Bad Times at the El Royale

Written and directed by Drew Goddard, Bad Times at the El Royale is the story of seven strangers who stay at a hotel at the California-Nevada border in 1969 where strange things occur as it all lead to their own secrets. The film is a neo-noir thriller that explore a single night in this mysterious hotel as it also involved a major incident that occurred a decade earlier. Starring Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, and Chris Hemsworth. Bad Times at the El Royale is a gripping and haunting film from Drew Goddard.

Set in one day at the El Royale hotel on the California-Nevada border in 1969, the film revolves around a group of people who arrive at the hotel as they each carry a secret as they stay for the night where things would get stranger and terrifying as it goes on. It’s a film with a simple premise that play into these visitors and why they’re in this hotel as Drew Goddard’s script showcases the life of these inhabitants in small sections of the film. Among these visitors includes a Catholic priest in Father Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a singer in Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo), a hippie in Emily Summerspring (Dakota Johnson), and a salesman in Laramie Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm). The hotel’s lone employee in Miles Miller (Lewis Pullman) is also a mysterious figure as he seeks to have a conversation with Father Flynn unaware of Father Flynn’s intentions at the hotel nor the intentions of the other guests. Emily has a hostage named Rose (Cailee Spaeny) while Father Flynn is trying to find something in one of the rooms in the Nevada section of the hotel. Darlene is on her way to Reno for a job while Sullivan is at the hotel for reasons that doesn’t involve sales.

Goddard’s script would give the four principle characters a segment of their own with everyone but Sullivan having their stories told in flashbacks as it relates to their motivations and why they’re at the hotel while Miles himself is someone that is troubled as his own story isn’t unveiled until its third act. Emily’s story does involve a reason why she kidnapped Rose as it relates to this charismatic cult figure in Billy Lee (Chris Hemsworth) who would become a prominent figure for the film’s third act. Especially as it play into secrets of the hotel as well as the inhabitants who all have something to hide.

Goddard’s direction does bear elements of style as it play into this air of intrigue into this hotel on the California-Nevada border as if it was a place of style and glamour but there’s something about it that is off. Shot mainly in Burnaby near Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada with additional locations shot in Vancouver, the film play into this world in the middle of this state border as the hotel itself is a character with its stylish rooms and a lobby that features a bar on the California side and a casino on the Nevada side. Goddard’s usage of the wide and medium shots does take great coverage of the interiors of the hotel lobby as well as the secret hallways that feature a two-way mirror for each apartment that inhabitants aren’t aware of. The usage of close-ups and medium shots would play into some of the conversations between characters as well as long takes for a conversation to happen as it is Goddard breaking away from some of the conventional elements of scenes where he lets the camera just linger and capture the moment.

Goddard’s direction also play up this air of intrigue but also this growing air of tension that is to emerge where the secrets of the El Royale starts to emerge with its two-way mirrors as well as what happened a decade earlier where a man (Nick Offerman) had hidden something in a room as it would relate to what Father Flynn is trying to find. Yet, he is hampered by the fact that he is already showing signs of dementia as the second act has him and Darlene learn about each other as well as the former’s involvement what happened a decade ago. The film’s third act that involves Billy Lee definitely adds to the suspense and drama where Goddard maintains this uneasy atmosphere that emerges where it has elements of dark comedy where Lee bears a lot of the characteristics of someone like Charles Manson. Goddard has the camera maintain Lee’s presence but also the inhabitants who realize that this is someone of a greater evil yet Lee believes there is no such thing as right and wrong as it just adds to the tension throughout the film. Overall, Goddard crafts an unsettling yet riveting film about a dark night in 1969 at a hotel on the California-Nevada border.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of lights for the rainy exterior scenes at night as well as the way the hotel rooms are lit from the inside and in the secret hallway as well as the look of the lobby. Editor Lisa Lassek does excellent work with the editing with its emphasis on rhythmic cuts to help build up the suspense as well as knowing when not to cut during a monologue or a conversation. Production designer Martin Whist, with set decorator Hamish Purdy and supervising art director Michael Diner, does amazing work with the look of the hotel rooms and the hotel itself as it is a character in the film with its major differences depending on what state the characters are on. Costume designer Danny Glicker does fantastic work with the costumes as it each play into the personalities of the characters and where they come from during a turbulent time in 1969.

Special makeup effects designer Toby Lindala does terrific work with the makeup in the look of Miles upon a troubling encounter as well as the look of a few characters to play into the times. Special effects supervisor Joel Whist, along with visual effects supervisors David W. Allen and Oliver Atherton, does some nice work with the visual effects as it is mainly bits of set dressing for the 1959 flashback scene as well as a few bits inside the hotel. Sound designers Casey Genton and Julian Slater do superb work with the sound in the way rooms sound as well as scenes of Darlene singing in her room and the way music is presented in the lobby. The film’s music by Michael Giacchino is incredible for its low-key yet eerie orchestral score that help play into the suspense and drama with its string arrangements and emphasis on building up the suspense with low yet heavy strings. The film’s music soundtrack features songs sung by Cynthia Erivo as well as music from the Box Tops, Deep Purple, the Four Preps, Edwin Starr, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the Crystals, the Four Tops, the Mamas & the Papas, and the American Bread to play into the period of the late 1960s.

The casting by Carmen Cuba is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Charles Halford as a convict that Father Flynn knew, Mark O’Brien as a bank robber, Shea Whigham as a prison doctor, Xavier Dolan as a record producer Darlene refuses to sleep with, and Nick Offerman as a bank robber in 1959 who hides the money. Cailee Spaeny is terrific as Rose as a young girl infatuated with Billy Lee as she seems to be entranced by his teachings much to the dismay of Emily. Lewis Pullman is superb as Miles as the hotel clerk who is harboring secrets of his own as he tries to run the hotel while wanting some guidance from Father Flynn. Jon Hamm is excellent as Laramie Seymour Sullivan as a salesman who is in town yet has other motives as it relates to things in the hotel. Dakota Johnson is fantastic as Emily Summerspring as a hippie who has taken a young girl as a hostage as it relates to a cult leader she dislikes as she presents herself as someone who doesn’t like anyone as it’s a front for why she kidnapped this young girl whom she’s concerned about.

Cynthia Erivo is brilliant as Darlene Sweet as a soul singer whose career to be a solo singer goes wrong as she is on her way to Reno for a job as she contends with the chaos at the hotel as well as trying to figure out what Father Flynn is doing. Jeff Bridges is amazing as Father Daniel Flynn as a Catholic priest who has arrived to this hotel on his way back home where he is ambiguous in his motives for being at the hotel yet he is revealed to be someone that is trying to find something but also is dealing with memory loss as well as other issues that makes him an ambiguous but a person with good intentions. Finally, there’s Chris Hemsworth in a phenomenal performance as Billy Lee as this Charles Manson-like cult leader who doesn’t appear often in the film as he would play a big role in its third act where he has this presence that is discomforting yet entrancing while is filled with so much charisma that he just completely steals the film from everyone as the sight of him dancing to Deep Purple’s cover of Hush is probably one of the sexiest moments captured on film.

Bad Times at the El Royale is a tremendous film from Drew Goddard. Featuring an incredible ensemble cast, a chilling premise set in a remote location, interesting character studies, gorgeous visuals, a mesmerizing music score by Michael Giacchino, and a killer music soundtrack. The film is definitely a neo-noir inspired suspense-drama that explore a group of people in a hotel on the California-Nevada border who endure a hellish rainy night that would bring a lot of trouble and terror with the latter in the form of a Charles Manson-like cult leader. In the end, Bad Times at the El Royale is an outstanding film from Drew Goddard.

