run a store while becomes fascinated by the idea of spa facials where he would have this flirtatious relationship with Mary. Mary likes this relationship although she is having her own issues over by often going to this clothing store and not buy anything. Mary may be the most un-likeable character of the entire film but Nicole Holofcener doesn’t portray her to be that overly-selfish as she does try to help Abby out with her facial breakouts. The script does have a lot of witty dialogue and humor as well as some captivating drama that occurs quite often. The only flaw with it is that it’s uneven due to the fact that there’s a lot of characters involved in their own worlds which doesn’t make the story as tight as it could’ve been.

Holofcener’s direction is quite understated and straightforward in the way she shoots conversations and scenes where characters are walking around the streets of New York City. Yet, the film starts off with these shots of women getting their breasts examined as it’s Holofcener making the audience uncomfortable by what she’s showing. It’s part of her strange yet quirky sense of humor as it revels in the theme of aging that Holofcener does touch on throughout the film. One of Holofcener’s gifts as a filmmaker is the way she directs actors where she can get them to relax and emote in certain ways. Even as she is shooting them on a sidewalk or in a room as she captures the energy of these conversations or allow them to react to their moments in a silent manner. Overall, Holofcener creates an engrossing yet humorous film about people and their willingness to try and be good.

Cinematographer Yaron Orbach does a nice job with the film‘s photography from the colorful daytime look exterior and interior settings to the look of Rebecca and Mary‘s home at night. Editor Robert Frazen does an excellent job with the film‘s editing by utilizing straight yet rhythmic cuts to play with the film‘s humor while maintaining a leisured pace for the film. Production designer Mark White, with art director Lauren Fitzsimmons and set decorators Kim Chapman and Kris Moran, does a brilliant job with the set pieces created from the homes of the characters to the furniture that Kate and Alex are selling in their shop.

Costume designer Ane Crabtree does a wonderful job with the costumes from the casual clothes most of the cast wear to the more stylish look of Mary and Abby. Visual effects supervisor Mark Russell does a good job in recreating some of the exterior of the mountains that Rebecca, Andra, Mrs. Portman, and Eugene go to see. Sound editor Lora Hirschberg does a fine job with the sound work from the exterior settings of the city to some of the intimate moments in some of the interior scenes in the film. The film’s folk-jazz score by Marcelo Zarvos is superb for underplaying the drama and humor of the film.

The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is brilliant for the ensemble that is created along with a slew of appearances from well-known actors such as Scott Cohen as Rebecca’s boss, Kevin Corrigan and Elizabeth Berridge as a couple of furniture sellers, Thomas Ian Nicholas as the very kind Eugene, and Lois Smith as Eugene’s lively grandmother Mrs. Portman. Ann Guilbert is great as the cranky Andra who always spout inappropriate lines about food and everything else while dealing with her old age. Sarah Steele is terrific as the 15-year old Abby who is obsessed with wanting expensive jeans while dealing with her own growing pains and her mother’s obsession with helping people out. Amanda Peet is excellent as the cynical Mary who doesn’t really like her grandmother and always say mean things while befriending Alex over their love of facial spa work.

Oliver Platt is wonderful as the calm yet curious Alex who is interested in Mary’s work while trying to deal with Kate’s own obsession with helping people as well as his furniture business. Rebecca Hall is amazing as the kind and helpful Rebecca who tries to deal with her grandmother as well as her own lonely life as she seeks to find love. Finally, there’s Catherine Keener in a fantastic performance as the well-meaning Kate who tries to deal with her business as well was wanting to make the world a better place. It’s a performance where Keener endures humility as well as the fact that she’s a mess because she can’t fix everything around her as it’s one of Keener’s top performances.

Please Give is a stellar and heartwarming film from Nicole Holofcener. Featuring a remarkable ensemble cast led by Catherine Keener, it’s a film that explores people trying to figure themselves out while helping out those they feel are in need of help. While it doesn’t have a much more concise narrative than Holofcener’s previous films. Holofcener makes up for it by creating real characters that audiences can relate to. In the end, Please Give is a charming film from Nicole Holofcener.

