Set in a small town in Oklahoma, the film follows a single mother and her two teenage kids who have been evicted from their home in Chicago where they inherited the home of that woman’s father whom she never knew where her kids discovered an event that their grandfather was trying to prevent before his passing. It is a film in which a family doesn’t just discover a legacy this man had left behind but also a chance to finish something that he wanted to prevent in order to save the world. The film’s screenplay by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan opens with an old man driving out of a cave and waiting for a ghost to arrive at his home and then cut to another city where this woman in Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon) has just been evicted from her Chicago apartment as she and her two teenage kids in Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) travel to Summerville, Oklahoma where they live in the home of Callie’s estranged father Egon whom the town refers to as the Dirt Farmer. The script is largely straightforward in its narrative yet it does a lot in exploring not just Callie’s resentment towards her father whom she felt abandoned her but also her two kids who are just trying to find themselves in this new town.
Phoebe is the most compelling of the Spengler kids as she is someone who loves science and is offbeat as she is the first to discover things in her grandfather’s home as it allowed her to get to know who he is. While Trevor isn’t as developed as his younger sister as he’s just a 15-year old kid trying to get a summer job and win over his co-worker in Lucky Domingo (Celeste O’Connor) at drive-in restaurant they work at. He does manage to discover something in the mountain above the cave as well as fix up a car he found in the garage that was the Ecto-1 car the Ghostbusters used in their exploits in the 1980s. The script also play into what Egon is trying to deal with and stop from preventing as it is clear that it related to events that happened in 1984 as Trevor, Phoebe, Lucky, and Phoebe’s classmate Podcast (Logan Kim) try to stop it while Callie is in a subplot where she finds herself fascinated by Phoebe’s science teacher Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) who is a fan of the Ghostbusters as he is suspicious about the earthquakes that is happening in Summerville leading to some big revelations over what everyone has to face.
Reitman’s direction is sprawling in terms of its setting as it is shot on location in areas around Calgary, Alberta in Canada along with a few bits in New York City as it play into a world as if nothing serious is happening though it opens with a chase in which Egon Spengler (Bob Gunton and Ivan Reitman) are awaiting for something to happen only to later be attacked and die of a heart attack. While there are some unique wide shots of the locations that Reitman uses in the film including the scale of Spengler’s farm what he has hidden under his crops. Reitman does maintain an intimacy as well as some style in the medium shots and close-ups that does include moments where Phoebe discovers things about her grandfather as including the ghost trap and the proton pack that her grandfather was updating. There are moments that are funny that involve Phoebe, Podcast, and Gary Grooberson trying to open a ghost trap as well as Grooberson geeking out over the proton pack that Phoebe was using during a chase with Trevor and Podcast.
Reitman definitely creates some callbacks to the previous films that his father helmed but also what happened to the Ghostbusters after the events from the second film and why Spengler went crazy though what Phoebe, Trevor, and eventually Callie discover is that there’s something bigger that is emerging with their old enemy Gozer (Olivia Wilde and Emma Portner, with the voice of Shohreh Aghdashloo) whose arrival in New York City back in 1984 was small compared to what she wanted to do in Summerville. The film’s climax is definitely grand as it doesn’t just have callbacks from the events of 1984 but with much bigger stakes as well as twelve-year-old girl who proves that she too can go against an evil spirit through just sheer will and brains. Especially as the film does serve as a fitting tribute to one of its creators as the film is sort about legacy but also what a parent does for their children. Overall, Reitman crafts a thrilling and enjoyable film about a single mother and her teenage kids finishing up a man’s quest to stop ghosts from creating havoc around the world.
Cinematographer Eric Steelberg does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in the way many of the daytime locations look in its natural setting along with some elaborating lighting for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editors Dana Glauberman and Nathan Orloff do excellent work with the editing with its stylish approach to fast-cutting for some of the action scenes but also knowing when to slow down in order to have shots linger for a bit including some of the funnier moments in the film. Production designer Francois Audouy and supervising set decorator Peter Lando do amazing work with the look of the Spengler farm with some of its rooms including a secret basement as well as the look of the old Ecto-1 car that is in ruins as well as the look of the Shandor cave in its interiors. Costume designer Danny Glicker does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely casual including the Ghostbuster jumpsuits. Special makeup and live action creature effects designer Arjen Tuiten, as well as Muncher designer Brynn Metheney, does incredible work with the look of Gozer and some of the creatures as well as the Slimer-like creature known as Muncher who can eat metal.
Special effects supervisors Michael Gibney and Elia P. Popov, with visual effects supervisors Michael “Tiny” Alcorn, Sheena Dugal, Alessandro Ongaro, Shirkanth Patil, and Raul Perez, do terrific work with the visual effects in not just using practical effects for some of the design of the monsters and props but also digital effects in the look of the ghosts and a few other bits. Sound editors Will Files and Perry Robertson, along with sound designers Scott Sanders and Chris Terhune, do superb work with the sound as it has some unique sound effects as well as the sound of the Ecto-1 siren and the way the proton pack sounds when it’s on as it help add to the film’s tone. The film’s music by Rob Simonsen is wonderful for its exhilarating orchestral score that has elements of humor and adventure along with somber strings for some of the dramatic moments. The film’s music soundtrack not only features some motifs from the two previous films that was scored by Elmer Bernstein but also music from the Buzzcocks, Funkadelic, Shirley Ellis, the Shirelles, Otis Rush, Willie Nelson, the Delmore Brothers, the Newday, Kelly’s Lot, an original song by Mckenna Grace, and the iconic theme song from the 1984 film by Ray Parker Jr.
The casting by John Papsidera and Ali Safdari is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Tracy Letts as a warehouse store owner, Josh Gad as the voice of Muncher, the trio of Ira Heden, Sarah Natochenny, and Shelby Young as the voices of the mini-Stay Puft marshmallow men, Stella Aykroyd as deputy Medjuck, Bokeem Woodbine as Lucky’s father in Sheriff Domingo, and as the body doubles for Egon Spengler via shadows in Bob Gunton for the opening scene and Ivan Reitman as a stand-in for the ghost version of Spengler with digital effects utilizing the face of the late Harold Ramis. For the role of Gozer, Olivia Wilde brings an un-credited cameo as the physical version of the character with Emma Portner as the spiritual version of Gozer with Shohreh Aghdashloo providing the voice of Gozer as they do terrific work in that character. J.K. Simmons is superb in his cameo as Ivor Shandor as the man who created a temple for Gozer as he is seen as a sleeping body who only wakes up for Gozer.
From the previous films who makes special appearances, the performances of Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz, Bill Murray as Peter Venkman, Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore, Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz, and Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett are an absolute joy to watch in not just being fan service but also playing a key role to the story with exception of Weaver whose cameo appears in a comical post-credit scene that is a call-back to Venkman’s exploits as a professor with Weaver being the one in control. Still, Aykroyd, Murray, Hudson, and Potts do help bring important moments that are inspirational to the younger cast but also set the seeds for a possible future. Paul Rudd is fantastic as Gary Grooberson as a science teacher who teaches at summer school who is also a geek for the Ghostbusters while is also someone who notices how smart Phoebe is where he would have an unfortunate encounter with a ghost. Celeste O’Connor is excellent as Lucky Domingo as a 16/17-year old girl who works at a restaurant as she befriends Trevor while also helps them in dealing with ghosts as she proves to be tough and resourceful.
