Black Snake Moan

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/3/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Craig Brewer, Black Snake Moan is the story of an aging, God-fearing bluesman whose encounter with a young and rowdy woman has her trying to save her from wicked ways after being found beaten on the road. The film is an exploration into the world of the American South at its most grimy as it plays to the world of the American blues. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake, S. Epatha Merkerson, David Banner, and John Cothran Jr. Black Snake Moan is a dirty, funny, and whimsical film from Craig Brewer.

When her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) is set to leave for a duty in the national guard, Rae (Christina Ricci) begs him not to leave as Ronnie tells her he will return. Unfortunately, Ronnie's departure doesn't sit well with Rae whose strange behavior has already given her as a reputation for being the town’s loose, white-trash hussy. In the same town, an aging bluesman named Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) is dealing with the split from his wife Rose (Adriane Lenox) who is leaving him for his brother. Lazarus confides in his friend/preacher R.L. (John Cothran Jr.) while nursing a wounded heart. Rae meanwhile, continues to go into her rowdy ways having sex with many men including local dealer Tehronne (David Banner) and Ronnie's friend Gill (Michael Raymond-James). After a wild night, Rae gets beat up and is left onto the side of the road where the following morning, Lazarus finds her.

Trying to get her better, Lazarus gets more than he bargains for when she acts strangely around him and often going into surreal moments of crawling around in her underwear and shirt. Lazarus gets medicine from local friend Angela (S. Epatha Merkerson) while he learns from Tehronne on who she is. Still behaving crazily, Lazarus calms her where he decides to do something very crazy. When Rae wakes up and tries to leave, she learns that she has a 40-pound chain around her that is connected to his old radiator. Lazarus hopes to cure her from her wicked ways and make her into a decent girl despite her attempts to seduce him and such. Days go by when a local boy named Lincoln (Neimus K. Williams) visits Lazarus' farm to get some vegetables where he finds Rae. Lazarus returns to see that Rae still needs work as R.L. also learns of what Lazarus is trying to do. With only Lincoln and R.L. knowing what's going on, they keep it a secret from the rest of the town.

Discharged due to anxiety, Ronnie returns home to find that Rae hasn't been returning his calls or been at home. With Rae starting to act more civil, she still doesn't feel well due to the demons where she confronts her mother Sandy (Kim Richards). Only Lazarus comforts her with his music as he gains the courage to play in public again with support from Rae and R.L. With Rae starting to gain some peace, she also has to realize her own role as well as what to bring for Ronnie.

Whereas Hustle & Flow explores the world of Southern hip-hop, Black Snake Moan is really more like a blues album set in the roots of the South. Craig Brewer fully understands his environment and how the music fits in to a place in the middle of Tennessee. The film opens with footage of an old bluesman talking about sin and loose women. Yet, Black Snake Moan shares the same theme of redemption with Hustle & Flow. This time, it surrounds its two protagonists in Lazarus and Rae who are both characters that are struggling with some kind of conflict. Lazarus is nursing a broken heart while Rae is dealing with her inescapable behavior. In Rae, Lazarus finds a way to make himself useful by trying to help this girl. In Lazarus, Rae finds an unlikely father figure who can help her deal with the demons she's been surrounded by.

While the film is comical and filled with a lot of moments filled with heart and drama, Brewer does maintain a sense of entertainment towards his audience. While his script isn't as consistent as his previous film, it still brings a lot of fun while delving into the grittiness of the South. While it's been called an exploitation film of sorts, Brewer doesn't hold back into his influences when it comes to 1970s cinema. Like his fellow, Southern counterpart David Gordon Green, the two revel in the hilarity of the films of the South from the 1970s. From the title credits to the locations they're in while bringing a lot of cinematic style to their films. Brewer however, is more optimistic than Green in terms of storytelling. Brewer is also more musical where in this film, he reveals the joy and healing process the blues acts. Overall, it's a strong follow-up from the very talented Craig Brewer.

