A plague is probably coming to the U.S. and well, I have to admit that for all of the shit that’s been happening. At least it’s not boring to say the least though it is scary that this new plague in the coronavirus might be coming as I thought my bronchitis was bad. Of course, our idiotic dumb-fuck of a dictator in El Pendejo thinks things will be fine as he sends his bitch Mike Pence to take charge of the whole thing. Yeah, like that will work. It’s just another bad thing that is happening in a world where there’s a lot of shit going on as here in the South. We’re still dealing with cold weather, awful winds, and rain as it would get warm and sunny for a bit but then it goes to shit once again. That is climate change and it fucking sucks.
The Oscars this year was pretty damn good as it was definitely one of the better ceremonies based on the ones I’ve seen over the years. Most notably for Parasite and Bong Joon-Ho winning four Oscars as that was a huge victory. It may have not been my choice for Best Picture (that was Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ) but to see this South Korean film not only win big but gain the support of so many people is just incredible. Even as the moment it won Best Picture and got the support of the people at the ceremony to give them their moment in the sun. I’m happy that Joon-Ho won as I showed the film to my mother who really liked it a lot as she showed the film to a longtime family friend of ours as she is now spreading the word. The fact that a film from South Korea that is about social classes and two families and presented in its original language without any dubbing is getting seen by all sorts of people to me is a huge victory. I’m now hoping to show my mother more films from South Korea though I’m not sure I would show her some of the films by Chan-wook Park.
In the month of February 2020, I saw a total of 28 films in 16 first-timers and 12 re-watches with three of the first-timers directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge . The highlight of the month was definitely my Blind Spot assignment in I Am Cuba
1. What Did Jack Do?
2. The Harder They Come
3. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
4. Diary of a Lost Girl
5. Hair Love
6. Float
7. Lamp Life
8. Ali & Cavett: Tale of the Tapes
9. Pokemon Detective Pikachu
10. Wake Up
Monthly Mini-Reviews
What Did Jack Do? Now that my mother has access to Netflix as she watches a few things on her iPad, I was able to get the chance to see the short film as I love David Lynch and this short is just awesome. It’s merely a stop-gap for whatever Lynch is planning to do next as it is this stylish noir story involving a monkey named Jack as he’s interrogated by Lynch over something mysterious. It is a film that echoes a lot of Lynch’s early works in its surrealism and humor while it also has a touching quality that just adds to the absurdity.
Hair Love VIDEO The film that won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film was the right choice and certainly one of the highlights of the Oscar. Especially as it is a touching story about a girl trying to fix her hair with the help of her father as he is trying to figure out what to do. It is a touching short that is about the importance of an African-American girl’s hair and how she is trying to style it like her mother does. It also has some unique surprises that not only works but also packs the emotional punches in the right ways as it’s something a lot of people should see as it has all of the right touches for a good story.
Wake Up VIDEO Though it is largely an advertisement for Hewlett-Packard computers and other products, Olivia Wilde does manage to create a nice short based on it starring Margaret Qualley as it play into a woman waking up in a hospital and see the world but also people looking into their phones, tablets, and laptops instead of the wonders of their surroundings. Qualley’s performance really sells the short through her physicality as a performer as well as how she reacts to people or those she befriends. It is proof that Wilde does have a unique vision and knows how to tell a story.
Lamp Life An exclusive on Disney+ is this short film about Bo Peep and what happened to her after Andy’s mom sold her and before the events of Toy Story 4 . It is actually a delightful short film thanks in part to Annie Pott’s voice performance as Bo Peep as she endures the life of being on a lamp and all of the different owners she had. There are these comical moments about Bo Peep’s sense of boredom but also how she broke out of the lamp and eventually find her own freedom as it is a short that I enjoyed watching with my 10 ½ month old nephew.
The Tigger Movie Another film I saw on Disney+ mainly because my nephew Mateo was watching it, it’s a delightful animated feature-length film about Tigger trying to see if there’s others like him. Mateo loves anything related to Winnie the Pooh as he was into this film that he was watching on my mom’s tablet as I would watch it with him. It’s a nice little film that doesn’t demand a lot but we both grew to care for Tigger as he has to understand that what makes him Tigger is just him.
Look Away I do think India Eisley is a talented actress but this film doesn’t really do much with that as it is this strange yet undercooked suspense-drama about a teenage girl who feels extremely insecure until she looks into the mirror and sees an evil version of herself. There are moments that are interesting but some of the visual elements is largely style over substance with lots of low-lighting that is overkill while the drama is also overwrought. Even as Mira Sorvino is awfully wasted as Eisley’s mother while Jason Isaacs looks like he is sleep walking through his performance as Eisley’s plastic surgeon father.
Float Another short I saw on Disney+ is a Sparks Short series about a father and his baby boy as the latter for some reason can float in the air. It’s really about a father’s struggle to make his son normal even through childhood but the boy’s ability to just float in the air makes him unique. It is a touching that explores the love between a father and son and how a father has to accept his son’s special ability.
Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes A sports documentary film from HBO Sports is about the relationship between boxing legend Muhammad Ali and TV talk show host Dick Cavett as Ali was a regular guest of Cavett’s show in the late 1960s and 1970s. The documentary talks about Ali’s time in the spotlight and his importance in sports and popular culture with Cavett talking about all of that but also his friendship with Ali. The film features footage of The Dick Cavett Show that Ali appeared in but also commentaries from historians and others including Reverend Al Sharpton about the show’s cultural importance. Notably as Cavett was one of the first talk show hosts to have black guests on his show with Ali being the regular as it also play into the many myths and legendary stories of Ali as well as some truth. It’s something sport fans should see as it showcases another side to the Greatest of All-Time.
Pokemon Detective Pikachu This was actually a fun film largely because of Ryan Reynolds’ voice work as Pikachu though I don’t really consider myself a fan of Pokemon. It is a fun film about a young man trying to find out what happened to his father where he goes to a city where humans and Pokemons live among one another. Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton provide solid performances as the ones trying to find out what happened to the former’s father with some nice supporting work from Bill Nighy and Ken Watanabe. It is a really good and adventurous film that has some nice suspense but also some fun moments.
Of Miracles and Men From 30 to 30 and to coincide with the 40th anniversary of U.S.A. defeating the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid comes a film about that team from the Soviet Union. Told from their perspective, the documentary is a sobering film about the Red Army hockey team who were dominant for many years under the tutelage of Anatoli Tarasov whose unconventional ideas were considered innovative as he favored artistry and passion that produced great results and lots of accolades. It wasn’t until he got kicked out of the program in 1977 and replaced by Viktor Tikanov where the mentality changed as did the feeling of the players. It is an amazing film that feature interviews with those players including Boris Mikhailov who was asked by the film’s director if he saw the 2004 film Miracle as he said “why would I want to watch a film about my team losing?” Good point.
Top 10 Re-Watches:
1. Stalker
2. Spider-Man: Far from Home
3. Addams Family Values
4. Romancing the Stone
5. First Man
6. Gremlins
7. Fast Five
8. Classic Albums: Primal Scream-Screamadelica
9. Classic Albums: Duran Duran-Rio
10. Overnight Delivery
Well, that is it for February. Next month as I’m nearly completion of the fourth part of the MCU is Cinema series as I hope to finish the rest in the next month or two. I also hope to see Onward and any other new release that might interest me. Aside from the next film in my Blind Spot series include films in my never-ending DVR list as I’m trying to watch some stuff from TCM that I haven’t gotten the chance to see to make room for the films that I want to see that’s on TV right now. Finally, I’d like to express my condolences to the family and friends of the legendary Kirk Douglas as he was a true cinematic giant that will be missed. Also to the friends and family of adult film actress Nikki Fritz who was often a joy to watch as she passed away a few days ago of cancer. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2020
Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov and written by Enrique Pineda Barnet and Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Soy Cuba (I Am Cuba) is a film set during the final days of the Flugencio Batista regime as it tells four different stories about life in Cuba during that time and its aftermath under the new regime of Fidel Castro. A mixture of documentary and fiction, the film explores Cuba and the changes that would come following Batista’s departure from the country. Starring Sergio Corrieri, Raul Garcia, Jose Gallardo, Jean Bouise, and Luz Maria Collazo. Soy Cuba is a majestic and evocative film from Mikhail Kalatozov.
Set mainly during the final years of the Flugencio Batista rule of Cuba, the film follows the lives of four different people in four different stories and how they were affected by Batista’s rule and the eventual revolution that was to come led by Fidel Castro. It’s a film that play into Cuba at a time where civil and social unrest is starting to emerge in the city of Havana, nearby slums, and into the woods and sugar cane fields where four different people deal with the struggle of their oppression in the country. The film’s script by Enrique Pineda Barnet and Yevgeny Yevtushenko does have this element of Soviet propaganda as the film was co-funded by both the Soviet Union and Cuba about what Cuba was like during the days of Batista though the stories that Barnet and Yevtushenko do tell showcase that things weren’t great for Cubans under Batista as well as the fact that they had no true identity until Castro came in and gave them one for better or worse.
All four stories would feature narration known as the Voice of Cuba (Raquel Revuelta) who would precede each story that is to come as it play into the oppression and struggle that Cubans would endure under Batista. The first story involves a woman named Maria (Luz Maria Collazo) who lives on the edges of Havana’s shanty-towns as the city is filled with American and European tourists socializing at casinos and bars where they have fun and boss around the locals including Maria who meets a man named Jim (Jean Bouise) as she acts as a bar prostitute with a fruit-seller boyfriend in Rene who is aware of her troubled double-life that makes her unhappy. The second story is about a sugar cane farmer named Pedro (Jose Gallardo) who lives on a land surrounded by sugar cane with his son and daughter yet the land is sold by its owner to a fruit company making Pedro obsolete as he would lose his home but doesn’t tell his son and daughter what happened.