Logan Kim is brilliant as Podcast as Phoebe’s new classmate who is fascinated by the paranormal and other strange things as he has a podcast of his own while also taking part in many adventures in chasing ghosts. Carrie Coon is amazing as Callie Spengler as the estranged daughter of Egon as she is just dealing with the chaos in her life as well as resentment towards her father where she would discover things about him in why he was never around. Finn Wolfhard is incredible as Trevor Spengler as a 15-year old kid who knows how to fix cars and such as he is trying to figure himself out where he takes part in the fun of catching ghosts as a way to get to know his grandfather while also realizing something bad is happening in Summerville. Finally, there’s Mckenna Grace in a phenomenal performance as Phoebe Spengler as the 12-year old granddaughter of Egon Spengler who is a total nerd that loves science and is always smarter than a lot of people older than her. It is a performance that is filled with humor as she says some bad jokes while also proving she is a lot more powerful and determined to kick some ass as it is a major breakthrough for Grace.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a sensational film from Jason Reitman that features great performances from Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Logan Kim, Celeste O’Connor, Carrie Coon, and Paul Rudd. Along with its supporting cast including people from the previous films, dazzling visual effects, a compelling story on loss and legacy, an exhilarating music soundtrack, and its sense of adventure. It is a film that isn’t just something fans of the film series from the 1980s would enjoy for its callbacks but it is also a film that offers something new while being a tribute to two of its creators in Harold Ramis and Ivan Reitman. In the end, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a spectacular film from Jason Reitman.
Jason Reitman Films: Thank You for Smoking - Juno - Up in the Air - Young Adult - Labor Day - (Men, Women, & Children) – Tully (2018 film)
- The Front Runner
Related: (Ghostbusters) – (Ghostbusters II) – Ghostbusters (2016 film) - The Auteurs #30: Jason Reitman
© thevoid99 2022
Set mainly at a house in a peninsula in a South American country that just freed itself from years of dictatorship, the film revolves around a woman whose husband has been picked up by a man driving on the way to their house as she believes that this was the man who tortured her some years ago. It is a film that explores trauma as a woman who was once a political activist with her husband set to possibly work for the new president of their country that is reforming itself as they meet this man who maybe her tormentor. The film’s screenplay by Ariel Dorfman and Rafael Yglesias is largely straightforward as much of the action takes place in and out of this house during a stormy night where the power is out and only candles are lighting the house.
The script features a lot of monologues and conversations between its three principle characters in Paulina Escobar, her lawyer husband Gerardo (Stuart Wilson), and this man in Dr. Roberto Miranda (Ben Kingsley). Paulina is at home making dinner as Gerardo is late as he’s meeting the new president about a new job he has yet to accept while his car had a flat where he is picked up by Dr. Miranda. Dr. Miranda and Gerardo get along immensely yet Paulina recognizes Dr. Miranda’s voice and smell as she would steal his car and destroy it and then take Dr. Miranda hostage with Gerardo watching in horror as Paulina confronts Dr. Miranda about his past. Revelations are upon unveiled with Gerardo also trying to make sense of what happened including his own role as an activist back then as he and Paulina were lovers during that time she was taken prisoner where she was raped and tortured.
Roman Polanski’s direction is largely intimate for the fact that much of it takes place in a house near this cliff side area as it’s shot on location in Chile as it is based on the country’s then-recent history of dictatorship under the rule of Augusto Pinochet that had ended in 1990. While the film opens and ends with a string quartet playing Franz Schubert’s piece in which the film is named after as the piece is also a crucial plot point in the film. While there are wide shots to establish some wide shots in some of the film’s location outside of the house including a lighthouse shown from afar. Much of Polanski’s direction emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots to play into the space of the house as well as having gazing long shots that last a few minutes to play into the monologues and conversations between the characters. The usage of tracking shots and camera pans add to the visual language of the film where Polanski makes sure every room in the film is presented with great detail but also playing into this sense of claustrophobia as the tension rises between Dr. Miranda and Paulina. Polanski also play into the suspense and drama as the power outage and usage of candle lights add to the visual tone where it does feel chilling as it includes a moment where Dr. Miranda needed to pee as it is this uncomfortable yet humorous moment in the film.
There are bits of humor that Polanski puts as much of it is dark though the first act where Dr. Miranda and Gerardo are talking and getting drunk as it’s just this moment in the film where Polanski does loosen things up as it does humanize Dr. Miranda even though it is uncertain if he was Paulina’s tormentor. Even as Dr. Miranda is someone who isn’t sure what Paulina is talking about but he does feel bad for her as Gerardo is stuck in the middle as he gets answers from both of them as it adds to this dramatic tension. Even in the film’s climax as it moves out of the house and at a cliff where Gerardo is trying to reach someone who knows Dr. Miranda to prove his innocence as it is followed by these revelations as it play into what did happen. The ending returns to the same theatre where the string quartet performs yet it is more about who is there and the aftermath of everything as it is an ambiguous ending that raises more questions than answers. Overall, Polanski crafts an engaging yet haunting film about a woman questioning a man who supposedly was her tormentor some years ago.
Cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward with its emphasis on low-key lights as well as natural lighting for many of the interior scenes as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Herve de Luze does amazing work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few jump-cuts while knowing when not to cut during some of the monologues as it adds to the film’s visual tone. Production designer Pierre Guffroy and art director Claude Moesching do excellent work with the design of the house as well as the rooms as it play into some of the claustrophobic elements of the film.
Costume designer Milena Canonero does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely a bit casual from a red dress that Paulina wears, the suit that Dr. Miranda wears, and a robe that Gerardo is wearing as it adds to the chaos in the film. Sound editor Laurent Quaglio does superb work with the sound as it play into atmosphere of the location as well as the sound of what is happening outside of the home. The film’s music by Wojciech Kilar is wonderful for the haunting and understated music pieces that play into the suspense and drama as well as the usage of the music piece by Franz Schubert.
The casting by Patsy Pollock and Mary Selway is terrific as the film feature some appearances from Jonathan and Rodolphe Vega as Dr. Miranda’s son via pictures, Krystia Mova as Dr. Miranda’s wife via picture, and Karen Strassman as a voice on a telephone. Stuart Wilson is incredible as Gerardo Escobar as a lawyer who was a former activist that is set to possibly take an important job as he deals with the chaos of his wife’s accusations towards Dr. Miranda while also seeking answers about what happened when Paulina was taken and did Dr. Miranda did those things.
Ben Kingsley is great as Dr. Roberto Miranda as a man who picks Gerardo up as he later returns a spare tire as he befriends Gerardo while baffled about Paulina as well as the questions she’s giving him where Kingsley display that sense of confusion as well as remorse as someone who is imperfect but also play up the ambiguity of whether or not he was Paulina’s tormentor. Finally, there’s Sigourney Weaver in a sensational performance as Paulina Escobar as a former activist who was captured and taken to prison where she was raped and tortured as a woman still dealing with trauma as she confronts Dr. Miranda where Weaver brings an intensity to her performance as a woman that could be paranoid or is really seeking out the truth as it is one of Weaver’s great performances as a woman in need of answers and closure no matter how unethical she can be at times.
Death and the Maiden is a phenomenal film from Roman Polanski that features great performances from Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, and Stuart Wilson. Along with its enchanting visuals, intimate setting, eerie usage of music, and its study of trauma and torment. It is a film that explores a woman confronting her past in this man who could be her tormentor with her husband watching as he’s trying to make sense of everything that happened at a time when their home country is reforming itself. In the end, Death and the Maiden is a spectacular film from Roman Polanski.
Roman Polanski Films: Knife in the Water - Repulsion - Cul-de-Sac – The Fearless Vampire Killers - Rosemary's Baby - Macbeth (1971 film) - (What?) – Chinatown - The Tenant – Tess (1979 film) - (Pirates) – Frantic - Bitter Moon - The Ninth Gate - The Pianist - Oliver Twist (2005 film) - The Ghost Writer - Carnage (2011 film) - (Venus in Fur) – (Based on a True Story) – (An Officer and a Spy) - (The Palace)
© thevoid99 2021
Based on the novel by Christopher Koch, The Year of Living Dangerously is the story of a group of foreign correspondents who report the chaos in 1965 Indonesia where two reporters engage into an affair during the event. Directed by Peter Weir and screenplay by Weir and David Williamson, the film follows the chaos of the events of September 1965 in Jakarta at a time during an attempted coup where foreign reporters try to understand what is going on. Starring Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, Bill Kerr, Michael Murphy, and Noel Ferrier. The Year of Living Dangerously is a riveting and evocative film from Peter Weir.
