Thirteen (2003 film)

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed, Thirteen is the story of a thirteen-year old girl who befriends a bad girl in middle school as she is introduced to the world of chaos and self-destructive behavior as she would worry her mother. Loosely based on Reed‘s own experiences, the film is a coming-of-age film that explores a young girl‘s growing pains and her mother becoming frightened by her daughter‘s behavior. Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, Brady Corbet, Jeremy Sisto, Deborah Kara Unger, D.W. Moffett, Vanessa Hudgens, Kip Pardue, and Holly Hunter. Thirteen is a thrilling yet haunting film from Catherine Hardwicke.

The film follows the life of a thirteen-year old girl who goes from a sweet and caring honor student with a lot of promise who then befriends a popular bad girl as she becomes an unruly bad girl exploring sex, drugs, and alcohol much to the worry of recovering alcoholic mother. It is told in a very straightforward fashion as this young girl doesn’t just struggle with being in middle school but also the transition of growing out of an adolescent into becoming a teenager who would do wild things as she is introduced to all sorts of things by a girl who is also thirteen. The film’s screenplay by Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed which is sort of based on the latter’s experiences as a young girl that is struggling to find herself in that period between childhood and adulthood as it is very confusing and volatile at times. For the protagonist Tracy Freeland (Evan Rachel Wood), she is a young woman that is full of innocence but there is something about her that is off and confused.

Notably as Tracy often feels slighted by her mother Melanie (Holly Hunter) who devotes time trying to work as a hairdresser as well as spend time with a recovering addict in Brady (Jeremy Sisto) whom Tracy isn’t fond of. When Tracy enters middle school as this epitome of goody two-shoes kind of girl, she is mocked by some of her classmates as she begs her mother to get trendy clothes to fit in. Once the popular bad girl Evie Zamora (Nikki Reed) takes notice of Tracy as well as see what Tracy does to fit in, Tracy becomes part of this clique of girls wearing racy clothing and do outrageous things. When Evie’s legal guardian Brooke (Deborah Kara Unger) goes away for a convention for a few weeks, Evie would temporarily live with Tracy, Melanie, and Tracy’s older brother Mason (Brady Corbet) for a while. Melanie reluctantly let Evie live with them as she becomes a positive maternal figure for Evie in some ways but she eventually would drive a wedge between Melanie and Tracy. The latter of which becomes more destructive and less caring as it makes everyone uncomfortable except for Evie.

Hardwicke’s direction is definitely stylized with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as create certain moods in the photography to help express the whirlwind of emotions that Tracy would go through. Shot on location in and around Los Angeles, California on 16mm film, Hardwicke would go for something that is intimate where she mainly uses a lot of close-ups as well as some medium shots to play into the family dynamic as well as the growing friendship between Tracy and Evie. While there are some wide shots, it also has this stylized approach to the way the camera moves such as the scenes of Tracy and Evie walking around Hollywood where Tracy gets really high and loses Evie who would be someplace else as Mason would make a chilling discovery of what Tracy has become. The direction also play into this air of recklessness into what Tracy and Evie would do such as the opening scene of how wild these girls are and it would return again as it shows how far Tracy has descended. By the time the film reaches its third act, the de-saturated look in the colors become less defined and moodier as it play into that descent but also some of the realities that even Melanie is unprepared for. Overall, Hardwicke creates a gripping yet visceral film about a thirteen-year-old girl trying to grow up too fast in the worst ways.

Cinematographer Elliot Davis does incredible work with the film‘s stylish photography with the usage of blue-colored filters as well as some grainy yet de-saturated look of some of the scenes set in the daytime and at night in the interior/exterior scenes. Editor Nancy Richardson does excellent work with the editing as it features a lot of stylish jump-cuts and dizzying fast cuts as it play into the craziness of what Tracy would go through as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Carol Strober, with set decorator Donti Hurst and art director John B. Josselyn, does fantastic work with the look of the home the Freelands live in as well as some of the shops the characters go to.

