Beau is Afraid

 

Written and directed by Ari Aster that is based on his 2011 short film Beau, Beau is Afraid is the story of a troubled and paranoid man who goes on a journey to return home to his mother where he deals with the chaos around him as he also faces his own fears. The film is the study of a man who hasn’t done much with his life while living in a world that is chaotic and violent as the titular character of Beau Wassermann is played by Joaquin Phoenix. Also starring Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Parker Posey. Beau is Afraid is a surreal though frustratingly flawed film from Ari Aster.

The film follows a man who is set to meet his mother as he constantly encounters all sorts of chaos where he is often afraid as his journey to return home to his mother becomes this journey filled with lots of misunderstandings and other strange incidents that has him running away. It is mainly a character study of this man who lives in an apartment where a lot of shit happens as he often attends therapy sessions as he is reluctant to visit his mother Mona (Patti LuPone & Zoe Lister-Jones as both the present and younger versions, respectively) whom he’s had a chaotic relationship with. Especially as they plan to meet on the anniversary of his father’s death as he had never known his father since he died before he was even born which makes the journey more difficult while a series of circumstances would delay his departure as he is hit by a truck where he is taken to a house by this couple who are nursing him despite the protests of their teenage daughter.

Ari Aster’s screenplay is sprawling in terms of the journey that Beau Wassermann takes as it also has some flashbacks relating to his life with mother including a moment as a teenager (Armen Nahapetian) when they’re vacationing on a cruise where meets a young girl named Elaine (Julia Antonelli) where they make a vow to lose their virginity to one another as he wouldn’t see her for years as he later learns that she works for her mother as an adult (Parker Posey). Throughout the course of the film, Aster’s script has Beau going through these encounters with people and other things as he is trying to go home as it relates to a Jewish custom but also is forced to confront things in his life had been braver. Yet, Beau is often someone who had a choice to take action or to make a decision but often never stands up for himself which often puts him into danger and all sorts of trouble. Especially in his relationship with his mother where he always does whatever she tells him to do and allows people to step over him.

Aster’s direction is definitely grand in terms of its overall presentation as it is shot largely on location in Montreal as New York City with areas in and around the city in its forests and suburbs as the places that Beau would go to. Yet, it opens with a childbirth scene shot from the perspective of the baby coming out of its mother’s womb as it sets the tone for the chaos that Beau would endure as an adult. Aster would create some unique compositions that play into Beau’s own sense of paranoia and fear such as a man hiding on the ceiling in his bathroom while Beau is in the tub as the close-up of Beau’s face and the man’s face is a key moment. Even as it would be this moment leading to the second act where Beau would be hit by a car while being stabbed by a crazed naked man as it is one of several moments of surrealism that is present throughout the film. The scenes at the home of this couple in Grace and Roger (Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane, respectively) does seem like this sense of normalcy until their daughter Toni (Kylie Rogers) comes in as it adds to this sense is discord where something is going to happen to Beau either through his own decisions or his refusal to take action.

The wide and medium shots don’t just add to the visual look of the film including a scene where Beau is in the forest where he meets an acting troupe putting on a play. It is a scene near its third act where Beau sees himself as this character in a play as it is this surreal moment that play into the kind of future Beau would’ve had if he had been braver. It should’ve been this moment of serious development but given the fact that he is someone that carries a lot of guilt where Aster constantly has Beau in situations where there are moments that go on for too long in a film with an almost three-hour running time. The film’s third act and climax that relates to a supposed flashback or traumatic event has him just take not just the abuse from people who blame him for something he didn’t do but also keeps apologizing as if he was the one that has done something. Its ending is also strange as it plays into a man that doesn’t just have serious parental issues but is also someone without a spine who rarely has a moment of anger as he is driven by fear of not just being unloved but also being someone who never had anyone to tell him to stand up for himself. Overall, Aster crafts a wondrous yet bloated film about a man who is afraid of everything and everyone as he tries to get home to his mother.

Cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it has these amazing visuals for many of the daytime exterior scenes with its natural lighting along with some unique lighting for some of the scenes at night including scenes in the forest and at Mona’s home. Editor Lucian Johnston does nice work with the editing in allowing shots to linger a bit along with rhythmic cuts to play into the action and some of the film’s dark humor though it has moments where it lags due to its bloated presentation. Production designer Fiona Crombie, with key set decorator Paul Hotte and supervising art director David Gaucher, does amazing work with the look of the small apartment that Beau lives in to the home of Roger and Grace as well as the home where Mona lives along with the look of the stage play that Beau watches. Costume designer Alice Babidge does excellent work with the costumes in the different array of clothes including some pajamas that Beau wears along with the costumes that the acting troupe wears.

Hair designer Felix Lariviere and prosthetics makeup effects designer Steve Newburn do incredible work with not just the look of Beau with his bruises and such but also in the play scene where he dreams of being the main character in the play with all of its prosthetics as well as a key scene late in the film as it play into some revelations about himself. Special effects supervisor Louis Craig, along with visual effects supervisors Yuval Levy and Louis Morin, does fantastic work with the look of the play fantasy scene with some of its animation as well as some effects for a key scene late in the film. Sound editor Paul Hsu does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as how music is presented next to Beau’s apartment as well as other things that are played on location. The film’s music by Bobby Krlic is phenomenal for its haunting mixture of woodwinds, percussions, and string instruments to add to the suspense and offbeat humor of the film while music supervisor Jemma Burns creates a soundtrack that is filled with an array of music from various genres ranging from pop and electronic music including songs from Bread and Mariah Carey.