Set during the events of 1965 in Jakarta amidst a growing division in politics, the film revolves around an Australian journalist who goes to the city to cover the events with the aid of a Chinese-Australian dwarf while falling for an assistant to a revered British official. It’s a film that play into a lot of drama that occurs in Indonesia during a tumultuous period of civil and social unrest where foreign correspondents try to understand what is going on as they’re aided by this dwarf who knows what is happening but is also trying to carry a sense of hope for Indonesia. The film’s screenplay by Peter Weir and David Williamson is told mainly from the Chinese-Australian dwarf Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt) as he lives in Jakarta and knows what is happening as he would be a guide for the Australian journalist Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) who is reporting for an Australian network.
Hamilton is just among a group of reporters trying to cover this chaos in Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia as they also try to find time to relax and enjoy the local scene that include parties at other foreign embassies. When he meets Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver) at the British embassy as she’s an aide for the diplomat Colonel Henderson (Bill Kerr), he is smitten by her where he turns to Kwan for help as he has information on everyone which makes Hamilton uneasy. Still, Kwan is able to get Hamilton contacts with those who are involved in this conflict but has a hard time trying to understand what is going on just as he’s being torn in his job and his growing love for Bryant. It would later get more dangerous for Hamilton as he gets a scoop that ends up being a major revelation about what is really happening in Indonesia.
Weir’s direction is definitely entrancing for many of the visuals that he is able to capture as well as setting during a tumultuous moment in time. Shot on various locations in Australia and the Philippines, Weir’s direction definitely captures an intimacy into the marches and protests that emerged on the streets as well as the scenes at the rural areas in the city or outside of the city. Weir does display that disconnect of how foreigners who live in comfortable hotels and posh embassies while the locals are struggling to get by as they live in decayed homes on the streets or near river canals with polluted water. Weir would use the wide and medium shots to capture the chaos of the protests as well as a look into the landscapes outside of Jakarta. Weir would also use the medium shots and close-ups for scenes involving the characters as they all talk about their assignment or relaxing at a party.
Even in some of the intense moments in the film where it play into that disconnect of what is happening in Jakarta and at these embassies where Hamilton and Kwan do get a closer look as the latter knows what is happening as there is an element of disillusionment that would occur in the third act. Even as the chaos really starts to come ahead forcing Hamilton to come to terms with what is really happening and face some harsh truths about the world’s influence in Indonesia. Overall, Weir crafts a gripping and haunting film about a foreign correspondent covering the chaotic events of Indonesia in the mid-1960s.
Cinematographer Russell Boyd does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the naturalistic daytime exteriors of the countryside locations while maintaining something gritty and direct for the scenes set in the streets for the day and nighttime. Editor William M. Anderson does excellent work with the editing as it uses rhythmic cuts to play into the drama and suspense along with a surreal montage that plays into a nightmare sequence for Hamilton. Art director Herbert Pinter does fantastic work with the look of Kwan’s home in Jakarta to play into the wallpaper of pictures and such that is similar to the home of the locals which is a sharp contrast to the spacious and comfortable hotel rooms and suites that the foreign correspondents live in. Costume designer Terry Ryan does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual with the exception of the colorful shirts that Kwan wears that contrasts the more posh look of some of the foreigners including Bryant.
Special makeup effects designers Judy Lovell and Bob McCarron do amazing work with the look of Kwan in its attention to detail to make the character look manly but also full of life. Sound editor Andrew Steuart does superb work with the sound as it play into the intense atmosphere of the protests and marches on the streets as well as the eerie calm for the scenes in the countryside outside of Jakarta. The film’s music by Maurice Jarre does incredible work with the film’s score as it mixtures elements of orchestral music with traditional Asian string pieces to play into some of the suspense and drama while the music soundtrack consists a mixture of pieces ranging from classical, rock n’ roll, pop, and other music from Richard Strauss, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Vera Lynn, Vangelis, Gene Vincent, and Jimmy Reed.
The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Ali Nur as Hamilton’s driver, Mike Emperio as the Indonesian president Sukarno, Noel Ferrier and Paul Sonkkila as a couple of foreign correspondents in their respective roles in Wally O’Sullivan and Kevin Condon, Kuh Ledesma as a secretary working for Hamilton and Kumar, and Bembol Roco in a terrific performance as Hamilton’s assistant Kumar who is an Indonesian that has a full understanding of what is going on as he shows Hamilton the chaos of what is happening as well as his own political allegiance. Michael Murphy is superb as the American journalist Pete Curtis who is a rival of sorts for Hamilton as he is more interested in having a good time rather than do his job. Bill Kerr is fantastic as Colonel Henderson as a British diplomat living in Jakarta who is more concerned with maintaining a social status and ensuring Britain’s influence on Indonesian politics rather than help out the people of Indonesia.
Sigourney Weaver is brilliant as Jill Bryant as Colonel Henderson’s assistant who falls for Hamilton though not initially as she is also a friend of Kwan where she understands what is happening and tries to give Hamilton a scoop which would serve as a plot point for the film. Linda Hunt is tremendous as Billy Kwan that has Hunt play a Chinese-Australian dwarf who is a guide for Hamilton while having his own personal interest for the people in Jakarta where he deals with the chaos as well as the empty promises of those in power as it is a defining performance for Hunt. Finally, there’s Mel Gibson in an amazing performance as Guy Hamilton as an Australian reporter covering the events as he’s torn in his job and his love for Bryant where he is forced to see some of the realities of what is happening instead of providing an angle for those with influence.
The Year of Living Dangerously is a phenomenal film from Peter Weir that features great performances from Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, and Linda Hunt. Along with its gorgeous visuals, Maurice Jarre’s haunting score, and its look into an unruly conflict seen from outsiders trying to make sense of everything. It’s a film that play into the chaotic events of mid-1960s Indonesia and its attempt to stray from the influences of the Western world seen from those who unknowingly created that sense of civil disobedience. In the end, The Year of Living Dangerously is a sensational film from Peter Weir.
Peter Weir Films: (3 to Go-Michael) – (Homesdale) – (Whatever Happened to Green Valley?) - (The Car That Ate Paris) – Picnic at Hanging Rock - (The Last Wave) – The Plumber (1979 TV film) - Gallipoli - (Witness) – (Mosquito Coast) – Dead Poets Society - (Green Card) – (Fearless) – (The Truman Show) – Master and Commander: Far Side of the World - The Way Back
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel by Patrick Ness from an idea by Siobhan Dowd, A Monster Calls is the story of a young boy who copes with his mother’s terminal illness as he withdraws towards fantasy in the form of a gigantic tree-like monster. Directed by J.A. Bayona and screenplay by Patrick Ness, the film is a look of a boy coping with impending loss and dark realties as he turns to the world of fantasy. Starring Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, and Liam Neeson as the voice of the monster. A Monster Calls is an exhilarating yet heart-wrenching film from J.A. Bayona.
The film follows a young boy who is dealing with his mother’s illness as he receives a visit from a tree-like monster who would tell him three different stories with the boy having to tell the fourth story. It’s a film that follows a boy who is unwilling to face the fact that his mother would die as he also has to deal with his strict grandmother who wants him to live with her as well as a visit from his estranged father. Patrick Ness’ screenplay showcases the life of a boy in Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall) who is living with his ailing mother Lizzie (Felicity Jones) as he wonders if she will still live despite the seriousness of her illness. Though his life is also troubled at school due to a bully named Harry (James Melville), he often retreats to making drawings and artwork when a monster appears at 12:07 AM as he would appear on that time every few nights to tell three different stories that relate to not just human nature but also loss. For Conor, the idea of losing his mother is enormous as he isn’t sure if he wants to stay with his grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) nor does he want to move to America to stay with his father Liam (Toby Kebbell).
