Room (2015 film)

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue that is based on her novel, Room is the story of a young woman and her son who had been captives of a man where they lived in a single room for years until their years of captivity ends where they struggle to return to society. The film explores the bond between a mother and child as they endure life in captivity where they use their imagination to not think about the severity of their situation. Starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Joan Allen, and William H. Macy. Room is an enchanting and heartfelt film from Lenny Abrahamson.

For seven years, a young woman had been held captive inside a garden shed by a man who kidnapped her as she is raising her five-year old son where they plot to find a way to escape. It’s a film that plays into a mother and child dealing with a world that only the child knows inside this little garden shed he calls room but also wondering what is out there forcing his mother to tell him fantasies to shield him from what is really happening. Yet, the severity of their situation which includes their captor’s lack of funds and carelessness would force them to do something but the bigger challenge would come after they escape from their sheltered environment.

Emma Donoghue’s screenplay does have a unique structure where much of its first act revolves around life in this little garden shed where Joy (Brie Larson) and her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) live in this world where they would eat whatever they have and live in a place where not everything is working. For Jack, it’s all he knows while Joy copes with the fact that she could only get things to her if she allows her captor to have sex with her with Jack only hearing the activity in the wardrobe. With the situation becoming dire due to the captor‘s money troubles, Joy realizes that something must be done where Jacob would have to make an escape for the both of them. Once the film moves into its second act and third act where Joy and Jack are back in the real world, the real struggle occurs as Joy is forced to deal with a world that has changed.

Even as she becomes concerned for Jack’s well-being and how he would interact with the new world as well as with people he doesn’t know like his grandparents (Joan Allen and William H. Macy). The script also delves into the aftermath of not just Jack dealing with his new surroundings but Joy succumbing into the trauma of what she had experienced under captivity. Especially with the realities of what happened to her family as her mother lives with a new boyfriend named Leo (Tom McCamus) where the two would provide a helpful platform for Jack to have a normal childhood. The film’s third act doesn’t just play more into Joy’s struggle and Jack’s slow progression into the real world but also the bond between mother and child.

Lenny Abrahamson’s direction is entrancing not just for the intimacy that he creates but also in the way he uses space and the lack of it inside this tiny shed. Abrahamson’s usage of close-ups and medium shots help play into the intimacy of the room which is a character itself with its decayed toilet, old bed, stained wardrobe, an old bathtub, and a toaster oven that doesn’t work all the time. The way Abrahamson uses close-ups for the characters don’t just play into this bond between mother and son but also in what they must endure. Even as the sound would play into the presence of their captor who is heard before he’s even seen. Once the film moves into its second act in the aftermath of the Joy and Jack’s freedom, the usage of the wide shots become prominent but there are still elements of close-ups and medium shots to play into their new surroundings. The shots of the cities and suburbs help with the sudden sense of shock the two have where it feels very otherworldly. Since the shed they live only has a window on its roof, it does come as a sense of shock once the characters be part of the world of the city and suburbia.

While Jack obviously has no idea what he’s encountering, Abrahamson does take great care into making his interaction with the new world be handled slowly. Even in a scene where he wakes up one morning where he meets with Leo who decides to playful about eating breakfast that becomes a key moment for Jack to interact with someone other than his mother. It’s among the moments that is quite touching while there is some heavy drama that relates to Joy’s own struggles to reacquaint herself with the world forcing the bond between mother and son to be more important than ever. Overall, Abrahamson creates a powerful and evocative film about a mother son and dealing with being sheltered from the world from an evil captor.

Cinematographer Danny Cohen does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography to play up the low-key lighting and intimacy for the scenes set inside the room while displaying brighter lighting schemes and textures for the interior/exterior scenes in the second and third act. Editor Nathan Nugent does amazing work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion, and montage-style cuts to play into the dramatic elements of the film. Production designer Ethan Tobman, with set decorator Mary Kirkland and art director Michelle Lannon, does fantastic work with the design of the room with great attention to detail from the look of the appliances and the rug which is sharp contrast to the more spacious world where Joy used to live.

Costume designer Lea Carlson does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual from the decayed and sort of de-colored clothes that Joy and Jack wear early in the film to the newer and cleaner clothes they would wear following their escape. Visual effects supervisor Ed Bruce does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects as it relate to a few of the exterior settings in the film including bits of the city the characters live at. Sound editor Niall Bradley and sound designer Steve Fanagan do excellent work with the sound to help create a sense of dread in scenes where Joy‘s captor starts to come in along with a few things inside the room as it plays into the tense atmosphere of where they live. The film’s music by Stephen Rennicks does wonderful work with the film’s music as it’s mostly plaintive piano pieces with elements of folk and low-key orchestral pieces that play into the drama while its music soundtrack features most ambient and post-rock pieces.

The casting by Robin D. Cook and Fiona Weir is incredible as it features some notable small roles Amanda Brugel and Joe Pingue as a couple of police officers who would find Jack in his escape, Wendy Crewson as a TV talk show host who interviews Joy in the film’s second half, and Cas Anvar as the psychologist Dr. Mittal who watches over Jack’s progress into society. William H. Macy is superb as Joy’s father Robert as a man who tries to handle all of the legal things relating to the case but has trouble dealing with the presence of his grandson. Tom McCamus is fantastic as Joy’s mother’s boyfriend Leo who slowly bonds with Jack as he finds a way to connect with him while being the male figure the boy can turn to. Sean Bridgers is excellent as the captor known as Old Nick as a man who is very creepy and determined to keep Joy and Jack in captivity where he has the code to get in and get out of the shed while being quite abusive at times towards Joy.

Joan Allen is brilliant as Joy’s mother Nancy who becomes concerned for her daughter’s well-being and behavior in the aftermath of her return while slowly connecting with Jack in unexpected ways. Jacob Tremblay is phenomenal as Jack as a young boy who has been sheltered for much of his life as he is someone with an absolute sense of imagination and an innocence that is just engaging as it’s really an unforgettable performance. Finally, there’s Brie Larson in a magnificent performance as Joy Newsome as a young woman who was kidnapped by a man when she was 17 as she copes with not just being in captivity but also raising her son where she later has trouble adjusting to returning to society and the changes in the world as it’s Larson in one of her best performances to date.

Room is an outstanding film from Lenny Abrahamson that features great performances from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. Along with a strong supporting cast and a gripping story of a mother’s bond with her son in captivity. It’s a film that manages to be a lot of things and more where it isn’t afraid to have a bit of fantasy while being grounded in the harsh world of reality. In the end, Room is a spectacular film from Lenny Abrahamson.

Lenny Abrahamson Films: (Adam & Paul) - (Garage (2007 film)) - (What Richard Did) - Frank

© thevoid99 2015

Magnolia

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/8/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Magnolia is a multi-layered story that chronicles a day in the life of various people in Los Angeles. Among them is a loser salesman, a cop, a gold-digging wife who realizes her love for her husband while his estranged son is a conflicted self-help guru. Other stories include a child in a game show while its host is dealing with personal problems that include his daughter's self-destructive behavior. The film explores the world of coincidences, chance, redemption, and failure that connects these characters in this very fascinating drama. With an all-star cast that includes P.T. Anderson regulars like Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Melora Walters, William H. Macy, Luis Guzman, and Alfred Molina plus Jason Robards, Felicity Huffman, Melinda Dillon, Michael Bowen, April Grace, Michael Murphy, Jeremy Blackman, and Tom Cruise. Magnolia is an ambitious yet engrossing drama from P.T. Anderson.

Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall) is a TV game show host who is about to reach 12,000 hours of broadcasting while his daughter Claudia (Melora Walters) is binging on sex and drugs in another part of Los Angeles. Set to be on Gator's TV show is a kid named Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman) who is intent to study while his father Rick (Michael Bowen) is doing auditions. A man named Donnie Smith (William H. Macy) is about to get corrective teeth surgery as he reflects on his time back in 1968 when he won Gator's show back in 1968 at the age of 10. Meanwhile, Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) is dying as he's in the care of nurse named Phil (Philip Seymour Hoffman) while Earl's wife Linda (Julianne Moore) run errands. Jim (John C. Reilly) is a police officer whose day starts off strange due to a disturbance by a woman named Marcie (Cleo King) over a dead body as he later meets a young rapping boy named Dixon (Emmanuel Johnson).

With Earl on his deathbed, he ponders about his life as he asks Phil to find his estranged son Frank (Tom Cruise), who has re-invented himself as seminar guru Frank T.J. Mackey as he's being interviewed by a reporter named Gwenovier (April Grace). Jimmy makes an unexpected visit to Claudia's apartment to reveal some startling news as the meeting doesn't go well as he hoped to be as he later calls his wife Rose (Melinda Dillon) about what happened. Claudia would react badly to the news as she causes a disturbance where she attracts the attention of Jim as the two fall for each other where they later see each other for a date. After visiting a doctor and her lawyer Alan Kligman Esq., Linda would make a confession of her own as she asks to be removed from Earl's will. After being fired by his boss Solomon (Alfred Molina) over lateness and incompetence, Donnie goes to a bar to cope with failure where he reveals some stories of his own as he tries to profess his love to the bartender Brad (Craig Kvinsland) while talking to a man named Thurston Howell (Henry Gibson).

Later that night on Jimmy's show, Stanley shows up to the studio nearly late as he gets ready to play the game. Yet, Jimmy starts to feel sick during the show while Stanley also succumbs to pressure leaving the show in trouble. Frank's meeting with Gwenovier starts off fine until she starts to press questions about his past as he gets a call from his assistant about Phil. Frank reluctantly talks to Phil as he hears the news while Linda comes home to learn that Phil contacted Frank. Just before his date with Claudia, Jim has a run-in with a supposed killer as he loses his gun as it would be a horrible moment for him as he later talks to Claudia about it during their date. After the show, Jimmy makes a confession to rose about a dark family secret while Donnie decides to do something about his job as everyone starts to face their own conscious in one big moment.

While the film and its overlapping storylines might include many influences from Robert Altman, P.T. Anderson definitely goes for that style to bring something that is very ambitious while using that to make a film about one simple theme, love. Some might call this an existential film of sorts or a psychological drama or an epic drama or anything yet it's definitely one of the most original films of the decade. Particularly the way the film carries so many stories without losing track of its theme and major characters. Every character in that film is connected to another, one way or later on.

What makes the film so interesting is its epic-length structure where none of the subplots lose itself or becomes a distraction. Anderson carefully constructs each scene and each act into what the film's theme is about. The first six minutes has an eerie prologue that returns later on in the third act with a narrator (the voice of Ricky Jay) talking about coincidences. Then, eight minutes go by into the first act where Anderson introduces all of the major characters in the film. The first act is really about all of those characters, their troubles, and what kind of people they are. The second act is them exposing themselves, trying to hide from reality or deal with simple problems like Stanley wanting to go to the bathroom or Phil trying to reach Frank. The dialogue throughout the film, though stylized is very real once it comes to an emotional breaking point which leads to the film's third act.

The third act of the film is those characters dealing with confrontation, guilt, failure, and desperation while the emotions and situations become more complex. With the rain being a part of the second act of the film, the rain dies down and we see every character stripped-down to their real selves no matter what the audience thinks of them, it's the payoff that matters in the end. This would lead to one of these moments that can be described as What the fuck? There, the film shifts into something that is really mind boggling and then talking about it afterwards into an understanding, particularly with the film's prologue.

If Anderson's ambitions as a writer reaches new heights, so does his directing as he continues to create long, running steadicam shots that would go on for a few minutes in one take. His presentation is very linear though it shifts back and forth into one story and into another where in the second act, it creates all sorts of tension that definitely sets up a classic moment in terms of its emotions. Even in the some scenes, he creates tense atmosphere for the characters that would lead to them reaching some emotional breaking point. It's some of the finest directing that has been captured onto a film.

Helping Anderson in his vision is longtime cinematographer Robert Elswit. Elswit's cinematography is filled with amazing lighting, notably in the exterior night sequences that is filled with a lot of atmosphere with a bit of grainy yet dreamy imagery that complements Los Angeles in its beauty. In interior scenes, the film is well-lit which helps create the tension of the film. Editor Dylan Tichenor helps create the multiple storyline of Anderson's script, notably the second act where the film is cut very swiftly but is given enough time for each character to tell their story. Production designers William Arnold and Mark Bridges help create atmosphere in the film's look including the bar scene that is filled with an intimacy and tension to the film. Mark Bridges also brings in some great costume, notably the loser clothing for William H. Macy, and the posh clothing of Julianne Moore.

The film's soundtrack even helps to tell the story whether its Emmanuel Johnson rapping or Gabrielle playing in Donnie Smith's car. Even Supertramp appears in a couple of songs in the bar that Donnie goes to. Yet the score is dominated by the score of Jon Brion that brings a lot of atmosphere and tension to the film with additional contributions from P.T. Anderson's then-girlfriend Fiona Apple who adds a lot of piano flourishes to Brion's score. Then there's the music of Aimee Mann who dominates many of the film's music including a cover of Harry Nilsson's One as well as a few cuts including the Oscar-nominated Save Me and the song Wise Up where each major character gets to sing a verse in one of the film's most emotional scene.

Then there's the film's amazingly glorious ensemble cast that includes great small performances from Anderson regulars like Luis Guzman, Alfred Molina, and Ricky Jay who also does a fine job in the narration of the prologue. Also noted for small performances are the kids Emmanuel Johnson, Natalie Marston and Bobby Brewer as Stanley's partners in the game, plus pre-Desperate Housewife maiden Felicity Huffman in a small role as a production assistant, Henry Gibson as a rival for Donnie for the affections of a bartender, Michael Bowen as Stanley's greedy father, and Michael Murphy as Linda's attorney. In smaller but very important roles, April Grace does an excellent job in her performance as Frank Mackey's interviewer who doesn't get herself intimidated by Mackey's presence. Cleo King is also wonderful as Marcie, the woman who is suspected of a murder in the film's first major scene. Melinda Dillon is amazing as Jimmy Gator's wife who has her moment in the scene when Jimmy confesses about his secrets as she brings her best dramatic moment.

Phillip Baker Hall gives a great performance as the dying, regret-filled Jimmy Gator who starts off with an iconic status but his exterior is stripped down as Hall brings a performance that is nothing short of brilliance. Another veteran actor who shines in one of his final performances is Jason Robards as the dying Earl Partridge who is filled with regret and anger in a way that only Robards can do as he gives a performance that goes out in a graceful, masterful way. Melora Walters is also excellent as the troubled, lonely Claudia with her desire to self-destruct and not be with anyone until John C. Reilly comes and gives her a bit of hope as Walters shines in her performance. Reilly is also amazing as the lonely cop Jim who tries to do the right thing but one mental mistake brings him to an emotional breakdown as he leans to Claudia for support. William H. Macy gives another great performance in playing another loser as Macy brings a lot of angst and heartbreak into his performance as a lonely man who is filled with a lot of conflict and his desire to bring love.