Nicole Holofcener Films: Walking and Talking - Lovely & Amazing - Friends with Money - Enough Said - The Auteurs #22: Nicole Holofcener

© thevoid99 2012

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 8/17/08 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Woody Allen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona tells the story of two women named Vicky and Cristina as they take a vacation in Barcelona before Vicky is to be married. The two women meet an artist named Juan Antonio as Cristina embarks an affair with him while Vicky also falls for him. Yet, the affair becomes troubling when Juan Antonio's volatile ex-wife Maria Elena shows up as everything becomes complicated. The film is Allen paying tribute to Spain and all of its beauty. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, Kevin Dunn, Chris Messina, and Patricia Clarkson. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a witty, sexy, sensational comedy-drama from Woody Allen and company.

Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) are on a summer vacation in Barcelona as Vicky is set to be married to a man named Doug (Chris Messina) while finishing her thesis on Catalonia culture. Cristina meanwhile, is interested in having a good time as the two girls live with friends of Vicky's parents in Judy (Patricia Clarkson) and her husband Mark (Kevin Dunn). The two young women explore the city of Barcelona where during an art gallery, they meet Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) as they meet him again at a restaurant where he invites them to a small town called Oviedo for a good time. The free-spirited Cristina is excited though the more conservative Vicky is unsure as she reluctantly joins along to keep Cristina company.

The trio have a good time in Oviedo as during a night of drinking, Juan Antonio wants to sleep with them as Vicky refuses but Cristina wants to be seduced by the artist. Instead, Cristina gets sick as Vicky goes sightseeing with Juan Antonio as an attraction starts leading to the two making love. Vicky chose to keep the affair quiet on their return to Barcelona where Doug makes an announcement that he wants to marry Vicky in Barcelona. Doug arrives to Barcelona from New York as he and Vicky get married while Juan Antonio begins an affair with Cristina. Just as Juan Antonio's affair with Cristina blossoms, he gets news that his volatile ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) has attempted suicide as he brought her to his home so she can recover for a few months.

Cristina learns of Maria Elena's volatile behavior that's often melodramatic as Juan Antonio's ex-wife is skeptical about Cristina's intentions for Juan Antonio. While Juan Antonio admits to still be in love with Maria Elena, he also loves Cristina as the trio try to make a threesome where Maria Elena helps Cristina's artistic pursuits in photography. The affair begins to go well while Vicky's marriage life isn't what Vicky had expected to be. Even as she learns that Judy is unhappy in her own marriage to Mark. With the summer coming to an end, Cristina ponders her own role in the affair as well as her own identity while Vicky ponders her own feelings for Juan Antonio. Yet, the old tension between Maria Elena and Juan Antonio starts to rise again with the summer ending.

Changing locations from London to Barcelona, Woody Allen explores the world of sex and Spanish culture in this story of a bizarre yet passionate love affair revolving around two American women and a Spanish couple. What the film is really about is love and all of its anxieties. Vicky is a traditionalist who is not about risk until an affair with Juan Antonio makes her question about her feelings for Juan Antonio and her marriage to Doug. Cristina is a free-spirit who often goes from one phase to another as her threesome with Juan Antonio and Maria Elena makes her question whether she does have limits. Then there's Juan Antonio and Maria Elena, two passionate artists and lovers who are meant and not meant for each other as Juan Antonio is charming and lively while Maria Elena is more chaotic and skeptical.

While Allen creates great situations and characters for the story, he also uses a voice-over narration device by Christopher Evan Welch that does advance the plot but at times, it is very nagging and distracting. It's the one part of the film that works and doesn't work though a better approach for Allen is if he used the narration in Spanish. Allen's direction is very potent with great shots and locations for Barcelona in all of its glory. Notably the structures and artwork of Gaudi as Allen takes a tourist approach of sorts into exploring Barcelona.