Helping Brewer with his unique, colorful vision of the South is cinematographer Amy Vincent with her gritty yet enchanting look of the South from its colorful evening skies to the intimate settings in bars along with wonderful camera work to convey the sense of energy. Production designer Keith Brian Burns and art director Liba Daniels also add to the intimacy and grittiness of the South to the small cabin that Lazarus lives in to the trailer home that Rae and Ronnie live in. Maintaining the sense of authenticity, Burns and Daniels adds life to the locations where the whole film looks and feels like a local, Southern town. Editor Billy Fox adds style to the editing with some rhythmic jump cuts, long shots, and perspective cuts to play to the film's stylistic feel. Sound editor Frank Smathers does excellent work in the sound to bring the atmosphere of the South including a scene involving a storm mixed in with the music. Composer Scott Bomar brings an amazing film score filled with great blues tracks including a snarling one that involves Rae's sickness. The rest of the film's soundtrack features some fantastic blues cuts including some numbers from Samuel L. Jackson himself. Jackson is a damn good singer with some funny lyrics about his struggles.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with some memorable small performances from Kim Richards, rapper David Banner, Michael Raymond-James, Adriane Lenox, and Neimus K. Williams in a hilarious scene with Ricci. John Cothran Jr. is excellent as the film’s moral guide of sorts as R.L. who is one of the few friends Jackson's character has and gives an excellent performance in bringing morality to the film. S. Epatha Merkerson is excellent in a small, memorable role as the sweet, caring Angela who brings a lot of spirit to Jackson's character while making him fill a needed void in his broken heart. The weakest link in the cast is Justin Timberlake but not entirely. Timberlake is good when his character deals with the anxieties and emotional issues but when he has to play tough and act like a badass, he's not so convincing and comes off as somewhat cheesy. It's not his fault but it's just that he’s not convincing in being very tough.

Christina Ricci gives an amazing performance as the nympho, crazy Rae with her unruly behavior. Wearing an actual, 40-pound chain, Ricci sells her performance in playing a crazy young woman wearing white-cotton panties and half-torn t-shirt. Ricci exudes her sex appeal while revealing a lot of angst into her character's inner turmoil. It's a fantastic performance from the often underrated Ricci. Samuel L. Jackson is in top form as the God-fearing Lazarus where Jackson brings a lot of care and humor to the role while proving himself to be a wonderful bluesman. Jackson is great in every scene he's in while proving himself to be a bit more complex. Jackson also has great chemistry with Ricci as the two bring a lot to the scenes they're in whether it's sexual tension or father-daughter relationship of sorts.

Black Snake Moan is an unsettling yet enthralling film from Craig Brewer that features a great performance from Samuel L. Jackson. Along with a superb supporting cast including Christina Ricci, it's a film that doesn't play nice while exploring the world of the American South at its dirtiest and at its most troublesome. In the end, Black Snake Moan is a phenomenal film from Craig Brewer.

Craig Brewer Films: (The Poor and the Hungry) - Hustle & Flow - (Footloose (2011 film))

© thevoid99 2014

Anything Else

Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Anything Else is the story about an aspiring writer who falls in love with a woman while in New York City as he has hard time trying to figure out what to do with his life in love and as a writer where he gets some bad advice from a struggling artist. The film explores a young man’s life as he tries to find himself in New York City. Also starring Jason Biggs, Christina Ricci, Stockard Channing, Jimmy Fallon, Adrian Grenier, and Danny DeVito. Anything Else is a horrific film from Woody Allen.

The film revolves around the life of a writer who is at a transitional point in his career while his relationship with his girlfriend is becoming rocky due to his neuroses and her craziness. Meanwhile, the writer takes some very bad advice from a struggling artist, with a history of mental illness, over what to do with his life and career. It’s a film that explores a man trying to find out what to do with his life and career as it’s going into some trouble as it’s all told from his perspective. Woody Allen’s script unfortunately creates a story that is messy where he has this young writer dealing with the decisions of his life as well as his relationship with this young woman who is very fleeting in her decisions and never sticks to anything. It’s a story that has this very troubled narrative told by its protagonist where it would have flashbacks but never makes sense of what is happening.

Allen’s direction has him trying to bring back elements of some his earlier work in terms of storytelling where its protagonist would break the fourth wall down to talk to the audience about what he’s thinking and such. It’s a device that doesn’t work where it tends to bring a lot of unnecessary exposition as well as dragging the story a bit. The direction does have some nice moments in the compositions including a scene where Allen’s David Dobel character snaps after being denied a parking space where he destroys that person’s car. Yet, there’s a lot of moments in the film where things do get out of control where the protagonist Jerry Falk (Jason Biggs) has to deal with his girlfriend’s messy life including a visit from her boozy and unstable mother (Stockard Channing) as it gets old at times and the comedy just doesn’t work. Overall, Allen creates a very awful and nonsensical film about a man trying to find his role in life.

Cinematographer Darius Khondji does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it‘s got some gorgeous shots of the New York City locations as well as some of the film‘s interior settings. Editor Alisa Lepselter does fine work with the editing to play out some of the drama including a few montages but couldn‘t tighten up some of the messier moments in the film. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Regina Graves and art director Tom Warren, do nice work with the set pieces from the apartment that Jerry lives in to some of the places he goes to in the city.

Costume designer Laura Jean Shannon does superb work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with more stylish clothes worn by the female characters. Sound editor Robert Hein is terrific for some of the chaos that is played out in some of the locations and parties the characters go to. The film’s soundtrack includes a lot of jazz music and standards from Billie Holliday, Lester Young, Peggy Lee, Diana Krall (who makes an appearance in the film), and Teddy Wilson as it’s one of the highlights of the film.

