Pawn Sacrifice

Directed by Edward Zwick and screenplay by Steven Knight from a story by Knight, Stephen J. Revele, and Christopher Wilkinson, Pawn Sacrifice is the story about the legendary 1972 chess match between the American chess champion Bobby Fischer against the Soviet Union’s Boris Spassky at Reykjavik, Iceland. The film is a dramatic account of the match as well as a look into the early life of Bobby Fischer who was considered a prodigy as he’s played by Tobey Maguire with Liev Schreiber as Spassky. Also starring Lily Rabe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Robin Weigert, and Peter Sarsgaard. Pawn Sacrifice is a compelling and haunting film from Edward Zwick.

The film follows the life of American chess champion Bobby Fischer as he is to face the Soviet Union’s grandmaster Boris Spassky in a game to determine who the world’s best in the game of chess is. Steven Knight’s screenplay doesn’t just follow Fischer’s early life as a young boy obsessed with the game to the point that he would be the youngest grandmaster in American chess but also considered the most gifted player of his generation. Yet, Fischer’s obsession would also lead to his own mental deterioration as much of the film’s narrative takes place during the 1960s to the climatic 1972 world championship match against Spassky in Reykjavik, Iceland. During the course of the film, Fischer would call in former chess champion in Father William Lombardy (Peter Sarsgaard) to accompany him as his second and an attorney in Paul Marshall (Michael Stuhlbarg) to handle his business dealings as well as Fischer’s demands.

While Fischer would play several of the Soviet’s top chess grandmasters, he wants to face Spassky as his attempt to confront him during the Soviets’ visit to Santa Monica falters due to his paranoia as would another attempt at match in Europe. Upon choosing Iceland, Fischer almost never shows up because of the press coverage and he becomes more unhinged during the first game due to the sounds of the camera and the sound of a crowd watching the game. The script showcases that sense of paranoia where Fischer’s older sister Joan (Lily Rabe) tells Marshall to have her brother be sent to a hospital for evaluation where he’s already gaining delusions of grandeur and claims that the Soviets and the Jews are after him which baffles Marshall who knows that Fischer is Jewish. The script does have some faults as it relates to its sense of time with the exception of the second half as it relates to the match in Iceland though there are some historical errors in which Marshall claims to represent Jimi Hendrix only two years before Hendrix had even released an album.

Edward Zwick’s direction does have bits of style in terms of the way he would present television coverage of the Fischer-Spassky match yet would maintain something very straightforward for the rest of the film. Shot mainly in Montreal for the scenes set in Brooklyn, New York and other parts of the city with the scenes of the Fischer-Spassky match shot on actual location in Reykjavik, Iceland and scenes shot in Los Angeles. Zwick would capture a period in time where so much is happening yet Fischer lives in a world that is simpler away from Vietnam, Flower Power, and popular music as he is also more concerned with playing chess in the park or at chess clubs with other chess players. Much of the direction has Zwick favor more intimate shots in the close-ups and medium shots as it play into Fischer’s growing sense of paranoia while there are some wide shots of some of the locations.

The usage of TV footage of various interviews that Fischer gave during the height of his fame is sort of re-created to showcase the sense of enjoyment he has but also his growing disconnect with reality. Even in the climatic series of chess matches against Spassky where it’s got an intimacy in the direction and compositions as it play into Fischer’s own sense of paranoia and the need to get into Spassky’s head. Overall, Zwick crafts a compelling and fascinating film about the real-life chess match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky and the events that lead to this event.

Cinematographer Bradford Young does brilliant work with the cinematography in the look of the exteriors with its usage of low-key blue and green for the scenes in day and night as well as the usage of low-key colors for the interior scenes. Editor Steven Rosenblum does excellent work with the editing as it has some stylish montages into Fischer’s ascent into the world of chess as well as some rhythmic cuts to play into the methodical approach of the chess players in their movements on the board. Production designer Isabelle Guay, with head set decorator Paul Hotte plus art directors Jean-Pierre Paquet and Robert Parle, does amazing work with the sets from the motel in Santa Monica where Fischer and his small entourage live in to the Brooklyn apartment that is his home as well as the house he would live in Reykjavik. Costume designer Renee April does fantastic work with the costumes as it is mainly straightforward in contrast to the period that the characters are in as they mainly wear suits with the exception of Father Lombardy and some of the female characters in the film.

Visual effects supervisor Alan Munro does terrific work with the look of the old TV footage and how the actors are integrated into the old footage as well as some set-dressing for some of the locations. Sound designer Lon Bender does superb work with the sound as it play into the sense of paranoia in Fischer over the things he claims to hear as well as the atmosphere of some of the places that he plays at. The film’s music by James Newton Howard is wonderful as it is this low-key orchestral score that play into the drama as well as some of the suspense as it relates to Fischer’s paranoia while music supervisor Steven Rosenblum provide a soundtrack that play into the time period with contributions from the Spencer Davis Group, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, Carl Perkins, the Ventures, Al Green, and the Doobie Brothers.

The casting by Andrea Kenyon, Victoria Thomas, and Randi Wells is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Evelyne Brochu as a young woman that Fischer meets and befriends at Santa Monica, Conrad Pla as Fischer’s chess teacher Carmine Nigro, Sophie Nelisse as the young Joan Fischer, Aiden Lovekamp as the young Fischer, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick as the teenage Fischer, Brett Watson as the chief arbiter Lothar Schmid for the Fischer-Spassky match, and Robin Weigart as Fischer’s mother Regina who is estranged from her son due to her Socialist views as she wants to be there for him but finds herself continuously pushed away. Lily Rabe is fantastic as Fischer’s sister Joan as a woman who is concerned about her brother’s mental health as she is aware of the things he says where she knows he’s losing it. Michael Stuhlbarg is excellent as Paul Marshall as an attorney who would become Fischer’s agent in ensuring that Fischer gets paid and be given certain demands as he also deals with Fischer’s erratic behavior.

Peter Sarsgaard is brilliant as Father William Lombardy as a former chess champion turned priest who becomes Fischer’s second and closest ally who also watches what is happening to Fischer as he is aware of the mad obsession Fischer has for the game. Liev Schreiber is amazing as Boris Spassky as the Soviet grandmaster who is the epitome of cool as someone that is good at chess while knowing what Fischer is trying to do where he also succumbs to his own bit of paranoia. Finally, there’s Tobey Maguire in a phenomenal performance as Bobby Fischer as the famed chess prodigy who was considered the greatest chess player in the United States as he wants to defeat Spassky in the hope he can be the best while succumbing to his own paranoia and delusions that would lead to his mental deterioration where Maguire displays that anguish and despair in that man.

Pawn Sacrifice is a marvelous film from Edward Zwick that features a great performance from Tobey Maguire. Along with its supporting cast and a look into the events that lead to the legendary chess match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. It’s a film that showcases a man and his obsession to be the best that would eventually cost him his mind. In the end, Pawn Sacrifice is a remarkable film from Edward Zwick.

Edward Zwick Films: (About Last Night) – (Glory (1989 film)) – (Leaving Normal) – (Legends of the Fall) – (Courage Under Fire) – (The Siege) – (The Last Samurai) – (Blood Diamond) – (Defiance (2008 film)) – (Love & Other Drugs) – (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back)

© thevoid99 2017

The Good German

Based on the novel by Joseph Kanon, The Good German is a World War II film where an American officer investigates a murder following the Allies’ victory over Germany as he deals with a former lover and another American soldier as it involves various conspiracies. Directed, shot, and edited by Steven Soderbergh and screenplay by Paul Attanasio, the film is an ode to the film noir mysteries of the 1940s as well as films that explores the early years of postwar-Germany. Starring George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Beau Bridges, Tony Curran, Leland Orser, Jack Thompson, and Tobey Maguire. The Good German is a compelling yet very stylized film from Steven Soderbergh.