The third story set in Havana is about a student named Enrique (Raul Garcia) who is part of a student rebellion group in support of the revolution as he would encounter American sailors harassing a young woman named Gloria (Celia Rodriguez) while copes with his work in his rebellion group as he tries to assassinate Havana’s police chief. The fourth and final story is about a farmer named Mariano who works and lives in the forest with his family as he encounters a revolutionary who wants him to join the revolution as a way to give his family a better life. Mariano rejects the offer only to endure the horrors of war from his government as he makes the decision to join the revolution and earn their respect. The stories all have these characters deal with their own internal conflict but also this amount of abuse they endure from either foreigners or from the government.
Mikhail Kalatozov’s direction is definitely stylish but also manages to capture so much of Cuba during a time of civil and social unrest yet he doesn’t show that side of Cuba early on. Instead, he shows the beauty of the landscape early on as it is narrated by the Voice of Cuba as it then cuts to a party on top of a hotel in Havana. It is there that the first of many intricate tracking shots occur as it is presented in such style where the camera would get wide shot of the landscape and then go down to a few floors and then follow a party and then onto a swimming pool capturing people swimming underwater. It sets up the first story of Cuba as this idyllic tourist attraction to visitors but to the Cubans, it is anything but paradise. Kalatozov would often use hand-held yet controlled cameras to move through certain locations and such as well as get close-ups of certain characters along with medium shots of characters interacting and in their setting.
Throughout the course of the film, the camera is often moving along with some anamorphic lenses helping to capture the scope of the locations whether it is Havana, the sugar cane fields, or in the Sierra Maestra Mountains where the rebels are fighting. Kalatozov would also get creative on some of the tracking shots he created such as a funeral procession scene where the camera is walking onto a building and looks down at what is happening and then captures some of the coverage on the air through the usage of pulleys and camera vests to get these amazing shots. Kalatozov also adds this cinema verite style that does make the film realistic as if it was shot during the late 1950s during Batista’s reign as well as provide this air of cultural identity that would emerge in the Cuban Revolution. Overall, Kalatozov crafts an intoxicating and ravishing film about the struggles and turmoil of Cubans before the emergence of Fidel Castro.
Cinematographer Sergey Urusevsky does incredible work with the film’s black-and-white photography that captures the beauty of the locations as well as using natural lighting for scenes set in the day and at night as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Nina Glagoleva does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward that include some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the drama. Production designer Evgeniy Svidetelev does terrific work with the look of the homes of a few of the characters in the shantytowns and forests to play into poor conditions they live in. Costume designer Rene Portocarrero does nice work with the costumes from the ragged look of the farmers to some of the more stylish clothing of the people in Havana. The sound work of Vladen Sharun is amazing for the sound of locations as well as the music that is being played as well as the sounds that Enrique hears to play into his dramatic conflict and the sounds of cannons and bombs falling from afar in the film’s final segment. The film’s music by Carlos Farinas is brilliant for its mixture of percussive-based music with some strings and Afro-Cuban based music as it is another highlight of the film that play into the drama and atmosphere of Cuba.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable performances from Sergio Corrieri as a student leader in Alberto, Jean Bouise as the American tourist named Jim who tries to woo Maria, and Celia Rodriguez as a young woman named Gloria whom Enrique protects from American sailors. The performances of Raul Garcia as Enrique, Luz Maria Collazo as Maria, and Jose Gallardo as Pedro are superb in displaying the natural approach to acting as well as playing up the struggle that their characters endure as much of the film’s cast consist of amateurs and non-actors to add that air of realism into the film.
Soy Cuba is a tremendous film from Mikhail Kalatozov. Featuring a great cast, intoxicating visuals, phenomenal camera work, and an insightful look of pre-Castro Cuba and the early days of the Cuban Revolution. The film is a fascinating look at a time when a country is dealing with their identity to the outside world as well as eventually claim their own identity for themselves through the stories of four different people dealing with the oppression of the Flugencio Batista regime of the times. In the end, Soy Cuba is an outstanding film from Mikhail Kalatozov.
Mikhail Kalatozov Films: (Their Empire) – (The Blind Woman) – (Salt for Svanetia) – (Nail in the Boot) – (Courage (1939 film)) – (Valery Chkalov) – (Invincible (1942 film)) – (Plot of the Doomed) – (Hostile Whirlwinds) – (True Friends) – (The First Echelon) – The Cranes Are Flying - (Letter Never Sent) – (The Red Tent)
© thevoid99 2020
Based on a short story by Thomas Burke, Broken Blossoms is the story of an abused young woman who meets a kind-hearted Chinese man as they fall in love as he helps her get away from her abusive father. Written for the screen and directed by D.W. Griffith, the film is a silent drama that explores a woman who finds solace in this foreigner much to the dismay of her father. Starring Lillian Gish, Richard Barthelmess, and Donald Crisp. Broken Blossoms is a fascinating though flawed film from D.W. Griffith.