The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Juliet Taylor is pretty good as it features appearances from Adrian Grenier and Erica Leershen as a couple of actors Jerry meets, David Conrad as a doctor who examines Amanda who raises Jerry’s suspicions, KaDee Strickland as Jerry’s ex-fiancée who he dumps for Amanda, and Jimmy Fallon as Amanda’s boyfriend Bob before she meets Jerry. Danny DeVito is terrific as Jerry’s loyal agent Harvey Wexler as he has some funny moments except for a scene late in the film that is just overdone. Stockard Channing is excellent as Amanda’s boozy mother Paula who is often full of drama as she’s trying to get herself back up only to create more trouble for Jerry.

Woody Allen is OK as the very troubled David Dobel who offers Jerry some bad advice about everything in life as he creates a lot of trouble where Allen also show some moments where he can go really crazy. Christina Ricci is terrible as Amanda as she’s this flighty woman who is always doing something crazy while complaining about how fat she is and such as it’s just a performance that is grating to watch. Finally, there’s Jason Biggs in an absolutely dreadful performance as Jerry Falk as Biggs is just very awkward to watch at times while he overdoes the nebbish persona that Allen has perfected for so many years as it is just very bad and extremely un-funny to look at.

Anything Else is a fucking terrible from Woody Allen that features dire leading performances from Jason Biggs and Christina Ricci. The film is definitely one of Allen’s worst films in terms of its attempt to rehash old ideas without really doing anything new with some very flat humor. In the end, Anything Else an appalling film from Woody Allen.

Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet and Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)

The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2013

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

Bastard Out of Carolina

Based on Dorothy Allison’s novel, Bastard Out of Carolina is the story of a young woman’s illegitimate daughter who becomes a victim of the physical and sexual abuse of her stepfather during the 1950s in rural South Carolina. Directed by acclaimed actress Anjelica Huston in her directorial debut with a teleplay by Anne Meredith, the TV-film explores a woman’s struggle to love her husband while dealing with her daughter’s abuse as her family watches in horror. Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ron Eldard, Glenne Headly, Dermont Mulroney, Grace Zabriskie, Diana Scarwid, Lyle Lovett, Susan Traylor, Michael Rooker, and in film debut, Jena Malone along with narration by Laura Dern. Bastard Out of Carolina is a harrowing and heartbreaking film from Anjelica Huston.

After giving birth to her first baby in a state of unconsciousness, following a car accident, and then losing her first husband (Dermont Mulroney) before the birth of second child. The life of Anney Boatwright (Jennifer Jason Leigh) has been a difficult one as she’s raising two young girls in Reece (Lindley Mayer) and Ruth Anne (Jena Malone), who is also called Bone, while living with her mother (Grace Zabriskie) and surrounded by a close though dysfunctional family. When her brother Earl (Michael Rooker) introduces Anney to Glen Waddell (Ron Eldard), Anney is smitten by Glen as the two start a relationship though Anney’s mother isn’t sure about the relationship while knowing that Glen comes from a very rich family.

After the two wed and Anney is expecting another child, things seem to go well until one night when Glen is waiting in the car with Reece and Bone as he wakes Bone up and molests her. Bone becomes confused over what happened as the child Anney gave birth to died stillborn as she and Glen move to various places as Glen struggles to hold down a job. During a visit to the home of Glen’s father (Pat Hingle) where things go wrong, Glen later takes out all of his frustrations on Bone as she would have to endure countless abuse until a doctor asks Anney about what’s going on. Bone, Reece, and Anney stay temporarily with Anney’s sister Alma (Susan Traylor) and her husband Wade (Lyle Lovett) until Glen asks Anney to come home.

When Anney’s older sister Ruth (Glenne Headly) falls ill, Bone is asked to help take care of her, Ruth wants to know what is going on with Glen as she asks Bone about what he’s been doing to her. Bone couldn’t muster up the courage to tell as she returns home to endure another beating as Earl and her aunt Raylene (Diana Scarwid) find out what Glen did to Bone. Earl and Raylene let Bone stay at Raylene’s river home as another family crisis involving Alma brings the family together. When Bone tells her mother that she won’t come because of Glen, Anney finds herself torn between her love for both Glen and Bone.

Films about child abuse can often lead to sentimental and very overwrought ideas but this film is not about child abuse. Instead, it’s about a woman torn between the devotion of her new husband who loves and cares for her though he also has a temper and acts like a grown child. The other thing that this woman loves is her eldest yet illegitimate daughter as she had grown up without a real father figure though she was able to be loved by a man who was later killed in an accident. For this woman, she is desperate to have a man in her life away from her mother and her rural background. Yet, she also has her daughter whom she loves so much but couldn’t bear to see her be harmed in such a gruesome way.

