The film revolves around a 16-year old kid as he helps a horse owner in getting horses for a race where the kid befriends a horse named Lean on Pete as he deals with the horse’s declining health and the idea that he might be slaughtered. It’s a film that explores a young man trying to find some stability in his home life but also something to be attached to as he lives in Portland with his absentee father and doesn’t have much of a future until he helps a horse owner who gives him a job. Andrew Haigh’s screenplay is largely straightforward in its narrative as it’s more of a coming-of-age story for the 16-year old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) who lives with his dad Ray (Travis Fimmel) who is having an affair with a married woman that would later have dire consequences involving her husband. Charley would help the aging horse trainer Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi) who is dealing with declining funds as well as horses who aren’t delivering including Lean on Pete who could only do quarter-mile races.
While a jockey in Bonnie (Chloe Sevigny) understands Charley’s growing attachment to Lean on Pete, she warned him to not get too close as the horse’s health is starting to fail forcing Montgomery to sell him and possibly to Mexico where he would be slaughtered. The film’s second act is about what Charley’s actions as it relates to the horse and what he hopes to do in trying to find his estranged aunt Margy (Alison Elliott) whom he hadn’t seen in years. It would be this moment that play into Charley’s own sense of loss and alienation as well as a world that is really complicated as he would encounter various people including a couple of former soldiers and a homeless couple as it would play into is view of the world.
Haigh’s direction is entrancing for not just the scope of the locations as it is shot on various locations around Portland, Oregon but also to capture the look of the American West that does feel disconnected from the rest of the world. The usage of wide and medium shots do play into the events that Charley encounters in the second act with Lean on Pete as it play into the journey these two would take. Haigh still infuses some intimacy that include close-ups as well as what Charley sees during the horse races along with these moments that play into his own sense of despair when he deals with reality. There are also these scenes that do feel loose such as a conversation Montgomery is having with other owners about changing times and how simple things were back in the 80s and 90s for the world of horse racing along with a scene in the bar where everyone is drunk while Charley wants to talk both to Bonnie and Montgomery. Haigh also presents scenes where there aren’t much dialogue or scenes that has Charley talking to the horse as it help play into this young man dealing with reality that is hard to digest. Even in its third act as he copes with the people he encounter and his own actions knowing he has made decisions that would put him in trouble yet is seeking to find some hope in a cruel world. Overall, Haigh crafts an evocative and intoxicating film about a 16-year old boy befriending an ailing race horse.
Cinematographer Magnus Joenck does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of available and low-key lighting for the scenes set at night as well as natural lighting for the scenes set in the day. Editor Jonathan Alberts does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few jump-cuts for a few dramatic moments as well as a few transitional dissolves. Production designer Ryan Warren Smith, with set decorator Jenelle Giordano and art director Jonny Fenix, does fantastic work with the look of the home that Charley lived in as well as a stable room where Charley stayed with Lean on Pete living next door and a trailer where Charley meets a homeless couple. Costume designer Julie Carnahan does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly casual to play into the look of the American West that include trucker hats, skinny jeans for the women, and other clothes that play into that world.
Visual effects supervisor Fred Ruff does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it play into a key scene in the film along with bits of set-dressing for the horse race scenes. Sound editor Joakim Sundstrom does brilliant work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the way some of the sparse moments in the film occur as it’s a highlight of the film. The film’s music by James Edward Barker is wonderful for its understated country-folk based score as it play into the drama while being low-key while music supervisor Connie Farr provides a soundtrack that is mostly diegetic as it’s played on location as it features pieces from Melissa Manchester, Melinda Salcido, Alih Jey, Lluvia Rosa, Jeannie Seely, Roy Drusky and Priscilla Hubbard, Faron Young, Larry Dean and Jonathan Sloan, Donnie Owens, Jeannie C. Riley, Sanford Clark, Brendan McKinney, Eddie M, Brandon Flowers, Selena Gomez, Tegan & Sara, Jessie Ware, Limb, Cut Yourself in Half, Will Oldham, Richmond Fontaine, Vic De Leon, and Donovan.
The casting by Carmen Cuba does superb work as it feature some notable small roles from Tolo Tuitele as Lynn’s husband who attacks Ray, Bob Olin as an old man in Mr. Kendall that Charley eats dinner with, Teyah Hartley as Mr. Kendall’s daughter Laurie whom he verbally abuses at, Justin Rain and Lewis Pullman in their respective as a couple of military veterans in Mike and Dallas who take Charley and Pete in for a bit, Steve Zahn and Rachael Perrell Fosket as a homeless couple that allow Charley to be with them for a bit, Amy Seimetz as Ray’s married girlfriend Lynn, Travis Fimmel as Charley’s absentee yet well-meaning father Ray, and Alison Elliott as Charley’s estranged aunt Margy who appears late in the film. Chloe Sevigny is brilliant as the jockey Bonnie as someone who is kinder to Charley but also warns him about becoming too attached to Lean on Pete as she also tells him about the reality he has to face.
Steve Buscemi is amazing as Del Montgomery as an aging horse trainer who has been through a lot and is a cynical person yet does give Charley a few life lessons but also appreciates the work that Charley puts through. Finally, there’s Charlie Plummer in an incredible performance as Charley Thompson as a 16-year old kid who is dealing with instability in his life where he then works in the stables and befriends this horse as he becomes attached to this horse while dealing with the reality that the horse has to face. Plummer brings this anguish and angst to the role that is understated but also someone who knows he is way over his head in what he’s trying to do while hoping to find a world that he can call home and with the horse he’s grown to love.
Lean on Pete is a phenomenal film from Andrew Haigh that features a great leading performance from Charlie Plummer. Along with its supporting cast, gorgeous visuals and locations, enchanting sound work, and its themes of growing pains and search for stability in a cruel world. The film is definitely a coming-of-age film that plays into a boy’s fascination towards a race horse and his hope to help this horse. In the end, Lean on Pete is a sensational film from Andrew Haigh.
Andrew Haigh Films: (Greek Pete) – Weekend (2011 film)
- 45 Years
© thevoid99 2021
Directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John, King of New York is the story of a drug lord who has returned from prison to wipe out all of his competitors and become a modern-day Robin Hood of sorts much to the dismay of his competitors and the NYPD. The film is about a man who saw what his empire has become as he decides to make some changes but also take in some new extremes to get rid of his competitors. Starring Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, Victor Argo, Steve Buscemi, and Giancarlo Esposito. King of New York is an evocative and intense film from Abel Ferrara.
The film revolves around a drug lord who has just been released from prison to find that the drug trade and its culture has gotten ugly forcing him to get rid of other dealers and use the money he makes from selling drugs to help the poor in New York City. It’s a simple scenario that definitely recalls the idea of Robin Hood yet the character of Frank White (Christopher Walken) is not really a Robin Hood character. He kills people and he does what he can to ensure that New York City can prosper and give hope to people in the ghettos and other poor areas so they can live good and decent lives. Nicholas St. John’s screenplay opens with White in his prison cell walking out as he is ready to be released while a couple of dealers are being killed with one of them from White’s henchman Jimmy Jump (Laurence Fishburne) doing the job as he hadn’t seen White in years. Though White doesn’t reveal his intentions as it relates to crime lords and such, he does see what New York City has become and realizes that so much can be done without trying to destroy things and act as a businessman by making money off of drugs to fund things such as children’s hospitals and to help the poor.