The film is a homage to the world of film noir where it is set on the Potsdam Conference where an American war correspondent finds himself investigating a murder that has ties to some secret documents involving V-2 rockets as he would question a former lover whose husband might know about the manufacturing of those rockets. All of which involves mystery and intrigue as it plays to a man trying to do what is right unaware that his former lover is hiding secrets of her own as well as the whereabouts of her husband who is presumed dead. Adding to the complication is a young soldier the woman is involved with as he has no clue about what is happening as he starts to ask too many questions. All of which plays to the schematics and such that is typical of film noir.

Screenwriter Paul Attanasio does maintain that air of mystery that is prevalent in the film but when it comes to some of key aspects of the suspense. It never really gels as it often second-guesses itself where it loses some momentum in the story. While the lead character of Captain Jacob Geismer (George Clooney) and his former lover in Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett) are interesting as they have a history together. The character of Lena’s young lover Tully (Tobey Maguire) is never really fleshed out as he is just a corporal in love with Lena and wants to help her get out of Germany but has no clue over what is really going on. Adding to the sense of intrigue is the fact that Lena’s husband Emil (Christian Oliver) knows something that would involve a manufacturer of V-2 rockets as the documents that Emil is hiding is something the Americans and Soviets want as they believe it is the future of war. All of which would have Geismer realize that there is something going on and he has no one to trust as does Lena who is already in hot water as she is targeted by the American government as well.

Steven Soderbergh’s direction is truly stylish not just in the visuals but also in the way he creates these compositions that is an absolute homage to film noir. Especially in some unique camera angles, close-ups, and medium shots to play into the look of the film though it shot entirely on a soundstage where Soderbergh even uses visual effects to create postwar Berlin. Serving as cinematographer in his Peter Andrews alias, Soderbergh would shoot the film in black-and-white as he would create shadows and interior lighting schemes that played to the style. Even as he would add bits of modern language such as swearing and sex into the film as he would also serve as editor, in his Mary Ann Bernard alias, as he infuses the film with lots of editing styles from dissolves, transition wipes, and other unique cuts as well as stock footage. All of which add to the sense of intrigue though Soderbergh is unable to really amp up some of the film’s suspenseful moments because of the script. Even though he does maintain that sense of thrill in a key aspect of the film’s climax yet it sort of ends on a downer of sorts as it really plays to the idea of compromise. Overall, Soderbergh creates a worthwhile yet flawed film about an American officer trying to help a German woman in postwar-Germany.

Production designer Philip Messina, with set decorator Kristen Toscano Messina and art director Doug J. Meerdink, does excellent work with design of some of the interior buildings such as the military offices and some of the ruined buildings to play into the feel of postwar Germany. Costume designer Louise Frogley does fantastic work with the period costumes in the look of the dresses that Lena wears as well as the different military uniforms the Americans and Soviets wore. Visual effects supervisor Thomas J. Smith does nice work with some of the minimal visual effects which are essentially backdrops for some scene set in Berlin and in Potsdam. Sound editor Larry Blake does superb work with the film‘s sound in the way the club that many of the characters go to as well as some of the sounds of gunfire in some scenes. The film’s music by Thomas Newman is brilliant for its orchestral score that has a lot of string flourishes that plays into the film’s mystery and suspense.

The casting by Debra Zane is amazing as it features some notable small roles from Robin Weigert as a German hooker named Hannelore, Dave Power as a corrupt lieutenant, Tony Curran as the cautious club bartender Danny, Beau Bridges as the very ambiguous Colonel Muller, Leland Orser as a well-meaning yet nosy investigator in Captain Teitel, Ravil Isyanov as secretive Soviet official that Tully would do business with, Jack Thompson as a congressman who would watch over the Potsdam conference, and Christian Oliver in a terrific role as Lena’s husband Emil who carries important secrets that might save Germany and the world. Tobey Maguire is alright as Tully as this very corrupt soldier who is just trying to make money as well as get Lena out of Berlin where Maguire has moments where he’s tough but it’s a role that is badly written at times where Maguire never rises above the material.

Finally, there’s Cate Blanchett and George Clooney in superb performances in their respective roles as Lena Brandt and Captain Jake Geismer. Blanchett brings an air of radiance to her role as well as something dark as she is a woman carrying some big secrets while juggling her feelings for Geismer and he relationship with Tully. Clooney has this very calm yet determined persona as a man who wants to do things right as he comes to terms with his feelings for Lena and his duty. Blanchett and Clooney do have some chemistry together despite some of the flaws in the script as they do bring in a sense of old-school acting into their performances that is right for the film’s tone.

The Good German is a pretty good film from Steven Soderbergh that features stellar performances from George Clooney and Cate Blanchett. While it is a flawed film that tries to recreate an old language of film, it is still a worthy homage to film noir. Especially as Soderbergh would infuse his own ideas to make it feel modern but also play tribute to the past. In the end, The Good German is a superb film from Steven Soderbergh.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray's Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's Eleven (2001 film) - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-The Equilibrium - Ocean's Twelve - Bubble - Ocean's Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2014

Labor Day

Based on the novel by Joyce Maynard, Labor Day is the story about an escaped fugitive who takes over the home of an agoraphobic woman and her son where they form an unlikely family in the wake of a woman’s divorce from her husband. Written for the screen and directed by Jason Reitman, the film is about a Labor Day weekend in 1987 as it’s reflected from the perspective of a man who looks back at this crucial period in his young life as he is played and narrated by Tobey Maguire. Also starring Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Clark Gregg, Brooke Smith, James Van Der Beek, Alexie Gilmore, Maika Monroe, and Gattlin Griffin. Labor Day is a compelling yet mesmerizing film from Jason Reitman.

The film is a simple story about a woman and her 13-year old son who harbor an escaped fugitive in their home in the course of Labor Day weekend in 1987. Much of it is told from a young boy named Henry Wheeler (Gattlin Griffin) as he lives with his agoraphobic, divorced mother Adele (Kate Winslet) where the adult Henry reflects on that time. Especially as the fugitive in Frank (Josh Brolin) was a man who had been serving an 18-year prison sentence for murder where he escaped from a hospital and held both Henry and Adele hostage. Though Frank would admit to his guilt, he reveals that there’s more to the story as he brings some life back to Adele who is still ravaged by her divorce as well as other things. Even as he helps Henry out with some things as he is coming of age.

Jason Reitman’s screenplay does create a very tender and thoughtful love story involving Frank and Adele but also play into their respective past as they’re both two people that have been damaged by tragedy. The former of which is a man who had a good life when he was a young man (Tom Lipinski) with a woman named Mandy (Maika Monroe) but dark truths led to Frank’s incarceration. Some aspects in the film’s screenplay which reveals Frank and Adele’s past life in flashbacks definitely creates a narrative that is a bit messy since the film is told from Henry’s perspective. Still, Reitman does manage to find ways to make the drama to be very interesting as well as some few moments of suspense where Frank and Adele decide to run away with Henry in tow.