J.A. Bayona’s direction definitely has elements of style in his approach to the visuals as it include some animated sequences as it relates to the three stories the monster tells to Conor. Shot on location in areas near London as well as some scenes shot in Spain with much of the film set in Britain, Bayona would create some wide shots of the scope of the locations including scenes of capturing how big this tree-like monster is. While Bayona would create close-ups and medium shots to play into the intimate moments including scenes of Conor dealing with the people in his life. Bayona would use the script’s back-and-forth narrative as it relates to the three stories as the animation is based on Jim Kay’s animation from Ness’ novel as it would have a richness that is reminiscent to the drawings that Conor would make in his spare time. The animated scenes would match into whatever outlet that Conor is dealing with emotionally as it relates to his inability to face the truth about what will happen to his mother.
Bayona would also create these sequences to match this element of fantasy and reality as it would play into the third act where Conor has to confront this recurring nightmare he would have for much of the film. It’s a sequence in the film’s third act that packs a real emotional punch as it play into the idea of loss. Especially as it show what Conor would have to deal with as well as the array of emotions he is dealing with as well as what he doesn’t want to face. Its aftermath will reveal what Conor has to face but also deal with something bigger as it is about what everyone has to deal with as it relates to death. Overall, Bayona crafts a magical yet visceral film about a boy withdrawing into fantasy to cope with the idea of losing his mother.
Cinematographer Oscar Faura does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the grey look of Britain in the daytime as well as some unique lighting and shadows for some of the scenes set at night. Editors Bernat Vilaplana and Jaume Marti do excellent work with the editing as it play into the drama with its usage of rhythmic cuts as well as a few jump-cuts for some of the big moments of fantasy. Production designer Eugenio Caballero, with set decorator Pilar Revuelta plus art directors Jamie Anduiza, Ravi Bansal, Didac Bono, and David Bryan, does amazing work with the look of the home that Conor and Lizzie live in as well as the home of Lizzie’s mother and the school where Conor goes to. Costume designer Steven Noble does fantastic work with the costumes as it is mainly casual with the school uniform that Conor wears to the clothes that Lizzie and her mother wears.
Hair/makeup designer Marese Langan does terrific work with the look of Lizzie in her deteriorating state as she would decline throughout the course of the film. Special effects supervisor Pau Costa and visual effects supervisor Felix Berges do incredible work with effects from the design of the monster as well as the massive sequences in which the monster is destroying things as it play into Conor’s own outlet in coping with reality. Sound designer Oriol Tarrago does superb work with the sound as it play into the way some of the sounds of places on location are presented as well as the way the monster would sound at times. The film’s music by Fernando Velazquez is great as it is this mixture of bombastic orchestral pieces with some somber piano as it help play into the emotional tone of the film as well as some of the adventurous scenes in the film.
The casting by Shaheen Baig is wonderful as it feature a couple of notable small roles from James Melville as the bully Harry that often torments Conor and Geraldine Chaplin as the school’s headmistress. Liam Neeson is excellent as the monster as this tree-like creature who would tell Conor three different stories while demanding him to create a fourth story that relates to all three as Neeson’s performance is a mixture of performance-capture and animation. Toby Kebbell is fantastic as Conor’s father Liam as a man who is an absentee father living in America with a family as he tries to help Conor cope with what will happen though he doesn’t say anything despite offering to have Conor move to America with him.
Sigourney Weaver is brilliant as Lizzie’s mother/Conor’s grandmother as a woman that is quite strict as she knows she hasn’t been fond of her grandson nor her daughter’s lifestyle as she is trying to maintain some order and composure about what is to come. Felicity Jones is amazing as Lizzie as Conor’s mother who is ill with a terminal disease as she tries to maintain some spirit to raise her son’s hopes but also copes with the reality of what she’s facing for herself and her son. Finally, there’s Lewis MacDougall in a phenomenal performance as Conor as a 12-year old boy dealing with his mother’s illness unaware or unwilling to deal with the fact that she might die as it’s a lively yet intense performance where a boy is dealing with reality and the confusion of reality in the world of fantasy as it also has MacDougall reach into very heavy places to capture the idea of loss.
A Monster Calls is a spectacular film from J.A. Bayona that features great performances from Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, and Liam Neeson. Along with its grand visuals, incredible score, and a compelling story of death and heartache, it’s a film that is willing to go into some very adult themes on loss while being a film that shows the sense of fear and acceptance in coping with death. In the end, A Monster Calls is a tremendous film from J.A. Bayona.
J.A. Bayona Films: The Orphanage - The Impossible - (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom)
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by Oren Moverman and written by Moverman and James Ellroy, Rampart is the story of a corrupt LAPD officer who finds himself in trouble as he tries to redeem himself during the Rampart scandal of 1997 for the Los Angeles Police Department. The film is a character study of a man dealing with his own actions as he tries to defend himself and save his career amidst a tumultuous period in the city of Los Angeles. Starring Woody Harrelson, Ice Cube, Ned Beatty, Robin Wright, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Brie Larson, Steve Buscemi, and Sigourney Weaver. Rampart is a compelling yet flawed film from Oren Moverman.
Set in 1999 Los Angeles during a dark period for the LAPD who is dealing with the Rampart scandal, the film is about a dirty and corrupt police scandal whose actions have finally caught up with him. Rather than quitting his job, officer Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson) tries to save his job and avoid any jail time but he becomes more troubling as even those who once bailed him out are unable to help him. Yet, Brown is also someone who is really a man that is just born to undo himself where he would eventually bring discomfort to authorities that want to help him as well as bring shame to his family. The film’s screenplay doesn’t just explore Brown and the things he does as a police officer but also a person who likes to take the law into his own hands. Sometimes it would be in the most gruesome way where he would be caught on tape beating someone who hit his car though Brown had every reason to beat up the guy.
While the script does paint Brown as a man who just hates everyone while doing all sorts of things. There are elements to him that try to show some goodness to him but his faults would often overwhelm everything as his own eldest daughter Helen (Brie Larson) really hates him. While the script does nice work in fleshing out Brown and his complexities, the script however doesn’t do much to get the story to move forward or really go anywhere. Especially as it relates to what Brown is trying to do but it tend to slow things down as he is given options that could’ve helped him. Whenever Brown is given these opportunities to redeem himself, the results become very frustrating as it play more into his character as someone that is just stubborn and not willing to see the bigger picture.
Moverman’s direction has some very intense moments in the way it showcases late 1990s Los Angeles as a world that is quite dangerous and unpredictable. Shot on location in some of the urban parts of Los Angeles as well as some of its downtown areas, the film does play into a world where a man is convinced that he is doing good for the city but is extremely corrupt in his actions. Moverman’s usage of close-ups and medium shots are engaging though there are some moments that aren’t very good. Notably a sequence where Brown meets two attorneys where the camera is constantly moving around to focus on one character in a repetitive pan where it is very annoying. It’s one of the aspects of the film that didn’t work while the script’s lack of a strong narrative does falter the pacing. Though Moverman’s usage of crane overhead shots and other stylistic moments are good, the film’s resolution is lacking in terms of any kind of redemption could be made for Brown as it ends up being unsatisfying despite Moverman’s observation on its protagonist. Overall, Moverman creates a intriguing but lackluster film about a dirty cop’s attempt to make things right.