Set in London’s port areas, the film revolves around a Chinese man who moves from China to London in the hopes of spreading the message of Buddha to the Anglo-Saxon world as he befriends a beautiful but abused and unwanted young woman who is treated cruelly by her boxer father. It’s a film with a simple premise as it play into the misfortunes of a young woman and a Chinese man trying to live in a world that is cruel and unforgiving as he tries to display his ideals to the world. D.W. Griffith’s script doesn’t have a strong plot as it never goes more into the misfortunes of this young woman as well as the Chinese man trying to help her. Even as the character of her father plays up to the many clichés of a man full of pride and cruelty with some of the dialogue not being strong enough to get past the clichés.
Griffith’s direction does have elements of style in the compositions he creates though it is hampered by many of the shortcomings of the film’s script. While the setting he creates for the foggy port area of London is entrancing to watch with some color schemes to help set the mood. Griffith’s approach to getting his actors to perform at times comes off as overly theatrical or overly-emotive while having white actors play Asians definitely puts the film on a bad light. Despite the choices made in those times, Griffith does create some unique visuals and compositions in capturing the dreariness of the locations through wide and medium shots along with the interaction between characters in the latter as well as close-ups. Griffith also plays into the melodrama as it relates to the plight of the young woman and the kindness she would receive from the Chinese man despite the terror her father would bring that would include this terrifying scene in a closet that showcases her father’s rage. Overall, Griffith creates a compelling though substandard film about a young woman seeking solace in a kind Chinese man.
Cinematographer G.W. Bitzer does excellent work with the film’s grainy de-colored cinematography with its usage of filters to help set the mood and lighting schemes for scenes set at night. Editor James Smith does nice work with the editing as it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to heighten up the drama. The visual effects work of Hendrik Sartov does terrific work with the visual effects to help create foggy look for a few scenes as well as the look of China. The film’s music by Joseph Turrin, for its 2001 restoration, is amazing for its score with its emphasis on lush orchestral strings with some traditional Chinese-inspired pieces including its usage of string instruments and some piano pieces as it is a highlight of the film.
The film’s cast feature some notable small roles from Norman Selby aka Kid McCoy as a prizefighter, Arthur Howard as Burrows’ manager, George Beranger as a friend of Burrows who spies on the Chinese man, and Edward Piel Sr. as a Chinese man known as the Evil Eye who causes trouble as it’s one of the worst performances as it is a white man playing an evil Chinese man as it just feels wrong. Donald Crisp’s performance as the boxer Battling Burrows has their moments in terms of the ferocity and terror he brings though it is hampered by some of his performance choices including the boxing scene as he isn’t convincing as a boxer. Richard Barthelmess’ role as the Chinese man Cheng Huan as it has moments where he displays that air of kindness but the fact that he’s a white man playing Chinese where he has to squint his eyes just adds that air of discomfort into his performance. Finally, there’s Lillian Gish in a fantastic performance as Burrows’ daughter Lucy where she brings that air of despair into her performance despite the fact that her character is 15 and she’s a lot older than that though Gish also provides that sense of radiance into the performance to make up for that flaw.
Broken Blossoms is a stellar though flawed film from D.W. Griffith. While it does feature some nice visuals, gorgeous compositions, and a few notable performances from its cast. It suffers from some of the dated racism in the film as well as in some of the casting decisions that had to be done during the late 1910s as it does hurt the film. In the end, Broken Blossoms is a fine but discomforting film from D.W. Griffith.
© thevoid99 2020
In the eighth week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We venture into love in the tech age as it’s become something common now in the 21st Century through chatrooms, social media apps and devices, and all sorts of shit. A world that is about wanting to connect yet it also serves as a danger in the way it disconnects people with actual human contact. Here are my three picks as they’re all directed by women:
1. Making Mr. Right
From Susan Seidelman comes an underrated romantic comedy about a PR agent who is hired to meet a scientist who has created an android for space exploration. Yet, the android named Ulysses falls for the PR agent as she shows him the ideas of humanity including love. It’s a stylish and offbeat comedy that features John Malkovich in the dual role of the emotionally-repressed scientist and the android Ulysses as he proves to hilarious in the latter as he tries to understand the ideas of humanity as his creator has trouble trying to connect with humanity.
2. You’ve Got Mail
An updated remake of The Shop Around the Corner comes a charming and delightful romantic-comedy from Nora Ephron starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as two people who can’t stand each other when they meet yet are unaware of their own presence online through AOL (anyone remembers that?) It’s an inventive film that play into some of the early ideas of online dating and chatting as it also funny. The film also succeeds in having a rich ensemble supporting cast that include Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, and Jean Stapleton as it is a film that still holds up despite the presence of AOL.
3. Teknolust
Lynn Hershman Leeson’s 2002 film is a strange gem of a film starring Tilda Swinton as a scientist trying to create artificial life through an android as she ends up creating three as a way to encounter humanity but also love. The androids are also played by Swinton as they all display offbeat personalities but also have a thirst for semen leaving men in horror. It’s kind of an obscure film but worth seeking out mainly for Swinton’s performances.
