Pret-a-Porter

Directed by Robert Altman and written by Altman and Barbara Shulgasser, Prêt-a-Porter is the story about a group of very different people who attend Fashion Week in Paris as some are reporting the events while some are just attending to see what is out there. The film is an exploration into the world of fashion that involves many people in the course of a week. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Kim Basinger, Lili Taylor, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Chiara Mastroianni, Linda Hunt, Sally Kellerman, Stephen Rea, Anouk Aimee, Tracey Ullman, Rossy de Palma, Forest Whitaker, Rupert Everett, Lyle Lovett, and Lauren Bacall. Pret-a-Porter is a witty yet chaotic comedy from Robert Altman.

The film is about many different groups of people attending Fashion Week in Paris where a lot is happening while a prestigious fashion president had died believing that he had been murder. In the course of the film, a lot happens as a fashion TV reporter covers the events that is happening while lots of affairs between fashion designers are happening. Two American journalists are forced to share the same hotel room while covering what is happening and a fashion designer is dealing with possible bankruptcy. Fashion magazine editors spar with each other to go get a prestigious photographer while a woman goes on a shopping spree around the city. All in the course of an entire week as it leads to a climatic fashion show where a designer presents the ultimate show in grand style.

The screenplay by Robert Altman and Barbara Shulgasser doesn’t really have any kind of singular plot as it’s all about the chaos of Fashion Week. Notably as there’s journalists trying to cover the event and make sense of it as it involves a New York Times photographer (Lili Taylor) and a fashion TV reporter named Kitty Porter (Kim Basinger). Yet, there’s also this story about this French fashion president in Olivier de la Fontaine (Jean-Pierre Cassel) who meets a mysterious man named Sergei (Marcello Mastroianni) where something happens leading to de la Fontaine’s death as his wife Isabella (Sophia Loren) seems relieved though is lover in fashion designer Simone Lowenthal (Anouk Aimee) is saddened as she is dealing with losing her business where her son Jack (Rupert Everett) does something that will save her business but with some reservations. Things get crazier as two different American journalists in Anne Eisenhower (Julia Roberts) and Joe Flynn (Tim Robbins) are forced to share a hotel to cover what’s been happening.

Altman’s direction is definitely engaging for the way he explores the world of fashion and what goes on in Fashion Week. Taking on a style similar to cinema verite, Altman captures all of the craziness that occurs while going inside into what goes in the world of fashion as shows are being prepared and such. Notably as the film features cameos from celebrities, models, and fashion designers as they’re part of this crazy yet fascinating world. The direction is also intimate and straightforward for scenes inside the hotel rooms and offices where many people work out as well as some moments in the fashion runway. It is still about the show and the world that is happening which also includes Sergei trying to contact Isabella as they’re revealed to be former lovers. Their scenes together is essentially an ode to their appearance in Vittorio de Sica’s 1963 film Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. While it’s a film that can be described as a rambling mess due to the many storylines that happens. It is still a very enjoyable and very exhilarating film from Robert Altman.

Cinematographers Jean Lepine and Pierre Mignot do excellent work with the look of Paris during Fashion Week with its many landmarks as well as the scenes inside the fashion shows and some of the film‘s interior settings. Editors Geraldine Peroni and Suzy Elmiger do wonderful work with the editing to capture the sense of chaos that occurs in the world of fashion as well as more straightforward moments in the intimate scenes. Production Stephen Altman, with set decorator Francoise Dupertuis and art director William Abello, does nice work with the looks of the hotels and the runway shows that occur including the very street-based show one of the designers at a metro.

Costume designer Catherine Leterrier does terrific work with the non-designer clothes some of the characters wear to maintain their lack of style while most of the characters wear clothes that display their unique personalities. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the runway shows to the chaos in some of the parties. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is delightful for its playful piano pieces and other cuts to play out the humor. Music supervisor Allan F. Nichols creates a fantastic soundtrack that features music from Massive Attack, Bjork, U2, Ini Kamoze, Salt-N-Pepa, the Rolling Stones, M People, Janet Jackson, the Cranberries, Pizzicato Five, Robert Palmer, Grace Jones, and many others to capture the spirit of the fashion world.

