The film picks up where its predecessor left off where Peter Parker’s identity as Spider-Man has been unveiled leading to him to trouble where he turns to Doctor Strange for help only for the spell be botched by Parker leading to the opening of the multi-verse where other villains from other universes try to kill Parker. It is a film about this young man who is just trying to finish his senior year in high school and go to MIT but his friends are affected by their chances as they too know about Parker’s identity as does his aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). Parker feels responsible as he wants to be a normal person where he asks Doctor Strange in casting a spell that would allow the world to forget that he’s Spider-Man yet there’s people he cares about that still wants him to know that he’s Spider-Man. The film’s screenplay by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers is ambitious in terms of not just the idea of the multiverse and the many foes that Parker has to deal with but also in themes of responsibility and redemption.
Past films about Spider-Man did involve multiple villains in different iterations where they often become bloated and messy but McKenna and Sommers manage to find a structure but know when not to do too much. The first act is about Parker dealing with his identity being known as he is seen by many as a murderer with the Daily Bugle leading the charge as its reporter J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) instigating the matter which makes Parker’s life worse but also affect the chances of his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and their friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) to go to MIT. He goes to Doctor Strange who is dealing with issues at his home as well as the fact that he’s no longer the Sorcerer Supreme due to being blipped as Wong (Benedict Wong) is now filling that role. The second act is about Doctor Strange’s botched spell and what got unleashed in these villains that all want to kill Parker but they all realize that he’s not the Parker they’re going after. Dr. Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Dr. Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Dr. Curt Connors/the Lizard (Rhys Ifans), Flint Marko/the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and Max Dillon/Electro (Jamie Foxx) all have issues as Doctor Strange manages to traps them in the hope of sending them back to their universes but Parker realizes that they’re fated to die as he hopes he can help them as the script manages to show that these men weren’t villains from the start but rather men who made mistakes or were slighted in some way.
It does play into the theme of redemption as it relates to a scene where Osborn in his lost state meets with May knowing that he is mentally-unbalanced as it allows Parker this idea of wanting to help him with Ned and MJ’s help though Doctor Strange does have valid concerns for not wanting to. Parker’s actions in trying to help is what leads to this third act as it doesn’t just play into the theme of responsibility but also how to overcome guilt as it does lead into more ideas of a multiverse and how those from other universes would help Parker.
Jon Watts’ direction is definitely grand in scope and in setting up the multiverse but it is also grounded in this human story of a kid that is a superhero but is aware of what he can do but also knowing that he can do more. While it is shot mainly in Atlanta at the Pinewood Studios in Duluth, GA as Queens and parts of New York City with some additional shots in the New York City area. Watts does manage to make the city a character in the film from the opening scene in Times Square where Parker’s identity as Spider-Man is revealed where he and MJ run from the authorities as it has some amazing scenes of Spider-Man and MJ swinging to avoid the news and such as the usage of close-ups and hand-held cameras add to that chaos. Watts would also keep things grounded for some of the humorous and dramatic scenes with close-ups and medium shots such as Happy, May, MJ, Ned, and Parker all being interrogated by the FBI as May and Parker would lose their home and move in at Happy’s apartment with the AI mini-crane that Tony Stark created. There are bits of humor that Watts put in as it play into the interactions between characters but also in how it plays into some of the absurdity of the multiverse.
There are also some wide shots to play into some of the fights such as Parker’s first interaction with Dillon where Parker unexpectedly gets help from Marko of all people as it really showcases a lot of the complexities into the people Parker is dealing with. Especially as Dr. Octavius, Osborn, Dillon, Dr. Connors, and Marko are all different villains who do have issues with Spider-Man in their respective universes but they also learn about their own fates as it definitely adds a lot of dramatic weight. The sequence of Strange and Parker fighting over an object that Strange created to send the villains back to their respective universes is among one of the most surreal as it play into Strange’s pessimism against Parker’s own belief about second chances for these men as his experiment would show that even people who lost their way can be redeemed.
Yet, this idea would be challenged once again for its third act where Watts showcase not just some intensely dark moments that Parker has to face but also the outcome and how it affects those around him. Even as there are those who feel that they either couldn’t be redeemed or are eager to want something more rather than go back to who they used to be. It would play into the film’s climax where Watts does create this grand moment that has a lot of callbacks to the other Spider-Man films but also an aftermath that is about responsibility and what Parker had to do for himself and for those he cares for. Overall, Watts crafts a rapturous yet emotionally-investing film about a young man trying to reclaim his identity as well as take action for his own mistakes and help those who had been lost in their own rage.
Cinematographer Mauro Fiore does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as its usage of vibrant colors for a few scenes at night including the usage of red and blue lights help broaden a mood for those exterior scenes at night along with the natural approach to scenes in the day. Editors Leigh Folsom Boyd and Jeffrey Ford do excellent work with the editing as it is stylish with its usage of jump-cuts, fast-cuts, and other rhythmic cuts to play into the action as well as some straightforward cuts for some of the dramatic moments. Production designer Darren Gilford, with supervising art director David Scott plus set decorators Rosemary Brandenburg and Emmanuelle Hoessly, does amazing work with the look of the Sanctum Sanctorum and its basement as well as the look of Happy’s apartment and the design of the Statue of Liberty for the film’s climax. Costume designer Sanja Milkovic Hays does fantastic work with the costumes in the different designs of the Spider-Man suits including the Iron-Spider suit with its nanotech as well as some the casual clothing from the other characters including some of May’s stylish clothing.
Special effects supervisor Daniel Sudick, along with visual effects supervisors Kelly Port and Chris Waegner, do wonderful work with the visual effects in the design of Octavius’ claws, some of Electro’s powers, the look of the Lizard, and other visual effects as it does have an air of realism and a lot of detail into the villains but also in the overall presentation during the film’s climax. Sound designers Chris Diebold, Tony Lamberti, and Ken McGill, with sound editor Steve Ticknor, do superb work in the sound as it play into some of the sound effects in Spider-Man’s web shooters as well as some of the weapons the villains have as well as other objects in the film. The film’s music by Michael Giacchino is incredible as it is a major highlight of the film with its bombastic orchestral score but also some soaring themes involving strings that include some of its quieter moments while music supervisor Dave Jordan creates a soundtrack that features themes from other Spider-Man films by Hans Zimmer, James Horner, and Danny Elfman as well as music from Talking Heads, De La Soul, Odyssey, Liquid Liquid, the Beastie Boys, and Antonio Vivaldi.
The casting by Sarah Finn and Chris Zaragoza is marvelous as it features notable small roles from Angourie Rice as classmate/school reporter Betty Brant, Hannibal Burress as the gym teacher who is convinced that Parker is a murderer, J.B. Smoove and Martin Starr in their respective roles as Parker’s teachers Julius Dell and Roger Harrington who side with him, Paula Newsome as a MIT administrator Parker is trying to meet for Ned and MJ, Arian Moayed as a government official who interrogates Parker and his friends/associates, Mary Rivera as Ned’s Lola who has a hilarious interaction with a couple of characters in a key scene, Tony Revolori as classmate Flash Thompson who tries to use Parker to sell a book as a way to suck up to Parker while sporting a hilarious new look, and Benedict Wong as Wong who warns Strange about the spell he is to cast as he is trying to clean-up the Sanctum Sanctorium and do his duties as the Sorcerer Supreme. Rhys Ifans and Thomas Haden Church are terrific in their respective roles as Dr. Curt Connors/the Lizard and Flint Marko/the Sandman as two villains who aren’t sure about Parker’s plans with Dr. Connors being unwilling to be cured and Marko unsure if he can be redeemed.
J.K. Simmons is fantastic as J. Jonah Jameson as the host of the controversial news organization The Daily Bugle who is convinced that Spider-Man is a villain as he spreads a lot of fake news and is willing to incriminate Spider-Man any way he can. Jon Favreau is excellent as Happy Hogan as the head of security for Starks Industries who helps out Parker and May while letting him live at his apartment as he is in love with May. Marisa Tomei is amazing as Parker’s aunt May as she is someone who is aware of what is going on as well as what Parker is trying to do knowing that these men aren’t bad while giving her nephew some important lessons on responsibility knowing that he is just trying to redeem himself. Jamie Foxx is brilliant as Max Dillon/Electro as a former Oscorp engineer who is given electric powers where his arrival gives him a more normal look as he has his own issues while is intrigued by the idea of having more power to use. Jacob Batalon is incredible as Ned Leeds as Parker’s best friend who is trying to help him in figuring things out as well as being one of the few who knew about Parker’s identity.
