Well, this has been a pretty fucked up month here and around the world as the shit that is happening in Saudi Arabia over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul at the Saudi Arabian embassy. A journalist who had been rightly criticizing the country was there to get a marriage license only to be killed and cut into pieces and our dictator doesn’t do a fucking thing which is so typical. Meanwhile in the world of sports entertainment, WWE decides they will do their stupid show in Saudi Arabia. Why do you ask?
VIDEO That is right, the almighty dollar. WWE signed a 10-year deal with the Saudi Arabian government to hold shows and get paid while displaying Saudi propaganda. Given what happened to Khashoggi, not everyone is on board with the deal as two of their top wrestlers in John Cena and Daniel Bryan chose not to go while others are either forced to go or just go on their own terms because of money. The fact that they even coaxed Shawn Michaels out of retirement for this stupid show happening on Friday is proof that Meekmahan will do anything for the almighty dollar. I’m fortunate to not have watched any WWE programming in years as I only watch clips, read, or listen to podcasts about it and many wrestling fans are disgusted with what WWE is doing and I’m glad there’s some that are telling Meekmahan to fuck off. Besides, there’s other stuff to watch including New Japan and anything relating to the Bullet Club.
It’s hard to ignore what is happening in the world with crazed right-wingers trying to kill anyone who says anything bad about our dictator while a madman tried to kill a bunch of Jewish people at a synagogue. At the same time, there’s a caravan of thousands of Hondurans trying to go to America as it’s just a shitload of trouble happening. So much is happening as I’ve been thinking more about the fact that I’m going to become an uncle next year as I’m starting to think about what this child is going to be surrounded by as the 21st Century right now is a scary place to live in.
In the month of October 2018, I saw a total of 38 films in 21 first-timers and 17 re-watches as one of the first-timers was directed by a woman as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. Definitely a bit of an increase from last month yet October is often where I have the most fun watching films as one of the highlights this month has been my Blind Spot choice in Don't Look Now
1. The Cabin in the Woods
2. Funny Games
3. First Man
4. Annihilation
5. Bitter Moon
6. Green Room
7. The Voices
8. It
9. Split
10. The Invisible Man
Monthly Mini-Reviews
From Prada to Nada This is a film I’ve been wanting to avoid as it looked like something vapid and full of overt sentimentality. Well, it wasn’t exactly that but it still wasn’t great as this adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility is an OK film. The story isn’t original but it still had moments as well as some solid performances from Camilla Belle, Adrianna Barraza, and Nicholas D’Agosto. Yet, it’s an uneven film where it wants to be a riches-to-rags story with one of the sisters wanting to go back to the posh world but it never succeeds in that. Plus, the casting of Wilmer Valderrama as a version of Colonel Brandon is just terrible casting.
Cooties This is a silly yet fun horror film set at an elementary school which involve a zombie epidemic of sorts except it is kids that are the zombies and the targets are those who have reached puberty as well as teachers and other staff members at the school. It’s got a hilarious cast in Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Rainn Wilson, Nasim Perdad, and Jack McBrayer as members of the school staff having to kill these kids while Jorge Garcia is the stoner school crossing guard who hides in his van. It’s a film that never takes itself seriously and that’s what a good horror comedy should be.
The Book of Henry Here’s a film that should’ve worked with the amount of talent that it has in director Colin Trevorrow and its cast in the likes of Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay, Maddie Ziegler, Lee Pace, Dean Norris, Sarah Silverman, and Bobby Moynihan. Yet, it ends up being one of the worst films I had ever seen in my life and if anyone wonders why Trevorrow lost his job to direct Star Wars: Episode IX should see this film. It is all over the place where it wants to be this kind of film and then it wants to be that kind of film. The tonal changes, the overt melodrama, the need to take itself so seriously, and the way it crashes towards the end is proof that not even a cast with that amount of talent could save it.
Top 10 Re-Watches:
1. Goodfellas
2. Under the Skin
3. Kill Bill
4. The Lost Boys
5. Maverick
6. Starter for 10
7. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
8. Classic Albums-Screamadelica
9. Classic Albums-A Night at the Opera
10. Murder at 1600
That is it for October 2018. I was supposed to have my Auteurs piece on Orson Welles finished but I was distracted by the other films I was watching while realizing that the complexities and numerous amount of incomplete and unreleased films that Welles made in his lifetime has made the essay difficult to write. Even as the upcoming release of The Other Side of the Wind has forced me to push it to November in which I hope to complete it despite the fact that going through Welles’ filmography is a near impossible task to endure. Once I finish that, I start work on the next Auteurs piece on David Lean which won’t be as difficult.
For November, I hope to do new releases such as Widows and The Favourite and maybe a few more films. Other than that, I plan on focusing on films by Wim Wenders including the Road Trilogy as my Blind Spot for month as well as films by David Lean, Peter Weir, Eric Rohmer, Martin Scorsese, and Michael Haneke based on the never-ending DVR list along with some recent releases. Even as I plan to get films from the local library to see to catch up on 2017/2018 releases and make an official announcement for the 2019 Blind Spot Series. On a final note, I’m saddened over the passing of what I think could’ve been one of the best streaming services in Filmstruck as it’s a shame that it got eaten up by the awful corporate monsters that is AT&T. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off and hoping that AT&T can go fuck themselves.
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel by Stephen King, It is the story of seven children who are terrorized by a mysterious clown as they deal with their fears. Directed by Andy Muschietti and screenplay by Cary Fukunaga, Gary Dauberman, and Chase Palmer, the film is a horror film that play into the disappearance of children where seven of them try to find out who has been abducting them. Starring Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Nicholas Hamilton, and Jackson Robert Scott. It is a riveting and intense film from Andy Muschietti.