By getting rid of his competitors including those who have done more harm than good to those in their home turf, White does believe he is trying to do good though some of his actions through murder and intimidation says otherwise. Most notably the NYPD who still hold a grudge towards White as they see him as a criminal as they try to go after his associates. Yet, it is two of the cops in Dennis Gilley (David Caruso) and Thomas Flanigan (Wesley Snipes) who believe that they should take the law into their own hands much to the dismay of Roy Bishop (Victor Argo) who thinks they’re getting themselves into some serious trouble.
Abel Ferrara’s direction is stylish in some of the compositions he creates yet he also would use New York City and its various locations as characters in the film including the Plaza Hotel where White and his gang would stay. While there are some unique wide and medium shots to get a scope of the locations including some key suspenseful moments late in the film, much of Ferrara’s direction emphasizes more on characters and their settings. Even in the usage of medium shots and close-ups with some shots that involve multiple characters as it play into a world that is unruly and in total despair. Ferrara’s direction for the dramatic moments are simple as it include some long gazing shots of White looking at his city and hoping to make some changes along with a visit to a children’s hospital that is in dire need of repairs where he hopes to help that place and ensure that those kids will be fine. It’s among these small moments in the film that showcase White’s intentions despite his methods where he does kill off some rivals and such in very violent means.
The violence is intense as well as some confrontational scenes where a notable one where a few thugs try to rob White and end up working for him as they would prove their loyalty to him. While what White and his crew do other gang members were violent, it is nothing compared to what Gilley and Flanigan would do to try and stop him as they would prove to be even worse than what White did. Even in the film’s third act where the two cops would show how extreme they can be yet it would come at a great price where Ferrara shows the fallacy of not just White’s intentions but also the police and their inability to see the world and what it was becoming. Even as it play into White seeing that the idea of change is much harder to do when those in power try to be involved and not get any reward. Overall, Ferrara crafts an intoxicating yet intense film about a drug lord who uses his power to try and help the unfortunate in New York City.
Cinematographer Bojan Bazelli does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of dreamy and low-key lights for many of the exterior scenes at night as well as a low-key yet sunny look for some of the daytime exterior scenes. Editor Anthony Redman does excellent work with the editing as it has some stylish rhythmic cuts to play into the action and some of the dark humor while much of it is straightforward. Production designer Alex Tavoularis, with set decorator Sonja Roth and art director Stephanie Ziemer, does fantastic work with the look of some of the interiors in the places including a few interiors in some of the places in the city.
Costume designer Carol Ramsey does terrific work with the costumes from the stylish black suit that White wears along with the street clothes that Jump wears. Sound editor Greg Sheldon does superb work with the sound in the way gunfire is presented as well as the sound of a few parties and other places in the city. The film’s music by Joe Delia is wonderful for its somber ambient-based synthesizer score that play into some of the film’s melancholic moments while the music soundtrack mainly features hip-hop tracks featuring cuts from Schooly-D and Party Posse as well as a jazz cut from Freddy Jackson.
The casting by Randy Sabusawa is terrific as it feature some notable small roles from Harold Perrineau as a young thug who robs White only to end up working for him, Frank Gio as the Italian crime boss Arty Clay, Ernest Abuba as a dealer named King Tito, Gerard Murphy as a young cop named Mulligan, Alonna Shaw as Mulligan’s bride, Ariane and Pete Hamill as themselves who are dinner guests at a restaurant where White visits them, Joey Chin as a triad leader in Larry Wong, Carrie Nygren as a lover of White in Melanie, Roger Guenveur Smith as a local politician, Theresa Randle as one of White’s female companions/henchwomen in Raye, Steve Buscemi as a drug tester in Test Tube, Freddy Jackson as himself performing for a benefit dinner, Giancarlo Esposito as a henchman in Lance, Janet Julian as White’s attorney/former lover in Jennifer, and Paul Calderon as a handler of White in Joey Dalesio who serves as a mediator between White and other dealers only to later put White into trouble.
Wesley Snipes and David Caruso are fantastic in their respective roles as the detectives Thomas Flanigan and Dennis Gilley as two young detectives who decide to take the law into their own hands with Flanigan having issues with White’s henchman Jump and Gilley taking the lead believing that White is disrespecting the law. Victor Argo is brilliant as Roy Bishop as a detective who is a more by-the-book figure that wants to bring White down the right way while trying to understand what White is trying to do as he would eventually face him in a way that he feels is ideal to him. Laurence Fishburne is excellent as White’s henchman Jimmy Jump as a man who does a lot of the killing but is also someone who understands what White is trying to do where he also wants to help out other people where Fishburne displays a lot of charm and energy into his performance. Finally, there’s Christopher Walken in a magnificent performance as Frank White as a drug lord who has been released from prison as he sees what his city has become as it’s a performance that has elements of charisma but also in some restraint as he tries to change the city and do good as it’s one of Walken’s great performances.
King of New York is a phenomenal film from Abel Ferrara that features a tremendous performance from Christopher Walken. Along with its ensemble cast, eerie visuals, study of law and order, and an exhilarating music soundtrack. It’s a film that doesn’t play into the many tropes expected in a crime drama as it’s more of a study of a man trying to use his knowledge of the criminal underworld and to create change in the hope that he can help the unfortunate in New York City. In the end, King of New York is a spectacular film from Abel Ferrara.
Abel Ferrara Films: (9 Lives of a Wet Pussy) – (The Driller Killer) – (Ms. 45) – (Fear City) – (The Gladiator (1986 TV film)) – (China Girl) – (The Loner) – (Cat Chaser) – (Bad Lieutenant) – (Body Snatchers (1993 film)) – (Dangerous Game) – (The Addiction (1995 film)) – (The Funeral (1996 film)) – (The Blackout (1997 film)) – (New Rose Hotel) – (‘R Xmas) – (Mary (2005 film)) – (Go Go Tales) – (Chelsea on the Rocks) – (Napoli, Napoli, Napoli) – (4:44 Last Day on Earth) – (Welcome to New York) – (Pasolini) – (Tomasso)
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the graphic novel La Mort de Staline by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, The Death of Stalin is a fictionalized story about the death of Joseph Stalin where several of his associates try to figure out what to do with some fighting each other to be the next leader of the Soviet Union. Directed by Armando Iannucci and screenplay by Iannucci, David Schneider, and Ian Martin, the film is a satirical political comedy that explores a power struggle within the Soviet Union as it gets out of control with those wanting to make some changes with others wanting to maintain Stalin’s legacy. Starring Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs, Olga Kurylenko, Michael Palin, Andrea Riseborough, Adrian McLaughlin, Paul Whitehouse, Dermot Crowley, Paul Chahidi, and Jeffrey Tambor. The Death of Stalin is a wild and farcical film from Armando Iannucci.