Zendaya is remarkable as MJ who is Parker’s girlfriend who is one of the few that knows his identity as she is also aware of what he’s doing while also making some funny comments including some towards Doctor Strange. Benedict Cumberbatch is great as Doctor Steve Strange as a master of the mystic arts who agrees to help Parker while dealing with the severity of the spell he created as he is also unconvinced that the villains in the universe can change. Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe are phenomenal in their respective roles as Doctor Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus and Dr. Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin as two villains who both have issues with Spider-Man as the former is someone who is the first to realize something is up while is unconvinced that he can be cured while the latter is more convinced despite his bipolar personality where he acts evil as both Molina and Dafoe bring a lot more nuances to their characters as well as showcase why they were among the best villains in the Spider-Man film series.
Finally, there’s Tom Holland in a spectacular performance in the titular role/Peter Parker as the young superhero who deals with the consequences of his actions as he tries to fix them only to make things worse while wanting to do what he can to help everyone. Holland adds this maturity to a character that is in transition from being a young man to becoming an adult as he deals with his actions but also what he has to do to be a hero as it is his best performance as the famed web-slinger.
Spider-Man: Now Way Home is a sensational film from Jon Watts that features a tremendous leading performance from Tom Holland. Along with an ensemble cast for the ages, dazzling visuals, a mesmerizing music score, themes on responsibility and redemption, and action set pieces including an unforgettable climax that manages to do so much more in its grand scale. The film isn’t just one of the best entries in the Spider-Man film series and its related franchises but also a superhero film that isn’t afraid to tackle major themes while also being ambitious with a story that is grounded in reality and its exploration of human nature. In the end, Spider-Man: No Way Home is a spectacular film from Jon Watts.
Jon Watts Films: (Clown (2014 film)) – Cop Car
Spider-Man Films: Spider-Man - Spider-Man 2 - Spider-Man 3 - The Amazing Spider-Man - The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - (Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse)
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers
Phase Two: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant-Man
Phase Three: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man and the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Spider-Man: Far from Home
Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Eternals - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels - (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)
Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)
© thevoid99 2021
Spanning from November of 1986 to March of 1993, the film follows the wrongful arrest and conviction of Walter “Johnny D.” McMillian over the murder of a young white woman in Ronda Morrison as he would be represented three years later by an idealist young attorney from Delaware in Bryan Stevenson who would do what he can to exonerate McMillian and prove his innocence. It’s a film with a simple premise yet it is more about a young man dealing with a world that he doesn’t know much of despite having to deal with the prejudices that he also faces as an African-American. The film’s screenplay by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham is straightforward as it opens with McMillian’s arrest after a hard day’s work cutting trees as he’s accused of killing this young white woman as the film then pushes a couple of years later where Stevenson meets a young convict just before Stevenson is officially an attorney where it is a scene that establishes the idealism that follows him and his determination to make things right in the unforgiving environment that is the American South in Monroe County in Alabama.
The script also play into Stevenson not only focusing on McMillian and trying to gain his support as well as the support of his family but also look into the cases of others including a former war veteran in Herbert Richardson (Rob Morgan) who is suffering from PTSD as Stevenson tries to save him from execution. Aiding Stevenson in these cases include a local in Eva Ansley (Brie Larson) who helps him find the Equal Justice Initiative as she is disgusted by not just the racism in her home state but also the indifference of prosecutor Tommy Chapman (Rafe Spall) who declines to help Stevenson out in favor of protecting the state. While Stevenson was able to get an alibi from a family friend of McMillian who later backs out, the script shows Stevenson’s determination where he questions another prisoner in Ralph Myers (Tim Blake Nelson) where some major revelations occur about why McMillian was convicted as it leads to major challenges for Stevenson to free McMillian.
Cretton’s direction is largely straightforward to play into its grounded presentation about a real-life story. While the film is set in Alabama and shot partially in Montgomery, much of it is shot on location in and around parts of Atlanta to play into the look and feel of late 1980s/early 1990s Alabama. Cretton does make the locations feel like a world of its own with prison cells also being characters as it is this place of fear where Stevenson has to endure some humiliation in his first visit in Alabama by stripping down where Cretton brings that sense of claustrophobia in the medium shots and close-ups. The usage of those shots add to the prison cell where McMillian is alone with Richardson next door to him on the left and another in Anthony Ray Hinton (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) who was also wrongly convicted. Cretton does use some wide shots to showcase some of the locations including images of trees during a scene where McMillian offer words of comfort to Richardson in one of his PTSD moments.
Cretton also play into this air of racism that is prominent in Alabama where Stevenson is an outsider of sorts as he does get a closer look of what it’s like being a black man in Alabama where a lot of the cops and local authorities are white. Cretton doesn’t paint them as typical villains as a young guard in Jeremy Doss (Hayes Mercure) becomes more sympathetic towards McMillian while the revelations about Myers showcase the similarities towards those who live below the poverty line as he too is a victim. The first act is about Stevenson’s idealism and his attempts to try and get McMillian a retrial while the second act is about these revelations and this retrial for McMillian. Yet, there’s this third act where Cretton goes into deep into the many injustices towards McMillian but also for black men as well as Chapman’s role who is someone disconnected from what is really going on as he has to deal with the status quo who are resistance towards change. Overall, Cretton crafts an engaging and evocative film about a young attorney who tries to free a wrongly-convicted man of murder in Alabama.
Cinematographer Brett Pawlak does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key lights for many of the interior/exterior scenes at night as well as some understated colors for some of the daytime exterior scenes. Editor Nat Sanders does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few jump-cuts to play into some of the film’s intensely-dramatic moments. Production designer Sharon Seymour, with set decorator Maggie Martin and art director Peter Borck, does amazing work with the look of the house that Stevenson and Ansley bought as their headquarters as well as the look of the jail cells the prisoners live in and the court rooms. Costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with some of the refined clothes of McMillian’s family during the trials and church scenes along with the expensive suits that Chapman wears. Makeup artist Bridgit Crider and hair stylist Crystal Woodford do terrific work with the look of McMillian early in the film as it played into the period of the times along with the look of Ansley in her ragged yet simple look.
Special effects supervisor Nicholas Coleman and visual effects supervisor Chris LeDoux do some fine work with the special effects as it is largely set-dressing for some of the film’s locations along with a few scenes in the prison. Sound editors Onnalee Blank and Katy Wood do superb work with the film’s sound as it help play into the tense atmosphere of the prisons as well as some of its sparse moments and scenes in some of the locations in the film. The film’s music by Joel P. West does wonderful work with the film’s music score as it features elements of orchestral music with some gospel to play into the world that is the American South while music supervisor Gabe Hilfer cultivate a soundtrack that largely features elements of soul, gospel, rock, and R&B as it features pieces from Martha and the Vandellas, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Alabama Shakes, Hilton Felton, Sister Emily Braum, The Mighty Indiana Travelers, Atlantic Starr, Ella Fitzgerald, and a few others.
The casting by Carmen Cuba and Tara Feldstein is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Rhoda Griffs as a judge late in the film, Norm Lewis as the voice of a newscaster, Hayes Mercure as the young prison guard Jeremy Doss who becomes sympathetic towards McMillian during the film as he realizes that McMillian is innocent, Dominic Bogart as Eva’s husband Doug, C.J. LeBlanc as McMillian’s son John, Karen Kendrick as McMillian’s wife Minnie, Darrell Britt-Gibson as a family friend in Darnell who has an alibi for McMillian only to be spooked by the authorities, and Michael Harding as the racist Sheriff Tate who doesn’t care if McMillian is innocent as he is someone trying to instill his authority. O’Shea Jackson Jr. is fantastic as Anthony Ray Hinton as a wrongfully-convicted man who is a cell-neighbor of McMillian as he believes that Stevenson is a man of hope as Stevenson also tries to help him with his own case.
Rafe Spall is superb as Tommy Chapman as a prosecutor who is unwilling to help Stevenson as he would be the opposition as a political figure who is trying to protect his own community while dealing with the fallout of his own actions. Tim Blake Nelson is excellent as the convict Ralph Myers as a white man who made the claim that he saw McMillian commit the murder as he makes some startling revelations where Nelson provides some chilling monologues and moments that showcases a man who had been used as a pawn for a cruel system. Rob Morgan is amazing as the convicted war veteran Herbert Richardson as a man who suffers from PTSD as he awaits his execution as he hopes to save as his performance is heartbreaking to watch as someone who is consumed with guilt while coping about his own fate. Brie Larson is brilliant as Eva Ansley as a local who becomes Stevenson’s right-hand woman as well as a mother who is aware that she is targeted while also doing what she can to help as well as give Stevenson an understanding of the cruelty that is Alabama and the American South.