The casting by Julie Breton and Jim Carnahan is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Richard Kind as Mona’s attorney Dr. Cohen, Julian Richings as a strange man Beau meets at the play who claims to know Beau’s father, the trio of Michael Gandolfini, Theodore Pellerin, and Mike Taylor as Beau’s sons in the fantasy play sequence, Alicia Rosario as Toni’s friend Liz, Bradley Fisher as a naked man stabbing people, James Cvetkovski as Beau as a young boy, Hayley Squires as a pregnant woman named Penelope who takes Beau to the forest where she’s part of an acting troupe, Julia Antonelli as a teenager Elaine whom the young Beau would fall for, and Armen Nahapetian as the teenager Beau who would fall for the young Elaine as he deals with his father’s absence and other issues relating to his mother. Stephen McKinley Henderson is superb as Beau’s therapist who observes and takes notes over Beau’s anxieties while also recommending him to take some serious prescriptions with water.

Denis Menochet is terrific as a PTSD soldier named Jeeves who is unstable comrade of Grace and Roger’s son whom they let stay at a trailer at their home as he would be this insane figure that would scare Beau. Kylie Rogers is good as Grace and Roger’s daughter Toni as this troubled and antagonistic teenager who hates Beau as she gets him to do things as a way to humiliate him as well as do whatever she can to get him in trouble. Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane are excellent in their respective roles as Grace and Roger as a couple who hit Beau with their car as they take him in to heal as they are this weird couple who offer to help him yet are offbeat though they come off as cartoonish at times. Parker Posey is brilliant in her small role as the adult Elaine as Beau’s soulmate whom he hadn’t seen in years as she reveals to work for his mother in her business while her reunion with Beau is a joyful moment leading to something hilarious in their meeting.

The duo of Patti LuPone and Zoe Lister-Jones are great in their respective roles as the older and younger version of Beau’s mother Mona Wassermann with LuPone as this domineering woman who has become tired of her son’s anxiety issues though it is clear that she is a toxic woman with little care about his issues. Lister-Jones’ performance is more subdued as she isn’t this sweeter version of Mona but also reveals to be someone who is also toxic. Finally, there’s Joaquin Phoenix in an incredible performance as the titular character as this man who is constantly afraid of everything as he’s filled with a lot of anxieties and fears where he often apologizes for everything. It is a performance that has Phoenix do a lot of physicality as well as display emotions though he is hampered by the script as well as the fact that this character he’s playing doesn’t grow a spine and never stands up for himself as it has these moments of greatness but it is also frustrating at times.

Beau is Afraid is a stellar yet highly-flawed film from Ari Aster despite an incredible leading performance from Joaquin Phoenix. While it is a film that does feature a great ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, and a killer music score by Bobby Krlic, it is a film that is ambitious in its approach to surrealism but falls flat due to a protagonist that rarely takes action for himself as he continuously gets stepped on over and over again. In the end, Beau is Afraid is a good but bloated film from Ari Aster.

Ari Aster Films: Hereditary - Midsommar

© thevoid99 2023

You Can Count on Me

Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, You Can Count on Me is the story of a single mother who gets a visit from her younger brother who stays longer than expected as they deal with their relationship as well as other issues within their family. The film is an exploration of the relationship between siblings as well as a woman trying to deal with aspects of her life as well as help her wayward brother find a sense of direction in his life. Starring Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Rory Culkin, Jon Tenney, J. Smith-Cameron, Amy Ryan, Josh Lucas, Gaby Hoffman, Adam LeFevre, and Matthew Broderick. You Can Count on Me is an extraordinarily rich film from Kenneth Lonergan.

Set in a small town in upstate New York, the film follows a single mother who is raising her eight-year old son while working at a bank where she learns her younger brother is coming home. Though he was supposed to stay for a day as he’s asking her for money, some troubling circumstances relating to his girlfriend forces him to stay longer as he has to do a few duties for his sister in raising his nephew. During the course of the film, the two cope with their different lifestyles as well as their own vices which would eventually affect one another. Kenneth Lonergan’s script explore the dynamic between Sammy (Laura Linney) and Terry Prescott (Mark Ruffalo) as these two siblings who both lost their parents in an accident when they were kids as it had affected them greatly. For Sammy, she would live at the home she had lived for all of her life as she would share it with her son Rudy (Rory Culkin) as she struggles with her job due to the fact that she’s working for a new manager in Brian Everett (Matthew Broderick).

When Terry writes a letter in the hope that he would stay for a day, Sammy is excited at first until she learned why Terry hadn’t contacted her for months as it relates to the fact that he’s had some bad luck and continues to drift from city to city. Though his visit was only for money, he is forced to stay longer than expected where he would bond with Rudy who keeps asking Terry about his father since Sammy never talks about him as Terry would reveal that his father isn’t someone he liked at all. While Terry is someone that admits to having no real sense of direction of what to do. Sammy’s life is in a whirlwind as she is in relationship with a man named Bob (Jon Tenney) who wants to marry her as she is unsure while she would have an affair with her boss. Terry would know about Sammy’s love life as he would be baffled when she brings the local minister (Kenneth Lonergan) to counsel him as it is a key moment early in the third act about the tension between the two over their lifestyle choices.

Lonergan’s direction is simple in terms of the compositions and setting as much of the film is shot on location at Margaretville, New York near the Catskill Mountains as fictional small towns of Scottsville and Auburn. The locations in the film is a big importance as it relates to the this sheltered world that Sammy is in and why she wants to shelter Rudy from aspects of the outside world knowing how fucked up it is. For Terry, it’s an environment that isn’t ideal for him since there isn’t much to do other than drink, play pool, or go fishing. While there are some wide shots of the locations, Lonergan goes for something that is more intimate in terms of the drama that is prominent throughout the film. Notably in some of the close-ups and medium shots as there is this one shot in the latter from the stairs in the corner of the dining room that shows where Sammy, Terry, and Rudy would be sitting if they’re eating dinner. It’s among these little details including the lunch scene where Sammy and Terry meet on the day of the latter’s arrival where there is a wide shot to show the other patrons hearing the two argue over Terry’s troubles.