It’s 1953 in the Soviet Union as Joseph Stalin is content with his rule until he suffers a cerebral hemorrhage and later dies leaving government officials unsure of what to do next and who should take over as the leader of the Soviet Union. That is the film’s plot as a whole where it is about the death of a leader of a superpower and everyone trying to figure out if they should tell the country that their leader had died as well as who should replace him officially. The film’s screenplay by Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, and Ian Martin with contributions by Peter Fellows explore a real-life event as it is dramatized into a farce that relates to power struggles, conspiracies, and all sorts of shit that happens following the death of a world leader. The story opens with Joseph Stalin (Adrian McLaughlin) listening to a live orchestra as he wants a recording of it where its lead radio broadcaster Yuri Andreyev asks the orchestra to play the entire concerto all over again for Stalin which prompts pianist Maria Yudina (Olga Kurylenko) to slip a note into the recording sleeve that Stalin would find while he listens to the recording.
It is when Stalin would suffer his hemorrhage as Interior Ministry head Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale) would be the second person to find Stalin in that state after the maid was the first to report what had happened. Moscow Party head Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi) and Deputy General Secretary Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor) would get the word as they all try to cover things but also contact Stalin’s daughter Svetlana (Andrea Riseborough) and his troubled son Vasily (Rupert Friend) as it leads to more chaos. The film’s script play into these meetings between various officials including the Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotiv (Michael Palin) to discuss funeral plans while there’s some backstabbing, scheming, and all sorts of shit about who should be the leader with Beria making Malenkov the new leader of the Soviet Union despite his inexperience in political matters. Many would also question whether Stalin would go for anything that is happening with Khrushchev trying to fix everything as he knows that Beria is causing trouble as he also appeals to a few to get rid of Beria who is threatening everyone with blackmail as a way to maintain his position of power.
Iannucci’s direction is definitely engaging in terms of its usage of hand-held cameras as well as maintain this air of disorder throughout the course of the film. Shot mainly in Britain with some exterior shots set in Kiev, Ukraine as the exterior of 1950s Moscow, Iannucci play into some of the absurdity that goes during the final days of Stalinism where he would shoots scenes of people getting killed though it’s shown mainly off screen while there are these moments of a list of who to kill and such as it is presented in this amazing dolly-tracking shot at a prison. While there’s some wide shots of the location including some striking wide compositions of a few conversations that goes inside the Kremlin and at other places. Much of Iannucci’s direction is intimate with its usage of hand-held cameras to capture some of the conversations whether it’s in a close-up or in a medium shot.
Iannucci also uses a lot of profane language for the film as it play into the frustration and chaos that ensues following Stalin’s death as well as the planning of the funeral that Khrushchev is tasked with. The scene of people walking to see Stalin’s casket for a state funeral where Khrushchev, Beria, Molotiv, Malenkov, and several others are bickering quietly while not facing each other as their backs are surrounding the casket. The film’s third act that would involve the actions of Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov (Jason Isaacs) who adds to chaos while Malenkov believes he has authority where he is in denial over his new role. Iannucci’s approach to the climax relates to this end of an era but also the beginning of something new though the ideas of the old would come to haunt this new era that would play into the demise of the Soviet Union. Overall, Iannucci creates a whimsical yet exhilarating film about a power struggle among government officials following the death of Joseph Stalin.
Cinematographer Zac Nicholson does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its low-key approach to some of the exterior scenes at night including the streets of Moscow during a funeral march as well as some dazzling lights for some of the scenes at the halls of the Kremlin. Editor Peter Lambert does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts to play into some of the humor as well as the film’s chaotic tone. Production designer Cristina Casali, with set decorator Charlotte Dirickx plus art directors Jane Brodie and David Hindle, does incredible work with the interior of Stalin’s home and his office as well as the rooms and halls inside the Kremlin and in the prisons. Costume designer Suzie Harman does fantastic work with the uniforms including the ridiculous white one that Malenkov would wear during the funeral as well the numerous medals that Zhukov wears.
Hair/makeup designer Nicole Stafford does superb work with the look of Stalin as well as the scar in Zhukov’s face. Special effects supervisor Neal Champion, along with visual effects supervisors Laurent Gillet and Ronald Grauer, does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects including some set dressing for the exteriors to present 1950s Moscow. Sound mixer Martin Beresford does wonderful work with the sound as it is largely straightforward as it also play into the chaos in some of the arguments that is heard in another room as well as the sounds of gunshots from afar. The film’s music by Chris Willis is brilliant for its orchestral score that feature bombastic string arrangements that is similar to the traditional Soviet music of the times while its soundtrack feature an array of classical music pieces.
The casting by Sarah Crowe is great as it feature some notable small roles from Justin Edwards and Nicholas Woodeson as a couple of orchestral conductors for the concerto that Stalin wanted a recording of, Sylvestra Le Touzel as Khrushchev’s wife Nina, Diana Quick as Molotov’s incarcerated wife Polina who is freed after Stalin’s death, Gerald Lepkowski as a young Leonid Brezhnev, and Adrian McLaughlin as Joseph Stalin as this leader who rules with an iron fist until he suddenly falls ill and then dies. The trio of Dermot Crowley, Paul Chahidi, and Paul Whitehouse in their respective roles as deputy chairman Lazar Kaganovich, council chairman Nikolai Bulganin, and political official Anastas Mikoyan as three men who are trying to figure out who to side with as well as ponder what to do next for the Soviet Union.
Rupert Friend is hilarious as Vasily Stalin as Stalin’s alcoholic and unstable son who believes his father’s death was a conspiracy created by Westerners while Andrea Riseborough is fantastic as Stalin’s daughter Svetlana who is trying to make sense of what happened but is also angry over the chaos that is happening where Riseborough gets a few moments to be funny. Paddy Considine is superb as the Soviet radio broadcaster Yuri Andreyev who is trying to get a recording of a concerto to happen while Olga Kurylenko is terrific as pianist Maria Yudina who hates Stalin as she reluctantly re-plays the concerto and later his funeral. Jason Isaacs is excellent as Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov as this no-nonsense military official who is upset over his army being confined to the barracks as he also has some simmering issues with Beria. Jeffrey Tambor is brilliant as Deputy General Secretary Georgy Malenkov who becomes Beria’s puppet as he believes he is going to become the next leader despite his inexperience and denial over the fact that he has no clue on how to run a country.
Michael Palin is amazing as Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov as a political official who was close to Stalin as he deals with the aftermath as well as do some political maneuvering knowing that Beria is a liability to the future of the Soviet Union. Simon Russell Beale is incredible as Interior Ministry head Lavrentiy Beria as this political official trying to maneuver, backstab, and bullshit his way into power while trying to maintain some idea of what he feel could be beneficial to the Soviet Union. Finally, there’s Steve Buscemi in a phenomenal performance as Nikita Khrushchev who was then the Moscow party head as he is trying to figure out what to do next as he is tasked to plan Stalin’s funeral while realizing that he has to take the reins in leading the Soviet Union as it’s a comical and engaging performance from Buscemi.