Jamie Foxx is tremendous as Walter “Johnny D.” McMillian as a man who is wrongly accused of murder as he is skeptical of Stevenson’s intentions due to past attempts by others as he also copes with the many challenges in getting a retrial where Foxx is just understated in his performance as well as a man who clings on to hope knowing that truth can save him. Finally, there’s Michael B. Jordan in a phenomenal performance as Bryan Stevenson as a Harvard-graduate attorney from Delaware who moves to Alabama with ideas to change the world only to deal with some reality that is intense yet Jordan maintains that determination of someone who wants to do what is right as well as understand his own identity as a black man in the South who is just trying to make a small change to a cruel world as it is a career-defining performance for Jordan.
Just Mercy is a sensational film from Destin Daniel Cretton that features great performances from Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, and Brie Larson. Along with its ensemble cast, understated presentation, an engaging music soundtrack, and its exploration of racism and injustice in the American South. It is a film that manages to explore a young man trying to save another man from injustice while also learning about what to do to combat hate in a world that is prejudice and resistant to change. In the end, Just Mercy is a phenomenal film from Destin Daniel Cretton.
Destin Daniel Cretton Films: (I Am Not a Hipster) – Short Term 12 - (The Glass Castle (2017 film)) – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
© thevoid99 2021
The film revolves around a middle school music teacher trying to get back to his body after falling down a manhole where he ventures into a world where he meets a young soul that isn’t eager to go to Earth where he shows this young soul what it means to live. It’s a film with a unique premise as it plays into this man who is given the chance of a lifetime to play for a prestigious jazz band in New York City as it’s something he always dreamed of yet the excitement of passing the audition has him falling down this manhole. The film’s screenplay by Pete Docter, Kemp Powers, and Mike Jones do play into this long-held desire that Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) has in wanting to be a jazz pianist ever since he was a teenager but chooses to be a middle school teacher in order to pay the bills as he is reluctant to go full-time. A former student who is playing drums for the respected and revered jazz musician Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett) would get Gardner to audition for her as he passes and then falls into a manhole.
That’s only the first few minutes of the film as the script plays more into the exploration of what it means to live as well as what defines a soul where Joe is supposed to go into the Great Beyond where those who have passed are meant to go but Joe refuses as he finds himself in the Great Before. The Great Before is a place where unborn souls are there to find personalities and everything else that would define them before they enter Earth as Joe is mistaken for an instructor who is given the task to mentor an unwilling soul named 22 (Tina Fey). 22 is a character who had been given many mentors including Abraham Lincoln, Muhammad Ali, Mother Teresa, and many others but none have been able to get through to her about what it means to live as Joe shows her some of the simple ideas including music as they’re aided by a strange mystic known as Moonwind (Graham Norton) to help her out as well as take her to the place of lost souls whom he rescues.
The direction of Pete Docter, with additional contributions by Kemp Powers who is credited as a co-director, does create these massive set pieces in a world that is based on reality that is New York City but also this strange reality that is the Great Beyond, the Great Before, and other worlds where lost souls are recovered. With the help of animation directors Jaime Landes Roe, Gini Cruz Santos, and Royce Wesley, the world that Joe encounters are presented in different styles as the look of New York City as well as some of the places Joe go to each have their own sense of style that has an air of realism but also some beauty thanks to the contributions of the film’s cinematographers Matt Aspbury and Ian Megibben who help create unique lighting schemes in the way rooms are lit in the day and night with production designer Steve Pilcher, along with art directors Paul Abadilla and Tim Evatt, and visual effects supervisor Michael Fong in the creation of the Great Before with its vibrant colors and the world of lost souls that is dark and colorless. The scenes in the Great Before feature characters in these counselors who are called Jerry as they’re presented in this traditional hand-drawn animation style that is unique but also has these offbeat personalities that adds to some of the surreal elements that Joe and 22 encounter.
Docter and Powers also create the subplot as it relates to an accountant named Terry (Rachel House) who always count on those who die and are set to the Great Beyond as she notices that the count is off as it relates to Joe not going to the Great Beyond. The film’s second act is about Joe showing 22 the ideas of living where 22 would experience things that add to the joys of life through simple pleasures and encounters. Docter and Powers provide these moments that definitely echo some of ideas of pure cinema as well as surrealism in its third act as it relates to 22’s journey in trying to find her spark that would allow her to go to Earth and live. Yet, it forces Joe to have some revelations about his own life and his own pursuits of being a jazz musician as he has to help 22 to not only find her own purpose in life but also in just living for the moment and enjoy it. Overall, Docter and Powers create a rich and rapturous film about a music school teacher trying to show a young soul the pleasures and meaning of life.
Editor Kevin Nolting does brilliant work with the editing as it play into some of the humor as well as some of the drama as there is a rhythm to the cutting in its presentation of the music but also in some of the surreal elements of the film. Sound editor Coya Elliott and sound designer Ren Klyce do amazing work in the sound in some of the sound effects that are created as well as the natural sounds of certain locations and how certain objects sound in the things 22 encounters. The film’s jazz music soundtrack by Jon Batiste is incredible in the way it plays into Joe’s life and sense of improvisation in how life works while the electronic music score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for scenes in the Great Beyond and the Great Before is probably the major highlight of the film with its mixture of ambient, throbbing electronics, and discordant industrial textures that adds to the mystical and suspenseful elements of those worlds while its music soundtrack also include pieces from Daveed Diggs, Cody ChestnuTT, Bob Dylan, a cover of the Impressions’ It’s All Right performed by Batiste, and jazz pieces from Walter Norris, Duke Pearson, Duke Ellington, and Dave Brubeck.
The casting by Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher is superb as it feature voice appearances and cameos from Pixar regular John Ratzenberger as a subway passenger, Sakina Jeffrey as a doctor, Laura Mooney as a therapy cat owner, Cora Champommier as one of Joe’s students who gets lost in playing the trombone, Margo Hall and Rhodessa Jones as a couple of Joe’s mother’s co-workers, June Squibb as a soul that Joe meets who is about to enter the Great Beyond, Cody ChestnuTT as a subway performer, Daveed Diggs as a frenemy of Joe’s in Paul, Wes Studi, Fortune Feimester, and Zenobia Shroff as soul counselors named Jerry, and Donnell Rawlings as Joe’s barber Dez who has some unique views about life and what he could’ve done but is content with what he’s doing. Angela Bassett is fantastic as the revered jazz musician Dorothea Williams as a saxophonist/band leader who is hoping that Joe gives her what she wants while Questlove is excellent as Joe’s former student Curly who plays drums for Williams and gets Joe the chance to audition for her. Phylicia Rashad is brilliant as Joe’s mother Libba as a seamstress who wants Joe to accept the full-time teaching job and not go after his dream of being a musician knowing what his father had tried to do for years.
Alice Braga and Richard Ayoade are amazing as two soul counselors in the Great Before both called Jerry as Braga is more informative and witty while Ayoade is the funnier one. Rachel House is incredible as the soul counter Terry as an accountant who makes sure the count is precise on those who go to the Great Beyond as she becomes intent on finding Joe. Graham Norton is marvelous as Moonwind who works as a human being sign twirler by day yet is a soul who captures lost souls in the lost world and gets them back as Norton provides a comical and offbeat approach to his character who sails on a ship to the music of Bob Dylan. Tina Fey is phenomenal as 22 as a cynical soul who isn’t eager to go to Earth as she likes to mess with other souls though she reluctantly let Joe mentor her where she realizes that there are things she might want to experience. Finally, there’s Jamie Foxx in a sensational performance as Joe Gardner as a middle-school music teacher who dreams of being a jazz musician and play in a jazz band as he deals with being in a mystical world and to try and guide a young soul about the pleasures of life as he begins to question about aspects of his own life in this endearing voice performance.
Soul is an outstanding film from Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. Featuring a great ensemble voice cast, gorgeous visuals, engaging themes of existential and what makes life worth living, and an exhilarating music score from Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross. It’s a film that isn’t just engaging and full of wit but it’s also a film that allows its audience to understand the ideas of life and what it means to live and enjoy it without trying to be heavy-handed nor be overly-intellectual. In the end, Soul is a magnificent film from Pete Docter and Kemp Powers.