Jeremy Blackman gives a riveting performance as Stanley who is smart but once the pressure to continue comes in, all he wants to do is go to the bathroom. Blackman brings a lot of sympathy and angst to his role as a kid whose simple desire is ignored as he realizes that he's become a puppet of sorts with only one man sympathizing with him. Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives a great supporting performance as Phil who nurses Earl and is always at his side. Hoffman has great scenes with Robards as he desperately takes care of him, no matter how bad he is as Hoffman brings a character who doesn't go into a change but it's his heart and role that shows a true example of a true supporting character.

Julianne Moore gives another amazing performance in a P.T. Anderson film as a guilt-ridden woman who is desperately realizing her sins. Moore brings a lot of theatrics to her role as well as a lot of emotions as she plays a character whose actions are unforgivable as she asks to be punished for her sins. It's truly one of her more remarkable performances that leads to a troubling aftermath as Moore's desperation truly gives her character something that she really needed in the film's theme. Tom Cruise gives one of the best performances of his career as Frank T.J. Mackey. Cruise early brings in a lot of intensity with a winning personality and presence with one great line. "Respect the cock and tame the cunt!" Cruise goes for intimidation and fire early on but once his true character is revealed, he brings a lot of restraint to his role until the third act when he gives out some great, fiery emotions in his scene with Jason Robards.

Magnolia is a sprawling yet magnificent film from Paul Thomas Anderson. Armed with an outstanding ensemble cast, great technical work, and a captivating story, the film is definitely unlike anything out there in terms of the themes it presents and what it wanted to say. It's a very smart and ambitious ensemble-driven film with multiple storylines that manages to not lose sight of what it wants to say while giving characters that audiences can be engaged by. In the end, Magnolia is a phenomenal film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

Paul Thomas Anderson Films: Sydney/Hard Eight - Boogie Nights - Punch-Drunk Love - There Will Be Blood - The Master - Inherent Vice - Junun - Phantom Thread - Licorice Pizza - One Battle After Another

The Short Films & Videos of P.T. Anderson - The Auteurs #15: Paul Thomas Anderson

© thevoid99 2012

Fargo

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/18/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Supposedly based on a true story, Fargo is set in a snowy little town called in Minnesota in 1987. A desperate car salesman's wife is kidnapped by a couple of men hired by her husband so he can get a hefty ransom from her father. Investigating a series of murders that are linked to the kidnapping is a pregnant, witty police chief from that small town. Written, produced, and directed by Joel Ethan Coen, Fargo is a witty, violent, quirky crime film that has all the ingredients into what makes the Coen Bros. one of the finest duos in cinema. Starring Joel Coen's wife and regular Frances McDormand plus longtime collaborator Steve Buscemi along with William H. Macy, Peter Stormare, John Carroll Lynch, Kristin Rudrud, Harve Presnell, Larry Brandenburg, and Steve Park. Fargo is a wonderful black comedy from the Coen Brothers.

Car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) drives to a small town in Fargo, North Dakota from Minneapolis to meet a couple of criminals named Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and the more quiet Gaesar Grimsrud (Peter Stormare) through Jerry's mechanic friend Shep Proudfoot (Steve Revis). Unable to obtain loands from his father-in-law Wade (Harve Presnell), Jerry hires Carl and Gaesar to kidnap his wife Jean (Kristin Rudrud) for a hefty ransom they split as Jerry also loans them a car. After returning home to eat dinner with Wade, Jean, and his son Scotty (Tony Denman), Jerry learns he could get a loan from Wade as he tries to talk to Shep to cancel the plans. Instead, Carl and Gaesar kidnap Jean as Jerry learns what had just happened as Carl contacts Carl telling him that he'll talk to him when he has the money.

After killing a highway patrol officer (James Gaulke) and a couple of witnesses on their way to their hideout and later stopping at a motel to have sex with a couple of hookers (Larissa Kokernot and Melissa Peterman),Carl and Gaesar arrive at their place. Meanwhile, the murders that Carl and Gaesar have done is investigated by a 7-month pregnant police chief named Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) as she is joined by her partner Lou (Bruce Bohne). Hearing about a car with unmarked license plates and believing they were from out of town, Marge leads the investigation while getting help from her husband Norman (John Carroll Lynch) to bring her food. After interrogating the hookers and talking to another officer named Olsen (Cliff Rakerd), Marge goes to Minneapolis to meet with Jerry about the stolen car which he claims to know nothing about as he later talks to Carl who decides to go to Minneapolis to get the money.

While staying at Minneapolis, Marge meets up with an old school friend in Mike Yanagita (Steve Parks) as the two reminisce old times as Mike is going through hard times. Also in Minneapolis is Carl who goes out with a hooker (Michelle Hutchison) at a Jose Felicano concert where things later go bad because of Shep who finds himself in trouble. Carl calls Jerry for the money drop as Wade decides to get involved while Marge's meeting with Mike has her raising more suspicions towards Jerry. Notably as things come to ahead for this simple yet well-meaning police chief who tries to come to terms with everything that has happened.

In a lot of ways, Fargo has all the elements that is needed in a true story from the Coen Brothers. Take the noir-style of Blood Simple, the eccentric comedy of Raising Arizona, the fast-talking dialogue and violent tone of Miller's Crossing, and the intense emotions of Barton Fink all into a mix and you get Fargo. The genius of the film really belongs to the Coen Brothers by creating a black comedy that is filled with a lot of intensity in terms of its emotions and situations along with morals. The film has a structure where it builds up to what is going to happen but it's really about is the results. The first act is Lundegaard talking to Carl and Gaear about the kidnaping and the act of it. The second act is Marge investigating the murders and what is going. Then there's the third act where everything comes to place in a classic film-noir set-up but its aftermath is filled with not just tragedy but a situation where no one really gains anything as Marge tries to come to terms in what it's all about.

The way the film is written is a genius into what Joel and Ethan Coen can do since they create situations that are very dark or areas where it can be pretty funny. The dialogue of the film definitely feels authentic since they're setting it in North-Midwest where everything has a bit of Scandinavian dialogue with people saying Ja. The area gives the film an eccentric feel with some great humor, even in the strangest of situations. The film's violence in comparison to other films at that time is a lot more brutal. Though not as bloody as the films of Quentin Tarantino or his imitators but the action and level of it is enough to make people feel queasy. It's a part of the genius in the Coen Brothers in terms of what they can do as storytellers.

Joel Coen's directing also leans into that classic film-noir style of slow close-ups and dark atmosphere, especially when the film reaches a dramatic intensity. The film also has that genre of caper films, which was becoming very popular at that time with Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket, but it's done in a dark, comic way that only the Coen Brothers could do. A lot of the film's comedy feels natural and even in their improvisation approach. Everything that Joel and Ethan do in the directing is filled with not just great camera angles shots but scenes that tells something, even through smaller characters as they fill in each clue to a mystery and what happens as the suspense builds up into a classic crescendo. It's truly a remarkable form of what directing is.

