Well this has been a great start to a new year and a new decade. Why? Well let’s see… our dumb-fuck dictator has waged war on Iran and the idea of World War III might happen. People are getting sick left and right with Asia now being hit with a new disease in the coronavirus. Rush drummer Neil Peart died of brain cancer while Kobe Bryant and his 13-year old daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash with several other people. Oh, and the supposed cold I had in the last month had brought me to the emergency room for a few hours as I had bronchitis. So yeah, I think things are really fucking great. That is if you’re a stupid motherfucker. Seriously, this hasn’t been good at all though I’m slowly getting better despite still coughing though not severely. Of course, the fucking bronchitis made me have to stay home as I had to miss some art house films I really wanted to see. Alas, things could be worse.
In the month of January 2020, I saw a total of 30 films in 12 first-timers and 18 re-watches with 2 of the first-timers directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge . One of the highlights of the month has been my Blind Spot assignment in Louisiana Story
1. Parasite
2. Shazam!
3. Swimmer
4. A Star is Born
5. Ceddo
6. Emitai
7. Scent of a Woman
8. Dear Basketball
9. Duran Duran: There’s Something You Show Know
10. The Velvet Underground: Live MCMXCIII
Monthly Mini-Reviews:
Duran Duran: There’s Something You Show Know A documentary about the band’s career that was shown on Showtime, the film showcases the band’s incredible career from their formation in the late 70s to their continued success into the 21st Century. Though it does skim on some parts such as their late 80s/early 90s drought and John Taylor’s brief departure in 1996 before returning in the early 2000s. The film does play into some of the band’s highs and lows including Andy Taylor’s second departure in the mid-2000s where they were sympathetic about why he left leaving the band to be a four-piece of sorts while there’s also interviews with other musicians, fans, and celebrities including Nile Rodgers, Boy George, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Mark Ronson as it’s something fans will enjoy.
The Velvet Underground: Live MCMXCIII VIDEO A concert film of the legendary band’s three-night performance at L’Olympia in Paris in June of 1993 showcases the brief reunion of the seminal band in the classic line-up of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen “Moe” Tucker. It’s a nice concert film that has the band play several of their classics from their four albums including the two albums made without Cale who proves to be a worthy replacement for the late Nico in singing Femme Fatale . Though it wasn’t entirely well-received when it first came out, the live show does at least showcase a band having fun and playing songs to a rapturous audience that wanted to see the band and hear those songs.
Swimmer Swimmer from Natasha Braier on Vimeo .From Lynne Ramsay comes her 2012 BAFTA award-winning short film made to celebrate the 2012 Olympics as it this gorgeous black-and-white short film about the journey of a swimmer going through various bodies of water in Britain. There’s not much of a plot to it yet Ramsay’s intricate approach to sound design with audio samples from other films as well as gorgeous photography by Natasha Braier add to its beauty and intoxicating atmosphere. It’s a film that fans of Ramsay must see as it is proof that she’s one of the best filmmakers working today.
Tolkien A by-the-numbers bio-pic about the young life of J.R.R. Tolkien, it’s a film that has its moments due to Nicholas Hoult’s performance as the famed writer. While much of it takes place during Tolkien’s time studying languages and coming up with ideas for his work, it also showcases his experience at World War I. Lily Collins’ performance as his eventual wife is a standout as she manages to bring the best in Tolkien as it’s an OK film.
Dear Basketball Dear Basketball from joe mcmaster on Vimeo .In light of the shocking death of Kobe Bryant, the short film he created with filmmaker Glen Keane became available as it is definitely something special and deserving of the Oscar for Best Animated Short. It’s Bryant narrating about his love for the game and the many highs and lows he went through as a player but also someone who dreamed of playing the game as a kid. It’s a touching short made mainly in 2D hand-drawn animation as it adds a richness to a film that is just simple and personal.
Top 10 Re-watches:
1. Brazil
2. Aliens
3. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
4. Major League
5. Alien
6. Bad Times at the El Royale
7. The Addams Family
8. Paddington 2
9. Diego Maradona
10. About Schmidt
Well, that is all for January. I have no idea what I’m doing next month other than continue work on MCU is Cinema project as I took a break on it as making the fourth part has been difficult. That is something I want to finish and then return to work on my Auteurs piece on Kelly Reichardt. Other than, I’ll just watch films from the never-ending DVR list while I’m unsure of what film I’ll watch that is out in the theaters. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2020
In the fifth week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We go into the world of TV for new shows that premiered in 2019 as there was a lot to offer to viewers in the world of TV. Even as there were new things that audiences would see that offered something new. Here are my three picks:
1. Euphoria
One of two new shows from HBO that I’ve seen so far, this show about a young teenage girl coming home from rehab as she struggles with sobriety while other high schoolers endure trouble such as sexual identity, drugs, and mayhem. This show created by Sam Levinson is definitely shocking as it doesn’t shy away from some of the trouble high school kids endure with Zendaya in the lead role as Rue as a former drug addict struggling with sobriety and finding her place in the world as she befriends a transgender girl named Jules. It isn’t afraid to tackle many subjects but also in the world of sex where there are young women trying to find themselves but often go into the wrong places as it’s definitely something more people should see.
