Medium Cool

Written, directed, and shot by Haskell Wexler, Medium Cool is the story of a TV news cameraman who goes right into the center of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago as he deals with what to film making him question about what to tell where news media becomes more scripted. The film is a dramatic interpretation of the events of 1968 in Chicago as it showcases a world that is unraveling as it’s told in an in-your-face cinematic style to comment about what is shown and what isn’t shown. Starring Robert Forster, Verna Bloom, Peter Bonerz, Marianna Hill, and Harold Blankenship. Medium Cool is a gripping and evocative film from Haskell Wexler.

The film follows a cameraman trying to get some good stories to tell in Chicago just months before the Democratic National Convention where he deals with the chaos of the year including assassinations, the Vietnam War, race riots, and all sorts of shit. It’s a film that play into the world of media coverage where a cameraman is trying to find some meaning through what he sees yet he finds himself being told what to shoot and create an angle just as the world is going into disarray. Haskell Wexler’s script is loose in its presentation as it blurs the line between fantasy and reality where the main narrative revolves around the cameraman John Catselas (Robert Forster) as a man just trying to find some idea of what is really going on as he’s joined by his soundman Gus (Peter Bonerz).

During this time to search for compelling stories including one about a cab driver who found an envelope with $10,000, Catselas finds himself at odds with bosses over what to tell as they’re interested in gathering footage and sources for the FBI. It adds to Catselas’ own emotional turmoil as his relationships with some people falter just as he’s befriend a woman named Eileen (Verna Bloom) who had just moved from West Virginia to Chicago with her son Harold (Harold Blankenship) while her husband is away at Vietnam. Eileen represents someone who had lived in a part of the world that is sort of disconnected from the chaos of what is happening right now as she has trouble adjusting to her new environment.

Wexler’s direction is engaging and confrontational in its blur of reality and fiction where it aims for this hand-held documentary style in capturing real events that are unfolding throughout the film but also with the dramatic narrative. Shot on location in Chicago, Wexler who serves as the film’s cinematographer and one of many camera operators aims for this realistic approach to this story of a man trying to find meaning in the news just as the news itself is becoming compromised and scripted. While there’s some wide shots in the film, much of the direction is intimate with its usage of close-ups and medium shots as it play into the action that is going on while Wexler also use audio and video clips of the events that are unfolding in 1968 playing into this air of chaos that is on the rise. The direction also has this loose tone where Wexler showcases the life that Catselas had before meeting Eileen and questioning his role as a cameraman as the film opens with him and Gus on a highway where they find a wounded woman lying out of her car following an accident.

Wexler’s direction and photography maintains an air of realism in the visuals including scenes at a night club where Catselas and Eileen watch a band play as well as dance to the music. It would culminate with the real-life events in and out of the Democratic National Convention where Wexler and his team of camera operators just film what is going on while Eileen is walking around trying to find her son. The sense of chaos, violence, and danger add to this air of realism where reality and fiction would blur as it play into these events where some news outlets refuse to report this riot but others realize there is something important happening as it relates to what Catselas is trying to do as a news cameraman. Overall, Wexler crafts a riveting and haunting film about a news cameraman trying to find a story for the world to know in a media that’s been compromised.

Editor Verna Fields does excellent work with the editing in its usage of jump-cuts and some montages to capture the action and chaos that occur throughout the film. Art director Leon Erickson does nice work with the look of the apartment that Eileen lives that is a total contrast to the more spacious apartment loft that Catselas lives in. Sound editor Kay Rose does fantastic work with the sound in capturing all of the sound clips from news reports as well as the chaos that is happening outside of the Democratic National Convention. The film’s music by Mike Bloomfield is amazing for its mixture of folk and rock that play into some of the dark humor of the film with some instrumental pieces by the Mothers of Invention and Love.

The film’s superb cast feature some notable small roles from Peter Boyle as a gun clinic manager, Christine Bergstrom as a news staff member/lover of Catselas in Dede, and Charles Geary as Harold’s father in flashback scenes. Marianna Hill is wonderful as Catselas’ lover Ruth who spends time at his loft while questioning about his ideals towards the news. Harold Blankenship is fantastic as Harold as Eileen’s son who is dealing with his dreary situation as well as wondering when his dad is going to come back home. Peter Bonerz is terrific as Gus as Catselas’ sound man who accompany him to the assignment as he is also concerned about where the news media is going. Verna Bloom is brilliant as Eileen as a former schoolteacher from West Virginia who has moved to Chicago as she deals with her new surroundings while befriending Catselas as she ponders about her husband who is in Vietnam. Finally, there’s Robert Forster in an amazing performance as John Catselas as a news cameraman who is dealing with the growing turmoil in the news media as he wants to capture real stories that mean something as it starts to affect his personal life as he finds solace in Eileen.

Medium Cool is a sensational film from Haskell Wexler. Featuring a great cast, a commentary about news media in the late 1960s, haunting visuals, and a riveting music soundtrack. It’s a film that explore a moment in time that would prove to be not just a turning point in American history but also its exploration of a man wanting to capture the truth and be part of it despite the compromise he has to endure in his line of work. In the end, Medium Cool is a spectacular film from Haskell Wexler.

© thevoid99 2019

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

Written, co-edited, and directed by Mark Hartley, Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films is about the film studio that was known for releasing low-budget to medium-budget films during the 1980s as it was run by the cousins of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus who would make the studio successful but also notorious. The film is a documentary that explores the studio’s rise and eventual fall in the 1990s as it feature interviews with the many actors and filmmakers who were involved in the films made by the studio. The result is a fascinating and exciting film from Mark Hartley.