Costume designer Cindy Evans does wonderful work with the costumes from the stylish clothes that Tracy and Evie would wear as well as some of the clothes that Melanie wears. Sound designer Frank Gaeta does superb work with the sound as it play into some of the chaotic moments that go on at the house and at some of the locations as well as some of the quieter moments in the film. The film’s music by Mark Mothersbaugh is amazing for its electronic-based score that features some playful melodies as it also has bits of rock and pop to play into the culture that Tracy and Evie are in while music supervisors Michelle Norrell and Amy Rosen provide a soundtrack that play into that world as it features music from Liz Phair, Clinic, Folk Implosion, MC 900 Ft. Jesus, the Like, Katy Rose, Kinnie Star and Carmen Rose, and Imperial Teen.

The casting by Jakki Fink, Shani Ginsberg, and Christina Sibul is great as it feature some notable small roles from Charles Duckworth as a teenage boy that Tracy likes in Javi, Jenicka Carey as a friend of Evie in Astrid, Cynthia Ettinger as a frequent customer of Melanie, Sarah Clarke as a family friend of Melanie, Kip Pardue as a neighbor named Luke that Evie would seduce, Vanessa Hudgens as a friend of Tracy who would be abandoned only to maintain her nice-girl persona, and D.W. Moffett as Tracy and Mason’s father who is startled by what happened to Tracy as he is unsure of what is happening. Deborah Kara Unger is terrific as Evie’s guardian Brooke who gives Evie a home and often lets her do what she wants while having a scary moment during the film’s climax as it relates to Tracy’s behavior. Jeremy Sisto is superb as Melanie’s boyfriend Brady as a recovering addict who is trying to redeem himself despite being disliked by Tracy as he becomes aware of the bad influence Evie has become.

Brady Corbet is excellent as Mason as Tracy’s older brother who has a thing for Evie but eventually becomes overwhelmed as he realizes how bad of an influence she’s become. Nikki Reed is amazing as Evie Zamora as a troubled teenager who is popular as she is quite wild and can do a lot of things as she introduces Tracy to a lot of things while being a true friend of sorts where she goes to Melanie in needing a positive maternal figure. Holly Hunter is brilliant as Melanie Freeland as a woman that is struggling to raise two kids as she is unaware of what her daughter is going through as she then becomes scared of what Tracy is becoming as she has a hard time about all that is happening. Finally, there’s Evan Rachel Wood in a phenomenal performance as Tracy Freeland as a thirteen-year old girl who goes from sweet and innocent to being unruly and unpredictable as it’s a wild and scary performance from Wood who displays all of the manic energy and terror of being a teenager.

Thirteen is a spectacular film from Catherine Hardwicke that features incredible performances from Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, and Holly Hunter. Along with an excellent supporting cast, dazzling visuals, and a fantastic music score and soundtrack. It’s a film that is quite intense as a coming-of-age drama where it does have elements that feel very real but also provide some hope about how a parent handle the growing pains of a child. In the end, Thirteen is a tremendous film from Catherine Hardwicke.

Catherine Hardwicke Films: (Lords of Dogtown) - (The Nativity Story) - (Twilight (2008 film)) - (Red Riding Hood (2011 film)) - (Plush) - (Miss You Already)

© thevoid99 2016

The Game

Directed by David Fincher and written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris (w/ additional work by Andrew Kevin Walker and Larry Gross), The Game is the story of a wealthy investment banker who is invited to play a game that blurs reality and fiction as it becomes dangerous and thrilling. The film is about a man being forced to confront his own fears as well as his own life through a deadly game. Starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, James Rebhorn, Deborah Kara Unger, Carroll Baker, and Armin Mueller-Stahl. The Game is an exhilarating and sprawling film from David Fincher.

The film follows the life of a wealthy but cold investment banker who is given a mysterious birthday present from his estranged younger brother which is an invitation to play a game where reality and fiction blur. It’s a film where a man is forced to confront aspects of his own life as well as memories about his father’s death where he has no idea if the game he is playing is real or just some sick joke. The film’s screenplay by John Brancato and Michael Ferris doesn’t just establish the life of its protagonist Nicholas Van Horton (Michael Douglas) who is wealthy but very lonely as he lives in a mansion with a longtime family maid as he is more content with making money and being powerful. When he is invited to lunch by his younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn) who would give him this mysterious invitation. Nicholas doesn’t think about what his brother gave him until he takes a chance where he’s interviewed and examined and then the game starts in a mysterious way.