The Death of Stalin is a spectacular film from Armando Iannucci. Featuring a great ensemble cast, witty commentary on political scheming, gorgeous visuals, and a sumptuous music score and satirical views on history. The film is definitely a wild comedy that isn’t afraid to be profane nor is it trying to follow a historical event in total accuracy in favor of studying a group of individuals fighting for power. In the end, The Death of Stalin is a sensational film from Armando Iannucci.
Related: In the Loop
© thevoid99 2019
Written, directed and co-starring Stanley Tucci, The Impostors is the story of two struggling actors who accidentally stow away on a cruise to run from an egomaniacal actor while meeting with an array of offbeat passengers and crew members. The film is a farcical comedy where it involves many people who pretend to be someone else while dealing the need to act in order to save themselves. Also starring Oliver Platt, Alfred Molina, Lili Taylor, Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Steve Buscemi, Michael Emerson, Billy Connolly, Dana Ivey, Allison Janney, Richard Jenkins, Tony Shalhoub, and Isabella Rosselini. The Impostors is a rip-roaring and exhilarating film from Stanley Tucci.
Set during the Great Depression in New York City, the film revolves around the misadventure of two struggling actors who receive tickets to a show starring an egomaniacal actor where they insult him at a bar only to go on the run and find themselves as stowaways on a cruise ship. It’s a film that play into two men who are trying to make it as actors but upon learning they’re on a cruise ship where they pretend to be stewards. Stanley Tucci’s screenplay is quite loose where it plays into these misadventures of Maurice (Oliver Platt) and Arthur (Stanley Tucci) to them trying to get food as they’re unemployed as well as what goes on in the ship as they encounter a series of offbeat passenger and crew members. Among them is a deposed queen (Isabella Rosselini), a heartbroken singer (Steve Buscemi), a once-rich-turned poor widow (Dana Ivey) with her grieving daughter (Hope Davis), a possibly gay tennis pro (Billy Connolly), and other oddball characters. Adding to the turmoil is the fact that the famed but arrogant actor Jeremy Burtom (Alfred Molina) is also on the ship.
Tucci’s direction is definitely stylish starting with an opening credits sequence where Maurice and Arthur cause trouble as a way to avoid paying for coffee and food as it’s presented like a silent movie. Then it becomes partially straightforward with elements of slapstick comedy where some of it is shot partially in New York City while much of it is shot on a soundstage for the scenes set on the cruise ship. While Tucci would create some amazing compositions with the wide and medium shots, much of it presented loosely where he allows his actors to just create performances that are exaggerated. While it does help to tell the story, there is an element where it feels self-indulgent at times but Tucci wants to create something where the actors are there to have fun and allow themselves to over-act at times. Overall, Tucci creates a silly yet extremely fun film about two actors who stowaway on a cruise and try to find a way to solve problems through the power of acting.
Cinematographer Ken Kelsch does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the colorful and sunny look of the daytime New York City exteriors to the look of the many interiors on the cruise ship as well as some of its exteriors. Editor Suzy Elmiger does brilliant work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts play into its humor and lively tone. Production designer Andrew Jackness, with set decorator Catherine Davis and art director Chris Shriver does amazing work with the look of the cruise ship with its exteriors as well as some of the interiors of the rooms and ballroom in the ship. Costume designer Juliet Polcsa does fantastic work with the design of the clothes from the clothes of the men including the lavish look of Burtom and the dresses that the women wear.
Hair stylists Victor DeNicola and Carla White do nice work with the hairstyles the women wore in those times along with some of the wigs that some of the characters wear. Sound editor Robert Hein does terrific work with the sound in the way some of the sound effects are presented as well as the sparse moment in the play scene. The film’s music by Gary DeMichele is wonderful for its ragtime/jazz-based score that played into the period of the times while music supervisor Margot Core creates a soundtrack that play into that period including some old music in French as it relates to the destination of where the ship is going to.
The casting by Ellen Lewis is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it feature some notable small roles from David Lipman as a baker Arthur harasses and gives Maurice tickets to a show, Matt Malloy as a fellow actor that Maurice and Arthur knows who had been humiliated by Burtom, Lewis J. Stadlen as a band leader, Elizabeth Bracco as an entertainment director for the cruise, Allan Corduner as the ship’s captain, Michael Emerson as Burtom’s assistant, Teagle F. Bougere as a sheik who has a fondness for a certain French song, Matt McGrath as an Italian detective named Marco who is afraid to kill as he has feelings for one of the ship’s directors in Lily, and Woody Allen in an un-credited yet funny performance as a neurotic stage director Maurice and Arthur audition for. Richard Jenkins and Allison Janney are superb in their respective roles as the con artists Johnny and Maxine as Americans who pretend to be French as they both try to woo Mrs. Essendine and the sheik. Tony Shalhoub is stellar as the ship’s first mate Voltri as a man who runs the ship but also has some very dark motives of his own.
Dana Ivey is wonderful as the widowed Mrs. Essendine who is upset that her late husband didn’t leave her a cent while Hope Davis is terrific as her daughter Emily who grieves for her father and acts melancholy until she notices the heartbroken singer. Isabella Rossellini is fantastic as the veiled queen who laments over being deposed and not want to be seen as she is fun to watch while Campbell Scott is hilarious as the German cruise director Meistrich who has a thing for Lily where he is just a hoot. Billy Connolly is excellent as the tennis pro Sparks who definitely bear some homosexual tendencies as he is fond of Maurice while Steve Buscemi is amazing as the suicidal and heartbroken singer Happy Franks.
Lili Taylor is brilliant as a cruise director in Lily who befriends Maurice and Arthur as she tries to help them hide as well as deal with Meistrich. Alfred Molina is phenomenal as the egomaniacal actor Jeremy Burtom as a man who is quite full of himself and isn’t aware that he’s just a hack. Finally, there’s the duo of Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt in remarkable performances in their respective roles as Arthur and Maurice as two unemployed struggling actors trying to get work where an awkward moment with Burtom leads them to accidentally stow away on a cruise where they do whatever they can to hide as they use their acting skills to save them.
The Impostors is a sensational film from Stanley Tucci. Featuring a great cast, amazing set pieces, lively music, and a willingness to just let loose and have fun. It’s a film that is aware that it’s being indulgent while giving the actors a chance to just act out and be funny. In the end, The Impostors is a spectacular film from Stanley Tucci.
Stanley Tucci Films: (Big Night) - (Joe Gould’s Secret) - (Blind Date (2007 film))
© thevoid99 2016
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 Terry Zwigoff and written by Daniel Clowes that is based on his comic book series, Art School Confidential is the story of a young artist who enters a prestigious art school where he deals with snobbish students, untalented teachers, and all sorts of people while falling for a young model. The film explores the world of art school where a young man aspires to be a great artist only to deal with the dos and don’ts of the world while a murder mystery occurs. Starring Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, Anjelica Huston, Matt Keeslar, Jim Broadbent, Ethan Suplee, and John Malkovich. Art School Confidential is a witty though messy film from Terry Zwigoff.