Set in the late 1980s in a small town in Maine, the film revolves a series of disappearances that occur where a group of kids deal with this mysterious clown who feeds on the fear of children where seven misfits decide to confront the clown. It’s a film that play into these disappearances that has been going on for months as much of the story set in the small town of Derry, Maine in the summer of 1989 has these seven kids coping with what is happening as one of them believes that it relates to strange events in this town that occurs every 27 years. The film’s screenplay opens with an incident months earlier on October of 1988 where a young boy is chasing a paper sailboat where it falls into a storm drain where he sees this clown in Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgard) and is never seen again.
For that boy’s older brother in Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Lieberher), he is consumed with guilt over what happened as he is determined to find out what happened to his little brother with the help of his friends in the foul-mouthed Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard), the hypochondriac Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Glazer), and the Jewish mysophobe Stan Uris (Wyatt Olef) who are eager to have fun in the summer despite the presence of bullies that is led by the sociopathic Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton). Denbrough later meet up with one of the new kids in town in the bookworm Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor) following a violent encounter with Bowers as they’re later joined by another outcast in Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis) who some believe is a promiscuous teenager that is disliked but is really a victim of sexual abuse from her father. During their investigation and finding answers in which Hanscom believes it all relates to incidents in the town that happened every 27 years. The group would include another outcast in the African-American homeschooled kid Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs) who also sees strange things like the other kids that would play into their fears.
Andy Muschietti’s direction definitely owes a lot to films of the 1980s that involve kids embarking on their adventures yet it has elements that play into something that feels more grounded into the situation they’re in. Shot on various locations in Ontario as well as bits of Toronto as it play into this small town world where everyone kind of knows each other although Hanscom is still a newcomer who baffle librarians due to his interest towards books rather than do what other kids do during the summer. Muschietti definitely infuses that element of nostalgia that is prevalent as it is set mainly in the summer of 1989 where kids would go see the big summer movies of the time or go to an arcade. Muschietti’s usage of the wide shots would play into the vast look of the locations but also in scenes that play into the air of horror that includes the film’s climax involving Pennywise’s secret lair.
Muschietti would also use medium shots and close-ups that play into the interaction with characters that include the boys’ fascination towards Beverly as it adds to their fascination towards girls. Still, it’s an innocent moment despite the awful reputation Beverly has received forcing her to reveal some truths about herself while there are moments in the film that do have elements of humor. Muschietti also play into these chilling moments of violence that relates to the fear of these characters as it include scenes of each fear these seven kids have. Some of it is taken to great extremes while others are psychological as it would lead to this climax of the seven kids going into Pennywise’s lair to confront him but also confront their own fears. Overall, Muschietti crafts an evocative yet unsettling film about a group of outcast kids dealing with a mysterious clown who feeds on the fear of children.
Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of stylish lights for some of the interior settings in the day and night where it has a certain tone to it as well as exterior scenes set on a rainy day or at night as it help play into the sense of terror. Editor Jason Ballatine does excellent work with the editing as it uses rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense and horror. Production designer Claude Pare, with set decorator Rosalie Broad plus art directors Brandt Gordon and Peter Grundy, does brilliant work with the look of the mysterious house where Pennywise supposedly lives as well as his lair and the homes of the other characters in the film. Costume designer Janie Bryant does fantastic work with the costumes as it play into casual look of the kids without the need to establish too much of what kids wore in the 1980s.
Makeup designers Alec Gillis, Sean Sansom, and Tom Woodruff Jr. do incredible work with the look of Pennywise to create that air of creepiness and terror. Special effects supervisor Warren Appleby and visual effects supervisor Nicholas Brooks do terrific work with the visual effects with some of the movements of Pennywise as well as parts of his lair that play into its air of intrigue. Sound designer Paul Hackner and sound editor Victor Ray Ennis do superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the suspense as well as in some of the chilling moments for the horror set pieces. The film’s music by Benjamin Wallfisch is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that does have elements of synthesizers to play up to the feel of the 1980s while using heavy string arrangements to amplify the suspense and horror while music supervisor Dana Sano creates a fun soundtrack featuring a wide array of music from the Cult, Young MC, XTC, New Kids on the Block, Anvil, the Cure, and Anthrax.
The casting by Rich Delia is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles from Stephen Bogaert as Beverly’s father, Molly Atkinson as Eddie’s worrisome mother, Geoffrey Pounsett and Pip Dwyer as Bill and Georgie’s parents, Stuart Hughes as Officer Butch Bowers who is the father of the bully Henry Bowers, Steven Williams as Mike’s stern grandfather Leroy, Ari Cohen as Stan’s rabbi father, Joe Bostick as the local pharmacist Mr. Keene, Megan Charpentier as Mr. Keene’s daughter Gretta who bullies Beverly, the trio of Owen Teague, Logan Thompson, and Jake Sim as friends of Henry Bowers who are also bullies, and Jackson Robert Scott as Bill’s younger brother Georgie who would be the first to be captured by Pennywise in a chilling moment of the film that is intense to watch. Nicholas Hamilton is terrific as the school bully Henry Bowers as a sociopathic kid with a penchant for violence as he likes to terrorize others for how different they are including Mike because he’s an outcast.