A lot of Allen's camera work with close-ups, hand-held shots, and lots of unique compositions is wonderful as despite a few things that don't work. There's also shots and scenes where Allen once again pays tributes to one of his favorite directors. This time, it's Francois Truffaut and his classic 1961 film Jules & Jim in relation to the love-triangle of Cristina, Juan Antonio, and Maria Elena. The result of what Woody Allen does is prove that despite some of his recent misses, he’s still got some magic left in him.

Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe does an excellent job with the film's cinematography with colorful shots of the Spanish countryside with wonderful exterior shots of Barcelona. The interior shots are wonderfully lit to convey the Spanish look as Aguirresarobe's work is truly wonderful. Longtime editor Alisa Lepselter does excellent work in the editing that is very stylized with jump-cuts and freeze frames to convey Cristina's picture taking, notably of the Maria Elena character. Production designer Alain Bainee and art director Inigo Navarro do great work in the posh look of Judy's home while the more homely, artsy look of Juan Antonio's home is great with paintings and such.

Costume designer Sonia Grande does an excellent job in the costumes to help convey the city's colorful look with slender, contemporary clothing to match with the city's vibrancy. Sound editor Robert Hein does fine work in the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the town and one notable scene that’s very dramatic involving Maria Elena. The music is mostly driven by Spanish guitar ballads and a song about Barcelona for the opening and closing credits.

The casting by Patricia Kerrigan DiCerto and Juliet Taylor is superb for the most part with small yet memorable performances from the likes of Zak Orth and Carrie Preston as friends of Doug, Pablo Schreiber as a classmate of Vicky, and Josep Maria Domenech as Juan Antonio's father, who has some memorable one-liners. Chris Messina is good and funny as Vicky's dull yet snotty husband Doug while noted character actor Kevin Dunn is also good as Judy's husband Mark. Patricia Clarkson is excellent in her small yet memorable role as Judy, a woman dealing with the state of her marriage as she watch Vicky being unhappy in her marriage. Clarkson's performance is one that should be noted as the veteran actress once again stands out among her cast, not matter how small the role is.

Though the character of Cristina is an interesting one, Scarlett Johansson's performance doesn't exactly deliver. While Johansson's sexiness is key to the character, it's one audiences have seen before and the results is very bland. While blame can go to Allen for not really doing anything new with her, Johansson takes most of the fault for the fact that she plays the character one note where she is often being out-acted by her fellow actors. Johansson's co-star from The Prestige in Rebecca Hall is remarkable as Vicky. The British actress is playing the Woody Allen character as a neurotic traditionalist who finds herself falling in love with Juan Antonio as she ponders about the risks she takes. Yet, there's a sadness to Hall's performance as she plays a woman confused about her role and yearning for happiness.

Javier Bardem is great as the seductive charmer Juan Antonio as Bardem's subtle yet mesmerizing performance is one of his finest roles. A complete opposite to his chilling performance as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, Bardem plays a lively romantic who wants to give Vicky and Cristina a good time while dealing with his volatile ex-wife Maria Elena. The film's best and certainly the most unforgettable performance is Penelope Cruz as Maria Elena. Cruz's performance can be described as a firecracker where audiences don’t know what Cruz will do as she delves into melodrama while often having mean looks towards Johansson. Cruz's presence is also great where the camera obviously loves her while her scenes with Bardem are brilliant as the two have amazing chemistry. Though it's no surprise that they've worked together in a couple of films while are rumored to be dating at the moment.

While it doesn't match the heights of recent films like Melinda & Melinda and Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is still a witty, entertaining film from Woody Allen. With superb work from Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, and Patricia Clarkson along with the beautiful location of Barcelona. While fans, old and new, might enjoy Allen's witty tale of love and all of its anxieties, the film does prove that Woody Allen still has some interesting stories left to tell. At the same time, it should be best that Woody Allen and Scarlett Johansson should part ways for good since it's doing neither for them. In the end, for a film with beautiful locations and stellar performances from some of the film's cast. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a film worth seeking proving that Woody Allen still has it.

