Based on the novel by Whitley Strieber, The Hunger is the story about a doctor who finds herself in a strange love triangle involving vampires during her research on the world of aging. Directed by Tony Scott and screenplay by Ivan Davis, and Michael Thomas the film is a stylish take on the world of vampires as one of them tries to gain immortality forcing his lover to face the truth as she seeks a new lover. Starring Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, David Bowie, Cliff de Young, and Dan Hedaya. The Hunger is an entrancing yet hypnotic film from Tony Scott.
The film is about a vampire couple who had been living for three centuries as prey on those to feed on their appetite for blood. Upon learning about a woman’s research on aging and the idea of eternal life, one of the vampires is seeking to know more as he finds himself aging rapidly forcing his lover to think about getting a new one in the woman who had been working on this research. Yet, it’s a film that plays into the idea of eternal life as a man named John Blaylock (David Bowie) deals with his aging as he asks his lover Miriam (Catherine Deneuve) about the aging process as she had previous lovers who had fallen to the fate that he’s about to fall prey to. John turns to Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon) whose research on aging has him intrigued but she doesn’t believe that he’s aging until some time later as she attracts the attention of Miriam where she finds herself in a very strange situation.
The film’s screenplay does have this unique structure where the first act is about John and Miriam’s relationship as well as John dealing with his aging as he turns to Sarah for help based on her research. The second act is about Sarah meeting Miriam where the former becomes strangely obsessed with the latter which then leads to the relationship as Sarah is unaware of what Miriam really is. It all would play in this third act where Sarah is forced to deal with her symptoms as well as what she might become. Though its climax would play into Miriam’s claims that she would give Sarah eternal life and to love forever and ever as Sarah would make a decision. Its ending would unfortunately lose some of that emotional impact as well as create some confusion into the fate of its main characters as it is revealed that the ending was more enforced by the studio.
Tony Scott’s direction is definitely a major highlight of the film in not just the compositions that he creates but also infuse with a high degree of style. While it’s a style that isn’t for everyone, it does play into an atmosphere that is sort of Gothic in some respects where the film opens at a Goth disco where the legendary Goth band Bauhaus plays. Scott would infuse the film with some symbolism where the scene of John and Miriam killing their prey that is inter-cut with a lab monkey killing another as it would play into Sarah’s research. Scott’s direction also includes a few stylish flashbacks and some slow-motion action to play out some of the drama and terror that occurs. Even in a very stylish and sort of operatic love scene between Miriam and Sarah that does have this great element of beauty and horror. Despite its tacked-on ending, Scott manages to create a very ravishing yet exhilarating film about vampires and their desire for eternal life.
Cinematographer Stephen Goldenblatt does amazing work with the film‘s stylish photography with its array of shadows and shades to play with its lighting to convey a Gothic mood for the film in many of its interior scenes. Editor Pamela Power does excellent work with the editing as it very stylized with some jump-cuts and slow-motion cuts to play into some of its symbolism and suspense. Production designer Brian Morris, with set decorator Ann Mollo and art director Clinton Cavers, does fantastic work with the look of John and Miriam‘s posh New York City penthouse as well as the lab where Sarah works at.
Costume designer Milena Canonero does excellent work with the costumes from the period clothes that John and Miriam wore to Goth clothes of the time while a lot of the dresses that Miriam wears is from Yves St. Laurent. Special makeup work by Antony Clavet does brilliant work with the makeup to display John‘s rapid aging as he struggles with the fate he might play into. Sound editor Peter Pennell does superb work with the sound to create some unique effects on some of the dialogue as well as some textures to play out the suspense. The film’s music by Denny Jaeger and Michel Rubini is terrific for its chilling, electronic-based score to play out some of the drama while a lot of the music that is assembled by music supervisor Howard Blake features a wide array of classical and opera music from composers like Franz Schubert, Johann Sebastian Bach, Gregorio Allegri, Maurice Ravel, and Leos Delibes as well as some modern music from the Goth band Bauhaus and Iggy Pop.