2. Mrs. Fletcher
A limited TV series based on Tom Perrota’s novel about a middle-aged woman dealing with loneliness and her own sexual exploration following her son’s departure into college. It is a fascinating show that stars Kathryn Hahn in the titular role as a divorcee who is trying to find herself but also have her own sexual reawakening while her son enters the world of college as he struggles with his new surroundings. Especially as he was a popular and sexually active teen in high school yet finds himself being an outcast in college while his mother would befriend a former high schooler her son bullied back in high school. It is an amazing series as it raises a lot of questions of what will happen next.
3. AEW Dynamite
On January 1, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan, a new American professional wrestling organization in All Elite Wrestling was announced under the financial backing of Jacksonville Jaguars/Fulham F.C. owner Shahid Khan and the leadership of Shahid’s son Tony with Matt and Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Cody Rhodes as executive vice presidents. On October 2, 2019, AEW's new show premiered marking the first time professional wrestling is on Turner broadcasting since March 2001 when WCW was bought by WWE as well as the beginning of the Wednesday Night Wars with WWE’s NXT brand. Two hours of professional wrestling action with bits of entertainment, the show is already successful as TNT extended AEW’s contract through 2023 with a second show set to be added. So far, it’s been doing great not just through matches and segments but also through the work of the Elite (Omega, Rhodes, Young Bucks, and Hangman Adam Page), Jon Moxley, the Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Santana/Ortiz, Jake Hager, and Sammy Guevara), SCU, the Jurassic Express, Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin, and many others.
© thevoid99 2020
Directed by Bong Joon-ho and screenplay by Joon-ho and Han Jin-won from a story by Joon-ho, Parasite is the story of a poor family whose adult son gets a job as a tutor for rich woman and her family as they scheme to take jobs as highly qualified individuals. The film is an exploration of social classes where a poor family gets a look into the world of the rich and try inhabit that world while making an unsettling discovery. Starring Song Kang-Ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, and Chang Hyae-jin. Parasite is a riveting and intoxicating film from Bong Joon-ho.
The film is the simple story of a poor family whose son is given a job from a friend of his to tutor a teenage girl from a rich family as he would befriend the family and get his parents and sisters jobs pretending to be highly-qualified workers. It’s a film with a simple premise yet it is more of an exploration of different social classes and how one family yearns to have the life this rich family have as they still struggle with living in a small apartment in a poor environment. The film’s screenplay by Bong Joon-Ho and Han Jin-won follow the life of the Kim family as they share this small and cramped apartment trying to get by through odd jobs including making pizza boxes for a local pizza company. When a friend of Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) in Min-hyuk (Park Seo-joon) arrives with a gift for the Kim family in a scholar rock as well as giving Ki-woo his job as an English tutor for a teenage girl as he’s going away to study abroad. Ki-woo accepts his friend’s offer while Ki-woo’s sister Ki-jeong (Park So-dam) creates false documents about Ki-woo’s credentials as a tutor.
Ki-woo meets Yeon-gyo Park (Cho Yeo-jeong) whose husband Dong-ik (Lee Sun-kyun) is a revered architect while their teenage daughter Da-hye (Jeong Ji-so) is struggling in high school as Ki-woo helps her as he gets accepted by Yeon-gyo. Noticing the Park’s youngest son in Da-song (Jung Hyeon-jun), Ki-woo suggests in getting an art tutor/art therapist to help with Da-song as Ki-jeong poses as the art teacher. Through a series of events, Ki-jeong gets the Park’s chauffer Yoon (Park Geun-rok) fired so that her father Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) can get the job while his wife Chung-sook (Chang Hye-jin) eventually becomes the housekeeper following a scheme to the get the Park’s longtime housekeeper Moon-gwang Gook (Lee Jung-eun) fired. Just as the Kim family seems to enjoy their new life and finding ways to improve their own lifestyle, a secret within the house starts to emerge as it would shatter everything they worked for. Even as it forces Ki-taek to come to terms with the life he wanted and the life he already has but also a growing disconnect between the two world of the rich and poor.
Joon-ho’s direction is definitely entrancing in not just the world and home the Park family live in but also the dilapidated environment of the Kim family. Shot on location around Seoul and parts of Jeonju, the film definitely play up to this world between the lower-working class of the Kims and the upper-class world of the Parks. Joon-ho does use wide shots to not just a scope of the locations but also how vast the home of the Parks is that includes a big living room and backyard while much of Joon-ho’s compositions are tighter with medium shots and close-ups at the home of the Kims. Notably in the lack of space as well as the fact that there’s always a drunk person who urinates in front of their home onto a pile of garbage. Joon-ho’s usage of tracking shots add to the atmosphere of the Parks’ home in the way characters move from room to room as well in some of the film’s suspenseful moments.
Joon-ho also adds this air of tranquility in the home of the Parks where the Kims would inhabit all of its splendor during a day when the Parks are out of town. It is a moment in the film as it play into the Kims’ desire for a life that is better but know that it is only fleeting when a major discovery occurs within the house as it changes everything. It also raises questions into the idea of social divide as it intensifies when the Kims come home and things go on as if nothing happened. All of the planning that Ki-woo had created with his family suddenly become questioned with Ki-taek also wondering about the Parks and their lifestyle in contrast to the life he and his family has. Joon-ho maintains this atmosphere of social disconnect as its climax is about a family trying to understand its identity as well as the identity of the home they’re inhabiting as it lead to chaos. Overall, Joon-ho crafts an evocative yet eerie film about a poor family inhabiting the world and home of a rich family.
Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it help create some different color schemes such as the usage of low-key and grimy lighting for the scenes at the home of the Kims and their surroundings that is in sharp contrast to the more naturalistic exteriors at the Park’s home with some unique lighting for the interiors at their home. Editor Yang Jin-mo does amazing work with the editing as it help play into some of the drama and suspense with its usage of jump-cuts and other stylish cuts while using rhythmic cuts for some of the film’s humorous moments. Production designer Lee Ha-jun and set decorator Cho Won-Woo do excellent work with the look of the home of the Park family with its spacious living room, stylish kitchen, a highly-organized garage/basement, and clean bedrooms that is the opposite of the grimy and claustrophobic home of the Kims. Costume designer Choi Se-yeon does fantastic work with the costumes from the clean-cut and stylish clothes of the Parks to the more ragged look of the Kims while they would wear more posh-like clothing upon working with the Parks.
Hair/makeup designer Young Kim Seo does nice work with the look of the characters including the more refined look that the Kims would sport upon working for the Parks. The special effects work of Jung Do-ahn and Park Kyung-soo, with visual effects supervisor Jeong Ho Hong, do terrific work with the special effects that is mainly bits of set dressing that include some of the sunny exteriors at the Parks’ backyard as well as some shots from the cellphones the characters often carry. The sound work of Choi Tae-young is superb in creating the atmosphere in the film’s locations as well as the air of ambiance at the home of the Parks that is removed from some of the chaos in the city along with some of the more disturbing moments that would occur during its third act. The film’s music by Jung Jae-il is incredible for its somber piano-based orchestral score as it play into the sense of wonderment as well as some of the melancholia that occurs along with some eerie moments of suspense as it is a highlight of the film. Music supervisor Park Hyoshin provides a wonderful soundtrack that features some classical pieces as well as contemporary music that plays in the background including a song co-written by Joon-ho in the film’s final credits.
The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Park Seo-joon as Ki-woo’s friend Min-hyuk who gives Ki-woo his tutoring job, Jung Yi-seo as the pizza place manager, Park Guen-rok as the chauffer Yoon, and Park Myung-hoon as a mysterious man that Da-song thinks is a ghost. Lee Jung-eun is terrific as the housekeeper Gook Moon-gwang as the Parks’ original housekeeper who has a strange allergy while is also involved with a big mysterious secret at the house while Jung Hyeon-jun is superb as the Parks’ youngest child in Da-song who is fascinated by Native Americans and creates some unique drawings. Jeong Ji-so is wonderful as the Park’s teenage daughter Da-hye as young girl trying to learn English as she is pursued by Min-hyuk yet starts to fall for Ki-woo. Lee Sun-kyun and Cho Yeo-jeong are fantastic in their respective roles as Dong-ik and Yeon-gyo Park as the rich couple with the former as a revered architect and the latter as a simple housewife who is trying to run a household as she is easily swayed by the Kim’s scheme.
Park So-dam is excellent as Ki-jeong as the Kim adult daughter who is good at creating forged documents and such while also knows about art as she teaches Da-song about art while making observations about his work. Chang Hyae-jin is brilliant as Chung-sook as the Park matriarch who spends much of her time cleaning while being the one to discover a major secret at the house. Choi Woo-shik is amazing as Ki-woo as the Kim adult son who is smart but unable to pass exams where he takes the tutoring job for a friend while he would scheme his way to get his family to get work only for things to become troubling. Finally, there’s Song Kang-ho in an incredible performance as Ki-taek as the Kim patriarch who is hoping to get his family out of their life as he would eventually fill in as the Park chauffer where he enjoys the job but becomes troubled by what he discovered at the Park family home as he later deals with the disconnect between his family’s world and the Park’s family lifestyle.
Parasite is a tremendous film from Bong Joon-ho. Featuring an incredible cast, dazzling visuals, an intriguing study of social classes and lifestyles, a mixture of comedy and suspense, and an intoxicating music score by Jung Jae-il. It’s a film that explore this unique world of social classes as well as a poor family trying to inhabit the world of the upper class while being reminded of where they come from. In the end, Parasite is a spectacular film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host (2006 film) - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother (2009 film) - Snowpiercer - Okja - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the DC Comics series by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck, Shazam! is the story of a teenage boy who meets a wizard who grants him powers to become a superhero to deal with a man who is also given the powers featuring the 7 Deadly Sins. Directed by David F. Sandberg and screenplay by Henry Gayden from a story by Gayden and Darren Lemke, the film is a superhero/coming-of-age film of sorts where a boy says a word that would turn him into a superhero as he deals with not just who he is but also the idea of family as he gets adopted into a kind-loving home with five different adopted siblings. Starring Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou as the Wizard/Shazam. Shazam! is a witty and heartwarming film from David F. Sandberg.