Woody Allen Films: What's Up, Tiger Lily? - Take the Money & Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love & Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah and Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories-Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows & Fog - Husbands & Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don't Drink the Water - Bullets Over Broadway - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra's Dream - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)

The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011

Red Riding: 1974

Based on David Peace’s novel Red Riding Quartet, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 tells the story of a young reporter trying to uncover the mystery of missing girls supposedly committed by the Yorkshire Ripper. Along the way, the reporter has an affair with a widow while learning about the corruption in the police force. Directed by Julian Jarrod with an adapted screenplay by Tony Grisoni, it is the first of a three-part trilogy chronicling the Yorkshire Ripper murders. Starring Andrew Garfield, Sean Bean, Anthony Flanagan, Sean Harris, Eddie Marsan, Rebecca Hall, and David Morrissey. Red Riding 1974 is a haunting yet mesmerizing thriller from Julian Jarrod.

Eddie Dunford (Andrew Garfield) is a young journalist for the Yorkshire Post as he’s been asked to do some work about a recent murder of a young girl by the Yorkshire Ripper. With help from his friend and fellow journalist Barry Gannon (Anthony Flanagan), Dunford asks about the murders as he wonders why the police aren’t cooperating. After turning to another journalist in Jack Whitehead (Eddie Marsan) for more resources, he asks one of the victims’ parents in Paula Garland (Rebecca Hall) about her daughter as she is upset when he mentions her late husband.

Realizing that her husband had already died of a suicide, he gets more help from Gannon in the research against the wishes of their editor (John Henshaw). Seeing Paula again at a pub, the two talk as he asks if she called the two policeman (Sean Harris and Tony Mooney) who assaulted him. She admitted that she did but didn’t realize he didn’t mean to hurt her as an affair ensues. Eddie then learns some horrifying news as he meets John Dawson (Sean Bean), a business magnate set in creating a shopping center in the town. After getting some evidence from a male prostitute (Robert Sheehan), Eddie sees a link between Dawson and the police thinking there is something going on.

After being suspended, Eddie believes that Whitehead is working with the police as he also learns that Paula has been sleeping with Dawson because he always gets his way. Eddie suddenly realizes he’s a target for the police as he turns to a local cop (Steven Robertson) for help by giving him evidence in case something goes wrong. What happens is a harsh discovery for Eddie about the Yorkshire police and the cover-ups that is happening.

The film is about a young journalist’s attempt to report the Yorkshire Ripper murders as he ends up seeing a corruption within the police as people are missing and he becomes a target. Tony Grisoni’s screenplay is an intriguing story about a man trying to uncover a mystery while risking his journalist integrity by having an affair with a widow whose child was missing two years earlier. What happens is that Eddie Dunford goes way into deep as it involves his own newspaper, the local police, and a local businessman all trying to have Eddie to keep his mouth shut. Instead, Eddie is a character that is motivated in not just doing the right thing but help a woman who lost her child.

Julian Jarrod’s direction is very entrancing in its stylish approach as it’s shot with 16mm cameras for a 1:85:1 widescreen aspect ratio to create a gritty look. Jarrod’s direction is filled with wonderful compositions and eerie scenes of cars driving at night to create a haunting feel for the film. Jarrod’s direction also has some surreal moments such as Eddie’s trip to a damp yet dreary place where homeless people live to the city of Yorkshire itself. Jarrod’s direction is truly a highlight of the film for creating a dark mood and enhance the world of the powerful and the poor.

