From 1968 to 1991 at The New Yorker magazine, there was one film critic who many filmmakers, actors, and film buffs read and that was Pauline Kael. Through her film criticism, she championed filmmakers like Paul Schrader, Robert Altman, and Steven Spielberg as she also had a fondness for commercial cinema yet would also be vicious in her writing as she would be dismissive about widely-revered films including the works of Stanley Kubrick. Rob Garver’s film interviews filmmakers, critics, and others about Kael’s influence but also go into details about the fact that she was a polarizing figure as there were some filmmakers who hated her because of what she wrote. Even as some took it personally or felt that her opinions were a bunch of bullshit though there’s some truth to what she said.
Paul Schrader, Quentin Tarantino, and David O. Russell are among the small group of filmmakers who are interviewed along with actor Alec Baldwin and film critics in David Edelstein, Molly Haskell, Stephanie Zacherek, and music critic Greil Marcus as they all talk about Kael’s legend but also the fact that she was uncompromising in what she believed in as a film critic. Even as her work in The New Yorker showcased her influence as she would champion controversial films like Last Tango in Paris while also acknowledging the contribution of Herman J. Mankiewicz for writing the screenplay for Citizen Kane where some felt Kael was taking away much of the work that Orson Welles did which wasn’t what Kael was doing.
Much of Garver’s direction is straightforward in his interviews with Sarah Jessica Parker providing the role as Kael’s voice through her work and comments while Garver would also include archival footage of the interviews that Kael has done in the 1970s and 1980s. With the help of visual effects artist Gary Schwerzler, Garver would use collages of Kael’s written work and pictures to create imagery that play into her legend as well as some of the controversy she created that includes a dissenting review of Claude Lanzmann’s documentary film Shoah that was widely praised as many had issues with her review. There was also this controversy from one of her colleagues in Renata Adler who wrote a review of a book by Kael that was seen as a personal attack on Kael who would never respond to Adler.
With the help of cinematographer Vincent C. Ellis in filming the interviews, Garver also showcase her impact on film culture though her influence as eroded in the age of the internet with sensationalized film criticism with some actually acknowledging Kael as an influence. Sound editor Randy Matuszewski does nice work in capturing some of the sound clips from radio interviews that Kael did as well as comments from others on Kael as it adds to some of the historical importance of her work. The film’s music by Rick Baitz does wonderful work with the music as it is largely low-key with its mixture of somber orchestral with bits of upbeat jazz as it adds to the world of Kael and her interaction with New York City.
What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael is a remarkable film from Rob Garver. It is a fascinating and riveting documentary film about one of the most influential figures in film culture as well as someone who wasn’t afraid to be a dissenting voice while championing films that she considers to be important as well as artists that needed a voice. In the end, What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael is a marvelous film from Rob Garver.
© thevoid99 2021
Based on the autobiographical novel Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth, BlacKkKlansman is the real-life story about detective Ron Stallworth who manages to infiltrate a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan with the help of a white detective as its face. Directed by Spike Lee and screenplay by Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charles Wachtel, and Kevin Willmott, the film is a look into how an African-American detective in Colorado somehow infiltrated a local chapter of the white supremacist group and eventually be a head of one of its chapters with John David Washington starring in the role of Stallworth Also starring Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace, Corey Hawkins, Robert John Burke, Harry Belafonte, and Alec Baldwin as Dr. Kennebrew Beaureguard. BlacKkKlansman is a rapturous and witty film from Spike Lee.
Set in 1972, the film is about the real-life story of rookie cop Ron Stallworth who becomes the first African-American officer to work for the local precinct at Colorado Springs, Colorado where he would move up to intelligence where he finds himself making contact with a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. It’s a film that play into this man who would find himself be part of the notorious white supremacist group as he and another undercover officer in Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) would both play this man wanting to join the KKK in Stallworth’s name. The film’s screenplay does take a few dramatic liberties as the real-life events took place in 1979 yet given the context of the times and the struggle for black identity in the early 1970s. The script does play into this tension that is looming with Stallworth in the middle as a man who just wants to be a good cop and protect all kinds of people.
While he would encounter some racism from a fellow cop who likes to bust other African-Americans in Colorado Springs, Stallworth knows when to not say anything as he is given an opportunity to make a difference in the local precinct. While he knows when to keep his mouth shut, Stallworth would eventually get some serious work as an undercover officer where he first attends a student rally where civil rights leader Kwame Ture (Corey Hawkins) was speaking to see if Ture is planning something that could cause trouble. Stallworth would get his first serious assignment when he answers an ad from the Ku Klux Klan where he talks in a Caucasian accent as he would fool several leaders but knows that he needs a white face to get in. Zimmerman does it despite the fact that he’s Jewish as he takes Stallworth’s name as he would meet the local chapter’s leader Walter Breachway (Ryan Eggold) as well as the psychotic Felix Kendrickson (Jasper Paakkonen). Through their frequent contacts, Stallworth would eventually get to chat on the phone with KKK’s grand wizard in David Duke (Topher Grace).
Much of the film’s second and third act has Stallworth and Zimmerman play as the former to the meetings with the latter having to attend meetings and at shooting ranges as well as the ceremony during the film’s third act. The film does have elements of humor in some of the dialogue as the script doesn’t just play into this idea of how idiotic some of the people in the KKK are but also how it parallels with events that are happening in the 21st Century including this rhetoric of making America great again. It would play into a moment in the film as its climax involves Duke’s appearance at this event but also plans to disrupt an event nearby held by Colorado College’s black student union president Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier) whom Stallworth is embarking on a relationship with.
Spike Lee’s direction is gripping for the way he plays up this idea of white power as it opens with a scene of Dr. Kennebrew Beaureguard making a scientific explanation about the dangers of racial integration while using images from films like Gone with the Wind and Birth of a Nation as examples as it would inspire these ideas of white supremacy with African-Americans, Jews, and other racial/ethnic groups as inferior. Shot on location in Ossining, New York as Colorado Springs with some exteriors shot at Colorado Springs, Colorado, the film does play into this small town that is like any other town in America but with this undercurrent of rampant racism that is emerging. Lee would use some wide shots for the locations but also create something that is also intimate with the medium shots and close-ups. Even in some striking compositions and stylistic shots in the way he play into people meeting with one another as well as some of the humor that is created in scenes that has Stallworth talking the KKK on the phone as if he wants to join.
Lee’s direction also play up into the idea of Blaxploitation as an idea of African-American identity as well as the fascination of African-American culture from a few of Stallworth’s colleagues including Zimmerman who is a big fan of Willie Mays. While the character of Dumas is someone who has legit reasons for her disdain for cops, she is forced to listen to reason from Stallworth as well as be aware that not all white cops are bad. Especially as someone like Zimmerman has to listen to anti-Semitic rhetoric from Kendrickson and take it though Zimmerman admits to not acting Jewish or practicing Judaism yet does feel the need to stand up to this idea of hate. The film’s climax is unique in the way Lee presents these two different meetings where one involves the KKK and the other meeting involving black students as there’s a great contrast to how they conduct themselves and such.