Finally, there’s the film’s amazing ensemble cast as it features cameo appearances from Bjork, Harry Belafonte, Cher, and David Copperfield along with supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Carla Bruni, and Christy Turlington, and fashion designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel, Issey Miyake, Christian Lacroix, and Gianfranco Ferre for Christian Dior as themselves. In small but notable roles, there’s Alexandra Vandernoot as a TV reporter, Jean Rochefort and Michel Blanc as police investigators, Teri Garr as an obsessed shopper, Danny Aiello as the shopper’s husband, Rossy de Palma as Simone’s assistant Pilar, Chiara Mastroianni as Kitty Porter’s aide Sophie Choiset, Ute Lemper as the pregnant model Albertine, Kasia Figura as the dim-witted assistant of magazine editor Sissy, and Jean-Pierre Cassel as the Fashion Week president Olivier de la Fontaine.

Sally Kellerman, Linda Hunt, and Tracey Ullman are great in their respective rules as the dueling magazine editors Sissy Wannamaker, Regina Krumm, and Nina Scant who all try to nab Stephen Rea’s very devious photographer Milo O’Brannigan who would provide a prank of his own all three where Rea is very funny. Lauren Bacall is wonderful as the colorblind fashionista Slim Chrysler while Lyle Lovett is terrific as the cowboy boots designer Clint Lammereaux. Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins are excellent as the dueling journalists Anne Eisenhower and Joe Flynn where they eventually fall for each other as they share a hotel room together. Lili Taylor is superb as the NY Times photojournalist Fiona Ulrich while Kim Basinger is hilarious as the somewhat dim fashion TV reporter Kitty Porter. Forest Whitaker and Richard E. Grant are fantastic in their respective roles as fashion designers in the street-wise Cy Bianco and the snobbish Cort Romney.

Rupert Everett is pretty good as the slimy Jack Lowenthal who does something without his mother’s consent while Anouk Aimee is phenomenal as the respected fashion designer Simone Lowenthal who deals with Olivier’s death as well as the prospect of losing her business. Finally, there’s Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in marvelous performances in their respective roles as Sergio/Sergei and Isabella where they play former lovers who finally meet after many years where Mastroianni brings a lot of humor with Loren bringing an element of class to her role as well as a sexiness that is still captivating.

Pret-a-Porter is an excellent film from Robert Altman. Featuring a wild ensemble cast full of actors, models, fashion designers, and all sorts of people. It’s a film that captures the craziness that is Fashion Week while taking time to inject humor into that world. While the film is a bit of a mess, it is still enjoyable for the way Altman explores a world that is fascinating. In the end, Pret-a-Porter is a remarkable film from Robert Altman.

Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie’s Fortune - Dr. T & the Women - Gosford Park - The Company (2003 film) - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion

© thevoid99 2013

Life is Sweet

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/9/05 w/ Additional Edits.

After the international success of 1989's High Hopes, British director Mike Leigh finally broke through to the film scene after years of TV work and overlooked films. With his unique approach of making films without a script while taking a cynical though hopeful view of post-Margaret Thatcher rule in the U.K. Leigh often explores the working class of the U.K. while not sugar-coating things like in traditional Hollywood films or the mainstream attempts made by other U.K. directors. In 1990, Leigh decides to make another film about post-Thatcher working class world about a family struggling day-to-day with the majority acting upbeat while dealing with friends and an anorexic daughter in Life is Sweet.

Written and directed by Leigh, Life is Sweet is about a chef and his wife living in a working class lifestyle in the Enfield area while taking care of their twin adult daughters. With the chef's dream of owning his own food stand ready to come true to the dismay of his wife and children, the wife takes another job in being a waitress to a friend's gourmet restaurant. While one of their daughters is a tomboy working as a plumber's apprentice, the other is an antisocial, anti-conventional girl with an eating disorder and a secret lover who is forced to do unconventional ideas of sex. Starring Leigh regulars Jim Broadbent, Alison Steadman, Stephen Rea, Timothy Spall, Claire Skinner, David Thewlis, and Jane Horrocks. Life is Sweet is a warm, delightful and realistic comedy-drama about a family trying to live day-by-day.