Pixar Films: Toy Story - A Bug's Life - Toy Story 2 - (Monsters Inc.) – (Finding Nemo) – The Incredibles - Cars - Ratatouille - WALL-E - Up - Toy Story 3 - Cars 2 - Brave - Monsters University - Inside Out - The Good Dinosaur - (Finding Dory) – (Cars 3) – Coco - The Incredibles 2 - Toy Story 4 - (Onward) - (Luca (2021 film)) - Turning Red - (Lightyear) - (Elemental (2023 film)) - Inside Out 2 - (Elio) – (Toy Story 5)
© thevoid99 2021
Based on the 1980s TV series by Anthony Yerkovich, Miami Vice is the story of two Miami police detectives who go undercover to deal with a drug dealer and drug trafficking that is happening in and out of Miami. Written for the screen and directed by Michael Mann, the film is a suspense-action thriller that follows two detectives who embark on a case that becomes highly dangerous as they also go into different paths to stop this drug dealer. Starring Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Justin Theroux, Gong Li, Naomie Harris, Ciaran Hinds, Barry Shabaka Henley, Luis Tosar, John Hawkes, Eddie Marsan, and John Ortiz. Miami Vice is an evocative and gripping film from Michael Mann.
The film is about two detectives from Miami who help the FBI by going undercover as drug runners to meet with a drug lord over drug trafficking in and out of Miami as it explores a dark culture of drugs and crime. It’s a film with a simple premise yet Michael Mann doesn’t go for anything simple in terms of the execution in his screenplay as it explore the life of these two detective in James “Sonny” Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) as they both seen at the film’s opening sequence trying to nab a pimp until they get a call from one of their informants over an attempted bust gone bad. After meeting with FBI agent John Fujima (Ciaran Hinds), Crockett and Tubbs agree to help him nab drug cartel security official Jose Yero (John Ortiz) who is trying to continue his drug trafficking ring from Colombia and into the U.S for his boss Arcangel de Jesus Montoya (Luis Tosar).
Mann’s script play into the life that Crockett and Tubbs have as they often do jobs with other cops led by their superior Lt. Martin Castillo (Barry Shabaka Henley) while Tubbs is in a relationship with one of fellow detectives in Trudy Joplin (Naomie Harris). During their undercover work, Crockett meets Montoya’s financial adviser/lover Isabella (Gong Li) whom he would fall for as they begin an affair that eventually leads to trouble. Especially as they learn about what Montoya and Yero are doing and who they’re working with to get the drugs into the U.S. as it complicates matter including putting Crockett and Tubbs’ fellow detectives in danger.
Mann’s direction definitely has some elements of style yet also has this low-key approach into the presentation as it opens at a nightclub where Crockett, Tubbs, Joplin, and other detectives are set to bust a pimp as it goes straight into the action and not waste time. Shot on various locations including Miami as well as other locations in Uruguay, Paraguay, parts of South Florida, and on various Caribbean islands, Mann creates a world where drug trafficking feels like the norm with these gorgeous wide shots of the sea and Miami skylines at night along with shots of the jungles and other places the character go to. Mann’s usage of aerial shots and scenes set on the sea on speed boats and planes also help establish this world while he also makes Miami as a character in the film but not as this vibrant locale that is filled with parties and excitement. Instead, he aims for something far darker and grittier as much of the scenes in Miami are shot at night with few scenes shot in the day as Mann prefers to showcase few of the cities famous sites in favor of just using it as a backdrop and go into parts of the city that not many are aware of.
Mann’s usage of close-ups and medium shots help play into the interaction with the characters but also in the suspense that include a showdown between a group of rednecks and the Miami PD where Detective Gina Calabrese (Elizabeth Rodriguez) is shown in a close-up with fierce intensity as she knows whether the person who wants to kill everyone really can do it but she knows he’s bluffing as she is intent on putting a bullet in his head. Mann also knows when to break from the action as it play into the persona lives of Crockett and Tubbs with the former engaging into this affair with Isabella that would eventually cause trouble. The climatic showdown between the Miami PD and Yero’s men is bloody as there is this great build up to the suspense in the medium shots and close-ups to capture all of the action and violence that is thrilling and dangerous. Especially in what is at stake while the ending is filled with ambiguity into the fates of a few characters but also the reality of the drug culture and what some do to survive. Overall, Mann crafts an intoxicating yet visceral film about the life and work of two Miami police detectives going undercover to stop a drug lord’s empire.
Cinematographer Dion Beebe does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as it is shot largely on digital video to capture some of the grimy look of the city as well as some of the vibrancy in the hand-held shots as well as not aim for anything overtly stylized in favor of something low-key and realistic. Editors William Goldenberg and Paul Rubell do excellent work with the film’s editing as it has some stylish usage of jump-cuts as it also play into some unconventional rhythms in the cutting to play into the suspense and drama. Production designer Victor Kempster, with set decorator Jim Erickson plus art directors Carlos Menendez and Seth Reed, does brilliant work with the look of the some of the homes of the Miami PD’s informers as well as the lavish home of Montoya and the casino that Yero runs. Costume designers Michael Kaplan and Janty Yates do fantastic work with some of the stylish clothes that Crockett and Tubbs wear when they go undercover as well as the posh designer clothes that Isabella wears.
Special effects makeup artists Jake Garber and Harrison Lorenzana do superb work with the look of a few characters during some of the film’s violent moments as well as the look of the Aryan gang that work with Yero. Special effects supervisor Rick Thompson and visual effects supervisor Robert Staad do terrific work with visual/special effects as it help play into the action along with some bits of set-dressing in some of the visual effects. Sound designers Elliott Koretz and Tak Ogawa do amazing work with the sound in capturing the sounds of gunfire, boat engines, and the atmosphere of the locations as it help play into the suspense and intrigue that is rampant throughout the film. The film’s music by John Murphy is wonderful for its somber and ambient-based score with some pulsating electronic-based themes that help add to the suspense while music supervisor Vicki Hiatt provides a nice music soundtrack that feature a mixture of ambient, hip-hop, rock, soul, Latin music, and electronic music from Goldfrapp, Audioslave, India.Arie, Mogwai, Nina Simone, Moby with Patti LaBelle, King Britt, Linkin Park w/ Jay-Z, and Emilio Estefan as well as an awful cover of Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight by Nonpoint.
The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and performances from Isaach de Bankole as a pimp Crockett and Tubbs try to nab early in the film, Eddie Marsan as an informant who gives the Miami PD some information, Tom Towles as an American dealer in Nicholas who is aligned with a group of Aryan drug dealers, Domenick Lombardozzi and Justin Theroux in their respective roles as Miami detectives in Stan Switek and Larry Zito who help Crockett and Tubbs with their work, Elizabeth Rodriguez as Detective Gina Calabrese who is a no-nonsense woman that is also dangerous but reliable, John Hawkes as an informant in Alonzo Stevens who calls Crockett and Tubbs early in the film as he makes a chilling discovery that puts him in trouble, and Luis Tosar in a terrific performance as the drug lord Arcangel de Jesus Montoya who runs an empire and wants to control all of Miami. Ciaran Hinds is superb as FBI agent John Fujima as a man who had accidentally ruined Crockett and Tubbs’ case early in the film as he decides to help them to try and stop Montoya despite his dislike towards them.
Barry Shabaka Henley is fantastic as Lt. Martin Castillo as Crockett and Tubbs’ superior who is the mediator between them and Fujima as well as being someone who is aware of what is going on as well as be a father figure of sorts for the team. John Ortiz is excellent as Montoya’s security agent Jose Yero as a man that at first is believed to run an empire yet is someone who watches over Montoya’s drugs and shipments while is also someone extremely dangerous as he grows suspicious towards Crockett and Tubbs. Naomie Harris is brilliant as Detective Trudy Joplin as a detective who also gathers intelligence and information for others while is also Tubbs’ lover as she grounds him while she deals with her own troubles as a detective. Gong Li is amazing as Isabella as Montoya’s financial adviser/lover who works with Crockett and Tubbs only to engage into an affair with the former that eventually becomes troublesome as she copes with falling for Crockett but also handling business for Montoya and Yero.
Finally, there’s the duo of Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx in incredible performances in their respective roles as James “Sonny” Crockett and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs. Both Farrell and Foxx bring a grounded and reserved approach to their characters with Farrell being a bit more dangerous once Crockett has an affair with Isabella making Tubbs uneasy. Foxx is more no-nonsense but is also someone who can do negotiations the right way and win over dealers through his charm and wit. Farrell and Foxx also provide that air of toughness to their characters when it comes to doing their jobs as they both provide the grittiness that the characters needed for the film.