If Joel does most of the directing and Ethan does a lot in the producing situation, then there's their approach to editing in their alias of Roderick Jaynes. With Ethan's wife Tricia Cooke helping along, the film has a nice, leisurely paced feel with a very idiosyncratic structure in its 100-minute running time. The way the film is cut with a nice, stylized approach to editing, especially in moments where they show things that are happening but doesn't necessarily show the action itself. Helping Joel Coen in capturing his dark vision is their longtime cinematographer Roger Deakins who creates a wonderful epic, noir-style of photography from the night-time scene of Brainerd with Paul Bunyan statue to the snowy scenes where the snow serves as the light. Deakins' photography is brilliant in its mood and how it gives the film a sense of doom and relief.

The film's production designer Rich Heinrichs brings in a natural look to the homes and offices of the film's interior while Coen Brothers' longtime costume designer Mary Zophres brings in some realistic design to the winter clothing of the characters. Longtime sound editor Skip Lievsay and sound designer Allan Byer help create the dark, atmosphere of the film's exterior scenes with its natural sound of snow and winds. Finally, there's the dramatic, epic score of longtime Coen Bros. composer Carter Burwell who brings in huge arrangements and orchestral tones for the film's noir style and a wave of melancholia in the film's more dramatic moments as Burwell brings in one of his best film scores.

Finally, there's the film's cast that includes several quirky small characters whether its regular folk or anyone of the smaller supporting characters in the film. Everyone in that movie stands out with great, funny performances from Larry Brandenburg as Wade's business partner, Larissa Kokernot and Melissa Peterman as the hookers who are interrogated, Bruce Bohne and Cliff Rakerd as Marge's fellow policemen, and Tony Denman as Jerry's anguished son. Steve Parks gives a funny yet eerie performance as an old school friend of Marge who is hurt by loneliness that really is a much bigger role than it is in terms of the film's story. John Carroll Lynch is also excellent in his role as the loyal, loving Norm who does everything to take care fo his pregnant wife. Steve Reevis also stands out as the big Indian Shep who goes nuts when a caper plan falls apart.

Kristin Rudrud is wonderfully funny in her role as the victim with her physical comedic performance while in other scenes, she presents herself in a nice, innocent way as a loving mother/wife. Harve Presnell is also great in his role as the angry, opportunistic Wade who is kind of a bully but for all the right reasons as he desperately tries to save his daughter but is not merely a good man since he too is filled with greed. Peter Stormare is amazing as the quiet but chilling Gaear where when he's quiet, he's really dangerous while giving out some hilarious moments in doing nothing as Stormare shines in one of his greatest performances. Steve Buscemi is also funny as the talkative, opportunistic Carl Showalter with his role in being the leader of the plans while wanting to have a good time only to get into some trouble. Buscemi brings in the same kind of humor and attitude to the performance we often expect from him.

William H. Macy gives a classic performance in one of his finest of loser roles that he's been known for playing. In Jerry Lundegaard, he plays a desperate loser who often gets bullied on a bit at work and from his father-in-law and mindlessly plans a prank. Macy brings in a lot of torment, insecurity, and humor into the character while knowing that he's not a good guy but he's not a bad guy either. Macy gives an amazing performance as a fool who loses sight of what's important.

Frances McDormand delivers an amazing performance as the smart, simple-hearted woman Marge Gunderson. McDormand shines above all others with her funny dialogue and accent while reminding her fellow cops about their abilities while not trying to be better than them. McDormand brings in a lot of humor to her dialogue while as a cop, doing the right thing and slowly finding clues without second-guessing. There's an intelligence and heart that lies in Marge Gunderson and McDormand hits all the right notes, especially when she meets an old friend that gives her a clue into what is going on. In the scene where Marge looks around Jerry's desk, McDormand gives her best moments where she looks around trying to figure something out as she confirms her suspicions. When the film nears its ending, McDormand reminds the film's audience and a character about the sins that is committed in the film. It's truly remarkable in a performance that everyone can relate to.

Fans of the Coen Brothers will no doubt regard Fargo as one of their best films led by a great performance from Frances McDormand and wonderful supporting performances from William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, and Peter Stormare. Anyone who has a knack for caper films, black comedy, and noir-touches will love this film immediately. This is truly one of the greatest films of the 1990s and also, of all-time. Anyone who loves the early Coen Brothers films will indeed find a lot of references and techniques that is brought to a film so highly original as Fargo did.

Coen Brothers Films: Blood Simple - Raising Arizona - Miller's Crossing - Barton Fink - The Hudsucker Proxy - The Big Lebowski - O Brother, Where Art Thou - The Man Who Wasn’t There - Intolerable Cruelty - The Ladykillers (2004 film) - Paris Je T'aime-Tuileries - To Each His Own Cinema-World Cinema - No Country for Old Men - Burn After Reading - A Serious Man - True Grit (2010 film) - Inside Llewyn Davis - Hail, Caesar! - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Auteurs #9: The Coen Brothers Pt. 1 - The Auteurs #9: The Coen Brothers Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2012

Thank You for Smoking

Based on the novel by Christopher Buckley, Thank You for Smoking is the story of a tobacco spokesman who tries to help sell cigarettes while trying to be a good father to his 12-year old son. Written for the screen and directed by Jason Reitman, the film explores the world of the tobacco industry and its tactics in the form of a black comedy. Starring Aaron Eckhart, Cameron Bright, Katie Holmes, Maria Bello, Rob Lowe, Adam Brody, David Koechner, William H. Macy, Sam Elliot, J.K. Simmons, and Robert Duvall. Thank You for Smoking is a witty feature-film debut from Jason Reitman.

Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is a tobacco lobbyist whose job is to speak for tobacco companies as they’re often under target for giving its customers lung cancers and other diseases. Naylor manages to win people over by talking about the good that tobacco does as he’s the darling of the tobacco company while his best friends are also lobbyists in firearms spokesman Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner) and alcohol spokeswoman Polly Bailey (Maria Bello). Naylor’s success at a talk show against anti-tobacco groups has gained the attention of the legendary tobacco company head the Captain (Robert Duvall) over Naylor’s idea to spend $50 million for an anti-teen smoking campaign that would give teenagers the choice to smoke.

While Nick is also a good father to his son Joey (Cameron Bright) whom he takes to on a trip to California to meet with film producer Jeff Megall (Rob Lowe). Nick would also meet Washington news reporter Heather Holloway (Katie Holmes) for a profile on him as the two have an affair. During Nick’s trip with Joey in California, the Captain asks Nick to do a job for him in which he is to give money for former Marlboro Man figure Lorne Lutch (Sam Elliot) where Joey watches putting Nick in an uncomfortable position. Nick’s career is suddenly shaken by a kidnapping attempt on him that left him unable to smoke again while Heather’s article does more damage to his reputation. With Nick’s boss BR (J.K. Simmons) doing damage control and Nick in trouble, he gets some surprising help as he faces off against the anti-tobacco campaign leader Senator Finistirre (William H. Macy) in front of Congress.

The film is about a lobbyist who tries to be a good role model to his own son while selling tobacco to the public. While he knows that he’s selling a product that is harmful but he doesn’t apologize for it nor force people to go buy it. He’s part of a group of people whom he’s comfortable with and often talks his way into getting people to sway his way for the good of the people he’s working for. Yet, he would face things that would put him in an uncomfortable position as he has to bribe a former tobacco spokesman to stop from talking while he’s also being seduced by a reporter with ambitions of her own.

Jason Reitman creates a script that is essentially a character study of a lobbyist’s life and the product he’s supporting as he has people trying to stop tobacco. It’s also a classic rise and fall tale of sorts though it’s third act would have Nick Naylor finding a way to redeem himself. While the characters that Nick meets are essentially characters that represent some form of caricature in a film that is partially a satire. Yet, the whole film is told through Naylor’s perspective as he narrates what he does and the tribulations he faces as he’s just trying to do what he thinks is right. While there’s parts of the script that doesn’t work such as Naylor’s son Joey and a kidnapping subplot. Reitman does create a solid and engaging story.