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the DC comic series by Jordan B. Gorfinkel and Chuck Dixon and the Harley Quinn character created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is the story of an anti-hero who teams up with other women to protect a young thief from a Gotham crime boss who wants to take over the crime world of Gotham and get rid of Joker’s former flame. Directed by Cathy Yan and screenplay by Christina Hodson, the film explores the character of Harley Quinn following her break-up with the Joker as well as trying to find herself and be part of a team with different women who all feel out of place with society as Margot Robbie reprises the role of Quinn. Also starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, and Ewan McGregor as Roman Sionis/Black Mask. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a dazzling and exhilarating film from Cathy Yan.
The film explores the journey of Harley Quinn following her break-up with the Joker as she tries to find herself only to realize that all of Gotham’s criminal underworld want her dead as she makes a deal with the mob figure Roman Sionis to retrieve a diamond in exchange for protection. Yet, the diamond is in the hands of a young pickpocket who had swallowed the diamond as it leads to chaos but also Quinn gaining a conscience to protect this young girl leading her to get the help of three other different women who get involved with this young girl. Christina Hodson’s screenplay is largely told from the perspective of Quinn who narrates the film and breaks the fourth wall at times but also play into the events that lead to her trying to find herself and embrace the idea of not needing the Joker. The first act establishes the events in Quinn’s life that lead to her break-up with the Joker as it doesn’t become known to the criminal underworld despite her sullen behavior until she destroys a major symbol of their relationship where everyone discovers the truth.
Among those that discovered a key evidence of this breakup is Gotham detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) who has spent years building a case against Sionis as well as wanting to capture Quinn but is often passed over for a promotion as well as not getting credit for the work she gets. Sionis’ club singer/chauffeur Dinah Lance/Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) turns informant when she learns that the young pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) had stolen a diamond that Sionis wants as Montoya tries to protect Cain. The second act revolves around Quinn taking Cain as well as learn of the bounty on Cain for half a million dollars while it’s open season on Quinn who is trying to not get killed. It is also the moment where Quinn learns about Cain where she hopes to use her as a deal with Sionis but then becomes conflicted and gets to know Cain. Adding to this growing chaos is a mysterious assassin known as the Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) whose family was killed by various mobsters including Sionis’ right-hand man Victor Zsaz (Chris Messina) as she would find herself involved in protecting Cain as she, Montoya, and Lance would team up with Quinn to deal with Sionis who hopes to rule Gotham.
Cathy Yan’s direction is definitely stylish as it play into this crazed world of crime and mayhem as it relates to the chaos that Harley Quinn surrounds herself in. Shot on location in Los Angeles, Yan plays up into a world that is separated into camps where one is the criminal underworld and the other is the streets where not much is happening and people are struggling as Quinn is in the center of both as she was part of the underworld but is living in an apartment above a Chinese restaurant with her new pet hyena named Bruce. While there are some stylish compositions that includes a hand-drawn animated sequence that narrates Quinn’s life with the Joker, Yan does manage to create some straightforward compositions as well as emphasize on the characters where she does manage to allow audiences to get to know Montoya, Cain, Lance, and the Huntress though it does remain Quinn’s story.
With some second unit work from Stahelski in some of the action scenes, Yan does manage to keep things simple when it comes to characters interacting with one another such as a scene of Quinn and Cain watching cartoons and eating cereal or all five women just talking to each other. Yan also uses medium shots in some of those interactions and close-ups that either play to some moment of drama or for something funny. Yan doesn’t go for anything serious as the film’s climax that involves the formation of the Birds of Prey and going up against Sionis and his gang as it is balls-to-the-wall action with all sorts of outlandish moments. The mixture of humor, action, and suspense is key to the film’s success with Yan also creating something where women take charge and allowing its central character to realize that she doesn’t need a man to define her. Overall, Yan crafts a riveting yet thrilling film about an anti-hero who tries to protect a young pickpocket from a mob boss with the help of three other women.
Cinematographer Matthew Libatique does brilliant work with the film’s colorful cinematography with the usage of vibrant colors for some of the daytime scenes along with stylish lights and moods for some of the interiors and nighttime exterior scenes in the film. Editors Jay Cassidy and Evan Schiff do excellent work with the editing as it emphasizes a lot on style with elements of jump-cuts and stylish montages as well as allowing shots to establish exactly what is going on in the action and humor. Production designer K.K. Barrett, with supervising art director Kasra Farahani plus set decorators Jennifer Lukehart and Florencia Martin, does amazing work with the sets from the apartment that Quinn lives in as well as Sionis’ nightclub and the abandoned amusement park where the film’s climax takes place. Costume designer Erin Benach does fantastic work with the costumes from the colorful clothing that Quinn wears as well as the black leather of Huntress, the tight pants of Lance, and the casual look of Montoya as the clothes help flesh out the personality of the characters in the film.