In the 1980s, the independent studio known as Cannon Films were creating films that catered to a demographic that just wanted loud, high-octane action, schlock-based films with cheesy special effects, movies with ladies with gorgeous breasts, and all sorts of crazy things all in the name of just wanting to be entertaining. Running this studio were Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus as they were about presenting any financier with money with ideas they believe would make money and the financiers would give it to them not knowing what they would get. Much of the output of the studio ranged from genre-based films as well as a few auteur-based films from such filmmakers as Jean-Luc Godard, Robert Altman, John Cassavetes, Barbet Schroeder, Godfrey Reggio, and Nicholas Roeg.

Though the studio was founded in the late 1960s by Dennis Friedland and Christopher C. Dewey as a distributor to Swedish porn films re-dubbed in English and later getting success through the release of John G. Avildsen’s film Joe. It was when Golan and Globus that would buy the studio in 1979 for half-a-million dollars as they initially use it for the films that Golan had directed as well as other films. Much of the film feature interview with not just the people who worked at Cannon with Golan and Globus but also filmmakers such as Tobe Hooper, Franco Zeffirelli, John G. Avildsen, Albert Pyun, and Boaz Davidson who made films for the studio. Even actors such as Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Forster, Cassandra Petersen, Bo Derek, Olivia d’Abo, Michael Dudikoff, Sybil Danning, Franco Nero, and Molly Ringwald talk about their own experiences working on a film under the Cannon Films banner.

Director Mark Hartley would go for something straightforward with the interviews with the aid of cinematographer Garry Richards while he and co-editors Jamie Blanks and Sara Edwards would compile many films from the Cannon library to showcase its history. Notably in how it rose through a brief partnership with MGM in the early 80s before becoming completely independent where financial deals with foreign financiers by selling them posters and big billboards for films that were either made or not as they would use the Cannes Film Festival for these buys. Golan was the filmmaker who cared about his product as he would tell the filmmakers working for him what he wants while Globus was the man running the business as both of them would sell their products to international buyers and make a lot of money along the way. They would use the money to make films and whatever money is made from that film would go into another production. For a few years, it would work but they had a hard time gaining respectability from Hollywood due to the films that were made as well as being a serious competition to the studios.

Hartley would play into the downfall of the studio not just through the studio’s attempt for respectability and needing to compete with studios despite having a major advantage in the international market. It was through some big-budget flops as films like Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Masters of the Universe, and Golan’s Over the Top starring Sylvester Stallone that would hurt the studio. The financial issues of Cannon would affect other films in the making until 1989 where a deal with the Italian financier Giancarlo Parretti would end up being the end due to Parretti’s financial schemes as Golan and Globus parted ways where the former formed a new studio as the two competed against with one another by producing a film each related to the Lambada dance craze in Golan’s The Forbidden Dance and Globus’ Lambada were released on the same day as both films flopped.

With the help of sound recordist Jock Healy, Hartley would use sound from other films as well as showcase things that help play into Cannon’s rise and fall but also the appreciation for the films by those who were involved and such. The film’s music by Jamie Blanks is terrific as it’s mostly a low-key electronic score that play into some of the over-the-top music of those films.

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films is an incredible film from Mark Hartley. Not only is it an entertaining documentary about one of the most creative studios in cinema but also the two men who were willing to stand out and give people something they could enjoy no matter how bad some of those films were. In the end, Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films is a remarkable film from Mark Hartley.

© thevoid99 2017

Human Nature (2001 film)

Directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman, Human Nature is a multi-layered story about a psychologist who falls for a woman with a rare hormonal imbalance as the two find a man who had been raised by the wild in the hopes to get him back to civilization. The film explores the world of nature and how one tries to change another human being into being civilized only to create conflict about the idea of how to live. Starring Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto, Rosie Perez, Miguel Sandoval, Peter Dinklage, Mary Kay Place, and Robert Forster. Human Nature is a strange yet delightful film from Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman.

The film is about the idea of human nature in which a psychologist meets and falls for a woman with a rare hormonal imbalance that causes her to grow thick hair all over her body. While she tries to cure herself from that imbalance, the two find a man who had been raised in the wild as they try to get him back into the world civilization but it creates complications when the psychologist and his wife bicker over what is right and such. Notably as the psychologist tries to make this man conform to society but the man becomes conflicted with his role as a human being and what he once was. It’s a film that explores that conflict on what is natural and how people should behave as it is told from the three people who were involved in this experiment as they’re telling this story to other people.

Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay has a unique narrative as it is mostly told in flashback as its central protagonists in Dr. Nathan Profman (Tim Robbins), his wife Lila Jute (Patricia Arquette), and their subject named Puff (Rhys Ifans) all tell their stories about the conflict in human nature. For Lila, her rare hormonal imbalance that caused her to grow thick hair all over her body has made her a pariah as a child as she left society to live in the wild. After becoming a best-selling novelist and returning to society where she meets and falls for Nathan, she seems to have her life in control but still keeps her rare disease from Nathan. Until discovering Puff, Nathan’s idea of re-introducing Puff to human society causes trouble in Nathan’s relationship with Lila who becomes very insecure while Nathan begins an affair with his new French assistant Gabrielle (Miranda Otto). This would lead Lila to take Puff back to nature in the hopes to get him back into the world of the wild as complications would ensue.

