Insignificance

Directed by Nicolas Roeg and written by Terry Johnson that is based on the play by the latter, Insignificance is the story of a meeting between four famous figures in a hotel room in New York City in the year 1954 as they all deal with fame and such. The film is an exploration of four famous people who deal with their own celebrity as none of them are named by who they are as they all talk about their own world inside a hotel room. Starring Gary Busey, Michael Emil, Theresa Russell, Will Sampson, Patrick Kilpatrick, and Tony Curtis. Insignificance is a rapturous and enthralling film from Nicolas Roeg.

Set during a day at a hotel in New York City in 1954, the film revolves around four iconic figures who all meet at a hotel room as they all discuss themselves and their contributions to the world. It’s a film with a simple premise as it revolve around these four people as they would all meet at the hotel room of one of the film’s protagonists in the Professor (Michael Emil). Terry Johnson’s screenplay play into this period that spans nearly 24 hours as it has the Professor going over notes as he would meet with the Senator (Tony Curtis) while the Actress (Theresa Russell) is making a movie while her husband in the Ballplayer (Gary Busey) watches with disdain. Later on as the Senator goes into his room at the hotel after a discussion with the Professor doesn’t go well as he planned. The Actress would meet the Professor as it would lead to discussions of existence as the Ballplayer and the Senator would later join in as the script has these four characters plus an elevator attendant known as the Indian (Will Sampson) be part of this sociological experience on existence.

Nicolas Roeg’s direction is definitely stylish in the fact that much of the action takes place inside a hotel and a hotel room as much of the film is shot inside a studio soundstage in Wembley. While there are some exterior shots of New York City, the film is more about four people often engaging in conversations in a hotel room with recurring flashbacks appearing every now and then as it play to these people and who they are. There are some wide shots in the film including in a few of the locations as it relates to some of the flashbacks that the Professor is thinking about that also include these dark images as it relates to his own guilt. Much of Roeg’s direction is intimate in its usage of medium shots and close-ups to get the characters to talk with one another as there’s also a lot of close-ups relating to the Actress and her beauty that also feature flashbacks of how she became this icon through extreme close-ups of her ass and breasts.

There are also a lot of symbolism in the imagery whether it’s the Actress in how she’s seen by the world or images of clocks and watches as it relates to time where the Professor carries a stopwatch with the time 8:15 as if it means something. Roeg also maintains this air of tension once the Ballplayer appears at the Professor’s room while there are also these chilling images of the Actress dealing with her insecurities. Even as she is trying to prove that she’s not this dim-witted beauty as she does know things yet her husband doesn’t get it as he’s kind of a raging buffoon who does mean well. It also play into this air of foreshadowing and the growing sense of fear in all four of these characters whether it’s from their past or what is to come. Most notably its ending as it relates to time and the guilt that looms from the Professor into what he’s created as well as what the Senator wanted from him and the Ballplayer pleading to have another chance with the Actress. Overall, Roeg creates a provocative yet captivating film about four popular figures in the 1950s meeting in a hotel to deal with their fame and the world around them.

Cinematographer Peter Hannan does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish usage of lighting and shadows for the scenes in the hotel room along with the way a bar is lit and the streets at night as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Tony Lawson does excellent work with the editing as it help play into the drama and emotional suspense as well as the stylish usage of jump cuts for some of the flashback scenes. Production designer David Brockhurst, with art directors Arthur Max and Celia Barnett, does amazing work with the look of the hotel room and other interiors as well as the bar and a few of the exteriors in the film. Costume designer Shauna Harwood does fantastic work with the costume from the suits that the Senator and the Ballplayer wear as well as the sweatshirt that the Professor wears and the white dress that the Actress wears.

Hair stylist Jan Archibald and makeup designer Christine Beveridge do terrific work with the look of the Professor with his hair and the Actress with her platinum blonde hair. The special effects work of Alan Whibley is wonderful for the film’s end sequence as it play into the horrors and fears of the characters involved in the film. The sound work of Paul LeMare is superb for the way things sound in and out of the hotel room as well as the sounds of things happening in the hallway and in some of the exterior settings outside of the hotel. The film’s music by Stanley Myers and Hans Zimmer is incredible for its mixture of jazz, lush orchestral music, hip-hop, and electronics to play into the sense of chaos and drama that occurs throughout the film that also features a soundtrack of music ranging from jazz, blues, and country that are performed by Roy Orbison, the trio of Will Jennings, Glenn Gregory, and Claudia Brucken on a song, and Theresa Russell.

The casting by Lucy Boulting and Margery Simkin is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Patrick Kilpatrick as the Actress’ driver, Raynor Scheine as an autograph hunter, and Will Sampson in a fantastic performance as the elevator attendant known as the Indian who is often in the elevator meeting the protagonists and have brief conversations with them while observing everything they’re thinking about. Gary Busey is excellent as the Ballplayer as a man driven with envy for his wife while trying to understand what she wants as he’s also a man with some knowledge despite the fact that he is a bit of buffoon that means well yet knows a lot about baseball. Tony Curtis is brilliant as the Senator as a man trying to uphold some idea of law and order as well as get some documents from the Professor and have him testify or else the Professor gets in trouble as Curtis brings a charm and a devious approach to the character.

Michael Emil is amazing as the Professor as a man trying to come up with answers about existence and the shape of the universe while dealing with his pasts and the horrors of what he had created as it would haunt him as he’s also looking at his stopwatch. Finally, there’s Theresa Russell in a phenomenal performance as the Actress as this woman who exudes immense beauty but is also insecure yet curious about the ideas of existence and the universe as Russell has this charm and exuberance in her character as well as selling the chaos that is her emotions as it is a career-defining performance from Russell.