Hair designers Adruitha Lee and Nikki Nelms, with makeup artist Miko Suzuki, do terrific work with the look of Quinn’s hair as well as Lance’s hairstyle and the look of Zsaz. Special effects supervisor Mark Hawker, along with visual effects supervisors Yael Majors and Greg Steele does wonderful work with the visual effects as it help play into the colorful visuals as well as bringing some grit and over-the-top style to some of the action scenes. Sound designer Paula Fairfield and sound editor Katy Wood do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the way weapons sound and such as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Daniel Pemberton is incredible for its mixture of orchestral music with rock and jazz as it help play into the humor and action while music supervisors Gabe Hilfer and Season Kent create a chaotic yet fun soundtrack of music that ranges from pop standards, classic rock, classic soul, and modern music from Heart, Barry White, Ohio Players, Halsey, Megan Thee Stallion with Normani, Lauren Jaurengi, Charlotte Lawrence, and many others.
The casting by Rich Delia is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Francois Chau as a rival mob figure of Sionis, Dana Lee as the owner of Quinn’s favorite Chinese restaurant in Doc, Steven Williams as Montoya’s former partner/superior Captain Erickson who often takes credit for her work, Bojana Novakovic as a club goer Sionis humiliates, Ella Mika as a young Helena Bertinelli, and Ali Wong as Montoya’s former girlfriend/district attorney Ellen Yee who is reluctant to help Montoya but often puts Montoya in trouble in favor of saving her own ass. Chris Messina is superb as Sionis’ right-hand man who is also a fierce killer as he is also a major target of the Huntress. Ella Jay Basco is fantastic as Cassandra Cain as a teenage pickpocket who steals a diamond that Sionis wants as she copes with having a price on her head while trying to understand Quinn whom she would see as a big sister. Ewan McGregor is excellent as Roman Sionis/Black Mask as a mob figure with a narcissistic personality who hopes to rule Gotham as he wants this rare diamond to have that power to buy off anything and anyone he wants to.
Rosie Perez is brilliant as Renee Montoya as a police detective who often feels spurned by others as she often speaks in 80s cop clichés while is someone who is cynical but believes there is hope as it relates to Cain while is reluctant to help out Quinn. Jurnee Smollett-Bell is amazing as Dinah Lance/Black Canary as a singer who sings at Sionis’ nightclub while also working as his chauffeur as she is a street-smart woman who knows Cain as they live in the same apartment building while also carries a weapon that she inherited from her late mother. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is incredible as Helena Bertinelli/the Huntress as a crossbow assassin who is the daughter of a revered Mafia figure who was killed along with her entire family as she goes on a quest for vengeance while reluctantly helping out Quinn as Winstead maintains a low-key demeanor to her role. Finally, there’s Margot Robbie in a phenomenal performance as Harley Quinn as the former psychiatrist turned insane criminal who is trying to find herself following her break-up with the Joker where Robbie brings that air of charisma and energy into the character but also someone who is conflicted in wanting to create trouble but also wanting to help this young pickpocket where Robbie brings that humanity to the character as well as someone who is willing to be a team player as Robbie has great rapport with her other female cast members.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a sensational film from Cathy Yan that features a great leading performance from Margot Robbie. Along with its ensemble cast that include top-notch performances from Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ella Jay Basco, and Ewan McGregor as well as colorful and dazzling visuals, high-octane action, a witty sense of humor, and an energetic music soundtrack. It’s a film that refuses to take itself seriously while also being this off-the-wall and thrilling action-adventure comedy with some suspense and drama with a woman teaming up with a bunch of other ladies to take down some bad guys. In the end, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a phenomenal film from Cathy Yan.
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Aquaman -Shazam! - 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
Written, directed, shot, edited, and scored by John Waters, Multiple Maniacs is the story of a troupe of sideshow freaks who rob spectators as its leader decide to go on a killing spree after being betrayed by her boyfriend. The film is an outlandish dark comedy that involves characters who go beyond the idea of bad taste as they also go all out in killing people. Starring Divine, Mink Stole, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Cookie Mueller, Edith Massey, and George Figgs as Jesus Christ. Multiple Maniacs is a strange and outrageous film from John Waters.
The film is about a drag queen who leads a troupe of sideshow freaks who present a show where they invite people and rob them but things get a little bit more violent eventually leading to its leader going on a killing spree after being betrayed by her boyfriend. It’s a film with a simple premise that doesn’t have much plot yet John Waters does create a story that begins with a presentation of sideshow that includes a guy eating his puke, two guys making out with each other, and all sorts of fucked-up shit as the spectators are then captured and robbed until its leader Lady Divine (Divine) decides to kill them. Her boyfriend Mr. David (David Lochary) was surprised by the idea as he decides to leave with a woman named Bonnie (Mary Vivian Pearce) who wanted to join the troupe but was rejected by Lady Divine. After learning of the betrayal and a troubled encounter with a couple of glue-sniffers, Lady Divine endures a crisis of faith until she meets Mink (Mink Stole) who becomes her new lover as they plan on getting revenge on Mr. David.