The film revolves around a teenage kid looking for his birth mother as an encounter with bullies lead him to meet a mysterious wizard who gives him the power to become a superhero by saying a magic word in the hopes he can defeat another man who has gained entry into the Rock of Eternity as he is accompanied by the forces known as the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. It’s a film that has a simple premise yet it is really about a man and a boy who both encountered magic as they’re also lost due to the fact that they never had a family. Henry Gayden’s screenplay opens with a sequence set in 1974 where a young boy named Thaddeus Sivana (Ethan Pugiotto) would encounter the mysterious wizard known as Shazam who offers the boy the chance to become a hero yet the young Thaddeus is tempted by the Eye of Sin making him unworthy of the powers. The event would later cause a car accident that would paralyze his father as the older Thaddeus (Mark Strong) becomes obsessed with finding entry to the Rock of Eternity as he would eventually gain the Eye of Sin and defeat the Wizard unleashing monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Around the time the older Thaddeus gains the Eye of Sin and its monsters, a teenage boy named Billy Baston (Asher Angel) is a foster-child in Philadelphia searching for his biological mother as he’s taken to another foster home run by Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans, respectively) where he shares the home with five other foster children in the college-bound Mary Bromfield (Grace Fulton), the obsessive gaming/tech enthusiast Eugene Choi (Ian Chen), the shy and sensitive Pedro Pena (Jovan Armand), the youngest in Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman), and the superhero enthusiast Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) who walks with a crutch as he’s often the target for bullies. It is Billy defending Freddy from the bullies and an ensuing chase that would get him to meet the Wizard who gives him the powers to become the hero mainly for the goodness in Billy’s heart as well as hoping to defend the honor of the siblings that the Wizard lost many years ago due to Eye of Sin.
One of the strengths of the script isn’t just this duality between Sivana and Baston in their encounters with the wizard but what they are able to do with the powers they’re given. Though Baston admits to the Wizard that he’s not pure of heart, his willingness to at least stand up for his adopted family as well as at least wanting to reunite with his mother at least show someone who is a good person. Sivana’s motivations is someone who never felt love from his father and older brother as his obsession for magic makes him wanting to lash out at his family but also crave power with the help of the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins. The script also shows that when Baston becomes Shazam, he is given these powers but he uses it for money and mischief until he gets Sivana’s attention as he deals with the fact that he has to face off with someone who is powerful and wanting to kill him and anyone else trying to protect him.
David F. Sandberg’s direction is definitely full of exuberance in its tone while also bringing in some dark material as it relates to Sivana and his powers. Though the film is set largely in Philadelphia during the Christmas holidays, it is shot largely on location in Toronto as Philadelphia where it play into the misadventures of Baston but also a boy just trying to find a home. Sandberg does use some wide and medium shots to establish the locations but he also create some unique compositions that do have an air of simplicity into how Baston copes with his situation or how he interact with his adopted siblings. Even as there’s these bits of drama that showcases each of his siblings and who they are as well as Shazam would interact with a few of them such as Darla who immediately discovers Shazam’s true identity once he turns back to Baston. Sandberg also maintains a light-hearted tone such as a montage of Shazam learning what kind of powers he has as there is also an air of innocence for the fact that Shazam is really a young teenager who wants to know what it’s like to drink beers and go to strip clubs.
Sandberg doesn’t just play into this innocence but also the selfishness that teenagers go through as Shazam isn’t aware of the fact that just because he has superpowers doesn’t mean he can just show them off. He also has to take responsibility once he meets Sivana as it would lead to the third act where Baston has some revelations about what happened to him as a child as it relates to his mother and what happened the day he got lost from his mother. It would be a moment where Baston has to learn the true idea of family but also show exactly what kind of man Sivana is as someone who may have powers and the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins. The film’s climax that has Shazam vs. Sivana and his army as it has this mixture of action, adventure, and humor. Most notably in who Shazam gets to help him fight as there are these small bits of innocence that occur but also moments that make fun of typical clichés expected in superhero films. Overall, Sandberg crafts an exhilarating yet enchanting film about a kid who becomes a superhero by saying a magic word.
Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography the low-key and dark colors of the Rock of Eternity lair that the Wizard lives in as well as the world that Sivana is surrounded by to the more colorful look and wintery lighting of Baston and his family. Editor Michel Aller does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward in some parts while knowing when not to deviate into chaotic editing style for the action as it does let shots linger on as well as bring in some style in a montage sequence where Shazam tests his powers. Production designer Jennifer Spence, with set decorator Shane Vieau plus art directors Brandt Gordon and Colin Woods, does amazing work with the look of the Rock of Eternity as well as the home Baston and his adopted siblings live in. Costume designer Leah Butler does fantastic work with the clothes that Sivana wears as well as the clothes of Baston and his siblings and the suit he wears when he’s Shazam.
Prosthetics makeup designer Steve Newburn does terrific work with the look of Sivana with his eye as well as the look of the Wizard. Special effects supervisors Mark Lawton and Cameron Waldbauer, with visual effects supervisors Mike Wassel, Carey Villegas, and Kelvin McIlwain, do incredible work with the visual effects from the design of the monsters as well as in the special effects to play into Shazam’s powers. Sound designers Bill R. Dean and Erick Ocampo do superb work with the sound as it play into the powers both Shazam and Sivana have as well as some of the places the characters go to. The film’s music by Benjamin Wallfisch is marvelous for its bombastic orchestral score with themes that soar into the sense of adventure and humor while music supervisor Season Kent provides a fun soundtrack of music that feature pieces from Queen, Natalie Cole, Warrant, the Ramones, Bing Crosby, Calvin Harris with Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, & Big Sean, Bruno Mars, Cheap Shot, Dean Martin, Survivor, Twenty One Pilots, Niall Horan, and Naughty by Nature.