Insignificance is a tremendous film from Nicolas Roeg. Featuring a great ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, studies of fame and existence through these famous cultural figures of the 1950s, incredible art direction, and a sumptuous music score. The film is definitely a unique look into the world from the viewpoint of four famous figures along with the events that haunt them. In the end, Insignificance is a spectacular film from Nicolas Roeg.

Nicolas Roeg Films: Performance - Walkabout - (Glastonbury Fayre) – Don't Look Now - The Man Who Fell to Earth - (Bad Timing) – (Eureka) – (Castaway) – (Aria-Un ballo in maschera) – (Track 29) – (The Witches (1990 film)) – (Heart of Darkness (1993 film)) – (Two Deaths) – (Full Body Massage) – (Samson and Delilah) – (Puffball)

© thevoid99 2020

Rookie of the Year

Directed by Daniel Stern and written by Sam Harper, Rookie of the Year is the story of a young boy who would pitch for the Chicago Cubs after getting his arm injured as it’s later healed with tightened tendons that gives him incredible pitching powers. It’s a film that plays into a boy wanting to be good in baseball where an injury would give his right arm something special as he would get to live his dream but also learn about the price of fame. Starring Thomas Ian Nicholas, Gary Busey, Amy Morton, Bruce Altman, Albert Hall, Dan Hedaya, Eddie Bracken, Daniel Stern, and John Candy. Rookie of the Year is a delightful film from Daniel Stern.

What happens to a boy when he gets injured during a little league game where his right arm is healed with tighten tendons that allows him to pitch at great speed where he would pitch for the Chicago Cubs? That is pretty much the premise of the film as it revolves around a 12-year old boy who just wants to be good at baseball but he’s never really had the chance to play until one day where he fills in and things go wrong when he slips on a ball and breaks his arm. Once his arm is healed, he learns that his tendons have tightened more than it should which allows him to exert great force where he would unknowingly throw a ball back from the outfield bleachers to home plate as he would get this attention from Cubs management. There, Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas) would start out as a relief pitcher for the Cubs as he would be mentored by his hero in the aging starting pitcher Chet “Rocket” Steadman (Gary Busey) as he would also learn the dark side of being famous.

The film’s screenplay by Sam Harper doesn’t just showcase a boy living his dream to play in the major league but also be forced to grow up faster than he should when it comes to being used to sell things that he has no clue about. Especially when he’s being exploited by his mother’s boyfriend Jack Bradfield (Bruce Altman) as well as Cubs general manager Larry “Fish” Fisher (Dan Hedaya) as the latter is looking to take over the Cubs altogether from his uncle Bob Carson (Eddie Bracken). It is there that Henry learns about these things as it prevents him from being with his friends and just being a kid while Steadman, whose career is on the way out, tells him about not just his own bitterness about the game but also what happens when the gift that Henry is bestowed upon goes away. While there is an element of seriousness that plays into the world of baseball, Harper does at least maintain a sense of innocence as well as some humor into the world of baseball such as how Henry manages to enjoy the game.

Daniel Stern’s direction is quite simple as he shoots the film on location in Chicago and other nearby cities including Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park in Chicago as Dodger Stadium. Much of Stern’s compositions are simple as well as stylish that includes some low angle shots, close-ups, and medium shots to reveal what goes on in the field and at the dugout. Some of it is played for laughs as it involves Stern’s character Phil Brickma who is this eccentric pitching coach. Yet, Stern does maintain a balance of comedy and light-drama as it plays into a boy coming of age as a major league pitcher as he copes with not just fame but its demands where he would make a very adult decision. Stern’s approach to the story not only succeeds in making it accessible for a young audience but also in not talking them down with heavy-handed ideas about fame and money. All of which plays into the joy of playing baseball as its climax is set during a division playoff. Overall, Stern creates a very fun and engaging film about a young boy who lives the dream in pitching for the Chicago Cubs.

Cinematographer Jack N. Green does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it‘s very simple for the daytime exterior scenes while being straightforward for the interior scenes and some scenes set at night. Editors Donn Cambern and Raja Gosnell do nice work with the editing as it‘s straightforward with a few montages and some rhythmic cuts for the film‘s humor. Production designer Steven J. Jordan, with set decorator Leslie Bloom and art director William Arnold, does brilliant work with the home that Henry and his mom live in as well as the Cubs locker room.

Costume designer Jay Hurley does terrific work as most of the clothes are casual along with some design of the baseball uniforms. Visual effects supervisor Erik Henry does fine work with the minimal visual effects which often revolves around the fastball that Henry throws. Sound editor Stephen Hunter Flick does superb work with the sound from the sound of the crowd at the ball game to the sound effects of the fastball. The film’s music by Bill Conti is amazing for its orchestral score as it is filled with soaring string arrangements with elements of guitar wails to play into the thrill of sports as the soundtrack features elements of rock and pop music.

The casting by Linda Lowy is incredible as it features notable small roles from Colombe Jacobsen as Henry’s crush Becky, W. Earl Brown as the Cubs catcher Frick, Ross Lehman as Henry’s doctor, Tom Milanovich as the notorious Mets hitter Heddo, and cameo appearances from Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, and Pedro Guerrero as themselves. Patrick LaBrecque and Robert Hy Gorman are terrific in their respective roles as Henry’s friends George and Clark who try to cope with Henry’s sudden fame which George gets jealous of. Daniel Stern is hilarious as the pitching coach Phil Brickma as he often causes some trouble to others or to himself. Albert Hall is excellent as the Cubs manager Sal Martinella who always mispronounces Henry’s surname while Dan Hedaya is superb as the Cubs general manager Fisher who would exploit Henry in the hopes of making money and become the Cubs’ new owner.  Bruce Altman is fantastic as Mary’s boyfriend Jack who would become Henry’s manager and later try to get him all sorts of things to make money much to Henry’s disgust. 