It's a nice Sunday in the London suburb of Enfield as a working-class mother Wendy (Alison Steadman) and her chef husband Andy (Jim Broadbent) spend the entire day with their 20-something twins. Natalie (Claire Skinner) is a tomboy who hopes to visit America in the future while her twin sister Nicola (Jane Horrocks) is a self-destructive, anti-conventional, anti-social young woman who couldn't stand to be around her family. Later that day, Andy's friend Patsy (Stephen Rea) visits to show Andy something though Wendy, is convinced that it's another scam. Though she is upbeat in her surroundings, even in her two-job lifestyle selling clothes to infants and running a day care for children. Wendy is hoping to just have a nice day while talking to Natalie about her lifestyle as a tomboy.

Later that day, family friend Aubrey (Timothy Spall) arrives with a pineapple to talk about the opening of his new gourmet restaurant. When Andy returns home with a beat-up trailer that used to be a food stand, Wendy and the kids are shocked. Andy though, is very happy that a chance for his dream in running his own food stand and working independently is finally coming true as he gives Patsy a huge thanks. With him and Wendy coming to see Aubrey's new restaurant, Aubrey is happy that his dream is finally coming until he learned that his waitress has quit on him to go on a trip to Prague. Wendy decides to help him as a waitress for the opening night, which is the next day while Andy gives him his full support.

After another day of work where Natalie works as a plumber's assistant saving her money for her trip to America, Nicola receives an unexpected visit from her secret lover (David Thewlis). Convinced that she is fat, though in reality looks gravely thin, she asks her lover to have sex with her while she's tied up and covered in jam. Wendy dresses up to serve as waitress as she and Aubrey's chef Paula (Moya Brady) is getting ready for opening night. The evening becomes a disaster as no one shows up leaving Aubrey drunk and Paula a bit distraught. Wendy's night is worse when Andy returns home drunk after drinking in a pub with Patsy as the two talk about what's going to happen next.

Andy apologizes about that night though he still plans to meet Patsy in a pub while helping out Aubrey before going to work as Wendy decides to sit out for the day. Nicola spends another day with her lover but his frustration over her unconventional tactics has gotten to him. With Wendy spending the day to clean her home, she has a heart-to-heart with Nicola about her behavior and pities her though Nicola doesn't want anything only to break down after the conversation. If Wendy's family problems weren’t bad enough, Andy gets injured leaving the entire family to realize what they have to do next.

Noted for working without a script, many of his films often have an improvisational feel in terms of dialogue and performance. Life is Sweet is no exception though in Leigh’s observant direction, he definitely does tell a story about a dysfunctional family trying to keep their feet on the ground while remaining optimistic, with the exception of Nicola. The structure of Leigh's story is wonderful since it's set in 3 days. The first day being an introduction to the family and their eccentric behavior along with their friends. Especially in the parallel to how Andy and Aubrey are both achieving the dreams. The second act is where those parallels began to differ with Aubrey's troubling first day and Andy in shock that his dream might actually come true after working in a job that he doesn't like. The third act and final day is where everything breaks down emotionally and spiritually where the family comes together and look forward to the next part of their life, no matter how downbeat it is.

It's just not family issues and the working-class area that Leigh talks about but also the dynamics of the individuals. The real driving force of the story is Wendy who is a fierce supporter of everyone despite their choices. She supports Natalie for her work and desire since she is more content with who she is while also supporting her husband for seizing his opportunity. Then there's Nicola whose world is a mess since she is a person who had a chance only to find herself to be immensely disillusioned, with very few people around her, and having a hatred for everything including herself and her surroundings. The scene where Wendy and Nicola begin to talk, it's Wendy who understands her more than Nicola does. It's the film's most emotional scene of the movie that leads to an aftermath where all the characters have to grow. The credit for all of these things goes to Mike Leigh though the only flaw in his direction is in that improvisation whether the audience isn't sure if some things are improvised or planned.