Cinematographer Bobby Bukowski does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the stylish usage of lights and moods for many of the interior/exterior scenes set at night along with some grainy film stock for scenes set in the day. Editor Jay Rabinowitz does nice work with the editing as it does have some stylish jump-cuts and some unique rhythms for the suspense and drama though it does falter in that sequence where Brown is being interviewed by two attorneys. Production designer David Wasco, with set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and art director Austin Gorg, does fantastic work with the look of the home that Brown lives in with this ex-wives (who are sisters) and the hotel rooms he would crash as well as the home of a lawyer he would sleep with.
Costume designer Catherine George does terrific work with the costumes as it is mostly casual along with the look of the police uniforms while the only character that plays into a sense of style is Helen. Sound designer Javier Bennassar does superb work with the sound in the way the police sirens and gunfire sounds along with the intimate moments at home and at the bars. The film’s music by Dickon Hinchliffe is brilliant for its somber-based score in the guitar and keyboards to play into the drama while music supervisor Jim Black creates a soundtrack that features a mixture of hip-hop, electronic, and Mexican music along with a song by Leonard Cohen.
The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Rachel Tenner is amazing as it features some notable small roles and appearances from Robert Wisdom as the Rampart station’s captain, Jon Foster and Jon Beranthal as a couple of fellow officers, Steve Buscemi as a district attorney official in Bill Blago, Stella Schnabel as Brown’s new partner early in the film who is perturbed by his actions, Sammy Boyarsky as Brown’s youngest daughter Margaret who questions about what her father has done, Audra McDonald as a one-night stand Brown would be with early in the film, and Ben Foster in a superb role as a homeless vet named the General who often hangs out at a fast food restaurant. Robin Wright is wonderful as the attorney Linda whom Brown would frequently sleep with while he is suspicious that she is spying on him. Ned Beatty is terrific as the former cop Hartshorn who tries to help Brown in any way including moments that would help him only to realize that Brown is his own worst enemy.
Cynthia Nixon and Anne Heche are excellent in their respective roles as the sisters Barbara and Catherine as two of Brown’s ex-wives who deal with the coverage of Brown’s activities with Nixon as the more calm of the two and Heche as the one who wants nothing to do with him. Brie Larson is fantastic as Brown’s eldest daughter who despises her father as she also feels humiliated and embarrassed by his actions where she also copes with his own hatred for everyone. Sigourney Weaver is brilliant as the assistant DA Joan Confrey who wants Brown to reveal all of his activities as well as give the man a chance to do what is right. Ice Cube is incredible as the investigator Kyle Timkins who works for the DA’s office as he also tries to implore Brown to do the right thing while revealing what is at stake. Finally, there’s Woody Harrelson in a phenomenal performance as Dave Brown as a dirty LAPD officer who finds himself a big target during one of the lowest points of the LAPD where Harrelson brings a very menacing performance as a man with very little care for the world where he is also his own worst enemy as well as be selfish to the point that he brings shame to his own family including his own daughters.
Rampart is a stellar yet flawed film from Oren Moverman. While it features a great cast led by Woody Harrelson along with Dick Hinchliffe’s score, it’s a film that had all of the tools to be an intriguing character study but it lacks a very cohesive narrative to keep things going. In the end, Rampart is a fine but underwhelming film from Oren Moverman.
Oren Moverman Films: The Messenger - (Time Out of Mind) - (The Dinner (2017 film))
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Mike Nichols and written by Kevin Wade, Working Girl is the story of a working-class secretary trying to make it in the world of Wall Street as she takes over for her new and injured boss in creating a merger between two companies. The film is an exploration of a simple woman from Staten Island who is trying to use her street smarts and determination to prove that she has what it takes to make things happen in the very tough world of Wall Street. Starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Cusack, Alec Baldwin, Oliver Platt, Nora Dunn, Olympia Dukakis, Kevin Spacey, and Philip Bosco. Working Girl is a heartfelt yet witty film from Mike Nichols.
Set in New York City, the film revolves around a secretary from Staten Island who takes the ferry by day to work as she hopes to rise through the top despite her lack of top school degrees and experience where she eventually works for a woman who is part of mergers and acquisition department in Wall Street. It’s a film that plays into a woman who may come from a working-class background as she manages to know more than those she work for as she would do whatever it takes to make it. Even as she would fill in for her boss who gets injured on a holiday where she would take matters into her own hands while falling for an executive involved with the merger. It plays into a woman trying to defy the odds on her own terms while trying to get some respect in a world that is quite cruel.
Kevin Wade’s screenplay portrays the protagonist Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) as this woman who goes to work as a secretary by day while going to night classes at night in the hopes of improving herself. Yet, she would endure some humiliating moments where she would get a job working for the financial executive Katherine Parker (Sigourney Weaver) who would take Tess under her wing but also take Tess’ own ideas as her own in order to impress other bosses. Tess would find out when Katherine is injured during a vacation as she would get help from her friend Cynthia (Joan Cusack) to pretend to be an executive using just her knowledge of finances but also street smarts by reading newspaper and knowing people. That sense of determination would impress Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford) who doesn’t know that Tess is just a secretary but realizes that her unconventional methods to get things are useful.
Trainer is a man who comes from a more upper class background but he knows the value of hard work while he is also someone that is willing to take chances and wants to prove himself. He and Tess are something that Katherine isn’t as, despite her own wealthy background, someone who is willing to cheat and take credit for other people’s work so she can become powerful. Though Tess wants to succeed and do what Katherine does, she isn’t willing to cheat her way to the top as she wanted to prove that a girl from Staten Island can make it no matter what obstacles she faces. Even if she has to deal with criticism from the people at home who think she’ll never make it because of where she comes from.
Mike Nichols’ direction is very engaging for the way he portrays the world of Wall Street as he makes New York City and Staten Island as characters in the film to showcase a world where opportunities can happen. Much of Nichols’ compositions are quite simple as he does create some effective wide shots of New York City including shots of the ferry as it plays an important part to the story. There’s also some unique close-ups that play into Tess’ struggle such a scene where she is pushing a tray of dumplings for an office party that Katherine is hosting. It showcases how powerful Katherine is and how she’s trying to use Tess for her own gain. Nichols also knows how to frame actors for scenes that are either comical or dramatic as he always shoot scenes inside a ferry to play into Tess’ struggle and her willingness to make it.
Some of the humorous moments are very natural as it relates to Trainer’s awkwardness into situations that only Tess knows how to navigate. Most notably a wedding where Trainer and Tess have to meet a potential client in Oren Trask (Philip Bosco) who would be impressed by the two. Nichols’ mastery at comedy adds to the energy of the film where it showcases some of Tess’ bad decisions such as her first meeting with Trainer as she had took a valium and mixing it with alcohol proves to be a very bad idea. Yet, Nichols still puts in some heart and characters that audiences can root for while giving them a chance to showcase that unforgiving world of Wall Street. Overall, Nichols create a captivating yet funny film about a woman from Staten Island working her ass off in Wall Street.
Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the naturalistic look of the daytime exteriors to some low-key scenes set at night in the interiors along with some elaborate lighting for a few scenes in Katherine‘s apartment. Editor Sam O’Steen does nice work with the editing as it‘s quite straightforward while going for some offbeat rhythms for some of the film‘s funnier moments. Production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein, with set decorator George DeTitta Jr. and art director Doug Kraner, does fantastic work with the look of some of the offices as well as the big one that Trainer has as well as the apartments that he and Katherine lives in. Costume designer Ann Roth does terrific work with the costumes from the clothes the secretary wears to the posh stuff that Katherine wears that Tess would later borrow.