Kaufman’s script is full of these ideas about the idea of human nature and how people should live. In Nathan, here’s a man that has all of these expectations put on him by his parents in which he has to live and act a certain way where he would later force Puff to live by these expectations in humanity. For Puff, he would become confused and frustrated by the restraints of humanity as he is unable to unleash his own sexual urges. It all has this sense of compelling drama that is told in a unique style where the narratives moves back-and-forth from the characters telling their stories to what happened in those stories. Yet, the script has some flaws as it featured some quirks that feels forced such as Nathan’s parents who have an adopted son that becomes their idea of the perfect child while there’s the character of Gabrielle who is interesting but there’s a secret about her that also feels forced as it suggests that her character is underwritten at times.

Michel Gondry’s direction is full of whimsical images as it plays to this world where there is this conflict between the world of the wild and the world of humanity. Some of which include some dream-like shots of Lila’s experiences in the wild where many of the scenes set in the forest feels free and such. Gondry’s direction is also intimate for some of the flashbacks of the lives that Lila and Nathan lived in as children as well as Nathan’s interview as it’s presented in a very serene yet wide look to display the sense of confusion he’s dealing with. While the quirky elements of the film does feel forced largely due to Kaufman’s desire to add humor the story, it only drags things for Gondry as it doesn’t match his own idea of whimsical humor. Despite the fact that the film is sort of uneven, Gondry does manage to create a compelling and charming film about the ups and downs of human nature.

Cinematographer Tim Maurice-Jones does excellent work with the cinematography from the look of Nathan‘s interview scene to some of the nighttime interior and exterior scenes the characters go into. Editor Russell Icke does brilliant work with the editing in creating some montages about the lives of the characters as children as well as to help structure the film in its unique narrative. Production designer K.K. Barrett, with set decorator Gene Serdena and art director Peter Andrus, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the lab that Nathan works as well as his interrogation room as well as some of the scenes in the forest.

Costume designer Nancy Steiner does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly business-like with its suits and dresses and such to play the sense of importance of what is expected in society. Visual effects supervisor Pierre Buffin does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects such as the look of the lab mice that Nathan has to some of the backdrops of the forests. Sound editors Francois Blaignan and Walter Spencer do superb work with the sound to capture the low-key atmosphere of the scenes in the forest to the more chaotic work of human society. The film’s music by Gramae Revell is wonderful as it‘s a mostly orchestral score with some melodic-driven pieces while music supervisor Tracy McKnight creates a soundtrack filled with some classical music as well as an original song that Lila sings that features lyrics by Charlie Kaufman.

The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small performances from Toby Huss’ as Puff’s dad, Hilary Duff as a young Lila, Miguel Sandoval as Nathan’s shrink Wendell, Peter Dinklage as a friend of Lila in Frank whom she met during her time in the circus, and Rosie Perez as Lila’s doctor friend Louise. One small performance that doesn’t work which plays into the film’s forced quirkiness is in Anthony Wisnick as Nathan’s adolescent adopted brother as he’s essentially a prop while Robert Forster and Mary Kay Place are good as Nathan’s parents who play as this idea of perfection right to the hilt that would drive Nathan into becoming extremely insecure.

Miranda Otto is very good as Nathan’s French assistant Gabrielle who always talks in a French accent where she does go a bit overboard at times as Otto does display some nice humor despite some of the issues with the way her character is written. Rhys Ifans is amazing as Puff as a man who was raised in the wild by his father and then brought back to society as he displays the sense of conflict and confusion of someone who is forced to live by rules that goes against everything he felt. Tim Robbins is superb as Nathan as a man who tries to make Puff fit in with human society as he becomes conflicted by his love for Lila and his time with Gabrielle as he eventually becomes frustrated by his own confusion about the ways of the world. Finally, there’s Patricia Arquette in a remarkable performance as Lila as a woman who deals with a rare disease as she becomes confused with the ways of the world as she also realizes what Nathan is doing to Puff as she tries to get Puff back into the world of nature.

Human Nature is an enjoyable film from Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. While it is a flawed film, it is still an engaging one thanks to its cast and theme on human nature. Notably as it features some of the quirky elements and unique writing style of Kaufman and Gondry’s whimsical visuals which does showcase something that is daring despite its flaws. In the end, Human Nature is a stellar film from Michel Gondry.

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

© thevoid99 2013

Jackie Brown

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 7/26/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on the novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard, Jackie Brownis the story of a stewardess/part-time drug smuggler who gets caught in an embezzlement scam where she's asked by ATF agents to nail her arms dealer friend as she seeks help from a bails bondsman who falls for her. Written for the screen and directed by Quentin Tarantino, the film is another exploration into the world of crime as Tarantino goes for a very different approach as it would have Tarantino injecting romance into the story. Playing the titular character is 70s Blaxploitation star Pam Grier as it would be the role that would mark her comeback. Also Tarantino regular Samuel L. Jackson, Robert de Niro, Bridget Fonda, Chris Tucker, Michael Keaton, and Robert Forster. Jackie Brown is a captivating yet enchanting film from Quentin Tarantino.

After getting a call from his associate Beaumont (Chris Tucker) who had been arrested for drug and weapons possession, arms dealer Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) turns to bails bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) to bail Beaumont out. Robbie later meets with Beaumont who is expected to serve some time as Robbie would provide a solution for Beaumont. Meanwhile, Robbie's friend Jackie Brown is arrested by ATF agents Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) and Dargas (Michael Bowen) who found a bag of narcotics in her possession. Put in prison with a bail of $10,000, Robbie sends Cherry to bail out Brown where Cherry is smitten by her on the night he picks her up where the two have a drink together at a bar. Robbie later meets Jackie who is upset over what happened yet wants to make a deal with Jackie to get $500,000 out from Mexico so that Robbie can retire.