Reitman’s direction is quite fluid in the way he presents the film with lots of style such as a montage of Naylor and his son arriving to Los Angeles shot in super 8 film stock. Other scenes such as Naylor’s monologue about what he does and how he believes he’s contributing to society where Reitman has Naylor hitting a home run. Reitman creates lots of intimate scenes with compositions where he always have more than one person in a frame or is shooting from afar. Yet, he also knows who to aim for during such big scenes while shooting from a certain perspective. Overall, Reitman creates a film that is very intriguing as well as entertaining.

Cinematographer James Whitaker does a superb job with the film‘s sepia-laden cinematography to complement a stylish look from the restaurant that Nick eats at to the Californian exteriors to emphasize the world Nick hoped to conquer. Editor Dana E. Glauberman does a nice job with the editing in creating Nick and Joey’s California montage to a few jump-cut and stylish cuts in scenes where Nick talks about the people he works and hangs out with.

Production designer Steve Sakland and set decorator Kurt Meisenbach do some fine work with the set pieces created such as Jeff Megall‘s Asian-inspired office and Nick‘s own apartment. Costume designer Danny Glicker does a very good job with the costumes created such as the suits that the men wear to the business-like wardrobe the women wear. Sound editors Perry Robertson and Scott Sanders do fantastic work with the sound work to capture the atmosphere of the Congressional hearing to the intimate scenes of the restaurant that Nick eats at.

The film’s score by Rolfe Kent is wonderful as it features playful jazz and blues-style music to complement its sense of humor along with more intense orchestral pieces for its dramatic moments. Music supervisors Peter Afterman and Margaret Yen do some terrific work with the soundtrack that features a wide array of music from blues, country, and pop to play the whimsical tone of the film.

The casting by Mindy Marin is brilliant for the ensemble cast that is created which includes notable appearances from Adam Brody as Jeff’s hyperactive assistant, Kim Dickens as Nick’s ex-wife Jill, Daniel Travis as Jill’s boyfriend, Connie Ray as Lorne’s wife, talk show host Joan Lunden as herself, Todd Luiso as an anti-tobacco protester, Marianne Muellerleile as Joey’s teacher, and Rob Lowe as the very funny and eccentric Hollywood producer Jeff Megall. Robert Duvall is excellent as the wise tobacco legend the Captain while Sam Elliot is wonderful as the bitter Lorne Lutch. J.K. Simmons is superb as Nick’s devious boss BR who tries to use Nick for his own gain while making himself look good for the tobacco company. William M. Macy is terrific as Nick’s nemesis in Senator Finistirre who tries to outwit Nick in a war of words in his quest to ban tobacco.

David Koechner and Maria Bello are very good in small but funny roles as Nick’s lobbyists friends with Koechner as the more wilder person of the two with Bello as the reasonable one. The weak links in the cast are Cameron Bright and Katie Holmes as Bright doesn’t really display much of a personality to his character despite some of the good one-liners he has in the role of Nick’s son. Holmes meanwhile, is really miscast as ambitious reporter since she doesn’t really exude the sexiness nor the humor that is needed for this character. Finally, there’s Aaron Eckhart in a fabulous performance as the charming Nick Naylor. Eckhart has a wit and personality that is fun to watch while also bringing a serious side to his character as it’s definitely one of best roles of his career.

Thank You for Smoking is a funny yet smart film from Jason Reitman that features a phenomenal performance from Aaron Eckhart. While it’s a film that is a bit flawed due to a few casting choices as well as ideas that doesn’t work, it is still a pretty engaging film about the tobacco industry and those who try to oppose it in the wrong way. In the end, Thank You for Smoking is an insightful and humorous film from Jason Reitman.

Jason Reitman Films: Juno - Up in the Air - Young Adult - Labor Day - (Men, Women, & Children) - Tully - The Front Runner - Ghostbusters: Afterlife - The Auteurs #30: Jason Reitman

© thevoid99 2011

Boogie Nights

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Boogie Nights is the story of a young man who catches the attention of a porno filmmaker in the 1970s. After becoming a star and part of a family, his life goes into a downward spiral during the 1980s which affects himself and the people he calls his family. The film is an exploration of the world of the 1970s porn film industry and the people who were part of it. With an all-star cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, Robert Ridgley, Nicole Ari Parker, Luis Guzman, Melora Walters, Philip Baker Hall, and Alfred Molina. Boogie Nights is an exciting yet lively film from P.T. Anderson.

Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) is a 17-year old kid who works as a busboy for a club owner named Maurice Rodriguez (Luis Guzman). One of the club regulars is Maurice’s friend and renowned porno filmmaker Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) who hears that Eddie is well-endowed. After meeting Jack and his longtime girlfriend/porno actress Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Eddie feels like he’s got a chance to make something himself away from the verbal abuse of his own mother (Joanna Gleason). After an audition with one of Jack’s actresses in the young Rollergirl (Heather Graham), Eddie succeeds as he meets actors in magician/musician Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly) and a stereo salesman named Buck Swope (Don Cheadle).

Renamed Dirk Diggler, Eddie immediately becomes a star with Jack guiding him as he makes Eddie part of a family that includes cameraman/editor Kurt Longjohn (Ricky Jay), actress Becky Barnett (Nicole Ari Parker), soundman Scotty (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and assistant director Little Bill (William H. Macy). Jack hopes to get some respect outside of the world of the porn industry where he, Eddie, and Reed come up with a series of films that become popular. After a New Year’s Eve party to end the 1970s ended in tragedy, Jack’s hopes to become legit crashes when his longtime financier Colonel James (Robert Ridgley) is arrested. Having to work with another producer in Floyd Gondoli (Philip Baker Hall) who forces Jack to switch from film to video, Jack’s world starts to fall apart as Eddie becomes addicted to drugs.

For Jack and the people around him, things become tough in the 1980s as Buck and his wife Jessie St. Vincent (Melora Walters) hope to start a stereo business for themselves. Eddie and Reed are unable to get their music career going due to their own addictions while Amber finds herself going through child custody issues with her ex-husband (John Doe). With all of the turmoil surrounding Jack, Eddie, and their splintered group of friends, Eddie and Reed would face a troubling encounter with a dealer in Rahad Jackson (Alfred Molina) when their friend Todd Parker (Thomas Jane) tries to make things complicated in a deal gone wrong.

The film is about a group of dysfunctional people who form a family in an industry that doesn’t get a lot of respect as they hope to be accepted for who they are. In this family, there’s a wide group of people that are diverse and unique. Leading the pack is a porno filmmaker who sees his films as art as he tries to put some substance into his work. At his side is a porn star who is the mother of the group as she acts as a maternal figure to the younger stars while dealing with the fact that she doesn’t get to see her own kid. Then there’s this young kid who has a big penis that hopes to find something he can be proud of and not deal with his cruel mother.

It’s part of what Paul Thomas Anderson does as a storyteller in creating characters that are engaging but also striving to be somebody and feel proud of themselves. Jack Horner, Amber Waves, and Dirk Diggler are just among the group of people featured in this massive ensemble drama in the span of nearly a decade starring with the late 70s to the early 80s. The characters Anderson create are more than what they’re given as there’s a gay soundman who falls for Dirk, an African-American stereo salesman who loves country music, a high-school dropout who never takes off her roller-skates, and a porn actor that loves to do magic tricks and play rock n’ roll.