Hair stylists Angela D’Angelo and J. Roy Helland do amazing work with the design of the hair which was the thing in the late 1980s as women had big hair. Sound editor Stan Bochner does superb work with the sound from the way some of the offices sound during stock exchanges and such as well as a few moments at a few parties. The film’s music consists largely of score music by Rob Mounsey which is really just piano and orchestral variations of Carly Simon’s original song Let the River Run which is the film’s main theme as other music includes cuts by the Pointer Sisters, Sonny Rollins, and Chris De Burgh.
The casting by Juliet Taylor is brilliant as it features notable small appearances from David Duchovny as a party guest for Tess’ surprise party, Zach Grenier as an executive at Katherine’s office party, Robert Easton as a top corporate CEO in Armbrister, Amy Aquino as a secretary late in the film, Ricki Lake as a bridesmaid at the party Tess and Trainer crash at, Elizabeth Whitcraft as a woman Tess’ boyfriend Mick was sleeping with, Nora Dunn as a corporate publicist named Ginny, James Lally as one of Tess’ early bosses in Turkell, Oliver Platt as another of Tess’ early boss in David Lutz who treats her like meat, Olympia Dukakis as a personnel director who would find Tess a new job working for Katherine, and Kevin Spacey in an early film performance as a sleazy corporate executive who tries to seduce Tess. Philip Bosco is excellent as Oren Trask as this business magnate that Tess and Trainer want to make a deal with as Tess has a tip about what he wants to do. Alec Baldwin is superb as Mick as Tess’ boyfriend who is trying to support her but he gets into some trouble as he is unsure if he can be good enough for Tess.
Joan Cusack is fantastic as Cynthia as another woman from Staten Island who isn’t ambitious as Tess but aids her by pretending to be her secretary at one point and be the conscious of sorts for her. Sigourney Weaver is amazing as Katherine Parker as this very sly and cunning financial executive who likes to do whatever it takes to get to the top as well as steal ideas from others while making Tess feel she’s important yet treating her like shit. Harrison Ford is phenomenal as Jack Trainer as a corporate executive who is trying to get the deal made as Ford brings some charm and humor to his performance while being the guy who knows Tess has what it takes to get things done. Finally, there’s Melanie Griffith in a remarkable performance as Tess McGill as this young woman from Staten Island who has the drive and determination to be successful as Griffith displays a performance that is filled with humor and vulnerability as it’s Griffith presenting a character everyone can root for.
Working Girl is an incredible film from Mike Nichols that features an exhilarating performance from Melanie Griffith. Along with a great ensemble cast that includes Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Cusack, Alec Baldwin, and Philip Bosco. The film isn’t just one of Nichols’ finest films but a film where it bring enough laughs and heart that allows audience to be engaged by. In the end, Working Girl is a spectacular film from Mike Nichols.
Mike Nichols Films: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - (The Graduate) - (Catch-22) - Carnal Knowlege - (The Day of the Dolphin) - (The Fortune) - (Gilda Live) - (Silkwood) - (Heartburn) - (Biloxi Blues) - Postcards from the Edge - (Regarding Henry) - (Wolf (1994 film)) - The Birdcage - (Primary Colors) - (What Planet Are You From?) - (Wit) - (Angels in America) - Closer - (Charlie Wilson’s War)
© thevoid99 2015
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/19/09 w/ Additional Edits.
Written and directed by Michel Gondry, Be Kind Rewind tells the story of a junkyard worker whose attempts to sabotage a power plant goes haywire. When he accidentally creates a magnetic field, he goes to his best friend's video store and accidentally erases the contents of the video tapes. In order to keep the store going, they create new versions of the films that become cult hits only to later deal with authorities. The film explores not just Gondry's love of spontaneity but also his themes of imagination and innocence told through a couple of bumbling men. Starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz, and Sigourney Weaver. Be Kind Rewind is a funny, imaginative, and heartwarming film from Michel Gondry.
In Passaic, New Jersey, a man named Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) runs a VHS-rental video store with his assistant Mike (Mos Def). The two muse about jazz musician Fats Waller whom Mr. Fletcher claims was born in the building where he runs the video store. One of the regulars who attends the store is Mike's klutzy friend Jerry (Jack Black) who often causes accidents while wanting to sabotage a nearby power plant. With the video store losing money and in danger of being demolished to become a condo unless Mr. Fletcher can provide money. Mr. Fletcher decides to go out of town for several days to attend a Fats Waller memorial with Mike running the store with his order to keep Jerry out of the story. Unfortunately, Jerry's attempt to sabotage the power plant went badly where he goes to the video store unknowingly erasing all of the content of the video tapes.
When one of the store's regular customers in Mrs. Falewicz (Mia Farrow) wants to see Ghostbusters, Mike and Jerry decide to make their own version with cheap special effects and the two playing the characters themselves. When another customer wanted to see Rush Hour 2, Mike and Jerry make their own version where they get help from a local named Alma (Melonie Diaz) to help. The film versions they created have become successful as Mike, Jerry, and Alma decide to create their own versions of the films as the demands suddenly increase with the community being involved. When Mr. Fletcher returns to the store, he reveals that he's planning to get the store going as a DVD-rental place.
For Mike, it's disheartening but Jerry and Alma press on where they make more to Mr. Fletcher's surprise as the films they make help raise money to save the story. When a couple of bailiffs (Sigourney Weaver and Paul Dinello) arrive, they decided to have the tapes destroyed due to copyright infringement forcing the store's future to look even bleaker with Mr. Fletcher revealing some harsh truths. Yet, it would take an entire community to rally for one final hurrah to save the store as it's time is running out.
The film is about two things in one whole film. One is the decline of the VHS-rental, mom-and-pop video stores and the rise of corporate, DVD-rental chains. The other is about a community rallying together to watch and make home films of the movies they always wanted to be in and such. While some of the film's humor might seem a little childish with a few moments that don't work along with the script often delving into conventional and sentimental territory. Yet, Michel Gondry manages to create a film that is filled with some of the thematic qualities of his work with innocence, light-humor, and heart in his script.
While the script has a nice story despite a few flaws, the direction that Gondry definitely raises the script's weakness with his imaginative presentation. Bringing his music video background to the forefront, Gondry truly is a director in his own world where he proves that anyone could make a film with shabby sets and such. Even in the use of home video cameras with night vision is an example of Gondry's unique vision. Even in one of the film's big moment, he goes for something that is black-and-white or scenes with one take for a movement of Mike, Jerry, and Alma making one film and then move to another. It's Gondry proving that he can create something whimsical with a lot of heart and humor for audiences who love the power of film and wish they can be in them in their own remakes.
Cinematographer Ellen Kuras does a wonderful job with the film's cinematography with the use of the home video camera with its grainy look and cheesy night vision along with scratchy black-and-white footage. Kuras' work is phenomenal in how she captures the look of Passaic, New Jersey in its actual location along with some wonderful nighttime exterior shots. Notably in the film's final scene with its sepia-like exterior and intimate, low-light interior scenes. Editor Jeff Buchanan does excellent work with the film's editing with rhythmic and jump-cuts to get the film moving in such a unique pace that it's all done leisurely and without going into style-over-substance. Production designer Dan Leigh along with set decorator Ron von Blomberg, and art director James Donahue do spectacular work with the film's set designs of the sets created for the film and cheesy special effects made for a homemade feel that looks wonderful and imaginative.
Costume designers Rahel Afiley and Kishu Chand do fantastic work with the costumes that are imaginative in the cheap remake versions of the films that are made, notably the Robocop suit that Jack Black wears in their remade version. Visual effects supervisor Fabrice Lagayette does an excellent job with the film's minimal special effects scenes like the buzzing screens and the scene where Jerry gets electrocuted by the power plant that would cause him to create a magnetic field. Sound editor Paul Hsu with mixer Pawel Wdowczak do excellent work with the film's sound effects and location sounds to create a whimsical atmosphere for the film. Music composer Jean-Michel Bernard brings a light-hearted, whimsical score to play up to the film's humor and heartfelt moments with smooth, elegant arrangements. The soundtrack consists of music from Fats Waller, the Gap Band, Ray Parker Jr., Billy Preston, and other jazz cuts to complement the film's devotion to jazz.