The direction also play into these little quirks over Brian’s disdain over things at the bank which is just silly as it play into some of the film’s humor which is subtle as well as what Sammy would do in her affair with Brian. Still, Lonergan maintains that low-key approach to the drama which include scenes in the third act as it play into Terry’s immaturity as well as Sammy’s own flaws where she would force Terry to confront his own aimlessness to cover up for her troubles. The third act is dramatically-intense as it relates to Rudy’s father where it play into why Sammy never wants Rudy to know about him and why Terry despises him. All of which forces Sammy and Terry to deal with their own differences but also realize that they can still rely on each other. Overall, Lonergan crafts a rapturous yet heartfelt film about two siblings coping with loss and themselves.

Cinematographer Stephen Kazmierski does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is straightforward to play into the locations in the daytime but also with some low-key lighting for the scenes at night including the film’s opening scene. Editor Anne McCabe does brilliant work with the editing as it is straightforward with some jump-cuts as well as some rhythmic cuts for the drama. Production designer Michael Shaw, with set decorator Lydia Marks and art director Shawn Carroll, does fantastic work with the look of the house Sammy and Rudy live in as well as a few of the places they go to with Terry.

Costume designer Melissa Toth does nice work with the costumes as it is mainly straightforward to play into the look of the characters from the more clean clothes of Sammy when she’s working to the ragged look of Terry. Sound editor Wendy Hedin does terrific work with the sound as it play into the natural atmosphere of the locations including the chaotic sound at the bar. The film’s music by Lesley Barber is superb as it is very low-key in its folk-based score with bits of country while music supervisors Barry Cole and Christopher Covert provide music from folk and country with the latter being something Sammy listens to with the rest of the soundtrack consisting of classical pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach.

The casting by Lina Todd is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Amy Ryan and Michael Countryman as Sammy and Terry’s parents in the first scene, Haley Feiffer as Sammy and Terry’s babysitter early in the film, Whitney Vance as the young Sammy, Peter Kerwin as the young Terry, Kenneth Lonergan as the local pastor, Nina Garbiras as Brian’s pregnant wife, Kim Parker as the girlfriend of Rudy’s father, Adam LeFerve as the local sheriff who knows Sammy and Terry, Gaby Hoffman as Terry’s girlfriend at Worcester, J. Smith-Cameron as a bank secretary that Sammy tries to protect from Brian, and Josh Lucas as the man who might be Rudy’s father. Jon Tenney is superb as Bob as an old boyfriend of Sammy who is seeking to marry her unaware of the things she does as he’s just a nice guy that never did anything wrong.

Matthew Broderick is excellent as Brian Everett as the bank manager and Sammy’s boss who is annoyed by the little quirks at the bank while engaging into an affair with Sammy that becomes too intense for Sammy. Rory Culkin is brilliant as Rudy as Sammy’s eight-year old son that is trying to deal with his own adolescents and idea of who his father is where he would find a father-figure in his uncle where he would get a broad idea of the world. Mark Ruffalo is incredible as Terry Prescott as Sammy’s younger brother who drifts from place to place to find something as he finds himself back home unsure of what to do while finding a comfortable role as Rudy’s uncle where he would give his nephews an idea of the world but also make sure that the kid does have some kind of hope to carry. Finally, there’s Laura Linney in a phenomenal performance as Sammy Prescott as a bank loan manager who is raising an eight-year old son as she is dealing with all things in her life including relationships with two different men as well as dealing with her brother at home and wondering about what he will do next as she is also forced to face her own faults.

You Can Count on Me is a tremendous film from Kenneth Lonergan that features great performances from Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, and Rory Culkin. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous setting, and a riveting story about loss and siblings coping with their own differences. It’s a film that manages to create something that is engaging but it is also willing not to provide any easy answers into how some cope with loss or the fact that they can’t adjust to certain places or ideas in life. In the end, You Can Count on Me is a spectacular film from Kenneth Lonergan.

Kenneth Lonergan Films: Margaret (2011 film) - Manchester by the Sea

© thevoid99 2017

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and written by Inarritu, Armando Bo, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Nicolas Giacobone, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is the story of a once-famous film star who tries to mount a comeback by staging a production of Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love as he deals with professional and personal issues. The film is an exploration into the day of a life of a man whose greatest claim to fame was playing a superhero on film as he struggles with his ego, failures as an actor and as a man, and all sorts of things just days before he tries to make his comeback. Starring Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Lindsay Duncan, and Naomi Watts. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a sprawling yet engrossing film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

The film explores a week in the life of a once-famous film star in Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) who is trying to make a comeback by directing, writing, and starring in a Broadway stage production of Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Yet, Riggan’s life starts to spiral downward as he copes with the bad decisions he made in his life as an actor and as a man while his attempts to gain legitimacy as an actor has him questioning his worth. It’s a film that explores a man who is at a crossroads where the play that he’s doing starts to mirror the chaos of his own life while famous alter-ego that he played many years ago is stalking him about the decisions he’s making. Even as parts of his own life from his troubled relationship recovering drug-addict daughter Sam (Emma Stone) to who he is play into this turbulent week as he struggles with his past glory and the fear of failing as he’s putting everything on the line.