Drew Goddard Films: The Cabin in the Woods

© thevoid99 2019

Joker (2019 film)

Based on the character from DC Comics, Joker is the story of a wannabe stand-up comedian whose descent into madness would force him to become an agent of chaos and wreak havoc on Gotham City. Directed by Todd Phillips and screenplay by Phillips and Scott Silver, the film is an origin story of sorts set in the late 1970s/early 1980s as it play into a man who is struggling to fit in to society only to deal with his own mental illness and rejection from the world as the titular character/Arthur Fleck is portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix. Also starring Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Marc Maron, and Robert de Niro. Joker is a haunting yet intense film from Tod Phillips.

Set in 1981 during a time of civil and social unrest in Gotham City, the film follows a man who works as a rent-a-clown who aspires to be a stand-up comedian as he copes with his own mental issues as an act of violence he committed would give him a spark in his life. It’s a film that explore a man who would become Batman’s top nemesis and what he was before he had become this agent of chaos. The film’s screenplay by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver establishes a world that is similar to what was happening to New York City in the mid-late 1970s during a time of economic turmoil, social and civil unrest, and crime being the norm where Arthur Fleck is just a guy trying to work as a clown to make money to help his ailing mother Penny (Frances Conroy) yet he is beaten up by a gang of kids one day and is already in trouble while he often has to write a journal for a social worker (Sharon Washington) handling his case and giving him medication. Things however are getting bad as social services is dealing with budget cuts while Arthur would lose his job due to a small incident though no one was hurt.

Arthur also has a condition where he laughs uncontrollably whenever he gets emotional or anxious as it play into the repressed emotions he is carrying as his time caring for his mother starts to overwhelm him. While he would find a source of comfort in befriending his neighbor in Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz), he has trouble trying to connect with the world including in his attempts to be stand-up comedy. His biggest dream is to succeed and appear on a late-night talk show hosted by Murray Franklin (Robert de Niro) yet reality would collide with Arthur following an incident where he is beaten by three Wall Street workers whom he would kill in defense on a subway. It would be a key moment in the film as the death of these three men would spark a social uprising during an election year in which one of Gotham’s richest men in Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) is running for mayor hoping to fix the city. Adding to the drama is Penny’s claims that she is to receive a letter from Wayne since she used to work for him prompting Arthur to find out more about her relationship with Wayne leading to some major revelations.

Phillips’ direction definitely evokes two films by Martin Scorsese in Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy with more emphasis on the latter which was about a wannabe stand-up comedian trying to be friends with a talk show host only to later kidnap him. Shot on location in New York City as well as parts of Newark, New Jersey, the film does play into that world of a city on the brink of collapse as it’s surrounded by garbage due to a garbage strike with rats eating the garbage. Employment is becoming scarce with the poor being poorer and the rich being richer with Arthur being part of the former as he is struggling to work as a clown to help failing businesses or to entertain children at a children’s hospital. Much of Phillips’ direction is straightforward in its compositions with some wide shots of a few locations as well as to play into Arthur’s disconnect with society and reality. The close-ups and medium shots that play into Arthur’s interaction with others including a tense meeting with Thomas Wayne at a benefit play into his attempts to connect with people.

Phillips’ direction does have a few drawbacks as it relates to a few twists that play into Arthur’s revelation about himself and his mother with the latter given a storyline about a possible relationship with Wayne that never really gels out despite what is revealed. The exploration of social chaos definitely takes a cynical view of things where it play into this air of social discord between the rich and the poor with Arthur being this unlikely hero for the latter and the enemy of the former yet no one knows about his identity as the man who killed those three yuppie men. Though Arthur doesn’t take sides in this conflict nor does he condone the actions of others, the film does play into the impact he creates where Phillips is aware that Arthur is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. The film’s third act that has him face up to the realities of the world and strip away whatever delusions he and his mother had would showcase a man that has inspired a dangerous movement of anarchy that would have some serious consequences including how it would affect a young boy named Bruce Wayne (Dante Pereira-Olson). Overall, Phillips crafts a chilling yet gripping film about a mentally-ill man whose disconnect with the world would make him a master of chaos.

Cinematographer Lawrence Sher does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key colors with certain lighting moods and schemes to help play into Arthur’s behavior as well as the state of Gotham City in its growing sense of decay. Editor Jeff Groth does terrific work with the editing as it does bear some style in some of the rhythmic cuts it creates to play into the drama, suspense, and some of the film’s dark humor. Production designer Mark Friedberg, with set decorator Kris Moran and art director Laura Ballinger, does amazing work with the look of the apartment home that Arthur and Penny lived in as its cramped and in drab conditions to reflect the world they live in as well as the studio that Murray Franklin hosts his show. Costume designer Mark Bridges does fantastic work with the costumes from the clothes that Arthur wears as it would involve into the suit he would wear upon his evolution as the Joker to the clothes of other people that they wore during the early 80s.

Makeup designer Nicki Ledermann and prosthetics makeup effects designer Michael Marino do superb work with the look of the makeup that Arthur wears as a clown and its evolution that would play into his growing manic state. The visual effects work of Brian Adler, Joseph Oberle, and Kondareddy Suresh is nice for the way it presents early 1980s Gotham City in its grungy and decayed look as well as some of the chaos that occurs during the film’s third act. Sound editor Alan Robert Murray does nice work with the sound in the way music sounds on a location or in a room as well as the usage of natural sounds and voices that Arthur would hear as it play into his growing descent.

The film’s music by Hildur Guonadottir is wonderful for its ominous yet eerie music score with its emphasis on strings and brass to play into Arthur’s descent while music supervisors George Drakoulias and Randall Poster provide a music soundtrack that mixes an array of music from the likes of Claude Bolling, Frank Sinatra, Cream, the Main Ingredient, Fred Astaire, Lawrence Welk, Stephen Sondheim, and Charles Chaplin that play into the world that Arthur is in though the one major blemish in the music soundtrack is a 70s glam rock piece by a certain convicted pedophile whose name doesn’t deserve any mention.

The casting by Shayna Markowitz is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Rocco Luna as Sophie’s daughter Gigi, Josh Pais as Arthur’s boss, Leigh Gill as the midget clown Gary, Carrie Louise Purtello as Martha Wayne, April Grace as Arkham asylum psychiatrist, Sharon Washington as Arthur’s social worker, Glenn Fleshler as a clown named Randall who would give Arthur a handgun, Hannah Gross as a young Penny in a flashback scene, Brian Tyree Henry as an Arkham hospital clerk who makes a discovery about Arthur, Marc Maron as Franklin’s producer Gene Ufland, and Dante Pereira-Olson as a young Bruce Wayne. Other notable small roles include Shea Whigham and Bill Camp as a couple of detectives asking Arthur some questions about what happened the yuppie murders.

Douglas Hodge is terrific in his lone scene as Bruce Wayne’s caretaker Alfred Pennyworth who confronts Arthur while revealing things about Arthur’s mother. Brett Cullen is superb as Thomas Wayne as the billionaire who is running for mayor to help Gotham as he isn’t fond of the poor believing that some of them are trouble while he would have an encounter with Arthur that doesn’t go well. Frances Conroy is fantastic as Arthur’s mother Penny as a woman feeling ill as well as having delusions with claims about a relationship with Thomas Wayne though she did work for him as she is waiting for a letter from him. Zazie Beetz is excellent as Sophie Dumond as a neighbor of Fleck who would befriend him while sharing her own disdain of the rich but is not as cynical like everyone else knowing right from wrong.