In the course of the film, Nicholas would wonder what is going on as aspects of his life begin to fall apart from a TV reporter that he watches who suddenly talks to him to other odd things. Along the way, he meets a waitress named Christine (Deborah Kara Unger) who has no idea what is going on as she becomes part of the game for some strange reason. Even as his house has been vandalized and other things start to make no sense as Conrad would claim that the company who handles the game has gone out of control. There is a structure to the script as much of the second act is about the game while the third is Nicholas trying to find out more about this company and expose them to see if he’s still playing or something else has happened.

David Fincher’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of the moods and compositions he creates as it play into a man taking part into the world of the unknown. Shot largely on location in San Francisco, the film plays into this world that mixes the corporate business side with a wild side as Nicholas is not familiar with the latter. Fincher’s meticulous compositions in the usage of the medium shots and close-up play into that sense of cold and unforgiving world that Nicholas lives in as Fincher presents Nicholas in a somewhat detached way. Once the game begins, the direction becomes more intimate and eerie as well as having some bits of dark humor. The lines of reality and fantasy would blur where Fincher doesn’t try to make anything distinctive only for the fact that a game is being played. At the same time, it is about the sense of the unknown where San Francisco is a character in the film where Fincher uses some wide shots to establish some of its landmarks.

The direction also has Fincher use some flashbacks shown in 8mm film as it play into the guilt and loss that Nicholas is carrying which adds to his loner persona. Yet, he realizes that he will have to depend on those who are willing to help him such as Christine. Still, there is that blur of who is playing what and are any of them in on the game or have no clue that they’re in a game. The film’s climax definitely ups the ante in terms of its intensity where Nicholas tries to decipher what is real and what is fantasy as well as face some of his own fears that had been looming into his life. Overall, Fincher creates a thrilling yet provocative film about a man playing a game of death where he is forced to confront his own fears and flaws about himself.

Cinematographer Harris Savides does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of filters and lights for some of the interior scenes as well as the scenes set at night while creating a cold look for some of the exteriors set at night. Editor James Haygood does excellent work with the editing as it has some nice rhythmic cutting to play into the suspense and action as well as some of the darkly comic moments in the film. Production designer James Beecroft, with art directors James J. Murakami and Steve Saklad and set decorator Jackie Carr, does fantastic work with the look of the interior at Nicholas‘ home as well as the look of the office where the people of the game work and the hotel rooms in San Francisco‘s finest hotels. Costume designer Michael Kaplan does nice work with the costumes from the expensive suits that Nicholas wears early in the film to the more casual look he would sport later on as well as the clothes of the other characters.

Visual effects supervisor Kevin Haug does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects as it mostly relates to the film‘s climax it play into that blur of reality and fantasy. Sound designer Ren Klyce does amazing work with the sound work as it has many layers into the locations that Nicholas encounters as well as in the phone conversations he has. The film’s music by Howard Shore is superb for its haunting yet bombastic score as its orchestral flourishes swell into the drama and suspense while music supervisor Dawn Soler creates a fun soundtrack that features elements of jazz, classical, and contemporary music.

The casting by Don Phillips is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Spike Jonze as a EMT, Linda Manz as Christine’s roommate, Yuji Okumoto as the Nikko hotel manager, Tommy Flanagan as a solicitor/taxi driver, Mark Boone Junior as a shady private detective following Nicholas, and Charles Martinet as Nicholas and Conrad’s father in the flashback scenes. Anna Katarina is wonderful as Nicholas’ ex-wife Elizabeth who only appears briefly late in the film as someone who has moved on but is starting to see that Nicholas is having some revelations about himself. Carroll Baker is terrific as Nicholas’ maid Ilsa as a woman who has been taking of Nicholas’ home yet knows a lot about Nicholas’ father once he starts to ask her about him. Peter Donat is superb as Nicholas’ attorney Samuel Sutherland as someone who watches over and handles some of Nicholas’ business as he becomes evasive later in the film. Armin Mueller-Stahl is excellent as Anson Baer as a businessman that Nicholas tries to buy out only to be just as eccentric and mysterious as he is fun to watch.