The film’s cast features some early cameos from John Pankow and Willem Dafoe as a couple of punks as well as Ann Magnuson and John Stephen Hill as a couple John and Miriam meet in the opening sequence that features Bauhaus. Other notable small roles include Dan Hedaya as a police investigator, Beth Ehlers as a tomboy violinist John and Miriam teach, and Cliff De Young as Sarah’s boyfriend Tom who becomes concerned about Sarah’s condition. Susan Sarandon is brilliant as Sarah Roberts as an age researcher who is eager to find a way to slow down the aging process while finding herself becoming attracted towards Miriam.
David Bowie is amazing as John Blaylock as a man struggling with his rapid-aging as he also realizes the fate that he might play that Miriam’s previous lovers have succumbed to. Finally, there’s Catherine Deneuve in a phenomenal performance as Miriam Blaylock as a woman who had lived a very long life as a vampire as she deals with John’s aging and possible fate while falling for Sarah as she seeks to take her as her new lover.
The Hunger is a marvelous film from Tony Scott thanks in part to its Gothic imagery, brooding soundtrack, and the performances of Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon. While it’s not a perfect film that includes a pretty lame ending. It’s still a film that plays into the world of vampires that fans of vampire films can enjoy while it is very unapologetic in its emphasis on style over substance. In the end, The Hunger is a stellar yet mesmerizing film from Tony Scott.
Tony Scott Films: (One of the Missing) - (Loving Memory) - (Top Gun) - (Revenge) - (Days of Thunder) - (The Last Boy Scout) - True Romance - (Crimson Tide) - (The Fan) - (Enemy of the State) - (Spy Game) - (Man on Fire) - (Domino) - (Déjà Vu) - (The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009 film)) - (Unstoppable)
© thevoid99 2013
The Hire is a collection of eight short films revolving around a mysterious driver in different assignments while driving different variations of the BMW as these shorts were produced for the car manufacturer. Playing the role of the driver is Clive Owen as he ventures into eight different adventures helmed by eight different filmmakers as it also includes a diverse cast of actors to appear in these eight different short films. The result is an incredible collection of shorts from some of the world's best filmmakers.
Ambush (directed by John Frankenheimer and written by Andrew Kevin Walker) is about the driver escorting a man (Tomas Milian) carrying $2 million worth of diamonds as they’re being pursued by a van full of armed men. Chosen (directed by Ang Lee and written by David Carter) is the story about a holy boy (Mason Lee) escorted by the driver as they’re being pursued by criminals at a loading dock where the boy is supposed to be at a sanctuary. In The Follow (directed by Wong Kar-Wai and written by Andrew Kevin Walker), the driver is hired by his manager (Forest Whitaker) to pursue the wife (Adriana Lima) of a film actor (Mickey Rourke) to see if she’s cheating on him. Star (Directed by Guy Ritchie and written by Joe Sweet and Guy Ritchie) is about a spoiled celebrity (Madonna) who orders her driver to drive her to the venue where the results becomes more than she bargains for.
In Powder Keg (directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and written by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Guillermo Arriaga, and David Carter), a war photographer (Stellan Skarsgard) is wounded after taking a photograph as the driver tries to get him to the border so he can be saved. Hostage (directed by John Woo and written by David Carter, Greg Hahn, and Vincent Ngo) is about the driver delivering ransom money to a man (Maury Chaykin) who had kidnapped a CEO (Kathryn Morris) as he later races to save her. In Ticker (Written and directed by Joe Carnahan), the driver escorts a man (Don Cheadle), who is carrying a mysterious briefcase under the orders of a mysterious man (F. Murray Abraham), as they’re under attack from a helicopter while running short on time.
