In Her Shoes

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/12/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on the novel by Jennifer Weiner, In Her Shoes is the story of two very different sisters whose rocky relationship leads to the younger sister to find shelter in the grandmother she had just discovered while the oldest tries to deal with the chaos in her own life. Directed by Curtis Hanson and screenplay by Susannah Grant, the film is an exploration into the world of sisterhood as two different women come to terms with their sisterly bond as well as the mother they lost as they try to find answers with the woman who hadn't been in their life. Starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, Ken Howard, Brooke Smith, Candice Azzara, Mark Feurerstein, Jerry Adler, and Shirely MacLaine. In Her Shoes is a smart and heartfelt film from Curtis Hanson.

The film is an exploration into the life of two sisters where the only thing they have in common is their shoe size as both of them still deal with the wound of losing their mother many years ago. For Rose Feller (Toni Collette), she's a workaholic lawyer who doesn't have much of a social life and often looks plain. For her younger sister Maggie (Cameron Diaz), she's a dyslexic party-girl with no sense of direction as she often causes trouble. After an incident that forced Rose to kick Maggie out, Maggie goes to Florida to the home of the grandmother she had just discovered. Upon meeting Ella Hirsch(Shirley MacLaine), Maggie eventually finds some direction in her life while Rose also finds some new moments that would help her but the two sisters still need each other to sort out things as well as deal with the death of their mother when they were kids. It's a film that could've played to a lot of tropes that is common with female-based comedy-drams that is often tagged as "chick-flicks" but it's a film that has so much more.

Screenwriter Susannah Grant creates a story of these two sisters who diverge and come together to deal with the missing pieces in their family as well as the woman who hadn't been in their life very much in their grandmother. Upon discovering into why Ella wasn't around following the death of their mother, Rose and Maggie are forced to deal with not just some harsh truths about their mother's death. They also deal with their own issues as Maggie is a young woman who didn't grow up with a mother which definitely plays into her lack of direction and the need for money so she can party. For Rose who is always responsible, she has the urge to protect Maggie from the people in her life including a man named Simon Stein (Mark Feurerstein) who was a colleague of hers at a firm as the two fall in love and become engaged. The very few things Maggie and Rose do have in common aside from their shoe-size is their disdain for their stepmother Sydelle (Candice Azzara) who had never liked them either often favoring her daughter Marcia (Jackie Geary). Grant does take stock into structuring the film with such ease where the first act is about the two sisters, the second act is about Maggie meeting Ella and Rose finding her own path in life, and the third is about the two sisters reuniting and mend the broken pieces in their family.

Curtis Hanson's intimate yet character-driven direction is quite simple yet is often very engaging for the way it balances comedy and drama. Shot in South Florida and Philadephia, Hanson's direction creates some unique compositions in its use of medium and wide shots. Even in scenes where the humor is light-hearted in some parts of the film while the drama gets a bit melodramatic but not overtly. Hanson knows how to set up the humor and drama while creating moments that do play into the development of the characters in key scenes as well as the story about the death of Rose and Maggie's mother. Overall, Hanson crafts a very smart and touching comedy-drama about two sisters dealing with the broken pieces in their life.

Cinematographer Terry Stacey does some great work in the shading design for many of the film's interior scenes in Philadelphia as well as some wonderful coloring in the Florida sequences to set the intimacy that Hanson wanted. Editors Lisa Zeno Churgin and Craig Kitson do excellent work with the editing in creating some stylish montages as well as going for some straightforward cutting techniques. Production designer Dan Davis does fantastic work in using the locations, notably Florida for its colorful, vibrant look to convey the peaceful tranquility that Maggie and Ella lived. Costume designer Sophie Carbonell also helps with the look by designing some great clothing not just for Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette but also Shirley MacLaine and the older actresses to give them a look that helps the story. Composer Mark Isham does a wonderful score in playing to the film's vibrancy and character struggle while the music features a great soundtrack mixed in with pop music like Garbage to some reggae featuring the music of Bob Marley.

The film's cast has some wonderful small performances from Jackie Geary as Sydelle's daughter My Marcia, Brooke Smith as Rose's friend Amy, Carlease Burke as the animal shelter manager, model Ivana Milicevic as Rose and Maggie's mother in pictures, Norman Lloyd as the blind professor, and Richard Burgi as Jim. Other notable small roles from Candice Azarra as Rose/Maggie's stepmother Sydelle is funny while Ken Howard is good as Rose/Maggie's father Michael. Notable standout performances include Jerry Adler as the charming Lewis Feldman and a better, funnier supporting role from Francine Beers as Mrs. Lefkowitz. Mark Feuerstein is good as the sensitive, good-natured Simon who brings all the right qualities that Rose needs in a man while having his own moments to be funny when talking about basketball.

Shirley MacLaine delivers another masterful yet heartfelt performance as Ella Hirsch. MacLaine remains to be very beautiful at her age while her wisdom and concern for the young woman prove her mastery at restrained comedy and even more restraint in drama as she brings a lot of ground for Diaz and Collette to work on while having her own fun. It’s MacLaine that really shines in the film as she continues to be a forced to be reckoned with.

Toni Collette delivers another great performance as the more straight-laced, somewhat neurotic Rose who has a lot of physical and emotional insecurities. Collette manages to make her character develop as she has more emotional scenes that are dramatic while having the time to be funny as Collette proves to be one of the most talented actresses of her generation. Cameron Diaz is often known as kind of bubbly yet a whole lot of fun to see. It's easy to forget that she's an actress and she proves that in her role as Maggie. While Diaz starts off in a more fun yet irresponsible personality, she does allow herself to let the character grow where Diaz brings a lot of depth to a woman who still finds fun in helping old women find new clothes or read to the blind professor. It's a fine performance from Diaz while she has great chemistry with Collette and MacLaine.