The film does have an epilogue as it relates to the KKK and how it’s managed to transform into something bigger and more dangerous where despite Stallworth’s effort to make fools out of them and reveal what they’re about. Little has changed with more now trying to stop this idea of hate and bigotry from a group of people who have nothing good to offer to the world. Overall, Lee creates an entertaining yet gripping film about an African-American police officer who would find his way into the Ku Klux Klan and discover the inner-workings of the hateful organization.
Cinematographer Chayse Irvin does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it emphasizes on low-key colors for many of the film’s interior and exterior settings with much of the former using some stylish lights to play into the look that is similar to 1970s cinema. Editor Barry Alexander Brown does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, dissolves, and some split-screen cuts to play into Stallworth’s conversation with Duke on the phone as it help create some comic effects into their conversations. Production designer Curt Beech, with set decorator Cathy T. Marshall and art director Marci Mudd, does amazing work with the look of the police building interiors as well as some of the local places including the home of Kendrickson with his collection of guns and stuff including a lie detector machine as well as the look of the hall where Duke has his ceremony. Costume designer Marci Rodgers does fantastic work with the period costumes that is set in the 70s from the stylish look of Dumas and other students as well as the more ragged look that some of the KKK members wear aside from the KKK robes.
Hair stylist Shaun Perkins, along with makeup artists Janine JP Parrella and Yasmina Smith-Tyson, does wonderful work with the hairstyles and look of the characters as it play into the world of the 1970s including the look of David Duke in the 1970s with his mustache. Visual effects supervisor Randall Balsmeyer does terrific work with the visual effects as it is appears on a few set pieces including in the montage of close-ups during Ture’s speech. Sound editor Philip Stockton does superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of some of the meetings and rallies as well as some of the intense moments at Kendrickson’s home and in the film’s climax in how the meetings are presented. The film’s music by Terence Blanchard is incredible for its usage of jazz and funk with elements of soul as it help play into the times as it also includes an orchestral piece that play into the drama while music supervisor Rochelle Claerbaut provides a soundtrack that features an array of diverse music from Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose, the Edwin Hawkins Singers, the Temptations, Looking Glass, and a traditional music piece performed by Prince.
The casting by Kim Coleman is great as it feature some notable small roles from Isiah Whitlock Jr. as an African-American official in Mr. Turrentine who works with the police to meet with Stallworth, Nicholas Turturro as a bomb maker named Walker, Frederick Weller as the racist cop Landers, Ashlie Atkinson as Kendrickson’s wife Connie who also hates African-Americans, Michael Buscemi as a cop in Jimmy Creek who helps out Stallworth and Zimmerman, Ken Garito as Sgt. Trapp whom Stallworth and Zimmerman report to as he gets a kick out of Stallworth’s conversations with Duke, and Robert John Burke as Chief Bridges as the Colorado Springs police chief who wants to ensure that Stallworth stays out of trouble as he wants to make sure things go well. The cameo appearances from Alec Baldwin and Harry Belafonte in their respective roles as Dr. Kennebrew Beaureguard and Jerome Turner are superb to play into some of the historical context in what is at stake as Baldwin’s performance is sort of played for laughs while Belafonte is more reserved in how he talks about what African-Americans endured after the Civil War with lynching being common in those days.
Ryan Eggold is terrific as Walter Breachway as the local chapter head of the KKK in Colorado Springs who would be the first to contact Stallworth unaware of his true identity as he’s a more level-headed person who wants nothing to go wrong. Paul Walter Hauser is fantastic as the dim-witted Ivanhoe as a KKK member who often says dumb things while always saying some unintentionally funny stuff. Jasper Paakkonen is excellent as Felix Kendrickson as a wildcard member of the KKK who is always suspicious of those who want to join the KKK as it’s a darkly comical performance that is full of energy and wit. Corey Hawkins is brilliant in his small role as civil rights activist Kwame Ture as a man who wants to help his community though he is aware of the police brutality that he and others are dealing with but also hoping to make some kind of change. Topher Grace is amazing as David Duke as the infamous Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan who is trying to make the organization look friendlier but also has this dark idea of what he wants America to be like.
Laura Harrier is marvelous as Patrice Dumas as a student union president for Colorado College as she is trying to get people together to rally against some of the oppression other students face while starting to become less political upon meeting Stallworth as she shows a more human side. Adam Driver is incredible as Flip Zimmerman as a Jewish cop who becomes Stallworth’s face in his infiltration of the KKK where he gets a closer look to what he sees as well as be disturbed by its idea of hate. Finally, there’s John David Washington in a phenomenal breakthrough performance as Ron Stallworth as an African-American rookie cop who finds an ad from the KKK and ends up infiltrating the KKK via phone as it’s a charismatic and grounded performance where he provides some humor but also an idea of what is at stake for himself and everyone who just wants to bring good to the world.
BlacKkKlansman is a tremendous film from Spike Lee that features great performances from John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, and Topher Grace. Along with its ensemble cast, stylish visuals, compelling script, and an incredible music score and soundtrack. It’s a film that captures a moment in time when an African-American would find himself in an organization that provides hate and fear in the hope he can put a stop to them even if it’s something small despite the fact that it would escalate into something far worse. Notably as it’s a film that showcases what hate can bring and how a man is willing to put a stop to it for the good of the world. In the end, BlacKkKlansman is a magnificent film from Spike Lee.
Related: Birth of a Nation
Spike Lee Films: (She’s Gotta Have It) – (School Daze) – Doing the Right Thing - Mo' Better Blues - Jungle Fever - (Malcolm X) – Crooklyn - (Clockers) – (Girl 6) – (Get on the Bus) – 4 Little Girls - (He Got Game) – Freak - Summer of Sam - (The Original Kings of Comedy) – (Bamboozled) – (A Huey P. Newton Story) – 25th Hour - (Jim Brown: All-American) – (She Hate Me) – (Inside Man) – (When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts) – (Miracle at St. Anna) – (Kobe Doin’ Work) – (Passing Strange) – (If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise) – (Red Hook Summer) – Bad 25 - Mike Tyson: The Undisputed Truth - (Oldboy (2013 film)) – (Da Blood of Jesus) – (Chiraq) – Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall - Da 5 Bloods - (American Utopia)
© thevoid99 2018
Written and directed by Eleanor Coppola, Paris Can Wait is the story of a woman who travels to Cannes with her producer husband as she decides to go to Paris with another traveler where a relationship ensues. The film is a genre-bender that blends the romantic comedy with the road movie as it plays into a woman wanting to escape from her husband’s busy life in order to enjoy life on her own with another traveler. Starring Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard, and Alec Baldwin. Paris Can Wait is a delightful and charming film from Eleanor Coppola.