Miami Vice is an incredible film from Michael Mann that features top-notch leading performances from Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, Dion Bebe’s gorgeous photography, emphasis on realism, and John Murphy’s intoxicating score. The film is definitely a low-key yet more reserved approach to the suspense-drama and detective film while not aiming to be a direct remake/homage to the TV series with Mann wanting to do something entirely different yet engaging. In the end, Miami Vice is a remarkable film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: The Jericho Mile – Thief (1981 film) - The Keep – Manhunter - L.A. Takedown – The Last of the Mohicans - Heat – The Insider – Ali - Collateral - Public Enemies - Blackhat - Blackhat - Ferrari - (Heat 2) - The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann Pt.1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2020
Directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie, Collateral is the story of a cab driver who is forced by a hitman to drive him to destinations around Los Angeles to kill various targets during the night. The film is a suspense-thriller that play into a cab driver who is given a troubling night as he deals with the danger of taking a hitman to kill people leading to chaos and violence. Starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Irma P. Hall, Bruce McGill, and Javier Bardem. Collateral is a riveting and entrancing film from Michael Mann.
Taking place in the span of nearly 12 hours in Los Angeles, a cab driver is forced by a hitman to drive him to various locations in the city where he is to kill four key witnesses and prosecutor for the man who hired him. It’s a film that explores a cab driver’s awful night as he endures a journey of darkness as he has to accompany this man to destinations as he is there to kill and that is it. Stuart Beattie’s screenplay follows Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) who is a cab driver with a meticulous personality that works part-time as a cab driver hoping to raise enough money to start a limousine business where one of his first clients is a prosecutor in Annie Farrell (Jada Pinkett Smith) whom he converses with as it leads to a brief sense of attraction. Then he meets Vincent (Tom Cruise) who asks to go to this destination and then a body falls onto Max’s cab as it begins a hellish night as Vincent is a professional who carries a list as he does whatever he can to kill making Max uneasy.
Vincent is a mysterious character who can be charming one minute and then ruthless the next minute where Max gets a close look at Vincent’s work and through the trail of bodies he left behind. The script also play into these conversations between Vincent and Max where there is a unique dynamic between the two as the latter knows he’s not in control but is eager to get out. Even as Vincent’s killings would attract the attention of the police including LAPD detective Ray Fanning (Mark Ruffalo) who believes something is up as one of his witnesses had been killed knowing it’s a professional hit. Once the story progresses and body count pile up, Max would do drastic means to stop Vincent from killing more only for things to get more complicated where Max is forced by Vincent to meet up with the man who hired Vincent in Mexican drug lord in Felix Reyes-Torrena (Javier Bardem) who would only raise more suspicion as Max realizes he’s in a far darker world that is not prepared for.
Michael Mann’s direction is astonishing in terms of the visuals he creates as it is shot largely on high-definition digital video with the exception of a nightclub scene shot on 35mm film. Shot on location in Los Angeles which is a character in the film, Mann displays this air of grit into his compositions where he would use a lot of wide and aerial shots to capture so much attention to detail as well as where Max’s cab is at in a certain location. Still, much of the direction is set inside the cab throughout the film where Mann maintains that intimacy through the close-ups and medium shots as well as in the different locations that Max has to take Vincent to. The scenes of violence are brutal though some of it occur off-screen yet there’s one violent scene that is brutal as it relates more to Max’s reaction and how close he is to the violence. Mann’s direction definitely play into this air of cinema verite with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as maintaining this air of realism into the direction.
Mann also creates this air of tension as it relates to the trail of bodies that Vincent leaves behind as detectives, FBI agents, and others go on the case to find out what is going on. The nightclub scene before the film’s third act where a witness is at is among one of the most suspenseful moments in the film as it shows how ruthless Vincent is in his pursuit. The third act is about the final target and what Max is willing to do to protect that person as well as realizing what kind of person Vincent really is. It’s among the most thrilling sequences ever captured on film as Mann uses the locations and compositions to help play into the stakes of a man who is having a bad night. Overall, Mann crafts a visceral yet evocative film about a cab driver being forced to drive a hitman to various destination on a dark night in Los Angeles.
Cinematographers Dion Bebe and Paul Cameron do brilliant work with the film’s digital video photography with Bebe doing much of the work to play into its sense of grit and crudeness but also in some gorgeous imagery for many of the interior/exterior scenes set at night. Editors Jim Miller and Paul Rubell do amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the action and suspense. Production designer David Wasco, with set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and art director Daniel T. Dorrance, does fantastic work with the look of some of the places that Max and Vincent go including a few clubs as well as the nightclub for one of the film’s big shootouts. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does terrific work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward that includes the grey suit that Vincent wears.
Prosthetic/special effects makeup artist Matthew W. Mungle, along with special makeup effects artists Jake Garber, Cleve Gunderman, Jamie Kelman, and Bart Mixon plus prosthetic makeup artist Wesley Wofford, does excellent work with the look of Vincent with his hair as well as the look of a few characters. Visual effects supervisor Robert Stadd does some fine work with the visual effects as it is mainly set dressing for a few shots in the city. Sound designer Elliott Koretz does superb work with the sound to help play into the atmosphere of what it sounds like inside a cab or at a club as well as how music is heard on a certain location. The film’s music by James Newton Howard is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that has elements of electronic ambient music that help play into the unsettling tone of the film while music supervisor Vicki Hiatt creates a soundtrack that feature some additional score pieces from Antonio Pinto plus music from the Roots with Cody Chesnutt, Groove Armada, Calexico, Tom Rothrock, Green Car Motel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Miles Davis, Paul Oakenfold, and Audioslave.
The casting by Francine Maisler is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Jason Statham as a man Vincent bumps into at the airport early in the film, Bohdi Elfman and Debi Mazar as a couple that Max picks up, the trio of Angelo Tiffe, Thomas Rosales Jr., and Inmo Yuon as Vincent’s targets, Richard T. Jones and Jamie McBride as a couple of traffic cops, Steven Kozlowski as a mugger trying to mug Max, Klea Scott as a FBI official, Emilio Rivera as a bodyguard of Felix, and Javier Bardem in a terrific one-scene appearance as the Mexican drug lord Felix Reyes-Torrena. Barry Shabka Henley is superb as the jazz musician Daniel Baker whom Vincent and Max sees as he’s performing at a club as he talks to them about Miles Davis while Irma P. Hall is fantastic as Max’s mother Ida who is ailing at the hospital as she is concerned about Max’s future while finding herself in an odd conversation with Vincent.
Bruce McGill is excellent as the FBI agent Frank Pedrosa who is spying on Felix as he believes he is involved with these killings while Peter Berg is wonderful as Fanning’s partner Richard Weidner who follows the trail of bodies though he isn’t sure it’s all connected to Felix. Mark Ruffalo is brilliant as detective Ray Fanning as someone who learns that one of his witnesses had been killed as he is aware of what is going on as he also believes that there is a lot more to meet the eye prompting him to find Max and protect him. Jada Pinkett Smith is amazing as Annie Farrell as a prosecutor Max meets early in the film in his cab as they converse about a few things including Farrell’s job as she would also take part in the film’s climatic third act as it relates to the case she’s involved in.
Jamie Foxx is phenomenal as Max Durocher as a cab driver who would have the worst night of his life as he is forced to accompany a hitman to various destinations where Foxx maintains a restraint as well as being this uneasy observer who is troubled by what he sees as he and Cruise do have great rapport to play into the tension and drama. Finally, there’s Tom Cruise in a tremendous performance as Vincent as a mysterious hitman who is ruthless in his pursuit of targets but is also a professional that is good at his job and is intent on finishing as it’s a dark yet riveting performance from Cruise.
Collateral is a spectacular film from Michael Mann that features great performances from Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. Along with its ensemble supporting cast, eerie visuals, a gripping music soundtrack, top-tier editing, and a broad sound design. The film is definitely a suspense-thriller that takes a simple premise and amp it up in its exploration of a hitman forcing a cab driver to take him to destinations in Los Angeles so that he can kill some people. In the end, Collateral is a sensational film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: The Jericho Mile – Thief (1981 film) - The Keep – Manhunter - L.A. Takedown – The Last of the Mohicans - Heat – The Insider – Ali - Miami Vice – Public Enemies (2009 film) - Blackhat - Blackhat - Ferrari - (Heat 2) - The Auteurs #73: Michael Mann Pt.1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Michael Mann and screenplay by Mann, Eric Roth, Stephen J. Rivele, and Christopher Wilkinson from a story by Gregory Allen Howard, Ali is the story of 10 years in the life of the boxer Muhammad Ali from his first world title win in 1964 to the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. The film is a look into a moment in time when Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay Jr. and the moments in his life that would make him an icon as he is portrayed by Will Smith. Also starring Jamie Foxx, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Toney, and Jon Voight as Howard Cosell. Ali is a majestic and evocative film from Michael Mann.