In Her Shoes is a remarkable film from Curtis Hanson that is highlighted by the radiant performances of Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, and Shirley MacLaine. It's a film that is funny as well as heartwarming in the way it explores the relationship between sisters as it has something to offer for not just women but men as well. In the end, In Her Shoes is a sensational film from Curtis Hanson.

© thevoid99 2014

Being John Malkovich

Directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich is the story about a puppeteer who takes an office job where he finds a portal where it’s destination is inside the head of actor John Malkovich. The film is an exploration into the world of a man eager to make a name for himself while dealing with his wife and an officer worker he has fallen for as they all go into Malkovich’s mind. Starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, Orson Bean, Mary Kay Place, and John Malkovich as himself. Being John Malkovich is a dazzling yet witty film from Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman.

The film is a simple story about a man who finds a portal where he enters the mind of actor John Malkovich as he takes his wife and a co-worker at a half-floor office to take part in the adventure. Yet, it would create a strange relationship as the two women fall where the wife would be in Malkovich’s body only for her husband to take over as he would take control of Malkovich in order to become an acclaimed puppeteer. It’s a film that has a very strange premise where people enter John Malkovich’s mind for a few fifteen minutes and then be popped out where they land into a ditch near the New Jersey turnpike. Yet it ends up being a very fascinating story about what can happen when someone enters a man’s body for fifteen minutes.

Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay is truly one of the most whimsical ideas ever to come across on paper where he brings in this unique fascination about the world of puppetry where Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) wants to gain fame with puppetry but is unable to get an audience forcing him to take a job at an office at the 7 ½ floor where he meets Maxine (Catherine Keener) whom he falls for. Though Maxine has no interest in Craig nor his frizzy-haired yet animal-loving wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz), she does become interested in Lotte only when she is inside John Malkovich’s head so she can have sex with Malkovich. It would lead to some jealousy in Craig’s part where he would enter Malkovich’s head realizing the kind of control he can have. Of course, Malkovich would find out as he realizes the craziness that is happening around him.

Kaufman’s script doesn’t just succeed in creating a world that is offbeat and unique but also take its time to explain the idea of the portal without the need of too much exposition. Even as he introduces a quirky character in a man named Dr. Lester (Orson Bean) who reveals a lot about the portal in Malkovich’s head as he would help Lotte find a way to get Craig out of Malkovich’s head. Even where it plays into Craig’s selfishness and the eventual feelings that Maxine would gain over her affairs. Kaufman’s approach to characters including the way he creates scenes such as Malkovich entering into his own head would display something that is avant-garde but also very engaging to a wide audience not used to anything this weird.

The direction of Spike Jonze is very stylized not just in the way he displays many of Kaufman’s surrealistic ideas but also in giving the film an offbeat presentation that makes it seem like it’s a bit removed from reality. Much of it involves the world that Craig and Lotte live in where their apartment is filled with animals while the world of puppetry that Craig has poured himself into plays into the melancholia that he’s carrying. Even as the puppetry itself is very life-like at times to showcase the weight of the emotions into Craig’s craft though he is treated poorly by others or was just misunderstood. It’s part of the world that Jonze presents that includes the 7 ½ floor where everyone has to walk a little hunched because the ceiling is pretty low.

Much of it has Jonze take into some intimate medium shots and close-ups to present that world while the scenes inside John Malkovich’s head are very strange as it is shown from inside his head with a little iris shot that is often commanded by a hand-held camera. Much of it to display what Malkovich is doing where things get even weirder when Malkovich goes into the portal into his own head where it would play into one of the greatest sequences in film. The mixture of surrealism and puppetry add to the visual splendor of the film as Jonze utilizes all sorts of tricks and such to play into this world that is unique. Overall, Jonze crafts a very astonishing yet rapturous film about a group of people discovering a portal into the mind of John Malkovich.

Cinematographer Lance Acord does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography with its use of low-key lights for some of the film‘s daytime and nighttime exterior scenes as well as something as displaying a sense of style into some of the film‘s interior shots with its lights. Editor Eric Zumbrunnen does excellent work with the film‘s editing with its use of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor. Production designer K.K. Barrett, with set decorator Gene Serdena and art director Peter Andrus, does brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of the 7 ½ floor as well as the portal leading to Malkovich‘s head and the home of Dr. Lester filled with books about the portal as well a shrine to Malkovich.

Costume designer Casey Storm does wonderful work with the costumes from the ragged look of Craig and Lotte to the more stylized dresses that Maxine wears as well as the clothes of Malkovich. Head makeup artist Gucci Westman and hair designer Emanuel Millar do fantastic work with the ragged look of Craig as well as the look of Lotte with her frizzy hair to play into their middle-class world. Visual effects supervisor Daniel Radford does phenomenal work with some of the film‘s visual effects which includes the scene of Malkovich entering his own head and seeing people as Malkovich. Sound editors Richard L. Anderson and Elliott Koretz do superb work with the sound to play into some of the sound effects of what goes on at the portal as well as some of the atmosphere in some of the film‘s locations.

The film’s music by Carter Burwell is exquisite for its somber yet rich orchestral score to play into some of the film‘s humor as well as melancholia with its elegant string arrangements to help further the music. Music supervisor Dawn Soler creates a terrific soundtrack that mostly consist of classical music for the puppet shows that Craig displays including the plays he creates as Malkovich as it also features a song by Bjork in the film’s final credits.

The casting by Justine Baddeley and Kim Davis-Wagner is incredible for the ensemble that is featured as it includes some notable small appearances from Sean Penn as himself, Octavia Spencer as a woman Craig meets in the elevator, W. Earl Brown as a client Craig meets early in the film, Carlos Jacott as Malkovich’s agent, David Fincher as a man interviewed for a Malkovich documentary, Spike Jonze as an assistant for a renowned puppeteer, and Charlie Sheen as a restrained, comical version of himself. Mary Kay Place is wonderful as the very odd receptionist Floris while Orson Bean is terrific as the eccentric LesterCorp head Dr. Lester who knows the secret about the portal in the 7 ½ floor.