These are the kind of characters who don’t play to certain stereotypes of what many would perceive to be porn stars. In fact, there are a group of people who are quite intelligent that chooses to be in porn films because they want to be in porn films. Anderson doesn’t judge these people for who they are as they’re all quite flawed yet have something that the audience can be engaged by. The script is a classic rise and fall tale where a porn director, his top actor, and the people they’re with start to make something where it becomes a success and everyone seems to have a good time. Then comes the fall in the 1980s as excess, mismanagement, bad choices, and prejudice would test and splinter these people as they would all struggle with themselves and things they would encounter.

Anderson’s direction of the film is definitely vibrant in the way he shows the film as more than just an exploration into 70s porno chic. From the opening tracking shot where he has the camera walk into the club to the tense meeting Dirk, Reed, and Todd would have with Rahad Jackson. There is never a moment in the film that is dull or unimportant as Anderson makes sure that scenes of simple conversations, porno shoots, and troubling circumstances say something. There is a lot of style that Anderson chooses to go for as he utilizes these long tracking shots to either introduce characters or to capture an atmosphere of the location. The overall work that Anderson does is truly magnificent as he creates a very hypnotic and engrossing film.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit does an incredible job with the photography from capturing the vibrant and colorful lights of the discos and the sunny Californian exteriors for the scenes of the 70s. For the 80s sequences, the look remains the same but has a darker feel as there’s a lot of material shot at night to exemplify the tough circumstance the characters face throughout the film. Editor Dylan Tichenor does a brilliant job with the editing to maintain a leisured pace throughout while creating wonderful montages to exemplify the excitement of the 70s as well as the struggles the character go through in the 80s where the editing shifts what circumstance the characters go through.

Production designer Bob Ziembecki, along with set decorator Sandy Struth and art director Ted Berner, does a sensational job with the set pieces created such as Jack‘s lavish home and Maurice‘s disco to the stylish but eerie home of Rahad Jackson. Costume designer Mark Bridges does a fantastic job with the costumes created from the bellbottoms, hot pants, and the stylish clothing of the 70s to the more grimy look of 80s fashion. Sound editor Dane A. Davis does an excellent job with the sound from the way the parties are captured to the intimacy of Dirk’s first day working on a porno set.

The film’s score by Michael Penn is very wonderful for the array of moods created such as the soothing yet playful harmonium piece for the first half performed by Jon Brion to a more intense yet haunting score for its second half. Music supervisors Bobby Lavelle and Karyn Rachtman create an amazing soundtrack that is filled with lots of music from the 70s and 80s from acts like the Emotions, War with Eric Burdon, Electric Light Orchestra, the Commodores, Hot Chocolate, Rick Springfield, Night Ranger, Nena, and many others.

The casting by Christine Sheaks is superb as the ensemble cast that is created is truly one of the best casting jobs ever assembled. In small but notable roles, there’s Joanna Gleason as Eddie’s abusive mother, Nicole Ari Parker as Buck’s former girlfriend/porn star Becky Barnett, Jonathan Quint as a young porn star who threatens Dirk’s star power, X vocalist/bassist John Doe as Amber’s ex-husband, Kai Lennox as an old classmate that Rollergirl knew, Channon Roe as a guy Dirk meets in the film’s second half, Michael Penn as a music producer Dirk and Reed work with, and a couple of wonderful appearances from porn legends Nina Hartley and Veronica Hart with Hartley as Little Bill’s adulterous wife and Hart as a judge in Amber’s child custody case. In a small but chilling performance, Alfred Molina gives a scene-stealing performance as crazed drug dealer Rahad Jackson.

Other notable yet brilliant small supporting roles include Philip Baker Hall as the brash yet sleazy producer Floyd Gondoli, Ricky Jay as Jack’s filmmaking collaborator Kurt Longjohn, William H. Macy as Jack’s assistant director Little Bill, the late Robert Ridgely as Jack’s old financier/producer Colonel James, Melora Walters as Buck’s new porn star girlfriend Jessie St. Vincent, and Luis Guzman as the funny club owner Maurice Rodriguez. Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellent as the sensitive yet caring Scotty who is in love with Dirk while John C. Reilly is great as the upbeat Reed Rothchild while bringing some great humor to his character. Don Cheadle is excellent as the sensitive yet country music-loving Buck Swope who is accused of not being black enough while just trying to be an all-around nice guy. Heather Graham is wonderful as the sexy yet innocent Rollergirl who likes to have fun while hoping to be accepted as a smart girl.

Julianne Moore is amazing as Amber Waves, a veteran porn star who tries to deal with her own custody issues while being the maternal figure to everyone around her. Burt Reynolds is superb as porn director Jack Horner as the man trying to make everyone feel proud of themselves while hoping to be respected while having to deal with changing times. Reynolds’ performance is definitely the best thing he’s done in his career as he displays a man that is trying to keep everything together. Finally, there’s Mark Wahlberg in his breakthrough performance as Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler where Wahlberg brings charisma and a boyish innocence to a young kid that wants to feel like he’s accomplished something while dealing with the anguish of losing his stardom and dealing with his drug addiction.

Boogie Nights is a remarkable film from Paul Thomas Anderson that features a truly outstanding ensemble cast. For anyone new to P.T. Anderson’s work will definitely see this as the best place to start for the way he can present scenes and handle a large ensemble cast. Featuring great technical work and a fun music soundtrack, it’s a film that revels in what was great about the world of 70s porn in its emphasis to be just as creative as any kind of film. In the end, Boogie Nights is a tremendous yet captivating film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

Paul Thomas Anderson Films: Sydney/Hard Eight - Magnolia - Punch-Drunk Love - There Will Be Blood - The Master - Inherent Vice - Junun - Phantom Thread - Licorice Pizza - One Battle After Another

Related: The Short Films & Videos of P.T. Anderson - The Auteurs #15: Paul Thomas Anderson

© thevoid99 2011

Psycho (1998 film)

The 1998 remake of Psycho directed by Gus Van Sant is the story of a woman who steals money from her boss as she goes on the run and stops at a motel run by a creepy young man. When she goes missing, her sister and the woman’s lover try to find her with help from an investigator. Based on the original novel by Robert Bloch, the film is a shot-by-shot remake of the famed 1960 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock as Van Sant also uses the original adapted script by Joseph Stefano. Starring Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William H. Macy, Phillip Baker Hall, Robert Forster, and Anne Heche. Gus Van Sant’s take on Psycho is among one of the worst ideas ever presented from Hollywood.

With her boyfriend Sam Loomis (Viggo Mortensen) in debt, Marion Crane (Anne Heche) wants to help him as she returns to work where she is given $400,000 to deposit for a customer. Instead, she steals it and goes on the run where she encounters a highway patrol officer (James Remar) and trade cars only to stop at a motel. Meeting its manager named Norman Bates (Vince Vaughn), Marion briefly converses with the man only to have something bad to happen. When Marion has disappeared, Marion’s sister Lila (Julianne Moore) asks Sam where she is. Instead, a private investigator named Arbogast (William H. Macy) is on the search for Marion only to meet Norman and disappear. Turning to a local sheriff (Phillip Baker Hall) for help, Sam and Lila figure out what is going on along with the mystery of Bates‘ mother..