The film is about a decade in the life of one of the most iconic figures in sports during the 20th Century in Muhammad Ali from his first title win against Sonny Liston in February 25, 1964 to the Rumble in the Jungle in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974. During this time, Ali would convert to Islam and change his name from Cassius Clay Jr. to Ali while enduring all sorts of events in that time such as refusing to serve the U.S. army during the Vietnam War, failed marriages, and losing his first fight to Joe Frazier in the Fight of the Century on March 8, 1971. The film is really an exploration of a man trying to adopt this new identity having dropped his birth name which he felt had been given to him and his family by slave masters and take on something new. The film’s script play into these events that include his friendship with Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles) and how it ended due to the interference of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad (Albert Hall).
His devotion to the Nation of Islam would also alienate his family and play part into the decisions of his career as one of his wives in Belinda Boyd/Khalilah Ali (Nona Gaye) doesn’t think the Nation of Islam, Elijah’s son Herbert (Barry Shabaka Henley), and Don King (Mykelti T. Williamson) have his best interests. Much of the film’s narrative is straightforward with some subplots involving people that Ali know being followed by a CIA official in Joe Smiley (Ted Levine) as they would believe Ali is a threat to national security as it would also show events behind the scenes such as a meeting between Don King, Herbert Muhammad, and politicians from Europe and Africa wanting to use Ali just as he is considered a messianic figure in Africa.
Michael Mann’s direction is stylish not just for its presentation with its mixture of 35mm film and grainy digital video but also in capturing a period of time when Ali was to ascend into this iconic status that would make him a polarizing figure in the world. Shot on various locations in the U.S. such as New York City, Chicago, and Miami and Mozambique as Zaire and Ghana. Mann displays a somewhat documentary-style much of his direction as it play into this world that Ali would encounter from his visits to Africa as well as struggling with the events in America around him. There are usage of wide shots of the locations as well as the venues where Ali would have his fights while he aims mainly for some intimate usage of close-ups that play into Ali’s emotions as well as aspects of his personal life that is also presented in medium shots. The usage of the grainy digital video for an opening scene of Ali jogging in Los Angeles as well as him looking at a riot as well as a love scene with a future wife in Sonji Roi (Jada Pinkett Smith).
The fight scenes are among the major highlights of the film with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as point-of-view shots of what the fighter is facing inside the ring and the punches he would get from his opponent. It’s an element of realism that isn’t seen often in films relating to boxing as well as Mann’s direction gets very close into the brutality of boxing. Even as it show Ali as someone trying to mock his opponents as well as fight them with an intelligence and showmanship. Mann’s direction also play into the reaction of the people as well as showing lots of attention to detail in the direction of the people in Ali’s corner observing what Ali is doing. It’s Mann playing into a world where men fought to become the best and for a man like Ali to use boxing as a platform for hope and change. Overall, Mann crafts a riveting and intoxicating film about a decade in the life of Muhammad Ali.
Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki does incredible work with the film’s photography as it’s a highlight of the film with its usage of naturalistic and slightly-tinted colors and moods in the lighting as well as the grainy look of the digital video footage as well as the way the camera moves. Editors William Goldenberg, Lynzee Klingman, Stephen E. Rivkin, and Stuart Waks do excellent work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion shots, and other stylish editing play into the drama as well as the thrill of the fights. Production designer John Myhre, with set decorator Jim Erickson plus art directors Jonathan Lee, Bill Rea, and Tomas Voth, does brilliant work with the sets from the hotel rooms that and homes that Ali lived in to the design of some of the venues and rings that Ali would fight in. Costume designer Marlene Stewart does amazing work with the costumes from the clothes that men wore in those times as well as the stylish dresses and Muslim garb the women would wear.
Special makeup effects artists Greg Cannom and Christopher Allen Nelson do fantastic work with the look of Howard Cosell as well as some of the prosthetics and hair for some of the characters. Special effects supervisors Alan Poole and Max Poolman, with visual effects supervisor Michael J. McAlister, do terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it is mainly set-dressing but also in parts that relate to the fights. Sound editors Yann Delpuech, Darren King, and Gregory King do superb work with the sound in how punches are thrown as well as the atmosphere of the audiences during the fights as well as some sounds in some of the locations. The film’s music by Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard is wonderful for its minimalist and ambient-based score with its usage of polyrhythms and other world beat musical textures while the music soundtrack feature a lot of the music of the times from the Pointer Sisters, Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan plus contemporary pieces from Alicia Keys and Moby.
The casting by Victoria Thomas is great as it feature some notable small roles from Victoria Dillard as Malcolm X’s wife Betty Shabazz, Malick Bowens as Zaire’s president Joseph Mobutu, David Elliott as singer Sam Cooke in the film’s opening credits scene, Shari Watson/Truth Hurts as a club singer, Ted Levine as CIA agent Joe Smiley, Leon Robinson as a Nation of Islam official in Brother Joe, David Haynes as Ali’s brother Rudy Clay/Rahman Ali, Robert Sale as boxer Jerry Quarry, Candy Ann Brown as Ali’s mother Odessa Clay, Michael Bentt as Sonny Liston, David Cubitt as journalist Robert Lipsyte, Charles Shufford as George Foreman, LeVar Burton as Martin Luther King Jr., Bruce McGill as a European political figure, Joe Morton as Ali’s attorney Chauncey Eskridge, Giancarlo Esposito as Ali’s father Cassius Clay Sr., Barry Shabaka Henley as Herbert Muhammad, and Albert Brown as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad,
Other noteworthy small roles from Nona Gaye as Ali’s second wife Belinda Boyd/Khalilah Ali who is concerned about the people Ali is with, Paul Rodriguez as Ali’s ring physician Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, and Michael Michele as Ali’s future third wife in journalist Veronica Porche whom he would meet in Zaire are wonderful in their brief roles as is Jada Pinkett Smith in a terrific performance as Ali’s first wife Sonji Roi as a woman who many in the Nation of Islam felt was unsuitable for him. James Toney and Mykelti T. Williamson are superb in their respective roles as the fighter Joe Frazier who offers Ali a shot at the title and the infamous promoter Don King who is trying to hype up the event and make a lot of money. Jeffrey Wright is fantastic as photographer Howard Bingham who would be Ali’s biographer and personal photographer who would follow Ali as well as be an observer to the events in Ali’s life.
Ron Silver is excellent as Angelo Dundee as Ali’s trainer who is focused on what Ali is doing in the ring as well as ensure that Ali has a good strategy for every fight as he’s like a father figure to Ali. Mario Van Peebles is brilliant as Malcolm X as the famed civil rights leader and Nation of Islam speaker who is a close friend of Ali as he would later go on his own path where he tries to maintain his friendship with Ali. Jamie Foxx is amazing as Drew Bundini Brown as Ali’s longtime assistant/cornerman who would help Ali come up with his famous rhymes as well as be someone that Ali can trust with on personal matters or on business matters despite his own personal issues. Jon Voight is incredible as famed sports reporter Howard Cosell as Voight would get Cosell’s famous voice right on as well as be the man trying to get answers from Ali as well as be a close friend of the boxer. Finally, there’s Will Smith in a phenomenal performance as Muhammad Ali as he channels the man’s bombastic personality in the press conferences as well as the man’s public persona as being cocky but also a man who can talk the talk and walk the walk but also display the humanity in Ali as a man struggling with his identity and the persona he has created for himself.
Ali is a sensational film from Michael Mann that features a career-defining performance from Will Smith as the legendary boxer. Along with its ensemble cast, Emmanuel Lubezki’s gorgeous cinematography, rapturous music soundtrack, and its exploration about a decade in the life of Muhammad Ali. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules of the bio-pic as it focuses on key events of the man’s life as well as the world around him. In the end, Ali is a spectacular film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: The Jericho Mile – Thief - The Keep – Manhunter - L.A. Takedown – The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) - Heat – The Insider – Collateral – Miami Vice – Public Enemies - Blackhat - Blackhat - Ferrari - (Heat 2) - The Auteurs #73: Michael Mann Pt.1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2019
Written and directed by Edgar Wright, Baby Driver is the story of a getaway driver who is being forced to work for a drug kingpin to do a job as things go wrong. The film is an ode to getaway driver film genre with elements of the musical as its protagonist has to listen to music during his job due to damages in his ear. Starring Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez, and Kevin Spacey. Baby Driver is an exhilarating and majestic film from Edgar Wright.