The film is a simple road story about a film producer’s wife who decides to go to Paris rather than fly to Budapest from Cannes for a meeting while his partner offers to driver her to Paris from Cannes. It’s a film that doesn’t have much of a premise where this woman is on a road trip with a man she barely knows as he would make detours into various places in France including Lyon. Eleanor Coppola’s screenplay follows three days in the life of Anne (Diane Lane) who is on vacation at Cannes with her producer husband Michael (Alec Baldwin) during its film festival as he is dealing with all sorts of problems and has to leave to Budapest. Offering to drive Anne to Paris is Michael’s producing partner Jacques (Arnaud Viard) as he knows about the places to go to where Anne finds herself feasting on all sorts of food and go to various places during the trip. Though Anne at first is more concerned about getting to Paris, she does eventually embrace the things she sees as she would take pictures of the trip while getting to know Jacques despite his flirtatious behavior.
Coppola’s direction is simple in terms of the compositions she creates as it’s more about the journey from Cannes to Paris and through the many landmarks and locations throughout the country including the city of Lyon. Coppola’s usage of the wide and medium shots of the locations play into Anne’s look into her surroundings as her original intention was to fly but was unable to due to an ear infection she received. Yet, Coppola would also infuse elements of simple compositions in the medium shots and close-ups to play into the interaction between Anne and Jacques as well as the places they go to. There are some unique visuals that Coppola would create as it relates to not just the growing friendship between the two but also hinting elements of romance though there’s reasons for them not to be together. Even as they do share some of their own stories of sadness yet find some comfort through the amount of food they eat and the wine they drink. Overall, Coppola crafts a splendid and compelling film about a road trip through France.
Cinematographer Crystal Fournier does excellent work with the film’s colorful cinematography to capture the natural look of the many exterior locations of France for the scenes in the day with some low-key scenes at night for some of the scenes at the restaurants they go to. Editor Glen Scantlebury does nice work with the editing as it does have bits of style in the jump-cuts and dissolves to play into the scenes on the road with some straightforward cutting for the drama and humor. Production designer Anne Siebel and set decorator Christelle Maisonneuve do terrific work with the look of the hotel rooms as well as a few places such as Anne and Michael’s apartment in Paris.
Costume designer Milena Canonero does fantastic work with the costume as it is largely straightforward with a few designer-like dresses that Anne wears as well as a few other characters in the film. Sound designer Richard Beggs does superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of people at Cannes as well as the quieter moments in the film for the locations involving trees and rivers. The film’s music by Laura Karpman is amazing for its jazz-like score that play into the serenity of France while the soundtrack features bits of classical music from Erik Satie and contemporary music from the band Phoenix.
The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles including a cameo from Aurore Clement as a concierge at Anne and Michael’s apartment, Eleanor Lambert as a picture of Anne and Michael’s daughter, and Elise Tielrooy as a friend of Jacques in Martine who runs a film museum in Lyon. Alec Baldwin is superb as Anne’s husband Michael as a film producer who is dealing with the chaos of a film he’s producing and other projects as he has a hard time trying to find time for himself. Arnaud Viard is brilliant as Jacques as Michael’s producing partner who offers Anne to take her to Paris as he shows her the many wonders of the country while being a flirtatious man as it’s a charming and fun performance from Viard. Finally, there’s Diane Lane in a radiant performance as Anne as a film producer’s wife that is eager to go to Paris where she deals with an ear infection forcing her to go on the road where she copes with her own problems as she becomes fascinated by her surroundings and the food she eats as it’s just an intoxicating and charismatic performance from Lane.
Paris Can Wait is a marvelous film from Eleanor Coppola that features an incredible performance from Diane Lane. Along with its gorgeous visuals, mesmerizing locations, and sumptuous images of food and wine. The film is an offbeat road movie of sorts with elements of the romantic comedy all playing into a woman discovering the wonders of France outside of Paris. In the end, Paris Can Wait is a remarkable film from Eleanor Coppola.
© thevoid99 2018
Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, Aloha is the story of a defense contractor who is assigned to go to Hawaii to oversee the launch of a satellite as he falls for an Air Force pilot while dealing with an old flame. The film is an exploration of a man who finds himself back in a world with people he used to know as he tries to maintain a sense of hope and something new in old surroundings. Starring Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, Alec Baldwin, and Bill Murray. Aloha is a hokey, sappy, and extremely ludicrous film from Cameron Crowe.
A defense contractor hired by a billionaire to oversee the launch of a satellite that is to be above Hawaii finds himself not only falling for his Air Force pilot liaison but also deal with the re-appearance of an old flame he hadn’t seen in years. It’s a film that wants to be a lot of things where it’s not just this man who used to be so much to people as all he wants to do is finish this project and leave Hawaii yet he is encountered by this idealistic and lively young woman who wants him to show a world that is far more important and with possibilities. At the same time, there’s a lot that is happening as it relates to the life of Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper) who deals with things in his past as well as the satellite he’s about to launch for this billionaire. Thus, lies the problem with the film at a whole. It has a lot that it wants to tell yet has no idea what it wants to be.
Cameron Crowe’s screenplay isn’t just a mess but it doesn’t really have characters that audiences will be engaged by nor will they care about. Instead, there’s just caricatures as Gilcrest is the cynic who has given up on leading a good life as he is seen as a screw-up by former colleagues. The idealist is the Air Force pilot Alison Ng (Emma Stone) who is a quarter-Hawaiian as she loves her home state as she is interested in Gilcrest’s past as well as his relationship with ex-girlfriend Tracy Woodside (Rachel McAdams) who is married to a pilot named Woody (John Krasinski) who is mostly very silent. Ng is a combination of the idealist who is eager to make Gilcrest see the better things in the world and to play into some of the folklore of Hawaii among its natives. It’s not a real character but rather someone that is very underdeveloped as is Tracy who is just a frustrated former flame and Woody is just this silent idiot as they both have children who aren’t real characters either since the son spends half the film carrying a video camera and talking about Hawaiian folklore constantly.
Another problem with the script is how obvious things are as it relates to Tracy’s daughter Grace (Danielle Rose Russell) who is 12 years old as it was sort of the exact same time Gilcrest and Tracy last saw each other. That’s just part of the script’s laziness where it plays into what audience might already know which hurts any kind of intrigue while other parts of the script such as Gilcrest’s relationship with Alison feels very rushed as it is obvious that they will fall in love but it goes very fast. Then there’s the story about Gilcrest’s job as it relates to this billionaire’s satellite and how the military is bought where it is clumsily written where military officials look like idiots while the character of the billionaire Carson Welch (Bill Murray) isn’t just underwritten but is also a caricature as someone who looks and feels like he is in another movie.
Crowe’s direction of the film doesn’t help matters of what is wrong the script but only makes things even worse. Much of it involves his presentation of Hawaii where it feels more like a postcard and a lot of white-washing where white people live in comfortable places while Hawaiian natives live in trailer parks. It’s has Crowe portray its main characters as white saviors unaware that there’s people that are going to fuck these natives over all because of what a billionaire wants. The direction has some unique compositions but nothing to really make anything interesting as there’s moments such as the first meeting between Gilcrest, Alison, and Tracy are all shot in one take where the camera would move from a two shot to a one shot to create something that is funny but it ends up not being funny at all. It’s among the things in the film that really tries to hard to win over the audience as a lot of the humor such as Woody’s silent communication ends up being very awkward and idiotic while other moments feel forced.