Helping Leigh in capturing a realistic vision is cinematographer Dick Pope in his first of many collaborations with Leigh. While the film is shot in grainy film stock, the film has an authentic look in what a London suburb looks like, especially in its lighting where everything feels and looks real. It's no wonder Leigh has chosen Pope to become his regular collaborator after all these years. Helping out in the look of the film for its look is production designer Alison Chitty where everything looks like a working class place and the attempted sophistication of Aubrey's restaurant. Lindy Hemming shines with her work on the costumes which goes from the authenticity of what the family is wearing to the zany clothing that Aubrey wears which includes a San Francisco Giants jacket, a hat, and all sorts of things. The film is nicely edited by Jon Gregory while Rachel Portman delivers a memorable film score that plays to the upbeat attitude of Wendy.

While the film has a small cast of eight main actors, it's still a wonderful ensemble featuring Moya Brady as Andy’s quiet, desperate chef and a young David Thewlis as Nicola's frustrated, eccentric lover. Stephen Rea gives a funny performance as Patsy, a con artist who opens the door for Andy’s dream while his generosity might come off as manipulative despite his intentions. Timothy Spall is also funny as Aubrey with his nerdy clothing and eccentric behavior but when his dream falls apart, Spall brings a lot of depth and sadness to his role despite being bad to the people around him. Claire Skinner is excellent as the content, driven Natalie who refuses to confirm her sexuality while dealing with her own family while knowing full-well of her sister's self-destructive behavior.

Of the supporting cast, no one gives a brilliant performance as Jane Horrocks as the anti-social, bulimic, anti-conventional Nicola. Horrocks throughout the film sneers and never smiles while talking about being an individual when really, she's just trying to destroy herself through all sorts of things. Whether it's through eating large amounts of food only to throw it up or to have strange sexual moments with her lover. Horrocks steals the show in every moment of the film, even when her mother cracks through her emotional shield. Future-Oscar winner Jim Broadbent brings a humorous, delightful performance as Andy who hopes for a better life and becomes fulfilled when his dream starts to come true. Broadbent brings a lot of warmth and humor to his role while in the final act, he brings a sense of hope and humor despite an incident that would affect the course of the film.

The best leading performance goes to Mike Leigh's then-wife Alison Steadman as Wendy. Steadman brings a lot of cheerfulness and optimism to her role no matter how grim in whatever situation she’s in. There's also a realness into her performance while playing well to Leigh's improvisational direction. Steadman carries the movie with such ease while having a lot of great, comedic, heartwarming scenes, and wonderful dramatic moments, especially in her emotional confrontation with Horrocks.

While not a perfect film, Life is Sweet is still a quintessential, realistic and funny film from Mike Leigh. While the film is currently unavailable on DVD and hard-to-find on video, it's a must-see for any fan of Mike Leigh's films. With a superb cast lead by Alison Steadman, Jim Broadbent, and Jane Horrocks along with a group of Leigh regulars like Claire Skinner, Timothy Spall, Stephen Rea, and David Thewlis. The film has something everyone can relate to, even in the characters or situations while it's also a wonderful portrayal of a dysfunctional but loving family. For a look into Mike Leigh's early success, Life is Sweet is the film to see.

Mike Leigh Films:  (Bleak Moments) - (The Permissive Society) - (Knock for Knock) - (Hard Labour) - (Nuts in May) - (Abigail's Party) - (Kiss of Death) - (Who's Who) - (Grown-Ups) - (Home Sweet Home) - (Meantime) - (Four Days in July) - (High Hopes) - Naked - Secrets & Lies - Career Girls - Topsy-Turvy - All or Nothing - Vera Drake - Happy-Go-Lucky - Another Year - Mr. Turner

(C) thevoid99 2011

V for Vendetta

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/29/06 w/ Additional Edits.