The casting by Jeanne McCarthy is excellent for its casting choices that includes Arjay Smith as a local DVD store owner named Manny, Chandler Park as Mrs. Falewicz's nephew Craig, Paul Dinello as a bailiff, Irv Gooch as a mechanic named Wilson, and I'm Not There star Marcus Carl Franklin as a local kid. Sigourney Weaver is excellent in a cameo-like role as a bailiff who shuts down the store while Mia Farrow is great as a neighbor/loyal customer who is amazed by the remakes as she finds hope in them. Danny Glover is wonderful as Mr. Fletcher, an elderly video store owner trying to deal with changing times and developments as he thinks about conforming while trying to salvage whatever hopes and dreams he have.
Melonie Diaz is brilliant as Alma, a local girl who originally becomes an actress and later help run the video store with rules as Diaz's performance truly shines. Even as she steals scenes from the always boisterous Jack Black where Diaz has great chemistry with both Black and Def. Mos Def is wonderful as Mike, the straight man who is trying to save a video store for Mr. Fletcher while becoming an unlikely visionary in the films he and Jack Black make. Def is more restrained that Black while having a few funny moments in his performance. Jack Black is very good in his usual Jack Black-type of character as a clumsy, boisterous, and innocent character who likes to play around and be the funny guy. Yet, Black wisely under play his persona in order to give his co-stars more to do while being the typical funny guy. Though it's a typical performance from Black, it's one that works for what the film is needed and only a guy like Jack Black could play a character like Jerry.
While the film doesn't live up to the brilliance of films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind is still an entertaining, funny, and heartwarming film from Michel Gondry. While fans of Gondry's work will enjoy his imaginative vision and thematic quality, the film doesn't exactly live up to expectations in comparison to his previous films. Still, Gondry does manage to make something that is enjoyable to watch thanks in part to the cast led by Jack Black and Mos Def. In the end, Be Kind Rewind is a whimsical film from Michel Gondry that plays up to his themes of innocence and imagination.
Michel Gondry Films: Human Nature - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Dave Chapelle's Block Party - The Science of Sleep - Tokyo!: Interior Design - (The Thorn in the Heart) - The Green Hornet - The We & the I - Mood Indigo - (Is the Man Who is Tall Happy?) - (Microbe & Gasoline)
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and screenplay by Joss Whedon, Alien: Resurrection is the fourth and final film of the original Alien franchise in which a newly-cloned Ellen Ripley returns to fight a new species of aliens with a group of mercenaries after an experiment had gone wrong. With Sigourney Weaver playing the role of Ripley once again. The film also stars Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon, Brad Dourif, Michael Wincott, Dan Hedaya, Gary Dourdan, and Leland Orser. Alien: Resurrection is a stylish yet engaging thriller from Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
200 years after the events that led to the death of Ellen Ripley, a military experiment that featured remnants of her DNA sample has finally succeed in cloning Ripley where her body contained a baby queen alien. With the newly-cloned Ripley still in containment as she contains alien blood in her body, the experiment led by General Perez (Dan Hedaya), his subordinate Dr. Wren (J.E. Freeman) and Dr. Gediman study the aliens as they wait for a ship to arrive. The ship features a team of mercenaries who had captured a group of people unaware of the motives the military has for them. While the band of mercenaries that includes Call (Winona Ryder) who recognizes Ripley as she secretly enters her cell in an attempt to kill her where Call reveals why she and the mercenaries are really here.
Instead, things go wrong when the alien experiment have the aliens break out of their containment area and kill most of the crew leaving Ripley, Call, the rest of the mercenaries, Dr. Wren, and a marine in DiStefano (Raymond Cruz) to deal with the aliens. Realizing that the only option is to destroy the ship and board on the mercenaries ship to escape, Ripley and the gang try to deal with the aliens as they kill a few while Ripley makes a discovery about the experiment that was done to her. While trying to escape the aliens, the group finds a man named Purvis (Leland Orser) who had survived the experiment as he learns he has an alien inside him that’s going to burst soon. Things become more complicated where another discovery is made where Ripley and Call realize what the queen alien is doing as Ripley realizes that new breed of alien is being made and it has to be stopped.
Throughout the entirety of the series, there is always a subplot that relates to a corporation wanting to take the sample of an alien in order to use it for bio-weapons. In this film, the military finally gets a hold of an alien for their experiment and everything goes wrong. Once again, Ellen Ripley and everything she had faced in the past reveal that everything she didn‘t want to happen has finally come true. Resurrected from the dead in order to fight the aliens one more time, she goes all out while having a new advantage that would help her fight off the aliens as she also has alien blood in her.
Joss Whedon creates a script that does reveal a lot into how Ripley was finally able to be successfully cloned yet also shows a woman who is trying to get in touch with her humanity while becoming aware of what she’s facing. There is a new conflict that she’s facing as she is a bit of an alien where she is quite reluctant to kill them since they’re really her children. It’s one of the interesting aspects of the screenplay as well as the mercenaries themselves who definitely have a motive to board the U.S. science ship as one of them in Call knows a lot about Ripley and her history with the aliens. While the script does play to formula a bit and carries lots of exposition that does go a bit overboard, Whedon is able to create a script that is very faithful to its predecessors.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s direction is definitely stylish in the way he presents the film in a visual scale as well as the fact that he was able to keep things more simple. With some unique framing from camera shots shown from above and under to create an air of suspense while emphasizing that it’s more than just a film as it’s often led by an ensemble. While Jeunet is aware that there’s a formula that’s to be played where characters do get killed off and such. Jeunet does manage to give some characters moments where they can stand out and actually give the audience something to care about. Jeunet also keeps the action exciting without delving too much into fast-paced action or shaky camera work. While the film definitely has flaws in some parts of the script as well as moments where some of the action and visual effects don’t mesh up. Jeunet does create a solid and thrilling film that lives up to some of the brilliance of the franchise.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does excellent work with the film‘s lush yet evocative photography to play up the mood of the film with its emphasis for a bit of grain in the look as well as low-lights for many of the scenes to play up the sense of style. Editor Herve Schneid does nice work with the editing in the way the action is given a rhythm that isn‘t too fast while slowing things down for the suspense and low-key moments. Production designer Nigel Phelps, along with set decorator John W. Dwyer and art director Steve Cooper, does terrific work with the sets from the look of the labs and hallways in the spaceship to the designs of the nests where the alien eggs are to be hatched.
Costume designer Bob Ringwood does some good work with the costumes to create some nice mercenary suits for the mercenaries as well as the clothes that Ripley wears when she fights off the aliens. Visual effects supervisors Erik Henry and Pitof do wonderful work with the visual effects such as the way the aliens move and how some of the exteriors are made though there‘s some bits that doesn‘t entirely work. Sound designer Leslie Shatz and sound editor John A. Larsen do superb work with the sound to create an atmosphere that occurs as well as setting a mood for some of the film‘s suspenseful moments. The film’s music by John Frizzell is quite good for its orchestral bombast to play out the drama and action that occurs in the film.
The casting by Richard Pagano is brilliant for the ensemble that is created for the film as it includes some notable small roles from Carolyn Campbell and David St. James as a couple of scientists doing research on the aliens, Dan Hedaya as the big ship’s head General Perez, Leland Orser as a lab rat who has to deal with an alien inside of him, J.E. Freeman as the distrustful Dr. Wren, Raymond Cruz as the marine DiStephano, and Brad Dourif as the main scientist Dr. Gediman who is fascinated by the aliens. For the roles of the mercenaries, there’s Kim Flowers as the pilot Hillard, Gary Dourdan as the skilled shooter Christie, and Michael Wincott as the mercenaries leader Frank Elgyn. Jeunet regulars Ron Perlman and Dominique Pinon are great in their respective roles as the humorous shooter Johner and the paraplegic yet resourceful mechanic Vriess.