Anne Meredith’s teleplay definitely goes into depths of what Anney Boatwright is going through as she had someone who loved her but then died right away as she hopes to find someone who can get her out of the environment she lives in. While Anney has a family that does love and care for her, despite being quite dysfunctional, she needs a man to be with her so she wouldn’t have to take care of her tired mother. While Glen isn’t a complete bad man, he is earnest in his love for Anney and Reese while is also a victim of abuse from the way his father treats him. Due to what he’s gone through, Glen is forced to take out all of his anger and yearning to be loved by abusing Bone.

The narration, that is told by Laura Dern as the older Bone, has Bone reflecting on the misfortune of her entire life as due to the confusion of her birth certificate, Bone was certified a bastard from the day she was born. Though Anney wants to do good for Bone, her devotion to Glen makes Bone feel more on the outs as she clings to the people in her extended family such as the spiritual Ruth, the playful Earl, and the hardened but wise Raylene. Since she feels like Glen doesn’t love her at all and going through all of this abuse, Bone becomes a much more weary and grounded child that has lost her innocence. Through all of this, she becomes more confused into why her mother would still be in love with a man that would do a thing to her.

Anne Meredith’s script gives director Anjelica Huston the chance to create a film that doesn’t stray into the conventions of TV movies while allowing herself to get her hands dirty in exploring its subject matter. Huston’s direction has a wonderful sense of intimacy for a lot of the dramatic scenes while some of it is very eerie. Notably the scene where Bone is being molested for the first time as Huston has the camera solely focused on Bone. Huston knows what to do while not making it too graphic as she also keeps some of the scenes simple in the way she presents the film. Overall, it is an impressive directorial debut from Anjelica Huston.

Cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond does an excellent job with the photography as it‘s straightforward though is set in a very gray time as it‘s shot on location in North Carolina. Richmond also creates some amazing shots and shadings to emphasize the dark tone of the film for scenes of Bone dealing with everything around her. Editor Eva Gardos does a wonderful job with the editing to maintain a leisured pace to the film while doing a few rhythmic cuts to play up some of the intense drama and heightened moments in the film.

Production designers Nelson Coates and Van Broughton Ramsey, along with set decorator Burton Rencher, do great work with the art direction to play up the world of rural South Carolina in its poor, working class environment that many of the characters live in. Ramsey’s work on the costume design is superb to play up that poor look with its very casual yet grimy clothing while making some stylish clothes such as Anney‘s waitress dress. Sound editor David Hankins does a nice job with the sound to play up the sparse intimacy of the homes that Bone goes to as well as a few scenes to liven things up for its large ensemble cast.

The film’s score by Van Dyke Parks is pretty good for its haunting yet dramatic orchestral score to play up some of the harrowing moments of the film. The music soundtrack that is supervised by Robin Urdang features an array of old-school 1950s gospel and country music that features pieces from Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, the Carter Family, George Jones, Wanda Jackson, and Blind Willie Johnson as the music pieces selected for the film is a major highlight.

The casting of John Brace and Linda Lowy is brilliant as they created what is truly an amazing ensemble cast. Small but notable appearances include Dermont Mulroney as Anney’s kind first husband Lyle, Richard Todd Sullivan as Ruth’s husband Travis, Christina Ricci as Ruth’s teenage daughter Dee Dee, and Pat Hingle as Glen’s spiteful father. Other notable small but memorable roles include Lindley Mayer as Bone’s younger sister Reece, Lyle Lovett as Bone’s uncle Wade, Susan Traylor as the no-nonsense Alma, and Grace Zabriskie as Anney’s tough and suspicious mother who has mixed feelings about Glen early on.

Glenne Headly is very good as Bone’s saintly yet lively aunt Ruth who tries to get everyone to feel good while becoming very concerned about Bone during her illness. Diana Scarwid is excellent as aunt Raylene, a wise yet grounded woman who takes Bone in while trying to make understanding of everything Bone has gone through. Michael Rooker is wonderful as Bone’s uncle Earl who is a fun guy that loves his niece while being the only true male protector she has when dealing with Glen. Ron Eldard is great in a terrifying performance as Glen, an immature man who truly loves Anney yet harbors great resentment towards Bone as Eldard truly brings a complexity to a man that hates this young girl for making Anney choose between him and her.