John Candy is great in one of his final performances as Cubs announcer Cliff Murdoch as Candy brings a lot of funny comments throughout the film.  Amy Morton is amazing as Henry’s mom Mary as someone who makes sure that Henry doesn’t lose himself to the trappings of fame as she becomes suspicious of Jack’s work as she becomes close with Steadman. Gary Busey is brilliant as Chet Steadman as an aging pitcher who is asked to mentor Henry as he copes with not just his fading career but also the fact that he’s not as good as he once was as he tells Henry about what to expect when that gift is gone. Finally, there’s Thomas Ian Nicholas in a marvelous performance as Henry Rowengartner as a 12-year old kid who just wants to be good at baseball where an injury to his arm gives him unlikely throwing power as he copes with being in the major leagues and its demands as Nicholas adds a maturity to his role that makes the character very likeable.

Rookie of the Year is a remarkable film from Daniel Stern. Armed with a great cast and an engaging story about the idea of being in the major leagues, it’s a film that is very accessible for families as well as offer something compelling for baseball fans. In the end, Rookie of the Year is a fantastic film from Daniel Stern.

© thevoid99 2015

Lethal Weapon

Directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black, Lethal Weapon is the story of two very different Los Angeles detectives who become partners as they battle a retired general who has become a drug smuggler and his psychotic enforcer. The film is a strange mixture of the buddy comedy films with high-octane action as it is led by two men who have nothing in common as Mel Gibson plays the crazed, suicidal Martin Riggs and Danny Glovers as the straight-laced veteran Roger Murtaugh. Also starring Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Tom Atkins, Mary Ellen Trainor, and Steve Kahan as Captain Murphy. Lethal Weapon is an explosive yet extremely entertaining film from Richard Donner.

What happens when a middle-aged family man who is straight as an arrow is teamed up with a lonely and crazed man with a death wish as they go around chasing bad guys? That is basically the premise of the film as it plays into this odd world where two guys who have nothing in common other than being part of the LAPD as they deal with a drug smuggler who was once a general in the Vietnam War who also has an enforcer that is extremely insane in terms of dealing with situations. Especially as the veteran Roger Murtaugh is asked to investigate the death of a young woman whose father is an old friend of Murtaugh as he and Martin Riggs deal with many revelations about the drug trade that is connected with this woman’s death. During this investigation, Riggs and Murtaugh would become this unlikely duo that takes name and kick some ass as they also find more to like about each other outside of their work.

Shane Black’s screenplay definitely has this strange mix of action, suspense, and humor all rolled into a story that is offbeat but also filled with a lot of excitement. At the heart of the script is this unlikely partnership between Riggs and Murtaugh as they’re different in many ways not just in age, personalities, skills, morals, backgrounds, and in lifestyles. Yet, this duo manage to become partners that get things done as well as be there for one another. In Murtaugh, he’s this middle-aged veteran who lives in the suburbs as he’s been in the force for many years as he has three children as one of whom in Rianne (Traci Wolfe) is becoming a young woman. In being this veteran, he copes with being middle-aged as he often states that he’s too old for this shit which is among the many aspects of the film’s humor.

In Riggs, there’s a man who is an absolute mess as he is known for being very crazy in his tactics where he has no qualms in killing criminals as he has an offbeat sense of humor inspired by the Three Stooges. Yet, he’s also someone that is suicidal due to the death of his wife as he would often put himself or anyone else near him in danger. Having these two men as partners definitely seems like a combustible partnership but once they deal with revelations of this young woman’s death as well as it plays into this world of drug smuggling run by General Peter McAllister (Mitchell Ryan) whose enforcer in Joshua (Gary Busey) is a man that doesn’t just get things done but he has tactics that are far more brutal. Even as it would involve Murtaugh’s family which would have Riggs and Murtaugh go into great lengths to stop these two men at any cost.

Richard Donner’s direction starts off with a bang as it opens with aerial shots of Los Angeles and moves into a close-up of a drugged-out young woman in her hotel room as she would then jump off the building. It sets up the tone of what kind of film it would be as Donner infuses a lot of style from high-octane aerial shots as well as some unique camera angles to play into the action. Much of the action is often intense as it also include some moments of dark humor as it relates to the mismatched partnership of Riggs and Murtaugh in the things they would encounter. While many of the action sequences are elaborate in its presentation with wide shots and stylistic camera angles to play into the vast look of the film. It is balanced by the intimate approach to humor and suspense for the film.

Donner’s use of close-ups and medium shots play into the humor as well as the developing friendship between Riggs and Murtaugh as the former gets to know the latter and his family. It adds to something that feels very intimate as well as special into something that Riggs is in need of as he is a man that lives in a trailer on a beach with his dog. Once the two are in great danger as they meet their adversaries, the sense of drama and suspense do intensify where Murtaugh would realize that he needs to play dirty if he is to make sure the world is a safer place. It adds to the dramatic stakes where Riggs needs Murtaugh to keep him in control and Murtaugh needs Riggs to push his buttons. Overall, Donner creates a very riveting yet exhilarating film about two mismatched detectives who work together and kill some bad guys.

Cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt does excellent work with the cinematography from the colorful and sunny look of the scenes set in the daytime in Los Angeles and the Californian deserts to more stylish usage of lights for its nighttime interior/exterior scenes. Editor Stuart Baird does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of stylish slow-motion cuts as well as jump-cuts to play into the action and suspense. Production designer J. Michael Riva and set decorator Marvin March do terrific work with the set pieces from the look of the homes of some of suspects as well as the different homes of Riggs and Murtaugh to play into their different lifestyles.