Cinematographer Rob Hardy does a great job with the film‘s stylish photography from the gritty yet dream-like look. For many of the daytime scenes interior and exterior, there‘s a colorless yet grimy look to display the world that is Yorkshire. For scenes in the pub and Paula’s home at night along with some nighttime exterior shots, there is a very stylized yet lush look to the photography to complement the world that is the 1970s. Editor Andrew Hulme does an excellent job with the editing in maintaining a straightforward presentation with some rhythmic cuts and a tight, leisured pace throughout the film.

Production designer Cristina Casali, along with set decorator Duncan Wheeler and art director Julie Ann Horan, does a fantastic job with the look of 1970s Yorkshire from the look of the pubs to the cars that were used at the time. Costume designer Natalie Ward does a fine job with the costumes from the pants the mean wear to the dresses that the women wear that is representative of the times. Visual effects supervisor Adam Gascoyne does a good job with the minimal visual effects needed for the film such as the dreary homeless scene and other violent effects.

Sound editor/recordist Danny Hambrook does a superb job with the sound work from the dreary atmosphere of Yorkshire to the chaos at the party and pub scenes in the film. The film’s score by Adrian Johnston is wonderful for its plaintive yet chilling guitar-driven score to play up the brooding tone of the film. The soundtrack also features an array of music from 1970s soul music to the music of King Crimson as the music is a highlight of the film.

The casting by Nina Gold is wonderful as it features cameo appearances from Peter Mullan as a priest and David Morrissey as Maurice Jobson, the superintendent that is part of the corruption from within. Other notable performances includes Gerard Kearns as the man who shows Eddie where he found a body, Cara Seymour as a mother whose son shows Eddie the body’s location, Daniel Mays as a mentally-challenged suspect, Robert Sheehan as the male prostitute BJ, Steven Robertson as a friendly cop, Mary Jo Randle as Eddie’s mother, and Warren Clarke as the corrupt police chief. Sean Harris and Tony Mooney are excellent as a couple of corrupt cops who harass Eddie while Eddie Marsan is great as the sleazy journalist Jack Whitehead.

John Kenshaw is very good as the hard-nosed editor Bill Hadley while Anthony Flanagan is also good as Eddie‘s fellow journalist Barry Gannon. Rebecca Hall is radiant as the grief-stricken Paula, a widow whose child is supposedly missing or dead as she engages into an affair with Eddie while wondering what really happened. Sean Bean is superb as the charming but sleazy John Dawson, a businessman who is intent on making sure Eddie keeps his mouth shut for his own reasons as he’s one of the corrupt figures. Finally, there’s Andrew Garfield in the phenomenal role of Eddie Dunford. Garfield brings a chilling performance as a young man whose journalistic integrity is put to the test as he seeks out truth only to be confronted by dark secrets from within.

Red Riding: In The Year of Our Lord 1974 is an eerie yet intoxicating suspense thriller from Julian Jarrod featuring top-notch performances from Andrew Garfield, Rebecca Hall, and Sean Bean. Audiences that want a smart thriller that doesn’t play by the rules while keeping things mysterious while wanting more should see this. In the end, Red Riding: In The Year of Our Lord 1974 is a smart yet engrossing film from Julian Jarrod.

Red Riding Trilogy: Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980 - Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1983

© thevoid99 2011

The Prestige

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/28/06 w/ Additional Edits.

Following the success of 2005's Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan has proved himself that he can do a big-budget blockbuster while reinventing the Batman film franchise after the campiness it suffered in the mid-90s. While Nolan is considered to be one of the finest directors after his 2000 film Memento and the 2002 remake of Insomnia made him an established director. While he still continues to work on the Batman film series, Nolan decides to go back to smaller territory by going into a film about dueling magicians based on a novel by Christopher Priest entitled The Prestige.

Adapted into a script by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, The Prestige is about two 19th Century magicians whose friendly rivalry turns deadly when a magician performs the ultimate magic trick that led his friend to try to discover his secrets. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is a study of friendship and rivalry while weaving into the world of magic in its good and bad side. Starring recent Nolan regulars Christian Bale and Michael Caine plus Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis, Ricky Jay, Rebecca Hall, Piper Perabo, Roger Rees, and music legend David Bowie. The Prestige is an entertaining, thrilling film from Christopher Nolan.

