Certain Women

Based on the short stories by Maile Meloy, Certain Women is a collection of three different stories involving women dealing with trials and tribulations in their lives. Written for the screen, directed, and edited by Kelly Reichardt, the film follows the lives of different women set in Montana as they deal with their place in the world as well as what they want. Starring Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Lily Gladstone, James LeGros, Jared Harris, John Getz, Sara Rodier, and Rene Auberjonois. Certain Women is an engrossing yet evocative film from Kelly Reichardt.

Set in small parts of Montana, the film follows the lives of women in three different stories where they deal with something out of ordinary in their day-to-day lives. It all play into this location that is quaint yet it also has something that does feel extraordinary where it revolves around the lives of these three women. Rather than employ a cross-cutting narrative that can be confusing, Kelly Reichardt chose to go for something that is straightforward though its main characters are connected in some way despite rarely interacting with one another. The first story involves a lawyer named Laura Wells (Laura Dern) who is dealing with a client who has become disabled due to what happened at work. It would lead to a moment where he would hold a security guard hostage forcing her to deal with the situation and help him find some justice.

The second story revolves around a couple who want to build their dream home as they’ve set up camp at the site of the house as they want to buy stones from an old man. Yet, Gina Lewis (Michelle Williams) is also dealing with tension with her teenage daughter over the home she wants to build. The third story involves a lonely ranch hand named Jamie (Lily Gladstone) living outside of the small town where the characters live at as she unknowingly attends night school for a class on law where she falls for its young teacher in Beth Travis (Kristen Stewart). For Jamie, this sudden attraction has her wanting to break away from the monotonous life where she tries to find ways to woo Beth as they would go to a diner though Beth has to travel four hours from her town to go and teach in the smaller town and then drive four hours back. It all play into these events that the women had to endure as well as deal with something that can impact their lives.

Reichardt’s direction is actually very simple where doesn’t go into any kind of visual style nor does the film contain a lot of close-ups to emphasize more on the characters and their surroundings. Shot on location in the state of Montana with the town of Livingston being where much of the film is shot as well as other locations in the state. Reichardt would shoot the film during the winter period where it feels true for the location while she would use a lot of wide shots to play into this world that is sort of isolated from much of America in terms of its big cities and high-octane culture for something simpler. Reichardt’s approach to medium shots has more to do with the way characters interact with each other in situations or in how they deal with the typical aspects of their day-to-day life. Also serving as the film’s editor, Reichardt would emphasize a lot on long shots though knows when not to cut as she would infuse some jump-cuts for parts of the film as well as bits of suspense for the story involving Laura and her client. Reichardt would also maintain a sense of low-key melodrama for Gina’s story in her interaction with the old man while the story about Jamie and Beth is more light-hearted but also with a sense of restraint as the film would end with realistic conclusions for these characters who are all dealing with a sense of loneliness in their stark surrounding. Overall, Reichardt creates a riveting yet intoxicating about the extraordinary lives of women in Montana.

Cinematographer Christopher Blauvet does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely natural and low-key to play into the realistic yet gorgeous look of the daytime exteriors set in the winter to some low-key lighting for some of the scenes at night. Production designer Anthony Gasparro, with set decorator Pamela Day and art director Kat Ulmansiek, does fantastic work with the look of the tent Gina lives in as well as the classroom where Beth teaches. Costume designer April Napier does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual since it is set in the winter with its big coats, sweaters, and winter boots. Sound designer Kent Sparling does superb work with the sound as it is largely low-key to play into the locations that the characters are in as well as the scenes that play into the drama and suspense. The film’s music by Jeff Grace is wonderful as it’s largely low-key as it only appears sparingly in its mixture of folk and ambient music setting.

The casting by Mark Bennett and Gayle Keller is great as it feature some notable small roles from John Getz as the local sheriff in Livingston, Sara Rodier as Gina and Ryan’s teenage daughter Guthrie who doesn’t like her mother, James LeGros as Gina’s husband Ryan who is trying to keep the peace between mother and daughter, and Rene Auberjonois as the old man Albert whom Gina wants to buy some stones from in the hopes to build her dream house. Jared Harris is superb as Fuller as Laura’s client who is dealing with an injury that has kept him from working as he tries to get some money for the injury that happened to him where he becomes very desperate. Lily Gladstone is excellent as Jamie as a ranch hand who deals with her lonely and monotonous existence where she stumbles into a night school class where she befriends and falls for a lawyer teaching the class about the ideas of the law.