In Beat the Devil (Directed by Tony Scott and written by David Carter, Greg Hahn, and Vincent Ngo), James Brown makes a visit with the Devil (Gary Oldman) to renegotiate an old contract in the form of a wager through a drag strip race in Las Vegas between the driver and the Devil’s driver Bob (Danny Trejo).
The film is a collection of stories involving a driver and all of the adventures he takes in. Some are intense, some are quite funny, some are dramatic, and others are just downright fucking insane. While Star and The Follow don’t exactly follow the conventions of most car-driven films. They do contain some amazing driving sequences as the former is just a straight-out comedy from Guy Ritchie while the latter is a moody piece filled with evocative voice-over narration that plays true to Wong Kar-Wai’s style. Chosen may be an action piece of sorts but Ang Lee inject bits of humor as well as a story about a man and a boy. The rest of the series play to the world of action as the filmmakers each put their stamp into the different stories. Joe Carnahan and John Frankenheimer each create stories involving a passenger that is carrying something where the latter is more slick and professional while the former is more stylish with its mixture of grainy film stock and more clear cinematography.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Powder Keg is definitely the most unconventional in terms of action and drama as it is presented in a grainy film stock courtesy of cinematographer Robert Richardson. John Woo’s Hostage is a strange twist on the hostage story not just because of the kidnapper but what happens afterwards. Then there’s Tony Scott’s Beat the Devil where it’s definitely the strangest one of them all as it’s a mixture of humor and action with a bit of Satanism that involves James Brown and a cameo appearance from Marilyn Manson.
While all of the shorts do stand out on their own, The Follow is clearly the best of them all due to its lingering images from cinematographer Harris Savides and its hypnotic soundtrack. The casting is also great as many of the actors involved are amazing yet the series really belongs to Clive Owen. Owen displays a really low-key approach to his character as he’s just a driver while he does get the chance to be funny but also intense as he really is the star of the series.
The Hire is an extraordinary series of short films that features a superb performance from Clive Owen. The series is a must-see for fans of many of these filmmakers for the way it utilizes different models of BMWs to help tell a story that is engaging but also intense. In the end, The Hire is a fantastic collection of short films from some of the world’s best filmmakers.
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino, True Romance is the story of a couple who travel to California with a luggage of cocaine that they hope to sell for a good life. Yet, they find themselves in trouble with the mob who are after them as well as cops who learn what they’re going to do. The film is a love story mixed in with a bit of violence as it explores a couple trying to seek a good life for themselves. Starring Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport, Dennis Hopper, Bronson Pinchot, Gary Oldman, Tom Sizemore, Saul Rubinek, Val Kilmer, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn, and Christopher Walken. True Romance is a glorious yet spectacular film from Tony Scott.
A call-girl named Alabama (Patricia Arquette) meets a comic book store clerk named Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) at Sonny Chiba triple-feature where they fall in love and get married after a one-day courtship. When Clarence learns that Alabama’s pimp is a crazed madman named Drexl (Gary Oldman), Clarence decides to confront Drexl leading to a fight where Clarence kills Drexl and gets a luggage that he thought belonged to Alabama. When the two realize that the luggage isn’t Alabama but an entire stash of cocaine, the two make a plan to sell it in Hollywood so they can use the money to live the good life. After Clarence decides to tell his security cop father Clifford (Dennis Hopper) to see if anyone is looking for any suspects about who killed Drexl. Clifford helps Clarence out as he learns what his son and new daughter-in-law plan to do as he bids them goodbye.
After arriving to California to meet their friend Dick Ritchie (Michael Rapaport), Clarence and Alabama meet Dick’s acting class friend Elliot Blitzer who is an associated of famed film producer Lee Donowitz (Saul Rubinek) that is interested in buying cocaine. Blitzer calls Donowitz where Clarence talks to Donowitz about making a deal as it’s going to happen. With everything seemingly in place, a gangster named Vincent Coccotti (Christopher Walken) learns about Clarence and Alabama’s whereabouts where he sends his henchman Virgil to track them down. After Virgil confronts Alabama about where the drugs are, the two get into a fight where Clarence realizes the trouble they’re facing.