Robert de Niro is brilliant as the late-night talk show host Murray Franklin who would play a role in Arthur’s own descent into madness after making fun of his stand-up performance as he is someone Arthur wanted to meet as this comedic idol. Finally, there’s Joaquin Phoenix in a tour-de-force performance as Arthur Fleck as this wannabe stand-up comedian and rent-a-clown that feels rejected by society and is constantly abused while overwhelmed with his duties to take care of his mother. It’s a performance that has Phoenix display an amazing air of physicality as well as play into someone that is troubled who later does horrible things as he is a man to be pitied and not revered as Phoenix creates this balance of a man that becomes lost in his own madness.

Joker is a marvelous film from Todd Phillips that features a great performance from Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role. Along with its ensemble cast, grimy visuals, study of mental descent and isolation, and an offbeat music soundtrack, it’s a unique character study into a man who starts off as someone trying to be good only to become a villain though there’s parts of the narrative and direction that doesn’t work as it play into the journey that this man would endure. In the end, Joker is a remarkable film from Todd Phillips.

Related: Taxi Driver - The King of Comedy - Batman (1989 film) - The Dark Knight - The Lego Batman Movie

© thevoid99 2019

First Man

Based on the biography First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen, First Man is about the life of astronaut Neil Armstrong from his early days as a pilot to being the first man to walk on the moon as he deals with challenges in his professional and personal life. Directed by Damien Chazelle and screenplay by Josh Singer, the film is an unconventional bio-pic of the famed astronaut who deals with the dangers of his job as well as the events in his personal life as he is played by Ryan Gosling. Also starring Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Jason Clarke, Ciaran Hinds, Patrick Fugit, Christopher Abbott, Lukas Haas, and Kyle Chandler. First Man is an enthralling and evocative film from Damien Chazelle.

July 20, 1969 was a momentous moment in the history of civilization when Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon as it was the culmination of a decade long journey during the space race between the U.S. and Soviet Union to reach the impossible. For all of the fame that Armstrong would receive for this accomplishment lies a man who endured professional and personal challenges including moments of tragedy as he would withdraw from fame and even in his own family to focus on what he must do as an astronaut. Josh Singer’s screenplay focuses on Armstrong’s life as a test pilot in 1961 to the moment he returns home from the moon which would also include his first marriage to Janet Shearon (Claire Foy) as well as life with their children including the death of his daughter Karen at age 2 as she had been diagnosed with a malignant tumor and died of complications related to pneumonia.

The script would have Armstrong not just deal with the job in hand as he and other astronauts try to figure out what to do and also what not to do. Even as Armstrong would deal with a couple of tragedies while he would also have a near-death experience during the Gemini 8 mission with David Scott (Christopher Abbott) where the capsule docking with the Agena Target Vehicle as part of a docking experiment had the capsule separated and rolled around orbit. Yet, more problems including the Apollo 1 testing session that lead to the death of Virgil “Gus” Grissom (Shea Whigham), Ed White (Jason Clarke), and Roger Chaffee (Cory Michael Smith) forces Armstrong to make sure nothing else goes wrong as he would eventually be selected to command the Apollo 11 mission with Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll) and Michael Collins (Lukas Haas).

Damien Chazelle’s direction is definitely intense not just for the idea of what it’s like being in a jet plane or in a space capsule but also the sense of fear of what to do in case something bad happens. Shot largely in locations near Atlanta including studios in Atlanta along with additional locations in Los Angeles, the film does play into a moment in time where so much is happening while there is an air of innocence into the Armstrong home life. Even as they would have other astronauts as neighbors and their kids playing with each other as Chazelle aimed for a natural look into these scenes as it would also play into the sense of loss that the Armstrong family would endure as well as the chaos that would happen during the course of Armstrong’s time as an astronaut including tragedy that affected this small community of people. Chazelle would use some wide shots for these scenes as well as a maintain a looseness into the camera by shooting with a hand-held camera for close-ups and medium shots to get an intimacy as well as some of the dramatic tension that occurs between the Armstrongs.

For the scenes inside the capsules, there is this claustrophobic element where Chazelle doesn’t just give the audience an idea of what it is like inside a space capsule, a test-jet plane, and other test modules as well as the lunar module. The usage of shaky camera during a rocket launch or seeing what Armstrong and his crew are seeing from their perspective adds to the sense of fear that these men have to face. Even in the sound where it has this element of something could go wrong add to the atmosphere of what is happening. The sequence set on the moon and its landing with stock footage of people watching the event happening is definitely a majestic moment with its usage of wide shots as a look into what Armstrong might be thinking about on the moon though his face isn’t shown on the helmet as it play into everything he’s endured to reach this monumental feat. Overall, Chazelle crafts a mesmerizing yet astonishing film about the life of Neil Armstrong and his struggles with his job and life at home.

Cinematographer Linus Sandgren does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of natural lighting for many of the scenes in the neighborhood including the scenes at night along with some stark yet vibrant lighting for the scenes at the mission control centers in NASA and the low-key lighting for the scenes inside the space capsules and lunar module. Editor Tom Cross does excellent work with the editing as it has some unique rhythmic cuts to play into the drama along with some stylish jump-cut montages for a few recurring flashback scenes from Armstrong’s perspective. Production designer Nathan Crowley, with supervising art director Erik Osusky plus set decorators Randi Hockett and Kathy Lucas, does amazing work with the look of the machines and such for the astronaut training as well as the interior/exterior of the space capsules and how small they as well as the mission control rooms and the homes of the astronauts. Costume designer Mary Zophres does terrific work with the costumes from the clothes that everyone wears on a casual day as well as the astronaut clothes that are worn for the missions.

Special effects supervisor J.D. Schwalm and visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert do incredible work with the special effects with the look of the exteriors of outer space and the moon as well as the usage of practical effects to give the scenes in space an air of realism as it is a highlight of the film. Sound designer/sound editor Ai-Ling Lee and co-sound editor Mildred Iatrou do tremendous work with the film’s sound in creating that sense of atmosphere of what goes on in space where the metal sound like it’s bending or about to break as well as the lack of sound when someone is in outer space or on the moon as it’s a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Justin Hurwitz is superb for its usage of low-key strings, ambient pieces, and usage of the theremin to help maintain an atmosphere that is calm but also disconcerting at times in some of the drama and suspenseful moments in the film. The film’s music soundtrack features an array of music from the 1960s including a few classical and show tune pieces as well as some country and folk music from Gene Autrey, Peter, Paul, & Mary, the Kingston Trio, Samuel Hoffman with Les Baxter, Johnny Ace, the Chantels, and a poetic piece by Gil Scott-Heron who is seen briefly on the film as he is played by Leon Bridges.

The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Kris Swanberg as Elliot See’s wife Marilyn, Lucy Stafford as Karen Armstrong, Luke Winters and Gavin Warren in their respective roles as the older and younger version of Rick Armstrong, Conor Blodgett as Mark Armstrong, Ethan Embry as astronaut Pete Conrad, Pablo Schreiber as astronaut Jim Lovell , J.D. Evermore as NASA flight director Christopher C. Kraft Jr., Cory Michael Smith as astronaut Roger Chaffee, and Brian d’Arcy James as test pilot Joseph A. Walker who gets Armstrong on board to NASA. Shea Whigham is terrific as Virgil “Gus” Grissom as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts who help the new astronauts prepare for what to expect for Gemini and later Apollo. Patrick Fugit is superb as Elliot See as an astronaut in training who befriends Armstrong as he was set to command his own mission only to die tragically during a training mission.