Kristen Stewart is fantastic as Beth as a lawyer who takes the teaching job four hours from where she lives as she copes with her own lonely existence and lack of stability where she finds a friend in Jamie whom she’s intrigued by. Michelle Williams is amazing as Gina as a woman that is eager to build her dream home as she also deals with the sense of disconnect with her daughter as well as some of the immorality she takes part in getting what she wants for her home unaware of Albert’s emotional attachment to the stones. Finally, there’s Laura Dern in a brilliant performance as Laura Wells as a lawyer who is trying to help her disabled client Fuller as well as deal with her own life that doesn’t have much excitement where a crisis would give her that bit of excitement.

Certain Women is a phenomenal film from Kelly Reichardt. Featuring a great cast, compelling stories on loneliness and the need to connect in a rural existence, gorgeous visuals, and a minimalist approach to its storytelling. It’s a film that explores a world that simple yet with characters that want more as they contend with their surroundings and need to either get out or make something of it. In the end, Certain Women is a sensational film from Kelly Reichardt.

Kelly Reichardt Films: River of Grass – Old Joy - Wendy and Lucy - Meek's Cutoff - Night Moves (2013 film) – First Cow - Showing Up - The Auteurs #72: Kelly Reichardt

© thevoid99 2018

The Fly (1986 film)

Based on the short story by George Langelaan and its 1958 film adaptation directed by Kurt Neumann, The Fly is the story about a scientist whose attempt to create a teleport machine has suddenly gone wrong when a fly ends up in one of the pods he was in as his girlfriend tries to help him. Directed by David Cronenberg and screenplay by Cronenberg and Charles Edward Pogue, the film is a modern-day version of the 1958 film that explores a man’s experiment gone wrong as he starts to lose his idea of humanity. Starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, and John Getz. The Fly is an astounding yet unsettling sci-fi horror film from David Cronenberg.

The film has this simple premise in which a brilliant yet eccentric scientist named Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) who has been trying to create a teleport machine in the hopes that the idea of traveling via air, road, or sea would ceased to exist. After showing it to a journalist named Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) who meets him at a science convention, she helps give him ideas on how something living can transport from one pod to another. When Seth decides to teleport himself from one pod to another, the experiment works until Veronica is convinced something has gone wrong when it became clear that a housefly was in the pod with Seth as he starts to disintegrate and lose his humanity where he becomes this strange hybrid between man and fly. It’s an idea that has all of the elements that is perfect for a sci-fi horror film with elements of drama and dark humor as it plays into a man’s obsession with becoming brilliant yet finds himself becoming something else.

The film’s screenplay has a unique structure that plays into world of Seth Brundle as the first act is about him meeting Veronica and showing her his teleport experiment. The two eventually have a relationship much to the dismay of Veronica’s editor/former boyfriend Stathis Borans (John Getz) who learns about the affair as he follows Veronica. An act of jealousy from Brundle over Veronica’s relationship with Stathis would have him try the experiment itself as its second act would play into his belief that the experiment has made him better. Veronica however, starts to question him about what he’s become as hairs are coming out of a scar from his back. It is all part of the schematics of what is expected in the genre yet David Cronenberg and co-screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue add an element of human drama into the story. Especially in the love story between Seth and Veronica as Seth finds someone he can talk to while Veronica is fascinated by Seth’s genius.

By the film’s second half where Veronica becomes concerned for Seth’s well-being and his denial about what he’s becoming. It all plays to this very chilling third act where Seth has accepted into what he’s becoming as he tries to find a way to save himself. Veronica tries to help but couldn’t believe the state that he’s become while there’s another element that ups the drama as well as everything else that would play into Veronica’s own well-being. This would get Stathis involved as he tries to help Veronica while discovering what has happened to Seth where it would play into a very intense climax.

Cronenberg’s direction is very engaging in not just the way he plays into the drama but also take a slow burn into creating the horror that is to come. Many of the compositions that Cronenberg does for its first act is quite simple as it plays out as an understated drama with a bits of humor and romance where it builds up the romance between Seth and Veronica. Yet, there’s the Stathis character who is kind of a smarmy schmuck that still has feelings for Veronica as he would definitely drive Seth into jealousy which makes him wanting to test his teleport device himself. Cronenberg would create these shots of Seth showing the newfound strength and abilities that he has after being teleported but there are a few moments where Cronenberg would play into that sense of horror through a few key shots and sounds that would create a sense of foreboding.

There are bits of horrific moments that occur in the first half but it would all come to play in the second half such as a scene where Seth leaves in a state of anger to get a drink as he would do some things that would begin his de-evolution as a human being. Notably in the third act where the horror becomes very real when Veronica finally sees what Seth has become after a few weeks where he’s become this very horrific hybrid of human and fly. There is also an added dramatic stake that would increase the sense of horror where Seth’s state of mind becomes more erratic and less human as it involves Veronica. Even as the horror becomes this mixture of gore and body horror as there’s some drastic decisions to be made as well as tragedy over what Seth had become. Overall, Cronenberg creates a very intense and terrifying film about a man’s experiment that went horribly wrong.