In playing himself, John Malkovich is brilliant in conveying the man in his eccentricities while displaying his frustrations and confusion in what he discovers as well as being in control where he reinvents himself as a puppeteer. Catherine Keener is excellent as Maxine as a woman who has no interest in either Craig nor Lotte until she realizes that she can use them to have sex with Malkovich until she realizes her feelings for Lotte. Cameron Diaz is amazing as Lotte Schwartz as this weird woman who loves animals while displaying her desires to feel like a man when she’s inside Malkovich’s head. Finally, there’s John Cusack in a remarkable performance as Craig Schwartz as this talented but unappreciated puppeteer who is eager to succeed upon discovering the portal to Malkovich’s head as he decides to use Malkovich for selfish reasons which is a very funny yet dark performance from Cusack.

The 2012 2-disc Region 1 DVD/1-disc Region A Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio in a new digital transfer under the supervision of its director Spike Jonze that also includes a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound for the film. The only supplement in the first disc is a selected scene commentary with Michel Gondry who talks about the film and his friendship with Spike Jonze who later joins the commentary via speakerphone. Gondry talks about specific scenes as well as his friendly-rivalry with Jonze as well as meeting Kaufman for the first time as well as tidbits into the film as it’s a very enjoyable commentary from Gondry.

The second disc’s supplements is led by a 33-minute behind-the-scenes documentary directed by Lance Bangs. While it is a simple behind-the-scenes documentary, it is one that is quite funny at times but also reveals the difficulties in making a film with a half office building floor built where crew members had to be hunched for 13 hours. It also feature moments where Spike’s brother Sam Spiegel is on set where a lot of antics happen as it’s a fun doc to watch.

The 28-minute conversation between John Malkovich and humorist John Hodgman about the film where Malkovich talks about meeting Charlie Kaufman and reading his script where he was intrigued by it. Even as he also met Spike Jonze through Francis Ford Coppola where Malkovich revealed that he wanted Charlie Sheen to play his best friend since the script originally was supposed to have Kevin Bacon as Malkovich’s friend. Malkovich also dwelled on the film’s impact where he revealed that people in his age group at the time didn’t get but it was well-received by a younger audience who didn’t know much about Malkovich. Malkovich and Hodgman also talk about how things have changed since the film about the way celebrities are viewed as the result is a very engaging conversation that is funny at times but also quite sobering in the idea of fame and celebrity.

The 15 ½ minute interview with Spike Jonze about his on-set photos has the director not just talking about his experience with the production. He also talked about photos where tries to recollect his memories about the shooting and some of the anxieties he went through since it was his first feature film. Jonze talks about his crew and cast in the film and some of things that went on in the production that didn’t make things easy which involved studio executives complaining about the look and a few other things. It’s a pretty enjoyable feature that is also directed by Lance Bangs.

The two films within the film are also shown on the DVD starting with the two-minute 7 ½ Floor Orientation which is this very cheesy orientation video about the 7 ½ floor. The four-minute “American Arts & Culture” Presents: John Horatio Malkovich: “Dance of Despair and Disillusionment” is a documentary piece that explores Malkovich’s rise as the ultimate puppeteer where he would bring new life to the art form that features a cameo from David Fincher as an editor for the Los Angeles Times.

The seven-minute and twenty-second documentary An Intimate Portrait of the Art of Puppeteering by Lance Bangs is about the art of puppetry told by Phil Huber who reveals his devotion to the craft. Even as he gives his opinion on the film while young puppeteers who went to see the film also gave their opinion as it’s a nice little doc from Bangs. The supplements also includes the film’s trailer and TV spots about the film. The DVD set features a booklet that includes a conversation with Spike Jonze and pop-culture critic Perkus Tooth about the film. It’s a strange conversation that is filled with a lot of humor where Tooth does much of the talking with Jonze being dumbfounded as it’s a great read.

Being John Malkovich is an outstanding film from Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Filled with dazzling surrealism and a great cast in John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, and John Malkovich. It’s a film that explores the desire of people trying to be someone else for fifteen minutes only for that person to be horrified by the discovery. In the end, Being John Malkovich is a spectacular film from Spike Jonze.

Spike Jonze Films: Adaptation - Where the Wild Things Are - Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak - Her - My Mutant Brain

Related: The Auteurs #54: Spike Jonze - The 25 Essential Videos of Spike Jonze

© thevoid99 2014

2013 Cannes Marathon: Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas

(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival)

Based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the story of an eccentric journalist who goes to Las Vegas with his attorney where they aim to go after the American Dream through a haze of drugs. Directed by Terry Gilliam and screenplay by Gilliam and Tony Grisoni with credited contributions by Alex Cox and Tod Davies, the film is a wild look into the world of Hunter S. Thompson’s autobiographical journey that revolves around all sorts of crazy antics involving psychedelics, animals, Barbra Streisand paintings, and all sorts of weird shit. Starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a strange yet exhilarating film from Terry Gilliam.

The film revolves two men on a strange combination of drugs as they go to Las Vegas where a sportswriter named Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) is supposed to cover a motorcycle race nearby. Instead, he and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro) wreak havoc through a haze of drugs all over Las Vegas in search of the American Dream where a lot of crazy things happen. During the course of their stay in Las Vegas, they trash hotel rooms, harass tourists, threaten hotel staff members, defy authority, scare the shit out of a few people, encounter lizard people, create chaos, and do everything from acid to ether all in an attempt to bring the spirit of the 1960s to Las Vegas. Yet, they end up facing the harsh realities of the world around them as they start to lose control of their drug habits leading to some very troubling consequences.