On a trip to the Colorado Springs, an American magician named Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) takes a trip to try and find a discovery that he hopes would become the greatest magic trick. He hopes to find a man who has done wonders for electricity in the name of Nikola Tesla (David Bowie) only to meet his assistant Alley (Andy Serkis) first. Angier's motives to finding Tesla is far more complex as his story begins. Years ago in London, Angier and a fellow magician named Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) were part of a magic troupe performing tricks with Angier's wife Julia (Piper Perabo) and a veteran magician named Milton (Ricky Jay). The trick often consists of Julia escape a tank full of water by untying herself through a knot. Often assisting and watching things go right is a inventive expert named Cutter (Michael Caine). The trick is a success though Borden wants to push the boundaries of magic as he and Angier watch an old Chinese man (Chao Li Chi) perform a trick where Borden knows the secret behind everything.

When Angier, Julia, Borden, and Milton chose to do the same trick the next night, Borden decides to make things more complicated with tragic results. Angier's friendship with Borden has officially become troubled as Borden goes at alone where he charms a young woman named Sarah (Rebecca Hall). Hoping to make it as a magician, Borden struggles to make his tricks seem beyond the ordinary expectations but one night, in an attempt to do the catching bullet trick, it goes wrong thanks to Angier. Hoping to rebound from his wife's death, Angier with the help of Cutter decides to start his own career as a magician with the name "The Great Danton" given by his wife. Joining along is a new assistant named Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johansson) who helps along being his assistant in the help of performing tricks. During a night to before another of his tricks, Borden comes along, in disguise, and takes revenge. Learning that Borden now has a family with Sarah that includes a little girl named Jessica (Samantha Mahurin), Angier hopes to outperform Borden, who has now made a small sensation with his own trick known as the transporting door.

Trying to figure things out with Olivia thinking that there's a double, Angier decides to do the same trick with the help of a double and more showmanship that Borden seems to lack. Olivia finds one in a drunk who looks exactly like Angier with a beard. Angier's new version of the transporting door trick becomes a total success yet he remains obsessed in how Borden did his trick by having Olivia become a spy to find out how Borden did it. When Olivia is sent, things go wrong as she ends up falling for Borden which makes his relationship with Sarah become complicated. When Borden decides to make things worse for Angier that involved Angier's double, Angier decides to go to Colorado Springs in order, to outdo Borden. What he finds is how Tesla created a machine that would make everything seem magical. With Borden's own world starting to fall apart due to his ability in keeping secrets, Angier finally returns to perform his trick where the rivalry becomes deadly.

Taking the same, non-linear approach of Memento but in a more conventional way, the Nolan brothers take Priest's novel and turn it into a thrilling yet psychological puzzle that dazzles the audience while making them confused. Still, the film plays to the structure in a way that reveals the three-act structure of magic which starts with the pledge, then the turn, and finally, the prestige. The result is a film that reveals its secrets right in the end but leaving the audience to figure out what's going on. The result is a film that plays more in figuring out how two magicians try to outdo one another and how they're willing to do anything at all cost, even to get attention. The film's plot about dueling magicians is simple but when the story develops, it becomes far more complex.

With the script that he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan, Christopher Nolan definitely brings a sense of mystique to the film where it's all told in not one but in two perspectives of its protagonists. Nolan's observant yet mystical direction does play like magic in not wanting to reveal something though he does use tricks where the audience might know about something but does something very unexpected. Overall, Nolan brings a very strong approach to his directing that plays like a magician in the fact that he wants to create an entertaining puzzle that the audience can figure out.