Olivia Hamilton is fantastic as Ed White’s wife Patricia who befriends Janet as they share their stories of fear for their husbands but also what they had to endure at home. Christopher Abbott is excellent as Dave Scott as Armstrong’s co-pilot on Gemini 8 who experiences that near-death experience as he also tries to understand what went wrong. Kyle Chandler is brilliant as NASA chief officer/former astronaut Deke Slayton who makes sure things go smoothly while Ciaran Hinds is amazing as Robert R. Gilruth who is a flight director for NASA who helps oversee the making of the Apollo missions. Jason Clarke is incredible as Ed White as an astronaut who would become the first American to do the spacewalk while trying to understand Armstrong’s distant persona as it relates to loss. Lukas Haas is remarkable as Michael Collins as the capsule module pilot who helps Armstrong and Aldrin reach the moon and ensure their safety.

Corey Stoll is sensational as Buzz Aldrin as the film’s comic relief of sorts as he often says off-color things while being someone who does take his work serious as he would accompany Armstrong on their momentous mission to the moon. Claire Foy is phenomenal as Janet Shearon as Armstrong’s then-wife who deals with loss as well as the sense of fear of what could happen to her husband as she is also someone who doesn’t take shit from anyone as it is a riveting performance from Foy. Finally, there’s Ryan Gosling in a magnificent performance as Neil Armstrong as a test pilot/engineer who is tasked with what has to be done as he deals with the many dangers of his job but is also restrained and distant due to the fact that he’s still reeling from the loss of his daughter and later deal with the loss of colleagues as it’s a performance that is filled with restraint but also with a sense of determination and drive giving Gosling a career-defining performance.

First Man is a tremendous film from Damien Chazelle that features great performances from Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy. Along with its supporting cast, gorgeous visuals, eerie sound design, a soothing yet haunting music score, and a gripping story about what astronauts had to endure and the chaos that goes on behind the scenes. It’s a film that doesn’t play towards the conventions of the bio-pic while also being this study of a man trying not to fail in preparation for his mission to go to the moon while dealing with grief. In the end, First Man is an outstanding film from Damien Chazelle.

Damien Chazelle Films: (Guy and Madeleine on a Park Bench) – Whiplash - La La Land

© thevoid99 2018

Cop Car

Directed by Jon Watts and written by Watts and Christopher Ford, Cop Car is the story of two boys who find an abandoned police car as they take it for a joyride unaware that they’re being pursued by its owner and what is in the car. The film is a look into a simple joy ride that suddenly becomes a cat-and-mouse game between a cop and two mischievous boys. Starring Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Camryn Manheim, and Shea Whigham. Cop Car is an offbeat yet gripping film from Jon Watts.

The film is the simple story of two runaways who find an abandoned police car where they take it for a joyride only to later get in trouble with a corrupt sheriff who is trying to find the car and what is in in the trunk. The simplicity of the story as well as the minimalist approach that Jon Watts and Christopher Ford would use to tell the story with their script makes it far more intriguing as it play into the suspense where this sheriff would try and find his car while these two boys are just driving around the town not knowing what they’re doing as they would eventually discover what is in the trunk. There is also a subplot in which a woman would see the two boys as she wondered if what she sees is true as it creates more intrigue. The script also doesn’t feature a lot of dialogue as it maintains that sense of minimalism where it’s more about behavior and strategy as it leads into this chilling climax.

Watts’ direction is quite mesmerizing as it is set in Colorado though it feels like it could be set or shot anywhere in the American West. Watts’ usage of the wide and medium shots play into the locations while using the latter as well as some close-ups for the intimate moments in the film. Especially where the close-ups add to the moments of suspense and some of the drama while Watts would create different versions of how the boys found the car and where was the sheriff when he abandoned it as it is among the fascinating moments in the first act. Watts’ direction also has this great usage of silence in the way the sheriff conducts himself as it is clear that he is quite evil but also unhinged as one of the few people he communicates with is a dispatcher. The scenes involving the boys are more lively for the first half of the film but then becomes serious in the second act as what they would discover in the trunk but also be reached by the sheriff through his radio. Its climax isn’t just chilling but also a moment where this innocent joyride the boys took into this stolen car would take an extremely dark turn. Overall, Watts creates a riveting yet intense film about two boys stealing an abandoned cop car.

Cinematographers Matthew J. Lloyd and Larkin Seiple do excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of the vast locations and natural lighting for the scenes in the day as well as the more eerie images set in the evening and at night. Editors Megan Brooks and Andrew Hasse do fantastic work with the editing as it is very straightforward yet knows when to cut at the right moment to help play into suspense. Production designer Michael Powsner and art director Nate Oldham do nice work with the look of the sets from the home of the sheriff to some of the small bits of the cop car‘s interiors. Costume designer Ruby Katilius does terrific work with the costumes as it is mostly casual for the characters.

Special effects makeup designer Midian Crosby does brilliant work with the look of a character in the film that seems to have some issues with the sheriff. Visual effects supervisor Aleksandr Djordjevic does wonderful work with the visual effects as it is mostly bits of set-dressing for some of the film‘s climax. Sound editor Paul Hsu does superb work with the sound in the way gunfire sounds as well as some of the sparse moments in the film. The film’s music by Phil Mossman is brilliant for its low-key score with its mixture of somber piano-based music with elements of folk to play into that feel of the American West while music supervisor Mark Wike provides a low-key soundtrack of rock and country music.

The casting by Craig Fincannon and Lisa Mae Fincannon is great as it features a voice cameo from Kyra Sedgwick as the police dispatcher as well as terrific small roles from Camryn Manheim as a woman named Bev who witnesses the boys driving the cop car and Shea Whigham as a beaten-down man who has a grudge towards the sheriff. Kevin Bacon is amazing as Sheriff Kretzer as a corrupt sheriff who accidentally leaves his car as he has something in its trunk where he tries to retrieve while being very slimy in the way he communicates with the boys through the radio. Finally, there’s the duo of James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford in their respective roles as Travis and Harrison as two mischievous boys who like to cause trouble as they steal a car where they just have this sense of energy into their roles that feels real as well as display that sense of fear into the situation they’re in as they are major highlights of the film.

Cop Car is an incredible film from Jon Watts. Featuring a great cast, a simple yet effective premise, and gorgeous images, it is a film that bends genres in some ways but also goes for that less-is-more mentality in telling a story that is just fascinating as well as engrossing. In the end, Cop Car is a phenomenal film from Jon Watts.

Jon Watts Films: (Clown (2014 film)) - (Spider-Man: Homecoming)

© thevoid99 2016

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film)

Based on Jordan Belfort’s autobiographical novel, The Wolf of Wall Street is the story of Belfort’s rise to the top of Wall Street in the late 80s as he would later fall through his involvement in crime, corruption, and his battles with the federal government. Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by Terence Winters, the film is an exploration into the excessive world of 1980s capitalism and greed where a man is eager to make money at any cost as Belfort is played by Leonardo diCaprio. Also starring Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Jean Dujardin, Rob Reiner, Jon Favreau, and Matthew McConaughey. The Wolf of Wall Street is a wild, riotous, and absolutely insane film from Martin Scorsese.

The film’s simple concept is the classic rise and fall scenario of a stock broker named Jordan Belfort who decides to sell penny stock to common people in order to make lots of money and build a business for himself where he would be a major king of Wall Street in the late 80s and early 90s after the stock market crash of 1987. It’s a film that shows how this ambitious young man became a common trader working on Wall Street to forging his own empire where he gets everything and more in life only to be targeted by the FBI for money laundering and all sorts of illegal activities. Even as he brings in those who have no knowledge on how to sell stock be part of his empire where they would also fall with him.