In the roles of the group of outcast kids known as the Losers, there’s Wyatt Oleff in a superb performance as the Jewish mysophobic Stan Uris as a kid who is afraid of a lot of things including a painting that comes to life as his biggest fear while Jack Dylan Grazer is fantastic as the hypochondriac Eddie Kaspbrak who doesn’t like germs and is allergic to a lot of things as he would have an encounter with Pennywise that is scary while coming to grips with his fears. Chosen Jacobs is excellent as the homeschooled student Mike Hanlon as an African-American kid who delivers meat to stores as he is among the first to see Pennywise while dealing with Bowers. Finn Wolfhard is brilliant as Richie Tozier as a foul-mouthed kid in big glasses who says nasty things while admitting to having a fear of clowns while Jeremy Ray Taylor is amazing as the new kid Ben Hanscom as a bookworm who gathers a lot of the information of the town as he believes something terrible is the reason for these disappearances.
Sophia Lillis is incredible as Beverly Marsh as a teenage girl who is given a seedy reputation in the town which is untrue as she deals with the abuse she receives from her father while she helps the boys in dealing with Pennywise. Jaeden Lieberher is marvelous as Bill Denbrough as a teenager who is trying to find the whereabouts of his little brother while learning about Pennywise as he is the leader of the Losers in some respects in his determination to find truth and make sure no more disappearances happen. Finally, there’s Bill Skarsgard in a phenomenal performance as Pennywise as this dancing clown that is the manifestation of the fears of children where he lives for those fears where it’s a small yet effective performance that has Skarsgard play up to the air of terror that he brings in the film.
It is a sensational film from Andy Muschietti. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, uncompromising approach to violence and terror, a chilling music score, and a compelling premise set in the late 1980s. It’s a film that is definitely bear many of the horror tropes expected from the mind of Stephen King while also studying the idea of fear, guilt, and confrontation of those things from the perspective of seven kids who don’t fit in with the ideas of society. In the end, It is a spectacular film from Andy Muschietti.
It-Chapter Two
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier, Don’t Look Now is the story of a couple traveling to Venice as they deal with the recent death of their daughter where they start to encounter strange things that they see or is around them. Directed by Nicolas Roeg and screenplay by Allan Scott and Chris Bryant, the film is an unconventional suspense-drama that play into a couple’s grief as they encounter strange events during their trip to Venice. Starring Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania, Massimo Serato, and Renato Scarpa. Don’t Look Now is a haunting and evocative film from Nicolas Roeg.
Following the death of their daughter at a small pond in their backyard, the film follows a couple as they go to Venice to deal with their loss while the husband works in restoring an ancient church as he would see strange things as it relates to his grief. It’s a film that play into the ideas of death where a couple both have different ideas of coping as they also deal with things that are unexplained. The film’s screenplay by Allan Scott and Chris Bryant follow John Baxter (Donald Sutherland) and his wife Laura (Julie Christie) as they’re in Venice for the former’s work while the latter meet two elderly sisters in Heather (Hilary Mason) and Wendy (Clelia Matania) as the former is blind but is also a psychic. While Laura is still reeling from the loss of her daughter, she finds solace through Wendy’s psychic contacts believing that the Baxters’ daughter Christine (Sharon Williams) is trying to contact them.
Laura believes it is true but John is skeptical although he would see strange things involving someone wearing a red coat similar to what Christine wore on the day she died as well as things that Laura believes is Christine trying to contact them. John focuses on his work while accepting that his daughter had died but the mysterious encounters and near-death experiences have him wondering if there is something going on. Even when Laura briefly leaves Venice to return to England to check on their son Johnny (Nicholas Satler) who had been injured in school where John stays behind as he becomes befuddled by what he believes is real.
Nicolas Roeg’s direction is stylish from the film’s opening sequence that starts off innocently with two kids playing in the backyard while John and Laura are at home doing their usual activities until John notices something and runs to the pond to find his daughter drowning. Shot largely on location in Venice with the scenes in England shot at Hertfordshire, Roeg would use some wide shots to establish the locations but also to maintain that air of intrigue in what John sees as it relates to the mysterious figure in the red raincoat in scenes at the canal bridges in the city. Roeg would also use medium shots and close-ups for some of these moments as the latter would play into ideas of symbolism as if they’re signs of what is to come. Roeg would slowly build up the ideas of suspense while maintaining an atmosphere that does play into grief with Laura turning to Wendy and Heather for help as she is convinced that something isn’t right and that she and John should leave Venice.
With this air of grief and loss, the film would include this intense sex scene that is shot with some hand-held cameras and is cut in a montage of the John and Laura getting ready for a night on the town. There is an air of realism into the sex scene as it play into their love for each other and the need to cope with their loss. Yet, the strange events that occur including one near-death experience for John would play into what is happening and why. Notably in the third act as the ideas of reality and fantasy begin to blur as recurring images of Christine’s drowning would also emerge as Roeg would also include this strange subplot about a series of mysterious murders in Venice. Particularly as it would collide with the main story that has John wondering if everything he sees is real or is it all a fantasy. Overall, Roeg crafts a rapturous yet eerie film about a couple’s grief manifesting into strange events in Venice.
Cinematographer Anthony Richmond does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its low-key approach to lighting for many of the exterior scenes at night along with the usage of lighting for some of the interior sets in the film. Editor Graeme Clifford does excellent work with the editing as it has these stylish usage of montages such as the sex scene as well as other stylish moments that play into the suspense and blur between reality and fantasy. Art director Giovanni Soccol and set decorator Francesco Chianese do amazing work with the look of the hotel room the Baxters were staying at as well as some of the interiors of the church that John is restoring.
Sound editor Rodney Holland does fantastic work with the sound as it help play into the suspense and drama as well as creating moments that add to locations. The film’s music by Pino Donaggio is incredible for its rich and hypnotic score with its usage of piano, flutes, and string instruments to maintain that chilling approach to suspense and drama as it’s a highlight of the film.