Reitman’s direction has him going into a much more restrained approach as the film does mark a departure of his previous work. Yet, there are images that he creates that are truly mesmerizing as it’s shot on location in parts of Massachusetts and a town in New Hampshire to give the film a small town feel. Even as Reitman keeps much of the compositions and framing to be very simple but also very engaging for the way he places the actors in the frame and in playing out the drama. Reitman’s attention to detail in some of the smaller moments such as a scene where Frank, Adele, and Henry bake a peach pie as well the trio planning to run away though Henry is hesitant about what is happening. While some of the script’s messiness as well as an overly-drawn out ending does falter the film. Reitman does manage to create a pretty engaging and thoughtful drama about a woman and her son harboring a kind fugitive.

Cinematographer Eric Steelberg does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography with its approach to natural lighting for much of the film‘s exterior daytime scenes along with some low-key lighting for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Dana E. Glauberman does excellent work with the editing with its use of jump-cuts and montages to play out some of the drama as well as the pie-making scene and flashbacks. Production designer Steve Saklad, along with set decorator Tracey A. Doyle and art director Mark Robert Taylor, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the home that Adele and Henry live with some of the decorations that play into the world of the 1980s.

Costume designer Danny Glicker does nice work with the clothes as it plays to something more casual as well as some of the flashbacks of Adele and Frank in the clothes they were in the 60s and 70s. Visual effects supervisor Scott M. Davids does good work in the few visual effects that plays into Henry‘s coming-of-age as he becomes fascinated by the idea of sex. Sound editors Perry Robertson and Scott Sanders does superb work with the film‘s sound as it plays to some of the atmosphere of the locations as well as the way conversations are heard from Henry‘s perspective. The film’s music by Rolfe Kent is brilliant for its mixture of ambient music with folk and plaintive piano pieces to play into some of the melancholia while music supervisor Randall Poster brings in a soundtrack that features some classical, samba, and a folk song from Arlo Guthrie.

The casting by Jessica Kelly and Suzanne Smith is incredible for the ensemble that is used as it features appearances from James Van Der Beek as a police officer, Brighid Fleming as a young girl that Henry meets who had just moved into town and give Henry some dark thoughts about Frank, Alexie Gilmore as Henry’s stepmother Marjorie, Tom Lipinski as a young Frank, Micah Fowler as a mentally-disabled neighbor kid Henry and Adele looked over, Brooke Smith as that boy’s mother, and Reitman regular J.K. Simmons as a neighbor who would give Henry peaches. Clark Gregg is terrific as Henry’s father who left Adele for his secretary and started a family of his own as he becomes concerned about Henry and Adele’s situation unaware of Frank’s presence. Maika Monroe is wonderful as Frank’s wife Mandy who would be the cause of Frank’s grief and incarceration.

Tobey Maguire is excellent in his small role as the adult Henry as he only appears in its ending yet maintains a good presence as the film’s narrator. Gattlin Griffith is superb as the young Henry as a 13-year old boy trying to understand his mother’s melancholia as well as trying to observe Frank as it’s a very understated and engaging performance that manages to be in the same line with his co-stars. Josh Brolin is fantastic as Frank as an escaped fugitive who kidnaps Adele and Henry yet manages to mean well as he is one that is kind and generous while wanting to find some redemption for his actions as it’s a very sensitive and touching performance from Brolin. Finally, there’s Kate Winslet in a radiant performance as Adele Wheeler as a troubled, agoraphobic woman who only goes out once a month as she finds some comfort in the presence of Frank while trying to be a mother to Henry as it’s a very chilling yet evocative performance from Winslet.

While it is a flawed film, Labor Day is still a stellar film from Jason Reitman thanks in part to the performances of Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, and Gattlin Griffith. Though it is a very different film in comparison to the previous films that Reitman has done, it does showcase a filmmaker trying to do something out of his comfort zone though not everything is successful. In the end, Labor Day is a terrific film from Jason Reitman.

Jason Reitman Films: Thank You for Smoking - Juno - Up in the Air - Young Adult - (Men, Women, & Children) - Tully - (The Front Runner) - The Auteurs #30: Jason Reitman

© thevoid99 2014

2013 Cannes Marathon: Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas

(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival)

Based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the story of an eccentric journalist who goes to Las Vegas with his attorney where they aim to go after the American Dream through a haze of drugs. Directed by Terry Gilliam and screenplay by Gilliam and Tony Grisoni with credited contributions by Alex Cox and Tod Davies, the film is a wild look into the world of Hunter S. Thompson’s autobiographical journey that revolves around all sorts of crazy antics involving psychedelics, animals, Barbra Streisand paintings, and all sorts of weird shit. Starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a strange yet exhilarating film from Terry Gilliam.

The film revolves two men on a strange combination of drugs as they go to Las Vegas where a sportswriter named Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) is supposed to cover a motorcycle race nearby. Instead, he and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro) wreak havoc through a haze of drugs all over Las Vegas in search of the American Dream where a lot of crazy things happen. During the course of their stay in Las Vegas, they trash hotel rooms, harass tourists, threaten hotel staff members, defy authority, scare the shit out of a few people, encounter lizard people, create chaos, and do everything from acid to ether all in an attempt to bring the spirit of the 1960s to Las Vegas. Yet, they end up facing the harsh realities of the world around them as they start to lose control of their drug habits leading to some very troubling consequences.

The screenplay by Terry Gilliam and Tony Grisoni plays up to Hunter S. Thompson’s strange but freewheeling narrative as it is told from the perspective of Raoul Duke who is trying to write an article while causing havoc with Dr. Gonzo in Las Vegas. Yet, the screenplay also features these moments where reality and surrealism clash as the two men surround themselves with decadence while having the televisions on that display grim reports about the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. Yet, it plays to the two men’s desire to bring the spirit of the 60s with its psychedelics and other substances to Las Vegas as they encounter all sorts of trouble where they would end up staying at the Flamingo Hotel during an anti-drug convention for narcotics officers.

There isn’t much of a narrative that happens in the script as it is more about this escalation of decadence where things get crazier and more surreal as it plays to Thompson’s experience in the form of the Raoul Duke character. The Duke character is the man who is trying to do something in the course of his stay in Las Vegas but he’s often distracted by his surroundings as he’s often under the influence of drugs as the things he see may seem real to him but to the people outside of him and Dr. Gonzo, nothing is happening. The Dr. Gonzo character is someone who can be the straight man but is also someone far more aggressive and violent as he carries a gun and a knife as Duke is the only person that can control him. Yet, they would be a menace to the people they encounter in the course of the film as it would include a TV news reporter (Cameron Diaz), a young girl (Christina Ricci) who likes to paint portraits of Barbra Streisand), a young hitchhiker (Tobey Maguire), and all sorts of people who would become victims of the duo or those that would freak those two out in their drug-induced state.

The direction of Terry Gilliam is very wild in the fact that Gilliam wanted to create something that was unpredictable as if the whole film was a drug trip. The direction is filled with a lot of slanted camera angles and some very low-level camera placements to create the sense of two men lost on drugs as they wreak havoc in Las Vegas. The city itself is a character of the film where it is shot on location where Gilliam wanted to maintain that sense of disconnect where Vegas is a world where people go there to relax and escape from the chaos of what was happening in America. Yet, having Duke and Dr. Gonzo bring that chaos to Vegas just adds something that is very comical but also scary at times because no one knows what they will do in their haze of decadence.