The film’s screenplay is quite complex in the way it explores a production that is quite chaotic where Riggan is trying to do everything he can but there’s a lot that isn’t working. After purposely taking out an actor from the production because he sucks, Riggan would bring in the very popular but pretentious theater actor Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) who would do whatever to usurp Riggan as he would also make first-time Broadway actress Lesley (Naomi Watts) insecure as she had previously dated Shiner. Riggan’s relationship with another actress in Laura (Andrea Riseborough) starts to fall apart as she feels unappreciated while Riggan’s relationship with his daughter Sam is often filled with tension as Riggan blames himself for not being there for her. With his ex-wife Sylvia (Amy Ryan) appearing to see what is going on with him while his friend/producer Jake (Zach Galifianakis) tries to keep things under control.

The script also showcases much of Riggan’s reasons to want to make this comeback and why he chose Raymond Carver as his comeback vehicle. Yet, his reasons only gain questions from Shiner who also knows Carver’s work as he believes that Riggan isn’t authentic enough to do Carver justice. Adding to Riggan’s own self-doubt and low self-esteem issues is the notorious theater critic Tabitha (Lindsay Duncan) who despises Hollywood and its actors believing that they’re not good enough to do theater. It all plays to ideas in Riggan’s head in his attempt to find legitimacy and shake off the Birdman character that he had played a long time ago as it leads to questions of existentialism and art. Even as it plays to the idea of one man against the entire world.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s direction is truly astonishing as it is presented in a mostly one-continuous shot that follows the turbulent week of Riggan trying to mount his production. While it is a feat that is quite amazing, Inarritu does use some editing and visual tricks to make it feel like a film that is presented in an entire take. It is quite engaging for the way it explores a theater production coming together as the usage of steadicam and hand-held cameras in intimate, cramped-up spaces such as hallways and dressing rooms. Much of it has Inarritu use a lot of medium shots and close-ups where the compositions are engaging such as a scene between Lesley and Laura talking about Shiner. There’s also these smooth transitions where the camera is often moving in a crane shot or on a dolly track where it would have a character in a scene and then be seen again in a few seconds in another scene.

While the film is shot on location in New York City in its Broadway setting, there is something that feels loose in its direction such as a scene of Riggan walking through the city at night in his underwear. Even in the scenes where much of the theater performances has this sense of energy where it would evolve into something more authentic as well as daring. Especially in its climax where it is about this opening night performance as Riggan will do whatever it takes to become the star of the show in this mentality of me against the world. There’s also elements of surrealism in the scenes involving Riggan struggling to get Birdman out of his life as it would play into Riggan thinking about returning to the character as an act of defiance where a sequence of him flying and saving the world plays into Riggan’s desire to act and prove that he has what it takes. Overall, Inarritu creates a very thrilling and mesmerizing film about a man trying to mount a comeback against all odds while dealing with his ego and is troubled personal life.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki does brilliant work with the film‘s very entrancing cinematography from its colorful approach to theater lighting in some of its scenes to more low-key yet naturalistic look in its interiors plus some unique lights for the exterior nighttime scenes in New York City. Editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrone do fantastic work with in a few montages that is created in the film‘s opening and a sequence near the end while using some tricky editing skills to make the film feel like an entirely continuous shot. Production designer Kevin Thompson and set decorator George DeTitta Jr. do excellent work with the set pieces from the look of the theater sets as well as the bar next to the theater where Riggan would wind down as he has to endure Shiner in one scene. Costume designer Albert Wolsky does amazing work with the costumes from the clothes the actors would wear onstage to the casual clothes behind the scenes as well as the design of the Birdman costume.

Special effects makeup designer Mike Elizade does nice work with a few of the minimal makeup work that the actors would do for the play along with the look of the Birdman mask. Visual effects supervisors Jake Braver and Adam Howard do terrific work with the fantasy sequences that involves Birdman in a reminder of what Riggan used to be and what he could be again. Sound designer Martin Hernandez and co-sound editor Peter Brown do superb work with the sound from the sparse sounds that happens in the theater to the raucous sounds of the locations including the bird screeches that remind Riggan of Birdman. The film’s music by Antonio Sanchez is just incredible as it‘s mostly this very hypnotic and energetic jazz-based score led by drums that is either played on location or in the scene while music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein brings in a soundtrack filled with some classical pieces from Piotor Tchaikovsky, Gustav Mahler, John Adams, and Sergei Rachmaninoff to play into Riggan’s own sense of fantasy.

The casting by Francine Maisler is great as it would feature some notable small roles from Merritt Weaver as the assistant director Annie, Benjamin Kane as the Birdman character that stalks Riggan, Jeremy Shamos as the original actor that Shiner would replace, and Lindsay Duncan in a wonderful performance as the very vicious theater critic Tabitha who adores Shiner and hates Riggan and everything he’s about. Zach Galifianakis is excellent as Riggan’s friend/producer Jake who is trying to make sure nothing goes wrong as he deals with legal issues as well as the money that Riggan is giving away making Jake nervous. Naomi Watts is fantastic as Lesley as a girlfriend of Shiner who is eager to star in her first Broadway production as she becomes very insecure due to Shiner’s arrogance as she is annoyed by Sam’s presence. Andrea Riseborough is amazing as Laura as Riggan’s girlfriend who feels unappreciated as she tries to reach out to him amidst his own issues while helping Lesley with her insecurity issues.