The casting by Miriam Brickman and Ugo Mariotti is wonderful as it include some notable small roles from Nicholas Satler as the Baxters’ young son Johnny, Sharon Williams as their daughter Christine, David Tree and Ann Rye as a couple who run Johnny’s school, Leopoldo Trieste as the hotel manager, Renato Scarpa as a police investigator in Inspector Longhi, Bruno Cattaneo as a detective in Sabbione, and Massimo Serato as Bishop Barbarrigo as a man who is concerned about John’s state of mind while wondering if what he’s seeing is true. The performances of Hilary Mason and Clelia Matania are amazing in their respective roles as the sisters Heather and Wendy with the former being a blind psychic who believes something would happen to the Baxters while the latter is this warm person that is sort of Heather’s spokesperson as she is also aware something isn’t right.
Finally, there’s the duo of Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Laura and John Baxter. Christie plays up the sense of grief of a woman still dealing with the loss of her daughter where she is seeking answers for her grief as well as believing that their daughter is warning them about something. Sutherland provides a performance that is based on man accepting what had happened yet is dealing with all of these strange things he is seeing as well as the fact that he might be repressing something about himself. Christie and Sutherland together are a joy to watch as they play up to their loss and need for each other but also deal with the fact that they lost a child and haven’t really done much to confront that loss.
Don’t Look Now is a tremendous film from Nicolas Roeg that features great performances from Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland. Along with its ensemble cast, entrancing visuals, eerie music score, and chilling setting, it’s a film that play into the ideas of grief as well as mysterious events that link to loss. Even as it’s a film that isn’t a conventional horror film but rather a suspense-drama that has elements of horror to showcase a couple’s encounter with grief. In the end, Don’t Look Now is a magnificent film from Nicolas Roeg.
Nicolas Roeg Films: Performance - Walkabout - (Glastonbury Fayre) – The Man Who Fell to Earth - (Bad Timing) – (Eureka) – Insignificance – (Castaway) – (Aria-Un ballo in maschera) – (Track 29) – (The Witches (1990 film)) – (Heart of Darkness (1993 film)) – (Two Deaths) – (Full Body Massage) – (Samson and Delilah) – (Puffball)
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Christopher B. Landon and written by Scott Lobdell, Happy Death Day is the story of a college student who is killed on her birthday as she finds herself reliving that day just to found who killed her. The film is a horror comedy that forces a young woman to figure out who killed her and why as it play into all sorts of hijinks that also include ideas of time loops and satire on slasher films. Starring Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, and Ruby Modine. Happy Death Day is an exhilarating and captivating film from Christopher B. Landon.
A college student wakes up at a student’s dorm room as she spends her birthday dealing with meetings involving her sorority, ditching a lunch with her dad, ignoring other people, trying to get ready for a party, and then gets killed by someone wearing a mask only to find herself in a time loop where she relives that day all over again. It’s a film that has an offbeat premise that definitely owes its idea to the 1993 Harold Ramis film Groundhog Day which the film does reference as it play into a young woman dealing with the fact that it’s her birthday which she’s reluctant to celebrate as she realizes she’s in a time loop as she tries to find the killer only to get killed over and over again.
Scott Lobdell’s screenplay explores the day that Theresa “Tree” Gelbman is reliving over and over again as she tries to find her killer but also try to understand the killer’s motive as well as herself where she’s trying to avoid the fact that her mother had died and they shared the same birthday. At the same time, she tries to find ways to avoid being killed only to be outsmarted by the killer as she seeks advice from fellow student Carter Davis (Israel Broussard) whose room she keeps waking up at who would help her.
Christopher B. Landon’s direction definitely bears an element of style in its approach to repetition as well as recreating scenes that play into Tree’s birthday from waking up in Carter’s room to the moment she is killed. Shot on location in and around Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana where the film is set, Landon mainly emphasizes on medium shots and close-ups to play into the interaction between characters and where they are at. Even as Landon would recreate the same opening sequence of Tree returning to her sorority and having the same conversations with one of the sisters and go on with her day that includes a tryst with one of her professors in Gregory Butler (Charles Aitken). Yet, she would meet these individuals over again and see things in a different light where Landon’s direction does play into the repetitions of the day along with revelations of those that she thought she knew.
Landon would use a few wide shots to get a look at the locations as well as in a few shots that play into the sense of repetition. Even as the second act would break from the routines where Tree is determined to find the killer as there is a montage where she would do things differently only to have things not go her way. Landon would use some slanted camera angles for a few chase scenes as well as some dark humor into moments that play into Tree being killed where she knows she’s fucked and accepts it. The third act is about Tree dealing with who she is where the direction does mixes humor, drama, and suspense as it would play into her attempts to break the time loop and unveil her killer. Overall, Landon crafts an engaging and riveting film about a college student reliving the day she is killed by a mysterious killer.
Cinematographer Toby Oliver does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it does have bits of style in some of the visuals set at night including in the interiors that include a night where Tree is about to make out with a guy in his room. Editor Gregory Plotkin does terrific work with the editing as it has some style in some of the film’s montages as well as rhythmic cuts to play into the repetition and how the opening scene is recreated through different cutting styles. Production designer Cece Destefano, with set decorator Gretchen Gattuso and art director Michelle C. Harmon, does fantastic work with the look of Carter’s dorm room as well as the room that Tree lives in with her sorority and some of the places she goes to. Costume designer Meagan McLaughlin does nice work with the costumes from the dress that Tree wears the first time she gets killed to the more casual look including a t-shirt of Carter’s that she wears every time she wakes up.
