Oppenheimer

 

Based on the book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Oppenheimer is the story of Robert J. Oppenheimer and his role in creating the atomic bomb that would usher in the atomic age as it is told in different periods of time including two different hearings in the 1950s. Written for the screen and directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is an exploration into the life of a man who would help play a role in the destruction of the world as well as struggle with its aftermath that would play into his personal life as Oppenheimer is portrayed by Cillian Murphy. Also starring Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Olivia Thirlby, Benny Safdie, Dane DeHaan, Jason Clarke, Alex Wolff, Devon Bostick, Josh Peck, Michael Angarano, Gary Oldman, and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss. Oppenheimer is a riveting and haunting film from Christopher Nolan.

July 16, 1945 is a day many physicists, scientists, and the world will remember in the project known as Trinity where a weapons test was held in the deserts of New Mexico 200 miles south from the Los Alamos area where many of these scientists would create the atomic bomb. A day that was overseen by J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team as they would create a weapon that had the ability to destroy cities and thus create a world of destruction as it would also set a chain of events leading to the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that went on for nearly 50 years but also terror that would engulf the world in how it can destroy itself. The film is about the man who would help create the atomic bomb as Oppenheimer is a man filled with complications as someone who had theories about quantum physics and what it could do while is also someone with political views that leaned towards communism as it would later get him in trouble in the 1950s as he would endure a hearing in the era of McCarthyism.

Christopher Nolan’s screenplay doesn’t follow a traditional narrative as it is largely non-linear as it focuses on Oppenheimer’s early life, working for the Manhattan Project in the 1940s, his chaotic personal life, post-war life, and two hearings in the 1950s that would also involve Lewis Strauss as the latter revolves around Strauss at a Senate confirmation hearing as it relates to the former who is questioned over being a communist. The script also showcases a world in which Oppenheimer would see things as it relates to quantum physics while also going into a world where he becomes part of a social circle in the late 1920s/1930s involving those with communist views including a young woman in Jean Tatlot (Florence Pugh) whom he would have an on-off affair with while later marrying Katherine Puening (Emily Blunt) who would stick by him despite his affair with Tatlot that would end in the early 1940s. Oppenheimer’s work through quantum physics and its theories that included collaborations with Ernest Lawrence (Josh Hartnett) and Edward Teller (Benny Safdie) as it gets the attention of the American military as they learn about stories of the Nazi Germany creating their own nuclear weapon program under the supervision of German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg (Matthias Schweighofer) whom Oppenheimer met in the 1930s in Switzerland.

Working with General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) and his then subordinate in Lt. Kenneth Nichols (Dane DeHaan), Oppenheimer would work with the military as they chose a remote area in the New Mexico deserts that would become Los Alamos as they also recruited many scientists, theorists, and others to create the atomic bomb. Even as there would be other places around the country including a location in Chicago headed by Enrico Fermi (Danny Deferrari) and David L. Hill (Rami Malek) who would have their own ideas as they would meet with Oppenheimer outside of their respective bases. Nolan would also play into Oppenheimer’s own personal issues as it relates to the fallout of his affair with Tatlot and the chaos in his marriage to Katherine as well as the aftermath of World War II as he becomes the advisor for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission headed by Lewis Strauss only for Oppenheimer’s ideas to restrict nuclear weapon development has him at odds with Strauss who has a storyline about his 1959 Senate confirmation hearing.

Nolan’s direction is definitely stylish as it plays into recurring images of water, stars, and fire that play into the mind of Oppenheimer who thinks about the destruction that he’s created. Shot on various locations at New Mexico, California, New Jersey, and bits of Switzerland on 65mm large-format film and IMAX 65mm film in both color and black-and-white film stock. Nolan creates a film that plays into a world that is ever-changing while using its non-linear narrative to move back and forth into stories that relates to Oppenheimer’s life as well as the 1954 security hearing and Strauss’ 1959 Senate confirmation hearing. Notably as Nolan uses a lot of wide and medium shots to cover the vast look of the locations as well some of the hearings with the latter providing a sense of claustrophobia for Oppenheimer’s hearing as it also include these close-ups that add to the drama. There are also elements of surrealism for scenes at Oppenheimer’s hearing that includes him having to talk about his affair with Tatlot as they’re having sex at the hearing with Katherine watching in horror.