Amy Ryan is brilliant as Riggan’s ex-wife Sylvia who tries to understand what Riggan is going through as well as expressing concern for Sam and their troubled relationship. Emma Stone is incredible as Sam as Riggan’s recovering drug-addict daughter who is working as her father’s assistant as she tries to deal with her dad while flirting with Shiner to cope with her anger towards her dad. Edward Norton is superb as Mike Shiner as this arrogant theater actor who craves for realism in every aspect of the performance as he makes Riggan insecure while being a dick to everyone but Sam. Finally, there’s Michael Keaton in an outstanding performance as Riggan Thompson as this once-famous film star who tries to mount his comeback on Broadway as he deals with his ego, his issues as a man, and all sorts of things as it’s a performance that has Keaton be quite funny but also lay it on the line with monologues and scenes about the art of acting as it’s really a performance for the ages.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a magnificent film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu that features a tour-de-force performance from Michael Keaton. Along with a strong supporting cast as well as amazing technical work from Emmanuel Lubezki and Antonio Sanchez’s brilliant score. It’s a film that definitely blurs the line between the world of art and reality as well as being a film that features technical feats that isn’t seen very often in mainstream films. In the end, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a gloriously tremendous film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Films: Amores Perros - The Hire-Powder Keg - 11'9'01-September 11-Mexico - 21 Grams - Babel - To Each His Own Cinema-Anna - Biutiful - The Revenant - The Auteurs #45: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

© thevoid99 2014

Changeling (2008 film)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/2/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski, Changeling is the story of a woman in late 1920s Los Angeles whose son is kidnapped only for the police to claim they found her son as the boy turns out not to be her son. Based on a true story, the film is about a woman whose search for her kidnapped child leads her to team with a pastor to fight against the corruption of the LAPD amid accusations that she's unfit while one detective makes a grim discovery about what might've happened to the boy. Starring Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, Jason Butler Harner, Michael Kelly, Geoff Pierson, Colm Feore, Amy Ryan, and John Malkovich. Changeling is a harrowing yet powerful drama from Clint Eastwood and company.

The film takes place in 1928 Los Angeles where Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) is a single mother who raises her 9-year-old son Walter (Gattlin Griffith) while working as a phone-line supervisor. When he doesn't return home one day as she believes he's kidnapped, she reports the incident to the LAPD where a five-month search for the boy had the LAPD claim they found the boy yet it's not Walter as Christine reluctantly takes the boy as she starts to question the LAPD. Turning to the Reverend Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich) who had been critical of the LAPD, Christine finds herself in trouble as she is taken to a psychiatric ward while a detective named Lester Ybarra makes a chilling discovery during an assignment to deport a 15-year old boy back to Canada. Through Ybarra's discovery and Reverend Briegleb's help, Christine would go on a mission to fight the LAPD and to try and find her son who was supposedly kidnapped by a psychotic named Gordon Northcott (Jason Butler Harner).

The film is about, in its simplest terms, a mother just wanting to know where her son is. Yet, when the people she is relying on doesn't help her out at all and challenges their authority. She turns to people in her community where she fights against corruption in seeking out the truth, even if the conclusion is something horrible. J. Michael Straczynski's script is definitely brilliant in its study of character and corruption while revealing some ugly truth into some gruesome murders that might not just affect Christine Collins. Though it's not perfect due to the aftermath of the trials with a lot of set-ups for the ending where it's overdrawn. The script does work in unveiling how a woman just wants to fight for what's right with help from a religious leader who just wants the same thing.

A film like this could've been told conventionally in the hands of a director who wants to presents something that could be sappy or very drawn out. In the hands of someone like Clint Eastwood, it becomes something far more interesting with characters to root for and themes that audiences can understand. Eastwood's direction is truly superb in its nuance for the period as it's shot mostly in California while presenting an idea of what it was like then. Eastwood and ends the film with the look shot in black-and-white to give it an old time feel. Yet, his angles and compositions in presenting a scene are told in a modern style while paying homage to older film styles. For some of the film's dramatic, emotional scenes, Eastwood prefers to let the drama unfold without any forced manipulation as he's often been accused of with some of his films.

Eastwood's reputation in directing his actors or lack-thereof really bring the performances of his actors to have a sense of freedom and authenticity. The approach works very well in his staging of the drama while allowing the camera to capture every moment. Even when showing that even characters like Christine and Reverend Briegleb to be flawed as well yet have the audience still root for them. Then, there's parts of the ending that suggests Eastwood's political leanings might come off as a little conservative for some audiences. Yet, in what wanted to say about that specific scene in relation to what goes in the film. Whether you agree with him or not, he does have some points. Then there's the film's ending which can be described as ambiguous but the result does leave something that's open but also with a glimmer of hope. Overall, Eastwood does create a drama that is captivating as the man is still in the top of his game as a director.

Cinematographer Tom Stern does excellent work in the usual tinted, greenish look of the film with some amazing shading in some of the film's interior settings as it brings a sense of atmosphere for its dramatic moments. Stern's camera work in the exteriors in some of the LA shots in the rain are done with a wonderful shade of blue-green while the scenes in the desert is gorgeous with its light-colored look. Editors Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach do excellent work in the smoothness of the film's cutting along with opening and closing dissolve shots from black-and-white to color and vice versa. The editing for some of the film's more heightened dramatic sequences has some swift, transitional cuts and jump cuts as the editing is excellent overall.

Production designer James J. Murakami with set decorator Gary Fettis and Patrick M. Sullivan Jr., do great work in the film's interior designs of Christine's home, the look of the church and police departments. The film also had an exterior design on a restaurant shack where the false boy was found where the shack is named Bummy's after Eastwood's late production designer Henry Bumstead. Visual effects supervisor Michael Owens do some great work in some of the redesign on some of the film's exterior LA settings to change it from today's Los Angeles to late 1920s-1930s LA. Costume designer Deborah Hopper does amazing work in the film's costumes, notably the look of the women's clothes with the hats, dresses, shoes, and such. There's a real authenticity to the film's look and style as Hopper's work is truly superb.

Sound editor Alan Robert Murray does great work in the sound in the way the trolleys sound along with objects and other things. Murray's work is excellent for the atmosphere it brings in each scene. For the film's score written by Clint Eastwood with arrangements by his son Kyle and Michael Eastman, the music is mostly orchestral with low, sweeping arrangement to underscore the drama. Yet, with mostly a piano and an acoustic guitar accompaniment. The music mostly leans towards jazz music with a trumpet to pay homage to the 1920s.