The direction also contains some moments of surrealism where the men are on drugs as they see things moving around them as if they’re on a drug trip while some of the places they go to like a circus. It’s as if Vegas is under the influence of drugs where the decadence goes from classy to just surreal as everything is becoming a mess as well as reflective of what is happening in America where Duke and Dr. Gonzo often have the American flag around them. The film does take a darker turn towards the end where Gilliam decides to pull back the craziness to reveal the outcome of the chaos the two men create. Even as it plays to Duke’s own disillusionment as he realizes that times are indeed changing but the period he had been a part of is truly over. Overall, Gilliam creates a very chaotic yet spectacular film about two men chasing the American Dream.

Cinematographer Nicola Pecorini does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the sunny look of the Las Vegas daytime exteriors to the use of stylish lights to play up that sense of craziness that is the city with its casinos and hotels. Editor Lesley Walker does amazing work with the editing to play up the sense of style with some jump-cuts and montages that captures the sense of craziness that occurs throughout the film. Production designer Alex McDowell, with set decorator Nancy Haigh and art director Chris Gorack, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the hotel suites the men stay in plus some set pieces in the circus casino and other parts of Vegas.

Costume designer Julie Weiss does wonderful work with the costumes from the clothes that Duke wears that plays to the wild nature of Hunter S. Thompson to the more ragged look of Dr. Gonzo while the rest of the clothes are stylish to play that up world of the early 1970s. Visual effects supervisor Kent Houston does excellent work with the way the carpet moves at time to some of the backdrops that is created as well as the look of the lounge lizards the men encounter that is created by Rob Bottin. Sound editor Peter Pennell does superb work with the sound to capture the sense of chaos of the city as well as some sound effects to play up that world of surrealism. The film’s music by Ray Cooper is terrific for its mixture of rock and kitsch jazz to play up the world of Las Vegas in all of its craziness while the soundtrack features an array of music from the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Tom Jones, Janis Joplin and the Big Brother Holding Company, the Yardbirds, Bob Dylan, Three Dog Night, Buffalo Springfield, the Youngbloods, Debbie Reynolds, Perry Como, and a crazy cover of Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas by the Dead Kennedys.

The casting by Margery Simkin is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created specifically for this film. Notable appearances include Katherine Helmond as a hotel desk clerk, Christopher Meloni as the Flamingo hotel desk clerk, Jenette Goldstein as a Flamingo hotel maid, Verne Troyer as a waiter at the circus casino, Harry Dean Stanton as a judge in a dream sequence, Gary Busey as a highway patrol officer confronting Duke for speeding, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea as a hippie Duke encountered at the Matrix club, Michael Jeter as a convention speaker, Lyle Lovett as a road person, Penn Jilette as a carnie talker, Mark Harmon as a reporter covering the race, and Hunter S. Thompson as himself in a cameo in a scene at the Matrix club.

Other memorable small roles include Tobey Maguire as a freaked-out hitchhiker, Christina Ricci as a young woman who paints portraits of Barbra Streisand, Cameron Diaz as a TV news reporter Dr. Gonzo tries to flirt with, Craig Bierko as a crazy photographer Duke was assigned with, and Ellen Barkin as a shell-shocked diner waitress Dr. Gonzo threatens near the end of the film.

The film’s best performances definitely belong to the duo of Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro in their respective roles as Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo. In Dr. Gonzo, del Toro brings a craziness to his character as a very troubled man who can play straight when he’s not on drugs but is still very dangerous while he’s much more troubled under the influence. Depp does amazing work in channeling a lot of the attributes of Thompson in the Duke character as someone who is definitely paranoid while trying to comprehend everything that is happening around him. The two together make a fantastic combo of actors as they provide all sorts of humor and terror that allows them to create some of the best performances of their careers.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a fucked-up yet phenomenal film from Terry Gilliam that features outstanding performances from Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. The film is definitely one of Gilliam’s great films as well as a very faithful yet crazy companion piece for Hunter S. Thompson’s book. While it’s definitely not a film for everyone, it’s a film that explores the world of the drug culture at its most decadent in the most decadent place in the world. In the end, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a crazy yet sensational wild ride from Terry Gilliam.

Terry Gilliam Films: Jabberwocky - Time Bandits - Brazil - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen - The Fisher King - 12 Monkeys - The Brothers Grimm - Tideland - The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus - The Zero Theorem - The Auteurs #38: Terry Gilliam

© thevoid99 2013

The Great Gatsby (2013 film)

Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby is the story of a millionaire in the Roaring 20s as he lives an extravagant life as his new neighbor tries to get to know him and the mysteries about this millionaire. Directed by Baz Luhrmann and Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, the film is a stylized take on the famed novel with lots of lavish set pieces with a soundtrack that is mixture of 20s jazz with contemporary pop music. Starring Leonardo diCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke, and Amitabh Bachchan as Meyer Wolfsheim. The Great Gatsby is a lavish yet mesmerizing film from Baz Luhrmann.

The film is the story a mysterious millionaire who throws these lavish parties in the hopes that an old flame would return to him to rekindle the love they once had. Yet, it is told largely from the perspective that millionaire’s neighbor Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) who is given personal access to the life and mind of this mysterious man known as Jay Gatsby (Leonardo diCaprio) as he recalls his time with the millionaire to a doctor (Jack Thompson). While Carraway tells this story, he delves into the mystery of Gatsby and his love for Carraway’s cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) who is married to a former polo player in Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). Yet, secrets are unveiled as Carraway tries to guard everything about Gatsby who is eager to revive an old past that can’t be replicated.

The screenplay that Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce creates moves back-and-forth as it is told from a weary Carraway at a hospital many years after the events of the story. While it’s a narrative device that Luhrmann had used before, it does help to play into the many mysteries that are slowly revealed. Notably the character of Gatsby himself as he throws these very lavish parties but few people see him with the exception of Carraway and a famed golf pro in Jordan Baker (Elizabeth Debicki) as the latter sort of knows Gatsby. There is still a traditional three-act structure in the film where the first act is about Carraway’s arrival in 1920s New York City where he lives next door to Gatsby as he later meets him. The second act is Carraway reintroducing Gatsby to Daisy as the two try to replicate what they once had. The third is Gatsby’s attempt to win Daisy all over again for good in an attempt to repeat the past only to be exposed by the jealous Buchanan.

Carraway is the film’s observer as he would also take part in some of the decadence that occurs but he’s also the great protector where he would guard secrets but sometimes it would be the detriment to those involved. The character of Daisy is sort of this aloof young woman who has married this former polo champion who is also a philandering man with a mistress in Myrtle Wilson (Isla Fisher). By coming back to Gatsby, she is eager to find happiness again but she becomes conflicted in her devotion to Buchanan who is suspicious about Gatsby as he becomes a very conniving individual eager to expose Gatsby to the world. He would also be the person that would play into Gatsby’s fall in the third act as it leads to some tragic consequences that Carraway would never recover from.

Luhrmann’s direction is definitely outrageous as he goes for something that is very decadent as well as extravagant to play up the energy of the 1920s. Still, it emphasizes into what Luhrmann wanted to reveal into a world that is sort of out of touch with reality where Gatsby is this shadowy party host who has more ambiguous intentions for these parties. For the Carraway character, Luhrmann displays him as a man who is in the action but also out of the action as a man lost in a very crazy world. Luhrmann definitely creates a lot of compositions and set pieces that play up to that sense of excitement where these parties are out of control. Yet, he also does slow things a bit when it comes to the romance between Gatsby and Daisy as if it’s all about trying to repeat the past.