Waters’ direction is engaging as it play up to many of the film’s low-budget aesthetics as it is shot in grainy 16mm black-and-white film stock and on location in Baltimore, Maryland. With its usage of hand-held cameras and some long shots that occur, Waters’ direction does maintain this element of shock value in some of the activities of Lady Divine and her troupe as it does border the idea of what was considered bad taste as some of it still maintains its shock value. While there are some wide and medium shots of the locations including a few sequences that play into Lady Divine’s crisis of faith that feature Jesus Christ being crucified as he’s portrayed as a hippie. There are some close-ups that play into some of the action and conversations as the grainy look of the film courtesy of Waters as the film’s cinematographer while he also maintains some straightforward bits in the editing along with some jump-cuts in some of the surreal scenes.
Yet, it adds to the film’s offbeat tone while Waters is aware of the limitations he has in his budget but it works to his advantage. Even if there’s moments of violence where there’s no gunfire being shown yet it’s the impact of the violence that makes it important. Even in the film’s climax as it involves this large lobster-like monster that is created by Vincent Paranio as it’s one of those moments that is baffling yet it kind of makes sense. It is Waters pushing the ideas of what is bad taste and what is shocking as he would definitely succeed as well as show the cruelty of violence in a drag queen gone mad. Overall, Waters crafts an insane yet riveting film about a drag queen whose thirst for violence increases after her lover leaves her for a woman rejected from the queen’s gang of sideshow freaks.
Special effects by Ed Peranio is terrific for some of the macabre approach to humor as well as the scene with the lobster-like monster. The sound work of Ryan Hullings from its 2016 restoration edition is superb as it help intensify some of the sound effects and audio presented in the film. John Waters’ score is wonderful for its kitsch-like score of weird psychedelic music and offbeat pop while some of the orchestral bits come from George S. Clinton.
The film’s brilliant cast feature some notable small roles from George Figgs as a hippie-like version of Jesus Christ, Paul Swift as a druggie named Steve that is dating Lady Divine’s daughter Cookie, Michael Renner Jr. as a perverse version of the Infant of Prague, and Edith Massey in a dual role as the barmaid Edith and a warped version of the Virgin Mary. Cookie Mueller is fantastic as Lady Divine’s daughter Cookie as a young woman who is often seen topless as she engages in sexual activities to shock people. Mink Stole is excellent as a weird religious woman named Mink whom Lady Divine meets as she performs a strange sexual act to Lady Divine inside a church as she decides to help her kill Mr. David.
Mary Vivian Pearce is amazing as Bonnie as a woman who wants to be part of Lady Divine’s troupe but is rejected as she engages in an affair with Mr. David and plots to kill Lady Divine. David Lochary is superb as Mr. David as the emcee of the troupe and Lady Divine’s boyfriend as he becomes tired of Lady Divine’s antics prompting him to engage in an affair and kill Lady Divine. Finally, there’s Divine in a phenomenal performance as Lady Divine where he displays this brash personality into the role of a drag queen who has a thirst for violence and feels betrayed where Divine just adds a lot of charisma and attitude into that character.
Multiple Maniacs is a marvelous film from John Waters that features a great performance from Divine. Along with its ensemble cast, provocative and confrontational tone, low-budget aesthetics, and its willingness to shock. The film is definitely not for everyone as it also contains elements that are still shocking as well as play into this drag queen going mad. In the end, Multiple Maniacs is a remarkable film from John Waters.
John Waters Films: (Mondo Trash) – Pink Flamingos – Female Trouble – (Desperate Living) – Polyester – (Hairspray) – (Cry-Baby) – (Serial Mom) – (Pecker) – (Cecil B. Demented) – (A Dirty Shame) - (Liarmouth)
© thevoid99 2020
In the seventh week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We go into the subject of meet cute. It’s the moment where characters meet something or someone that is so cute and adorable as it might lead into something good or the cute thing turned out to be something really bad. Here are my three picks:
1. Gremlins
It’s the Christmas holidays as a man meets a Chinese man who gives a Mogwai as gift for his teenage son but with three specific rules. Don’t pour water on it. Don’t feed it after midnight. Don’t expose it to bright light. Well, that cute little Mogwai named Gizmo gets wet and sprouts other little furry Mogwais who eat after midnight as they turn green and ugly and wreak havoc on the city. Yet, they did the town a favor by killing that evil old lady while enjoying old Disney movies. They weren’t so bad.
2. Child’s Play
A dying serial killer does a voodoo ritual to transfer himself into the body of a Good Guy doll named Chucky as a woman buys the doll as a gift for her little boy. Yet, this doll is fucking insane as he scares the crap out of the kid as well as kill a bunch of people. It’s crazy as fuck but it’s so fun to watch just to see a doll kill a bunch of people and find a human body to transfer his soul onto that body. Alas, the film would spawn several sequels including a recent remake/re-boot that didn’t do well. A few of the sequels were good while others were just fucking shit but the original can’t be topped.
3. Problem Child
A kid that just wants to be loved yet is neglected and mistreated by several foster parents and treated like shit at an orphanage is finally adopted by a couple who can’t conceive. Yet, the kid still gets treated like shit by neighbors, his adoptive grandfather, and other people while he idolizes a criminal who wears a bow tie. It’s a silly film yet the kid named Junior does manage to find a positive father figure in John Ritter’s character who was at least patient and reasonable with him. Unfairly panned in its initial release, it at least seemed to have some love from Martin Scorsese and Robert de Niro who both chose to feature the film in their remake of Cape Fear while it also lead to an underrated and enjoyable sequel while the straight-to-video third film is total shit.