The cast assembled by Ellen Chenoweth, is superb with memorable appearances from Jeffrey Hutchinson and Lily Knight as parents of a missing child, Riki Lindhome as an examination nurse, Michelle Martin as phone operator, Peter Geraty as a doctor examining the fake boy, Pamela Dunlap as Walter's teacher, John Harrington Bland as a dentist, Reed Birney as the LA mayor, and a cameo from Clint's daughter Morgan as a neighborhood girl. Eddie Alderson is very good as Sanford, the boy who confesses to what he and his cousin did that would break a huge case that might involve Walter's disappearance. Frank Wood is also good as Ben Harris, Christine's supervisor at the phone service office who sympathizes with her situation as he also helps her. Devon Conti is very good as the fake boy who claims to be Walter with a smarmy attitude until he makes his confession. Gattlin Griffith is excellent in his small role as the real Walter Collins, a good kid who ends up getting captured while early in the film. He has a great scene with Jolie about fighting that would be the rallying call for the entire film.

Denis O'Hare is very good as the corruptive doctor at the mental ward who tries to make Christine sign something that she knows would discredit her. Jason Butler Harner is great as Gordon Northcott, the man who is revealed to be the murderer of many children as he's a guy with a smarmy smile that might reveal the fate of Walter Collins. Colm Feore is good as the chief of police who is trying to use the law for his own gain only to be faced with embarrassment. Amy Ryan is great as Carol Dexter, a prostitute who befriends Christine at a mental ward as she gives her lessons on how to survive the ward while proving that she can be pretty tough. Michael Kelly is great as Detective Ybarra, the good cop who uncovers a gruesome case and becomes one of the few allies in the LAPD for Christine.

Jeffrey Donovan is excellent as Captain Jones, the man who would set the course for Christine's fight against corruption as a police officer who is more about showing off his authority than doing the right thing. John Malkovich is superb as Reverend Gustav Briegleb, a local pastor with a radio broadcast who is set out to do the right thing for his community. While like many preachers, he might be a bit preachy, but Malkovich does bring a sense of comfort and an unrelenting presence to his performance as it stands out as one of his best. It's an amazing performance from Malkovich who should be singled out as a community leader wanting to do what's right for his community and its people.

Finally, there's Angelina Jolie in an amazing performance as Christine Collins. Following her knockout, dramatic performance in Michael Winterbottom's 2007 film A Mighty Heart, Jolie returns to what she does best as she plays a character that she can relate to being that she is a mother. Jolie goes for restraint than melodrama in most of what she does in her performance as she proves that she can be tough while when it comes to her son. Her restraint in the emotions is powerful as it's definitely a performance that reminds audiences in why she's a really good actress instead of the high-profile star that she's often known for.

Changeling is a powerful and intense film from Clint Eastwood. Thanks to the great performances from Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich, it's a film that really shows the power of what people can do when they're faced with injustice. Fans of Eastwood's film will no doubt enjoy in what the director can despite a few flaws in the film. In the end, Changeling is a film that is worth seeing for its performances, 1920s period look, and the understated, atmospheric direction of Clint Eastwood.

Clint Eastwood Films: (Play Misty for Me) - High Plains Drifter - (Breezy) - (The Eiger Sanction) - (The Outlaw Josey Wales) - (The Gauntlet) - (Bronco Billy) - (Firefox) - (Honkytonk Man) - Sudden Impact - Pale Rider - (Heartbreak Ridge) - (Bird) - (White Hunter Black Heart) - (The Rookie) - Unforgiven - (A Perfect World) - (The Bridges of Madison County) - (Absolute Power) - (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) - (True Crime) - (Space Cowboys) - (Blood Work) - (Mystic River) - Million Dollar Baby - Flags of Our Fathers - Letters from Iwo Jima - (Gran Torino) - (Invictus) - (Hereafter) - (J. Edgar) - (Jersey Boys) - American Sniper - (Sully) - (The 15:17 to Paris) - (The Mule)

© thevoid99 2014

Win Win

Written and directed Thomas McCarthy from a story co-written with Joe Tiboni, Win Win is the story about an attorney and high school wrestling coach who is appointed an elderly client suffering from dementia. When the client’s grandson shows up, the attorney reluctantly takes him in to live with his family while putting him on the wrestling team. The film explores a man’s willingness to try and do the right thing while dealing with the realities of the world. Starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Alex Shaffer, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Melanie Lynskey, Margo Martindale, and Burt Young. Win Win is a witty yet heartfelt comedy-drama from Thomas McCarthy.

Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is an attorney struggling to maintain his law practice with friend Stephen Vigman (Jeffrey Tambor) as the two also coach the local high school wrestling team. While he’s also raising two girls with his wife Jackie (Amy Ryan), Mike is dealing with financial problems as he takes in aging client named Leo (Burt Young) who is suffering from the early stages of dementia. Unable to reach Leo’s daughter Cindy (Melanie Lynskey) and Leo is to be in the care of the state, Mike decides to take care of him as he needs the money that will be received every month. Meanwhile, Leo’s grandson Kyle (Alex Shaffer) arrives to live with his grandfather as Mike and Jackie take him in for a few days while Leo is staying at an old folk’s home.

Realizing that Kyle refuses to come home to his mother as she is currently in rehab, Mike and Jackie try to figure out what to do as Mike learns that Kyle is a talented wrestler. With help from his friend Terry (Bobby Cannavale) as an assistant coach, Mike puts Kyle in the team as Kyle becomes the team’s star while helping them become a better team. With Kyle being part of Mike and Jackie’s family while Leo remains in good care, Cindy suddenly shows up with her lawyer (Margo Martindale). Mike tries to settle things until things eventually unravel due to Cindy’s presence as Kyle starts to act out and become unsure who to trust.