Another issue with Crowe’s direction is the way he uses music as about 90 to 95% of the film has a soundtrack that often has some kind of musical accompaniment whether it’s through Jonsi & Alex’s score which mixes ambient music and Hawaiian folk music or through whatever song that Crowe brings to the film. At one point, there’s a scene where Gilcrest’s former superior General Dixon (Alec Baldwin) to play Tears for Fears’ Everybody Wants to Rules the World where it really feels more like an excuse to play that song in the film for a party scene as if Crowe wants a song used to drive the story. It’s really a lazy plot device where not only does it become very repetitive but also distracting. There is also a feeling like there was a longer film there but either due to studio interference or Crowe made the decision to cut some things out. Whatever the case is, it feels like a film that had something there but the result is something that ends up being extremely conventional.
Another aspect of the film aside from some of the contrived nature of the story and how muddled it is where it wants to be so many things is that it ends in a resolution that is very tidy and extremely predictable. It is a conclusion that just reeks of unearned sentimentality as well as poor development that feels like a fucking waste of time. Overall, Crowe creates what is undoubtedly a very horrible film that never says anything interesting at all.
On the film’s technical front, the work of cinematographer Eric Gautier is very bland as some of the daytime exterior scenes look over-lit at times while there’s moments where the lighting for scenes at night don’t really do anything to make it interesting on a visual level. Even the editing by Joe Hutshing is distracting where it tries to be stylish and be straightforward but is unable to play into the muddled tone of the film. Production designer Clay A. Griffith, with art director Peter Borck and set decorators William Reyes Jr. and Wayne Shepherd, definitely play up the sense of white-washing in the film in the way Tracy and Woody‘s home look in comparison to where the native Hawaiians live in which is very uninteresting. Costume designer Deborah Lynn Scott doesn‘t do a very good job with the clothes as much of it is bland as it also includes one of the worst hats ever. Visual effects supervisor Jamie Dixon does some very awful work with some of the visual effects as it relates to some sequences in outer space which looks bad. Sound editor Dennis Drummond and sound designer Jamey Scott do an OK job in some of the sound work though it was unfortunate that some of it is often mixed with a lot of the music that appears in the film.
The casting by Francine Maisler is good for the cast she was able to bring though it is very unfortunate that many of them didn’t have a single good thing to work on. Smaller performances from Ivana Milicevic as Carson’s assistant, Hawaiian native leader Dennis “Bumpy” Kanahele, Michael Chernus as a hacker friend of Gilcrest, and Bill Camp as a military figure friend of Gilcrest as they’re all sort of wasted by the poor script. Jaeden Lieberher’s performance as Woody and Tracy’s youngest son Mitchell is a poorly written character that is very annoying as Lieberher is just aggravating to watch while Danielle Rose Russell as Woody and Tracy’s daughter Grace doesn’t really get to do anything at all. Alec Baldwin is wasted in a very poor role as General Dixon as someone who has a grudge with Gilcrest as he spends half of his time screaming and shit Danny McBride is also terrible as he plays Colonel “Fingers” Lacy as an old friend of Gilcrest who spends much of the film waving his fingers as if he wants to be a fucking cheerleader.
Bill Murray’s performance as billionaire Carson Welch is essentially Murray phoning it in as if he is in another movie as there are a few moments that are fun but it’s just quite lazy. John Krasinski’s role as Woody is pretty dumb since he spends much of the film being silent while a scene where he and Gilcrest communicate through silence is idiotic. Rachel McAdams is OK as Tracy as a former flame of Gilcrest who wonders if she still has feelings for him as it’s a character that isn’t developed very well as McAdams gets very little to do. Emma Stone has her moments as Alison Ng with her liveliness but it’s a character that is a fucking mess to deal with as it’s badly written at times while her attempts to be funny feels forced. Finally there’s Bradley Cooper as Brian Gilcrest as it’s not a bad performance but a very bland one where his attempts to be funny also feels forced while he is badly hampered by its poor screenplay which ruins his development as a character and gives his chance to find redemption to be poorly handled.
Aloha is a fucking piece of shit film from Cameron Crowe. Not only is it a film where a filmmaker loses his touch but also finds himself taking some major steps backwards as a storyteller where he tries to do so much but forgets to create real characters that people can root for. Whether or not this was the film that Crowe intended to make, it feels like there was a lot to be said but the end result really says nothing to make anyone laugh, cry, or feel anything other than anger and disgust. In the end, Aloha is a film that will make anyone say aloha and fuck off for insulting their intelligence.
Cameron Crowe Films: (Say Anything) - (Singles) - (Jerry Maguire) - Almost Famous - (Vanilla Sky) - (Elizabethtown) - The Union (2011 film) - Pearl Jam Twenty - We Bought a Zoo
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Mike Nichols and written by Kevin Wade, Working Girl is the story of a working-class secretary trying to make it in the world of Wall Street as she takes over for her new and injured boss in creating a merger between two companies. The film is an exploration of a simple woman from Staten Island who is trying to use her street smarts and determination to prove that she has what it takes to make things happen in the very tough world of Wall Street. Starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Cusack, Alec Baldwin, Oliver Platt, Nora Dunn, Olympia Dukakis, Kevin Spacey, and Philip Bosco. Working Girl is a heartfelt yet witty film from Mike Nichols.
Set in New York City, the film revolves around a secretary from Staten Island who takes the ferry by day to work as she hopes to rise through the top despite her lack of top school degrees and experience where she eventually works for a woman who is part of mergers and acquisition department in Wall Street. It’s a film that plays into a woman who may come from a working-class background as she manages to know more than those she work for as she would do whatever it takes to make it. Even as she would fill in for her boss who gets injured on a holiday where she would take matters into her own hands while falling for an executive involved with the merger. It plays into a woman trying to defy the odds on her own terms while trying to get some respect in a world that is quite cruel.
Kevin Wade’s screenplay portrays the protagonist Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) as this woman who goes to work as a secretary by day while going to night classes at night in the hopes of improving herself. Yet, she would endure some humiliating moments where she would get a job working for the financial executive Katherine Parker (Sigourney Weaver) who would take Tess under her wing but also take Tess’ own ideas as her own in order to impress other bosses. Tess would find out when Katherine is injured during a vacation as she would get help from her friend Cynthia (Joan Cusack) to pretend to be an executive using just her knowledge of finances but also street smarts by reading newspaper and knowing people. That sense of determination would impress Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford) who doesn’t know that Tess is just a secretary but realizes that her unconventional methods to get things are useful.
Trainer is a man who comes from a more upper class background but he knows the value of hard work while he is also someone that is willing to take chances and wants to prove himself. He and Tess are something that Katherine isn’t as, despite her own wealthy background, someone who is willing to cheat and take credit for other people’s work so she can become powerful. Though Tess wants to succeed and do what Katherine does, she isn’t willing to cheat her way to the top as she wanted to prove that a girl from Staten Island can make it no matter what obstacles she faces. Even if she has to deal with criticism from the people at home who think she’ll never make it because of where she comes from.