James Rebhorn is fantastic as Jim Feingold as a man who is an analyst for the company that creates the game as he is this eccentric yet fun guy that brings so much joy into his performance. Deborah Kara Unger is amazing as Christine as a waitress whom Nicholas meets during his game as she becomes this unlikely player that becomes part of the game as she tries to figure out what is going on. Sean Penn is brilliant as Conrad as Nicholas’ estranged younger brother who would introduce his brother to the game saying it will change his life only to find himself owing money to the company that created the game. Finally, there’s Michael Douglas in an incredible performance as Nicholas Van Orton as a wealthy investment banker who is quite cold and distant where he is given the thrill of a lifetime where Douglas gives a performance that is exhilarating as a man who encounters fear and danger as it is one of his great performances.

The Game is a phenomenal film from David Fincher that features a sensational performance from Michael Douglas. Along with a great supporting cast, eerie visuals, a chilling music score, and a crafty screenplay that blur the lines between reality and fiction. It’s a film that isn’t just a smart and engaging thriller but also a study of fear and control. In the end, The Game is a spectacular film from David Fincher.

David Fincher Films: Alien 3 - Se7en - Fight Club - Panic Room - Zodiac - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Social Network - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film) - Gone Girl

Related: 15 Essential Music Videos by David Fincher - The Auteurs #61: David Fincher

© thevoid99 2016

A Love Song for Bobby Long

Based on the novel Off Magazine Street by Ronald Everett Capps, A Love Song for Bobby Long is the story of an 18-year old high school dropout who travels to New Orleans following her mother’s death to reclaim her mother’s home as she is forced to deal with an alcoholic literary professor and his protégé as she reluctantly lives with them. Written for the screen and directed by Shainee Gabel, the film is an exploration of a young woman trying to know the mother she had never really knew as well as the two men who knew her. Starring John Travolta, Scarlett Johansson, Gabriel Macht, Deborah Kara Unger, Clayne Crawford, and Dane Rhodes. A Love Song for Bobby Long is a compelling yet flawed film from Shainee Gabel.

The film plays into the life of a woman who had just died as her estranged 18-year old daughter travels from Panama City, Florida to New Orleans to get the house her mother lived in only to find out that two men are already living there. In the process, the three form a very dysfunctional yet unconventional family where the young woman Purslane (Scarlett Johansson) deals with Bobby Long (John Travolta) and his antics though she does befriend his protégé Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht) who is trying write a novel. Yet, Long would get Purslane to finish high school since he knows she has more to offer even though Long didn’t want Purslane to be at the house only to realize that he and Lawson do need her where the two attempt to sober up. In the process, Purslane would learn more about her mother through Long, Pines, and other friends but also about herself.

Shainee Gabel’s screenplay does create a story that is engaging in the way a young woman tries to find out who she is as well as her estranged mother that she never really knew. Even as she arrives to New Orleans days after her mother’s funeral because her inept boyfriend didn’t give her the mail where she isn’t sure about sharing the house with two alcoholics. While it’s a film that really revolves around Purslane, it’s told from the perspective of Lawson where it’s a device that has its moment but often rambles at time where it really lags the story down. Especially as some scenes tend to go on for too long where Gabel wants to reveal more about the characters but it ends being very expository. Though things do get interesting in the first two acts, it does fall apart in the third act due to a lot of dramatic scenarios and some revelations that end up being very obvious.

Gabel’s direction definitely has some very entrancing moments in the way it captures the city of New Orleans through its many locations and weather climates. There are some beautiful compositions in the way Gabel captures the city which is a character of the film while Gabel also creates some unique close-ups and medium shots that play into the dramatic aspects of the film. There are also some moments of humor in the film as Gabel tries to keep things moving but some scenes are overlong at times which definitely drag the film. Especially as it is clear that some scenes needed some trimming where Gabel really wants to broaden the story only for things to get a little excessive. Overall, Gabel creates a fine but very messy and uneven film about three people sharing a house in New Orleans.

Cinematographer Elliot Davis does amazing work with the film‘s gorgeous cinematography to capture the different climates of New Orleans from its hot and sunny days to its moments in the rain as well as the interior lighting set in the bars and in the house. Editors Lisa Fruchtman and Lee Percy do some excellent work in the editing in capturing some of the dramatic moments along with a few montages though some scenes end up being very long and drag the film at times. Production designer Sharon Lomofsky, with set decorator Leonard R. Spears and art director Adele Plauche, does fantastic work with the look of the house the three characters live in along with some of the look of the bars and other places in New Orleans.