Though Jackie makes a deal with Robbie, she also to Nicolette about what Robbie is planning as Nicolette wants to go after Robbie over illegal arms sales. With Jackie's deal with Robbie set where Jackie gets a cut, Robbie's old friend Louis hears about the deal from one of Robbie's girlfriends in Melanie (Bridget Fonda). The two decide to make a plan of their own to steal the money from Robbie for themselves. Jackie decides to let Max in on the scheme as she believes that Max is the only person she can trust as he's eager to get out of the bonds business following a near-fatal incident. With a local mall for the money drop and exchange where a trial run with two of Robbie's women goes wrong, Jackie and Robbie decide to do it themselves to get it right. With Nicolette knowing what's going to happen with Max knowing much more, the exchange goes on as planned. Yet, a major screw-up involving Melanie and Louis leads to trouble forcing Robbie to go after Max and Jackie.

While the film, in comparison to other Tarantino scripts and films, Jackie Brown does lack a bit of the pop culture references that always pop up in the dialogue or in a frame. Tarantino gets away from that for something that is more character-driven and it's his most mature work to date. The writing structure Tarantino goes for is more traditional except for the heist scene where it's done in three different perspectives. While Tarantino is often considered a great filmmaker in his unique approach to the crime film genre. It is so easy to forget that he's a writer first. In the way he adapted Leonard's novel into a subdued crime drama, Tarantino goes more for motivation and choices in his scripts where the characters all have something to offer.

Even the subplot involving characters, notably the attraction of Max and Jackie works and it's an example of Tarantino working in a format of romance which he succeeds. The script doesn't even lose itself in its pacing or its intentions since it's a part-character study story but also a wonderful crime story with a bit of romance and comedy. While there is the use of the "N" word throughout the script and film, it's not that harmful since it's said through characters. The "N" word was used by Blaxploitation writers for years and Tarantino is basically wearing a mask to pretend that he's a black writer. Tarantino is just being earnest in not just to those iconic characters he loved but to the genre itself.

In the directing front, Tarantino uses his tricks of steadicams, dolly tracks, and wonderful camera angles to establish a lot of the moments that is happening. Yet those tricks still work, even in the way Tarantino wanted to have an authenticity to the film. The film looks like it was made in the 70s from its opening credits and scene while it gives the movie a sense of style with some substance. One of the best scenes that Tarantino directed that included long shots is the money exchange sequence where its done in three different perspective that all doesn't lose it pace nor does it confuse its audience. Overall, Tarantino creates a truly engaging and well-crafted film that explores the world of crime and the desire to go straight.

Helping Tarantino capturing the authenticity is cinematographer Guillermo Navarro who uses natural, grainy colors to give the film a 70s look, notably in the interior sequences of bars and taverns that has that classic 1970s feel. Navarro and Tarantino manages to capture a look that is distinct and nostalgic. Tarantino's longtime production designer David Wasco and his art team of art director Dan Bradford and set designer Sandy Reynolds-Wasco help give the film that authentic look for its apartments and homes of the characters that is filled with wonderful props to 70s soul music and vinyl while capturing the natural quality of the taverns. Even costume designer Mary Claire Hannan help give the film a wonderful look in the costumes, especially the clothes of Pam Grier who makes sure she looks good. Tarantino's longtime editor Sally Menke gives the film a nicely, leisurely pace and feel to her editing style where at about 155-minutes, the film doesn't feel slow or too fast. Even the film sounds great from sound designer Mark Ulano who helps creates the tension of sound for the film.

Then there's the film's music which is filled with wonderful soul classics plus a bit of hip-hop, rock, and country music. Many of the film's 70s soul classics comes from the likes of Bobby Womack, the Delfonics, Brothers Johnson, Pam Grier, Bill Withers, the Meters, and also Jermaine Jackson, the Supremes, the Grassroots, Foxy Brown, Roy Ayers, and the late Johnny Cash. Tarantino's use of music is often in tune with the characters, including a scene where Jackie plays a Delfonics cut in which Max falls in love with it becomes his theme. It's one of the best pieces and utilization of a song for a character and his development.

Finally, there's the film's amazing cast with some memorable small performances and cameos from Aimee Graham as mall clerk, Hattie Winston and Lisa Gay Hamilton as Ordell's women, Sid Haig as a judge, Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr. as one of Max's bondsman, and Michael Bowen in a memorable performance as Nicolette's partner Dargas. Chris Tucker is funny in a small but memorable role as one of Ordell's boys who gets busted as he has a great moment arguing with Jackson about getting to a dirty trunk of his car. Michael Keaton is wonderfully subdued as the intelligent and earnest Ray Nicolette with his desire to capture Ordell and help Jackie where he becomes an unlikely ally in a masterful performance.

Bridget Fonda is wonderful and sexy as the stoned beach bunny Melanie who might seem like a stoner looking for a good time on the surface but Fonda gives her depth as a woman who knows what's going on while in the exchange sequence, seems more professional than anyone thinks. Robert de Niro gives a quiet and humorous performance as Louis who likes to do nothing but get stoned and watch TV while on a crime spree, he is paranoid and reckless. Though it's de Niro doing comedy, his restraint and recklessness gives the film some nice humor.

Samuel L. Jackson gives another great performance as the charming but vicious Ordell Robbie with his cool demeanor and witty approach to business. Jackson gives the character a lot of likeable qualities as well as intimidating ones. He's a businessman and a charmer but when you cross him, you know you're in trouble as Jackson gives a great performance. The best male performance of the film belongs to Robert Forster as the good-hearted Max Cherry. Forster brings a wise yet cautious performance of a man doing the right thing in every way or form, even if it involves crime. Forster has wonderful moments with Jackson but it's with Pam Grier, Forster is in top form as he and Grier carry great chemistry as Forster plays a reluctant love interest with a lot of heart who is smitten by Grier. It's without a doubt one of the best performances that year.