Terence Winters’ screenplay uses that classic rise-and-fall scenario as it is told by Jordan Belfort who reveals his ambitions early on and how he would become this new king after the infamous October 1987 Black Monday crash. The Belfort character isn’t afraid to make himself un-likeable at times where the first scene he’s in is a montage of his very extravagant life where drives a white Porsche while getting a blow-job from his second wife Naomi (Margot Robbie) and working to make all sorts of crazy money and cap the night of more partying where he is snorting cocaine off of a hooker’s ass and then come home on a helicopter he’s trying to pilot. It’s a montage that showcases the life that Belfort leads that is unpredictable and at times very immoral. Yet, Belfort doesn’t seem to care because he’s having too much fun making a ridiculous amount of money with his friend Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) and the other lowly stockbrokers he trained to build his empire.

Much of the film is told through Belfort’s voice-over narration while there are moments where other characters speak in a voiceover that includes a scene in the third act where Belfort deals with a Swiss banker Jean-Jacques Saurel (Jean Dujardin) where the dialogue they say to each other in voiceover is pretty damn funny. It’s among these moments that Winters creates in his script that showcases not just Belfort’s growing paranoia due to his own drug abuse but also how out of touch he’s becoming as he becomes richer where the FBI agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler) takes notice to see if Belfort does anything illegal. Even as Belfort’s antics in selling stock to make lots of money and his refusal to rat out his own friends would get him in trouble.

To describe Martin Scorsese’s direction as excessive would be understating exactly what he’s presenting. It’s a whole lot more of than that where Scorsese isn’t afraid to infuse some very lowbrow humor involving drugs and such in a film that has a high concept with a near three-hour running time. The humor that is prevalent throughout the film includes a lot of debauchery which is expected in a film about greed yet he takes it to a whole new level. While some of it maybe an exaggeration into what Scorsese and Winters are telling but it is very comical into the antics that Belfort and his buddies do such as an orgy in an airplane or popping a decade-old Quaaludes. The latter of which involves a pretty long yet hilarious sequence that includes some of the most insane moments that Scorsese has ever presented where it mixes high and lowbrow humor.

Much of Scorsese’s direction is stylish in not just his compositions but also in some of the action that occurs where many of the scenes in the stock building that Belfort runs is like a jungle where even a monkey works at the place. It is all about selling bullshit to people whether they’re rich or poor where there is this great scene early in the film in which Belfort shows his old buddies the idea of selling. Much of it is shot in New York City as well as Britain, Switzerland, and the Mediterranean as it is about excess at its most debauched. Of course, the third act has Scorsese sort of slow things down a bit but also find ways for everything to come down and crash hard. Overall, Scorsese crafts a film that is like a wild rollercoaster ride times a 100 that is full of chaos, shock value, and lots of laughs.

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from the sunny look of the scenes in New York and in the Mediterranean to some of the interior scenes as well as some of the stuff that occurs at night. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does fantastic work with the film‘s editing where it does emphasize on style from its use of montages, slow-motion cuts, jump-cuts, and all sorts of things to play out the decadence. Production designer Bob Shaw, with set decorator Ellen Christansen and art director Chris Shriver, does amazing work with the look of the mansion that Belfort lives in as well as the place he works where it was once a garage and then turned into an empire as well as the look of the yacht he would buy in the film‘s second act.

Costume designer Sandy Powell does excellent work with the clothes such as the stuff the women wear in the late 80s as well as the sexy clothes that Naomi would wear or not wear. Prosthetic makeup designer Michael Marino does nice work with the prosthetic teeth that Jonah Hill wears to play Donnie as well as some of the look of Belfort‘s team with their fake hair and such. Visual effects supervisors Robert Legato and Dan Seddon do terrific work with some of the film‘s visual effects such as the cocaine flying in the room in slow-motion to a very extravagant scene involving the yacht in treacherous waters. Sound editors Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton do superb work with the sound from the way phones and computers are heard to the sounds of revving engines and such to play into that world of excess.

Music supervisor Randall Poster and compiler Robbie Robertson create a music soundtrack that is pretty wild. Ranging from rock, blues, and hip-hop, the music in the film is definitely a highlight where it includes cuts by Elmore James, Howlin’ Wolf, the Lemonheads, Romeo Void, Joe Cuba, Naughty by Nature, Bo Diddley, Billy Joel, Malcolm McLaren, Cypress Hill, Devo, Sir-Mix-a-Lot, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings making an appearance as the wedding band singing Goldfinger, the Foo Fighters, Umberto Tozzi, Plastic Bertrand, and an original track by Robbie Robertson with Matthew McConaughey.

The casting by Ellen Lewis is just incredible for the large ensemble that was created for the film. Among these notable small roles include Spike Jonze as a lowly stock analyst who would show Belfort the penny stocks, Shea Whigham as the yacht’s captain, Christine Ebersole as Jordan’s mother, Katarina Cas as Brad’s European wife Chantelle who would have money taped to her body, Jake Hoffman as women’s shoe designer Steve Madden, Mackenzie Meehan as Donnie’s wife, Jon Spinogatti as Naomi and Jordan’s gay butler at the apartment, and Jon Favreau as Belfort’s securities officer who would deal with the FBI and ensure that they don’t interfere. In the roles of Belfort’s fellow stockbrokers, there’s Stephanie Kurtzuba as the single mom turned power broker Kimmie Belzer, Kenneth Choi as Walter, P.J. Byrne as the wild Rugrat who has big connections, Brian Saca as Robbie Feinberg, and Ethan Suplee as Toby Welch.

Rob Reiner is very funny as Belfort’s father Max who is shocked by his son’s job and wealth where he helps him while being a very brash man who refuses to take shit from anyone. Jon Bernthal is excellent as Belfort’s friend Brad who works on the outside to ensure that the money goes into the pockets of Belford and associates. Cristin Milioti is wonderful as Belfort’s first wife Teresa who is this simple Jersey girl who becomes alienated by Belfort’s growing power and later discovering his infidelity. Jean Dujardin is fantastic as the Swiss banker Jean-Jacques Saurel who appears in the film’s third act as he is someone that Belfort doesn’t like yet is a very sly businessman who is just fun to watch. Joanna Lumley is superb as Naomi’s aunt Emma who would aid Belfort in his money laundering schemes in Europe where Lumley also brings in some humor to the film.

Matthew McConaughey is amazing in a small but crucial role as Belfort’s mentor Mark Hanna who shows Belfort the ropes and how to keep his energy going as McConaughey makes every moment he appears in the first act as just one full of joy. Kyle Chandler is great as Patrick Denham as this straight-laced FBI agent who despises Belfort as he wants to do what he feels is right for America and take down those who are ripping off the American people. Margot Robbie is brilliant as Belfort’s second wife Naomi as this very sensual woman who becomes everything that Belfort wants yet has a hard time dealing with his excesses and consumption for everything where she manages to go to toe-to-toe with diCaprio in some very intense scenes. Jonah Hill is phenomenal as Donnie Azoff as a lowly working-class man who quits his job to make the kind of money that Belfort has as he becomes Belfort’s sidekick while doing all sorts of crazy things that range from being extremely funny to just extremely terrifying.

Finally, there’s Leonardo diCaprio in what is absolutely an unforgettable performance as Jordan Belfort. It’s a role where diCaprio isn’t afraid to do all sorts of lewd things where he can be inspiring with some of the monologues he carries while showing that he is also hilarious. Some of which proves that this is someone who should be in comedies as he has a natural charm and gift to be funny while also being very dark. It’s one where diCaprio isn’t afraid to be an asshole or do the kind of things that make people wonder how is still alive from all of that cocaine and Quaaludes. It’s a truly tour-de-force performance that proves that diCaprio is among one of the best actors working today.