Nolan also maintains this sense of drama as it relates to Oppenheimer’s post-war life and the emergence of the Cold War such as a scene at a posh restaurant that is presented in both black-and-white and color as it relates to mood in how it would affect later events. Notably as Oppenheimer also deals with figures such as Boris Pash (Casey Affleck) and William L. Borden (David Dastmalchian) who would try and discredit Oppenheimer in different periods of time as Nolan’s direction would have his camera not show their faces at first or re-show a shot from a different perspective as it plays into the drama. The Trinity sequence of that famed bombing is among one of the key moments in the film as it is about where the camera is as well as those watching from afar where the bomb is about to drop. There is also this tense moment as the countdown occurs as there is a lot of tension but also moments such as Oppenheimer and General Groves having a moment despite their own differences. It all leads to the bomb exploding as it is a key moment in the film but it is followed in this aftermath including a surreal moment in what Oppenheimer realized what he had created.

Nolan’s approach to the hearings as it has all of this drama where Strauss’ aide (Alden Ehrenreich) pieces everything that Strauss had been talking about as it relates to Oppenheimer. Even as it plays into the drama over Oppenheimer’s past as well as Katherine’s past due to her own brief affiliation with communism where the hearing is this chilling moment where Katherine is being grilled by Roger Robb (Jason Clarke) only for things to backfire. Even as it would parallel with Strauss’ hearing where it would play into some surprising revelations into why he and Oppenheimer had a falling out. Its ending plays to a scene as it relates to Oppenheimer meeting Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) that is shown early in the film but its conversation isn’t revealed until the end. It all relates to a quote about Prometheus and what he brought to the world as it alludes to the troubled legacy that Oppenheimer would bring to the world. Overall, Nolan crafts a gripping yet intoxicating film about the man who would bring the world a weapon that would destroy it.

Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on natural lighting for the scenes in Los Alamos and New Mexico including its usage of low-key lighting for the interior scenes at night while the black-and-white footage has a richness that play into the world that Strauss sees. Editor Jennifer Lame does incredible work with the film’s editing as its usage of montages, jump-cuts, and other stylish cut add to the drama as well as the usage of parallel moments in its non-linear narrative as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Ruth de Jong, with supervising art director Samantha Englender plus set decorators Claire Kaufman, Olivia Peebles, and Adam Willis, does brilliant work with the look of the Los Alamos base including its houses, labs, and the tower where the bomb would drop for the Trinity project as well as the places that the characters lived in including the office where Oppenheimer has his hearing. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick does excellent work with the costumes that play into the period of the time as well as the suit and Fedora hat that Oppenheimer wears as well as some of the dresses that Katherine and Tatlot would wear.

Prosthetic makeup designer Luisa Abel does terrific work with the makeup effects for a key scene in which Oppenheimer sees a young woman’s skin starting to peel away in a surreal moment as it relates to what Oppenheimer has done. The special effects work of Scott R. Fisher and Laurie Pellard, along with visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, do amazing work with the visual effects with the usage of practical effects to create the sense of realism in what Oppenheimer sees as well as the explosions in the tests he and his team would create. Sound designer Richard King does remarkable work with the sound in the way certain gadgets would sound as well as the immense explosion of the Trinity bomb as it is a major highlight of the film. The film’s music by Ludwig Goransson is phenomenal for its mixture of eerie orchestral pieces as well as some electronic-based bits as it plays into the dramatic suspense and tension that looms into the film as well as the sense of dread as Goransson’s score is a major highlight of the film.

The casting by John Papsidera is marvelous as it features some notable small roles and appearances from Flora Nolan as the young woman Oppenheimer sees at an event following the Trinity project whose skin gets peeled by the bomb, Danny Deferrari as the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi who works in Chicago, James Remar as the then-Secretary of War in the 1940s in Henry Stimson, Emma Dumont as Oppenheimer’s sister-in-law Jackie, Macon Blair as Oppenheimer’s lawyer during the security hearings in Lloyd K. Garrison, Matthias Schweighofer as the German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg whom Oppenheimer meets in the 1930s, Jack Cutmore-Scott as Security Officer Lyall Johnson, James Urbaniak as the philosopher Kurt Godel whom Oppenheimer would meet in Switzerland, James D’Arcy as the experimental physicist Patrick Blackett whom Oppenheimer studied from at Cambridge back in 1926, Hap Lawrence as U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, Louise Lombard as Teller’s lover Ruth Tolman, Josh Zuckerman as one of Oppenheimer’s first students in Giovanni Rossi Lomanitz, and Gary Oldman in a superb one-scene appearance as U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