Costume designer Mary Malin does nice work with the clothes to play into the different looks of Riggs and Murtaugh with the former wearing street clothes and the latter wearing a shirt and tie. Sound editors Robert G. Henderson and Alan Robert Murray do amazing work with the sound to play into layers of gunfire as well as explosions and other moments to play into the film‘s humor and action scenes. The film’s music by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton, and David Sanborn is superb for its mixture of Kamen‘s soaring orchestral music to play into the film‘s suspense while Clapton brings in some blues-based guitar to showcase the sense of melancholia surrounding Riggs and Sanborn bringing some snazzy jazz with his saxophone for some of the film‘s humorous moments.

The casting by Marion Dougherty is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features some small performances from Jackie Swanson as the young woman who would jump off a building in the film’s opening sequence, Grand Bush and Jack Thibeau as a couple of fellow detectives, Blackie Dammett as a thug Riggs beats up early in the film, Lycia Naff as a hooker Riggs and Murtaugh interrogate, Al Leong as Joshua’s man of torture, and Sally Field in an un-credited cameo as a TV news reporter. Other notable small roles include Ebonie Smith and Damon Hines in their respective roles as Murtaugh’s younger children Carrie and Nick, Mary Ellen Trainor as the police psychiatrist Dr. Stephanie Woods, and Steve Kahan in a terrific performance as Riggs and Murtaugh’s superior Captain Murphy.

Traci Wolfe is wonderful as Murtaugh’s teenage daughter Rianne who has a crush on Riggs while taken hostage by McAllister. Darlene Love is excellent as Murtaugh’s wife Trish who is has this sense of warmth and comfort that intrigues Riggs while being the person that grounds her husband from doing dangerous things. Tom Atkins is superb as Michael Hunsaker as the old friend of Murtaugh who asks for his help following his daughter’s death as he would reveal some things about why his daughter jumped off a building to her death. Mitchell Ryan is fantastic as General Peter McAllister as a once-revered army leader who decides to go into the world of drug smuggling as he sees money in the operation and will do anything to be rich.

Gary Busey is brilliant as the devious enforcer Joshua who knows Riggs via reputation as he is very insane guy who can push people’s buttons and do things to get the job done. Finally, there’s the duo of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in incredible performances as Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. Gibson brings that mix of craziness and vulnerability to his character as this man that is teetering on the edge as he tries to find something to live for. Glover is the perfect straight man as he has these little moments that make him very funny as well as very serious in the way he does his job. Gibson and Glover have a chemistry that is often fun to watch in the way Riggs makes Murtaugh tick or how Murtaugh tries to show Riggs how it’s done as they are the heart and soul of the film.

Lethal Weapon is an outstanding film from Richard Donner that features top-notch performances from Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Featuring an inventively witty script from Shane Black as well as a noteworthy supporting performance from Gary Busey. The film is definitely a standard bearer for not just buddy cop films as well as action-comedies but it’s also one of the most enjoyable films that still holds up since its initial release. In the end, Lethal Weapon is a gloriously enthralling and exciting film from Richard Donner.

Richard Donner Films: (X-15) - (Salt and Pepper) - (Twinky) - (The Omen) - (Superman) - (Inside Moves) - (The Toy) - (The Goonies) - (Ladyhawke) - (Scrooged) - Lethal Weapon 2 - (Radio Flyer) - Lethal Weapon 3 - (Maverick) - (Assassins) - (Conspiracy Theory) - Lethal Weapon 4 - (Timeline) - (16 Blocks) - (Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut)

© thevoid99 2014

Point Break

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and screenplay by W. Peter Iliff from a story by Iliff and Rick King, Point Break is the story of a rookie FBI agent who goes undercover as a surfer where he suspects that the group of surfers he befriends are the notorious bank robbers he’s after. The film is an exploration into loyalty and one man’s fascination with the surfing culture as he is intrigued by this group’s ideals. Starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, James LeGros, and John C. McGinley. Point Break is a wild yet thrilling film from Kathryn Bigelow.

The film is a simple story about a former college football star who has become a FBI agent as he investigates a series of bank robberies held by four men wearing masks of former U.S. presidents. Taking on a theory about his partner who claims that the robbers are surfers, Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) goes into the surfing scene where he learns to surf as he befriends some surfers while trying to find out who are the bank robbers. It’s a film where this young agent becomes a surfer to find some bank robbers where one of them in this free-spirited man named Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) could be one of those men. Eventually, there comes this conflict between the two men not just towards each other but also internal conflict as they have this respect for each other but are also men who could be something else.

W. Peter Iliff’s screenplay explores this complexity between these two different men where Utah is this straight-laced young man who was once a top quarterback for Ohio State whose knee injury has him doing something else by becoming a FBI agent. Teaming with the eccentric veteran Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) who is convinced the robbers are surfers, Utah uses his youth to infiltrate the surfer scene despite his inexperience where he is aided by Tyler (Lori Petty) who teaches him the basics as they later become lovers. Though Utah’s inexperience in the field including a raid that seemed to go well until some truths emerge where Pappas has to defend him against their hard-ass superior Ben Harp (John C. McGinley). When Utah befriends Bodhi, he sees someone who lives on the fringes of the world as he is this outsider who lives by his own rules while he is extremely free on the wave with his fellow surfers.

Bodhi is a very complex individual where he is a man that lives a certain lifestyle while there’s also something about him that raises Utah’s suspicions. Even as Utah learns more about these bank robbers who only do their jobs in the summer and only take money out of the cash registers instead of the vaults while throwing the dye-pack money into the air. Among these theories that Pappas presented to Utah has him thinking that Bodhi could be one of the robbers where an encounter with one of the robbers wearing a Ronald Reagan mask creates this internal conflict in not just Utah but also the man in the mask. The third act does play into Utah finally meeting the robbers who are proven to be these thrill-seekers who aren’t robbing banks for money but to fight against the system that Utah stands for prompting him to prove that he isn’t some typical FBI agent.