Since it is told from Carraway’s perspective as it uses a lot of voice-over narration, it does play into something where it is about a young man trying to find himself in the wake of this very chaotic period of time. Though there’s some flaws in the narration since it does give away a lot, it does help to flesh out some of the characters. While there are moments in the film where the decadent moments can be a bit overwhelming, it is balanced by some very lush scenes that unveil a sense of longing as well as the tragedy that comes into play in the third act. The direction is very stylized in where Luhrmann places the camera as well as the setting he creates where there is some tension but also drama. Overall, Luhrmann creates a very exciting and poignant film about love and secrets in a period of decadence.

Cinematographer Simon Duggan does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography with its exotic colors of the daytime and nighttime exteriors including some lighting schemes in the interiors plus some lush coloring for some of its flashback scenes. Editors Matt Villa, Jason Ballantine, and Jonathan Redmond do some nice work with the editing though it sometimes go a bit fast to play out that sense of chaos while it does slow down a bit as the film goes on to get a sense of what is happening in the drama. Production/costume designer Catherine Martin, with set decorator Beverley Dunn and supervising art director Ian Gracie, does amazing work with the lavish set pieces such as the Gatsby home and the look of 1920s New York City while the costumes are very colorful and full of style as it plays to the period of the times.

Hair designer Kerry Warn and makeup designer Maurizio Silvi do brilliant work with the look of the characters from the hair and some of the makeup to play that sense of sensationalism. Visual effects supervisor Tony Cole does terrific work with the visual effects for some of the exteriors of New York City to some backdrops for the surroundings the characters inhabit. Sound designer Wayne Pashley does superb work with the sound from the way the parties play out with its sense of energy to some of the intimate moments in the film. The film’s music by Craig Armstrong is wonderful for its lush orchestral music to play out the sense of romance between Gatsby and Daisy as well as some more heavy pieces to play out it‘s melancholia. Music supervisor Anton Monsted creates a very fine soundtrack of music that features an array of 20s jazz music mixed in with contemporary pop music from Jay-Z, the xx, Lana del Rey, Emile Sande, Fergie, and many others.

The casting by Nikki Barrett and Ronna Kress is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as it features some appearances from Barry Otto as a partygoer, Conor Forgarty as Gatsby’s butler, Adelaide Clemons as Myrtle’s cousin Catherine, Callan McAullife as the young Gatsby, and Jack Thompson as Carraway’s doctor Walter Perkins. Amitabh Bachchan is excellent as the gangster Meyer Wolfsheim as a man who is full of charisma as he treats Gatsby like an old friend while Jason Clarke is terrific as the oblivious George Wilson. Isla Fisher is wonderful as the very needy mistress Myrtle Wilson who feels slighted by Buchanan while Elizabeth Debicki is amazing as the very fun yet knowing Jordan Baker who guides Carraway into the world of the rich.

Joel Edgerton is great as the very devious Tom Buchanan as a man who does love Daisy but is suspicious about Gatsby though he admits to his own flaws as a man. Carey Mulligan is superb as Daisy Buchanan as a young woman who becomes conflicted in her devotion to Tom and her love for Gatsby as she’s also sort of flighty. Tobey Maguire is brilliant as Nick Carraway as an outsider who becomes part of the world while becoming the one person bearing the responsibility to carry the secrets he has learned from the people he meets. Finally, there’s Leonardo diCaprio in a remarkable role as Jay Gatsby as he’s a man that exudes charm and with while being totally cool where diCaprio also shows some humor in his performance as well as humility in the third as it is one of his finest performances.

The Great Gatsby is a marvelous film from Baz Luhrmann that features a phenomenal performance from Leonardo diCaprio. Along with a great supporting cast and some amazing technical work, the film is definitely a very sensational and excessive film that isn’t afraid to be style over substance. While it does have some flaws, it is still a film that is engaging for exploring that world of 1920s decadence as well as a man’s desire to reclaim the past. In the end, The Great Gatsby is a sprawling yet exciting film from Baz Luhrmann.

Baz Luhrmann Films: Strictly Ballroom - William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet - Moulin Rouge! - Australia - The Auteurs #23: Baz Luhrmann

© thevoid99 2013

Deconstructing Harry

Originally Written and Directed at Epinions.com on 12/26/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen as Harry Block, the film is about a writer whose self-absorbed working lifestyle and attitude practically alienates everyone around him. Now dealing with writer's block, he's also dealing with the mess of his relationships while trying to make amends with an ex-girlfriend who is going to get married. Then when he's about to be honored by a school, who threw him out in his freshman year, for his writing, all hell breaks loose in his intentions as the stories he based on his life comes back to haunt him. With an ensemble cast that includes Allen regulars Julie Kavner, Judy Davis, Caroline Aaron, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, and Mariel Hemingway plus Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Kirstie Alley, Bob Balaban, Amy Irving, Eric Bogosian, Elisabeth Shue, Tobey McGuire, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Richard Benjamin, Eric Lloyd, Paul Giamatti, Jennifer Garner, and Hazelle Goodman. Deconstructing Harry is a fun but abrasive film from the often charming and funny Woody Allen.

Harry Block is writing various stories that was inspired by his own affair with a former in-law in Lucy (Judy Davis) about a man named Ken (Richard Benjamin) who has sex with his sister-in-law Leslie (Julia-Louis Dreyfus) at a barbeque. Harry tells the angry Lucy another story about a young named Harvey (Tobey McGuire) who pretends to be someone else where he meets the Grim Reaper. Yet it's among the many small stories Harry comes up with that includes a literally out-of-focused actor (Robin Williams) and one about a couple (Stanley Tucci and Demi Moore) that is based on his second marriage to psychiatrist Joan (Kirstie Alley). Still, he tells his current shrink (Robert Harper) about his writer's block as he learns he's to be honored by Adair University that kicked out him out during his freshman year.

Harry wants to take his son Hilly (Eric Lloyd) despite Joan's refusal while learns that his most recent girlfriend Fay (Elisabeth Shue) is getting married to his friend Larry (Billy Crystal). After calling for the services of a hooker named Cookie (Hazelle Goodman), he asks her to join him for the awards ceremony as he also takes his fearful friend Richard (Bob Balaban) and Hilly for a road trip to Adair University. During the trip, Harry's fictional life starts to emerge to him as he stops to visit his half-sister Doris (Caroline Aaron) and her husband/rabbi Burt (Eric Bogosian) where the visit doesn't go well due to a story inspired by Harry's contempt towards their late father (Gene Saks). Harry's fictional world and characters start to appear to him where he's forced to see some of the things he's done to people.

Arriving to Adair, Harry's fictional world and real-life starts to collide as he meets a literature professor (Philip Boso) as Harry tells a story about a meeting with the Devil that is in the form of Larry who forces Harry to face his sins.

Inspired by one of Allen's favorite filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and his 1957 film Wild Strawberries, Allen goes for a world where reality and fiction really do blur. Since Allen is known more for his writing, he reveals the troubles that a writer goes through whenever being dealt with writer's block and where fiction comes from. This results where many of the fictional characters in Harry's life are based purely from real people where those people know what characters they are. Their reaction is expected since everything that Harry does is upsetting and he degrades pretty much every female counterpart he's been with to create all of these characters. The film's ending sums up what the film is really all about. A man who couldn't adjust reality where to the point that he creates a fictional world where he ends up hurting the people around him.