The film revolves around a young man who is a getaway driver for robbers as he works under the service of a drug kingpin he owes a debt to as he’s close to finally paying off the debt until he’s given a dangerous job where things become intense. It’s a film with a simple story yet it plays into someone who likes to keep things simple as he listens to different kinds of music when he drives due to the fact that he’s got severe tinnitus in his ears due to a car accident when he was a kid that claimed the life of his parents. His job is to just be a getaway driver and get a small cut for his services and that is it while he lives with a deaf elderly he cares for as he also falls for a waitress at a local diner. Edgar Wright’s screenplay definitely owe a lot to crime and chase films but there’s elements of the musicals and fantasy in the film though it’s all set in this high-octane reality that the film’s titular character (Ansel Elgort) is living in.
Yet, Baby is someone that always carry around an iPod to listen to whatever music to display the mood or environment he’s in as his boss Doc (Kevin Spacey) would call him for an assignment as he would hire the people for the job and all Baby needs to do is drive and listen to the music. Though there would be people that Doc would hire constantly such as the couple Buddy and Darling (Jon Hamm and Eiza Gonzalez, respectively) who like what Baby does. Things change when Doc hires the very psychotic Bats (Jamie Foxx) for a job with two other men with Baby as the getaway driver as it becomes very violent. It’s a chilling moment just as Baby was experiencing something new in his life as he befriends the waitress Debora (Lily James) as they bond through music. Unfortunately, Baby’s attempt to leave his life as a getaway driver has him dealing with Doc about a job that is even more dangerous as it includes the service of Bats who has made Baby very uneasy.
Wright’s direction is definitely stylish not just for its approach to action but also treating it as if it is this unconventional musical with the music from Baby’s iPod as its soundtrack. Shot on location in Atlanta as it is a character in the film, Wright creates a film that uses the city as this modern-day backdrop that is quite grimy yet has an air of excitement in its nightlife and mixture of different cultures in hip-hop, country, and rock. While Wright would use wide shots for not just establishing the locations but also in scenes that play into the world that Baby is in as he has a routine in what he does in the aftermath of a robbery as it’s told in an intricate tracking shot with careful choreography and movement with the help of choreographer Ryan Heffington. Wright’s direction favors more intimate moments in some of the locations in and around Atlanta as well as a few sets and what goes on inside a car which Baby is often behind the steering wheel choosing the right song for the chase. Wright’s approach to the music isn’t to use the music as a crutch to help tell the story but rather as some form of accompaniment to express whatever mood that Baby is in and what he needs to concentrate in his job due to his tinnitus.
Wright would also create moments that don’t involve music as it play into the meetings led by Doc about what to do with the job but also these eerie moments that play into the growing tension between Baby and Bats as the former is uneasy about the latter. Wright would create some entrancing compositions that has him put the actors in a certain position for the frame as it help add to some of the drama as well as bits of humor. There are also moments where Wright would inject bits of fantasy in a key scene that play into the sense of hope that Baby wants with Debora but it’s always clashing with this high-octane reality that is quite violent with lots of gunplay and chaos. All of it to the tune of something which feels right for the scene as it also has this offbeat approach to the musical. Overall, Wright creates a sensational and lively film about a getaway driver who uses music as an escape from his life of crime.
Cinematographer Bill Pope does excellent work with the film’s cinematography to capture the look of Atlanta in the daytime exteriors with its sunny and colorful look with some gorgeous lighting for some of the interiors including the scenes set at night. Editors Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss do incredible work with the editing with its usage of rhythms to help play into the music as well as using fast-cuts for some of the chases without deviating into the chaotic speed-editing of typical action films. Production designer Marcus Rowland, with art directors Nigel Churcher and Justin O’Neal Miller as well as set decorator Lance Totten, does fantastic work with the look of the apartment home that Baby shares with his deaf foster father Joseph as well the place where Doc does his meetings and the diner that Debora works at. Costume designer Courtney Hoffman does nice work with the clothes from the waitress dress that Debora wears to some of the stylish clothing of Darling and Bats.
Visual effects supervisor Shailendra Swarnkar does terrific work with some of the visual effects as it relates to some of the action and chase scenes where it definitely look real without having to do too much in order to make it feel real. Sound designer Julian Slater does amazing work with the sound as it is a highlight of the film in its approach to mixing and editing to hear Baby is hearing in total silence as well as the way sound is presented in certain moments of the film. The film’s music by Steven Price is wonderful for its mixture of low-key electronic music, hip-hop, and orchestral bombast to create a thriving score that help play into the suspense while music supervisor Kirsten Lane creates a phenomenal soundtrack that features an array of music from acts such as Queen, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the Damned, the Beach Boys, Beck, T-Rex, Simon & Garfunkel, Barry White, Young MC, Bob & Earl, Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, Googie Rene, Carla Thomas, Dave Brubeck, Alexis Korner, The Incredible Bongo Band, Martha and the Vandellas, Blur, Focus, Sky Ferreira, the Commodores, Kid Koala, Danger Mouse with Run the Jewels and Big Boi, Sam & Dave, and Golden Earring.
The casting by Francine Maisler is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Killer Mike and Outkast’s Big Boi as a couple of patrons at a posh restaurant, Jon Spencer of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion as a prison guard, filmmaker Walter Hill as a courtroom interpreter, Lance Palmer as Baby’s father in the flashbacks, Viviana Chavez as a diner waitress, Hal Whiteside as the diner cook, Brogan Hall as Doc’s nephew, Allison King as a mail teller, Andrea Frye as a woman Baby reluctantly carjacks, Hudson Meek as the young baby in the flashbacks, and Sky Ferreira as Baby’s mother in the flashbacks whom he adored. Other notable small yet memorable performances include Paul Williams as a notorious arms dealer known as the Butcher, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Lanny Joon as a couple of robbers working with Bats, Jon Bernthal as a robber in the first heist in Griff who often questions Baby’s role in the robbery, and CJ Jones as Baby’s deaf foster-father Joseph whom Baby communicates with through sign language and music. Eiza Gonzalez is fantastic as Darling as a smooth-talking yet cool woman who can throw down as well as be quite scandalous as she is also Buddy’s wife.
Jon Hamm is excellent as Buddy as a man that loves to rob banks and get its rewards as he also loves his wife Darling where it shows what kind of man he is when he knows she’s been harmed. Kevin Spacey is brilliant as Doc as a drug kingpin who is Baby’s boss as a man who doesn’t bullshit as Spacey brings a dry-wit to his performance where he can be intimidating but also sympathetic. Lily James is amazing as Debora as this kind-hearted diner waitress who befriends Baby where they share an interest for music as well as wanting a life with no complications. Jamie Foxx is incredible as Bats as this very ruthless and psychotic criminal who has no qualms in killing people in order to get his money as he likes what Baby does but also despises Baby for his sense of morals. Finally, there’s Ansel Elgort in a remarkable performance as Baby as this getaway driver with severe tinnitus in his ears which he drowns out through music as he copes with being in the world of crime and his desire to get out to start a new life only to be put into a situation that is troubling as it’s a very restrained yet charismatic performance from Elgort.
Baby Driver is a spectacular film from Edgar Wright. Featuring a great cast, a phenomenal music soundtrack, a thrilling script, amazing locations, and top-notch work in the editing and sound. It’s a film that is very unconventional in its blend of action, suspense, humor, and music as it plays with all sorts of genre while being something that is totally of its own. In the end, Baby Driver is a tremendous film from Edgar Wright.
Edgar Wright Films: (A Fistful of Fingers) - Shaun of the Dead - Hot Fuzz - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - The World's End - The Sparks Brothers - Last Night in Soho
© thevoid99 2017
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/25/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Based on the Broadway musical by Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger, Dreamgirls is the story of three young women from Detroit trying to make it as singers as they go from singing backup for a popular R&B singer to becoming a popular singing group with the help of a ruthless and sleazy car salesman who becomes their manager. Written for the screen and directed by Bill Condon, the film is an exploration of three women trying to succeed as they would pay a major price for their success where two of these women would embark into their own individual journeys. Starring Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Washington, Sharon Leal, Hinton Battle, and introducing Jennifer Hudson. Dreamgirls is a sensational and lively film from Bill Condon.