Kathryn Bigelow’s direction is very high-octane in not just the scenes involving surfing and sky diving but also in some of the moments involving the robberies and raids. Much of it is presented with a sense of style as the robberies are shown with some hand-held cameras and a frenetic energy that makes the audience aware of what is going on and how they’re doing it in the span of just 90 seconds. Though it is an action film, Bigelow knows when to slow things down for the dramatic moments where it’s mostly low-key and to the point so that the characters can get to know one another as it includes this amazing tracking shot of Utah’s arrival into the FBI building where he is being briefed by Harp which last about a few minutes.

The surfing scenes are just truly exhilarating to look at in not just its use of slow-motion but also the atmosphere it is presented to showcase a sense of thrill and peacefulness that occurs when one is riding on a wave. The direction has Bigelow be on the water and at the waves to showcase the intensity of the surfing where Utah finds some freedom there but also that sense of danger. Even in the skydiving scene where Utah has to take part of it as the camera is right on the air where there is that sense of the unknown. Especially in the way Utah and Bodhi sort of bond through these adventures as Bigelow isn’t afraid to hint an air of homoeroticism that is lurking towards these two men which adds that complexity to the film. Overall, Bigelow creates a very exciting and fun film about a young FBI agent who befriends a free-spirited thrill-seeker.

Cinematographer Donald Peterman does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its sunny look of the exterior scenes in the beaches and locations in Los Angeles to some of the scenes set at night including the nighttime surfing sequence. Editor Howard L. Smith does brilliant work with the film‘s stylized editing with its jump-cuts for some of the film‘s action scenes to its usage of slow-motion for much of the film‘s surfing scenes. Production designer Peter Jamison, along with art directors Pamela Marcotte and John Huke and set decorator Linda Spheeris, does fantastic work with the look of the homes that Bodhi lives in as well as the FBI building that Utah and Pappas work at.

The sound work of Michael “Gonzo” Gandsey is superb for its mixing and layering of sounds from the way waves sound to the moments in the robberies and shootouts. The film’s music by Mark Isham is wonderful for its mixture of rock and ambient music to play into some of the excitement of the surf as well as some of the film‘s action scenes while music supervisors Sharon Boyle, Gary Goetzman, and Kathy Nelson create a wild mix of music ranging from rock and hip-hop with music from acts like Ice-T, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Concrete Blonde, Ratt, Sheryl Crow, Love, Public Image Ltd., L.A. Guns, and several others.

The casting by Sharon Bialy and Richard Pagano is amazing for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small appearances from Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Keidis, Chris Pedersen, Dave Olson, and Vincent Klyn as a surfer group that Utah suspects whom Bohdi also dislikes, Julian Reyes and Daniel Beer as a couple of fellow FBI agents, Lee Tergesen as a non-surfing friend of Bodhi in the mysterious Rosie, and Tom Sizemore in a cameo appearance as an undercover DEA agent. The trio of Bojesse Christopher, John Philbin, and James LeGros as Bodhi’s fellow surfer friends are terrific with LeGros as the real standout as the more reserved member of the group in Roach. John C. McGinley is fantastic as Utah and Pappa’s head Ben Harp as this very by-the-books leader who is also a fucking asshole who doesn’t really like Utah and Pappa over their unconventional tactics.

Lori Petty is wonderful as Tyler as an experienced surfer who is a friend of Bodhi who falls for Utah as she starts to question into what he really does. Gary Busey is marvelous as Angelo Pappas as this old-school yet eccentric FBI agent who is very unconventional in his tactics while not wanting to take shit from anyone. Keanu Reeves is brilliant as Johnny Utah as this very smart and determined FBI agent who finds himself intrigued by the world of surfing as he is unsure whether to stop a free-spirit like Bodhi or do his job where Reeves has a sense of charisma and humor to his role that makes it very engaging to watch. Finally, there’s Patrick Swayze in a remarkable performance as Bodhi as this very cool and wild man who likes to live on the edge whether it’s in surfing or doing some skydiving. It’s really one of his most iconic performances that has Swayze be the guy you can’t help but like no matter how dark he can be.

Point Break is a phenomenal film from Kathryn Bigelow that features incredible performances from Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. The film is definitely one of the most fun and thrilling films about surfing and action while not being afraid to infuse a bit of cheese in terms of the bromance between Swayze and Reeves. In the end, Point Break is a sensational film from Kathryn Bigelow.

Kathryn Bigelow Films: The Loveless - Near Dark - Blue Steel - Strange Days - The Weight of Water - K-19: The Widowmaker - The Hurt Locker - Zero Dark Thirty - The Auteurs #29: Kathryn Bigelow

© 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

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

Written and directed by Michael Cimino, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is the story about a Korean war veteran who takes in a young drifter to help him pull off one final heist with some old friends. The film is a genre-bending film that blends the road movie, buddy comedy, and the heist film as it explores the friendship between two very different men. Starring Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, Geoffrey Lewis, and George Kennedy. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is an incredible debut film from Michael Cimino.

A minister known as Thunderbolt (Clint Eastwood) is evading an assassin who is after him where Thunderbolt runs into a drifter named Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges) who had just stolen a car as Thunderbolt goes into his car as Lightfoot accidentally hits the assassin with the car. The two decide to go on the road where Lightfoot learns who Thunderbolt really is as he was one of the members of a gang who had robbed an armory in Montana. Despite being chased by Thunderbolt’s old friend Red Leary (George Kennedy) and his accomplice Goody (Geoffrey Lewis), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot escape their way through different cars where they arrive in Warsaw, Montana to find the lost loot.