The casting by Rich Delia is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from the voices of Steve Blum, Darin De Paul, and Fred Tatasciore as the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins, Andi Ohso as a social worker in Emma Glover, Lotta Lotsen as Sivana’s researcher Dr. Lynn Crosby, Wayne Ward and Landon Doak in their respective roles as the adult and teenage version of Sivana’s older brother Sid, Carson MacCormac and Evan Marsh in their respective roles as the school bullies in Brett and Burke Breyer, Caroline Palmer as Billy’s mother Marilyn in a flashback scene and in a key scene in the third act, David Kohlsmith as the four-year old Billy Baston, Ethan Pugiotto as the young Thaddeus Sivana, and John Glover as Sivana’s cruel father who treats him like shit in the film’s opening sequence as well as being cold to him in a sequence where Sivana confronts him. Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans are terrific in their respective roles as Victor and Rosa Vasquez as foster parents who are good people trying to give Billy and his adopted siblings a good home as well as being really kind people.
Ian Chen and Jovan Armand are superb in their respective roles as Billy’s foster brothers in Eugene Choi and Pedro Pena with the former as gamer and tech enthusiast who is also a skilled hacker while the latter is a shy and sensitive kid having a hard time opening up as he doesn’t say much but is always helpful. Faithe Herman is fantastic as the youngest foster sibling in Darla Dudley as a sweet young girl who likes to cook while is also someone that is full of innocence and sees the good in people. Grace Fulton is excellent as Mary Bromfield as the oldest foster sibling who is bound for college yet is devoted to her family as she is willing to protect them. Jack Dylan Grazer is brilliant as Freddy Freeman as Billy’s foster sibling who is a superhero enthusiast as he helps Shazam understand his powers while trying to deal with his own disabilities and desire to have what Billy has as Shazam.
Djimon Hounsou is amazing as the Wizard who is called Shazam as a man of great power and magic who gives Billy his powers in the hopes that Billy can defeat Sivana and bring hope to the world. Mark Strong is remarkable as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana as a man obsessed with his encounter with the Wizard as a kid where he finally gains access where he aligns himself with the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins in the hope he can get Shazam’s powers to rule everything and everyone. Asher Angel is incredible as Billy Baston as a teenage kid trying to find his mother but is also reluctant to be part of a family only to realize what the Vasquez and his adopted siblings could give him. Finally, there’s Zachary Levi in a phenomenal performance as Shazam as Billy’s adult alter-ego who is a ball of energy and enthusiasm as someone trying to understand his powers but also what it means to be powerful and use them for good as Levi provides that air of innocence and exuberance that the character is about.
Shazam! is a tremendous film from David F. Sandberg. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a witty and lighthearted tone, a dazzling music score, and colorful visuals. It is a superhero film that doesn’t take itself seriously while showcasing some strong themes on family, power, and the idea of being a hero. In the end, Shazam! is a spectacular film from David F. Sandberg.
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Aquaman - Birds of Prey – Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2020
In the fourth week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We delve into the subject of unforgettable film scores suggested by Brittani of Rambling Films . Anyone who watches films can remember music moments that stick out from a film score as they all play an important part in film. My three picks are based on three groundbreaking electronic-based scores that stood out to me as they’re all three films from the 1970s:
1. Walter (Wendy) Carlos-A Clockwork Orange
VIDEO While the soundtrack largely features classical music pieces by Beethoven, Gioachino Rossini, and Edward Elgar, it is Wendy Carlos’ score that added a sci-fi tone to the music. Its early usage of synthesizers including in some of the music including into some of the classical pieces as there is something offbeat into what Carlos does. Yet, it fits with what Stanley Kubrick wanted for the film as it played into this study of human nature as a young man whose love of sex, violence, and Beethoven suddenly turns against him through an experiment that eventually went bad. The score is quite ahead of its time as it showcases what can be done with electronic music.
2. Eduard Artemyev-Solaris
VIDEO Another composer that put a unique spin on classical pieces, Eduard Artemyev’s score for Andrei Tarkovsky’s sci-fi feature not just some original pieces but also some eerie takes on some of the classical pieces that Artemyev has interpreted. Most notably Johann Sebastian Bach’s Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesus Christ (BWV 639) as the film’s theme with its usage of organs and swooning synthesizers as it plays into the film’s sense of loss and uncertainty that its protagonist Kris Kelvin embarks on. Artmeyev’s score adds a mood to the film in terms of its intrigue that is this nearby planet that Kelvin, other cosmonauts, and the ghostly figure of his late wife Hari encounter. It’s not an easy film to watch due to its slow pacing and lack of plot but it is truly one of the finest films ever made as Artmeyev’s score definitely adds to its legend.