In roles as members of the team that helped Oppenheimer in creating the bomb include Michael Angarano as Robert Serber, Devon Bostick as Seth Neddemeyer, Olli Haaskivi as Edward Condon, Alex Wolff as a former student of Oppenheimer in Luis Walter Alvarez, Harrison Gilbertson as Philip Morrison, Jack Quaid as Richard Feynman, Josh Peck as Kenneth Bainbridge who would push the button for the Trinity bomb explosion, Gustaf Skarsgard as German-American physics theorist Hans Bethe, Christopher Denham as Klaus Fuchs who would later revealed to be a spy for the Soviet Union, and Olivia Thirlby as the lone woman in the team in Lilli Hornig who would play a key part in the development of the Trinity Project as they’re all fantastic in their roles with Angarano, Peck, Wolff, and Thirlby being the major standouts.

Other notable key small roles include Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush who helps create the Manhattan Project, David Krumholtz as Oppenheimer’s friend Isidor Isaac Rabi who is also a physicist who is worried about the moral implications in creating the bomb, Dylan Arnold as Oppenheimer’s younger brother Frank who would help find the site for Los Alamos, Jefferson Hall as Haakon Chevalier as a friend of Oppenheimer with ties to communism, Tony Goldwyn as Gordon Gray as the head judge at Oppenheimer’s hearing, David Dastmalchian as William L. Borden as a government official who would write a letter to the FBI accusing Oppenheimer to be a spy for the Soviet Union, Dane DeHaan as General Groves’ subordinate Kenneth Nichols who would also try to discredit Oppenheimer in the 1950s, and Alden Ehrenreich as Strauss’ senate aide who accompanies Strauss during the hearing while trying to piece together Strauss’ relationship with Oppenheimer.

Tom Conti is excellent as Albert Einstein as the famed physicist/scientist whom Oppenheimer goes to advice over calculations as he would later meet Einstein years later in the 1950s as he laments over what Oppenheimer has created. Jason Clarke is superb as Roger Robb as a prosecutor at Oppenheimer’s hearing who is intent on bringing Oppenheimer and his associates down while Josh Hartnett is fantastic as Ernest Lawrence as a colleague at Berkeley who is aware of what Oppenheimer is creating though the two would later fall out for a time. Benny Safdie is brilliant as Edward Teller as the famed theoretical physicist who is a key figure that collaborates with Oppenheimer as well as coming up with the idea of the hydrogen bomb despite Oppenheimer’s views on nuclear weapons. Kenneth Branagh is amazing in his small role as Niels Bohr as the Danish physicist who is fascinated by Oppenheimer’s theories as he would be a mentor while also getting a look into Oppenheimer’s work.

Rami Malek and Casey Affleck are great in their performances in their respective small roles as physicist David L. Hill and Colonel Boris Pash with the former who worked in Chicago as he would later play a key role at Strauss’ hearing while the latter is a military official who tries to discredit Oppenheimer. Florence Pugh is incredible as Jean Tatlot as Oppenheimer’s lover in the 1930s who had communist views as they would have an unusual relationship only for things to disintegrate following his marriage to Katherine as their affair would later get troubling. Emily Blunt is marvelous as Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer as Oppenheimer’s wife who deals with her husband’s role and his affair as well as the things said about him where Blunt has a great moment upon being confronted by Robb at her husband’s security hearing as she destroyed him. Matt Damon is remarkable as General Leslie Groves as a military official who works with Oppenheimer despite their own differences as he sees the potential of what they’re creating as he also knows what is at stake during World War II.

Robert Downey Jr. is phenomenal as Lewis Strauss as the head at U.S. Atomic Energy Commission who would bring Oppenheimer as an advisor only to feel humiliated by Oppenheimer as he would have a falling out with Oppenheimer as he would later have a Senate confirmation hearing where he would talk about his issues with Oppenheimer as Downey shows restraint in his performance but also a lot of complexities into the character. Finally, there’s Cillian Murphy in a tremendous performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer as the famed theorist physicist who is called the Father of the Atomic Bomb as he is man that is filled with complications as he tries to figure out how to create something only to realize that he has created a chain of events that would trouble him. Murphy’s performance is filled with a lot of restraint but also anguish into a man who deals with a legacy that would haunt him as it is a career-defining performance from Murphy.