Helping Nolan with his presentation of the late 19th Century is cinematographer Wally Pfister whose photography of intimate, interior settings are wonderful with sepia-like colors and dark tones while the exterior, notably a sequence with light bulbs are amazing to watch. Production designer Nathan Crowley with art director Kevin Kavanaugh do great work in the film's look of the late 19th Century including the areas and most of all, the work of Tesla with help from visual effects supervisor Stephane Ceretti. The costume design of Joan Bergin also excellent in not just the suits for the men as magicians but for the women in their roles. Editor Lee Smith did great work in playing to the film's non-linear structure and dazzling approach for the characters in the perspective cutting. Music composer David Julyan creates an ominous, yet epic-like score that plays to the emotions of the characters and everything to create some suspense for the film with an additional track from Radiohead's Thom Yorke in the film's final credits from his album The Eraser.

The film's cast is superb with small performances from Roger Rees as a man named Owens, who wants to know Borden's secrets plus William Morgan Sheppard as a promoter, Chao Li Chi as the Chinese magician, Samantha Mahurin as Jessica, and noted magician Ricky Jay who also serves as a consultant in magic tricks. In a small yet wonderful role, Piper Perabo is great in her brief appearance as Angier's wife Julia who inspires her husband into taking a name while being a great assistant. Andy Serkis is also great as Tesla's assistant Alley, who brings some humor and morals to a man who is aware of what Angier is seeking. While Scarlett Johansson is fine in her role as Olivia, who is a bit complex in her role as a double, her character in some ways feels unnecessary to the plot since nothing new is brought. Yet, it's confusing to see why she has a top billing when her role isn't that big or that important since she ends up playing a love interest to both Jackman and Bale.

The film's real breakthrough comes in the form of Rebecca Hall as the innocent Sarah who falls for Bale with as she is amazed by his ability to play and be magical while being his biggest supporter. Her character goes through the great development from a loving wife to a woman being kept in the dark as Hall is really amazing in her role. In his first major film role since 1996's Basquiat (1999's Mr. Rice's Secret and the cameo in 2001's Zoolander don't count), the legendary David Bowie makes a grand impression in his small yet memorable role as Nikola Tesla. With his knowledge of science and illusion, Bowie gives Tesla a broad personality whose morals about games and magic is a man who gives warnings while making a machine that reveals to be something more. Bowie's performance is amazing in every way where one hopes he can do more acting roles. Michael Caine is also great as the inventive mentor Cutter with his moral judgement and guidance as a man who enjoys magic but knows when things go to far while he plays a supporter for Angier. Caine is the film's real moral guide and sense of wisdom who knows what good magic can do but goes his way into not exactly revealing its trick.

Hugh Jackman delivers an amazing performance as Robert Angier with his obsessive, determined personality as Jackman delivers all the right notes. Known to people more as Wolverine in the X-Men movies, Jackman gets to be a bit more charming and complex as man who seems to have everything only to have his obsessions become more troubling. Jackman also gets to play in disguises including his role as a drunk double that reveals his humor. It's a great performance from Jackman who also has great chemistry and tension with his co-star Christian Bale. Bale delivers a knockout role as Alfred Borden. Using his charm and wit, Bale's character is truly a multi-dimensional man who can be sweet and charming while being totally driven and arrogant at the same time. Bale proves his worth in this character while also noting that he has become one of the finest actors of his generation.

While The Prestige is a bit flawed in its puzzle-like approach, it's still a fantastic film from Christopher Nolan highlighted by a superb cast led by Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, and David Bowie. Fans of Nolan's work will indeed find the director returning to some old-school tricks while conventional audiences will be entertained by its mystical, magical approach. For a movie where Batman battles Wolverine in a game of one-upmanship, The Prestige is the film to see.

Christopher Nolan Films: Following - Memento - Insomnia (2002 film) - Batman Begins - The Dark Knight - Inception - The Dark Knight Rises - Interstellar - Dunkirk - Tenet - Oppenheimer - The Auteurs #13: Christopher Nolan

© thevoid99 2011