The film plays into a young artist whose aspirations to be the best and most important has him going into a prestigious art school where it is nothing as it seems where he deals with snobbish classmates, mediocre classes, and teachers who are really out of touch with the world of art. Yet, it is told in a humorous manner that includes a subplot about a series of mysterious deaths by a serial strangler where one of the students tries to make a film based on these deaths. It plays into the absurdity of art school where there’s students who believe they’re talented but they’re not while there are those who know they’re talented but feel unappreciated just like the film’s protagonist Jerome Platz (Max Minghella). One aspect of the film that adds to his characterization is how flawed he is where he is kind of full of himself and sometimes tries to act cool or whatever where he would take the wrong advice by a famous artist during a seminar.
Daniel Clowes’ script doesn’t just play into the world of art school and a young’s idealism over what he thinks would happen but also in how warped the reality of the art world is. Yet, it is told with an element of satire where many of the art school cliques and wannabes are portrayed in a humorous fashion while there are these many questions about what art is from Jerome’s perspective. Even as he has trouble with the work of one classmate in Jonah (Matt Keeslar) whose work is quite conventional yet receives the praise of classmates and their teacher in the local art figure Sandiford (John Malkovich). Being forced to compete with Jonah over admiration as well as the heart of the model Audrey (Sophia Myles). While the film’s subplot about the strangling of locals does make the script messy, it would add to key moments in the third act as it relates to Jerome’s desire for admiration.
Terry Zwigoff’s direction is very simple in terms of its compositions as well as the way he presents the world of art school. Shot largely on location in Los Angeles and Pasadena, California, the film does have this sense of a community that is part-Bohemian and part-high art as the latter relates to a scene where Jerome goes to a party held by an eccentric gallery owner. The usage of wide and medium shots add to this unique world of local art while Zwigoff also goes for some intimacy in some scenes including meetings Jerome would have with a reclusive yet brilliant artist named Jimmy (Jim Broadbent). While Zwigoff’s approach to humor is quite engaging, he does falter a bit on the suspense as it relates to the subplot of this mysterious strangler where it does make the film very uneven film that loses sight in what it wants to be. Though it does come to ahead in its third act, it does play into the fallacy of the desire of fame and glory as well as the fact that art is never meant to be taken seriously. Overall, Zwigoff creates a very compelling yet flawed film about a young artist’s desire to be great at art school.
Cinematographer Jamie Anderson does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the colorful scenes in the daytime to the low-key lighting in some of the classrooms as well as some stylish textures in some scenes set at night. Editor Robert Hoffman does nice work with the editing as it‘s mostly casual in terms of its cutting style with a few slow-motion cuts as well as a few stylish cuts in the suspenseful moments of the film. Production designer Howard Cummings, with set decorator Barbara Munch and art director Peter Borck, does fantastic work with the look of the classrooms and art studios as well as the galleries for the students to express their love of art.
Costume designer Betsy Heimann does terrific work with the costumes as it is mostly casual with the exception of some of the classmates as it plays into every kind of cliché in the world of art school where some look grungy or some try to look trendy. Sound editor John Nutt does superb work with the sound to play into the atmospheres of the parties as well as some of the intimate moments that occur during the classes. The film’s music by David Kitay is wonderful for its piano-based score as it features some unique melodies and textures that play into its humor and suspense while much of the film soundtracks include some classical pieces as well as a few rock songs.
The casting by Ann Goulder and Cassandra Kulukundis is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Ezra Buzzington as a nude model, Katherine Moennig as a friend of Audrey, and in various roles of the art students, Scoot McNairy, Shelly Cole, Brian Geraghty, Jeanette Box, Lauren Lee Smith, and Isaac Laskin as the many kind of clichéd art students who all think they’re great. Ethan Suplee is terrific as Jerome’s aspiring filmmaker roommate Vince who wants to make a film about the mysterious strangler while Nick Swardson is just fucking awful as a closeted fashion designer who tries to be funny but it feels forced and unnatural. Joel David Moore is funny as Jerome’s friend Bardo who is an observer who had seen all kinds of students while Anjelica Huston is fantastic in her brief yet crucial role as an art teacher who had seen everything as she would give Jerome some really spot-on advice.
Steve Buscemi is superb in a cameo appearance as an eccentric gallery owner in Broadway Bob D’Annunzio as someone that is typical of the pretentiousness of the art world. Adam Scott is excellent as the famed artist Marvin Bushmiller as someone who is a fuckin’ asshole as he provides some bad advice to young artists in making it which only puts Jerome into a path that ends up being unrewarding. Jim Broadbent is amazing as Jimmy as a reclusive artist who is gifted but very cynical about the art world as he reveals some of the fallacies about trying to be great. Matt Keeslar is wonderful as Jonah as an art student that is known for making very conventional art yet proves to be a very nice guy with a secret of his own.
John Malkovich is phenomenal as Professor Sandiford as this artist-turned-professor who is quite odd in his teachings and views on art only to be seen as someone that is really just mediocre. Sophia Myles is radiant as Audrey as an art student/model who shares Jerome’s sense of disdain toward some of the idealism of art but is also confused by what people see as art. Finally, there’s Max Minghella in a marvelous performance as Jerome as a young artist that aspires to be great only to contend with some of the demands of compromise, bad critiques, and other odd things that forces him to ponder if his own art means anything.
***The Following 2 Paragraphs are from the Original Review of the Film Written for Epinions.com on 12/17/06 w/ Additional Edits***
The 2006 Region 1 DVD from Sony Pictures Classic & United Artists presents the film in the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen ration with 5.1 Dolby Digital in English, Spanish, and Portugese, and 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound in French. Subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portugese, and Chinese are available, especially in some of the film's special features. The special features includes five several featurettes starting with a making-of scene where Zwigoff and Clowes discuss the inspiration of the film while talking to several of its actors including Max Minghella and Sophia Myles, who are both British, as they enjoyed working with Zwigoff. The Sundance Featurette which includes interviews with several cast member including crew members as they discussed the screening. Minghella, admits that watching himself is depressing yet he enjoyed the audience reaction.
11-minutes worth of 12 deleted scenes are revealed in which some of them are funny and heartwrenching. One funny scene reveals the frustration of Sandiford while another reveals more of the tension between Jonah and Jerome including a scene where Jonah learns something that Jerome had said. Another deleted scene featurette involves the film's ending where Jerome's classmates make comments about a character's artwork and give their opinions. The blooper reel is really hilarious where all the actors are laughing including a scene of Malkovich trying to destroy a painting and another where he makes Minghella laugh by saying "Charo, Charo" repeatedly. The reel also includes an alternate take of an interview with Malkovich for the film. Finally, the DVD includes several trailers for films like The Devil & Daniel Johnston, Pedro Almodovar's Volver, Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower, Stranger Than Fiction, and the teaser trailer to Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette.
***End of DVD Tidbits***
Art School Confidential is a stellar yet flawed film from Terry Zwigoff. Featuring a great cast as well as a humorous critique on the world of art and art school, the film is a unique look into the world of art and the fallacies of those wanting to be famous. In the end, Art School Confidential is a superb film from Terry Zwigoff.