George Orwell's iconic novel 1984 foretold a story about the world being controlled by a totalitarian state where everything and everyone is being watched by a man named Big Brother. Today, Orwell's novel is more relevant through a variety of forms as people sees Orwell's tale right in their face with the chaos of the world. Many films, books, and pieces of music have referenced or used Orwell's idea into art including a graphic novel about a masked vigilante who fights a Fascist government in future Britain by Alan Moore and illustrator David Lloyd called V for Vendetta. The graphic novel became a cult favorite among comic book fans that was so beloved, it even caught the attention of Andy and Larry Wachowski, the creators of The Matrix film series. Though mixed reviews on the latter films of The Matrix chose for them to take a step back from the spotlight, it didn't stop their interest for V for Vendetta which they decided to make into their next project.

Screenplay by the Wachowski brothers with their first assistant director James McTeigue serving as the director, V for Vendetta is an action, political thriller about a futuristic, Fascist-run government in Britain that is threatened by a masked vigilante named V. With people being taken for their subversive ideals, a young woman is also taken where she eventually becomes V's only true ally. Straying away from the excess and mythology of The Matrix, McTeigue, the Wachowskis, and producer Joel Silver chose to create a smart, provocative, and entertaining film that brings enough character and action for a mass audience. Starring Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Rey, Stephen Fry, Sinead Cusack, Rupert Graves, and John Hurt. V for Vendetta is an excellent, smart action film that challenges the post-9/11 world.

It's futuristic London with years ahead of the 21st Century where everything is restricted and everyone is watched. Even curfew is at stake when a young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) is about to be raped until she is saved by a masked vigilante named V (Hugo Weaving). After saving her, he reveals to her of his ideas and who he is when he shows her what's about to happen since its hours away for November 5th, which is Guy Fawkes Day. Guy Fawkes was remembered as a man who tried to blow up the building of Parliament in the 17th Century only to be captured and hung. To commemorate this day, V blows up a building in front of the citizens of London and to Evey's horror.

The incident has caught the attention of the country's supreme Chancellor Adam Sutler (John Hurt) who is angry that his own control is now being under attack by an unknown terrorist. He calls for his council member Creedy (Tim Pigott-Smith) to take action. Meanwhile, another of Sutler's insiders, an inspector named Eric Finch (Stephen Rea) has been called to investigate what's going on with help from his assistant Dominic (Rupert Graves). With Evey continuing her work as a production assistant for her boss and TV talk show host, Gordon Deitrich (Stephen Fry), she gets called by him who blamed himself for having to call on her, especially on curfew. While working, V arrives to take charge of the network as he plans to strike again on the next Guy Fawkes Day as he plants a bomb on the TV network station. While trying to escape, Evey tries to help but gets knocked out as V takes her to his underground compound.

Watching the incident closely is Finch who sees that Evey has been captured and could be an accomplice of V. He follows her file closely which reveals that her parents were political activists at the time Sutler was in power shortly after an incident concerning a small plague. Learning that she's in V's underground compound filled with books and artwork, Evey learns from V about his own past which reveals his reasons for wearing a costume and a Guy Fawkes mask. She learned it is from a government lab experiment that went horribly wrong. While she doesn't like his violent approach, she does understand why he's rebelling as V is killing off several people who have burned and experimented on him. One of those targets was a former military commander-turned-TV talk show host named Lewis Prothero (Roger Allam). After reluctantly helping V to reach another of his targets, Evey leaves and hides out in the home of Deitrich.

Finch follows the evidence very closely as he learns that the terrorist known as V might be going after those in an incident following a failed lab experiment One of those people was a former doctor now a coroner named Delia Surridge (Sinead Cusack), who has been wracked with guilt over the incident and had been hiding. When Finch tries to contact her home, she had been found dead only to leave evidence for Finch to find out. Then, Finch begins to question as he and Dominic wonder if any of the incidents including the plagues, water poisoning, and everything else had been under the control of the government. With Evey staying at Deitrich's home, she learns that Deitrich too, has been hiding elements of art including an old copy of the Koran. When he decided to do a show where he lampoons Sutler and V, he gets into trouble as Evey's attempt to escape only gets her captured.