Mike Nichols’ direction is very engaging for the way he portrays the world of Wall Street as he makes New York City and Staten Island as characters in the film to showcase a world where opportunities can happen. Much of Nichols’ compositions are quite simple as he does create some effective wide shots of New York City including shots of the ferry as it plays an important part to the story. There’s also some unique close-ups that play into Tess’ struggle such a scene where she is pushing a tray of dumplings for an office party that Katherine is hosting. It showcases how powerful Katherine is and how she’s trying to use Tess for her own gain. Nichols also knows how to frame actors for scenes that are either comical or dramatic as he always shoot scenes inside a ferry to play into Tess’ struggle and her willingness to make it.
Some of the humorous moments are very natural as it relates to Trainer’s awkwardness into situations that only Tess knows how to navigate. Most notably a wedding where Trainer and Tess have to meet a potential client in Oren Trask (Philip Bosco) who would be impressed by the two. Nichols’ mastery at comedy adds to the energy of the film where it showcases some of Tess’ bad decisions such as her first meeting with Trainer as she had took a valium and mixing it with alcohol proves to be a very bad idea. Yet, Nichols still puts in some heart and characters that audiences can root for while giving them a chance to showcase that unforgiving world of Wall Street. Overall, Nichols create a captivating yet funny film about a woman from Staten Island working her ass off in Wall Street.
Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the naturalistic look of the daytime exteriors to some low-key scenes set at night in the interiors along with some elaborate lighting for a few scenes in Katherine‘s apartment. Editor Sam O’Steen does nice work with the editing as it‘s quite straightforward while going for some offbeat rhythms for some of the film‘s funnier moments. Production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein, with set decorator George DeTitta Jr. and art director Doug Kraner, does fantastic work with the look of some of the offices as well as the big one that Trainer has as well as the apartments that he and Katherine lives in. Costume designer Ann Roth does terrific work with the costumes from the clothes the secretary wears to the posh stuff that Katherine wears that Tess would later borrow.
Hair stylists Angela D’Angelo and J. Roy Helland do amazing work with the design of the hair which was the thing in the late 1980s as women had big hair. Sound editor Stan Bochner does superb work with the sound from the way some of the offices sound during stock exchanges and such as well as a few moments at a few parties. The film’s music consists largely of score music by Rob Mounsey which is really just piano and orchestral variations of Carly Simon’s original song Let the River Run which is the film’s main theme as other music includes cuts by the Pointer Sisters, Sonny Rollins, and Chris De Burgh.
The casting by Juliet Taylor is brilliant as it features notable small appearances from David Duchovny as a party guest for Tess’ surprise party, Zach Grenier as an executive at Katherine’s office party, Robert Easton as a top corporate CEO in Armbrister, Amy Aquino as a secretary late in the film, Ricki Lake as a bridesmaid at the party Tess and Trainer crash at, Elizabeth Whitcraft as a woman Tess’ boyfriend Mick was sleeping with, Nora Dunn as a corporate publicist named Ginny, James Lally as one of Tess’ early bosses in Turkell, Oliver Platt as another of Tess’ early boss in David Lutz who treats her like meat, Olympia Dukakis as a personnel director who would find Tess a new job working for Katherine, and Kevin Spacey in an early film performance as a sleazy corporate executive who tries to seduce Tess. Philip Bosco is excellent as Oren Trask as this business magnate that Tess and Trainer want to make a deal with as Tess has a tip about what he wants to do. Alec Baldwin is superb as Mick as Tess’ boyfriend who is trying to support her but he gets into some trouble as he is unsure if he can be good enough for Tess.
Joan Cusack is fantastic as Cynthia as another woman from Staten Island who isn’t ambitious as Tess but aids her by pretending to be her secretary at one point and be the conscious of sorts for her. Sigourney Weaver is amazing as Katherine Parker as this very sly and cunning financial executive who likes to do whatever it takes to get to the top as well as steal ideas from others while making Tess feel she’s important yet treating her like shit. Harrison Ford is phenomenal as Jack Trainer as a corporate executive who is trying to get the deal made as Ford brings some charm and humor to his performance while being the guy who knows Tess has what it takes to get things done. Finally, there’s Melanie Griffith in a remarkable performance as Tess McGill as this young woman from Staten Island who has the drive and determination to be successful as Griffith displays a performance that is filled with humor and vulnerability as it’s Griffith presenting a character everyone can root for.
Working Girl is an incredible film from Mike Nichols that features an exhilarating performance from Melanie Griffith. Along with a great ensemble cast that includes Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Cusack, Alec Baldwin, and Philip Bosco. The film isn’t just one of Nichols’ finest films but a film where it bring enough laughs and heart that allows audience to be engaged by. In the end, Working Girl is a spectacular film from Mike Nichols.
Mike Nichols Films: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - (The Graduate) - (Catch-22) - Carnal Knowlege - (The Day of the Dolphin) - (The Fortune) - (Gilda Live) - (Silkwood) - (Heartburn) - (Biloxi Blues) - Postcards from the Edge - (Regarding Henry) - (Wolf (1994 film)) - The Birdcage - (Primary Colors) - (What Planet Are You From?) - (Wit) - (Angels in America) - Closer - (Charlie Wilson’s War)
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Tim Burton and screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren from a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson, Beetlejuice is the story of a recently deceased couple who asks a deranged ghost to get rid of a family who have moved in to their house. The film is a strange romp of horror and comedy where a couple try to deal with living with an eccentric family where its teenage daughter can see them due to her fascination with death. Starring Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Glenn Shadix, Robert Goulet, and Sylvia Sidney. Beetlejuice is a wild and extremely insane film from Tim Burton.
Following their death due to an accident, a newlywed couple deal with new inhabitants of their house that includes a death-obsessed teenage girl prompting the couple to hire the services of a crazed ghost by the name of Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules of conventional horror as it’s more of a comedy where this recently deceased couple cope with their death as well as the fact that they’re forced to share the house with a New York City family and their offbeat interior designer. Yet, Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, respectively) do befriend this Goth teenager in Lydia (Winona Ryder) who is the only one that can see them due to her fascination with death. Even as it is frowned upon by the afterworld to make friends with the living as Beetlejuice would cause hell for the Maitlands.
The film’s screenplay starts off with the life of the Maitlands as they just bought their new home which they refuse to sell from some potential buyers as a simple errand goes wrong which lead to their deaths. Upon this discovery that they’re dead and any place outside of their house has them in a very strange afterworld as they would eventually go to a caseworker named Juno (Sylvia Sydney) who reveal what they have to deal with as well as what to do to get rid of their new inhabitants in real estate developer Charles Deetz (Jeffery Jones) and his aspiring sculptor in Delia, who is Lydia’s stepmother,.
While the Maitlands try to haunt them, they would eventually succeed in haunting Charles and Delia but end up amusing them while their interior designer Otho (Glenn Shadix) would realize what is going on. Adding to this sense of chaos and the Maitlands’ attempt to get rid of the Deetzes is Beetlejuice whose approach to scaring the living is cruel and diabolical. Yet, there is something about the character that is so off-the-wall as he ends up being this very unconventional antagonist. Even as he has this macabre sense of humor who thinks The Exorcist is a comedy while is very crude to the Maitlands as he also pines for Lydia who would get to know what Beetlejuice is.