3. John Carpenter-Assault on Precinct 13
VIDEO Before he ventured into the world of horror and become one of the genre’s masters, John Carpenter’s second film is this eerie crime thriller about a gang wreaking havoc outside a police station with people trapped as they’re trying to survive the standoff. What makes the film such a joy is Carpenter’s own score which sounds so ahead of its time in its tone and presentation. Its usage of bass and drum machines as well as the layers of synthesizers just give the film that menacing tone as it is proof of what kind of master Carpenter is as well as the groundwork he would lay for other composers in the years to come.
© thevoid99 2020
Directed by Robert J. Flaherty and written by Robert J. Flaherty and Frances H. Flaherty, Louisiana Story is the story of a Cajun boy and his pet raccoon as their idyllic life is disrupted by oil well drilling near their home. The film is a mixture of documentary and fiction as it was commissioned by the Standard Oil Company to promote oil drilling in the bayous as Flaherty explores a boy’s encounter with this new world that is oil. Starring Joseph Bordeaux, Lionel Le Blanc, E. Bienvenu, Frank Hardy, and Oscar J Yarborough. Louisiana Story is a rapturous and compelling film from Robert J. Flaherty.
The film revolves around a 12-year old boy living in the bayou as an oil rig has arrived nearby for oil drilling as the boy is fascinated by this new phenomenon. It’s a film with a simple premise that explore the emergence of oil drilling in the Louisiana bayou with a boy living nearby as his father agreed to have this oil company drill near his home. While there isn’t much plot in the film as the script by Robert J. and Frances H. Flaherty blur the lines between this narrative involving this young boy and his family and the reality that is happening with an oil well happening nearby. It does play into this emergence of two different worlds in the idyllic bayou with its natural surroundings and this modern world that is the oil business as the oil workers are fascinated by the young boy in the catfish he catches as well as other things he finds. The boy himself would be intrigued by what is going on in the oil well though his father prefers to stay away from the oil business knowing that he’ll make money if they succeed.
Robert J. Flaherty’s direction is largely simplistic as it aims for a documentary approach for much of the film that include scenes images of nature and scenes of what goes on inside the oil well. Shot on location at the bayous of Louisiana, Flaherty’s approach to the story of the boy with his pet raccoon is straightforward with some shots towards the animals in the bayou including alligators, birds, and other creatures with some wide and medium shots to get a scope of the locations. Flaherty also captures what goes inside the oil well as well as the drilling as it play into this emergence of a modern world that is imposing its well on the natural world. Yet, Flaherty chooses to show the oilmen as just ordinary people who take a liking to the boy as they’re just men who work hard and try to get oil at a time when the country needed it.
Flaherty also play up this air of trying to create something natural in his depiction of nature as it include a scene where the boy is going after an animal while his pet raccoon is trying to run away from an alligator. Flaherty also showcases the dangers of what could happen at an oil well as it adds to this boy’s curiosity as he has no real connection with the modern world but is still intrigued by it. Even as its third act is about this unexpected harmony between nature and industry as it showcased a moment in time when there wasn’t any resistance but rather compromise and sensibility during a new period in America. Overall, Flaherty crafts a riveting and engaging film about a Cajun boy’s encounter with an oil well in the Louisiana bayou.
Cinematographer Richard Leacock does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it captures the beauty of the locations and its surroundings with its emphasis on shadows for some of the scenes in the bayou and swamps. Editor Helen van Dongen does excellent work with the editing as it has bits of style in its transition wipes and rhythmic cuts to play into some of the dramatic reaction as well as the sense of wonderment in the locations. Sound recordist Benjamin Doniger does fantastic work with the sound in capturing the way oil wells sound from afar and up close as well as the sounds of nature in their natural setting. The film’s music by Virgil Thomson is amazing for its upbeat orchestral score that play into the boy’s curiosity as well as the surroundings of the bayou as it’s a highlight of the film.
The film’s wonderful cast mainly feature non-actors that include Oscar J. Yarborough as the oil company lessor, Frank Hardy as the oil driller, C.P. Guerdy as the boilerman, and the duo of Lionel Le Blanc and E. Bienvenu as the boy’s parents as they all at least bring a realism to their performances as good-hearted people. Finally, there’s Joseph Bordeaux in a superb performance as the boy who encounters the oil well and its workers while spending much of his life on his boat with his pet raccoon and catching fish as it’s just a natural and low-key performance from Bordeaux.
Louisiana Story is an incredible film from Robert J. Flaherty. Through its mixture of documentary and narrative-based filmmaker, it’s a film that explores life in the Louisiana bayous at a time when the oil industry would arrive with a boy’s fascination into this emergence of the modern world. Even as it’s a film that blur the lines of what is real and what is fiction as it manages to blend the two into something unique in the art of storytelling. In the end, Louisiana Story is a sensational film from Robert J. Flaherty.
Related: Nanook of the North
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the story Il buio e il miele by Giovanni Arpino, Profumo di donna (Scent of a Woman ) is the story of a blind army captain who is accompanied by a young man on a road trip from Turin to Naples to meet an old friend. Directed by Dino Risi and screenplay by Risi and Ruggero Maccari, the film is a road movie of sorts that follows a blind captain and his young aide as they go on a journey with the latter getting some life lessons. Starring Vittorio Gassman, Alessandro Momo, and Agostina Belli. Profumu di donna is a majestic and haunting film from Dino Risi.