The film is about a guy trying to do what is right and save his law practice while taking care an elderly man and his grandson with the help of his wife and a couple of friends. While it’s a premise that doesn’t seem exciting, it is told in a more realistic fashion as it’s about a guy trying to do what is right but he does a few things that is wrong while not being open to his wife about these problems. Yet, Mike Flaherty is a guy who means well and wants to make sure that this old man is in good care. The problem is that he can’t have him stay at his home and watch him all the time due to things he’s got to do while the man’s grandson arrives which further complicates things.

While Kyle is just a kid who has endured a troubled home life due to his mother’s substance abuse and other issues. He finds a home in Mike and Jackie where he is able to have a good home and actually do good in school until his mother arrives. While Cindy is looking for a payoff, she’s not a totally despicable person as she wants to get herself together despite her testy relationship with Kyle. Part of Thomas McCarthy’s gift as a writer is creating characters who are human and all have good intentions though they do the wrong things. McCarthy’s script does follow a certain formula in terms of its structure including a more dramatic third act. McCarthy does manage to stray away from certain dramatic and humorous touches to create a story that is touching but also funny.

McCarthy’s direction is straightforward in terms of its compositions and scene setting but it’s also very engaging in the way he portrays the drama and humor. Notably in the latter as it’s mostly played naturally without striving too hard to get a laugh. McCarthy’s approach to directing actors is to have them figure their characters out while giving them a chance to relax and play their parts. Shooting on location in a small town in New Jersey, the film does have an atmosphere where it does feel like a small town but also that’s full of life. Overall, McCarthy crafts a very solid and light-hearted film that does more than its premise suggests.

Cinematographer Oliver Bokelberg does a nice job with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the sunny yet winter-like look of the exteriors to more intimate shadings for the nighttime interior scenes. Editor Tom McArdle does a very good job with the editing in maintaining a leisured pace for the film including an amazing montage to emphasize Mike‘s sudden streak of good luck. Production designer John Paino, with set decorator Amanda Carroll and art director Scott Anderson, does terrific work in the look for Mike and Leo‘s respective homes along with the more posh home of Terry.

Costume designer Melissa Toth does a fantastic job with the costumes from the more casual clothing most of the characters wear to the wrestling uniforms Kyle and his teammates wear. Sound editor Paul Hsu does some fine work in the sound pieces from the intimate conversation moments to the raucous atmosphere of the wrestling matches. The film’s score by Lyle Workman is wonderful for its folk-rock based score of guitars and pianos along with a soundtrack that is a wide mix of hard rock and metal for the music in the wrestling training scenes to other music from acts like the National and Bon Jovi.

The casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is truly a highlight of the film for the ensemble that is created. Appearing in small roles include Nina Arianda as Mike’s secretary Shelly, Sharon Wilkins as the judge that appoints Mike the role of Leo’s guardian, David W. Thompson as the very funny wrestling teammate Stemler, Clare Foley as Mike and Jackie’s eldest adolescent daughter Abby, and in the dual role of their youngest daughter Stella are Penelope and Sophia Kindred. Other notable small roles include Margo Martindale as Cindy’s reasonable attorney, Burt Young as the ailing but funny Leo, Jeffrey Tambor as Mike’s witty law/wrestling associate Stephen, and Melanie Lynskey as Kyle’s troubled and conniving mother Cindy.

Bobby Cannavale is excellent in a very funny performance as Mike’s best friend Terry who helps Mike coach the team to evade his own personal issues. Alex Shaffer is brilliant as the troubled teenager Kyle who finds a home in Mike and Jackie while dealing with his own personal issues as he tries to get to know his grandfather. Amy Ryan is superb as Jackie where Ryan displays a great sense of wit as a woman who becomes the mother that Kyle needs as there’s a real sense of toughness in a woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone. Finally, there’s Paul Giamatti in a very remarkable performance as Mike Flaherty. Giamatti brings a great sense of humility and earnestness as a man wanting to do what is right while hoping to actually gain something that will make him think he’s a good guy as it’s Giamatti at his best.

Win Win is a stellar and enjoyable film from Thomas McCarthy. Featuring a marvelous ensemble cast led by Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan, it’s a film that is well-acted along with a fascinating story about people trying to find some sort of happiness as well as win a few in life. While it’s the most accessible film that McCarthy has done in terms of humor and light drama. It’s also a film that allows the audience to find characters that they can relate to. In the end, Win Win is a rich and delightful film from Thomas McCarthy.

Thomas McCarthy Films: (The Station Agent) - The Visitor - (The Cobbler) - Spotlight

© thevoid99 2012

Capote

Based on Gerald Clarke’s biography on Truman Capote, Capote is the story of famed novelist interviewing the men that would inspire his acclaimed novel In Cold Blood. Directed by Bennett Miller and screenplay by Dan Futterman, the film explores Capote’s life into the making of the book as well as his unique personality as the role is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Also starring Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., Bruce Greenwood, Mark Pellegrino, Amy Ryan, and Chris Cooper. Capote is an intriguing yet hypnotic film from Bennett Miller.

After reading the news about a murder in Kansas, Truman Capote is intrigued by the story as he travels to the murder site with friend/fellow author Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) for an article about what happened. After interviewing various locals including enforcement chief Alvin Dewey (Chris Cooper) about what might’ve happened as Capote thinks there’s a whole lot more to it. During a dinner with Alvin and his wife (Amy Ryan), news emerged that the killers have been caught as they’re revealed to be Richard Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) and Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.). Capote wants to get to know the killers as he tells his editor William Shawn (Bob Balaban) and novelist/lover Jack Dunphy (Bruce Greenwood) that he wants to do more research about what happened for a book.