Tim Burton’s direction is definitely off the wall where it starts off being this quaint little story about a nice couple living in this small New England town. Then comes this very chilling accident where it plays to the sense of macabre humor that would be prevalent in the film. Even as Burton’s compositions ranging from some wide shots to some offbeat close-ups and medium shots showcase something that is really out of this world. Notably the scenes in the afterlife where the dead arrive in a waiting room to meet their case worker and later learn how to live as a dead person. Much of the presentation of the afterworld is presented with some unique visual effects and stop-motion animation to play into this strange approach to black humor that Adam and Barbara have to deal with.
The direction also had Burton create some moments that really amp up the line of reality and fantasy such as a dinner party with the Deetzes where Delia finds herself singing The Banana Boat Song where she has no control of what is happening to her. It’s a sequence that mixes humor and horror in the most absurd way as it refuses to play into any kind of traditional or conventional genre but rather a mish-mash of genres. Even as the film’s climax would maintain that offbeat approach of horror-comedy would force the Maitlands to do something as Beetlejuice would just cause hell for everyone. Overall, Burton creates a very spectacular and hilarious film about two dead people hiring a psychopathic ghost to get rid of people who moved into their home.
Cinematographer Thomas E. Ackerman does fantastic work with the film‘s cinematography from the use of colorful lights for some of the film‘s interior scenes including the dinner scenes and the meeting with Juno. Editor Jane Kurson does excellent work with the editing as it‘s quite straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor and suspense. Production designer Bo Welch, with set decorator Catherine Mann and art director Tom Duffield, does brilliant work with the set design from the house in and out based on Otho‘s work as well as the world of the afterlife including the sand dunes. Costume designer Aggie Guerard does superb work with the costumes from the Goth clothes that Lydia wears to the fashionable upscale New York City look that Delia and Otho wears.
Makeup designers Steve La Porte, Ve Neill, and Robert Short do amazing work with the makeup from the look of Beetlejuice as well as the look of the dead characters in the afterlife. Visual effects supervisor Alan Munroe does awesome work with the visual effects from the use of stop-motion animation to the design of the sand dunes world that would feature sandworms. Sound editor Richard L. Anderson does nice work with the sound from some of the low-key sound work in some of the scenes at the house to the sound effects that occur in the world of the afterlife. The film’s music by Danny Elfman is incredible as it is very offbeat with its playful orchestral score that is filled with strange choirs and string arrangements while the soundtrack features some amazing songs by Harry Belafonte to play into the film’s offbeat tone.
The casting by Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins is just phenomenal as it features some notable small roles from Annie McEnroe as the woman who tries to sell the Maitlands’ home early in the film, Patrice Martinez as an afterworld receptionist, Dick Cavett and Susan Kellermann as a couple of guests at the dinner party, and Robert Goulet as Charles’ boss Maxie Dean who wants Charles to do some things to the small town. Glenn Shadix is very funny as the interior designer Otho who tries to give the Maitlands’ home a post-modern look that plays to his taste. Sylvia Sydney is amazing as the deceased case worker Juno who often smokes a cigarette where smoke would come out of her neck as she is very blunt and to the point about what not to do. Jeffrey Jones is excellent as Charles Deetz as a real estates developer who is eager to wanting a simple life as he copes with the chaos involving ghosts. Catherine O’Hara is amazing as Delia as this aspiring sculptor who wants to make it as an artist while wanting to live the life of a New York City artist.
Winona Ryder is brilliant as the troubled Goth teenager Lydia whose fascination with death has her meeting the Maitlands as she wants to die due to loneliness. Alec Baldwin is fantastic as Adam Maitland as a guy who designs models who tries to make sense of everything that goes on. Geena Davis is superb as Barbara Maitland who also tries to make sense as she doesn’t want to bring harm to Lydia despite what the people in the afterworld says. Finally, there’s Michael Keaton in a magnificent performance as the titular role despite only appearing in less than a third of the film. Yet, he steals every moment from his crude approach to humor as well as being completely wild in every kind of mannerism that he does as it’s really an iconic performance for the ages.
Beetlejuice is a rapturous yet extremely fun film from Tim Burton that features a tour-de-force performance from Michael Keaton in the titular role. Along with a great cast as well as some amazing technical work, it’s a film that showcases Burton’s gift for blending weird and macabre humor with an absurd approach to horror. In the end, Beetlejuice is an outstanding film from Tim Burton.
Tim Burton Films: (Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure) - Batman - (Edward Scissorhands) - Batman Returns - Ed Wood - (Mars Attacks!) - (Sleepy Hollow) - (Planet of the Apes (2001 film)) - (Big Fish) - (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) - (Corpse Bride) - (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) - (Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)) - (Dark Shadows) - (Frankenweenie) - (Big Eyes) - (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children) - (Dumbo (2019 film)) - Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
© thevoid99 2014
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/22/04 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Based on the animated TV show by Stephen Hillenburg, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is the story of a sponge who tries to retrieve the crown of King Neptune with the help of his dim-witted starfish friend Patrick in the hopes they can save their hometown of Bikini Bottom. Written and directed by Stephen Hillenburg and Derek Drymon, the film is a witty yet off-the-wall animated film that has an optimistic sponge trying to save his town and deal with who he is. Featuring the voices of show regulars Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Mr. Lawrence, Clancy Brown, Roger Bumpass, Carolyn Lawrence, Mary Jo Calett, and Jill Taley along with guest voices from Jeffrey Tambor, Scarlett Johansson, and Alec Baldwin plus a cameo appearance from David Hasselhoff. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a very silly yet fantastic film from Stephen Hillenburg and Derek Drymon.
It’s a lovely day in Bikini Bottom as a young yellow sponge named SpongeBob (voice by Tom Kenny) who is in anticipation for the opening of the second Krusty Krab where he awaits the promotion of manager. Living with his pet snail Gary (Tom Kenny), SpongeBob meets up with his neighbor and fellow employee Squidward (Roger Bumpass) and SpongeBob’s best friend Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke). With everyone in anticipation for the opening of the second Krusty Krab that was founded by Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), Krabs’ arch nemesis Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) is angry over Krabs’ success and how he often failed into stealing the formula for the Krabby Patty. With his computer wife Karen (Jill Taley), Plankton goes through his files where he finds Plan Z, a plan that he has never used. Meanwhile at the opening of the second Krabby Patty, SpongeBob learns that Squidward is going to be promoted since Krabs felt that SpongeBob is too young to be a manager.
With SpongeBob depressed over the position, Patrick tries to cheer him up at an ice cream bar where the two get very drunk over ice cream. Meanwhile, Plankton goes to the home of King Neptune (Jeffrey Tambor) where he steals the crown that upsets Neptune who is in denial over his bald spot. With a note that claims that Mr. Krabs has stolen the crown, SpongeBob comes into his defense where he and Patrick will try to retrieve it in six days where the crown is in a place called Shell City. With Krabs frozen on ice, it’s up to SpongeBob and Patrick to save the city where Plankton meanwhile, took the opportunity to steal the Krabby Patty formula as his Chum Bucket restaurant becomes successful.