After realizing that the schoolhouse where Thunderbolt stashed the loot in is gone and replaced by a bigger schoolhouse, the duo’s troubles get worse when they’re finally captured by Leary and Goody. After a tussle and the revelation about the schoolhouse, the four men are unsure about what to do until Lightfoot suggests about doing the robbery all over again but with different ideas. Thunderbolt and Goody agree to the idea though Leary has his reservations about Lightfoot as the four decide to get real jobs to fund the heist. After getting an anti-tank gun and other things, the gang gets ready for the heist where Lightfoot plays a key role for the heist. Though everything seems to go well, something goes wrong where things become complicated as well as some big revelations for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.

The film is essentially the story of two different men who meet by accident where they team up to retrieve stolen money one of them had stashed only for it to be gone as they team up with two other men to plan another heist. Yet, it’s a film that blends all sorts of genre where it’s a buddy comedy, a road film, and a heist film all rolled into one as it’s about the dynamic between these two very different men from different age groups and lifestyles as they team up for this heist. Michael Cimino’s screenplay doesn’t have a lot of plot as it is about the friendship between these two men and how they decide to plan a heist with Thunderbolt’s old friends to settle some old scores yet things become uneasy due to Red Leary’s reservations towards the young Lightfoot.

Cimino’s script also has a great complexity to the characters he creates in not just its titular protagonists as they’re just two different men trying to live their life any way they want. He also creates an interesting characterization in the Red Leary character who is upset over the fact that Thunderbolt seemingly screwed him over their last robbery where the money was as it was never retrieved. Once he decides to team-up with Thunderbolt for a new heist, Leary is still unsure about the idea as he feels threatened by the presence of the more easy-going Lightfoot who is much nicer to everyone else including Leary’s accomplice Goody who doesn’t get treated with much respect by Leary.

Cimino’s direction is definitely vast in terms of the visual style he presents as he shoots the film largely on location in Montana. A lot of which features many wide scenes in exterior locations where Cimino takes advantage of the landscape for a wide depth of field in those shots. Cimino creates a lot of unique compositions to these exterior shots in the way he places the actors in these locations. It’s not just the location setting where Cimino creates unique shots but also in the interiors where he manages to find an intimacy in these settings while using the camera to establish what is going on there. Notably where Cimino will find some idea of humor to these scenes such as Leary riding in a small ice cream truck with Goody who is working as an ice cream man.

Cimino also creates some dazzling sequences in the film’s heist sequence where it’s about a lot that is happening where each character plays a role in the heist. Some of which is comical as it involves some very strange ideas that end up being very funny. It is later followed by some very chilling scenes where it is about what people do in the aftermath of a heist which involves loyalties and such. Overall, Cimino creates a film that is entertaining as well as captivating in the exploration of friendship and loyalty.

Cinematographer Frank Stanley does brilliant work with the film‘s evocative cinematography from the beautiful look of the Montana locations with its mountains and farmland as well as some nighttime shots with stylish lights to set the mood. Editor Ferris Webster does wonderful work with the editing to create some dazzling cuts in the film‘s heist scene as well as some rhythmic cuts for some of its livelier moments. Art director Tambi Larsen and set decorator James L. Berkey do terrific work with the set pieces from the look of the church in the film’s opening scene to some of the interior scenes such as the trailer that the four men lived in to plan the heist.

Sound editor Keith Stafford does nice work with the sound to capture the chaos of some of the more raucous moments of the film while going for an intimacy in the film‘s quieter moments. The film’s music by Dee Barton is excellent for its score as it features a lot of playful country music as well as some brooding, orchestral-driven music for the heist scene as the music also features a song written and performed by Paul Williams.

The casting by Patricia Mock is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable appearances from Bill McKinney as crazy driver with a raccoon and rabbits, Gregory Walcott as a car salesman duped by Lightfoot, Gary Busey as a carpenter Lightfoot works with, and Catherine Bach as a woman Lightfoot meets early in the film. Geoffrey Lewis is excellent as the often mistreated Goody who proves to be very helpful yet doesn’t get appreciated from the more selfish Leary. George Kennedy is great as the very devious Red Leary who dislikes Lightfoot while being very cruel to those around him making things complicated for the heist.

Finally, there’s the duo of Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges in amazing performances in their respective roles as Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. Both men each provide laidback approaches to their roles with Eastwood as the more grizzled veteran who shows Lightfoot the ropes while Bridges gets to bring a lot of humor to the character of Lightfoot. Notably as Bridges often says funny things that would irk Leary while doing things that just adds to the humor.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a phenomenal film from Michael Cimino that features superb performances from Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges. The film is definitely one of the most entertaining and visually-astonishing films of the 1970s as well as one of Cimino’s highlight in his career as a filmmaker. It’s also a very unconventional film that plays to all sorts of genres while not being afraid to take itself so seriously. In the end, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a remarkable film from Michael Cimino.

Michael Cimino Films: The Deer Hunter - Heaven's Gate - Year of the Dragon - The Sicilian - Desperate Hours (1990 film) - The Sunchaser - To Each His Own Cinema-No Translation Needed - The Auteurs #35: Michael Cimino

© thevoid99 2013

Lost Highway

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/11/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Following a career backlash, the cancellation of his TV show Twin Peaks, and the barrage of bad reviews from fans and critics for its prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. David Lynch went into hiding as from 1992 through 1995, he spent his days working on experimental projects and short-lived TV projects. Finally in 1996, David Lynch decided to return to the world of feature films with a dark, film noir-inspired film that would not only return him to the twisted, surrealism of his previous film work. It also marked a new transition into his film career with the 1997 film Lost Highway.