Visual effects supervisor Grant Miller does brilliant work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it relates to some of the big set pieces involving Tree’s numerous deaths. Sound designer Trevor Gates does superb work with the sound in the way certain sounds appear in the film’s opening sequence and heard again as well as the atmosphere of some of the film’s locations. The film’s music by Bear McCreary is wonderful for its usage of orchestral music mixed in with some electronic music to play into some of the humor and suspense while music supervisor Andrea von Foerster provides a fun soundtrack of music ranging from folk, indie, electronic dance music, pop, and hip-hop to play into the atmosphere of college.
The casting by Terri Taylor is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Tran Tran as a sorority sister that Tree first meets on the day she’s killed, Cariella Smith as a sorority sister who just wants to eat breakfast, Phi Vu as Carter’s dim-witted roommate, Jason Bayle as Tree’s father, Dane Rhodes as a police officer at the hospital, Laura Clifton as Butler’s wife Stephanie, Caleb Spillyards as a fling of Tree’s, and Rob Mello as the suspected serial killer John Tombs. Charles Aitken is superb as the professor Gregory Butler who is having a fling with Tree that isn’t going anywhere while Rachel Matthews is fantastic as sorority head Danielle Bouseman who forces her sisters to look a certain away and avoid eating fatty foods and carbs.
Ruby Modine is excellent as Tree’s roommate Lori Spengler as a med student who is concerned about Tree’s behavior as she also tried to be good to her despite the issues they have. Israel Broussard is brilliant as Carter as college student who helps Tree in trying to find out who killed her as well as provide theories where he proves to be competent ally. Finally, there’s Jessica Rothe in an amazing performance as Theresa “Tree” Gelbman as a college student who has become indifferent about her birthday in favor of being popular where she finds herself in a time loop in getting killed over and over again as it’s a charismatic and witty performance that play with the tropes of typical horror characters with Rothe also giving the character a chance to show some redeeming qualities.
Happy Death Day is an incredible film from Christopher B. Landon. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a playful music soundtrack, and a witty premise that engages the audience into the suspense and humor. It’s a film that isn’t afraid to play with the conventions of horror while also not being afraid in acknowledging its influences towards its premise. In the end, Happy Death Day is a remarkable film from Christopher B. Landon.
Christopher B. Landon Films: (Burning Palms) – (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones) – Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse - (Happy Death Day 2U)
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the German folk legend, Faust is the story of a wager between an archangel and a demon over the soul of the titular character to see if he can be corrupted or stray from corruption. Directed by F.W. Murnau and screenplay by Hans Kyser, the film is a simple tale of good versus evil as it relates to a man at the center of this wager. Starring Gosta Ekman, Emil Jannings, Camilla Horn, Wilhelm Dieterle, Frida Richard, and Yvette Guilbert. Faust is a rapturous and eerie film from F.W. Murnau.
The film revolves around a wager between the demon Mephisto (Emil Jannings) and an archangel (Werner Fuetterer) similar to the story of Job about a man’s devotion to his faith where they bet on the soul of an elderly alchemist and the decisions he would make in his life. It’s a film about a man who has good intentions of wanting to help people but in making a deal with Mephisto, the titular character (Gosta Ekman) would put himself into trouble. Hans Kyser’s screenplay follow Faust as someone who is trying to create a cure for this growing plague that is happening in this town with the locals turning to Faust for help. Faust struggles to come up with a cure where he struggles with his faith until he finds a passage in the Bible about a pact made with Satan that could give him the power and glory to help others. Upon making the deal with Mephisto, he is given a one-day trial to see what he can do as well as become a young man again where Faust accepts this pact where he later pursues an innocent young woman named Gretchen (Camilla Horn).
F.W. Murnau’s direction is definitely stylish as it play into that period of precised framing devices and compositions that is common with German Expressionist cinema of the 1920s. Shot at a studio in Germany, Murnau would use the full-frame aspect ratio to great lengths where he would employ wide shots to get a look of the setting including a lavish wedding sequence involving a duchess. Much of Murnau’s direction emphasizes on medium shots and some close-ups to play into the choices that Faust makes as it also include some dazzling visual effects shot of superimposed objects or things onto another shot which was considered groundbreaking for its time. Notably as Murnau would create these shots and compositions that play into the drama including moments in the third act where Gretchen’s affair with the young Faust would lead to trouble. Even as its aftermath would have Murnau create these precise compositions as well as elements of fantasy through these effect shots that add to the despair that Faust would endure. Overall, Murnau crafts an intoxicating yet haunting film about a man selling his soul to a demon.
Cinematographer Carl Hoffmann does excellent work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography to play into the interiors of the buildings including Faust’s library early in the film as well as family home that Gretchen lives in and the streets at night. Editor Elfriede Bottrich does terrific work with the editing in creating rhythmic cuts and montages for some of the dramatic moments including a few moments in the wedding and fantasy sequences. Art directors/costume designers Robert Herlth and Walter Rohrig, with additional contributions on costumes by Georges Annenkov, do brilliant work with the look of the sets as well as the exterior streets and the costumes that characters would wear including ceremonial robes for the people carrying the dead. The film’s music by Jean Hasse from its 2007 restored edition is superb for its piano-based score that play into the drama and suspenseful moments in the film as it adds a richness to the visuals.