Pam Grier gives her most brilliant performance to date that just doesn't remind everyone of her iconic status but a woman who still got the chops as an actress. This is Grier in classic form as she proves herself to be both tough and charismatic. She carries the dialogue with a sense of wit and ease while proving that she's still a foxy lady. Grier has great scenes with Jackson and Keaton but her best moments is with Forster as she gives a character that isn't a bad woman but one who will do anything to make money and do what is right for her.

Jackie Brown is an outstanding film from Quentin Tarantino that features an incredible lead performance from Pam Grier as well as remarkable supporting work from Robert Forster, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Bridget Fonda, and Robert de Niro. Armed with amazing visual tricks, great scenery set-ups, and a fantastic soundtrack, the film is truly a majestic piece of work that does a lot more for the world of the crime film. While it's the most restrained film that Tarantino has done, it also showcases the kind of range he has as a storyteller. In the end, Jackie Brown is a triumphant yet heartfelt film from Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Tarantino Films: Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fiction - Four Rooms: The Man from Hollywood - Kill Bill - Grindhouse: Death Proof - Inglourious Basterds - Django Unchained - The Hateful Eight - Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Related: The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino - Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino

© thevoid99 2012

The Descendants

Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming, The Descendants is the story of a man dealing with a boating accident that put his wife in a coma. While taking care of his two daughters he barely knows, he deals with revelations about his wife while facing the possible loss of land that he’s inherited for many years in Hawaii. Directed by Alexander Payne with an adapted script written by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, the film marks Payne’s return following a seven-year gap since his last film with 2004’s Sideways. Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, and Robert Forster. The Descendants is an extraordinary yet witty comedy-drama from Alexander Payne.

After learning that his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) has been in a boating accident that’s left her comatose, Matt King (George Clooney) is in shock as he has to take care of his 10-year old daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) whom he doesn’t see very much due to his busy work as a lawyer. Matt is also dealing with land he’s inherited for many generations as it’s set to expire in seven years where his cousins are interested in selling it to a developer. Matt and Scottie travel to another part of the Hawaiian islands to retrieve Scottie’s 17-year old sister Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) from boarding school about the news of Elizabeth’s accident. When Matt learns from a doctor that Elizabeth might not make it, Matt tells Alexandra the news where she reveals something more startling that Elizabeth has been having an affair.

After confronting a couple of life-long friends in Mark (Rob Huebel) and Kai Mitchell (Mary Birdsong) about Elizabeth’s extramarital affair, Mark reluctantly reveals that the man she’s been seeing is a real estate agent named Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard). Upset over what his wife has done and overwhelmed with plans for the 25,000 acres of land he might be selling. Matt decides to tell friends and Elizabeth’s father Scott (Robert Forster) about Elizabeth’s status as the only that doesn’t know is Scottie. With Alexandra’s boyfriend Sid (Nick Krause), Matt takes the girls to Kauai for a vacation while he and Alexandra try to find Brian Speer. Matt also shows the girls the land he’s been trusted to for many years as he meets his cousin Hugh (Beau Bridges) who reveals some information about who might get the island if the sale will happen.

After finding Speer and learn he has two sons and a wife named Julie (Judy Greer), Matt and Alexandra try to figure out what to do to tell Speer about what happened. With only Scottie to tell about her mother, Matt faces some big decisions about his own life as well as what to do with the land that’s been passed down to him for generations.

What happens to a man when his life as a trustee to 25,000 acres of land is set to expire while learning that his comatose wife has been cheating on him? Well, that is essentially the situation that Matt King is going through as he’s a man that is being pulled in every direction while having to take care of the two daughters he’s not really close with. Eventually, he starts to bond with them as they deal with their mother’s comatose state while being joined by the eldest daughter’s boyfriend in these adventures to tell the news to family and friends about his wife. Then another adventure occurs when he takes his daughters and Sid to the land he’s been trusted to while hoping to confront the man his wife has been having an affair with.

Alexander Payne and his co-writers create a story that is about a lot of themes as well as characters who are more than what they’re expected to be. Yet, it all centers around Matt King’s revelation about himself as he’s faced with what to do about 25,000 acres of land and taking care of his daughters for his comatose wife. King is obviously a flawed man as he’s an absentee father of sorts who has no idea how to deal with the rambunctious Scottie as he asks his more troubled teenage daughter Alexandra to help out. Yet, she is dealing with her own issues and the guilt over the fact that her last moments with her mother weren’t very pleasant. For Alexandra, she and her father figure out how to tell Scottie the horrible news while dealing with the fact that her mother did cheat on her father.

While there is a lot of drama as well as great character development for both Matt and Alexandra while the characters they surround themselves with like Sid are more than just caricatures or a form of comic relief in the case of Sid. Sid, Brian Speer, Matt’s cousin Hugh, and other minor characters do get a chance to show a complex side of themselves in how they react to the news or help out in the situation. While it’s clear that the ending over Elizabeth’s fate is inevitable, it’s all about what Matt, Alexandra, and Scottie had to endure and deal where they all find some form of closure and learn to become better people in the process.