The screenplay by Terry Gilliam and Tony Grisoni plays up to Hunter S. Thompson’s strange but freewheeling narrative as it is told from the perspective of Raoul Duke who is trying to write an article while causing havoc with Dr. Gonzo in Las Vegas. Yet, the screenplay also features these moments where reality and surrealism clash as the two men surround themselves with decadence while having the televisions on that display grim reports about the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. Yet, it plays to the two men’s desire to bring the spirit of the 60s with its psychedelics and other substances to Las Vegas as they encounter all sorts of trouble where they would end up staying at the Flamingo Hotel during an anti-drug convention for narcotics officers.

There isn’t much of a narrative that happens in the script as it is more about this escalation of decadence where things get crazier and more surreal as it plays to Thompson’s experience in the form of the Raoul Duke character. The Duke character is the man who is trying to do something in the course of his stay in Las Vegas but he’s often distracted by his surroundings as he’s often under the influence of drugs as the things he see may seem real to him but to the people outside of him and Dr. Gonzo, nothing is happening. The Dr. Gonzo character is someone who can be the straight man but is also someone far more aggressive and violent as he carries a gun and a knife as Duke is the only person that can control him. Yet, they would be a menace to the people they encounter in the course of the film as it would include a TV news reporter (Cameron Diaz), a young girl (Christina Ricci) who likes to paint portraits of Barbra Streisand), a young hitchhiker (Tobey Maguire), and all sorts of people who would become victims of the duo or those that would freak those two out in their drug-induced state.

The direction of Terry Gilliam is very wild in the fact that Gilliam wanted to create something that was unpredictable as if the whole film was a drug trip. The direction is filled with a lot of slanted camera angles and some very low-level camera placements to create the sense of two men lost on drugs as they wreak havoc in Las Vegas. The city itself is a character of the film where it is shot on location where Gilliam wanted to maintain that sense of disconnect where Vegas is a world where people go there to relax and escape from the chaos of what was happening in America. Yet, having Duke and Dr. Gonzo bring that chaos to Vegas just adds something that is very comical but also scary at times because no one knows what they will do in their haze of decadence.

The direction also contains some moments of surrealism where the men are on drugs as they see things moving around them as if they’re on a drug trip while some of the places they go to like a circus. It’s as if Vegas is under the influence of drugs where the decadence goes from classy to just surreal as everything is becoming a mess as well as reflective of what is happening in America where Duke and Dr. Gonzo often have the American flag around them. The film does take a darker turn towards the end where Gilliam decides to pull back the craziness to reveal the outcome of the chaos the two men create. Even as it plays to Duke’s own disillusionment as he realizes that times are indeed changing but the period he had been a part of is truly over. Overall, Gilliam creates a very chaotic yet spectacular film about two men chasing the American Dream.

Cinematographer Nicola Pecorini does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the sunny look of the Las Vegas daytime exteriors to the use of stylish lights to play up that sense of craziness that is the city with its casinos and hotels. Editor Lesley Walker does amazing work with the editing to play up the sense of style with some jump-cuts and montages that captures the sense of craziness that occurs throughout the film. Production designer Alex McDowell, with set decorator Nancy Haigh and art director Chris Gorack, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the hotel suites the men stay in plus some set pieces in the circus casino and other parts of Vegas.

Costume designer Julie Weiss does wonderful work with the costumes from the clothes that Duke wears that plays to the wild nature of Hunter S. Thompson to the more ragged look of Dr. Gonzo while the rest of the clothes are stylish to play that up world of the early 1970s. Visual effects supervisor Kent Houston does excellent work with the way the carpet moves at time to some of the backdrops that is created as well as the look of the lounge lizards the men encounter that is created by Rob Bottin. Sound editor Peter Pennell does superb work with the sound to capture the sense of chaos of the city as well as some sound effects to play up that world of surrealism. The film’s music by Ray Cooper is terrific for its mixture of rock and kitsch jazz to play up the world of Las Vegas in all of its craziness while the soundtrack features an array of music from the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Tom Jones, Janis Joplin and the Big Brother Holding Company, the Yardbirds, Bob Dylan, Three Dog Night, Buffalo Springfield, the Youngbloods, Debbie Reynolds, Perry Como, and a crazy cover of Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas by the Dead Kennedys.

The casting by Margery Simkin is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created specifically for this film. Notable appearances include Katherine Helmond as a hotel desk clerk, Christopher Meloni as the Flamingo hotel desk clerk, Jenette Goldstein as a Flamingo hotel maid, Verne Troyer as a waiter at the circus casino, Harry Dean Stanton as a judge in a dream sequence, Gary Busey as a highway patrol officer confronting Duke for speeding, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea as a hippie Duke encountered at the Matrix club, Michael Jeter as a convention speaker, Lyle Lovett as a road person, Penn Jilette as a carnie talker, Mark Harmon as a reporter covering the race, and Hunter S. Thompson as himself in a cameo in a scene at the Matrix club.

Other memorable small roles include Tobey Maguire as a freaked-out hitchhiker, Christina Ricci as a young woman who paints portraits of Barbra Streisand, Cameron Diaz as a TV news reporter Dr. Gonzo tries to flirt with, Craig Bierko as a crazy photographer Duke was assigned with, and Ellen Barkin as a shell-shocked diner waitress Dr. Gonzo threatens near the end of the film.