Terry Zwigoff Films: Louie Bluie - Crumb - Ghost World - Bad Santa - The Auteurs #53: Terry Zwigoff
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by John Carpenter and screenplay by Carpenter, Debra Hill, and Kurt Russell from characters by Carpenter and Nick Castle, Escape from L.A. is a sequel to the 1981 film Escape from New York in which Snake Plissken is asked by the President and the U.S. government to save the President’s daughter who had hijacked a plane to Los Angeles as she gives a weapon to a rebel leader. The film is another exploration into dystopian America where Los Angeles is separated by the U.S. due to an earthquake as Kurt Russell reprises his role as Snake Plissken. Also starring Steve Buscemi, Stacy Keach, Cliff Robertson, Georges Corraface, Michelle Forbes, Valeria Golino, Bruce Campbell, A.J. Langer, Pam Grier, and Peter Fonda. Escape from L.A. for all of its action and thrills is really just a lazy and uninspiring film from John Carpenter.
Set in 2013 just 13 years after an earthquake had destroyed much of Los Angeles and separated itself from the U.S., the film revolves around Snake Plissken being asked by the President (Cliff Robertson) to retrieve a black box carrying a weapon that can save the country from evil forces as the box had been taken by his daughter Utopia (A.J. Langer). Plissken reluctantly takes the mission due to a virus he is carrying as he has less than 10 hours to retrieve the black box as well as deal with a rebel leader who wants to take down the U.S. and its President. In some ways, it’s really the same narrative of the first film made 15 years earlier but with a different set of rules, villains, and people as the only thing that hasn’t changed is Snake Plissken himself. It’s just that the world Snake Plissken is in is a very weird one and affirmation that he really has no place in the future whether it’s in America or the rest of the world.
The film’s screenplay does play into a traditional structure where much of the first act is exposition in which plays into what happened to America since the events of the previous and what Plissken needs to do. The second act is about Plissken arriving in Los Angeles as he meets an assortment of crazed characters including a tour guide named Eddie (Steve Buscemi), a woman named Taslima (Valeria Golino) who was deported to L.A. because she was a Muslim, a transgender outlaw named Hershe (Pam Grier), and an aging surfer named Pipeline (Peter Fonda). Some of which are either affiliated with the terrorist leader Cuervo Jones (George Corraface) or against him. Yet, many of these characters really just caricatures where some just offer exposition or others are just there for laughs as it never really meshes or do anything to drive the story. Even as everyone knows that the President and his cronies are also villains because of what he wants to do and the bullshit morality that he stands for which doesn’t really make the story very engaging.
John Carpenter’s direction does have its moments in some of the action scenes and how he re-creates Los Angeles as paradise in Hell. Even as it does have some satire in the way the world is along with bits of commentary about a third-world revolution going up against the superpower that is America. Unfortunately, the script’s unwillingness to really do so much more really bogs the film down as Carpenter had to rely on humor to get some things going where it doesn’t really mesh with who Snake Plissken is. Even as there’s a lot of reliance on visual effects that don’t look great or finished as well as moments where it tries to be outrageous but ends up being very dumb. Carpenter’s approach to compositions are still potent in his approach to close-ups and medium shots but there’s scenes that don’t look good such as seeing Plissken surfing nearby or a scene where Plissken has to play basketball to survive. It’s not what he’s about as it doesn’t have the element of suspense nor any stakes that are bigger as it’s ending sort of mirrors the one in the previous film. Overall, Carpenter makes a very messy and dull film about a guy trying to retrieve a black box for some asshole dictator he doesn’t even like.
Cinematographer Gary B. Kibbe does nice work with the cinematography as much of the film was set at night where it features some unique lighting for some of the action scenes as well as play up to the look of Los Angeles. Editor Edward A. Warschilka does some fine work with the editing though it deviates from many of the conventional fast-paced cutting style that is derivative of most action films. Production designer Lawrence G. Paull, with set decorator Kathe Klopp and art director Bruce Crone, does superb work with the set design from the look of the city as well as some of the landmarks of the cities in their post-earthquake look. Costume designer Robin Michel Blush does excellent work with the costumes from the Che Guevara-inspired look of Cuervo Jones to look of the many characters that Plissken encounters in the film.
Special effects makeup designer Rick Baker does some brilliant work with the design of some of the freaks that appear in Los Angeles including those who took too much plastic surgery. Visual effects supervisors Michael Lessa and Kimberly Nelson LoCasio do terrible work with the visual effects where it looks like early 90s computer animation where things look wobbly and some of it looked unfinished as it is among one of the lowlights of the film. Sound editor John Dunn and sound designer John Pospisil do fantastic work with the sound to play up some of the sound effects and layers of sound in some of the action scenes. The film’s music by John Carpenter and Shirley Walker is alright for its mixture of electronics and rock with bits of blues to play into that sense of the old-school that Plissken is fond for while its soundtrack is a mixture of metal, alt-rock, and industrial from acts like Gravity Kills, Tool, White Zombie, Tori Amos, Sugar Ray, the Toadies, Ministry, Butthole Surfers, Stabbing Westward, Clutch, and the Deftones.
The casting by Carrie Frazier is amazing though many of the appearances of such noted cult actors like Pam Grier as an old friend of Plissken in a transgender fighter named Hershe, Bruce Campbell as a weird-looking plastic surgeon from Beverly Hills, Jeff Imada as a gang member, Robert Carradine as a skinhead, Paul Bartel as a congressman, and Leland Orser as an associate of Cuervo as they’re kind of given nothing to do as does Valeria Golino as a woman who helps Plissken to find locations in Los Angeles, Breckin Meyer as a young surfer, Michelle Forbes as an assistant chief to the police force, Stacy Keach as Commander Malloy, and Peter Fonda as the aging surfer Pipeline as they’re just used to appear and don’t do much. A.J. Langer is horrible as the President’s daughter Utopia as she doesn’t really do much for the story nor give any reason to save her as the President himself is indifferent about her. Georges Corraface is alright as Cuervo Jones as this rebel leader who wants to destroy the American dictatorship yet is also just as bad as the President.
Cliff Robertson is pretty good as the President as a man of morality who wants to clean up the country but is also quite ruthless in maintaining his rule as he is given a lifetime term. Steve Buscemi is fantastic as a tour guide named Eddie who is kind of a sleazy guy that is in it for himself and whoever that can give him money where he is the only guy that is able to bring some humor to the film. Finally, there’s Kurt Russell in a brilliant performance as Snake Plissken as this renegade soldier who is forced to take part in a mission to retrieve a weapon in a black box as he copes with illness and other things in a world he doesn’t relate to as Russell is the only thing in the film that works.
While it features a strong performance from Kurt Russell and some exciting action scenes, Escape from L.A. is just a very disappointing and lazy film from John Carpenter. It’s a film that tries to update its predecessor for the 90s but doesn’t do enough to stand out from the original while it is hampered by some bad humor and awful visual effects. In the end, Escape from L.A. is just a bad film from John Carpenter.