The Wolf of Wall Street is an outstanding yet thrilling film from Martin Scorsese that features a towering performance from Leonardo diCaprio. Along with a kick-ass soundtrack and a great supporting cast, it’s a film that explores the world of decadence and greed at its most extreme and debauched. Especially as Scorsese and screenwriter Terence Winters infuse it with some dark, lowbrow humor that makes the film far more enjoyable as it’s definitely one of Scorsese’s most entertaining films. In the end, The Wolf of Wall Street is a magnificent film from Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) - (Street Scenes) - Boxcar Bertha - (Mean Streets) - Italianamerican - Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) - Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas - Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) - (Casino) - (Kundun) - (My Voyage to Italy) - Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) - Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) - No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) - (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - (The Fifty Year Argument) - Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman)

© thevoid99 2013

Silver Linings Playbook

Based on the novel by Matthew Quick, Silver Linings Playbook is about a man who returns to his family following a breakdown caused by misfortune and his wife’s extramarital affair. In hopes to get his life back in order and reclaim his wife, the man meets a young troubled woman as they team up to help each other. Written for the screen and directed by David O. Russell, the film is an exploration into people troubled by their own dysfunctions as they hope to get back in the world. Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Tucker, Jacki Weaver, Julia Stiles, Anupam Kher, Shea Whigham, and Robert de Niro. Silver Linings Playbook is a charming and whimsical film from David O. Russell.

After being institutionalized for eight months following a violent breakdown due to the affair of wife Nikki (Brea Bree) where he loses his home in the process. Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) returns home to his Philadelphia Eagles-obsessed father Pat Sr. (Robert de Niro) and mother Dolores (Jacki Weaver) in hopes to re-start his life and win back Nikki. Though he’s reluctant to attend therapy sessions with Dr. Cliff Patel (Anupam Kher), Pat is hoping to do whatever to win his wife back despite the restraining order she’s put on him. Invited to dinner by his friend Ronnie (John Ortiz) and his wife Veronica (Julia Stiles), Pat meets Veronica’s younger sister Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who is dealing with her own issues as the two get together as they’re both in need of people to talk to. Particularly as Tiffany is still reeling from the death of her husband several months ago.

When Pat wants to send a letter to his wife through Tiffany, Tiffany reluctantly decides to do it only if Pat would help her get ready for a dance competition she wants to participate in. Pat agrees though neither of them are accomplished dancers as they get a bit of help from Pat’s friend Danny (Chris Tucker) who had just been released from the same institution Pat was just in. The two become close as Pat’s father needs Pat to come to attend a game with Pat’s older brother Jake (Shea Whigham) thinking that Pat is good luck and hopes the Eagles win against the Giants so he can win a bet and get the money he needs to open a cheesesteak sandwich restaurant. Instead, things go wrong only until Tiffany comes to the Solitano home that inspires Pat Sr. to make a bet that will help everyone. Yet, Tiffany becomes concerned whether Pat will participate in the dance as he becomes more obsessed about reaching his wife.

Starting over after a breakdown is a hard thing to do. Especially when it concerns a man who had lost everything as he begins to wonder why his wife would cheat on him as he becomes obsessed with winning her back. When he meets a young widow who is just as troubled as he is, the two form a bond as they would participate in a local dance competition in the hopes that the man can show his wife that he’s changed. That’s the premise of the film as it explores the world of two people who feel like no one understands them as they’re trying to find some way for their family and friends to understand and support them. While they both have families who mean well and want to know what’s wrong with them, they have no clue in how to approach them.

David O. Russell’s screenplay definitely captures a lot of truth about people who feel out of sorts with the world as they’re on medication, having to attend therapy, and do things that most people wouldn’t understand. Pat is a guy who likes to go jogging while wearing a trash bag over his sweater in order to get in shape. He’s also reading books that his wife had put on her syllabus where he is just amazed at all of the negativity he finds in those books. Pat is also someone that is deeply troubled as hearing Stevie Wonder’s My Cherie Amour becomes a trigger for his outbursts as his behavior would cause a lot of worry. Then there’s Tiffany who is a bit anti-social as she’s not interested in being around her sister or her family while can also go crazy if she’s being pushed. She’s also very confrontational and admits that she’s a bit of a nymphomaniac.

Having Pat and Tiffany together gives the two of them a chance to finally understand themselves and the motivation to improve their lives where they delve into dancing. Though Pat is reluctant about dancing, it manages to help him as it even takes notice of his family, friends, and Dr. Patel. While Pat’s father is a die-hard Eagles fan who is so obsessed about them winning as he’s unable to attend the games since he’s banned from the stadium over some fights. He’s also a caring father who just wants his son to be there for good luck as he hopes to win money so he can start a cheesesteak sandwich shop. Once he realizes the benefit of Pat and Tiffany’s time together, it gives him the chance to make the ultimate bet that he hopes would give everyone a chance to win something. It’s not just the premise that makes the story so intriguing but also the characters as they’re just real people who are trying to understand these two very damaged yet good-hearted souls.

Russell’s direction is very engaging for the way he mixes humor and drama as it let it all play out naturally. Notably as he uses a lot of close-ups and medium shots to capture the actors in a frame while shooting it entirely on location in Philadelphia. Russell makes Philadelphia and its nearby small towns as characters where people talk a certain way and live a certain life where they have a love for the Eagles and the Phillies. Notably in a scene during an Eagles game where it’s a very wild atmosphere where the camera is in the middle of all of this craziness where people of all sorts come together just to have a good time. It’s not just the craziness of that world that Russell captures but also the Solitano home where Pat Sr. wants his son watching the game while Dolores is in the kitchen making food. It’s a bit chaotic but it plays to the atmosphere that Russell wants.

The direction also is very intimate in the way he presents the relationship between Pat and Tiffany where Russell keeps things simple. Notably in the scenes in Tiffany’s mini-dance studio where it’s just very sparse and it’s all about these two people trying to learn to dance. It’s a world that they can be comfortable in and that their family know about but don’t have to come in there. The film’s climax is the dance where Russell creates a great mix of humor and drama as it all unfolds where it’s not just about the dance but the reaction of those who are watching them. The outcome isn’t just about them winning a contest but to see who is willing to cheer for them as they’re finally ready to emerge from the dark hell both of them have been through. Overall, Russell creates a very winning and heartwarming film about two people in need of help as it’s real, sad, and very funny.

Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi does excellent work with the photography from the more naturalistic look of the daytime exterior and interior locations to more stylish lighting styles at night including the climatic dance scene. Editor Jay Cassiday does amazing work with the editing by creating unique rhythmic cuts for the film‘s dancing and dramatic moments along with more stylish cuts in the scenes at the Eagles tailgate party. Production designer Judy Becker, along with set decorator Heather Loeffler and art director Jesse Rosenthal, does nice work with the set pieces such as Tiffany‘s studio, Ronnie and Veronica‘s posh home, and the more middle-class home look of Pat Sr. and Dolores‘ home.

Costume designer Mark Bridges does wonderful work with the costumes from the stylish clothes that Tiffany wears to the more casual look that most of the characters wear including those Eagles jerseys. Sound editor Olda Benitez does terrific work with the sound from the intimacy in Tiffany‘s studio to the more raucous atmosphere in the Solitano living room whenever the game is on. The film’s music by Danny Elfman is a delight for its low-key yet plaintive piano-driven score to play out the drama and some of the humor that occurs. Music supervisor Susan Jacobs creates a brilliant music soundtrack that is a wide mix of music from acts like the White Stripes, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan with Johnny Cash, Eagles of Death Metal, Stevie Wonder, Alabama Shakes, Jessie J, and many others along with different types of ballroom dancing music.