Jennifer Jason Leigh is superb as Anney, a woman that has experienced loss and turmoil as she is desperate to hold on to the man that loves while being tormented by the fact that he abuses her daughter. Leigh’s performance is definitely harrowing for the fact that this woman is in complete conflict while she doesn’t make Anney a character to despise for the decisions that she makes. Finally, there’s Jena Malone in her feature-film debut as it is truly one of the most outstanding debut performances for any actress. Malone brings a wide range ideas into her role as someone who can be very charming and witty in light-hearted scenes while showing that she’s capable of being very engaging in darker scenes. Though she was only 10 when she did the film, it is truly a performance for the ages for the way she exudes all of the anguish and emotional turmoil that Bone goes through as it’s a mesmerizing yet heartbreaking performance from Jena Malone.

Bastard Out of Carolina is a marvelous though unsettling TV-film from Anjelica Huston that features a great ensemble cast led by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jena Malone. It’s not an easy film to watch due to its subject matter and the fact that Huston doesn’t hold things back in terms of its dark themes. Bastard Out of Carolina is a sensational yet eerie film from Anjelica Huston.

© thevoid99 2011

The Ice Storm

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/21/04 w/ Additional Edits.

One of the more recent prolific directors in cinema, Taiwan-born Ang Lee has made films in his homeland whether it was the dramas Eat Drink Man Woman and The Wedding Banquet or the martial-arts masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yet, he's also ventured into the world of Hollywood with the Civil War drama Ride with the Devil, the Jane Austen adaptation of Sense & Sensibility, and more recently, a big-budget action flick with Hulk. In 1997, Lee goes to the early 1970s in America where the age of cynicism begins as the ideals of American family life begins to disintegrate based on a novel by Rick Moody entitled The Ice Storm.

Adapted into a script by producer James Schamus, The Ice Storm is a family drama about a man and wife whose perfectly good marriage disintegrates as the man has an affair with his neighbor while his wife is trying to find fulfillment in her boring role as a housewife. Meanwhile, their children begin to explore sexuality and angst while looking at the world through their own sense of cynicism around Thanksgiving in 1973. With its central characters trying to find something, they realize that what they seek isn't, as it seems when tragedy collides through one night on an icy storm. Starring Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Jamey Sheridan, Henry Czerny, Allison Janney, Tobey Maguire, Katie Holmes, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, and Adam Hann-Byrd. The Ice Storm is a brilliant, provocative drama from Ang Lee and company.

16-year old Paul Hood (Tobey Maguire) is at a NYC prep school where he's become attracted to his classmate Libbets Casey (Katie Holmes).  Paul yearns to win her affections before his lothario roommate Francis (David Krumholtz) can.  Paul's family lives a small town in Connecticut as his parents Ben (Kevin Kline) and Elena (Joan Allen) are preparing for Thanksgiving with Paul set to return.  Paul's 14-year old sister Wendy (Christina Ricci) becomes intrigued by the Watergate scandal which prompts her to gain a cynical view on the world.  Ben and Elena eat dinner with Jim (Jamey Sheridan) and Janey Carver (Sigourney Weaver) where Elena begins to suspect something isn't right in her marriage in the way Ben eyes Janey.  Even as she begins to reminisce her own childhood when she saw Wendy ride a bike during a book sale where the local minister (Michael Cumpsty) attends.

Ben spends part of his time at work with rival George Clair (Henry Czerny) while his off-time sleeping with Janey while Wendy spends time with Janey's eldest son Mikey (Elijah Wood).  Mikey's younger brother Sandy (Adam Hann-Byrd) is reaching adolescents as he blows up toys and discovering sex when Wendy tries to expose herself.  Wendy's time with Mikey eventually leads to trouble as Mikey becomes more aloof towards the world.  When Paul returns home for Thanksgiving, things become chaotic when Wendy spouts remarks towards the U.S. government during grace.  Elena learns that their friend Dot Halford (Allison Janney) is throwing a party the next day as she and Ben reluctantly attend.  Paul goes to New York City to attend a party Francis is holding as Libbets is there where things don't go well as Paul hopes for.

At the Halford party, Ben and Elena learn it's a key party as the Carvers also attend where Elena decides to get into the party where things unravel.  Wendy decides to go see Sandy while Mikey roams outside during the cold November night where a night of party and intrigue becomes tragic.

What makes The Ice Storm such a compelling film is Ang Lee's approach to storytelling. Taking Schamus' wonderfully structured screenplay, the film builds up to a certain momentum where by the second half when the Hoods go to the party is where everything begins it sense of deconstruction. While the film has a lot of sexuality, there isn't any nudity shown but it doesn't matter with this film since Lee is playing an outsider in trying to discover what drives these people into behaving the way they act. Is it the cynicism that is surrounded by the American government or the idea that the American dream and ideal is over? The film plays well with its morals and strange parallels in the scenes where Tobey McGuire's Paul characters is reading The Fantastic Four while comparing it to his own family life. Lee's breathtaking directing style works very well in each frame, notably the scene where Elijah Wood's Mikey is running around on the icy grass in slow motion. It's clearly one of the most masterful and evocative presentation in film.