With Plankton learning of SpongeBob’s adventure, he hires a bike-toting assassin named Dennis (Alec Baldwin) to take them out as Squidward learned what has happened after seeing the town of Bikini Bottom wearing buckets on their heads where it is revealed to be a controlling device as fellow citizens including Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence) and Mrs. Puff (Mary Jo Calett) are under control. On their way to Shell City, SpongeBob and Patrick encounter tough creatures in a bar where bubble blowing isn’t allowed and after that, they encounter a monster where another monster eats it, as did their patty-car. Saddened, the two feel that as kids, they can’t really do anything. Coming to their aid is Neptune’s daughter Mindy (Scarlett Johansson) who gives them a boost of confidence as they continue their adventures. Unfortunately, the two meet up with Dennis and then get captured by an underwater seaman called a Cyclops. SpongeBob and Patrick feel they failed only to persevere with the help of David Hasselhoff (played by the real David Hasselhoff). Will SpongeBob and Patrick save Bikini Bottom? How does SpongeBob defeat Plankton? And will Patrick get a chance to score with Mindy? And why is Neptune insecure about his bald spot?
While most films are often predictable in its storylines, the works because of its traditional storylines and obstacles the characters have to endure. While some fans will be upset that major characters like Sandy, Gary, and Mrs. Puff aren’t used very much, the story and quirkiness of SpongeBob remains in tact thanks to some inspiring direction from Hillenburg and Drymon along with a wonderfully crafted script. The film’s real payoff is in the third act where everything begins to… rock! The film’s balance of offbeat comedy and heartfelt characters and storylines is really the core of SpongeBob since we root for the little sponge and his upbeat attitude. In some cases, the movie is kind of a character study film where the characters do evolve and go through all of these obstacles that they had to endure.
The film’s overall is mostly hand-drawn animated and it works really well here thanks to Hillenburg and Drymon’s directing along with a group of animation directors where the look of the film is really unique in its drawing. While 3-D computer animation may be the new thing, the film reminds viewers that even old-school hand-drawn animation can work, without that glossy Disney-sheen that many are used to. The film is really geared more towards eccentrics, especially in the live-action sequences where the effects look great along with the cinematography and production design. Another thing that makes the film have a great atmosphere is the music, thanks to great cutting edge tracks from Wilco, the Shins, the Flaming Lips, Motorhead, and a hilarious remake of Twisted Sister’s I Want To Rock with a bit of David Lee Roth’s cover of Just A Gigolo in the mix. Yeah, the theme song version by Avril Lavigne sucks but thankfully, it wasn’t heard in the film as pirates in the live action sequences did a hilarious version of it.
Credit should also go to the film’s cast for their voices and characters. Alec Baldwin really gives a nice tone to the performance of Dennis while Jeffrey Tambor is extremely funny in his role as King Neptune. Scarlett Johansson is wonderfully amazing and funny in her voice of Mindy (who sort of looks like Johansson’s Ghost World co-star Thora Birch’s Enid), who provides a voice of reason for Neptune while helping out SpongeBob in his quest to find the crown. Clancy Brown is also funny in the role of the money-grubbing Mr. Krabs while Roger Bumpass is very funny as well as the cynical Squidward. Mr. Lawrence is diabolical as Plankton while Bill Fagerbakke is always funny in the idiotic Patrick, who is the perfect sidekick to every epic film. Tom Kenny is the real star with his voice work as SpongeBob with his nasally-vocals and that awesome laugh. The film’s best performance overall goes to David Hasselhoff who makes fun of himself in his Baywatch persona where in the third act, he steals the show as Hasselhoff proves that he’s cool again despite those bad albums he’s made.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is an excellent film from Stephen Hillenburg and Derek Drymon. The film isn't just a faithful feature-length version of the SpongeBob SquarePants story but also a film that manages to be weird enough that appeals to kids and adults. Especially as it toes the line of what is offbeat and what is crude. In the end, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is an awesome film from Stephen Hillenburg and Derek Drymon.
© thevoid99 2014
Written and directed by James Toback, Seduced and Abandoned is a documentary film in which Toback and Alec Baldwin explore the world of film financing as the two attend the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in their attempts to fund a remake of Last Tango in Paris that Toback will direct and Baldwin will star in. The film not only explores the difficulty of funding but also the way industry works as it features interviews from actors like Ryan Gosling, Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, and James Caan as well as filmmakers Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski, and Bernardo Bertolucci. The result is a fascinating yet sobering film about the difficulty of getting finance for a film.
The world of film financing in the early 21st Century is far more different than the period in the 1960s through the 1980s as filmmaker James Toback and Alec Baldwin decide to document their journey to secure funding for a modern-day remake of Last Tango in Paris that Baldwin will star in with Neve Campbell. Baldwin and Toback travel to the Cannes Film Festival where they talk to producers and such about getting $25 million for this project as it would turn out to be very difficult. Filmmakers such as Roman Polanski, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Bernardo Bertolucci reveal not just the difficulty of getting their films made but also the bullshit in what they have to do to get the money being made.
With the Cannes Film Festival as a backdrop where it is considered a place that celebrates cinema. There’s this other side of the festival where it’s an industry where Toback and Baldwin try to figure out what these financers want as some of their requests and suggestions have some valid ideas but some of it proves to be very difficult. It’s all about selling the film as Neve Campbell’s name doesn’t draw money as Jessica Chastain and Ryan Gosling are also interviewed for the film as they were names suggested to Toback. Though Chastain and Gosling are names that can draw some attention, they’re still actors who understand the process as they were also interested in Toback’s project along with Diane Kruger. Berenice Bejo reveals how different the industry in France is where it’s more about the film than the name as Bejo’s name was even mentioned to a producer who has no clue who she is despite being in The Artist.
With the help of cinematographer Ruben Sluitjer and sound mixers Philippe Goubert and Kevin Pate, Toback creates something that is loose and free-flowing while using a lot of humor into the film. Even as he opens a quote from Orson Welles where he says that 95% of making the film is getting financing and the other 5% is actually making the film in shooting and editing. Editor Aaron Yanes brings in a unique approach to the editing with not just elements of style but also incorporating clips of some classic films but also pictures to play into the festival’s history but also how much things have changed from the 1960s to now. The music in the film is mostly classical as well as pieces from other films as Toback would also use it for humor where he would meet other financers and producers including Taki Theodoracopulos who talks about the hesitation about funding a film.
Seduced and Abandoned is a superb film from James Toback about the world of film financing. The film is a must-see for film buffs and aspiring filmmakers about that world as well as the difficulty of getting people to be part of that film. Even as it’s set in a world that celebrates cinema like the Cannes Film Festival as it showcases a world where the industry and the films themselves converge. In the end, Seduced and Abandoned is an extraordinary film from James Toback.