Directed by Lynch with a script he co-wrote with Wild at Heart novelist Barry Gifford, Lost Highway tells the story of a jazz musician who suspects his wife is having an affair while delving into an underworld that included voyeuristic videos and a mysterious man. After being suspected for murder, the musician suddenly turns himself into a young mechanic who falls for a gangster's mistress. Inspired by noir films of the past including Edgar G. Ulmer's 1945 cult-film Detour, Lynch enters into a mysterious world as he re-shapes the film noir genre for a new generation. Starring Bull Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Loggia, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Robert Blake, and in their final film appearances, Richard Pryor and Jack Nance. Lost Highway is a haunting, surreal, and enchanting take on film noir by David Lynch.

In his posh, Los Angeles home on the Hollywood Hills, Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) hears his doorbell ringing for intercom as he hears a man's voice saying "Dick Laurent is dead". Later that night, Fred goes out to play at a club while his wife Renee (Patricia Arquette) is at home. When he calls her after his performance, she doesn't answer as he finds her sleeping when he returned home. The next morning, Renee wakes up to find a manila envelope on her front doorsteps. She and Fred learn it's a videotape of their house being filmed. Things get stranger the next day when another videotape surface that showed the couple sleeping in their bedroom. After calling a couple of detectives named Al (John Roselius) and Ed (Louis Eppolito), things don't get better when Fred tells Renee of a nightmare he has that involved a mysterious man (Robert Blake).

Going to a party of Renee's friend Andy (Michael Massee), Fred's suspicions about Renee having extramarital affairs make him uneasy. Things get stranger when the mysterious man he saw in his dream appeared at the party. The two talk briefly as the man claimed he's at his house. Fred doesn't believe him until he called at his own house to see that the man is at his home. Spooked by what happened, he and Renee return home as he asked Renee about Andy. The night gets darker as the things Fred sees haunt him and the next morning gets even stranger. Another videotape surfaces in which he sees the same images and a new one, Fred kneeling down covered in blood as he finds Renee dead. Guilty of murder and sent to be electrocuted, Fred suddenly has awful headaches. The visions Fred sees in his head starts to unravel as a blue light starts to blink as the headaches become awfully worse.

The next day, a guard finds a different man in Fred's cell that turned out to be a 24-year old mechanic named Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty). Immediately released back to his parents (Gary Busey and Lucy Butler), Pete has no recollections of how he got into a jail cell while he decided to rest at home. After joining a couple of his friends (Giovanni Ribisi and Scott Coffey), he also rekindles his relationship with girlfriend Sheila (Natasha Gregson Wagner). Returning to work as a mechanic for Arnie (Richard Pryor), he is also greeted with delight by a gangster named Mr. Eddy (Robert Loggia). Unbeknownst to Pete, two detectives named Hank (Carl Sundstrom) and Lou (John Solari) are watching out for him as Pete rides with Mr. Eddy, who is also known as Dick Laurent. The next day, Pete meets Mr. Eddy's mistress Alice Wakefield (Patricia Arquette) who comes to his garage the day later to seduce Pete.

The two begin an affair only to cause more trouble as Mr. Eddy suspects something. Meanwhile, his relationship with Sheila falls apart as Pete seems to have no memory of what happened the night he was sent into Fred's jail cell. After another meeting with Alice, she tells him about a guy named Andy and her first meeting with Mr. Eddy as she hopes to steal money from Andy in order to escape. The robbery was a success except that Pete starts to have increasingly bad headaches as reality and fiction begin to blur even further. Hoping to meet a man who could help them, Fred makes his return to unravel the mystery of the mysterious man as well as Laurent, Alice, and Renee.

While a lot of the imagery, style, and caricatures are definitely inspired by film noir, David Lynch and co-writer Barry Gifford chose to play with the cliches of the genre adding new twists as well. The result is a mind-bending film that still brings more questions than answers when the mystery is unraveled. Yet, this is part of what is expected from Lynch who is a storyteller that never reveals a lot of details or what the film is about. Instead, he leaves it up to the viewer to make their own guess or interpretation about what the film is about. If one was to make an idea of what it's about, it's about a man trying to figure out about his wife's affairs, her murder, and then turns into a young mechanic who falls for a doppleganger as he delves into a world of pornography, crime, and voyeurism.

The stylized dialogue is very true to the tradition of noir while remaining modern that includes information that relates to the film plot. Both Renee and Alice have similar dialogue in their meeting that relates to Andy that eventually, revealed a darker story. The characters of Pete and Fred are similar though it's Pete that has to deal with the fact that he might be a different person. Fred has a more interesting development where he starts off as a paranoid, suspicious man until he returns late in the film as he becomes a darker character. Then there's the mysterious man. Who he is? His name is never revealed and his motives aren't clear either. Yet, he's there but is he real? All of this is part of Lynch's approach to surrealism.

The direction of Lynch is definitely top notch as he aims for a more intimate look that is reminiscent of film noir. Yet, he also goes for that Lynchian style of strange characters, symbolic images, and dreamy compositions. The film's low-key look works to convey the suspense as well as the paranoia inside Fred's head. The look of the film also has that sense of being from the perspective of Fred Madison and Pete Dayton. They're both having very surreal images where the look of the film almost has a horror-like feel while the use of a video camera also creates a sense of horror in conveying that dark feel of voyeurism. While audiences might feel confused by its complex plot and Lynch's eerie direction, even in the end, the film still proves that Lynch still has some tricks up his sleeve.