Remakes allow filmmakers the chance to update things for a modern audience and try to put a new spin for a film to be its own. While some tend to stand out on its own, others tend to be cash-ins on these old films in an attempt to put asses in the seat. With Gus Van Sant’s remake of the revered Alfred Hitchcock film, Van Sant chose a more experimental approach by updating some of the dialogue, set it in the present, and do a mostly shot-by-shot take for the film with colored cinematography by Christopher Doyle. Something like this could be a good idea but it didn’t work.

Since it is a shot-by-shot remake where Van Sant tries to replicate the same compositions and framing that Hitchcock has done in the original 1960 film. Some of it seems intriguing but one of the key elements that made Hitchcock’s film so beloved is the way he builds suspense and take his time to set up the chills. Van Sant tries to go for the same thing but for anyone that saw the original will know what will happen. Then there’s the few things Van Sant adds to the film by updating the money ten times its original amount and setting it in present times with modern cars and various objects. Yet, it’s mostly through Kelley Baker’s sound design and Ann E. Duddleston’s editing but it becomes more of a distraction rather than a solid addition.

Part of what Van Sant does is during the intense killing scenes, Van Sant would add strange inserts in between the stabbings which ends up making the moment seem silly rather than chilling. Then there’s some of the sound work where the voice-overs remain in tact but they’re meshed with other voice-overs that become quite confusing. One notable scene where the sound adds to a scene is where Bates is peeping at Marion as she’s taking her clothes off. In the original, it’s just a simple scene of Bates looking where in Van Sant’s version, Bates masturbates. It’s among a lot of the things that doesn’t work throughout the film. One of them is Bernard Herrmann’s score which gets adapted by Danny Elfman where at times, the music is used in scenes where it didn’t need any.

There’s not a lot of what Van Sant does with his direction other than update a few key set pieces such as the Bates motel and Bates home. At the same time, in order to make the film more accessible to an audience of the late 1990s. The film has a pace that is a bit faster but for some reason, feels a bit longer which shows an inconsistency to its tone. While there’s some good work that Christopher Doyle provides with his colorful cinematography, it’s not noteworthy enough to make it stand out on its own. Overall, it’s a remake that doesn’t really do anything other than remind people that the original film remains better and there is no way in hell that a shot-by-shot remake could ever make it better.

Aside from notable contributions from production designer Tom Foden and costume designer Beatrix Aruna Pasztor to update the look of the film from the 1960s to the 1990s. There’s not a lot of technical elements that should be noted as the film’s soundtrack includes some faintly heard music from the likes of Rob Zombie, the Germs, Bill Frisell, and Danny Elfman providing a guitar piece for the film’s final credits.

The casting is one of the key elements of the film where there’s a few standouts in a sea of appearances including Gus Van Sant himself replicating Hitchcock’s own cameo where he has a Hitchcock imitator scolding Van Sant. The actors who do appear in the film includes Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea as Sam’s clerk, Rita Wilson as Marion’s fellow secretary friend, Chad Everett as the client Marion steals from, Rance Howard as Marion’s boss, James LeGros as the used car dealer, James Remar as the highway patrol officer, Phillip Baker Hall as the sheriff, Anne Haney as the sheriff’s wife, and Robert Forster in a great appearance as the psychiatrist towards the end of the film as many of the actors chose to play these roles in a straightforward manner.

William H. Macy is pretty decent as Arbogast, the private detective searching for Marion as he chooses to play it straight the same way that Martin Balsam approached the role. Viggo Mortensen is OK as Sam Loomis as he adds a Southern drawl to the character to kind of make it his own while Julianne Moore is pretty good as Lila by making the character that Vera Miles played as somewhat more aggressive in her search to find Marion. Then there’s the two key roles of Marion Crane and Norman Bates where both Anne Heche and Vince Vaughn, respectively, take these famed roles. Unfortunately, neither could really do what both Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins could do in these respective yet iconic roles.

Heche’s performance is truly one of the most horrendous performances ever captured on film as it was made at the time when Heche was mostly known as Ellen DeGeneres’ girlfriend and for being extremely outspoken. The performance Heche gives has an air of smugness that is very off-putting throughout the first half of the film. Yet, the highlight of her performance is to see her dead. Vince Vaughn’s performance as Norman Bates is a disaster because as good as an actor Vaughn is when he can be. He is completely wrong to play that character because not only does he fail to be charming and pull off the kind of innocence Perkins approach to that character. It’s also clear that once the audience sees his face, it’s obvious this guy has some problems as it’s a really terrible performance from Vaughn.

Gus Van Sant’s remake of Psycho is a misguided travesty that never should’ve been made in the first place. It’s film that reminds audience why the original is always going to be seen over and over again out of pure enjoyment. While it’s not fair to say that this is Van Sant’s worst film since it’s not really his film. It’s just that there not a lot of imagination to be put but rather serve as a weird experimental piece about why shot-by-shot remakes will never work. This is a film that should be avoided unless it’s for Van Sant completists wondering why this didn’t work. In the end, just watch the original Alfred Hitchcock version of Psycho and avoid Gus Van Sant’s remake.

Gus Van Sant Films: Mala Noche - Drugstore Cowboy - My Own Private Idaho - Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - To Die For - Good Will Hunting - Finding Forrester - Gerry - Elephant - Last Days - Paranoid Park - Milk - Restless - Promised Land

The Shorts & Videos of Gus Van Sant - The Auteurs #4: Gus Van Sant

© thevoid99 2011

INLAND EMPIRE

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/13/07.

2001's Mulholland Drive brought David Lynch his most acclaimed and successful film to date that included Best Director nomination at the Oscars and sharing the Best Director prize at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival with Joel Coen for The Man Who Wasn't There. Following the film's success, Lynch took a break to work on various, experimental side projects, supervising the releases of his films on DVD, and other ventures. During this time as digital filmmaking was the new thing, Lynch took notice as his he used digital video for a few of short, experimental projects. The result of the experiments gave Lynch the idea for his next feature-film which was a return to his love of experimental films in the 2006 film INLAND EMPIRE.

Written, directed, produced, shot, edited, and sound designed by David Lynch, INLAND EMPIRE is a three-hour experimental film that emphasizes Lynch's love for the unconventional while doing the film entirely on digital video. Yet, the film Lynch describes is that it's about a woman who is in trouble. The main plot though is about an actress who is working on a film in Europe whose perception of reality is altered into a different world. Shot in parts in Los Angeles to culminate a film trilogy that began with 1997's Lost Highway and 2001's Mulholland Drive, the film conveys the eerie world of Los Angeles, which has become Lynch's adopted home. The film also marks a long-awaited reunion between Lynch and actress Laura Dern who starred in 1986's Blue Velvet and 1990's Wild at Heart as she plays the film's leading role.

With an all-star cast that includes Lynch regulars Justin Theroux, Grace Zabriskie, Harry Dean Stanton, Laura Harring, Diane Ladd, and the voices of Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, and Scott Coffey from Lynch's Rabbits project. The cast also includes appearances from William H. Macy, Julia Ormond, Nastassjia Kinski, Jordan Ladd, Ben Harper, and Jeremy Irons. INLAND EMPIRE is a strange, surreal, eerie film from David Lynch.

When a neighbor (Grace Zabriskie) decides to meet with actress Nikki Grace (Laura Dern), Grace reluctantly invites her where the neighbor says some strange, cryptic things that would haunt Grace. After years of not getting big projects or any material that she would love to work on, Grace finally gets a big film part working with a guy named Devon (Justin Theroux) and under the direction of a man named Kingsley (Jeremy Irons). Though Nikki and Devon managed to be great friends, Devon receives warning to not embark on an affair, particularly due to Nikki's Polish husband. When rehearsals for their new film begins, Kingsley along with his assistant Freddy (Harry Dean Stanton) reveal that the film they're making is a remake of an unfinished film.