James Toback Films: (Fingers) - (Love and Money) - (Exposed) - (The Pick-Up Artist) - (Two Girls and a Guy) - (Black and White) - (Harvard Man) - (When Will I Be Loved) - (Tyson)
© thevoid99 2014
Written and directed by Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine is the story about a woman whose husband had been arrested over his criminal activities forcing her to live with her estranged sister in San Francisco as she tries to get her life back on track. The film is an exploration into a woman trying to start over as she had been nearly thwarted by scandal as she turns to her younger sister for help despite her middle-class lifestyle. Starring Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard, Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., Michael Stuhlbarg, and Alec Baldwin. Blue Jasmine is a brilliant yet captivating film from Woody Allen.
What happens to a woman whose wealthy life comes crashes down when her husband is revealed to be a crook as she is forced to move in with her working-class sister? That is essentially the premise of the film where Jasmine Francis (Cate Blanchett) has lost everything as she spent the last of whatever little money she had left to fly from New York City to San Francisco to live with her estranged adopted sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) and her two kids. Yet, Jasmine is appalled by her sister’s lower-middle class lifestyle and her choice of men as she is desperate to get herself back to the upper-class life but her mental state as well as reflections of her old life with her former husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) would make her uneasy around many people including Ginger.
Woody Allen creates a very interesting narrative where it moves back-and-forth from the new life that Jasmine has to live in San Francisco and the old life she had in New York City where she had money, lived in expensive houses, wore expensive clothes, and have the finest social gatherings out there. Though Ginger and her ex-husband Augie (Andrew Dice Clay) were impressed by what Jasmine and Hal had during their trip to NYC, they preferred the simpler life though Ginger would be the one to discover something about Hal that she had kept a secret until everything went wrong. Due to Hal’s financial schemes, Augie’s chance to have his own business is finished that led to him and Ginger getting a divorced as Ginger is trying to have a new relationship with a mechanic named Chili (Bobby Cannavale).
One aspect of the script that is very interesting is Jasmine’s own sense of elitism and narcissism as she criticizes her sister for the life she lives and the idea that Ginger is always around men whom she thinks are losers. Though Ginger would later meet a sound engineer named Al (Louis C.K.) at a party where Jasmine would meet an aspiring politician named Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard). Ginger’s relationship with Al would only make her feel insecure as she becomes confused of whether to be with Al or Chili. Jasmine’s own pursuit of Dwight would eventually be her own undoing as she would lie to win Dwight’s heart but elements of her past would come back to haunt her.
Allen’s direction is quite straightforward in the way he presents the film while he gives the scenes set in New York City and San Francisco different atmospheres into the way it plays to Jasmine’s life. For the flashback scenes in New York City, everything is vast and posh where it’s all set in very rich sections including some of the beach homes that Jasmine and Hal lived in. Yet, it’s also quite artificial in some ways to showcase that not everything is as it seems to be. Allen’s approach for the scenes set in San Francisco is far more grounded with the exception of a few scenes where Jasmine is with Dwight as he turns to her about what to do with his new house.
Still, the places that Ginger and her friends take Jasmine to is a mixture of working-class environments and such that is definitely removed from the world that Jasmine is used to. Even as Jasmine reluctantly takes a job working as a receptionist for a dentist (Michael Stuhlbarg) where the direction is tighter but also quite entrancing. Even in the scenes where Jasmine is in a location talking to herself unaware of how mentally ill she’s becoming. Allen would put Jasmine often at the edge of the frame to showcase how detached she’s becoming while everyone around her is either moving on without or are just disturbed by her behavior. Overall, Allen creates a very mesmerizing film about a woman on the verge of collapse as she reluctantly faces reality.
Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe does amazing work with the cinematography from the lush and colorful look of New York City to the more simplistic look of San Francisco. Editor Alisa Lepselter does fantastic work with the editing by playing to the film‘s back-and-forth structure to help establish Jasmine‘s dramatic state of mind. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorators Kris Boxell and Regina Graves and art directors Michael E. Goldman and Doug Hustzi, does excellent work with the set pieces from the homes that Jasmine and Hal lived in to the more quaint, simpler apartment that Ginger lives in.
Costume designer Suzy Benzinger does superb work with the costumes from the posh clothes that Jasmine wears to the more blue-collar look of Ginger to display the two different worlds the women live in. Sound editor Robert Hein does nice work with the sound from the chaotic world of Ginger‘s apartment to the more serene world that Jasmine used to live in. The film’s wonderful soundtrack largely consists of jazz music from Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Jimmy Noone, Lizzie Miles, Conal Fowkes, Julius Block, and Trixie Smith as it all would play to Jasmine’s state of mind as she would often say how Blue Moon reminds her of how she met Hal.
The casting by Juliet Taylor and Patricia Kerrigan DiCerto is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small performances from Max Rutherford and Daniel Jenks as Ginger and Augie’s sons, Charlie Tahan as the adolescent version of Hal’s son Danny, Tammy Blanchard and Annie McNamara as a couple of Jasmine’s friends, and Max Casella as a friend of Chili’s who tries to woo Jasmine. Other noteworthy small yet effective supporting performances include Michael Stuhlbarg as a dentist Jasmine briefly works for while Alden Ehrenreich is terrific as Hal’s son Danny who disappears after feeling humiliated over what his father did. Louis C.K. is excellent as Al as a man Ginger meets at a party as she thinks he could be someone that Jasmine would like. Bobby Cannavale is amazing as Chili as an auto mechanic who loves Ginger while tries to be nice to Jasmine only to feel insecure as he desperately tries to do right for Ginger despite his anger.
Peter Sarsgaard is superb as the aspiring politician Dwight who falls for Jasmine and wants to marry her until he learns the truth about who she is. Andrew Dice Clay is fantastic in a small but memorable performance as Ginger’s ex-husband Augie who is stung by a deal gone bad thanks to Hal as Clay brings a charm to his role in the flashbacks as a simple guy while has this scene with Blanchett that shows a bitterness and loss that he is suffering from which makes his performance a real surprise from the famed comedian. Alec Baldwin is great as Hal as a man who is a schemer that gives Jasmine this very lavish world only to be unveiled as a crook who had stolen from everyone including Augie.
The film’s best performances definitely go to both Sally Hawkins and Cate Blanchett. Hawkins brings a liveliness to the role of Ginger as a woman who has a complicated life but one that she can handle as she is also trying to find something better while eventually coming to the conclusion that she might need more after all. Blanchett is tremendous as Jasmine where she brings this very intense performance of a woman whose life crashes down as she tries to adjust to reality and is desperate to go back to the upper-class world while taking jabs at Chili and those she feels are beneath her. Blanchett and Hawkins have great chemistry together as two sisters who care for each other but it’s a relationship that is also dysfunctional as Hawkins tries to defend her lifestyle while Blanchett would be critical where it would have some very big revelations about Jasmine and her own life.
Blue Jasmine is a remarkable film from Woody Allen thanks in part to Cate Blanchett’s leading performance as well as a sensational supporting performance from Sally Hawkins. Along with notable supporting work from Alec Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay, Louis C.K., and Bobby Cannavale. It’s a film that explores the very complex yet chaotic relationship between two sisters as well as one woman facing the reality when the life that she once had turns out to be a façade. In the end, Blue Jasmine is a phenomenal film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet and Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra's Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
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