Even worse is that Blitzer got arrested for speeding and possession where he makes a deal with two detectives in Nicholson (Tom Sizemore) and Dimes (Chris Penn) about the drug deal. Just as Clarence and Alabama are to set to make their deal with Donowitz, both the police and the mob come in leading to a bloody standoff.
The film is essentially a love story between an Elvis-obsessed film buff who also loves comic books and a call girl who also shares his passion for kung fu movies where they get a suitcase of cocaine and hope to sell it big to start a life of their own. Yet, it would eventually lead to all sorts of trouble when the stolen suitcase of cocaine really belonged to the mafia as they go on the search for this couple while a couple of crooked detectives would eventually get involved in this shady deal. It’s a film that blends all sorts of genres where it’s a crime film, a love story, and has a bit of humor where it features an element of fantasy. A lot of it is told from the perspective of this call girl who has big dreams for something good to come into her life.
Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay, with contributions from Roger Avary, is definitely filled with a lot of his trademarks in terms of pop culture references, witty dialogue, and graphic depiction of violence. Yet, he is focused solely on these two very unique people in Clarence and Alabama as they’re just this young couple who are in love with each other and want something that can be theirs. Clarence is a guy who loves Elvis Presley, movies, comic books, and burgers while Alabama is just a girl who wants to have fun and eat a pie after seeing a movie. Neither of them really know about how to deal drugs or know anything about the criminal underworld as all they want is some money and get out of the way. Still, complications would arise due to the fact that the man Clarence kills is really an associate of the mafia led by this sadistic man who is really a quiet yet no holds barred kind of man.
One aspect of the script that is noticeable is its schematic of sorts as the story is definitely similar to Terrence Malick’s 1973 debut film Badlands which is about two lovers going on a road trip during a killing spree that was largely inspired by the Starkweather-Fugate killings of the late 1950s. Though Clarence and Alabama aren’t killers, they do kill a few people who are essentially bad people. One notable scene is Alabama’s fight with Virgil as Virgil has this great monologue about what happens when one kills someone for the very first time. It’s part of the atmosphere that Tarantino writes with his dialogue that includes that very intense yet chilling meeting between Coccotti and Clifford Worley that is truly one of the greatest exchanges in film.
Tony Scott’s direction is purely thrilling in the way he creates the film’s intense moments of violence as well as some of its non-violent moments where he manages to keep the love story just as interesting. Scott does infuse a lot of footage from other films in the background to showcase this unique world where Clarence and Alabama will watch any kind of movie to establish who they are as he also finds a way to create unique shots of this relationship. Particularly in the scenes set in Detroit such as Clarence and Alabama’s visit to see Clarence’s dad where Scott isn’t afraid to put some light humor into the scene. Scott would also use these moments to let the story take a break from the dark moments of violence to ensure that it’s still a love story at heart.
In the film’s more intense moments, the violence is definitely stylized but also has an air of brutality. The famed Coccotti and Clifford Worley scene is presented with an intimacy and an air of suspense that is unsettling where both men try to push each other’s buttons in these very quiet exchanges. It’s among one of Scott’s greatest moments as a filmmaker as is the Alabama-Virgil fight where the violence is definitely visceral in the way it’s edited and presented. It’s no holds barred as there’s also an element of dark humor to keep things more intense where its climax is bloody in its emotional impact. The comes the climatic showdown where although its presentation is definitely more Tarantino, Scott does manage to keep his own approach by displaying the operatic cascade of violence. Overall, Tony Scott creates a dazzling yet stylish film that explores true love at its most craziest that is armed by Quentin Tarantino’s powerful screenplay.