The casting by Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some noteworthy appearances from Dash Mihok as Officer Keogh, Matthew Russell as a nosy neighbor, Patrick McDade and Cheryl Williams as Tiffany’s parents, and Brea Bree as Patrick’s wife Nikki. Paul Herman is very good as Pat Sr.’s friend Randy who is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys while Shea Whigham is wonderful as Pat’s older brother Jake who tries to get Pat back in the world by going to an Eagles game. Julia Stiles is very good as Tiffany’s materialistic older sister Veronica while John Ortiz is terrific as Veronica’s husband and Pat’s friend Ronnie who goes to Pat over his issues with Veronica.

Anupam Kher is great as Pat’s shrink Dr. Patel who tries to steer Pat into a place that can help him while proving to be a very lively Eagles fans. Jacki Weaver is superb as Pat’s mother Dolores who is baffled by Pat’s behavior while dealing with all of the craziness as it’s very low-key yet charming performance from the actress. Chris Tucker is amazing in a very subdued yet engaging performance as Pat’s friend Danny who helps Pat with his issues while proving to be a good luck charm for Pat’s family. Robert de Niro is marvelous in what is a return-to-form of sorts as Pat’s father in the way he obsesses about the Eagles while showing a sense of craziness but also a tenderness to man who just wants to watch the game with his son.

Finally, there’s the duo of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in their respective roles as Tiffany and Pat. Lawrence’s performance is definitely vibrant for the way she deals with her emotions and outbursts while being very nonchalant about certain things as it’s a performance that allows Lawrence to be direct and to the point while slowly revealing herself. Cooper’s performance is definitely the best thing he’s done as he reveals many layers to a man that is troubled by his illness while seeking ways to redeem himself where Cooper can be very wild but also restrained in some of the moments. Lawrence and Cooper have a very electrifying chemistry where they’re able to play each other out and do things just adds to their work as they’re a real highlight for the film.

Silver Linings Playbook is a remarkable film from David O. Russell that features phenomenal performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. Along with strong supporting work from Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, Jacki Weaver, and Robert de Niro. The film is definitely a comedy with lots of hearts, lots of realism, and a story that is very engaging in the way it deals with mental illness as well as redemption. In the end, Silver Linings Playbook is an exhilarating film from David O. Russell.

David O. Russell Films: Spanking the Monkey - Flirting with Disaster - Three Kings - I Heart Huckabees - The Fighter - American Hustle - Accidental Love - Joy (2015 film) - The Auteurs #70: David O. Russell

© thevoid99 2012

Take Shelter

Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter is the story about a man who has an apocalyptic dream as he struggles to create a shelter. With his obsession becoming more intense, his relationship with his family becomes strained as he is convinced that something bad will happen. Starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Ray McKinnon, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Kathy Baker. Take Shelter is a chilling thriller from Jeff Nichols.

Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) is a respected laborer who has a loving wife in Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and a lovely yet deaf daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart) as they live happily in Texas. Then Curtis starts to have strange nightmares that revolves around an apocalyptic storm that is to wreak havoc. While Curtis is unsure about the dreams he’s having as it felt very real to him, he chooses not to tell his wife as they’re on the verge of having money for surgery for their daughter’s chance to hear. After the dreams intensify and he tells a doctor about it, he reluctantly takes pills only to realize that he’s starting to see things that might actually be happening.

While he suspects that he might be suffering from schizophrenia due to the fact that his mother (Kathy Baker) has been hospitalized for it. Curtis suddenly becomes paranoid as he decides to fix up and expand a tornado shelter in his backyard. While his friend and co-worker Dewart (Shea Whigham) reluctantly help out, Samantha wonders what is going on as she finds herself asking questions about Curtis’ behavior. Curtis finally tells Samantha about his nightmares following a health scare as well as revealing that he’s taken a loan to build his shelter. With his dreams becoming more ominous, Curtis’ paranoia starts to affect everyone as the whole town is convinced that Curtis has gone crazy. Curtis wonders if he is going crazy until a dream has him convinced that a storm is definitely coming.

The film is about a man’s belief that his apocalyptic nightmares are coming true as he starts to question his own sanity and the decisions that he’s making. Throughout the film, Curtis LaForche ponders if he is imagining all of this or does he really think it’s happening as a visit to see his mother would only raise more questions about his state of mind. Jeff Nichols creates a film that is part-apocalyptic thriller and part-family drama as it all centers towards a family man who is desperate to create a shelter for his family. His script dwells into this man’s paranoia that starts off with a nightmare and then shifts back into his real life as he would later have trouble deciphering in what is real and what is a dream. Curtis would question his own state of mind but couldn’t escape what he feels as his wife would start to believe that he might be telling the truth despite her own initial feelings and confusions about what her husband believes.

Nichols’ direction is truly hypnotic from start to finish in the way he opens the film with a man doing household activities outside where it starts to rain but water color is very different. Nichols creates something where it starts off as this intimate drama set nearby Austin, Texas that follows a man being a laborer who is competent and friendly while his wife sells her own handmade clothing in fair markets. Nichols does change that calm, happy tone for a darker one by creating lots of sequences involving rain and storms to play up Curtis’ state of paranoia as the film becomes a thriller but an unconventional one due to the dramatic material in the film. Nichols also creates amazing wide shots and eerie camera movements to play up the suspense as it leads to this big moment when the storm might actually happen. The result is a truly engrossing yet exhilarating film from Jeff Nichols.

Cinematographer Adam Stone does a brilliant job with the film‘s stylish yet gorgeous photography from the sunny look of the Austin suburbs to the haunting exteriors of the rain and lightning scenes plus some eerie interior shots including one in the actual shelter that Curtis has built. Editor Parke Gregg does an excellent job with the editing to help create suspense in the dream sequences as well as play up the paranoia that surrounds Curtis. Production designer Chad Keith, along with set decorator Adam Willis and art director Jennifer Kilde, does fantastic work with the set pieces created from the home of the LaForches to the shelter that he builds.

Costume designer Karen Malecki does a very good job with the clothes as a lot of it is very casual to what people would wear in Texas, that is cowboy clothing. Visual effects supervisor Chris Wells does a superb job with visual effects that is created such as the lightning and the horde of flying birds that Curtis sees. Sound designers Joshua Chase, Will Files, and Lyman Hardy do great work with the sound work to help play up the suspense and intimate locations that occurs such as Curtis’ big blow-up at a restaurant. The film’s score by David Wingo is wonderful for its melodic-driven pieces in the piano and guitars along with heavy orchestral pieces to play up the drama and suspense that occurs in the film.

The casting by Lillian Pyles is terrific for the ensemble that is created as it includes noteworthy appearances from Lisa Gay Hamilton as a counselor Curtis meets, Ray McKinnon as Curtis’ older brother Kyle, Katy Mixon as Samantha’s friend Nat, Heather Caldwell as Hannah’s teacher, Scott Knisley as Curtis’ doctor, and Robert Longstreet as Curtis’ boss. Tova Stewart is excellent as Curtis’ deaf daughter Hannah for the way she is silent throughout the film while Shea Whigham is wonderful as Curtis’ best friend/co-worker Dewart who is confused by Curtis’ actions and the decisions that Curtis would make later in the film. Kathy Baker is superb in her one scene performance as Curtis’ mentally-ill mother who reveals her own recollections of her breakdown that would question Curtis’ state of mind.

Jessica Chastain is radiant as Curtis’ wife Samantha who is baffled by her husband’s irrational thinking as well as the fact that she’s been kept in the dark. It’s a very captivating performance from the actress as she has a lot to do while showing her frustrations and sadness in the way she has to deal with her husband and how she tries to ground him. Finally, there’s Michael Shannon in an outstanding performance as Curtis LaForche. Shannon brings a manic sense of fear to his role as a man seemingly lost in his paranoia while he also shows a sense of warmth in low-key scenes where he’s just a loving father and husband. Yet, there’s also a calmness to the way Shannon brings out the craziness of his character as it’s definitely one of his best performances of his career.