John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Halloween - Someone’s Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Village of the Damned - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward
The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Dan Scanlon and written by Scanlon, Daniel Gerson, and Robert L. Baird, Monsters University is a prequel film to 2001’s Monsters Inc. in which Mike Wazowski meets Sulley at Monsters University where they start out as rivals and later become friends. It’s a film that explores two different monsters trying to find themselves in college and hope to make it into the big leagues as Billy Crystal and John Goodman respectively reprise their roles as Mike and Sulley as does Steve Buscemi as Randall. Also featuring the voices of Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Peter Sohn, Nathan Fillion, Charlie Day, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine, Alfred Molina, and Helen Mirren as Dean Abigail Hardscrabble. Monsters University is a witty and enjoyable film from Dan Scanlon and Pixar Animation Studios.
The film is about how Mike Wazowski and James “Sulley” Sullivan became friends as they first met as freshmen college students at the prestigious Monsters University where they started out as rivals. Especially as Wazowski’s roommate was none other than future nemesis in Randall Boggs where they were friends at first. Yet, it’s a film where both Mike and Sulley not only become friends through a series of unfortunate events as they try to major the Scare program at the university. It’s also in how they try to get back into the program by being part of the annual Scare Games where they reluctantly team up with a fraternity full of outcasts to compete with other fraternities and sororities. During that process, the two would become friends but also realize how much they need each other to make it in the big leagues.
The film’s screenplay definitely explore a lot of the motivations and complexities of the two characters as Mike had always wanted to be a scarer since he was a kid during a school field trip as he studied hard to get to Monsters University. Despite his knowledge and determination to be a scarer in the Scare program, what he lacks is the look to really be scary. While Sulley has that look and the skills to be a scarer as he comes from a family of scarers, he doesn’t have the patience to learn which makes him arrogant and foolish. Due to an incident in a final program, the two are kicked out of the program where they reluctantly become part of this fraternity full of oddballs that don’t look or act scary. With Mike’s determination and Sulley’s natural ability, the two would make Oozma Kappa not just the surprise underdogs but also find a brotherhood that Mike and Sulley would later cherish.
Dan Scanlon’s direction is definitely filled with a lot of the ideas that is expected in a college film with frat parties and such. Much of it is full of humor and hijinks while it is balanced by drama and moments that help shape the characters and the story. Much of it involves images that play into the building friendship between Mike and Sulley while adding a few references of things to come in Monsters Inc. that would include the seeds of the eventual rivalry between Sulley and Randall. With the help of animation directors Andrew Gordon and Robert H. Huss, the look of the animation is definitely lively as it’s definitely what is expected from the animation team at Pixar with Scanlon providing lots of interesting framing and such to play into the humor and drama. Overall, Scanlon creates a very solid and entertaining film about two different monsters who become best friends in college.
Cinematographers Matt Aspbury and Jean-Claude Kalache do amazing work with some of the lighting schemes for some of the film‘s interior settings to add to the visual flair of the film. Editor Greg Synder does fantastic work with the editing in terms of creating a few montages and rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor and party atmosphere. Production designer Ricky Nievra does brilliant work with the look of the University where it has this Ivy League look but also a world that is like a party and an institution to learn.
Sound designer Tom Myers does superb work with the film‘s sound to play into the sound effects that occur in some of the games as well as the places the monsters go to. The film’s music by Randy Newman is excellent for its mixture of low-key and suspenseful orchestral music to a lot of the playful drumline music of colleges as the soundtrack includes a mix of pop, electronic music, and metal music from the band Mastodon.
The voice casting by Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher is incredible as it features an amazing ensemble that features voice appearances from Pixar regulars John Ratzenberger as the Yeti, Bonnie Hunt as young Mike’s schoolteacher, and Bob Peterson as Roz. Other notable small voice roles include Bobby Moynihan as the Roar Omega Roar member Chet, Beth Behrs as the Python Nu Kappa sorority girls, John Krasinski as a top-scarer that the young Mike meets, Tyler Labine and Aubrey Plaza as the Greek Council leaders hosting the Scare Games, Noah Johnston as the young Mike, Bill Hader as a slug student trying to get to class, and Julia Sweeney as Squishy’s sweet mother Sherri who loves to clean and listen to Mastodon. Nathan Fillion is terrific as the Roar Kappa Roar fraternity leader who is arrogant as the quintessential jock while Steve Buscemi is excellent in reprising his role as the slick and skillful Randy who starts out as a nerd to a member of the Roar Omega Roar fraternity.
Alfred Molina is superb as scare professor Derek Knight who looks at what kind of skills that Mike and Sulley have early on and see if it can elevate them. Helen Mirren is amazing as Dean Hardscrabble as this no-nonsense monster who knows who has what it takes to be a scarer as she watches over what Mike and Sulley can do to see if they can prove her wrong. In the roles of the Oozma Kappa fraternity members, there’s Joel Murray as the middle-aged octopus ex-salesman Don Carlton, Sean Hayes and Dave Foley as the two-headed twin brother monster Terri and Terry Perry, Charlie Day as the wild and furry Art, and Peter Sohn as the very unconventional Squishy as they’re all fantastic in their roles. Finally, there’s Billy Crystal and John Goodman in brilliant performances in their respective roles as Mike Wazowski and James “Sulley” Sullivan as they bring that sense of fun and complexity that makes them so endearing to watch as a reminder into why they were a great duo in Monsters Inc.
Monsters University is an excellent film from Dan Scanlon and Pixar Animation Studios. While it may not reach the heights as its predecessor or other films of Pixar, it is still an entertaining and heartfelt film that has all of the tropes that made Pixar one of the best animation studios ever. Even as it’s a film that just wants to give its audience something to enjoy and have characters to root for. In the end, Monsters University is a superb film from Dan Scanlon and Pixar.
Pixar Films: Toy Story - A Bug's Life - Toy Story 2 - (Monsters Inc.) - (Finding Nemo) - The Incredibles - Cars - Ratatouille - WALL-E - Up - Toy Story 3 - Cars 2 - Brave - Inside Out - The Good Dinosaur - (Finding Dory) - (Cars 3) - Coco - Incredibles 2 - Toy Story 4 - (Onward) - Soul (2020 film - (Luca (2021 film)) - Turning Red - (Lightyear) - (Elemental (2023 film)) - Inside Out 2 - (Elio) – (Toy Story 5)
© thevoid99 2014
Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Mystery Train is a trilogy of stories set in Memphis, Tennessee that involve different visitors arriving into the city where they encounter all sorts of things in the city. One story entitled Far from Yokohama revolves around two Japanese tourists going on a pilgrimage to learn about the American blues. The second entitled A Ghost is about an Italian widow who stays at a hotel overnight. The third and final story called Lost in Space is about the adventures of an Englishman and his two friends. Starring Youki Kudoh, Masatoshi Nagase, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Cinque Lee, Nicoletta Braschi, Elizabeth Bracco, Rick Aviles, Steve Buscemi, and Joe Strummer. Mystery Train is an extraordinary film from Jim Jarmusch.