Immediately, Creedy interrogates Evey about the whereabouts and identity of V as she is tortured, abused, beaten, and gets her head shaved in order to reveal the information. While she refuses, she becomes more and more desperate until a letter from next door is revealed by a woman named Valerie (Natasha Wightman) who reveals to herself about her own life. The letters from next door give Evey more of a chance to live as she had escaped and finds herself returning to V. After a brief meeting, she briefly leaves to wait for November 5th while Finch's investigation gains some ground as he learns more about his own government's involvement. There, V goes for his final stand with the people of London watching.

While most films about Fascist governments, especially from a novel like 1984 reveal the idea of a dystopian world where everything is in chaos and leads to a rebellion. In the case for this film, especially in today's world, the film does speak in volumes while bringing a nice balance of no-holds-barred entertainment and bringing in a nice dose of political idealism. While the major flaw in the political part of the film is that the film is one-sided for the most part when it comes to the revolt and subversive ideas of V in destroying the government. It's understandable that V and the people of London are living in a totalitarian time where they're on watch and there's a curfew abroad with trying not to anger the government altogether. McTeigue does a great job in showing the examples of the dystopian world but he doesn't bring enough back-story on how the government party got built or how they came into power.

Still, for the most part, McTeigue and the Wachowski brothers do bring enough sense and humor into the political realm. One of the controversial themes about the film is terrorism. It's not that the film is supporting terrorism but in this post-9/11, it's likely that it won't stop. Terrorism is often inspired by some form of oppression where it's come to the point that it's attack and attack. One of the things that McTeigue and the Wachowski brothers have done isn't see the positive or negative aspect of terrorism but to try and find reasons for it. There, the result only brings more questions than answers. Especially when Evey tries to tell V that violence isn't sometimes the answer. Yet, Evey does come to the point sometimes, action does speak louder than words as she has to learn more about that process, especially when it involves about her own family and colleagues.

The political aspect of the film is wonderfully drawn out and smart despite its flaws which gives the film a nice break from the usual world of action. Still, the action sequences are done with great style which is similar to the approach of The Matrix but owes more to an 1938 film version of the Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo, which is referenced throughout the entire film. There's also a bit of 1984 in the political part of the film while the balance of drama, action, and political intrigue does bring a film that works on every level. The script and McTeigue's direction not only work with creating an amazing film but fleshing out real characters, especially in the development of Evey, V, and Finch. The great thing that the Wachowski brothers do is create real people in real situations while feeding off the world they live and hoping to do what they feel is right.

Helping McTeigue in his vision is late cinematographer Adrian Biddle (whom the film is dedicated to after his death in late 2005) who creates a wonderfully gray look for the film's night scenes while bringing out great, colorful lighting in a dreamy sequences involving the character of Valerie. Biddle's cinematography is amazing and wonderful exquisite to bring out the look and tone of the film as his work is amazing and he is a great cinematographer that will be missed.

Helping with the look of the film are production designer Owen Paterson plus art directors Marco Bittner Rosner, Sarah Horton, Sebastian T. Krawinkel, and set decorator Peter Walpole. The look of the film is distinct for the dystopian tone of the black, red flags of the government to the things that Deitrich and V have like the books, artwork, and stuff that fills around the room that suits their personalities. Costume designer Sammy Sheldon also does wonderful work in creating the Guy Fawkes look and the prison look that Evey takes on while presenting, a nice, militaristic look of the government.