Payne’s direction is truly engrossing in the way he presents this drama about a man and his daughters while making it a whole lot more than what the story suggests. Since the narrative is told from Matt’s perspective through some voice-over narration about his own world and his faults, Payne always make sure the camera follows King in everything he’s doing. Notably a scene about the revelation of his wife’s affair as he runs to the home of his friends to confront about what they know. It’s done with a great sense of precision and framing in the way King reacts and to how the camera is placed in where he’s running to. Payne’s direction has a great degree of style for his presentation that includes a lot of light-comedic moments as well as dramatic moments.

The scene where Alexandra reacts to the news about her mother’s possible fate as she is underwater in a swimming pool is told in a very simple manner in what she is feeling. Payne doesn’t make it into something overly dramatic by just using sparse sound work to capture that moment. While the intimacy of these dramatic moments and how he presents some comical moments show the wide range of ideas that Payne can do as a filmmaker. He’s also known for making locations be part of the story as he shot the film all on location in Hawaii where he doesn’t just show the grand beauty of the island landscapes. He also shows that there’s parts of that place where it looks like a typical American city. For the scene where King shows his daughters and Sid the acres of land he’s been trusted to, it is shown with a grand style that is jaw-dropping to watch. Overall, Payne creates what is truly a mesmerizing yet heart wrenching film about a man trying to find peace in his troubled family life.

Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael does a brilliant job with the film‘s photography as he gives Hawaii a look that isn‘t meant to be just beautiful. Since some of it is shot on rainy days and partly-sunny weathers, Papamichael is able to use the landscape to set the mood of what the characters are dealing with some great exterior shots while utilizing some wonderful interiors to help create tense mood such as the scene where Alexandra and Matt confront Brian. Editor Kevin Tent does a terrific job with the editing as he brings a lot of style to the editing such as a few transition wipes and dissolves to keep the pace lively and methodical as well as a few jump cuts to play up some of the comic moments of the film.

Production designer Jane Ann Stewart, with set decorator Matt Callahan and art director T.K. Kirkpatrick, does an excellent job with the look of Matt‘s home with all sorts of pictures and maps as well as Elizabeth‘s hospital room and the hotels and cottages Matt and his daughters visit in Kauai. Costume designer Wendy Chuck does a wonderful job with the costumes used in the film such as the casual yet colorful clothing that Matt wears along with the youthful clothing that Alexandra and Scottie wears. Sound designer Frank Gaeta does a great job with the sound work to emphasize the crashing waves that surrounds Hawaii to the intimate scenes where the sound work is low-key yet effective to play up its dramatic elements.

Music supervisor Dondi Bastone does a phenomenal job with the film’s soundtrack as it’s mostly carried by an array of Hawaiian folk music. Featuring contributions from performers like Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson, and Reverend Dennis Kamakahi. The music plays up to some of the emotions of the film with simple yet melodic-driven ukulele pieces as it’s definitely a major highlight of the film.

The casting by John Jackson is superb as he creates an ensemble cast that is definitely flawless. Featuring notable small yet memorable roles from Milt Johnson as Elizabeth’s doctor, Rob Huebel and Mary Birdsong as Matt’s friends Mark and Kai Mitchell, Beau Bridges as Matt’s laid-back cousin Hugh, renowned pro surfer Laird Hamilton as Elizabeth’s boat driver Troy, and Patricia Hastie in an incredible silent role as the ailing Elizabeth King. Matthew Lillard is very good as Elizabeth’s lover Brad Speer as he tries to deal with Matt as well as the fact that his affair might ruin his marriage. Robert Forster is excellent as Elizabeth’s father Scott who is upset over what happened as he tries to make Matt and Alexandra feel guilty over their issues with Elizabeth.

Nick Krause is very funny as Alexandra’s laid-back yet helpful boyfriend Sid while Judy Greer is wonderful as Brad’s caring wife Julie whom Matt and Alexandra feel sorry for. Amara Miller is terrific as Matt’s 10-year old daughter Scottie whose energetic performance brings a real complexity to a girl that seems lost without her mom while doing all sorts of things that confuses her father. Shailene Woodley is magnificent in a real break-out performance as Alexandra as Woodley brings a real maturity to a girl filled with guilt as she tries to help out her father with the news that she revealed to him.

Finally, there’s George Clooney in a tremendous performance as Matt King. Clooney strays from the charming persona he’s been known for by giving a much more serious and frantic performance as a man dealing with lots of issues. Clooney does bring some light-hearted funny moments in the film while he also proves that he can be a fool and show the anguish of frustration that his character is going through. Clooney’s best scenes are with Woodley and Miller in how he’s trying to deal with their issues while being the caring man that is just trying to be the best father he can. It’s definitely one of the best performance Clooney has given in his career.

The Descendants is a fantastic yet compelling film from Alexander Payne featuring a great ensemble cast led by George Clooney. Along with wonderful supporting work from Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, and Judy Greer. It’s a film that has Payne delving into the world of loss and redemption while creating characters that are very real and engaging. The film definitely ranks up there with some of Payne’s best film proving that he is one of the most unique voices in American cinema today. In the end, The Descendents is an amazing and heartfelt film from Alexander Payne.

Alexander Payne Films: Citizen Ruth - Election - About Schmidt - Sideways - Paris Je T'aime -14th Arrondissement - Nebraska - Auteurs #5: Alexander Payne

© thevoid99 2011

Mulholland Dr.

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/17/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Ever since 1977's Eraserhead, David Lynch has been a director that has always warped the mind of audiences. With films like Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, The Elephant Man, Lost Highway, and the TV series Twin Peaks. Lynch has always been a storyteller who never tells his audience what his films were really about. In 1999, Lynch shocked his most devoted hardcore fans and his most hated detractors with a film that didn't have the Lynch-style of surrealistic images, weird characters, and complex storylines with the film The Straight Story. The straightforward film about an old man riding on a tractor to meet his dying brother touched fans and critics alike as Lynch moved forward into the 21st Century. By that point, he had become an elder statesman in film as he tried to create a new TV project that eventually was dropped. Yet, that project would become not only into a film but also one of his greatest entitled Mulholland Dr.