The film is essentially about different strangers who find themselves in the city of Memphis, Tennessee where they would all later stay at a hotel all in the course of one strange day. The first of which involves a young Japanese couple in Mitsuko (Youki Kudoh) and Jun (Masatoshi Nagase) who arrive to the city on a pilgrimage on the American blues where they arrive to Memphis earlier than they expected where they argue over who was better, Elvis Presley or Carl Perkins. The second story involves an Italian widow named Luisa (Nicoletta Braschi) who reluctantly stays in the city overnight where she shares a hotel room with a woman named Dee Dee (Elizabeth Bracco) who just left her boyfriend. The third story involves an angry Englishman named Johnny (Joe Strummer) who decides to go into a drunken adventure with his friends Will Robinson (Rick Aviles) and Charlie (Steve Buscemi) that gets bad. All of which has these characters staying in different rooms at a hotel run by the clerk (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins) and a bellboy (Cinque Lee).
Jim Jarmusch’s screenplay has these three very different stories all take place in a very simple narrative yet there’s moments where the three stories connect as characters from one story briefly interact with another and so on. Yet, these are all characters who feel sort of entranced but also lost in this strange city of Memphis as it is a character in the film. Mitsuko and Jun are these two young Japanese tourists who want to see Sun Studios and Graceland where Mitsuko is very upbeat but Jun is more reserved about everything as he doesn’t smile. Luisa is this Italian who finds herself having to stay to Memphis where she is conned into buying magazines and such as well as meeting a strange man (Tom Noonan) who claims to have met the ghost of Elvis where the most normal person she meets is Dee Dee who is just upset over her boyfriend getting laid off.
Mitsuko, Jun, and Luisa are these people who are fascinated by their surroundings where they’re just visitors in this strange land that is a bit decayed and sort of wild. Yet, they’re only staying there for one night as they know how chaotic the place is as the only other foreigner that is roaming around Memphis is Johnny who is just lamenting that he just got dumped. Drowning his sorrows in booze and carrying a loaded pistol, it’s obvious that this character is trouble but he’s sort of this charming character who feels bad over what he did as he has no clue on what is to do where he ends up causing more trouble for himself and his friends. All of these characters would stay in different hotel rooms where the clerk and the bellboy would meet these different characters and often make a few comments about what is going on and such where they would also listen to Elvis Presley’s cover of Blue Moon at certain points in the film as it plays on the radio.
Jarmusch’s direction is quite simple for much of the film while he does create some amazing compositions in the way he presents Memphis as well as the hotel the characters stay in. Memphis acts like this strange ghost town of sorts where some of places are abandoned or decaying while there’s also something vibrant that goes on in the city. It’s a true reflection of Americana that its foreign characters can seem overwhelmed by as Mitsuko and Jun are always staring though neither of them speak much English. There’s a lot of humor in the way these characters react to their surroundings where Mitsuko and Jun have a hard time listening to the Sun Studios tour guide who talks very fast in English. That is among some of the humorous moments as well as the scene of Luisa being conned to buy all of these magazines where it showcases that sense of alienation that can be quite funny.
There are also moments that include the hotel room scenes as there’s always a different painting of Elvis Presley in that hotel room. A lot of which showcases a man who represents everything that is an icon where Mitsuko and Jun are fascinated by how influential he is while Luisa is also transfixed by his presence. Johnny however, isn’t enthused about Elvis as he’s also called by Elvis by some of the locals. His story is definitely one of the darker moments of the film as well as one that is also quite mysterious as Johnny is someone who is connected to a character in another story as it all plays to these characters dealing with the strangeness of the city all in the span of one entire day. Overall, Jarmusch creates a very mesmerizing yet sensational film about people looking for something in the city of Memphis.
Cinematographer Robby Muller does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful and exotic photography from the look of Memphis in the daytime with the use of lights and such to play into the scenes set at night. Editor Melody London does excellent work with the editing by going for a straightforward approach while using some rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s humorous moments. Production designer Dan Bishop and set decorator Dianna Freas do wonderful work with the look of the hotel rooms the characters stay in that features a different painting of Elvis Presley in each room.
Costume designer Carol Wood does terrific work with the clothes from the youthful look of Mitsuko and Jun to the more old-fashioned look of Luisa. Sound editor Robert Hein does superb work with the sound to convey the atmosphere of the locations as well as moments to link the other stories as a whole piece such as the music and a gunshot that is heard in the morning. The film’s music by John Lurie is fantastic for its low-key yet blues-based score to play into the world of Memphis while its soundtrack features an array of music from soul and rockabilly that includes music by Elvis Presley to play into the mysticism that is Memphis.
The film’s incredible cast includes some notable small roles from people like Sara Driver as an airport clerk, Sy Richardson as a magazine clerk, famed Memphis musician Rufus Thomas as a man who greets the Mitsuko and Jun at the Memphis train station, Rockets Redglare as a liquor store clerk, Tom Noonan as a mysterious man Luisa meets at a diner, and Tom Waits as the voice of a local radio DJ who plays the music that appears in the film. Cinque Lee is very funny as the young bellboy while the late yet legendary Screamin’ Jay Hawkins is superb as the hotel night clerk who dazzles in his red suit. Youki Kudoh and Masatoshi Nagase are fantastic as the young Japanese couple Mitsuko and Jun with Kudoh as the more upbeat and quirky Mitsuko while Nagase displays a low-key melancholia to his rule as Jun.
Nicoletta Braschi is amazing as Italian widow Luisa who is bewildered by her surroundings as she has no idea what is going on while being fascinated by the presence of Elvis Presley. Elizabeth Bracco is excellent as Dee Dee as this woman who just left her boyfriend as she is a very talkative person who is just upset over her day. Rick Aviles is terrific as Johnny’s friend Will Robinson who is frustrated over Johnny’s antics as well as the fact that he is named after a character in the TV show Lost in Space. Steve Buscemi is brilliant as Johnny’s friend Charlie who reluctantly helps Will out to sort out Johnny while trying to deal with the chaos of the night. Finally, there’s the late Joe Strummer in a marvelous performance as Johnny as this troubled Englishman who is upset over losing his job and his girl as he just wants to lash out at whatever is around him as he’s just got this presence that is unforgettable.
Mystery Train is a magnificent film from Jim Jarmusch. Armed with a remarkable ensemble cast as well as an intoxicating sense of mysticism. The film is an entrancing look into the world of alienation as well as a look into a world that is changing but also in decay where many of its traditions try to stay on. Notably in a city that is vibrant as Memphis, Tennessee that is full of culture and mystery that is still exciting to watch. In the end, Mystery Train is a phenomenal film from Jim Jarmusch.
Jim Jarmusch Films: Permanent Vacation - Stranger Than Paradise - Down by Law - Night on Earth - Dead Man - Year of the Horse - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - Coffee & Cigarettes - Broken Flowers - The Limits of Control - Only Lovers Left Alive - Paterson - Gimme Danger - (The Dead Don't Die) - The Auteurs #27: Jim Jarmusch
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