Helping Lee in that breathtaking vision is cinematographer Frederick Elmes in capturing the evocative world of the 1970s with scenes of bike riding and notably the night scene of the ice storm itself with its idiosyncratic approach to lighting. Editor Tim Squyres also brings that same idiosyncratic style in the film's structure with its editing sequences where the film not only has a nice pacing but the way the scenes of its characters are moved back and forth. Production designer Mark Friedberg and art director Bob Shaw also help in the film with a grand, very detailed look of the 1970s with its furniture and appliances along with the waterbed. Costume designers Carol Oditz and Elizabeth Shelton also help out with the film's look with a great detail on the costumes and clothing in the film that really gives that 1970s authenticity.

Atom Egoyan's longtime composer Mychael Danna also shines with his eerie, melancholic film score with his use of morose piano sequences and eerie, evocative flute playing while music director Alex Steyermark shines with his soundtrack of the film that includes Elton John, Jim Croce, and many more including a haunting ballad from David Bowie redoing his song I Can't Read from his work with Tin Machine.

The film has a great cast overall with fine, small performances from Allison Janney, David Krumholtz and a sleazy one from Henry Czerny as Kline's rival. Michael Cumpsty also stands out as a minister where in the party scene, we see for what he really is which proves that no one in the film is safe. Katie Holmes shines in one of her early performances as Libbets with cute sexiness and the ability to play stoned. Jamey Sheridan is the film's most quiet performance as Sigourney Weaver's husband who is often gone in his life and yet, he gains sympathy during the party scene. Sheridan shines in his clueless role of husband and father while he and Joan Allen have great scenes together.

Adam Hann-Byrd also stands out as the more innocent but angst-ridden Sandy with his curious approach to his performance that is really amazing to watch. Elijah Wood is wonderful in a performance that marks a transition from child actor to a more determined young thespian as the more offbeat and quirky Mikey. Wood's stoned out performance represents as a young man who is trying to find more in life away from sex and family while presenting a distance from reality in a performance that is awe-struck. Christina Ricci also brings in a transitional performance by being a sexy cynic who tries to figure out sex and ways to anger her own parents in a performance that is intimidating yet enchanting. Tobey Maguire is excellent in his role as narrator along with the clueless family patriarch who doesn't know what goes on in his town in favor of his own desires. It's a great and mature performance from the young Maguire while proving himself as a gentlemen and dreamer.

Sigourney Weaver is wonderfully cold in an amazing performance as Janey Carver with her vivacious sexiness and an awful selfishness that is very complex. Weaver's character may have been the most unlikable but it's also the most intriguing as we see a woman who is trying to fulfill her own needs by having affairs while she begins to slip away from what is really important. This is truly one of Weaver's most enduring performances. Kevin Kline is also amazing as the bored, commanding father and husband who seeks to have this affair with Janey as if it's the greatest thing for his own sexual needs that isn't at home. Yet, his character begins to disintegrate in the party scene where Kline really shines in his dramatic stature.

The film's best performance goes to Joan Allen as Kline's anguished wife who is trying to find her own niche into the cynicism of the 70s. Allen brings a subtlety and calmness early in the film but by the second act, she makes her character sympathetic but not a martyr as she tries to explore her own sexual needs while trying to deal with what's going on with her children and the world around her. It's a great performance from the always, underrated veteran actress.

The Ice Storm is a compelling film from Ang Lee thanks to Lee's eerie direction, James Schamus' Cannes Film Festival award-winning script, a dedicated crew, and a superb cast. In many ways, The Ice Storm wasn't just a film of the 1970s but also what was going on in the late 1990s where the dysfunctions of families become more evident and later in 1999; Sam Mendes' American Beauty will fulfill the boredom of suburbia. The credit really goes to Lee, Schamus, and novelist Rick Moody for capturing the world of American culture in its decline through cynicism and angst in the 1970s when everything begins to go wrong. The Ice Storm is one film not to be missed.

Ang Lee Films: Pushing Hands - The Wedding Banquet - Eat Drink Man Woman - Sense & Sensibility (1995 film) - Ride with the Devil - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Hire: Chosen - Hulk - Brokeback Mountain - Lust, Caution - Taking Woodstock - Life of Pi - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - The Auteurs #19: Ang Lee

(C) thevoid99 2011

Speed Racer

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/21/09.

The 1960s anime cartoon Speed Racer about a young racer who races against the odds under the support of his family and a mysterious driver is among one of the popular cartoons of its time. Though it only lasted an entire season in the U.S., it remains a cult favorite as it was seen through re-runs over the years. In 2008, a film version was finally released after years of troubled development until it came into the hands of producer Joel Silver and the Wachowski Brothers, the team who had gained massive success with the Matrix film franchise.