Cinematographer Mark Irwin does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the use of lights to play into the interior of Seth‘s loft as well as some of the look of the many locations set in Toronto. Editor Ronald Sanders does brilliant work with the editing by creating some methodical cuts to play up the horror as well as some rhythmic cuts to showcase Seth‘s state of mind as it becomes erratic. Production designer Carol Spier, with set decorator Elinor Rose Galbraith and art director Rolf Harvey, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of Seth‘s loft as well as the design of the pods.

Costume designer Denise Cronenberg does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the men wearing suits while it‘s Veronica that gets to wear some more stylish clothes. Special makeup effects by Stephen Dupuis and Chris Walas is tremendous for the look of Seth in the state he‘s in where he slowly starts to look like a freak with some very disturbing results as well as what he would look like later on as it‘s makeup work at its finest. Sound editors David Evans and Wayne Griffin do superb work with the sound from the way the pods sound when the doors open to some of the intimate moments such as the sound of the housefly. The film’s music by Mark Irwin is fantastic for its chilling score which is a mixture of low-key electronics and broad orchestral arrangements to play out the sense of horror and suspense.

The casting by Deirdre Bowen is terrific as it features a mostly small cast that includes Leslie Carlson as a doctor friend of Stathis, Joy Boushel as a woman at a bar Seth meets, George Chuvalo as that woman’s friend, and David Cronenberg making a cameo as a gynecologist in a very terrifying scene. John Getz is excellent as Stathis Borans as a man who has feelings for Veronica as he is very smarmy around her until he learns about what is happening to Seth as he tries to help Veronica. Geena Davis is remarkable as Veronica Quaife as a journalist who falls for Seth as she is later terrified by the changes he’s going through as she tries to help him while dealing with something that would complicate everything. Finally, there’s Jeff Goldblum in a magnificent performance as Seth Brundle as this brilliant yet weird scientist who hopes to change the world with a teleport machine only to succumb to the condition that would make him less human.

The Fly is an outstanding film from David Cronenberg that features brilliant leading performances from Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. Along with some great technical work in its look, music, and its award-winning makeup effects. It is definitely a film that can be classified as what a horror film should be and more. Even as it has that element of human drama and suspense that makes it stand out to appeal to audiences who aren’t into horror. In the end, The Fly is a phenomenal film from David Cronenberg.

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

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

© thevoid99 2013

Blood Simple

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/15/14 w/ Additional Edits.

Blood Simple is the story of a bar owner who suspects about his wife's extramarital affair as he hires a private investigator to kill his wife. Written and directed by by Joel and Ethan Coen, Blood Simple is a dark, fascinating film filled with intrigue and suspenseful moments where everything has a strange tone while laying underneath it is the dark, idiosyncratic humor the Coen Bros. would later be famous for in later films. Starring Joel's future wife & Coen regular Frances McDormand, M. Emmett Walsh, Dan Hedaya, John Getz, Samm-Art Williams, and Deborah Neumann. Blood Simple is a fascinating, abstract film debut from the Coen Bros.

It's a dark night in Texas as a woman named Abby (Frances McDormand) and her lover Ray (John Getz) are driving through a dark night on the road where they suspect they're being followed. After a stop at a hotel, Ray gets a mysterious call where he thinks it's Abby's husband Marty (Dan Hedaya), a bar owner who Ray works for. With Marty staying in the bar watching everything while being controlled by lead bartender Meurice (Samm-Art Williams), he quietly has a meeting with a private investigator named Visser (M. Emmett Walsh), who shows him pictures of Abby with Ray. Marty is surprised that it was Ray and not some other punk. Later that night, Ray appears to Marty asking for some owed money while Marty refuses to pay him since he knew what was going on. Marty asks Meurice, who was talking to his friend Debra (Deborah Neumann) to watch out for Ray.

The next morning while Abby stayed at Ray's home, she sees the family dog where she is confronted by Marty where she breaks his finger and kicks him in the balls. Ray follows, as Marty knew that trouble was going to happen where he turns to Visser. Talking to Visser in his Volkswagen, he asks him to kill his wife and Ray for a huge sum of money while he's going out of town to fish at Corpus Christi. Abby meanwhile looks for a new apartment and asks Meurice to watch out for Ray and Marty in case things get into trouble. While Abby stays at Ray's for a night, quietly coming into Ray's house was Visser. The next day, Visser calls Marty about the job and says it's done where Marty returns later that night and sees some pictures. Visser notices the large amount of money where suddenly, a double-cross ensues.