Costume designer Jill M. Ohanneson does terrific work with the costumes from the ragged look of the men to the different array of clothes that Purslane would wear including some of the dresses. Sound editor Stephen Hunter Flick does superb work with the sound in some of the moments in the film‘s locations along with some scenes at the bar. The film’s music by Nathan Larson is brilliant for its low-key score filled with guitars and ambient textures while music supervisor Jim Black brings in an incredible soundtrack that features a diverse array of music from indie, shoegaze, blues, and jazz from artists like Nada Surf, Los Lobos, Trespasser William, Helen Humes, Giant Drag, Lonnie Pitchford, and Grayson Capps.

The casting by Sig de Miguel, Lisa Me Fincannon, Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich, and Wendy Weidman are wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Dave Jensen as a musician friend of Purslane’s mother, Clayne Crawford as Purslane’s idiotic redneck boyfriend who would show up in the third act to cause trouble, and Deborah Kara Unger in a decent but very underwritten role as Lawson’s girlfriend Georgianna. Dane Rhodes is fantastic as Cecil who knew Purslane’s mother very well as it’s a very sensitive and kind performance that could’ve been expanded more. Gabriel Macht is pretty good as Lawson Pines as a writer trying to make a book where Macht has his moments but never really enough to flesh his character out more.

John Travolta is alright as the once brilliant literary professor Bobby Long where Travolta does have some charisma into the role but it’s a performance where Travolta tries very hard to be serious in the way he quotes a lot of literature where he is trying to be Marlon Brando at times and it’s a very jarring performance to watch. Finally, there’s Scarlett Johansson in a remarkable performance as Purslane Will as this young woman with no direction who arrives to New Orleans to get her inheritance as she tries to figure out what to do with the help of two alcoholic men as it’s a role that has Johansson be filled with a sense of torment and guilt over not knowing her mother as well as a restraint in the way she tries to hold her emotions as it’s one of her finest performances.

While it is a very flawed film that tends to be a bit too long and has some serious pacing issues, A Love Song for Bobby Long is still a worthwhile film from Shainee Gabel thanks in part to the mesmerizing performance of Scarlett Johansson. While it has some very beautiful images thanks to Elliot Davis’ cinematography and a brilliant soundtrack, it’s a film that has moments that are engaging as well as the way it captures pre-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. In the end, A Love Song for Bobby Long is a pretty good yet uneven film from Shainee Gabel.

© thevoid99 2014

Fear X

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and written by Refn and Hubert Selby Jr. from an original story by Selby, Fear X is the story of a man who deals with strange visions that he believes has something to do with his wife’s murder. The film marks Refn’s first English-language feature following two features in his native Denmark. Starring John Turturro, Deborah Kara Unger, Stephen McIntyre, William Allen Young, and James Remar. Fear X is a very intriguing suspense film from Nicolas Winding Refn that loses its focus in its second half.

After the death of his wife in a shopping mall that he works at as a security cop, Harry Caine (John Turturro) is obsessed with finding out who killed her and why as he continuously searches through various security footage and pictures to find answers. After a friend in Phil (Stephen McIntyre) gives a video tape where Caine witnesses how his wife was killed as authorities ask him if his wife knew anyone. Caine suspects that the home that is across from his might know something due to surreal images he breaks in to find a strip of film on the floor. After uncovering the pictures that features a woman (Deborah Kara Unger) and a child, he learns that the pictures are from Montana as he travels to a small town to find answers.

Meanwhile, a lieutenant police officer named Peter Northrup (James Remar) has just been given a special award for his duties as his wife Kate watches in awe. Yet, Peter just learned that Harry is looking for Kate based on the photo he has where he reveals to his superiors about why Harry is here. With Harry getting closer to finding answers while dealing with the strange images in his head. He and Peter finally meet to discuss what happened to Harry’s wife.

The film is about a security mall cop who tries to figure out who killed his wife and why where he goes into this strange obsession to finding out who her killer is while a small town cop from Montana might have the answers. The film is about simply about fear, the fear of finding some awful truths and the fear of the guilt that is sweeping into a character. While it’s a premise that is interesting, screenwriters Nicolas Winding Refn and Hubert Selby Jr. don’t exactly create a payoff that is satisfying. While the first half of the story has this amazing narrative that follows Harry Caine weaving his way to find answers. The narrative then shifts a bit where Caine arrives in Montana as the focus is on this other man where things become messy and their eventual confrontation ends up being followed by moments that don’t make any sense.