Truly this is one of Woody Allen's most bizarre and edgy scripts but it's also one of darkest. There's a cynicism throughout the film while Allen also brings out some of the most abrasive and incendiary dialogue of his career. The use of graphic language isn't just shocking (to the world of Allen) but in his intent where you begin to wonder what inspired Allen to come up with this dialogue. Did he go out and stumble upon a few gangsta-rap albums or listen to Nine Inch Nails' Broken EP? Still, the dialogue brings out a comic edge to Allen where he goes out and plays his usual, neurotic character but this time around, Allen makes sure that Harry is a guy that is truly unlikeable despite his attempt to become sympathetic.

If Allen's script is sharp in its uncompromising behavior, his directing reveals that bitterness in a strange, bizarre style. The story about Mel, the out-of-focus actor shows that everything is clear except Mel, who looks like a total blur. There's moments where the entire film deconstructs itself into revealing Harry's psyche. The script helps visualize Allen's distorted view of fact and fiction into a directing style that is truly arty where jump-cuts are used and his visual style recalls those he's been influenced by. It's truly a dark comedy that despite its intent and protagonist, is really funny. Helping Allen in his visual is the late Italian cinematographer Carlo di Palma in his final film collaboration with Allen who brings a wonderful look of New York City and the upper stare country area that recalls Bergman. Longtime editor Susan E. Morse also plays up to Allen's deconstructed style where the jump-cuts shows Harry's stumbling, neurotic world of reality.

Also helping out in Allen's visual department is production designer Santo Loquansto who not only does great work into visualizing the world of New York but the scene where Harry is in Hell is truly amazing. Using nothing but red, orange, and whatever you can think of is truly a great idea of what Hell could be from Harry's viewpoint. With the use of swing music in the background, it's really a nightmare of a man's temptations for women and pills coming true. The film's soundtrack is also great for its use of jazz and swing that plays to the film's very upbeat tone in its presentation while helping the film move along very easily.

The film's cast is probably the biggest ensemble that Allen has put out. With small yet wonderful appearances from the likes of Robert Harper, Philip Bosco, Stephanie Roth, Mariel Hemingway, Amy Irving, Julie Kavner, The Sopranos' Tony Sirico as a cop, Irving Metzman as Harvey's shoe salesman boss, Howard Spiegel as Joan's patient, Paul Giamatti, and Jennifer Garner in her film debut as Harry's fictional version of Fay. Hy Anzell and Shifra Lerer are funny as Harry's fictionalized version of his parents while Gene Saks is funny as Harry's father. Eric Lloyd is excellent as Harry's son Hilly who often questions about Harry's view into the world while Robin Williams is even funnier as Mel, the blurred actor. Caroline Aaron is also good as Harry's sympathetic but religious sister who questions Harry's approval while Eric Bogosian is excellent as Harry's moralistic brother-in-law. The worst performance of the entire movie is Kirstie Alley as Joan where Alley overacts in a scene when she confronts Harry about the affair with her shrill voice and anger that doesn't work. Alley can be funny but as a dramatic actress, she is horrible.

Faring way better as Alley's fictional counterpart is Demi Moore who brings a calm and funny performance as Helen while Stanley Tucci is also good as Harry's fictional counterpart Paul in that segment. Judy Davis is wonderful as Harry's hysterical and troubling sister-in-law who wants to kill him after the break-up of their tryst and his awful ways. Richard Benjamin is funny as Ken with his affairs and a scene where he reveals Harry about Lucy's anger while Julia-Louis Dreyfus is good as Davis's fictional counterpart. Tobey McGuire is also funny and good has the young Harry, Harvey who is just an awful kid who cares nothing but wanting to sleep with the next girl he can come across from. Bob Balaban is wonderful as Richard who seems to be the only friend that Harry has as he does a great job in his fear of having another heart attack while giving Harry some moral insight near the end. Elisabeth Shue is lovely as the loyal Fay who loves Harry but is aware of his life as a writer while she displays the rare warmth of the rest of female characters.

Billy Crystal is excellent as Harry's friend Larry who also plays the part of the Devil in a hilarious scene about the two dealing with their own sins. Hazelle Goodman is the film's best supporting performance as the hooker Cookie who doesn't care for Harry's flaws while she does everything he can to get him to be relaxed. Woody Allen is the film's best performance obviously because he's in his own movie. Allen displays all of his usual, neurotic, insecure artistic world as a character that often works. Here, Allen displays himself in his most abrasive performance yet as a guy who is a schmuck. He doesn't think of the damage he does to people and all he cares about is his work, pills, and wanting to fuck the next piece of ass he sees. It's a great performance from Allen who plays one of his most unlikeable characters while making him a funny protagonist.

Deconstructing Harry is a strange yet entertaining comedy from Woody Allen that features an amazing ensemble cast. While it's one of Allen's better films of the 1990s as well as his most abrasive in terms of dialogue. It's also a great re-telling of Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries where Allen gets a chance to pay tribute to one of his heroes. While it's a film that might take some Allen fans aback due to its content, there is still proof that Allen is able to take risks as a writer and filmmaker. In the end, Deconstructing Harry is a marvelous yet wild film from Woody Allen.

Woody Allen Films: What’s Up, Tiger Lily - Take the Money & Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love & Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories-Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows & Fog - Husbands & Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don't Drink the Water - Bullets Over Broadway - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)

The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011

Ride with the Devil

Based on the novel Woe to Live On, Ride with the Devil tells the story of a couple of young Southern men who join a Missouri-based guerilla group during the Civil War as they seek refuge by protecting a family with a slave helping them. Directed by Ang Lee with a script by longtime collaborator James Schamus, Ride with the Devil is an epic drama that chronicles the journey of young men who face terror in a troubled war while finding a life outside of conflict and vengeance. Starring Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright, Simon Baker, Jewel, Jonathan Brandis, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Mark Ruffalo, James Caviezel, Zach Grenier, and Tom Wilkinson. Ride with the Devil is an extraordinary yet sweeping Civil War drama from Ang Lee.

The German-born Jake Roedel (Tobey Maguire) and his friend Jack Bull Chiles (Skeet Ulrich) are young Southern men from Missouri that have just joined a group of local irregular soldiers known as the Bushwhackers. Chiles gains vengeance for his father’s death during an ambush with their leader Black John Ambrose (James Caviezel) and a wild young man named Pitt Mackeson (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers). Roedel and Chiles meet up with other bushwhackers including George Clyde (Simon Baker) who is accompanied by his slave Holt (Jeffrey Wright) where the four decide to hide out nearby the home of Mr. Evans (Zach Grenier) who offers them tools to create a cave to hide in.

While Clyde goes out and hide at another nearby home leaving Holt to help Roedel and Chiles, they meet Evans’ widowed daughter-in-law Sue Lee Shelley (Jewel) whom Chiles falls for. During the period of hiding, Roedel befriends Holt as Holt reveals his loyalty for Clyde while hoping to reach his mother who had been sold somewhere to Texas. During an attack on Evans’ home, Roedel, Holt, Clyde, and Chiles lead an attack on the Union soldiers who attacked Evans only to have things go wrong. With the Evans’ family seeking refuge at another house along with Sue, the remaining Bushwhackers had to regroup with their gang. With William Quantrill (John Ales) leading a group of Bushwhackers to attack and raid Lawrence, Kansas, Holt and Roedel take part of it with Clyde as a supervisor.

During the raid, Roedel has a confrontation with Mackeson as Union soldiers make their way to attack the Bushwhackers where everything falls apart. Holt and Roedel get wounded during the battle as they’re accompanied by Cave Wyatt (Jonathan Brandis) to take them to the Brown family where Sue had been living for several months. Living with Mr. and Mrs. Brown (Tom Wilkinson and Margo Martindale), Roedel and Holt recover from their wounds as they ponder what to do next. Even as Sue had just had a baby as the two men ponder life after a war that they know is already at a loss.