Helping to piece the film together in the perspective of what's going on, especially in the third act is editor Martin Walsh who does some great cutting work and perspective cuts that gives a nice pacing and feel into the movie while it giving a nice, leisurely feel to the entire film. Sound designer Glenn Freemantle does some wonderful work with the sound to give the sense of suspense while visual effects supervisors Dan Glass and Matt Johnson help flesh out the look of the film plus the visual designs of the destruction that goes on the film. In the music department, composer Dario Marianelli brings great work in capturing the dystopian feel of the film along with its intense, action sequences. The film's soundtrack is very diverse with not just a bit of jazz cuts plus music from Tom Waits and Cat Power. Added to give the film a nice coda that plays well to the film’s politics is a classic tune from none other than, the Rolling Stones.

Finally, there's the film's superb cast that includes some great, minor performances from Clive Ashborn as Guy Fawkes, Billie Cook as a little girl in love with V's ideas, and Natasha Wightman as Valerie, who brings a nice presence to the film and provides the determination for Evey's change in political idealism. Rupert Graves does excellent work as Finch's partner Dominic. Sinead Cusack is excellent in a small role as a target for V as her performance brings a wonderful sense of importance to the plot while in her scene with V, she commands a dignity that is rarely scene in a confrontational scene. Roger Allam is excellent as this Rush Limbaugh-like talk show host who commands enough attention and demeanor that he does great work as a villain while Tim-Pigott Smith is also excellent as the devious Creedy.

Stephen Fry gives a wonderfully funny, sweet performance as Evey's talk-show superior whose love for art and comedy give Evey reasons to rebel against the government as Fry is a stand-out.John Hurt goes full circle from his performance as Winston Smith in a 1984 film version of 1984 to play a Big Brother-like leader in Adam Sutler. Hurt brings a great, terrorizing presence that is almost scary to watch as his rage in full close-up is enough to reveal the intensity of his performance. This is truly one of Hurt's best work as he stands out in full-form as Sutler.

Stephen Rea also does great supporting work as Eric Finch with his indifferent, observant performance who relies more on his instincts to try and see if things are wrong. Rea is perfect in his role as he tries to bring a perspective of what could be right or if he is doing the wrong thing. Hugo Weaving gives a wonderfully charming yet menacing performance as title role of V. Though most of his performance is in a mask, Weaving brings enough charm and wit to his role that doesn't make him feel like a terrorist but rather a vigilante. Weaving has great chemistry with Natalie Portman throughout the film while revealing his own vulnerability with his body language which brings depth into a role that doesn't require to reveal a lot of emotions. Fortunately, Weaving does masterful work in his performance.

Then, there's Natalie Portman (It's Po'tman motherfucka!), who gives probably one of the best performances of her career. While she falters a bit with the English accent, Portman's ability to display emotions and observance that overshadows whatever flaws she might have. Whereas George Lucas directs Natalie to display awful lines with stilted performances, McTeigue and the Wachowski brothers do great utilization of her talent. Natalie sells every moment of despair and anguish into her torture scenes while making her into a full character who goes from being a fearful young woman to a woman who no longer sees or feels fear but wants to do something. Even stripping down physically, Portman brings a presence that is unique and hypnotic that it's bar-none, one of her strongest. It's clear that in an age of young starlets trying to get the biggest paycheck or get the right movie for an Oscar nod. Natalie Portman is right now the Best Actress of Her Generation. If you don't think so, read this from comedy actor Andy Samberg:

Natalie you are a badass batch (hell yeah)

and I will pay for your dry cleaning when my shit gets in your shoe (what)

as for the drug use, well I can vouch for that

my dick is scared of you, girl

-In the Life of Natalie Portman by Natalie "MotherFucking" Po’tman

Overall, V for Vendetta is a fun, smart action film that has enough bang for the buck while presenting the audience with some smart, political insight. Though this film is not meant to inspire terrorism, it does question the intention of what terrorism is trying to say. It's just a fun movie to watch thanks to Joel Silver, James McTeigue, and the Wachowski brothers with great performances from Natalie "M.F." Po'tman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Fry, Stephen Rea, and John Hurt. In the end, for anyone wanting to celebrate fireworks and want a revolution, go see V for Vendetta.

(C) thevoid99 2010