Rehearsals go fine until Nikki sees someone as she and Devon eventually learn about mysterious things concerning the original, unfinished film. Things start to go well during rehearsal as Nikki plays a woman named Sue and Devon plays a man named Billy. Yet, as filming progressed, the world of reality and fiction start to blur where Nikki begins an affair with Devon but in the name of their characters. Suddenly, Nikki notices that she starts to see things in her character Sue. Then one day when Nikki goes grocery shopping, she finds a symbol and enters a door where she's taken to a strange, dark reality. Suddenly, she's Sue as she finds herself in parts of Poland and another part of Los Angeles where she's now living in an apartment with prostitutes.

Sitting in the apartment, she also finds herself having conversations with a man named Mr. K (Erik Crary) as the conversations get stranger and stranger. Eventually, living with the hookers start to take its toll as they often break into choreographed dance numbers where she finds herself stuck in the world. Finally, she finds Billy and have a confrontation with his wife (Julia Ormond) as the world starts to get stranger. Now a hooker, Sue tries to find out about the young woman (Karolina Gruszka) who is watching her from the TV where suddenly, Nikki would return to enter strange worlds including a sitcom called Rabbits while trying to save the life of this young woman.

The film's plot line is simple which is about a woman in trouble. Yet, the plot line isn't simple as it seems. Even from a mind as surreal and loose as David Lynch. The film starts off with a black-and-white shot of record playing and a crying young woman watching Lynch's 2002 online sitcom Rabbits. A lot of these things plus subplots involving Eastern European crime world are thrown in to break from the film's main plot. Yet, the result is Lynch definitely rallying against convention. Whether's it's a traditional film narrative, satire, or anything that's traditional with any kind of films. Lynch is basically throwing away all of these ideas.

Serving as the writer, director, producer, editor, cinematographer, sound designer, and music composer along with cues by Krzysztof Penderecki. The film is definitely Lynch taking control of everything with additional contribution from cinematographer Peter Deming on lighting cues and George Koran on digital coloring. More importantly, Lynch abandons the idea of shooting on film and replacing it with digital video. A lot of the interiors Lynch shoots is almost in a Dogme 95-like fashion where it's all hand-held and in natural lighting most of the time. It's also very stylized through his eerie direction. While the look does have a grainy film on the film's exterior sequences, they work to convey the atmosphere Lynch is conveying. Even as he's improvising along the way since he did the film without a completed script and things are made up along the way.

That sense of improvisation and spontaneity really adds a fresh style to the film though it's Lynch experimenting. Not everything Lynch does work as the pacing at times tends to lag. Even in a film that is three hours where it tests the audience patience. Things get repetitive and meanders a bit. Yet, it's part of what Lynch is trying to do with the film because of his themes of reality versus fiction. In many ways, Lynch is going back further to the days of his debut film Eraserhead 30 years before to return to his love of experimentation. Even through its grainy, digital photography and stylized, ominous editing, and eerie sound design with help from sound editor Ronald Eng. Lynch is definitely trying to create new things that audiences who want to see something new will enjoy.

Despite these experiments and Lynch being unconventional, the film still has a story and the story about a woman in trouble is definitely told. Though the narrative is told in an unconventional manner, the main story of Nikki/Sue entering into a strange world to understand. Yet, the audience is also being played on whether she's in a film within a film or is she in a different reality. It will confuse people but the elements of horror and mystery manages to make the whole experience into an incredible yet strange journey.

The film also has a parallel story of this young Polish woman in trouble as she is held by Polish crime lords while forced to watch things like the Rabbits sitcom and is playing what may be the observer. A lot of things Lynch is saying isn't easy to interpret and is definitely a mind-bender. Yet, the result of what Lynch is trying to do and how to present things through his loose script and eerie, surreal direction proves that he's still got something to say and is managing to challenge himself as a storyteller.

Helping Lynch with his presentation is set decorator Melanie Rein and a team of art directors to bring different looks of Los Angeles from the posh world that Nikki lives to the decayed world that Sue lives in. Costume designers Karen Baird and Heidi Bivens brings a unique look from the varied clothes of the hookers to the posh-like clothing of Nikki/Sue. Lynch's score is mostly electronic driven to convey the sense of horror and suspense. The music of Krzysztof Penderecki also adds some suspense with his orchestral score that also features music from Nina Simone, Little Eva, and Etta James to add quirkiness to the film's soundtrack.

The film's cast is very unique and diverse with several cameo appearances from Lynch regulars like Diane Ladd as a talk-show host, Grace Zabriskie as a neighbor, Harry Dean Stanton as Kingsley's assistant Freddy, Laura Harring, Scott Coffey, and Naomi Watts appearing as voices in the Rabbits sitcom with Harring appearing at the end of the film. Other cameos include William H. Macy as an announcer, Mary Steenburgen as a visitor, Terry Crews as a homeless man, Ben Harper as a musician, Nastassjia Kinski as a friend at the end of the film, and Jordan Ladd as one of the hookers who does a dance routine in front of Sue. Karolina Gruszka is great as a crying young woman who is in trouble while Polish actors Jan Hencz and Krzysztof Majchrzak are great as Polish mob members with Peter J. Lucas as Nikki's troublesome husband. Julia Ormond is great as Billy's troubled wife Doris, Cameron Daddo as Devon’s manager, and Erik Crary as the eerie Mr. K.

Jeremy Irons is great as film director Kingsley Stewart, a director who hopes to do a remake justice while trying not to be cursed. Irons is perfect in the role of the director as he tries to make sure Nikki is in acting mode where as if she's fully in character. It's a great performance from Irons who rarely gives a bad performance. Lynch regular Justin Theroux is in excellent form as Devon Berk, an actor who is very friendly with Nikki and wants to maintain his professionalism. In the role of Billy Side, Theroux sports a Southern accent and acts like a man in love and is very desperate about his love for both Sue and Doris.

Laura Dern gives what has to be one of her greatest performances to date. Dern manages to be very charming and likeable in the role while delving into darker material. When she's Nikki, she carries the sense of optimism as an actress who's been out of the spotlight for a while and is given a chance to shine again. In the role of Sue, she has to dig deeper into figuring out what world she's in while wondering if everything she's seeing is real. Dern has to delve into other acting genres for the performance and it works in every level whether it's mystery or horror. It's a very complex, superb performance from Laura Dern who is being overlooked nowadays among her acting peers.

While INLAND EMPIRE isn't a great film that one would expect from David Lynch. The film is still an experience that is unparalleled with most feature films. Fans of Lynch's more experimental side will no doubt enjoy his new feature film as well as his attempts to break the rules. Fans of Laura Dern will also enjoy this for her brave, complex performance. Anyone who wants to be challenged by unconventional filmmaking should see this film. Yet, for a mainstream audience, this film is not for them. With its three-hour running time, pacing issues, and such, it's a film that they won't necessarily enjoy. In the end, INLAND EMPIRE is a surreal yet provocative film from David Lynch and company.

David Lynch Films: Eraserhead - The Elephant Man - Dune - Blue Velvet - Wild at Heart - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me - Lost Highway - The Straight Story - Mulholland Dr.

The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 1 - The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 2 - The Music Videos of David Lynch

The Auteurs #50: David Lynch: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011