Written and directed by David Lynch, Mulholland Dr. tells the story of a Hollywood actress who has suffered amnesia after a car accident. Befriending a young, aspiring actress, they try to unravel the mystery of who she really is while a film director is trying to find the right girl for his new film. Eventually, the two would suddenly go into another world as different identities where things changed. A dark, layered film with twists and turns, the film is pure Lynch as he balanced both his love of experimental films and traditional genres into what would be his finest work yet. Starring Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Dan Hedeya, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Robert Forster. Mulholland Dr. is a provocative yet hypnotic masterpiece from David Lynch and company.

Driving into the dark night on the Hollywood hills, an actress (Laura Elena Harring) is riding on a limo where it stopped when a man pulled a gun at her. Then suddenly, a car collided with the limo leaving almost everyone dead except for the actress who had a concussion on her head. Walking down to Hollywood, she lands herself in the home of an old actress named Ruth (Maya Bond), who was just leaving to work in Canada. Arriving to Ruth's home is her niece and aspiring actress named Betty (Naomi Watts). Betty meets the apartment's landlord Coco (Ann Miller) who gives her a tour of the complex. After settling in, Betty finds the actress in the shower as they later talk where the actress, who has no idea who she is, calls herself Rita.

Meanwhile, a film director named Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux) has lost his lead actress as a couple of mob brothers (Dan Hedeya and Angelo Badalamenti) suggest in using a woman named Camilla Rhodes (Melissa George). Kesher refuses as he later beats their limo with a golf club. Things only get worse when the studio head Mr. Roque (Michael J. Anderson) heard what has happened as he makes a decision to have Kesher's film shut down. Returning home, Kesher finds his wife sleeping with the cleaning pool man named Gene (Billy Ray Cyrus) as he stands to lose everything until he meets a mysterious cowboy (Monty Montgomery) later at night.

When Betty learns that Rita isn't a friend of her aunt, Rita reveals she has no idea who she is as her purse is filled with money and a blue key. The two decide to try and find some clues into her identity where at a restaurant, Rita remembers the name Diane Selwyn as the two try to continue their own investigation. When Betty gets called for an audition, she accepts as she auditioned for a producer (James Karen) that goes well even though the casting director though the material was awful. When Betty is accompanied by the casting director to look at the studio, she catches the eye of Adam Kesher during an audition. Betty leaves to go with Rita to continue their investigation as they find out where Diane lives and eventually, who she is. Rita, now fearing for her own life wears a disguise as she and Betty bond.

Then later that night, Rita says the word "Silencio" as she remembers about an event at a theater late in that night. The two women go to the event where they see numerous illusions including a woman (Rebekah del Rio) singing a devastating cover of Roy Orbison's Cryin' in Spanish. There, Betty finds a blue box in her purse where upon returning to their apartment, Rita gets the key and opens the box as the two women are then lead to a new reality where they both take on different identities and situations as Betty learns who Rita really is.

While many of David Lynch's films never reveal any kind of details into what it's really about, leaving the viewer to give an open interpretation. Mulholland Dr. is no exception since it has many elements of a Lynch film. It's got surreal images, strange characters, unrelated subplots, and a complex narrative. Yet, unlike these films, the film is a commentary on Hollywood and the industry on some aspects. Referring to a director wanting control as he is being pushed by a mob and an aspiring actress hoping to reach her dreams. The worlds that Lynch express isn't just the harsh reality of Hollywood but also the naive dream that one might have coming to that place. Yet, that's an idea of what the film is about, until the last 30 minutes of the film where things definitely change.

Again, it all comes down to Lynch's script and the interpretation of what the audience might have. Every scene, including the opening scene that involved a Gap-like commercial of people swing-dancing, and unrelated subplots that included a man having a strange dream and a hitman screwing things up are all important to what the film and its story is about. While there isn't a real plot to the film, the first two hours of the film definitely grabs the audience with its mix of irreverent humor, dreamy sequences, and its ode to the mystery genre. In those two hours, the film kind of pushes back and forth to the Betty/Rita scenes and then to the situation of Adam Kesher in his bid for control.

Then comes the last thirty-minutes of the film (which will not be revealed). Everything changes where both Betty and Rita play different people and the situations emphasizes a much harsher reality of not just Hollywood but also the relationships the two had in the last two hours of the film. Whereas the first two hours had this sense of naivete, it crashes down to something darker in order to give one of the characters a larger role to play. Even some of the dialogue that was uttered in the film early on is heard again but this time, from a very different interpretation. It's a twist that definitely changes the entire tone of the film in which, the audience has to think about what they have seen and what they really think happens.

All of the credit must go to Lynch for his emphasis to experiment on both structure and presentation. His eerie, evocative, and often surrealistic direction works on every level. In fact, everything he had done before must've given him the chance to use what he had done while maintaining his experimental side as well. The close-ups he has on some of the characters, notably their eyes, along with tracking shots, flashing lights, and eerie shots of Los Angeles all work to emphasize the tone of the film. Especially from the emotions of the characters who are going through these events in their lives. In that third and final act where everything has changed, Lynch definitely has a sense of detachment of where the camera is placed to emphasize the troubles of the person dealing with the harshness of reality. The result isn't just Lynch at his best but also in his mastery of the art of filmmaking.