A military cadet is tasked to accompany a blind army captain from Turin to Naples for a trip through Italy as the captain wants to meet an old friend to fulfill a pact while the young cadet gets life lessons along the way. It’s a film with a simple premise though it is more of a study of a young man accompanying a blind man who has lived a fascinating life yet is also cruel at times as well as selfish. However, his greatest gift is capturing the scent of a woman as he is always fascinated by them. The film’s screenplay by Dino Risi and Ruggero Maccari follows Giovanni Bertazzi (Alessandro Momo) who is tasked to accompany Captain Fausto Consolo (Vittorio Gassman) for this trip as Captain Consolo is a man that is trying to have some fun as well as women as he can smell them where Giovanni is baffled by this Cpt. Consolo’s way with women but also how he treats others where he can be cruel or indifferent. The film’s third act set in Naples does reveal why he’s there but also some complications in the form of a young woman Cpt. Consolo knew in Sara (Agostina Belli).
Risi’s direction is definitely full of energy as it play into the journey that these two men take via train and stopping from town to town as it is shot on many locations in Italy such as Turin, Rome, Genoa, and Naples. While Risi would use a lot of wide shots of the locations, much of Risi’s direction is intimate as it play into the relationship between Giovanni and Cpt. Consolo as he uses close-ups and medium shots to play into their companionship. Especially as Giovanni is eager to go to Rome to meet his girlfriend yet is often dragged into other things in Cpt. Consolo as he finds himself in situations that are comical as well as filled with some drama. By the time the film reaches its third act in Naples, Risi does play into some of the tension of Cpt. Consolo’s intention for going to Naples as it relates to another blind officer in Vincenzo (Torindo Bernardi) as they reminisce and have dinner while the presence of Sara complicates things as she knew him when she was a young woman.
Risi also play into Giovanni’s reaction as he becomes smitten by Sara whom Cpt. Consolo was fond of as he was hoping to be the love of his life. There is a flashback scene told by Sara as it play to how youthful Cpt. Consolo was but the accident did leave him a mental scar that he doesn’t want Sara to see. Yet, he would treat her cruelly during his time in Naples while focusing his attention on other women prompting Sara to go to Giovanni just to talk. A party happens in Cpt. Consolo’s honor as it really brings up a lot of things as well as his true intentions for his trip to Naples that is later followed by a troubled aftermath about who he is and how Giovanni sees him. Overall, Risi crafts a mesmerizing yet somber film about a young man’s journey in accompanying a troubled and blind army captain through Italy.
Cinematographer Claudio Cirillo does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in capturing the daytime beauty of the exterior locations with all of its vibrant colors as well as capturing some of the low-key yet naturalistic look for a few scenes set at night including a stylish dream sequence that Giovanni has. Editor Alberto Gallitti does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few sequences presented as montage including the flashback scenes. Production designer Lorenzo Baraldi does fantastic work with the home that Cpt. Consolo lives in early in the film as well as the hotel rooms he and Giovanni go to and the home of Vincenzo.
Costume designer Benito Persico does nice work with the costumes from the stylish suits that Cpt. Consolo and Giovanni wears to the summer dresses Sara and her friends wear. The sound work of Vittorio Massi is terrific for its natural sound as well as the atmosphere of the locations and a nightclub that Cpt. Consolo and Giovanni go to. The film’s music by Armando Trovajoli is incredible for its rich and lush orchestral score with heavy piano and string arrangements that soar throughout the film as it also include some somber and plaintive pieces that play into the melodrama while its music soundtrack also include an array of classical and pop music pieces of the time.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from the trio of Elena Veronese, Stefania Spugnini, and Marisa Volonnino as Sara’s friends who enjoy Cpt. Consolo’s flirtations, Alvaro Vitali as a soldier who helps Vincenzo, Moira Orfei as a prostitute that Cpt. Consolo and Giovanni meet in Genoa, and Torindo Bernardi as Cpt. Consolo’s old military friend Vincenzo who is also blind due to an accident that also blinded Cpt. Consolo. Agostina Belli is amazing as Sara as a woman who was the object of affection for Cpt. Consolo years ago before he became blind as she is troubled by his behavior as well as the way he treats her prompting her to tell Giovanni about what happened. Alessandro Momo is brilliant as Giovanni Bertazzi aka Ciccio (kiddo) as this young military cadet who is tasked to accompany Cpt. Consolo as he deals with the task at hand but also getting some life lessons along the way where he also understands what he has to do as a man. Finally, there’s Vittorio Gassman in a phenomenal performance as Captain Fausto Consolo as this man who has a great sense of smell for women as he charms and flirts with them as well as be cruel to people as it is a performance for the ages as Gassman provides that mixture of cruelty and wit as it also hides the great pain that his character is carrying about what happened to him.
Profumo di donna is an incredible film from Dino Risi that features a tremendous performance from Vittorio Gassman. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous settings, compelling story of life and loss, and a riveting score by Armando Trovajoli. It’s a film that explores two men on a journey through Italy as they both embark on some life lessons and other things as well as learn about themselves. In the end, Profumo di donna is a sensational film from Dino Risi.