The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Hanna Ralph as the Duchess of Parma, Eric Barclay as the Duke of Parma, Werner Fuetterer as the archangel, William Dieterle as Gretchen’s brother Valentin, Frida Richard as Gretchen’s mother, and Yvette Guilbert as Gretchen’s aunt Marthe who creates potions as she falls for Mephisto unaware of who he really is. Camilla Horn is fantastic as Gretchen as an innocent young woman who is devoted to God until she is given a necklace that would later put her in trouble due to her affair with the young Faust that would bring her to ruin. Emil Jannings is brilliant as Mephisto as the evil demon who coerces Faust to make a pact as he would do everything Faust wishes for with a lot of trouble as it’s just a charismatic performance from Jannings. Finally, Gosta Ekman in an amazing performance as the titular character as an old alchemist who is struggling with his faith until he makes a deal with Mephisto where he becomes young again and given all of the things he wants until he deals with the chaos that he creates pondering about the decision he made.
Faust is a phenomenal film from F.W. Murnau. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a riveting story of faith and desire, and a hypnotic music score, the film is definitely a gorgeous silent horror film that play into these grand visuals with a story that play into the faults of man. In the end, Faust is a sensational film from F.W. Murnau.
© thevoid99 2018
For the 43rd week of 2018 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer. The fourth and final week of the Halloween edition is based on weird TV series as some shows defy description and some just are there just to fuck with people’s minds. Here are my three picks:
1. Twin Peaks
From David Lynch and Mark Frost comes a show that basically changed television for a brief moment in time. It all revolves around the murder of a young woman whom a small town in the Pacific Northwest knows and many wondered who killed Laura Palmer. It was a show that had a dream-like quality but also made fun of soap operas as well as showcasing weird elements. Though the show went into a strange turn following the unveiling of Palmer’s killer during its second and final season. It would return in style in 2017 in a revival (which I haven’t caught up with yet) that brought the show back to its old glory.
2. The Kingdom
From Lars von Trier and collaborator Morten Arnfred is a miniseries set in a Danish hospital that was built on top of a mysterious marsh that is supposedly haunted as a lot of strange shit is happening. It’s a mixture of dark humor, horror, hospital dramas, and other genres as it has this air of excitement and weirdness that includes a Swedish doctor angry about working at a Danish hospital as he hates the Danish while there’s dishwashers with Downs syndrome who converses with ghosts. It’s a miniseries that lasted for two series in 1994 and 1997 with a third one planned but its star Ernst-Hugo Jaregard died in 1998 as well as several other actors in the following years preventing a third series from happening. Yet, the miniseries would later get an American remake in Kingdom Hospital by Stephen King in 2004 that only lasted a season.
3. The Hunger
Produced by Tony and Ridley Scott is a horror season from Canada that lasted two seasons yet does have a cult following as it’s sort of based on a film made by the former back in 1983. The show is essentially an anthology series filled with different stories of horror ranging from all sorts of ideas helmed by different filmmakers including Tony Scott, his son Luke, Russell Mulcahy, and many others as it often tell stories of obsession and desire with elements of softcore porn. The first season was hosted by Terence Stamp while the second season was hosted by David Bowie who starred in the 1983 film and appears in the second season’s first episode.
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel Lunes de fiel (Evil Angels ) by Pascal Bruckner, Bitter Moon is the story of a British couple on a honeymoon cruise ship in the Mediterranean where they meet a Frenchwoman and her American husband who tells the British man the story of their marriage. Directed by Roman Polanski and screenplay by Polanski, Gerard Brach, and John Brownjohn with screen story and contributions by Jeff Gross, the film is a study of marriage and desire where two men converse about passion and desire as well as the dangers that occur in a relationship. Starring Peter Coyote, Hugh Grant, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Victor Banerjee. Bitter Moon is a wild yet exhilarating film from Roman Polanski.
Set mainly on a Mediterranean cruise ship towards Istanbul during the Christmas holiday, the film revolves around a British couple on their honeymoon as they meet a young Frenchwoman and her paralyzed American husband where the latter tells the British man the story of their love affair leading to all sorts of intrigue and attraction towards the Frenchwoman. It’s a film that is an exploration of passion in marriage where a man is fascinated yet shocked by the stories of this paraplegic whose wife is a beautiful yet troubled woman. The film’s screenplay by Roman Polanski, Gerard Bach, and John Brownjohn maintains a back-and-forth narrative where Oscar Benton (Peter Coyote) tells Nigel Dobson (Hugh Grant) the story of his marriage and relationship with Micheline “Mimi” Bouvier (Emmanuelle Seigner) from the moment they met to the time they got married after he had been paralyzed.
Much of the film has Benton tell Dobson this story as each act ends with Dobson telling his wife Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas) about what he’s heard as she is disgusted by the stories preferring to play bridge or chat with an Indian gentleman in Mr. Singh (Victor Banerjee) who is onboard with his daughter Amrita (Sophie Patel) whom Fiona is fascinated by. Dobson is reluctant to hear more of Benton’s story as it relates to his relationship with Mimi in Paris as the first act is about the sense of adventure and passion they had. The second act is about the disintegration of that relationship due to his lack of interest towards Mimi where he would humiliate her publicly as she changes her looks and becomes needy. The second act does meander due to tonal issues as it delves into dark comedy and drama with Dobson becoming confused but also aroused by Mimi in her activities on the cruise. Yet, it would lead to this third act that is about how Benton got paralyzed and the relationship with Mimi in its current state.
Polanski’s direction is definitely wild in terms of the activities that Benton and Mimi do as well as how they humiliate each other just to turn themselves on. Shot mainly in Paris as well on an actual cruise ship and on studio sets in Paris, the film does play into two different worlds from the claustrophobic feel of the interior cruise hallways to the more open yet chaotic world of Paris. Polanski would use a lot of wide and medium shots to play into the locations of Paris while emphasizing on the latter and close-ups for the scenes at Benton’s apartment where he and Mimi would engage in ideas of sadomasochism and other sexual activity to express their passion for each other where it starts off with an air of innocence. Notably in a moment that plays into this innocence and passion for love is shown during a scene at a skydiver ride where they reach their hands as if there’s an element of fantasy. There’s a liveliness in the way Polanski play into the idea of sadomasochism and bondage where it is innocent until the second act where Benton becomes mean towards Mimi.