Cinematographer Jeffrey L. Kimball does excellent work with the film‘s stylized photography from the grayish look of the Detroit locations to some colorful shots of its interiors as well as the more vibrant look of the Californian exteriors with its sunlight as well as the lighting schemes in the film‘s climatic standoff. Editors Michael Tronick and Christian Wagner do amazing work with the editing by utilizing stylish cuts for the film’s frenetic rollercoaster scenes along with some of it’s violent moments to slower, methodical cuts in the film’s romantic moments. Production designer Benjamin Fernandez, along with set decorator Thomas L. Roysden and art director James J. Murakami, does superb work with the set pieces from the honeymoon room that Clarence and Alabama stay at to the hotel suite that Donowitz lives in.
Costume designer Susan Becker does terrific work with the costumes from the outfits that Alabama wear to the more Elvis-inspired clothing that Clarence wears. Makeup artist Ellen Wong does nice work with the look of Drexl with his scar and eye. Sound editor Robert G. Henderson does wonderful work with the sound from the atmosphere of Clarence‘s meeting with Donowitz to the more intense moments in the film‘s violent scenes. The film’s music by Hans Zimmer is brilliant for its vibraphone driven score which is directly inspired by Carl Orff‘s Gaussenhauer theme which was the music used in Terrence Malick‘s Badlands. Music supervisor Maureen Crowe creates a fantastic soundtrack that features a wide range of music from acts like Aerosmith, Soundgarden, Charlie Sexton, Jon Waite, Billy Idol, the Skinny Boys, Shelby Lynne, the Big Bopper, the Shirelles, Robert Palmer, and Chris Isaak..
The casting by Risa Bramon Garcia and Billy Hopkins is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Eric Allan Kramer as Donowitz’s bodyguard Boris, Paul Bates as Drexl’s associate Marty, Maria Pitillo as Elliot’s date, Ed Lauter as Nicholson and Dimes’ superior, Anna Levine as a woman Clarence talks to in the film’s opening scene, and Conchata Ferrell as a casting director Dick auditions for. Other memorable small roles includes Samuel L. Jackson as a criminal Drexl cheats in Big Don, Val Kilmer as Clarence’s imaginary mentor in the form of Elvis, and Brad Pitt in a hilarious performance as Dick’s stoner friend Floyd. Gary Oldman is great as the white Rastafarian pimp Drexl while James Gandolfini is superb as the vicious henchman Virgil.
Chris Penn and Tom Sizemore are amazing in their respective roles as determined detectives Dimes and Nicholson while Saul Rubinek is excellent as the charismatic film producer Lee Donowitz. Bronson Pinchot is very good as the reluctant Elliot Blitzer while Michael Rapaport is terrific as the reluctant but more willing friend Dick. Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken are outstanding in their respective roles as Clifford Worley and Vincenzo Coccotti where their scene together is truly a master class in the art of acting.
Patricia Arquette is brilliant as Alabama as a woman who is truly a call girl with a good heart and is full of joy but also someone who isn’t afraid to throw down. Christian Slater is fantastic as Clarence Worley with his charismatic persona and being engaging in conversations while also isn’t afraid to do what’s right. Slater and Arquette are the heart and soul of the film as they radiate chemistry while providing every moment for the audience to care about them.
True Romance is an incredible film from Tony Scott and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino. Armed with amazing dialogue, brutal violence, a wonderful soundtrack, and a great cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. The film is truly one of the most exciting and entertaining films of the 1990s. Not only is the film one of Tony Scott’s great films but also one of Quentin Tarantino’s great work where both men display their talents in this film. In the end, True Romance is an ass-kicking and thrilling film from Tony Scott and Quentin Tarantino.
Tony Scott Films: (One of the Missing) - (Loving Memory) - The Hunger - (Top Gun) - (Beverly Hills Cop II) - (Revenge) - (Days of Thunder) - (The Last Boy Scout) - (Crimson Tide) - (The Fan) - (Enemy of the State) - (Spy Game) - (Man on Fire) - (Domino) - (Déjà Vu) - (The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009 film)) - (Unstoppable)
© thevoid99 2012