Capote gets to know the prisoners as he becomes very attached to Smith as the two share their own experiences where Smith even lends Capote his diary. With Capote using everything he knew from Smith to write his book, he goes to Spain with Dunphy for a year as he waits for news about their appeal. When their appeal is rejected, Capote returns to the U.S. to meet with Smith as he still wants to know what happened that night. Smith eventually tells him while Capote struggles to finish the book despite reading passages to the public some time earlier. With the execution for Smith and Hickock looming and Capote feeling very attached towards Smith, Capote deals with everything he’s experienced as he awaits for the execution of the two killers.

The film is about a period in Capote’s life from the moment he reads about this incident in Kansas that would lead him to write the novel of his career. Yet, there’s a lot more to it in the way Capote presents himself to people when he’s having fun as an openly-gay man while being the serious writer when he’s on the job. What happens in the course of the film is that his research into creating this book would eventually take a toll on him as he becomes attached to one of the killers realizing that they’re just human beings despite their action.

Dan Futterman’s script delves into a Capote’s personality and his persona while making him into a very complex individual that is trying to make a story that humanizes the killers he’s interviewing. Futterman also succeeds in making Capote flawed as he would often lie to Perry Smith about the progress of his book in order to try and get to know him. Other characters such as Smith, Harper Lee, Jack Dunphy, and Alvin Dewey are just as interesting in the way the react to or interact with Capote. Notably Smith as he’s this quiet yet troubled man that is trying to find some form of redemption as he befriends Capote. Futterman’s script succeeds in laying out the events that happens as well as Capote’s research though the story starts to drag a bit towards the third act. Largely because there’s an uncertainty to the way Capote is feeling about the execution as he is waiting for it to happen. Still, Futterman manages to create a script that is compelling and insightful.

Bennett Miller’s direction is truly a marvel to watch from the way he opens the film quietly with this scene of a young woman walking into a house where she would find a dead body. That sense of steady compositions mixed with silence is a great example of what Miller could do as he maintains a very simple yet direct approach to the film. Often having the camera moving slowly or to just shoot something in a very simple presentation. Miller’s direction is very potent as he also can create an atmosphere to the locations that is set in the film whether it’s the Canadian locations as Kansas or other scenes shot in California and Austin, Texas. There is a truly a mesmerizing feel to the film as Miller creates what is truly a fascinating portrait of one of the great writers of the 20th Century.

Cinematographer Adam Kimmel does a brilliant job with the film‘s entrancing photography from the low-key yet colorful nighttime shots for the interior scenes in New York along with some gorgeous yet hypnotic daytime shots for a lot of the Kansas scenes with very little sunlight. Kimmel’s photography in a lot of the daytime scenes has an exquisite beauty that is truly reminiscent of the films made by Terrence Malick as it’s the true technical highlight of the film. Editor Christopher Tellefsen does a superb job with the editing in maintaining a methodical pace throughout the film, despite the slowness of the third act, while utilizing rhythmic cuts and fade-outs to help keep the film going.

Production designer Jess Gonchor, along with art director Gord Peterson and set decorators Maryam Decter and Scott Rossell, does an excellent job with the set pieces created such as the jail cell that Smith lives in as well as the posh Spanish home that Dunphy lives where Capote does some of his writing. Costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone does a wonderful job with the costumes created from the suits and clothes that Capote wears to the late-50s/early 60s dresses that some of the women wear in the film. Sound editor Ron Bochar does a great job with the sound from the sparseness of the open field Kansas location to the raucous atmosphere of the New York parties that Capote frequently attends to.

The film’s plaintive, piano-driven score by Mychael Danna is truly mesmerizing from the mood that Danna creates to underplay the drama and the horror that surrounds the events as it features a low-key string orchestra to add a heaviness to the music. Music supervisor Susan Jacobs creates a soundtrack filled with playful jazz and bossa nova music to complement the world of NYC that Capote lives in as it’s definitely fun to hear.

The casting by Avy Kaufman is amazing as it features a wonderful collective of actors needed for a film like this. In small but notable roles, there’s Allie Mickelson as the young woman who found the bodies at the start of the film, Marshall Bell as the prison warden, Amy Ryan as Alvin Dewey’s wife, Bob Balaban as Capote’s editor William Shawn, and Mark Pellegrino as convicted killer Richard Hickock. Chris Cooper is excellent in a small but memorable role as local law enforcer Alvin Dewey who reluctantly helps out Capote in his research. Bruce Greenwood is terrific as Capote’s lover/fellow novelist who tries to deal with Capote’s research while being there for him as he writes his own novel.

Clifton Collins Jr. is superb as Perry Smith as Collins brings a sensitivity to his performance that is also chilling as a man who is aware of his crimes as he yearns for redemption. Catherine Keener is great as novelist Harper Lee who helps Capote in his research while being the one confidant he can count on. Finally, there’s Philip Seymour Hoffman in a fantastic performance as Truman Capote as Hoffman brings a wonderful sense of charm to the novelist in the way he presents himself publicly. In more somber moments, Hoffman restrains himself in the way he does his research while dealing with his own attachment towards Smith as it’s a truly outstanding performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Capote is phenomenal film from Bennett Miller that features a magnificent performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman as the famed author. The film is a mesmerizing portrait of Truman Capote’s life during the writing of his famed novel In Cold Blood and the toll it took on him as a writer. The film is also a very rich and divine for its imagery while it’s a drama that is very engaging in the way it’s presented. In the end, Capote is brilliant film from Bennett Miller.

Bennett Miller Films: The Cruise - Moneyball - Foxcatcher - The Auteurs #47: Bennett Miller

© thevoid99 2011