The film is about a young man and his friend joining a guerilla group to fight off Union soldiers and protect their family. Yet during the journey, Jake Roedel would face things as a Bushwhacker that would change his views on war and on himself. Jake, like the African-American Holt, faces a similar prejudice towards some Southerners but as a German whose father supports the Union. Jake is a very flawed character as he meets a captured Union soldier (Mark Ruffalo) whom he knew as he made him sent a message that would later haunt him. Roedel’s development is crucial as he starts out as a young innocent man loyal to his home only to become a weary man filled with grief pondering what to do next.

James Schamus’ script is superb in its character study as well as setting a mood for the story as it all takes place during the Civil War. The script does a have a few flaws as far as when some of the events happen while it’s also a bit uneven in tone. The latter of which is due to the fact that it’s a war film with a bit of romance and drama that at times, doesn’t really mesh. Still, it does have a narrative that is engaging and keeps the story going as it’s all driven by Jake Roedel’s fascination with his surroundings along with the friendships he have with Jack Bull, Holt, and later Sue. Despite the few flaws the script has, Schamus does create a script that is compelling and filled with fully-fleshed characters that people can enjoy.

Ang Lee’s direction is truly magnificent in its presentation and willingness to be engaged by the story and the characters in the film. While Lee does manage to take his time with the story by opening the film with a wedding that Roedel and Chiles attend to reveal their lives. He also lets the story move forward by having this terrifying scene of Roedel and Chiles forcing to flee following an attack and then move the story a year later for a great ambush scene involving the two characters. Then slows it down for scenes where Roedel and Chiles meet up with their fellow Bushwhackers that includes a wonderful poignant yet simple scene of Roedel reading a letter that brings ease to the soldiers.

Lee’s direction for many of the film’s intimate settings such as the cave and the interior houses are very intimate in his use of close-ups for the characters. For the battle scenes, Lee definitely takes a wide scope to allow the film to be big as if he is making an epic. Lee knows how to frame these wide shots such as the horses coming down a hill or to capture the chaos of the battle. The overall work in the direction is truly amazing in its framing but also maintain an intimacy for the film’s dramatic moments as Lee creates a dazzling yet engaging war-drama.

Cinematographer Frederick Elmes does a phenomenal job with the film‘s gorgeous photography from the very green look of the Missouri-Kansas forests in the spring and fall to the white cold of the wintertime. Elmes’ work in the exteriors are just as beautiful in its intimacy and the mood it creates for the characters in their situations. Longtime Lee collaborator in editor Tim Squyres does an excellent job with the film’s editing in creating a tight yet leisured pace for the film. Particularly when he utilizes jump-cuts for some of the film’s action along with transitional dissolves and fade-outs to help move the film forward for its 138-minute running time in its theatrical cut.

Production designer Mark Friedberg, along with art director Steve Arnold and set decorators Stephanie Carroll and Bryan E. Jordan, does an incredible job with the set design for the film such as the houses the characters live in to the cave home they create in the first half of the film. Since it’s shot largely on location in a town in Missouri, Friedberg and his team were able to recreate the look of the town in its Civil War setting to maintain its authenticity. Costume designer Marit Allen does a wonderful job with the costumes from the ragged soldiers clothing the men wear in combat to the suits they wore along with the big dresses that the women wear.

Sound editor Phil Stockton does a superb job with the sound to capture the calmness of the forest to the raucous chaos of the battle scenes to showcase the world the characters are in. The film’s score by Mychael Danna is brilliant for its array of traditional, folk-driven pieces that is played to set the mood of the times. Danna also provides some lush, orchestral flourishes for the dramatic and sweeping epic scenes to enhance the ambition of the film. Along with some traditional pieces of that era, the soundtrack includes a song by Jewel that is played in the final credits of the film.

The casting by Avy Kaufman is truly sensational as Kaufman creates what is undoubtedly an amazing ensemble. Numerous small but notable performances include David Darlow and Kathleen Warfel as Jack Bull’s parents, John Judd as Jake’s father, Celia Weston as a woman who brings in the Bushwhackers, John Ales as the famous Confederate guerilla leader William Quantrill, T. Max Graham as a reverend, and Mark Ruffalo as a captured Union soldier sent to bring a message to the Union. Other notable small roles as fellow Bushwhackers include Matthew Faber as Mackeson’s friend Turner, Thomas Guiry as the young Riley Crawford, James Caviezel as the local leader Black John, Stephen Mailer as the cautious Babe Hudspeth, and the late Jonathan Brandis in an outstanding performance as helpful Cave Wyatt.

Zach Grenier is very good as Mr. Evans, a local Confederate supporter who helps out the Bushwhackers while Simon Baker is also good as the experienced George Clyde who has a very warm friendship to his slave Holt. Margo Martindale is excellent as Mrs. Brown while Tom Wilkinson is amazing as the no-nonsense but sympathetic Mr. Brown. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is great in a terrifying role as the wild Pitt Mackeson, a soldier with outlaw tendencies who despises Roedel over his German ancestry. Jewel is wonderful as Sue Lee Shelley, a widow who falls for Jack Bull while helping the rest of the men by feeding them as she has some funny lines in a subtle yet charming performance.

Skeet Ulrich is brilliant as Jack Bull Chiles, a wild soldier with a conscience as he often leads his small band to battle while trying to fight for what is left of the Southern lifestyle he grew up with. Jeffrey Wright is great in what is definitely the best performance of the film as Daniel Holt. Wright brings an eerie quietness to his character who has a fierce loyalty to George Clyde while taking Roedel as a friend in their shared struggle with prejudice. Tobey Maguire is amazing as Jake Roedel, a young guerilla soldier who deals with prejudice and the consequences of war while fighting what’s left of a war he realize he is going to lose. It’s a remarkable role for the actor who definitely shows a real weariness with a sense of humor to a character that goes into a journey that would change his view on the world.

Ride with the Devil is a grand yet glorious film from Ang Lee featuring exhilarating performances from Tobey Maguire and Jeffrey Wright. While it’s not a perfect film due to a few flaws in the script, the film definitely overcomes those flaws with a sweeping vision and engaging characters. Fans of American Civil War films will see this film as something a bit different in terms of storytelling but at least has the big visuals needed for a film like this. In the end, Ride with the Devil is a thrilling yet captivating Civil War drama from Ang Lee and company.

Ang Lee Films: Pushing Hands - The Wedding Banquet - Eat Drink Man Woman - Sense & Sensibility (1995 film) - The Ice Storm - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Hire: Chosen - Hulk - Brokeback Mountain - Lust, Caution - Taking Woodstock - Life of Pi - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - The Auteurs #19: Ang Lee

© thevoid99 2011

The Ice Storm

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/21/04 w/ Additional Edits.

One of the more recent prolific directors in cinema, Taiwan-born Ang Lee has made films in his homeland whether it was the dramas Eat Drink Man Woman and The Wedding Banquet or the martial-arts masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yet, he's also ventured into the world of Hollywood with the Civil War drama Ride with the Devil, the Jane Austen adaptation of Sense & Sensibility, and more recently, a big-budget action flick with Hulk. In 1997, Lee goes to the early 1970s in America where the age of cynicism begins as the ideals of American family life begins to disintegrate based on a novel by Rick Moody entitled The Ice Storm.