Cinematographer Peter Deming brings an eerie style to his photography from the sharp, dreamy look of exterior Los Angeles at night to the intimate, sunshine look of the film's interior sequences. Deming's photography also includes some unique lighting from some of the interior scenes where only a red light is lit and in the theater sequences, a blue light is shimmering to convey the sense of suspense in the film. Deming's work is superb in every way as he gives Los Angeles a haunting look and tone. Editor Mary Sweeney brings a wonderful approach to the film's editing with its leisurely-paced tone while using dissolves, jump-cuts, and fade-outs to convey the film's unconventional tone.

Production designer Jack Fisk, known for his legendary work with Terrence Malick, and art director Peter Jamison create a unique look to the film with its posh-like set decorations that is pure Los Angeles with its apartment and mansions to objects that surrounds the place that includes the blue box and the red lamp at the home of Diane Selwyn. Costume designer Amy Stofsky also brings a unique look to the costumes from the casual, L.A. clothing the two female leads wear to the all-black clothes that Adam Kesher wears. Sound editor Ronald Eng and David Lynch on sound design definitely create a unique tone to the sound to convey the haunting atmosphere that is L.A. and all of strange wonders.

Longtime collaborator in composer Angelo Badalamenti brings a wonderfully haunting film score that is a mix of jazz, blues, electronic music, and orchestral that is wonderfully exquisite and haunting. Lynch and John Neff also add material to the film's soundtrack with its use of haunting electronic music to convey the darkness of Hollywood. With cuts from 50 acts like Connie Stevens and Linda Scott for an audition sequences, the most haunting and devastating track comes from Rebekah del Rio doing Roy Orbison's Cryin' in Spanish.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with notable performances from its diverse cast. Small performances from Patrick Fischler as a man named Dan, who is haunted by a dream is great as is Lynch regular Scott Coffey as a dinner guest, Michael J. Anderson as Mr. Roque, James Karen as a film producer, Lee Grant as Betty's strange neighbor who sees something bad in Rita, Maya Bond as Aunt Ruth, Mark Pellegrino as the incompetent hitman Joe, Missy Crider as a waitress, Jeanne Bates as an old woman named Irene whom Betty befriends early in the film with Dan Birnbaum as Irene's companion, Elizabeth Lackey as an auditioning actress named Carol, Melissa George as Camilla Rhodes, Katherine Towne as Kesher's secretary, and Lori Heuring as Kesher's cheating wife.

Other notable minor performances from Robert Forster in a one-scene appearance as Detective Harry McKnight is great for that brief moment as Forster continues to shine since his Oscar-nominated performance in Jackie Brown. Country music star Billy Ray Cyrus is very funny as the pool-cleaning guy Gene who manages to say some hilarious one-liners throughout the film. Lynch composer Angelo Badalamenti and Dan Hedeya are great as mob brothers who are very quiet with Badalamenti getting more to do, including a scene with an espresso. Ann Miller is great as Coco, a landlady who shows Betty around her apartment while warning her about the quirks and such that goes on. Miller also appears in the third act as a woman with the same name but a different background.

Justin Theroux is great as Adam Kesher, a director striving for control who is unaware of who runs the business and the lifeblood that is his work. Theroux is wonderfully engaging in every scene he's in while filling himself with sarcasm and sometimes, sadness as a director who ends up losing control and appears in the third act as a completely different person. Laura Elena Harring is wonderful as the exotic, beautiful Rita, who looks like a Hollywood actress while channeling all of the emotions one would expect from an amnesiac. Harring's performance is wonderful to watch as she and Naomi Watts have great chemistry as Harring also displays her sultry persona in the third and final act of the film.

The film's breakthrough definitely goes to Naomi Watts, who for years prior to this film had been struggling for attention while appearing in smaller films and bit parts in big films. In the role of Betty, Watts displays all of the innocence, perkiness, and naivete one would expect from a young actress wanting to make it in Hollywood. It's Watts' portrayal of that innocence that lights up the screen as her spirited, charming performance is amazing to watch. When she takes on a different character in the third, everything changes as Watts' appearance is more startling, her performance is more raw and decayed as she proves herself to not just be a complex actress but a force that was to be reckoned with in the years to come. If there was a star that came out of this film, it's Naomi Watts.

When the film premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, it received an excellent response from audiences and critics as Lynch shared the Best Director prize with Joel Coen for The Man Who Wasn't There. Upon its theatrical release later in the year, the film drew not only Lynch's best reviews but also box office as the director received another Oscar nomination for Best Director. Another surprise for the success of the film was a glowing, four-star review from Lynch's biggest detractor Roger Ebert who called the film one of the year's best. Following this success, it's clear that Lynch had finally attained the long, overdue respect and prestige that he's craved for all these years.

While some audiences might be confused by a lot of the film's complex narrative style, Mulholland Dr. is still an amazing, unconventional, and eerie film from David Lynch and company. With a great cast led by Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, and Justin Theroux, it's a film that seeing it once isn't enough. It's a film that's worth watching over and over again to give out new interpretations. Fans of Lynch will no doubt consider this one of his quintessential films though it would also spark on whether this or other films are his best. In the end, for a wonderfully dreamy, complex, eerie mystery that doesn't play to conventions, David Lynch's Mulholland Dr. is the film to go see.

David Lynch Films: Eraserhead - The Elephant Man - Dune - Blue Velvet - Wild at Heart - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me - Lost Highway - The Straight Story - INLAND EMPIRE

The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 1 - The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 2 - The Music Videos of David Lynch

The Auteurs #50: David Lynch: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011