Take Shelter is a tremendous yet haunting film from Jeff Nichols that features magnificent performances from Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. The film is definitely powerful for the way it uses suspense to capture a man’s descent into madness though he could be telling the truth. The film also serves as a real breakthrough for Jeff Nichols who is definitely one of the new voices working in American cinema. In the end, Take Shelter is a marvelous yet suspenseful film from Jeff Nichols.

Jeff Nichols Films: Shotgun Stories - Mud - Midnight Special - Loving (2016 film) - The Auteurs #58: Jeff Nichols

© thevoid99 2011

All the Real Girls

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 4/21/04 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by David Gordon Green based on a story he wrote with Paul Schneider, All the Real Girls tells the story of a North Carolina womanizer whose life changes by the arrival of his best friend's little sister from boarding school.  While friends and family aren't sure about the relationship, it would have a major impact for the young couple.  The film is a study of relationships and family as it's set entirely in the South where Green grew up.  Starring Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Patricia Clarkson, Shea Whigham, Danny McBride, Benjamin Mounton, and Heather McComb, All the Real Girls is a compelling yet hypnotic romantic-drama from David Gordon Green.

For Paul (Paul Schneider), life as a womanizer in his rural North Carolina home was fun after a while. Now, with little ambition into getting out his bleak surroundings, he has decided to give up his womanizing lifestyle and suddenly, he found the right time. While he hangs out with his best friend Tip (Shea Whigham) and pals Bust-ass (Danny McBride) and Bo (Maurice Compte), he learns that Tip's little sister Noel (Zooey Deschanel) has returned from boarding school. He meets Noel one night learning how much she's grown and realizes how mature and innocent she is. For Paul, Noel gives him the chance to grow while he often works at a garage for his Uncle Leland (Benjamin Mounton) and sometimes, help out his mother Elvira (Patricia Clarkson) with entertaining sick children at hospitals dressing up as clowns.

Noel is intrigued by Paul's charm although Tip doesn't like the idea of his sister going with Paul because of his past reputation with women. Noel learns about it from Paul as she often hangs out with his buddies talking about escaping their bleak surroundings. Paul learns that Noel is a virgin and they began to have intense conversations about an incident that scarred Noel in many levels as he decided not to sleep with her. To Paul, Noel represents the rare purity in which, they get much closer much to the dismay of Tip. Tip is angry at this situation afraid that Paul might hurt Noel. Whenever Paul isn't with Noel, he is with Uncle Leland, his daughter Feng-Shui (Maya Ling Pruitt), and his mother. One day, Elvira gets upset over the time Paul has spent with Noel since he forgot to help her where Paul begins to wonder if the relationship is healthy for everyone.

During a date, Noel tells Paul she's going away for the weekend with some friends just to have some time for herself. Paul is fine with the idea as he spends time with his family and Noel's mentally challenged brother Justin (John Kirkland) where he teaches him piano. Paul also talks with Tip, who learns he's about to become a dad where Tip feels that Paul at least is doing the right thing with Noel. When Noel returns from her weekend with a new haircut, she tells Paul something that jeopardizes their relationship while she tells him that she loves him. Paul feels anguished over what happens in which, he refuses to talk to Noel.

One night, he encounters an ex-lover named Mary-Margaret (Heather McComb) where he asks what he did wrong to her. She's still mad over what he did where Paul found Noel with Bust-ass. Paul feels things went wrong where Elvira confronts him over his actions in which, Paul decides to grow up more. While he learns more now about women and his past actions, he wonders if what Noel did was his fault in which, he wants to know what is to become of them.

While the only flaw in All the Real Girls is that its pacing at times is a bit slow, David Gordon Green does manage to bring in a story filled with human elements and emotions with a bleak surrounding that everyone can appeal to. Green's direction is filled with a sense of romanticism in the scenes with Schneider and Deschanel while bringing out shots of the bleak surroundings of the North Carolina town and its mills. In the screenplay, the film plays up to a restraint sense of drama with a bit of comedy and rural studies of men and women. Particularly the lifestyle and workplace of the characters in the town they live in.

The film's bleak look captured by cinematographer Tim Orr is spellbinding in its minimalist use of fall colors of orange and brown without using lighting or fake sunshine to make it look glossy. Orr's brings a sense of rural realism to convey the characteristics of the town and its people. Even the film's score by Michael Linnen and David Wingo of atmospheric, Southern acoustic harkens to the rich, yet melancholic tone of working class American South.

The film's cast is filled with delight from its smaller performances from Maya Ling Pruitt and John Kirkland in the children's role to Heather McComb and Maurice Compte in their roles as the locals. Danny McBride brings some humor as Bust-ass where he brings out all these commentaries on the lifestyle and his ambition to leave the town to be in a band where McBride shines in his performance. Benjamin Mounton is excellent as the wise but hopeless Uncle Leland as he shares his experiences with women in his scenes with Schneider. Shea Whigham is wonderful in his performance as Tip who starts out as this yokel who in turn, becomes the protective older brother and he develops into a sadder yet sympathetic tone where he learns of his own wrongdoings and making up for it to become a father.

Of the supporting cast, the best performance easily goes to Patricia Clarkson as Paul's blue-collar mother whose sense of frustration over her son's immaturity and lack of responsibilities is very understandable. Clarkson gives a performance that is filled with wisdom and a wonderful monologue about aging which is why Clarkson is one of the best actresses working today.

In the leading performances, Paul Schneider and Zooey Deschanel are spellbinding in their subtle, yet enigmatic performances as they bring a chemistry filled with heartbreak and anguish where they grow up in ways where you're aren't sure who to feel sorry for. It's the kind of chemistry that is enchanting in its realism, the same way that was felt in Lost in Translation in the conversations that Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson had in the film. Schneider gives a performance that is more man than men usually do by playing himself in vulnerable positions in which, he can reveal himself and be funny and charming. In the more intense scenes, Schneider breaks hearts, as he doesn't want people to apologize for his past while we feel for his own anguish in a point of self-loathing over his own actions in relation to what Noel did.

Zooey Deschanel clearly, gives not just her best performance to date but also one of 2003's best performances from an actress in any age. Only in her early 20s, Deschanel brings in a subtle, stripped-down performance with intelligence and innocence that gives a sense of complexity to her character. Even as she explores Paul's past into her own action that would lead to a break in their relationship, she plays a young girl who is well wise beyond her years while exploring the world of adulthood. After some small but standout supporting roles in earlier films like Almost Famous, Mumford, The New Guy, The Good Girl, and Manic, Deschanel gives a performance that would serve as her break-out role into the world of indie and mainstream films.

All the Real Girls is an excellent, romantic drama from David Gordon Green with a superb cast led by Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, and Patricia Clarkson. Though some might not like the film's bleak look or restrained drama, it's a film that is filled with real human moments and working class ethics. It's really a film that studies the behavior of young men and women and the actions that make them react to themselves emotionally. It's a film that doesn't play up to gloss only to convey emotional honesty. In the end, All the Real Girls is a superb film of young adult relationships and rural morality.

David Gordon Green Reviews: George Washington - Undertow - Snow Angels - Pineapple Express - (Your Highness) - (The Sitter) - (Prince Avalanche) - Joe (2013 film) - (Manglehorn) - - (Our Brand is Crisis) - (Stronger (2017 film)) - Halloween (2018 film) - (Halloween Kills) - (Halloween Ends)

© thevoid99 2011