The scenes on the cruise ship are more constrained due to its claustrophobic tone in the rooms and interior hallways yet does have a sense of calm on the decks and at the main hall for meals and at the climatic New Year’s Eve party. Despite some of the tonal issues in the film’s second act, Polanski does maintain that air of intrigue and dark humor that play into Benton’s desire to humiliate Mimi at social gatherings and such. Polanski would also play into this intrigue as it relates to Dobson who finds himself attracted to Mimi but doesn’t want his wife to know while he’s unsure if Mimi and Benton are playing him or want him for something. The New Year’s Eve party scene is where some big surprises occur but also play into the fallacies of temptation and desire along with the dark aspects of relationship forcing Dobson to deal with himself and his own marriage to Fiona. Overall, Polanski crafts a provocative and intense film about a man’s infatuation with a woman through the stories told by her paraplegic husband.
Cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with the way the exteriors of the cruise ship are shown during the evening as well as the exteriors in Paris along with the look of the Parisian nightclubs that Benton and Mimi go to. Editor Herve de Luze does excellent work with editing as it has elements of style in the montages and dissolves along with rhythmic cuts to play into the drama and suspense. Production designer Willy Holt and Gerard Viard do brilliant work with the look of the interiors of the cruise hallways, cabins, dining halls, and ballrooms as well as the look of Benton’s apartment in Paris.
Costume designer Jackie Budin does fantastic work with the costumes in the stylish clothes that Mimi wears including the colorful sweaters, sneakers, and other casual clothes to some of the wild and skimpy dresses along with the S&M stuff. The sound work of Daniel Brisseau is superb for the atmosphere of the cruise ship with sounds of water heard in the background as well as how music is heard in some scenes including some of the noises that happen for the scenes in Paris. The film’s music by Vangelis is incredible for its usage of orchestral and piano-based music to play into the drama and suspense with rich string arrangements and textures that add to story while the film’s soundtrack is a mixture of music ranging from artists/acts like Peggy Lee, the Eurythmics, George Michael, Sam Brown, the Communards, Gloria Gaynor, and covers of songs by Bryan Ferry, Stevie Wonder, and Lionel Richie that are performed in the film’s climatic New Year’s Eve party.
The casting by Francoise Menidrey, Mary Selway, and Bonnie Timmermann is marvelous as it include some notable small roles from Sophie Patel as Mr. Singh’s daughter Amitra, Olivia Brunaux as Mimi’s roommate Cindy, Boris Bergman as a friend of Oscar who often goes clubbing with him, Luca Vellani as an Italian cruise passenger who tries to flirt with Fiona when he took over for Dobson during a game of bridge, and Stockard Channing in a terrific yet un-credited cameo as Benton’s agent Beverly who is trying to get Benton to come back to New York City. Victor Banerjee is superb as Mr. Singh as an Indian gentleman traveling to Istanbul as he befriends to the Dobsons while representing someone who can show the Dobsons another way of life that is more fulfilling than what the Bentons offer. Kristin Scott Thomas is fantastic as Fiona Dobson as a woman who is trying to enjoy her vacation as she becomes concerned about Nigel’s fascination towards the Bentons as she becomes disgusted by his attraction to Mimi prompting her to show that she can be just as wild.
Hugh Grant is excellent as Nigel Dobson as a British man who is intrigued by Benton’s story as he tries to make sense of what is happening while wondering if he’s being played as he provides some humor as well as a humility in the film’s third act where he awkwardly tries to woo Mimi. Peter Coyote is brilliant as Oscar Benton as an American writer living in Paris who falls for Mimi as she represents everything he wants in a woman only to get bored and later succumb to paralysis as he tells Nigel his story with an air of discontent as it’s a slimy yet playful performance from Coyote. Finally, there’s Emmanuelle Seigner in a spectacular performance as Micheline “Mimi” Bouvier-Benton as a young woman who aspires to be a dancer as she falls for Oscar only to become desperate to please him to the point of great humiliation and later rebellion and unhappiness as it’s a performance filled with energy and danger that isn’t seen often in films.
Bitter Moon is a phenomenal film from Roman Polanski. Featuring a great ensemble cast, compelling themes of passion and desire through sex and humiliation, gorgeous visuals, a chilling setting, and a killer music soundtrack. The film is definitely an off-kilter yet intriguing suspense-drama that play into the ideas of passion and some of the fallacies that occur prompting another couple to raise questions about their own marriage. In the end, Bitter Moon is a sensational film from Roman Polanski.
Roman Polanski Films: Knife in the Water - Repulsion - Cul-de-Sac – The Fearless Vampire Killers - Rosemary's Baby - Macbeth (1971 film) - (What?) – Chinatown - The Tenant – Tess (1979 film) - (Pirates) – Frantic - Death and the Maiden – The Ninth Gate - The Pianist - Oliver Twist (2005 film) - The Ghost Writer - Carnage - (Venus in Fur) – (Based on a True Story) – (An Officer and a Spy) - (The Palace)
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the sci-fi novel by H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man is the story of a scientist who tries to reverse an experiment he conducted where he became invisible as he deals with his condition. Directed by James Whale and screenplay by R.C. Sheriff, with un-credited contributions from Philip Wylie and Preston Sturges, the film is about a man trying to fix his condition only to deal with the chaos of his experiments as the titular character in Jack Griffin is portrayed by Claude Rains. Also starring Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Dudley Digges, Una O’Connor, Henry Travers, and Forrester Harvey. The Invisible Man is a riveting and compelling film from James Whale.