The film’s best performances definitely belong to the duo of Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro in their respective roles as Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo. In Dr. Gonzo, del Toro brings a craziness to his character as a very troubled man who can play straight when he’s not on drugs but is still very dangerous while he’s much more troubled under the influence. Depp does amazing work in channeling a lot of the attributes of Thompson in the Duke character as someone who is definitely paranoid while trying to comprehend everything that is happening around him. The two together make a fantastic combo of actors as they provide all sorts of humor and terror that allows them to create some of the best performances of their careers.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a fucked-up yet phenomenal film from Terry Gilliam that features outstanding performances from Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. The film is definitely one of Gilliam’s great films as well as a very faithful yet crazy companion piece for Hunter S. Thompson’s book. While it’s definitely not a film for everyone, it’s a film that explores the world of the drug culture at its most decadent in the most decadent place in the world. In the end, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a crazy yet sensational wild ride from Terry Gilliam.

Terry Gilliam Films: Jabberwocky - Time Bandits - Brazil - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen - The Fisher King - 12 Monkeys - The Brothers Grimm - Tideland - The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus - The Zero Theorem - The Auteurs #38: Terry Gilliam

© thevoid99 2013

A Life Less Ordinary

Directed by Danny Boyle and written by John Hodge, A Life Less Ordinary is the story about a disgruntled Scottish janitor who kidnaps his boss’ daughter as they conspire to get a ransom unaware that angels are trying to get them to fall in love. The film is a romantic-comedy of sorts with a bit of an edge that revels in a bit of violence but also fantasy. Starring Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz, Delroy Lindo, Holly Hunter, Dan Hedaya, Tony Shalhoub, Maury Chaykin, Stanley Tucci, and Ian Holm. A Life Less Ordinary is a witty yet off-the-wall film from Danny Boyle.

When true love is involved, fate comes into play to ensure that true love does happen while anything else that prevents that from happening have to be pushed aside. The film is about a couple of angels who arrive to Earth to make sure that an enraged Scottish janitor named Robert (Ewan McGregor) and a spoiled rich girl named Celine (Cameron Diaz) get together where if they don’t succeed, the angels will be forced to stay on Earth forever. Yet, the angels in O’Reilly (Holly Hunter) and Jackson (Delroy Lindo) do whatever it takes to make sure Robert and Celine together as the former decides to kidnap Celine for a ransom after he was fired by her father (Ian Holm) who replaced him for a robot. Though Robert is inexperienced in the idea of kidnapping, Celine helps him so she can collect some of the ransom money after realizing that her father decides to cut her off.

John Hodge’s screenplay definitely plays to the schematics of love where Robert and Celine are two people with very different views as the former is a dreamer who wants to write a novel as he’s going through a string of bad luck. The latter is a rich young woman who likes to do dangerous things and live a certain lifestyle as she had been through too many bad relationships to even consider the idea that there’s such a thing as true love. Because of the idea that true love is hokey, it causes problems up in Heaven where Gabriel (Dan Hedaya) is overwhelmed as God told him that he’s making new rules about to deal with the failure of love not happening. Hodge’s script isn’t just filled with some elements of black comedy as well as a bit of satire into the idea of the rom-com. He also allows the script to have some funny dialogue that plays into the idea of love while giving Robert and Celine reasons into why they should be with each other.

Danny Boyle’s direction is definitely engaging as well as stylized in some of the framing he creates as well as just letting things be much looser. Notably as Boyle incorporates a bit of the musical in the form of a duet between Robert and Celine to Bobby Darin’s Beyond the Sea. While it is a romantic comedy, Boyle is also aware that he wants to infuse the film with other genres such as crime and black comedy. Though the results can be a bit of a mess, Boyle does enough to make sure that the story is still there where he adds some suspense and moments to keep things light-hearted and fun. Overall, Boyle creates a very exciting and heartfelt film about love and fate.

Cinematographer Brian Tufano does excellent work with the film‘s photography where a lot of it is straightforward for the exteriors set in Los Angeles and parts of Utah while using some more stylish lights in some of the film‘s interior scenes. Editor Masahiro Hirakubo does nice work with the editing as it‘s very stylized to play up some of the humor and action as well as some dazzling moments in Robert‘s fantasy scenes. Production designer Kave Quinn, with set decorator Marcia Calosio and art director Tracey Gallacher, do great work with the look of Heaven where it’s all white and looks like a police station while keeping things more simpler for the scenes set on Earth. Costume designer Rachael Fleming does terrific work with the costumes from the more casual clothing of Robert to the more stylish clothes of Celine to display their personalities as well as bringing some styles to the clothes of O‘Reilly and Jackson.

Animation director Michael Mort does fantastic work with a claymation epilogue that reveals more into the fate of the film‘s characters. Sound editor Andy Kennedy does terrific work with the sound to capture some of the funnier moments of the film as well as some of its action scenes. The film’s music by David Arnold is superb for its playful use of electronic music to capture some of its humor and romantic elements. Music supervisor Randall Poster creates a very fun soundtrack that features music from Diana Ross & the Supremes, R.E.M., Ash, Elastica, Underworld, Oasis, Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Sneaker Pimps, the Prodigy, Beck, Orbital, the Shirelles, Gladys Knight, Luscious Jackson, Faithless, the Folk Implosion, and the Cardigans.

The casting by Donna Isaacson is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from K.K. Dobbs as Robert’s former girlfriend, Timothy Olyphant as a hitchhiker, Ian McNiece as Celine’s father’s bodyguard, Tony Shalhoub as a bar owner Robert later works for, Maury Chaykin as a cabin neighbor Robert and Celine befriends, and Stanley Tucci as a former prospect of Celine who would briefly help them out only to try to flirt with Celine. Dan Hedaya is excellent as the archangel Gabriel who gives O’Reilly and Jackson the mission while realizing that he might have the power to play into the fates of Robert and Celine. Ian Holm is superb as Celine’s very greedy and smarmy father who would rather keep the money than pay Robert’s ransom causing more dissent from his daughter.

Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo are great in their respective roles as O’Reilly and Jackson as two angels who pose as bounty hunters who are doing whatever it takes to get Robert and Celine together even if it hurts or kills them. Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz are remarkable in their roles as Robert and Celine as two people brought together by circumstances as they deal with their differences. Notably as McGregor brings a comical approach to his character who is sort of a dimwitted dreamer while Diaz is more cool as a jaded spoiled rich girl who doesn’t believe in love where the two are also very fun to watch.

A Life Less Ordinary is a stellar yet enjoyable film from Danny Boyle that features top-notch performances from Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz. Armed with a wonderful supporting cast and a kick-ass soundtrack, it’s a film that doesn’t take itself seriously while wanting to give the audience something that is something different and fun in comparison to some of the more darker and intense films of Boyle’s other work. In the end, A Life Less Ordinary is a fantastic film from Danny Boyle.

Danny Boyle Films: Shallow Grave - Trainspotting - The Beach - 28 Days Later - Millions - Sunshine - Slumdog Millionaire - 127 Hours - Trance - Steve Jobs (2015 film) - T2 Trainspotting - (Yesterday (2019 film))

© thevoid99 2013

2012 Cannes Marathon: Gangs of New York

(Played as a 20-Minute Preview Screening at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival)

Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by Jay Cocks, Kenneth Lonegran, and Steve Zaillian from a story by Jay Cocks, Gangs of New York is the story of an Irish-American who returns to New York to find that a Protestant crime boss has ruled New York City as he decides to infiltrate the gang to gain revenge for his father’s death. The film is inspired by Herbert Asbury’s 1928 non-fiction book about the war between Catholic and Protestant Irish immigrants in the late 1840s to the early 1860s. Starring Leonardo diCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly, Jim Broadbent, Henry Thomas, Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Graham, Cara Seymour, Eddie Marsan, and Liam Neeson. Gangs of New York is a grand yet exhilarating film from Martin Scorsese.

16 years after a territorial battle between a group of so-called natives and a group of Irish-Catholics led by Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson), Vallon’s son Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns from reform school to find that the land has changed as it’s run by his father’s killer Bill “The Butcher” Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) who has managed to gather a couple of Vallon’s associates like McGloin (Gary Lewis) as a lieutenant in his gang and Happy Jack Mulroney (John C. Reilly) as a corrupt constable. Vallon plans to seek revenge as he joins a small local gang that includes old childhood friend Johnny Sirocco (Henry Thomas), Jimmy Spoils (Larry Gilliard Jr.), and Shang (Stephen Graham). After doing some small jobs to get the attention of Cutting, Amsterdam manages to become part of Cutting’s gang.

While being in Cutting’s gang, Amsterdam meets and falls for pickpocket/grifter Jenny Ever Deane (Cameron Diaz) who is also close to Bill that brings trouble to the relationship. When Amsterdam manages to help Bill out in dealing with politician William M. Tweed (Jim Broadbent), Cutting still has issues with the growing number of Irish immigrants arriving into the city as Tweed insists that things are changing. When Amsterdam saves Bill from an assassination, he gains Bill’s trust where Bill tells him about the legendary fight of 1846 where he killed Priest Vallon in whom he considered a great opponent. When Amsterdam’s identity is later revealed to Bill, things become complicated as Amsterdam nearly dies as Bill spares him to have him fight another day.

With the aid of Jenny and an old friend of his father in Monk McGinn (Brendan Gleeson), Amsterdam recovers where he decides to bring back an old symbol to re-start an old war. With an election brewing as Tweed is trying to figure who he should turn to gain votes, the city starts to unravel amidst new draft laws for men to fight in the Civil War. After a series of incidents, Amsterdam and Bill agree to a traditional battle where winner takes all amidst the turmoil of the New York Draft Riots of 1863.

The film is about a young man who seeks revenge for his father’s death in the early 1860s just as the city of New York was going through a huge transition with the growing rise of Irish immigrants as well as immigrants from Europe that would shape the city. There, it’s a film where a man is trying to keep his old ideals in check about America where he is trying to deal with this growing number of immigrants while taking in this young man who would later become his foe. Screenwriters Jay Cocks, Kenneth Lonegran, and Steve Zaillian create an epic story of how this young man tries to infiltrate this gang of hooligans who claim to be naturalists of the country. Yet, he finds a guy like the Butcher to be far more intriguing as someone who respected his opponent.

Characters like Amsterdam and Bill are truly complex in their motivations and how they eventually decide to do battle. Notably as there’s an element of respect in the way they try to conduct the climatic battle they’re to have towards the end of the film. Yet, there’s a lot that is going on in the film when Amsterdam was working for Bill as it involves Boss Tweed’s attempt to rise in the world of politics. Notably as there this back story involving rich men who are trying to find a way to profit from this battle only to become a target of the poor during the New York Draft Riots. It’s the one part of the story that seems to drive away from the main narrative as it does make the script uneven. Still, the screenplay succeeds in creating fully-fledge characters like Jenny as well as a story that is engaging.

Martin Scorsese’s direction is truly vast in the way he presents mid-19th Century New York City from the way he opens the film as the first battle ensues to the climatic battle between Amsterdam and Bill that would become a key moment in New York City’s history. While a lot of the film is shot inside Cinecetta Studios in Rome, Scorsese manages to recreate the idea of what New York City looked like in the early 1860s where he revealed a great contrast between the rich and the poor. Characters would travel in these two worlds as Scorsese wants to establish what a character like Jenny would do in order to survive by stealing. It’s only because she wants to find a way out of a city as she later tries to convince Amsterdam to join her.

The direction is definitely filled with spectacular images such as a wonderfully choreographed dance that Amsterdam and Jenny has along with amazing camera angles to display the city. Notably the battles as it’s very intense, fast-paced, and truly brutal to emphasize what is happening. Even in the build-up where Scorsese is always following the camera with these great tracking shots and later crane shots to just create an atmosphere that is about to explode. Overall, Scorsese creates a film that lives up to the majestic scale about a small piece of American history.

Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the gorgeous exteriors of the locations to the entrancing interiors filled with amazing lighting set-ups to create the tense mood for the film. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker brings incredible work to her editing by utilizing swift, fast-cuts for some of the film‘s battle scenes and Bill‘s throwing skills while creating lots of stylized cuts to help move the film at a leisured pace as it features some of Schoonmaker‘s best work. Production designer Dante Ferretti, with set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo and art director Stefano Maria Ortolani, does an amazing job with the film’s set pieces such as the look of the upper-class NYC mansions to the look of the Five Points district in NYC to establish the different worlds that is happening around that time.

Costume designer Sandy Powell does great work with the costumes from the suit’s the men wear and the top hats along with the gorgeous dresses that Jenny wears to fit in with the two worlds of the rich and poor. Hair/makeup designers Manilo Rocchetti and Aldo Signoretti do wonderful work with the look of the Butcher with his mustache and hair style along with the red hair for the character of Jenny. Visual effects supervisors Mark Dornfield and Michael Owens do terrific work with some of the visual effects created for some of the city‘s exteriors to present what the city would‘ve looked like back then from far away. Sound editor Phil Stockton does brilliant work with the sound from the way gunshots are fired to the atmosphere of the parties that goes in some of the film’s interior settings.

The film’s score by Howard Shore is superb for the bombast that is created as it features heavy orchestral arrangements mixed in with traditional Irish music to play up the atmosphere as it includes some amazing low-key pieces involving the autoharp and more grand cuts for some of the film‘s battle scenes. Music supervisor Robbie Robertson creates a fantastic soundtrack that is filled with a lot of traditional Irish music and classical music that features contributions from Jocelyn Pook and Linda Thompson along with modern cuts from Peter Gabriel and Afro Celt Sound System for some of the film’s battle scenes. One notable cut that plays in the film’s final credits is a song by U2 that is about the evolution of America from an Irish perspective as it’s a really good song.

The casting by Ellen Lewis is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it includes some very memorable small appearances from Cara Seymour as the vicious Hell-Cat Maggie, Eddie Marsan as one of Bill’s henchmen in Killoran, David Hemmings as the upper-class businessman John F. Schermerhorn, and director Martin Scorsese in a cameo as a wealthy homeowner eating with his family. Other notable small appearances that stand out include John C. Reilly as the humorous but corruptible Constable Mulraney, Gary Lewis as the very insulting McGloin, Stephen Graham and Larry Gilliard Jr. as two of Amsterdam’s loyal friends with Graham as the more organized Shang and Gilliard as the more dangerous Jimmy Spoils. Henry Thomas is very good as Amsterdam’s old childhood friend Johnny Sirocco who tries to win over Jenny. Liam Neeson is excellent in a small role as Amsterdam’s father Priest Vallon while Cian McCormack is superb as the young Amsterdam in the film’s beginning sequence.

Jim Broadbent is wonderful as the determined politician Boss Tweed who is trying to find his way to garner votes anyway he can while Brendan Gleeson is great as an old friend of Priest Vallon in Monk McGinn who helps Amsterdam get back on his feet to deal with Bill. Cameron Diaz is fantastic as the very cunning yet charming Jenny who is proven to be a capable ally for Amsterdam as she is her own gal where Diaz really gets to shine in playing someone that is quite tough and is able to take care of herself.

Leonardo DiCaprio is superb as Amsterdam Vallon where DiCaprio proves himself to be a very tough individual who has some charm but also a determination of a guy who is just trying to get to know his enemy and make his move for revenge where it’s definitely one of DiCaprio’s finest performances. Finally, there’s Daniel Day-Lewis in an outstanding performance as the Bill “The Butcher” Cutting where Day-Lewis manages to chew up the scenery as a man trying to maintain his old ideals as Day-Lewis makes his character a man that is larger than life as it’s one of his best performances.

Gangs of New York is a magnificent film from Martin Scorsese that features top-notch performances from Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cameron Diaz. Thanks to a great ensemble supporting cast and amazing technical work, the film is definitely an epic that lives to grand staging as well as a strong and ambitious story that tells about a small piece of American history. While the film may not be up there with some of Scorsese’s great films, it is still a film that isn’t seen much in terms of its grand staging. In the end, Gangs of New York is a marvelous film from Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) - (Street Scenes) - Boxcar Bertha - (Mean Streets) - Italianamerican - Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) - Raging Bull - The King of New York - After Hours - The Color of Money) - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas - Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) - (Casino) - (Kundun) - (My Voyage to Italy) - Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) - (The Aviator (2004 film)) - No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) - (We Live in Public) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) - Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman) - Killers of the Flower Moon - (An Afternoon with SCTV)

© thevoid99 2012

The Green Hornet (2011 film)

Based on the radio series and 1960s cult TV show by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, The Green Hornet is about a publishing heir who teams up with his father’s longtime mechanic named Kato to fight crime while dealing with a mob boss going through some personal issues of his own. Directed by Michel Gondry and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the film is a modern take on the origin story of the Green Hornet and his friendship with Kato; that was played famously by Bruce Lee on the TV show. Starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, Edward James Olmos, David Harbour, and Christoph Waltz. The Green Hornet is an entertaining action-comedy from Michel Gondry.

After the death of his publishing magnet father James Reid (Tom Wilkinson), Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) ponders what to do as he’s given control to run his father’s newspaper in Los Angeles. When he decides to rehire Kato (Jay Chou) based on the coffee he made, the two talk about Britt’s dad as Kato reveals the things he’s done for Britt’s dad such as fix up his cars. Britt learns that Kato’s work is far more extensive than the typical mechanic work as the two decide to vandalize the statue of Britt’s dad where they encounter a crime scene as the two fight off criminals. This gives Britt an idea to go vigilante as he and Kato form their own vigilante team with Britt calling himself the Green Hornet.