Refn’s direction of the film is quite entrancing for the compositions he makes in the snowy locations of Winnipeg. Notably in how he sets a mood for Harry’s obsession in uncovering the mystery where there’s a great element of suspense as well a study into this man’s mind. One of the drawbacks of the film are these strange surreal montages that displays whether Harry is imagining things where it blurs the idea of reality and fiction. Some of which are seen as flashbacks but other times, it becomes confusing in the film’s second half to the point that it adds to the messiness of the narrative. When the film arrives in the second where Harry arrives in Montana, the focus on Peter starts forces the narrative to lose some momentum as if shifts back and forth for this eventual meeting.

While the compositions and the way Refn frames the meeting is interesting. It is followed by a very strange montage of visual images that really just hampers all of the tension. This would be followed by an ending that is very disappointing because it leaves more question than answers as it begs the question of whether Harry Caine’s obsession was imaginary or real. Overall, Refn creates a film that starts off very strong and then ends up into a huge mess where its payoff is a frustrating one.

Cinematographer Larry Smith does amazing work with the film‘s evocative cinematography from the lush interior settings he creates in the hotel hallway scenes to the gorgeous exteriors of the Winnipeg locations to play out the open-ended world of Montana. Editor Anne Osterud does nice work with the editing to play up the suspense of Caine‘s attempt to uncover the mystery along with some straightforward cuts to help intensify the drama. Production designer Peter De Neergaard, along with art directors Morten Isbrand and Rejean Labrie and set decorator Stephen Arndt, does terrific work with the set pieces created such as the hotel room that Caine stays at as well as the lovely hotel hallway that plays to the dark mood of the film.

Costume designer Darena Snowe does good work with the costumes as a lot of it is quite casual including the uniform that Harry wears when he works at the mall. Visual effects supervisor Morten Balling does some fine work with some of the visual effects montage that is quite surreal to look although they weren‘t really necessary. Sound designers Jens Bonding and Peter Schultz do superb work with the sound design from the calm atmosphere of Caine‘s home to the raucous world of the mall that Caine works at. The film’s score by Brian Eno and J. Peter Schwalm is wonderful for the way it plays out the tense atmosphere of the film with its chilling yet ethereal ambient score as it’s definitely some fantastic work from Eno who is the godfather of ambient music.

The casting by Carrie Hilton and Penny Perry is terrific for the ensemble that is created as it includes an appearance from Refn’s wife and Bleeder co-star Liv Corfixen as a hotel waitress as well as small roles from Amanda Ooms as a hooker, Mark Houghton as a diner cop, William Allen Young as an investigator who talks to Harry, Jacqueline Ramel as Harry’s late wife, and Stephen McIntyre as fellow security cop who helps Harry in providing security tapes. Deborah Kara Unger is practically wasted in her role as Peter’s wife Kate as she only appears in a couple of key scenes as she doesn’t get much to do but feel upset about what Peter could be hiding. James Remar is excellent as Lt. Peter Northrup who tries to deal with the news of Harry’s visit as Remar displays a great sense of anguish over what he could be hiding as well as the guilt he’s dealing with.

Finally, there’s John Turturro in an incredible performance as Harry Caine. It’s a performance where Turturro really gives a very understated approach to his character who is lost in his grief and determined to find answers for what happened. It’s truly mesmerizing in the way Turturro makes Caine into a character that audiences can sympathize with as he’s a man that isn’t about action but rather just someone seeking out some truth.

Despite some amazing images and John Turturro’s great performance, Fear X is a very underwhelming suspense film from Nicolas Winding Refn. While the film will feature compositions and a visual style that would be part of Refn’s later films. It’s a film that will disappoint fans of suspense films due to its incomprehensive second act and an ending that will leave everyone disgusted and confused. In the end, Fear X is a worthwhile but very frustrating film from Nicolas Winding Refn.

Nicolas Winding Refn Films: Pusher - Bleeder - Pusher II - Pusher 3 - Bronson - Valhalla Rising - Drive - Only God Forgives - The Neon Demon - The Auteurs #12: Nicolas Winding Refn

© thevoid99 2012

Crash (1996 film)

Originally an Alternate Review Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/13/03 w/ Extensive Revisions.