Ray appears quietly after Visser had left to find what happened where he found Marty's body and tries to clean things up quietly so Meurice wouldn't hear. Ray takes Marty to his car and notices that he's still alive where he tries to kill him but not in front of witness where he buries him alive in the middle of a farm in Texas. The next morning, he calls Abby to tell her that he loves her and everything becomes more and more complicated. Noticing that his lighter is missing, Visser notices what happens in the scene and decides to go find Ray and Abby for his own reasons while Ray becomes paranoid that Marty could be alive after Meurice got a call from him. Abby goes to Meurice for help where everything becomes complicated as she wonders what has just happened, who killed whom and is Marty really alive and what are Visser's intentions?

While Blood Simple is more of a tribute to the film noir of the past, the film is really a reinvention of the film noir thanks to the quirky mind of the Coen Bros. With the directing of the film in tact, the film has some wonderful tracking shots that move very fast while giving out some stunning camera work in scenes involving a fan as the cast watch the fan move slowly as it zooms in very slowly. If the film's eerily directing style is seductive to watch, what's more amazing is the screenplay by the Coens where everything is straightforward but there's a suspense and momentum that is build up while its structure starts out as one thing but by the film's second half, it becomes more intriguing to watch and you're not sure what's going to happen and there's some moments that are very surreal as the Coens become one of the most innovative and brilliant writers in independent cinema at that time.

Helping out with the visual trickery of the film is cinematographer and future filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld who brings a lush, ominous look to the film with its blue filters in some of the night scenes while the road scenes are even more creepy to look at. Sonnenfeld, like latter-day Coens cinematographer Roger Deakins, is a master at visual manipulation since the film plays up to its evocatively moody tone. With the fast-paced editing done by the Coens under their Roderick Jaynes moniker along with Don Weigmann that helps enhance the intensity of the movie.

With production designer Jane Musky help capturing the Texan look of the film for its comical and dark layers; the film looks great in its dark tone, even in its strange setting in Texas. Then there's dark, melancholic score of longtime Coens composer Carter Burwell who brings elements of stark piano notes and ominous textures to the film's moody world while idiosyncratic use of the song It's The Same Old Song by the Four Tops brings some comical relief to the movie.

Then you have the film's small but memorable cast that also included future Coens regular Holly Hunter in a voice cameo in one scene as she was originally slated to play Abby but gave it to roommate Frances McDormand since Hunter was doing a play at the time. Deborah Neumann is excellent in her one scene with Samm-Art Williams about the Ring of Fire that brings some strange, quirky humor that is a trademark of the Coens while Williams is memorable as the eye of the bar while standing out with his white Converse and playing the Four Tops in a country bar.

Dan Hedaya is wonderful as the bloodthirsty Marty with his brooding features and tone while he doesn't play the stereotype of an angry husband since he knows his place and his own reasons for why he drove Abby into having an affair. John Getz is excellent as well in his role as Ray for his quiet, confrontational performance, notably his scenes with Hedaya are filled with great dynamics while he has great chemistry with McDormand as Getz plays a role that is excellent despite being typecast later on in sleazier boyfriend roles in his career.

M. Emmett Walsh is the film's best male performance for his dark, complex performance since he serves as black heart and soul with his penchant for greed and sleaziness. Walsh brings a lot of dark humor to the film while his intentions remain very hidden while he comes up with the best lines. Walsh is wonderfully amazing as this role as Visser is one of his best performances. Frances McDormand truly delivers a breakthrough performance as the cheating wife Abby with her concerned face and complex innocence where we understand why she despises Marty while becoming more confused later on about Ray while becoming more of an innocent pawn in a game. McDormand makes the character grow from a scared, cheating wife to a brave woman seeking her own independence.

Blood Simple is a great debut from the Coen Brothers highlighted by the performances of M. Emmett Walsh and Frances McDormand. Thanks to its dark, moody tone and noir-like style in its camera work, music, and structure, Blood Simple is a film that reinvents the film noir while being one of the great debut films ever made by any filmmaker. In the end, Blood Simple is a chilling yet entrancing film from Joel & Ethan Coen.

Coen Brothers Films: Raising Arizona - Miller's Crossing - Barton Fink - The Hudsucker Proxy - Fargo - The Big Lebowski - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - The Man Who Wasn't There - Intolerable Cruelty - The Ladykillers (2004 film) - Paris Je T'aime-Tuileries - To Each His Own Cinema-World Cinema - No Country for Old Men - Burn After Reading - A Serious Man - True Grit (2010 film) - Inside Llewyn Davis - Hail, Caesar! - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Auteurs #9: The Coen Brothers Pt. 1 - The Auteurs #9: The Coen Brothers Pt. 2

A Simple Noodle Story

(C) thevoid99 2012