Cinematographer Peter Deming brings a wonderfully stylish look to the film that is very intimate with a grainy-like look to add the film-noir look. The use of colored lights also adds to the film's mood to show where the characters are while some wonderful, dreamy images are made to convey the style of Lynch. Lynch's then-partner and editor Mary Sweeney adds style that emphasize the film's unique tone and duality theme as if the film is told in an almost, non-linear style. Production designer/costume designer Patricia Norris and set decorator Leslie Morales help create the film's dark look with posh-like designs on some of the film's mansion scenes to the motel that is pure noir with its intimate look. Norris' work on the costumes also have film noir with the evening dresses that Renee wears to the old-school 40s clothing that Alice wears while the men wear a range of suits to street clothing.

Sound editor Frank Gaeta along with Lynch on sound design create an array of sounds to add a horror-like tone to the film where it brings suspense that also includes ominous sound overtones courtesy of Nine Inch Nails' leader Trent Reznor and Coil's Peter Christopherson. The film's soundtrack includes music from Lynch's longtime collaborator Angelo Badalamenti brings a diverse film score that includes dark, ominous classical cuts with the Prague Philharmonic that is in the noir style. Other tracks by Badalamenti range from ambient-like electronic music to a wide array of jazz from freestyle to sultry with contributions from David Lynch. Another composer added to the mix is Barry Adamson, formerly of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, who brings some wonderful theme music to the character of Mr. Eddy along with mixes of jazz and electronic music.

The rest of the soundtrack is helmed and supervised by NIN leader Trent Reznor. Along with his own sound work and an industrial score piece, he also contributes the hit song The Perfect Drug while former protegee` Marilyn Manson brings in a couple of cuts. The film open and closes with two variations of I'm Deranged by David Bowie from his 1995 album Outside while Bowie's art-rock cohort Lou Reed brings a cover of This Magic Moment. The Smashing Pumpkins brings an eerie electronic track called Eye while the German industrial band Rammstein brings in a couple of rocking tracks. Adding to the film's dark, dreamy soundtrack though not on the actual soundtrack album is a cover of Tim Buckley's Song To The Siren by the 4AD label outfit This Mortal Coil as it's sung hauntingly and beautifully by Elisabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins accompanied by its guitarist Robin Guthrie. Overall, the film's soundtrack is a real highlight of the film.

The casting is wonderfully assembled with cameos and appearances from Henry Rollins as a prison guard, Marilyn Manson and then-Manson bassist Jeordie White as porn stars, Lisa Boyle as a porn star, Giovanni Ribisi and Lynch regular Scott Coffey as Pete's buddies, and in his final film role just before his death in December of 1996 is Lynch regular Jack Nance as crazed-eye mechanic named Phil. Richard Pryor, in his final film appearance before his death in 2005, is excellent as head mechanic Arnie, where despite his illness from Parkinson's disease, Pryor lights up any scene he's in. Lucy Butler and Gary Busey make great appearances as Pete Dayton's parents with Busey showing restraint and care as a father who is haunted by the moment his son had disappeared. John Roselius, Louis Eppolito, Carl Sundstrom, and John Solari are great as the detectives who investigate the different crimes while Sundstrom and Solari get to have hilarious one-liners.

Michael Massee is excellent as the sleazy Andy, a guy who seems to love a lot of porn and women while not have a clue to the associates of Mr. Eddy. Natasha Gregson Wagner is good as Pete's girlfriend Sheila, a girl who noticed that he's changed since his disappearance while trying to keep him grounded. In what is possibly his last film role before his notorious murder trial a few years ago, Robert Blake gives a chilling performance as the Mysterious Man who is a troubling voyeur that always carry a video camera or a telephone. Blake, wearing lipstick and no eyebrows with a painted white face, is a very scary man in this film and his presence remains haunting. Robert Loggia is in great form as a gangster who has a lot of charm and wit despite his dangerous persona. Loggia has a great scene that involves a tailgate driver who did something stupid that proves that tailgating is bad.

Balthazar Getty is in solid form as Pete Dayton, a confused, troubled young mechanic who is unaware of what has happened to him. Getty's performance serves as a wonderful plot device in relation to the theme of duality. Getty has to be this young man who is torn between two different women while trying to figure out is he really himself or is he possessed all of a sudden as Getty does some fantastic work. Bill Pullman is also in amazing form as Fred Madison, a man whose suspicions lead him to a possible murder and then returning to discovery about his wife. Pullman's performance is also strangely subtle as he doesn't do anything very dramatic but rather observe what's going on around him. It's definitely one of his more underrated performances, aside from Spaceballs.

The film's best performance truly goes to Patricia Arquette in her double-duty role in playing both Renee and Alice. In the role of Renee, Arquette dons a brunette hair style that is reminiscent of noir-style female characters while being very secretive and worrisome as that character is revealed whether she's having an affair. Then as Alice, Arquette shows more of her sex appeal in this femme fatale role as she is a bit more humorous, charismatic, and engaging. Arquette has that dream-like quality that makes her perfect for both roles as this reveals to be one of her more overlooked performances in her diverse career in working with the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater, and Martin Scorsese.

While it's not a perfect film, especially for general audiences, Lost Highway is still an amazing, complex, provocative noir film from David Lynch and company. Fans of Lynch will no doubt enjoy the film's layered story as well as surrealistic directing style. Those new to the director will enjoy the images and style that Lynch has taken into a genre. With a great cast and an amazing film soundtrack (that is unfortunately out of print), it's a film that will test the mind as well as expectations for the genre. For a film that takes an old genre with unique twists and turns, Lost Highway is the film to go see and who better from the always provocative David Lynch.

David Lynch Films: Eraserhead - The Elephant Man - Dune - Blue Velvet - Wild at Heart - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me - The Straight Story - Mulholland Dr. - INLAND EMPIRE

The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 1 - The Short Films of David Lynch Pt. 2 - The Music Videos of David Lynch

The Auteurs #50: David Lynch: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

Related: Lost Highway OST

© thevoid99 2011