Winona Ryder is excellent as the mercenary Call who knows a lot more than her other mercenaries seem to know about the situation as she also carries a secret that would help everyone. Finally, there’s Sigourney Weaver in her fourth outing as Ellen Ripley. Weaver brings a new dark element to the character as a woman who is really a shell of what she used to be as she deals with her new alien blood as well as the fact that she’s the aliens’ mother where Weaver brings another fantastic performance as the famed character.
Alien: Resurrection is a stellar though flawed film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet that features a superb performance from Sigourney Weaver. Along with amazing visuals and top-notch supporting work from Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, and Dominique Pinon. While it may not love to the brilliance of the first two films, it does manage to be entertaining enough for fans of the franchise. In the end, Alien: Resurrection is a superb film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet Films: Delicatessen - The City of Lost Children - Amelie - A Very Long Engagement - Micmacs - (The Young and Prodigious Spivet) - The Auteurs #20: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Alien Films: Alien - Aliens - Alien 3
© thevoid99 2012
Directed by David Fincher and screenplay by David Giler, Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson from a story by Vincent Ward, Alien 3 is the story of Ellen Ripley waking up after crash-landing on a refinery planet near a prison. There, she deals with her new surroundings as well as the fact that an alien had boarded her escape pod as she and various prisoners try to fight off the alien. With Sigourney Weaver playing the role of Ellen Ripley once again. The film also stars Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Brian Glover, Ralph Brown, Paul McGann, Danny Webb, Pete Postlethwaite, and Lance Henriksen. Alien 3 is a thrilling yet messy film from David Fincher.
After crash-landing into a refinery planet that includes a maximum security prison nearby, Ellen Ripley wakes up to learn that she is the only survivor of the crash leaving everyone else dead while the android Bishop (Lance Henriksen) is damaged beyond repair. In the care of the prison’s doctor Clemens (Charles Dance), Ripley learns what has happened as she looks at the crashed pod where she believes something was on board. Ripley convinces Clemens to perform an autopsy on one of the bodies as Ripley realize nothing is there as she is given permission by the prison’s superintendent Harold Andrews (Brian Glover) to hold a funeral. After shaving her head and accepting the fact that she’s in a prison full of men who hadn’t seen a women in years, Ripley deals with her new surroundings only for something bad to happen when one of the prisoners is found dead.
Andrews leads the inspection as the outcast prisoner Golic (Paul McGann) returns feeling deranged as Ripley believes something isn’t right. Taking what was left of the android Bishop as well as the flight log, she learns that an alien did board the pod though Andrews doesn’t believe so but the prisoner Dillon (Charles S. Dutton) believes that Ripley is right. More incidents emerge as Dillon, Ripley, and the other prisoners realize that there is an alien in the prison that is killing everyone but Ripley. With Andrews’ assistant Aaron (Ralph Brown) reluctantly taking command and no weapons available, the situation becomes dire as everyone tries to make plans to trap the alien and kill it with toxic waste. Yet, more problems emerge where Ripley makes an unsettling discovery that would only bring more trouble. With Ripley, Dillon, Aaron, and the remaining survivors left to deal with the alien as a rescue team from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation is coming. Ripley and the prisoners do whatever it takes to kill the alien.
The film is essentially a continuation of Ellen Ripley’s story and her encounter with an alien where she finds herself in an all-men’s maximum security prison where she’s surrounded by murders, rapists, and all sorts of things yet they’re not her problem. The problem is that there’s an alien that got attached to her pod and ended up getting its way into the prison. With no weapons on board and a bunch of scared prisoners who have also embraced a form of Christianity, it looks like there’s no sense of hope. Yet, there’s Ripley who has faced these aliens before yet she finds herself dealing with other problems that would make her a bigger liability.
The screenplay definitely plays to the element of suspense as well as its sense of horror and the stakes that these prisoners have to encounter. Yet, it plays too much into the formula of what happens where there isn’t a lot of surprises that occur while there’s very few characters that the audiences seem to care about. While the script’s lack of surprises in the way many characters are killed off is too as well as the involvement of the corporation that comes in late in the film. There is still something that is engaging in the way Ripley deals with the situation but there’s new stakes that emerges for her. Even as she makes a discovery in the film’s second half where it adds to the problems that emerge as she is aware that she is becoming more of a liability.
David Fincher’s direction is very stylish in terms of the presentation that is created with very fast and fluid camera work for the chase scenes along with more intimate moments involving the characters. Yet, there’s moments in the film where it definitely shows that Fincher definitely didn’t have a lot of control due to some very dodgy visual effects scenes and other moments that makes the film a bit silly. It’s also a major step-down from its predecessors considering that there’s not a lot of surprises and the suspense doesn’t carry much weight. Things get more clumsier in the third act not just in the final battle but the arrival of the corporation where it plays to things that are quite obvious as well as something that could’ve been a fitting finale. Overall, Fincher does a decent job with the film but it is hampered by the fact that the studio interfered too much to let him really give the story more bite.
Cinematographer Alex Thomson, with additional work by Jordan Cronenweth, does nice work with the film‘s photography with its sepia-drenched look to convey the dreary look of the prison. Editor Terry Rawlings does some excellent work with the editing to maintain the air of suspense as well as using dissolves and jump-cuts to help create some intense moments in the film. Production designers Norman Reynolds and Michael White, along with set decorator Belinda Edwards and supervising art director Fred Hole, does superb work with the look of the prison as well as the hallways and boiler rooms where it often takes place.
Costume designers David Perry and Bob Ringwood do fine work with the costumes as it‘s mostly ragged prison clothes and coats that the prisoners wear. Special effects supervisor George Gibbs and the visual effects of Philip Sharpe do some terrific work with some of the visual effects though some of the animation including the movement of the alien looks just downright silly. Sound editor Gary S. Gerlich and sound designer Harry E. Snodgrass do some excellent work with the sound to maintain that sense of terror that occurs throughout the film. The film’s music by Elliot Goldenthal is wonderful for the way it plays out the drama and the suspense with its orchestral bombast.
The film’s ensemble cast is brilliant as it does feature some nice small performances from Paul McGann, Pete Postlethwaite, Holt McCallany, and Danny Webb as prisoners who help out Ripley fight the alien as well as Ralph Brown as Andrews’ assistant Aaron and Lance Henriksen making a cameo as the damaged android Bishop and its creator. Brian Glover is terrific as the prison’s warden Harold Andrews who gets to chew up the scenery while Charles Dance is excellent in a more low-key yet subtle performance as Dr. Clemens who befriends Ripley. Charles S. Dutton is superb as the prisoner Dillon who helps Ripley out in fighting the alien while making sure that all of the prisoners know what they have to do in order to survive.
Finally, there’s Sigourney Weaver in a brilliant performance as Ellen Ripley where Weaver gets to display more leadership as well as internal conflict as a woman having to fight another alien while dealing with something that she realize that would impact everything else.
Alien 3 is a good though underwhelming film from David Fincher. While it features an excellent performance from Sigourney Weaver, the film is definitely among one of the weakest entries of the franchise due to its lack of surprises as well as some incomprehensive moments. For fans of David Fincher, this film isn’t the great debut that it wants to be as it doesn’t feature a lot of the visual traits that he’s known for in later films. In the end, Alien 3 is an engaging but somewhat lackluster film.
David Fincher Films: Se7en - The Game - Fight Club - Panic Room - Zodiac - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Social Network - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Gone Girl
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Alien Films: Alien - Aliens - Alien: Resurrection
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