With Britt telling the paper’s longtime managing editor Mike Axford (Edward James Olmos) to do more coverage on the Green Hornet, Britt gains a new secretary in Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz) who reveals to have a great knowledge on criminology. Yet, the attention about the Green Hornet’s antics gets the attention of crime lord Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) whose days of power is starting to wane. With Chudnofsky having a mid-life crisis, he decides to go after the Green Hornet as tension starts to emerge between Britt and Kato over the attention towards the Green Hornet as well as trying to win Lenore’s affections.

Following a spat with Kato, Britt meets up with one of his father’s longtime colleagues in district attorney Frank Scanlon (David Harbour) where Britt learns that his father’s death may have not been some accident. With help from Lenore based on her crime expertise, Britt realizes that there is a conspiracy going on that involves Chudnofsky as he realizes what to do but couldn’t do it alone.

While the film is essentially an origins story set in modern times about the Green Hornet and his partnership with Kato. Screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg do try to infuse their own brand of silly humor to the origins story as they make the Britt Reid character someone who feels insecure about never being able to make his dad proud while finding some kind of brotherhood in Kato. Then there’s Chudnofsky as he’s a criminal who starts to go through issues due to the arrival of younger criminals as he thinks he’s becoming a dinosaur. While Rogen and Goldberg are able to make Reid, Kato, Chudnofsky, and Lenore very interesting characters, the only flaw in the script is that it does follow the formula of a typical origin story that involves hero partnerships. Still, Rogen and Goldberg are able to do more with the formula by bending genres and create engaging characters.

Michel Gondry’s direction is wonderful though it lacks a lot of the stylistic flair that he’s been known for with a lot of his film. While he does do a few ideas such as multiple split-screens, speedy montages, and other abstract shots that is typical of his work. There’s not enough of that as Gondry’s direction is more standard with action-comedies in terms of fast-paced action sequences and light-hearted scenes of humor. Yet, Gondry does make sure the film is entertaining and funny as he was at least able to create a solid film that does what is expected with the genre.

Cinematographer John Schwartzman does a nice job with the cinematography with some stylish shots to complement the comic-book like look of the film or some of the day and nighttime exterior shots while utilizing some wonderful shading for some of the interior scenes. Editor Michael Tronick does a very good job with the editing as he creates some wonderful, fast-paced rhythms for the action scenes along with stylish cuts like the multiple split-screen sequence.

Production designer Owen Paterson and set decorator Ronald R. Reiss do a wonderful job with the set pieces such as the Reid estate garage as well as the Reid mansion along with the building that Britt‘s father runs. Costume designer Kym Barrett does an excellent job with the costumes from the old-school suits that Chudnofsky wears to the costumes that Britt and Kato wear. Visual effects supervisors James Dixon and Justin Jones do some fantastic work with the visual effects such as the stuff involving the Black Beauty cars and various action sequences in the film. Sound mixers Nerses Gezalyan and John Pritchett do some terrific work with the sound to play up the action in all of its chaos.

The film’s score by James Newton Howard is stellar for what is expected with action-comedies in terms of bombastic orchestral scores that flows and such though it’s nothing that is really outstanding. The film’s soundtrack features an array of music ranging into various genres as it features cuts by Anvil, the White Stripes, Digital Underground, Coolio, Johnny Cash, the Rolling Stones, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Van Halen, the Greenhornes, and Jay Chou bringing his own Asian-pop into the mix.

The casting by Francine Maisler is brilliant as it features an ensemble cast that includes appearances from Edward Furlong as meth chemist, Jamie Harris and Chad Coleman as a couple of Chudnofsky’s henchmen, Analeigh Tipton as a date of Britt early in the film, and James Franco in a cameo as a young gangster Chudnofsky very early in the film. Edward James Olmos is very good as a longtime editor friend of Britt’s dad who tries to warn Britt about covering the Green Hornet while David Harbour is also good as a district attorney who tries to get Britt involved into schemes for his own political gain. Tom Wilkinson is pretty decent in a very small role as Britt’s dad as it’s really more of a cameo that doesn’t give him much to do. Cameron Diaz is excellent as Lenore, a secretary whose criminology expertise unknowingly helps Britt and Kato in how to create their own schemes while proving to be very smart as it’s a wonderful role for Diaz to be the straight woman.

Christoph Waltz is wonderful as the villain Chudnofsky as Waltz brings a very slimy quality to a criminal that essentially goes into a mid-life crisis while trying to find a way to make himself intimidating. Jay Chou is superb as Kato as Chou brings a real charm to his character though his English at times is a bit hard to understand. Yet, Chou was able to make his character a joy to watch as it’s a great tribute to the late Bruce Lee. Finally, there’s Seth Rogen who brings in his usual comic persona to the character as it’s pretty good performance that allows him to be brash and funny though it doesn’t entirely work at times. Still, he and Chou are able to make a good combo as they’re able to keep things exciting and funny.

The Green Hornet is a pretty good film from Michel Gondry thanks in part to a wonderful ensemble cast and its willingness to be entertaining. In comparison to a lot of other films based on comics or other superhero-driven material, it’s kind of weak since there isn’t a lot that really gives the film a chance to stand out. In terms of the other films that Gondry has done, it’s his weakest work to date despite the fact that he’s able to inject a few of his visual tricks into the film. In the end, The Green Hornet is a fun film that does what is expected for its genre.

Michel Gondry Films: Human Nature - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Dave Chapelle’s Block Party - The Science of Sleep - Be Kind Rewind - Tokyo!-Interior Design - (The Thorn in the Heart) - The We & the I - Mood Indigo - (Is the Man Who is Tall Happy?) - (Microbe & Gasoline)

© thevoid99 2011