Directed and written for the screen by Larry & Andy Wachowski, Speed Racer tells the story of a young, talented race car driver who is set to become the greatest racer of his generation. When a corrupt, corporate wants to offer the young man a chance to become the best, the young racer learns some horrible truths about the world of racing as he teams up with a mysterious racer to stop corruption through what they know best. A part action film with elements of comedy and themes about family. The film is a hyperactive yet colorful take on the famed anime cartoon as the Wachowski Brothers create a film that is accessible yet entertaining. With an all-star cast that includes Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Roger Allam, Matthew Fox, Paulie Litt, Kick Gurry, Scott Porter, Rain, Benno Furmann, Yu Nan, and Richard Roundtree. Speed Racer is a fun, exciting film that has enough action and humor for audience of all ages to enjoy.

Set to race against all the odds on a race, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is out-racing his competitors as his family watch. Among them is his father Pops Racer (John Goodman) who heads the independent Racer Motors that Speed faithfully works for. Also watching are his mother (Susan Sarandon), little brother Spritle (Paulie Litt), their pet chimpanzee Chim-Chim, mechanic Sparky (Kick Gurry), and Speed's girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci). Speed wins though misses the record by a split second because the record belongs to his late older brother Rex (Scott Porter) who was killed in the treacherous Casa Cristo race. The death of Rex was hard on the family as he was considered a promising racer until he left Racer Motors to work for a corporation where he played dirty and lost a lot of respect until his death.

Meanwhile, E.P. Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam) arrives to the home of the Racer family to offer Speed a lucrative deal as he invites the entire Racer family to his headquarters where they meet the legendary Cannonball Taylor (Ralph Henforth). Though the offer Royalton is tempting, Speed isn't sure while something else is going on as a mob boss named Cruncher Block (John Benfield) is beating a young racer named Taejo Togokahn (Rain) to lose more races as he was saved by the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox). Speed goes to Royalton to reveal his decision while telling the story about Rex's death as well as what got Pops Racer back into racing over a legendary Grand Prix race. Royalton then reveals something horrifying about the Grand Prix race that Ben Burns (Richard Roundtree) won was all fixed for corporate gain. Spritle, who sneaked in on that meeting with Chim-Chim learns about a new prototype that Royalton is creating.

After turning down Royalton in which, he loses a prestigious race that has the Racer family in trouble. An inspector (Benno Furmann) arrives with Racer X at the Racer house to reveal some news over what happened at the last race along with an offer to stop Royalton with help from Taejo Togokahn who claims to have evidence linking Royalton to Blocker. The problem is that the race is at the treacherous Casa Cristo as Pops refuses to have Speed involved. Speed and Trixie secretly decides to help Racer X and Togokahn as part of a team to defeat dirty racers that includes Snake Oiler (Christian Oliver). Though Speed did great on his own, the first half was won by Snake Oiler making Togokahn upset while the Racer family finds out that Speed is racing the Casa Cristo as Pops reluctantly helps Speed. Along with help from Taejo's sister Horuko (Yu Nan), Speed and his team with Togokahn being the ultimate winner as he gains an invitation to the Grand Prix.

Unfortunately, things doesn't go well at all for Speed as Racer X, who is believed to be Rex, reveals his identity as they're both upset over what Taejo has decided to do in order for his family to gain profit for their own stock. Horuko however, decides to give the Grand Prix invitation to Speed as a lesson to her family where Speed would show racers all over the world what he can do with some surprising help.

The approach that the Wachowskis go for with this film is to simply make a family film. While it's a change of pace from their darker, more violent films. The unique visual style that the Wachowski are known for is there. At the same time, their script which is filled with lots of back story on characters and the world of corporations do work for the most part though the latter story about corporations and stock market does get confusing for some audiences, particularly children. Yet, the heart of the film is Speed Racer and his relationship with his family. Even as Speed is tempted to get things any young racer would want as long as his family is involved. Yet, when he turns down Royalton's offer just out of loyalty to his own family. He realizes what he must do to protect them and also why his brother left Racer Motors in the first place.

While the story does faithfully tell the folklore of Speed and Racer X, the Wachowski does create some interesting storylines about that relationship along with Racer X's secret identity. The direction of the film is very stylized. It's fast, hyperactive, and very colorful all in the anime style. While some audiences might have a hard time keeping up with what's going. The Wachowskis do at least, slow things down so that audiences can get a chance to know the characters and the situation around them. The race sequences are definitely intense along with some humorous sequences that is very appealing to kids which works well with their hyperactive energy. Despite a few flaws in the story and in the direction, the Wachowskis do create a film that is definitely fun to watch.