The film follows a scientist who had become invisible as he hides in a hotel trying to find the formula to reverse his condition while succumbing to madness. It’s a simple premise that plays into a man’s obsession as he would use his condition to wreak havoc on a small town as its people would upset him as he’s trying to work forcing him to reach towards an old friend for help only to create more problems. The film’s screenplay by R.C. Sheriff does play into Jack Griffin’s troubled state where he arrives to this inn hoping for a room to stay and not be bothered as he’s trying to work on an antidote. Yet, he’s interrupted by the people running the inn as he gets upset while they learn who he is as he causes trouble while there are those in Griffin’s life such as his former fiancée Flora Cranley (Gloria Stuart) who is concerned about his whereabouts and state of mind. Even when her father and Griffin’s former employer Dr. Cranley (Henry Travers) reveals that Griffin might have used a substance that has contributed to his troubled behavior.
James Whale’s direction does emphasize on simplicity in terms of the compositions that he creates yet it is in the way he builds suspense and intrigue as it relates to Griffin’s condition that gives the film an edge in its approach to suspense. Shot largely at the studio lots in Universal Studios in Hollywood, Whale would create a world that is set in England where it’s set largely at a small town where there aren’t any cars except for those who are rich. Whale would use some wide shots to establish the locations but emphasizes more on medium shots and close-ups for a look into the inn that Griffin would stay in as well as some of the moments in which Griffin would reveal his condition to those who are trying to bother him. Notably in a sequence where he scares the innkeeper Mr. Hall (Forrester Harvey) while wreaking havoc in the street as he’s invisible and naked.
When a manhunt for Griffin emerges, Whale’s compositions play into the chaos as well as Griffin’s willingness to outsmart them as there is an element of humor into the film. Even as it play into the fact that there’s people trying to capture Griffin but they can’t see him and he’s playing around them as they can’t see him. The element of trickery that Whale creates with the help of his special effects team as well as scenes of Griffin shedding his clothes and bandages to unveil what he’s like as an invisible man. The film’s third act that plays into the manhunt but also Griffin’s increasingly mad behavior where he takes advantage of his condition and creates disarray in cities and small towns. Even as some welcome this element of anarchy that Griffin is bringing but it would eventually become deadly prompting action from those close to Griffin to stop him in embracing his role as the invisible man. Overall, Whale crafts a rapturous and haunting film about an invisible man trying to find an antidote for his condition.
Cinematographer Arthur Hedeson does excellent work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography as it play into usage of low-key lights and moods for the scenes set at night while being straightforward for the scenes set in the day. Editor Ted J. Kent does terrific work with the editing with its stylish usage of transition wipes as a montage as well as rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense. Art director Charles D. Hall does brilliant work with the look of the inn as well as the town exteriors and the home of Dr. Cranley and the home of one of Griffin’s friends.
The special effects work of John P. Fulton and Frank D. Williams is brilliant for the unveiling of the titular character as well as how objects move and what he’s like when he’s wearing one or two articles of clothing. The sound work of Gilbert Kurland is superb for the sound as well as the scenes that play into the chaos that Griffin creates. The film’s music by Heinz Roemheld is wonderful for its orchestral score that play into the suspense with soaring string arrangements as well as a few somber pieces for the drama.
The film’s incredible cast include some notable small roles from Dudley Digges as a chief inspector trying to outwit Griffin, John Carradine as an informer who claims to have seen Griffin, E.E. Clive as Constable Jaffers who immediately dismisses the idea of the invisible man until he sees it for himself, Forrester Harvey as the innkeeper Herbert Hall, Una O’Connor as Hall’s wife, and Henry Travers as Dr. Cranley who is concerned about Griffin’s well-being but also is aware of what Griffin used for his experiment believing it’s the cause of Griffin’s troubled behavior. William Harrigan is excellent as Griffin’s colleague and friend Dr. Arthur Kemp who reluctantly lets Griffin hide out to continue the experiments only to be troubled by Griffin’s behavior leading to Griffin to wanting to save himself.
Gloria Stuart is brilliant as Flora Cranley as Griffin’s former fiancée who is worried about him as she wants to help him get better. Finally, there’s Claude Rains in a phenomenal performance as Jack Griffin as a man trying to find an antidote for his condition while wreaking havoc when he’s completely invisible and naked as Rains spends much of the film hiding under masks and bandages while doing a lot of the talking as it is an iconic performance from Rains.
The Invisible Man is a spectacular film from James Whale that features a great performance from Claude Rains as the titular character. Along with its ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, bombastic score, and lively special effects that were primitive for its time. It’s a film that play into the idea of a man who is given powers to create mayhem as he struggles with his sanity to try and fix himself only to deal with the implications of his experiments. In the end, The Invisible Man is a sensational film from James Whale.
Related: The Invisible Man (2020 film) Frankenstein - (The Impatient Maiden) – (The Old Dark Horse) – (The Kiss Before the Mirror) – (By Candlelight) – (One More River) – Bride of Frankenstein - (Remember Last Night?) – (Show Boat (1936 film)) – (The Road Back) – (The Great Garrick) – (Sinners in Paradise) – (Wives Under Suspicion) – (Port of Seven Seas) – (The Man in the Iron Mask (1939 film)) – (Green Hell) – (They Dare Not Love)
© thevoid99 2018