Adapted into a script by producer James Schamus, The Ice Storm is a family drama about a man and wife whose perfectly good marriage disintegrates as the man has an affair with his neighbor while his wife is trying to find fulfillment in her boring role as a housewife. Meanwhile, their children begin to explore sexuality and angst while looking at the world through their own sense of cynicism around Thanksgiving in 1973. With its central characters trying to find something, they realize that what they seek isn't, as it seems when tragedy collides through one night on an icy storm. Starring Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Jamey Sheridan, Henry Czerny, Allison Janney, Tobey Maguire, Katie Holmes, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, and Adam Hann-Byrd. The Ice Storm is a brilliant, provocative drama from Ang Lee and company.

16-year old Paul Hood (Tobey Maguire) is at a NYC prep school where he's become attracted to his classmate Libbets Casey (Katie Holmes).  Paul yearns to win her affections before his lothario roommate Francis (David Krumholtz) can.  Paul's family lives a small town in Connecticut as his parents Ben (Kevin Kline) and Elena (Joan Allen) are preparing for Thanksgiving with Paul set to return.  Paul's 14-year old sister Wendy (Christina Ricci) becomes intrigued by the Watergate scandal which prompts her to gain a cynical view on the world.  Ben and Elena eat dinner with Jim (Jamey Sheridan) and Janey Carver (Sigourney Weaver) where Elena begins to suspect something isn't right in her marriage in the way Ben eyes Janey.  Even as she begins to reminisce her own childhood when she saw Wendy ride a bike during a book sale where the local minister (Michael Cumpsty) attends.

Ben spends part of his time at work with rival George Clair (Henry Czerny) while his off-time sleeping with Janey while Wendy spends time with Janey's eldest son Mikey (Elijah Wood).  Mikey's younger brother Sandy (Adam Hann-Byrd) is reaching adolescents as he blows up toys and discovering sex when Wendy tries to expose herself.  Wendy's time with Mikey eventually leads to trouble as Mikey becomes more aloof towards the world.  When Paul returns home for Thanksgiving, things become chaotic when Wendy spouts remarks towards the U.S. government during grace.  Elena learns that their friend Dot Halford (Allison Janney) is throwing a party the next day as she and Ben reluctantly attend.  Paul goes to New York City to attend a party Francis is holding as Libbets is there where things don't go well as Paul hopes for.

At the Halford party, Ben and Elena learn it's a key party as the Carvers also attend where Elena decides to get into the party where things unravel.  Wendy decides to go see Sandy while Mikey roams outside during the cold November night where a night of party and intrigue becomes tragic.

What makes The Ice Storm such a compelling film is Ang Lee's approach to storytelling. Taking Schamus' wonderfully structured screenplay, the film builds up to a certain momentum where by the second half when the Hoods go to the party is where everything begins it sense of deconstruction. While the film has a lot of sexuality, there isn't any nudity shown but it doesn't matter with this film since Lee is playing an outsider in trying to discover what drives these people into behaving the way they act. Is it the cynicism that is surrounded by the American government or the idea that the American dream and ideal is over? The film plays well with its morals and strange parallels in the scenes where Tobey McGuire's Paul characters is reading The Fantastic Four while comparing it to his own family life. Lee's breathtaking directing style works very well in each frame, notably the scene where Elijah Wood's Mikey is running around on the icy grass in slow motion. It's clearly one of the most masterful and evocative presentation in film.

Helping Lee in that breathtaking vision is cinematographer Frederick Elmes in capturing the evocative world of the 1970s with scenes of bike riding and notably the night scene of the ice storm itself with its idiosyncratic approach to lighting. Editor Tim Squyres also brings that same idiosyncratic style in the film's structure with its editing sequences where the film not only has a nice pacing but the way the scenes of its characters are moved back and forth. Production designer Mark Friedberg and art director Bob Shaw also help in the film with a grand, very detailed look of the 1970s with its furniture and appliances along with the waterbed. Costume designers Carol Oditz and Elizabeth Shelton also help out with the film's look with a great detail on the costumes and clothing in the film that really gives that 1970s authenticity.

Atom Egoyan's longtime composer Mychael Danna also shines with his eerie, melancholic film score with his use of morose piano sequences and eerie, evocative flute playing while music director Alex Steyermark shines with his soundtrack of the film that includes Elton John, Jim Croce, and many more including a haunting ballad from David Bowie redoing his song I Can't Read from his work with Tin Machine.

The film has a great cast overall with fine, small performances from Allison Janney, David Krumholtz and a sleazy one from Henry Czerny as Kline's rival. Michael Cumpsty also stands out as a minister where in the party scene, we see for what he really is which proves that no one in the film is safe. Katie Holmes shines in one of her early performances as Libbets with cute sexiness and the ability to play stoned. Jamey Sheridan is the film's most quiet performance as Sigourney Weaver's husband who is often gone in his life and yet, he gains sympathy during the party scene. Sheridan shines in his clueless role of husband and father while he and Joan Allen have great scenes together.

Adam Hann-Byrd also stands out as the more innocent but angst-ridden Sandy with his curious approach to his performance that is really amazing to watch. Elijah Wood is wonderful in a performance that marks a transition from child actor to a more determined young thespian as the more offbeat and quirky Mikey. Wood's stoned out performance represents as a young man who is trying to find more in life away from sex and family while presenting a distance from reality in a performance that is awe-struck. Christina Ricci also brings in a transitional performance by being a sexy cynic who tries to figure out sex and ways to anger her own parents in a performance that is intimidating yet enchanting. Tobey Maguire is excellent in his role as narrator along with the clueless family patriarch who doesn't know what goes on in his town in favor of his own desires. It's a great and mature performance from the young Maguire while proving himself as a gentlemen and dreamer.

Sigourney Weaver is wonderfully cold in an amazing performance as Janey Carver with her vivacious sexiness and an awful selfishness that is very complex. Weaver's character may have been the most unlikable but it's also the most intriguing as we see a woman who is trying to fulfill her own needs by having affairs while she begins to slip away from what is really important. This is truly one of Weaver's most enduring performances. Kevin Kline is also amazing as the bored, commanding father and husband who seeks to have this affair with Janey as if it's the greatest thing for his own sexual needs that isn't at home. Yet, his character begins to disintegrate in the party scene where Kline really shines in his dramatic stature.

The film's best performance goes to Joan Allen as Kline's anguished wife who is trying to find her own niche into the cynicism of the 70s. Allen brings a subtlety and calmness early in the film but by the second act, she makes her character sympathetic but not a martyr as she tries to explore her own sexual needs while trying to deal with what's going on with her children and the world around her. It's a great performance from the always, underrated veteran actress.

The Ice Storm is a compelling film from Ang Lee thanks to Lee's eerie direction, James Schamus' Cannes Film Festival award-winning script, a dedicated crew, and a superb cast. In many ways, The Ice Storm wasn't just a film of the 1970s but also what was going on in the late 1990s where the dysfunctions of families become more evident and later in 1999; Sam Mendes' American Beauty will fulfill the boredom of suburbia. The credit really goes to Lee, Schamus, and novelist Rick Moody for capturing the world of American culture in its decline through cynicism and angst in the 1970s when everything begins to go wrong. The Ice Storm is one film not to be missed.

Ang Lee Films: Pushing Hands - The Wedding Banquet - Eat Drink Man Woman - Sense & Sensibility (1995 film) - Ride with the Devil - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Hire: Chosen - Hulk - Brokeback Mountain - Lust, Caution - Taking Woodstock - Life of Pi - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - The Auteurs #19: Ang Lee

(C) thevoid99 2011