Based on the J.G. Ballard novel, Crash is a film where a married couple seeks out new sexual thrills by watching and participating in car crashes. Written for the screen and directed by David Cronenberg, Crash is a film that pushes sex to new levels as its premise is to shock and provoke. Dealing with elements of destruction, sadomasochism, homosexuality, infidelity, and all sorts of stuff, Cronenberg takes everything to the extreme for this intense film. Starring James Spader, Holly Hunter, Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas, and Rosanna Arquette. Crash is a mesmerizing yet confrontational film from David Cronenberg.

Film producer James Ballard (James Spader) and his wife Catherine (Deborah Kara Unger) are seeking some new thrills in their sex life as they even try to have sex with other people. During a ride into increasing traffic on a highway, James get himself in a car accident where he sees another injured driver who exposes her breast and masturbates following the intense crash. Suffering multiple injuries, James sees the woman named Dr. Helen Remington (Holly Hunter) who is at the same hospital where she is accompanied by man named Vaughn (Elias Koteas). Vaughn checks into James's injured leg as he's intrigued as James returns home to find his damaged car. Meeting up with Helen, the two begin an affair based on their love for traffic accidents.

When Helen takes James to a performance art show hosted by Vaughn, James watches Vaughn and a stuntman named Colin (Peter MacNeill) recreate James Dean's infamous car crash for their show as they both survived. Meeting up with a friend of Vaughn in Gabrielle (Rosanna Arquette) who is surrounded by leg and back braces, James takes part in Vaughn's cult as he brings Catherine along who finds thrills as she becomes interested in Vaughn who believes that car crashes and its destructive aftermath is a work of art. With Catherine becoming more attracted to Vaughn with James becoming uneasy, another horrific incident leaves James worried as he later has an affair with Gabrielle.

With Vaughn set to create his next big presentation with claims that it will be his masterpiece. James wonders if he and Catherine are going too far in their fetish for the chaos of car accidents.

What makes Crash intriguing is the way Cronenberg pushes things on sex and pain. With fast-paced camera work on the driving scenes by Peter Suschitzky, Cronenberg gives a look of everything that seems off and something might tick. The film as it goes by keeps on getting shocking and shocking by each scene with the ending being the icing on the cake. The real flaw of the film is in its extremities whether it’s the nature of violence or the graphic sex scenes, which features a lot of female genitalia from Unger, Arquette, and Holly as well as scenes involving Spader and Koteas with other women including themselves in a scene. Cronenberg makes sure, nothing gets off easy as he creates something that is truly confrontational and thrilling.

On the performance front, all the five main players in the film standout on their own or with the other actors where everyone seems to have some kind of chemistry whether its brilliant or discomforting. Holly Hunter brings a dark, masterful performance as Helen Remington where she proves she can be sexy and powerful as a broken soul trying to plan the next crash. Rosanna Arquette, who is always underrated, brings in a chilling, fragile performance as Gabrielle as she keeps walking on a cane and wanting more and more pain. Deborah Kara Unger is the film’s sexiest performance as she starts out as this bored woman who becomes more aroused into her own, dangerous personality. Elias Koteas is brilliant as the manipulative, psychotic Vaughn who is played with great indulgence that makes Koteas the most interesting actor in the film. James Spader is the film’s more moralistic character as he is trying to figure out if everything he’s doing is wrong while this film, would slow his career down a bit.

Crash is a chilling yet harrowing film from David Cronenberg that features a superb cast and a phenomenal premise. While it may not live up to earlier great films like Dead Ringers and Videodrome, it is a very interesting yet chaotic film that only Cronenberg can pull off. While it's definitely not a film for everyone, particularly those with extremely-conservative films. It's a film that works because it challenges the idea of what is normal as Crash is a powerful from David Cronenberg.

David Cronenberg Films: Stereo - Crimes of the Future - Shivers - Rabid - Fast Company - The Brood - Scanners - Videodrome - The Dead Zone - The Fly (1986 film) - Dead Ringers - Naked Lunch - M. Butterfly - eXistenZ - Spider - A History of Violence - Eastern Promises - A Dangerous Method - Cosmopolis - Maps to the Stars - Crimes of the Future (2022 film)

The Auteurs #26: David Cronenberg Pt 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2011