© thevoid99 2020
Directed by Perry Henzell and written by Henzell and Trever D. Rhone, The Harder They Come is the story of a man trying to find work as he becomes a singer until a dispute with his producer forces him to venture into crime. The film is an exploration of a man just trying to survive and have the chance to make a living only to become a folk hero of sorts just as the song he’s created is becoming an anthem for the people of Jamaica. Starring Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Heartman, Basil Keane, Robert Charlton, and Winston Stona. The Harder They Come is a thrilling and riveting film from Perry Henzell.
The film follows a naïve man from the countryside as he arrives to the city looking for work as he decides to become a singer where he creates a hit song but gets little from its success prompting him to turn to crime. It’s a film with a simple premise as it play into a man trying to make a new life in Kingston but there are little opportunities as he also endures rules and prejudices that is foreign to him. The film’s screenplay by Perry Henzell and Trever D. Rhone is largely straightforward as it follows the character Ivanhoe “Ivan” Martin (Jimmy Cliff) who arrives to Kingston from the countryside to live with his mother but things don’t go well as well as finding work and such. Yet, he wants to be a singer as he often encounters trouble with a preacher whose adopted daughter Ivan has interest in as well as people who take advantage of him. Upon recording a song that becomes a hit, he tries to sell it independently but ends up getting $20 from a music producer as it would lead to more trouble as he turns to crime where he deals in drugs and becomes a Robin Hood figure of sorts fighting against corruption and injustice.
Henzell’s direction does have elements of style in the presentation of crime scenes as much of it is straightforward as it is shot largely on location in and around Kingston, Jamaica. There is a looseness to Henzell’s direction as the wide shots get a look into the locations as much of the direction has Henzell use close-ups and medium shots to get a look into the atmosphere of the shantytowns in Kingston as well as the places that Ivan goes to. The usage of hand-held cameras add to the liveliness of the film such as a club scene where Ivan hears his record being played along with some of the action as they mirror some of the images of westerns that he and others saw earlier in the film. Henzell also play into this world of corruption involving the police, record producers, and marijuana suppliers with Ivan getting caught in the middle as Henzell does create this air of suspense and intrigue but also fantasy as it play into Ivan’s embrace of being famous either for the song he created or for the crimes he’s committed. Overall, Henzell crafts an exhilarating and gripping film about a country bumpkin whose desire to become a singer in the city leads him into the world of crime and infamy.
Cinematographers Peter Jessop, David McDonald, and Franklyn St. Juste do excellent work with the film’s cinematography as they use grainy camera footage to capture a realism of the locations as well as using available light for some of the scenes set at night. Editors Reicland Anderson, John Victor-Smith, and Richard White do terrific work with the editing as it has elements of style in some of the jump-cuts and montages that play into Ivan’s many misadventures. Art director Sally Henzell does nice work with the look of some of the places that Ivan goes including a bar and a few homes he would crash at.
The sound work of Bob Povey and Winston Rodney is superb for capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as the way music sounds on a radio or at a club. The film’s music soundtrack is incredible as it features songs by Jimmy Cliff, Scotty, Desmond Dekker, the Slickers, and the Maytals as it is all rooted in reggae music as it has many songs on the soundtrack that stand out including its titular track and You Can Get It If You Really Want that are both sung by Cliff.
The film’s wonderful cast feature an appearance from reggae music legend Prince Buster as a DJ at a club, Leslie Kong as a recording engineer, Basil Keane as the preacher who doesn’t like Ivan, Carl Bradshaw as a friend of Ivan in Jose, and Ras Daniel Heartman as the dealer Pedro. Janet Bartley is fantastic as the young woman Elsa whom Ivan would fall for as she becomes troubled by his criminal activities later on while Bob Charlton is excellent as the corrupt music producer Hilton who makes money through payola. Winston Stona is brilliant as Detective Ray Jones as a corrupt police official who helps control the drug trade as he finds Ivan as someone who is just disrupting everything. Finally, there’s Jimmy Cliff in a phenomenal performance as Ivanhoe “Ivan” Martin as this country bumpkin who arrives to the city looking for work to pay for his chance to be a singer yet endures corruption and uncertainty as he goes into crime where Cliff brings in some charm as well as that naiveté into a man who doesn’t understand how hard the ways of the world is at it is an iconic performance from Cliff.
The Harder They Come is a sensational film from Perry Henzell that features a great performance from Jimmy Cliff. Along with its compelling story of social and geographical differences, lively visuals, and a killer music soundtrack. It’s a film that explore the world of Jamaica at a time when reggae is starting to emerge as well as a man trying to become famous or die trying. In the end, The Harder They Come is a phenomenal film from Perry Henzell.
© thevoid99 2020