It's 1962 in Detroit as three girls named Effie White (Jennifer Hudson), Deena Jones (Beyonce Knowles), and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) are about to perform as the Dreamettes at a talent competition in a Detroit theater. Along with Effie's brother C.C. (Keith Robinson) who is their songwriter, they hope to win big. Instead, they’re defeated as they managed to catch the attention of an ambition Cadillac dealer named Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx) who decides to give them a break. After talking to a man named Marty (Danny Glover) who is the manager to popular R&B singer James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy), the Dreamettes become his backup group. The married Early falls for Lorrell as they tour around the country in African-American theaters. Hoping to break into the mainstream, Curtis decides to employ C.C. to write a song for Early called Cadillac Car that becomes a R&B hit. Unfortunately, the song was then remade into a pop song by a white act that steals its thunder. Deciding to resort to payola with help from Wayne (Hinton Battle), Curtis manages to get another C.C. White-penned song Steppin' To The Bad Side for James Early that becomes a smash hit. Forming a new label called Rainbow Records, Curtis hopes to make the label big with James as his premier act.
With Marty out of the picture, Curtis reinvents James as a crooner by premiering his act at a Miami nightclub. Curtis then notices that a young white man taking a look at Deena. Deciding to break the Dreamettes from James to form their own act. He makes a decision to have Deena sing lead instead of the full-figured Effie, who has a superior voice. Effie reluctantly goes with the move at the insistence of everyone including C.C. Now called the Dreams, they become a huge hit all over the world as their success in the mid-60s nearly rivals the popularity of the Beatles. Yet with success mounting, Effie becomes frustrated as she is convinced that Curtis, who is her boyfriend, is sleeping with Deena. The mounting tension finally leads to Effie being kicked out of the group and replaced by Curtis' secretary Michelle Morris (Sharon Leal) for a New Years Eve performance at a Las Vegas nightclub.
Eight years later in 1973, Deena Jones and the Dreams become a huge success but Deena suddenly finds herself unhappy with her success as Curtis has huge plans to have her star in a film version about Cleopatra. With Rainbow Records now based in Los Angeles, Curtis hopes to go into bigger territory as he has other acts making money for him. Back in Detroit, Effie has now become a single mother with a child named Magic (Mariah I. Wilson) living on welfare with her father Ronald (Alexander Folk) looking on them as he maintains contact with her brother C.C. Effie eventually, swallows her pride as she gets help from Marty to revitalize her career. Back in Los Angeles, C.C. becomes disillusioned with Curtis tampering his music and the direction Rainbow Records is heading. Even as Curtis loses interest in helping James Early's career in which his star has faded and has succumbed to drug abuse, things start to fall apart. C.C. finally leaves Los Angeles to help Effie with her career as he writes a song called One Night Only that starts to climb up the charts in Detroit. Yet, Curtis strikes back when he has Deena and the Dreams to record a disco-version of the song that becomes a smash. When Deena learns what Curtis did and all of the things he's been doing to her, she makes a move that not only helps Effie but also would find inspiration for her own individuality.
The film is essentially inspired by Motown and the rise of the Supremes that included some legendary myths about Diana Ross' affair with Motown's Berry Gordy who chose her to sing lead in the Supremes instead of Florence Ballard who tragically died in the 70s after being kicked out of the group in the late 60s. While screenwriter and director Bill Condon doesn't make any actual references to that truth, the film is really a focus on these three talented young women who become a singing group and hoping to make it as well as the harsh reality that is the music industry. While the film's sense of glossy lavishness and high-production musical numbers might not be for everyone. It still helps carry the story while underneath all those songs is a study of greed in the industry that is now becoming more relevant than ever as the music industry itself, is starting to shoot itself in the foot.
Yet, Condon's focus on the Dreams rise from pop to disco as well as other characters including James Early and Curtis Taylor Jr. Condon's direction plays like a true musical with amazing musical numbers that are often either a band-like performance, a recording, or some kind of lavish production. While Condon lets the audience know that a musical number is coming, it doesn't come out forced and flows naturally as if it's part of the story. The use of wide shots to emphasize the lavish productions, dance numbers, and performances works to convey that feel of the musical. The result is a solid film from the mind of Bill Condon.
Cinematographer Tobias A. Schleissler does an excellent job in the film's look from the stylish lighting of the musical performances to the colorful exteriors of the locations including Detroit and Los Angeles. Editor Virginia Katz does a solid job in the film's cutting without resorting to fast-paced cutting styles in most mainstream features. Instead, Katz maintains the film's spontaneity for its musical performances. Production designer John Myhre and set decorator Nancy Haigh do a fantastic job in creating the set designs for the musical numbers, the nightclub scenes, and the first Rainbow Records building to capture the sense of period of the 60s and the 70s. Costume designer Sharen Davis does a wonderful job in capturing the look of the period with the costumes from the glam-like dresses, 60s go-go clothing, 70s glam with afros, and sparkles with help from a team of make-up and costume designers.
Sound designer/editor Richard E. Yawn does an excellent job in capturing the essence of performance in the staging and dancing along with the differing atmospheres of Detroit and the polished places. Choreographer Fatima Robinson does a wonderful job on the dancing to help capture the rhythm and melody of the songs. The songs of Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger from the musical return as they're definitely memorable with such songs as Fake Your Way To The Top, Cadillac Car, Steppin' To The Bad Side, Family, Dreamgirls, Heavy, When I First Saw You, One Night Only (and its disco reprise), and the famous, And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going. New songs for the film like the thumping soul song Love You Like I Do by Henry Krieger and Sediah Garrett for Jennifer Hudson, Listen by Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Beyonce Knowles, Patience by Henry Krieger and Willie Reale for Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, and Eddie Murphy, and Perfect World by Krieger and Sediah Garrett for the Jackson 5 dopplegangers the Campbell Connection. The new songs are great to convey the mood of the times and its connection to the film's story.
The casting by Debra Zane and Jay Binder is wonderfully assembled with notable appearances from Jaleel White as a talent booker, Dawnn Lewis as James' wife Melba, Yvette Carson as Deena's mother May, Ken Page as a club owner who lets Effie sing, and cameo appearances from John Krasinski and John Lithgow as filmmakers talking to Deena about a project and one of the original Dreamgirls stage actresses Loretta Devine as a jazz singer. Mariah I. Wilson is excellent as Effie's daughter Magic along with Alexander Folk as Effie and C.C.'s father. Hinton Battle, another actor who appeared in the Broadway version, is excellent as Curtis' cohort who is forced to do bad deeds for Curtis including payola. Sharon Leal is terrific as the Cindy Songbird-inspired Michelle Morris who replaces Effie unaware of what she's doing to the group.
Keith Robinson is excellent as songwriter C.C. White who tries to create great songs for James Early and the Dreams only to get up in success and then become disillusioned by Curtis' view of music and its purpose. Anika Noni Rose is wonderful as Lorrell Robinson who is the glue of the group trying to keep the dreams together while falling for James and becomes his mistress as she is trying to figure out their relationship. Danny Glover is great as James' manager Marty who tries to help him make it and without any kind of seedy business moves like payola as he later becomes Effie's mentor as he tries to help revive her career. Beyonce Knowles is good and appropriately cast as Deena Jones who is known more for her beauty and pop-like voice as a woman who is trying to find her true identity. Knowles is good when she's singing though her work as a dramatic actress is a bit spotty. She's engaging but lacks the depth in being very dramatic.
Eddie Murphy is in excellent form as the James Brown-inspired James "Thunder" Early who is filled with charm and wit about being an original and a star. Then when he is forced to become a commercial singer, he becomes frustrated turning to drug addiction while trying to reclaim his identity and stardom. Murphy's performance both acting wise and in musical performance is brilliant, even in his singing that is top-notch. Jamie Foxx is great as the sleazy, ambitious Curtis Taylor Jr. who wants to make in the business at any cost as he has a lot of charm and bravado in his role while doing an amazing rendition of When I First Saw You that proves Foxx's many talents. The film's best and breakthrough performance definitely goes to Jennifer Hudson as Effie White. Hudson manages to be both engaging and powerful as the big girl with an attitude who knows that all she can do is sing. Hudson is great and subtle in her dramatic acting while it's her work as a singer that is just divine
Dreamgirls is a phenomenal film from Bill Condon that features brilliant performances from Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, and Danny Glover. It's a film that manages to be more than just an entertaining musical but also a compelling piece into the cynical world of the music industry. It's also a film about control and how those become compromised as they want to find their own voice in the world. In the end, Dreamgirls is a remarkable film from Bill Condon.
© thevoid99 2015