Cinematographer David Tattersall does some nice work with the film's high-octane look with loads of swirling colors and lighting styles to convey the mood of the race and tone of the film. Editors Roger Barton and Zach Staenberg do excellent work with the film's highly-stylized editing with the use of transition wipes in using characters and object to move from one scene to another along with fast-paced cuts for the film's hyperactive race scenes. Even the use of freeze frames for some of the film's energetic, anime-style sequences. Production designer Owen Paterson along with set decorator Peter Walope and supervising art director Hugh Bateup do some fantastic work with the look and design of the race tracks and Royalton's building. Costume designer Kym Barrett does very good work with the look of Speed's clothes that is reminiscent of the cartoon along with the lavish look of Royalton and other racers as it's faithful to the look of the cartoon.

The visual effects work by supervisor Chadi Abo, John Gaeta, Dan Glass, Kim Libreri, and Kevin Scott Mack is truly phenomenal in its hyperactive, colorful look. While it might seem excessive, it works to convey the energy and feel of the film in terms of its attempts to make it as close as the cartoon. The visual effects work does succeed, notably a comical scene involving Spritle, Chim-Chim, and a ninja. Sound designer Dane A. Davis does some excellent work in the sound work of tire squeals, engine growls, and other things that goes on during the race. Music composer Michael Giacchino brings a playful, broad score to the film that plays up to its humor and bombastic racing scenes with huge orchestral arrangements as it's an excellent score piece from Giacchino.

The casting by Lora Kennedy and Lucinda Syson is brilliant with some memorable small roles from Nicholas Elias as a young Speed, Ariel Winter as a young Trixie, original Speed Racer voice actor Peter Hernandez as a local race announcer, Nayo Wallace as Racer X's girlfriend Minx, Ralph Henforth as Cannonball Taylor, Cosma Shiva Hagen as Royalton's assistant Gennie, German punk vocalist Jana Pallaske as a dirty racer at Casa Cristo, Togo Igawa as Mr. Togokahn, and Ben Miles as a Grand Prix commentator. Other small roles from more well-known actors as Melvil Poupaud as a Casa Cristo announcer, Hiroyuki Sanada as a business rival of Royalton, and Richard Roundtree as Ben Burns are great in their brief but memorable apperances.

Christian Oliver is funny as dirty racer Snake Oiler while John Benfield is very good as the thuggish Crunch Blocker. Scott Porter is pretty good in his brief role as Rex Racer while Korean pop vocalist Rain is also good as Taejo Togokahn with Yu Nan in a fine role as his good-natured sister Horuko. Kick Gurry is funny as Speed's mechanic Sparky who can't fight to save his life while Paulie Litt is fantastic as Spritle, the kid who loves candy and be with his pet chimp Chim-Chim, who rules. Benno Furmann is fine in a small role as the Inspector Detective who helps the Racer family find ways to fight corruption. In a very understated but light-humorous performance, Matthew Fox is excellent as the mysterious Racer X who helps Speed fight corruption while giving him some advice about doing the right thing.

Roger Allam is great as Royalton, the corporate honcho who will do what it takes to make more money and make Speed's life a living hell as Allam definitely hams it up and gives a glorious performance. Susan Sarandon is really good in a small yet understated role as Mom Racer who ground Speed while providing the warmth and calmness the family needed. John Goodman is fantastic as Pops Racer, a man who is all about the love of racing and a distaste for corporations while showing that he isn't naive as Speed thinks he is while can easily beat up a ninja. Christina Ricci is really good as Trixie, Speed's girlfriend who definitely can help Speed think things clearly while showing that she can be more than helpful on the race tracks as she even says the character's trademark line, cool beans. Emile Hirsch is brilliant as the title character in displaying a young man driven to win but also confused by the myths of races as Hirsch definitely carries the film with a coolness and complexity as it's definitely a worthy follow-up to his brilliant role in Sean Penn's Into the Wild a year earlier.

While it's not a perfect film, Speed Racer is a good, fun, entertaining film from the Wachowski Brothers that is a definite improvement over the let-downs that were the Matrix sequels. While fans of the original cartoon might have issues with its hyperactive look and tone, it is a film that is faithful while adding a nice spin to the cartoon. While it didn't do well in the box office when it came out in May 2008 largely due to some bad trailers. It's a film that needs to be seen since it is funny, it's got lots of action, and a strong theme about family. In the end, Speed Racer is a film that is worth anyone's time except for those cootie-sensitive viewers.

Wachowski Brothers Reviews: (Bound) - (The Matrix) - (The Matrix: Reloaded) - (The Matrix Revolutions) - Cloud Atlas

(C) thevoid99 2011