Related: Il sorpasso - (Scent of a Woman (1992 film))
© thevoid99 2020
Written and directed by Ousmane Sembene, Ceddo (The Outsiders ) is the story of a group of commoners who kidnap a king’s princess following his decision to side with Muslims and have his people convert to Islam against their will. The film is a study of forced conversion and a group of people who are willing to defy the authority in the hopes to preserve their own traditions. Starring Tabata Ndiaye and Moustapha Yade. Ceddo is a riveting and evocative film from Ousmane Sembene.
The film revolves a conflict involving commoners who worship idols and carry on traditions that has happened for thousands of years while allowing a Christian pastor live nearby as they are dealing with a king’s new decision to convert his people into Islam. The result becomes troubling when a young man kidnaps the princess and holds her hostage escalating things further when attempts to rescue the princess falter as old tribe leaders ponder what to do while becoming angrier towards the imam (Omar Gueye) whose influence on the king has become troubling. Ousmane Sembene’s screenplay opens with a young kidnapper (Ismalia Diagne) and his aide taking Princess Dior (Tabata Ndiaye) as they hold her hostage while he scouts around for anyone to rescue her as he would kill those who attempt to with his bow and arrow. The script also play into what some will do to gain leverage as some trade people for weapons with others using bargaining and manipulation as some choose to go into exile with others either joining along or fight.
Sembene’s direction is full of dazzling imagery in terms of the simplicity he creates as well as the setting as it is set in a desert-like village with one scene set in a park during a funeral procession for the Christian pastor. While there are some wide shots to establish certain locations including this area where Princess Dior is living in a tent of sorts with her kidnapper nearby hiding. Sembene’s usage of medium shots and close-ups play more into the interaction and meeting between characters as it also play into this growing tension and civil unrest that is looming between the commoners and the Muslims. Even in the scenes that play into this imagery of idols that these commoners worship and the first meeting with the king (Matoura Dia), Prince Biram (Mamadou Dioume), the prince’s cousin, a warrior in Saxewar (Nar Modou), and a mediator in Madir Fatim Fall (Moustapha Yade) try to discuss what to do with the princess with the imam stirring the pot. Sembene showcases this massive meeting as it is the crux of an implosion that is coming with the king not really doing anything at all as it is clear he’s become a puppet for the imam.
Sembene also play into this air of frustration among the commoners and their leaders as one of them in Diogomay (Ousmane Camara) makes his own decision knowing what is to come as he doesn’t want part of it. Even as there’s people within the king’s council become frustrated as well as realize that things have become troubled since the imam’s arrival as he continues to spout his own ideas and manipulate those into his ways. The third act has Sembene not only play into the chaos that is happening but also the princess coming to terms with what is happening as the film’s ending is about what she would see to her people as they’re forced to take on new identities, new names, and a new way of life that is so foreign to them. Overall, Sembene crafts a compelling yet eerie film about a conflict between commoners and its king over the latter’s decision to have his people to convert to Islam against their will.
Cinematographer Georges Cristian does brilliant work for its colorful cinematography with the usage of low-key blue filters for one major sequence at night along with the vibrancy of colors in the daytime including the clothes that the people wear in the film. Editor Florence Eymon does excellent work with the editing as it largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the action and a few of the film’s surreal moments. The film’s music by Manu Dibango is incredible for its mixture of percussive-based music with marimbas and other percussions to play into the dramatic tension as well as bits of jazz and funk that are mixed in with some of the soundtrack music also featuring Christian and gospel hymns.
The film’s wonderful cast feature a cameo appearance from writer/director Ousmane Sembene as a commoner who has his name changed along with small roles from Ousmane Camara as the tribe leader Diogomay who makes his own decision about the king’s new demands, Nar Modou as a renowned warrior in Saxemar, Mamadou Dioume as Prince Biram, and Matoura Dia as the king who rarely says anything as it is suggested that he’s become a puppet for the imam. Moustapha Yade is fantastic as Madir Fatim Fall as a mediator between the commoners and the king as he becomes frustrated with the situation as his search for a solution becomes impossible.
Omar Gueye is excellent as the imam Jaraaf as this Islamic leader who is trying to instill his ideals and beliefs into people thinking it would be good for them yet has a motive for what he’s trying to do. Ismalia Diagne is superb as the kidnapper who takes the princess as he is trying to keep her at bay yet is also concerned for her as the rescue attempts intensify following some major news in the third act. Finally, there’s Tabata Ndiaye in an amazing performance as Princess Dior Yacine as a royal figure who becomes a pawn in this conflict as she eventually grows fond of her captor while becoming aware of what is happening questioning her father’s actions as well as the power of the imam.
Ceddo is a phenomenal film from Ousmane Sembene. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, themes of forced religious conversion against old traditions, and an incredible score by Manu Dibango. It’s a film that explores a king’s decision to change the ways of his people in an act of venturing into a world that his people are either reluctant to join or refuse to be a part of. In the end, Ceddo is a sensational film from Ousmane Sembene.
Ousmane Sembene Films: Black Girl - Mandabi – Emitai - (Xala) – (Camp de Thiaroye) – (Guelwaar) – (Faat Kine) – (Moolade)
© thevoid99 2020