Oppenheimer is an outstanding film from Christopher Nolan that features a spectacular leading performance from Cillian Murphy. Along with its ensemble cast, immense technical work, a screenplay that explores a man’s troubled life and what he created, and Ludwig Goransson’s eerie music score. It is a film that is unlike many bio-pics as it focuses more on exploring the legacy of a man who would create a weapon for the world to destroy itself and the morality he would endure for his part in that creation. In the end, Oppenheimer is a magnificent film from Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan Films: Following (1998 film) - Memento - Insomnia (2002 film) - Batman Begins - The Prestige - The Dark Knight - Inception - The Dark Knight Rises - Interstellar - Dunkirk - Tenet - The Auteurs #13: Christopher Nolan

© thevoid99 2023

Tenet

 

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Tenet is the story of a secret agent who takes part in a mysterious mission involving time travel as he is able to manipulate the flow of time to prevent from a major event from happening. The film is a sci-fi action thriller that explore the idea of time but also the perspective of others as this agent finds himself in a strange world. Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Himesh Patel, Clemence Poesy, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Martin Donovan, Fiona Dourif, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. Tenet is a visually-sprawling yet messy film from Christopher Nolan.

The film follows a CIA agent who joins a mysterious organization to stop a madman in unleashing the end of the world through time travel as he learns how to manipulate the flow of time and help the madman’s wife in retrieving her son. It is a film that is filled with complexities as it play into the idea of time paradoxes and the flow of time where this agent finds himself dealing with not just these mysterious figures including another agent but also other people whom he has to battle. Christopher Nolan’s screenplay is filled with a lot of complexities but also a narrative that explores this unnamed figure that is known mainly as the Protagonist (John David Washington) who is first seen in a mission at a concert hall in Kyiv to retrieve an object and then he sees something where it was largely a test for him where he joins this secret organization. He meets his handler Neil (Robert Pattinson) who is often vague about what he knows as they target this Russian oligarch named Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh).

In order to get to Sator, the Protagonist and Neil approach his estranged wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) to get close to him in the hope she can regain regular contact with their son whom she is unable to see often. She agrees to help them as it involves all sorts of objects that they need to retrieve yet the script is also filled with a lot of exposition into the world that these characters are in as it relates to inverted objects that rewind into an object and all of these ideas of time paradoxes. It is an aspect of the film that isn’t just overwhelming but it does drag the story at times as there are moments where scenes are recreated from another perspective in its third act as it play into the idea of past, present, and future but Nolan does make it confusing at times.

Nolan’s direction is definitely vast as it is shot on multiple locations such as Oslo, Mumbai, the Almafi coast in Italy, Estonia, Denmark, Britain, and the U.S. including some studio-created sets shot in Los Angeles. Nolan creates a world that is vast as it opens at a music hall where a concert performance is happening and then a group of terrorists come in and terrorize everyone leading to a battle between terrorists and the military yet the Protagonist is part of a group that is trying to do something else and fight off whoever they can. It is definitely a great way to start the film as there is a lot happening but it also reveals what the Protagonist is encountering when he sees a bullet hole disappear all of a sudden as if it never appeared. Nolan also include a lot of wide shots of buildings and these large windmills as it play into the world that the Protagonist is a part of where he goes to India to meet a mysterious arms dealer in Priya Singh (Dimple Kapadia) who serves as the mastermind of her business with her husband Sanjay (Denzil Smith) as its face. The film also feature these dazzling stunts and fight choreography in the way Nolan presents this world where things move forward and backward as if it is a dance of sorts. Even in some of the intimate fights where Nolan uses medium shots and close-ups as there is a lot of attention to detail in what is being shown.

Nolan’s usage of wide and medium shots play a lot into the scope of the film as well as how big the world the Protagonist and his cohorts encounter as well as in some of the locations that include coastal ports and windmills in the middle of the sea. The close-ups do play into some of the intimate moments but also in some suspenseful moments but the film does drag in scenes that do involve lots of exposition as it does get overbearing and confusing at times. The film’s third act is essentially a recreation of scenes from the first half of the film but it play into a different perspective for the Protagonist as well as others as it play into the ideas of fate and reality. Even for those who feel trapped by their own reality and need a way to make sure that they can control the future without having to control the future of others. Overall, Nolan crafts an exhilarating yet clunky film about a secret agent going on a mission that involves time paradoxes and the fate of the world.

Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its wondrous approach to natural lighting for some of the daytime exterior scenes of these vast locations as well as some stylish usage of lights for many of the scenes at night. Editor Jennifer Lame does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, montages, and other stylish cuts to play into the sense of confusion and chaos that looms throughout the film. Production designer Nathan Crowley, with set decorators Emmanuel Delis, Kathy Lucas, and Anna Pinnock plus art directors Toby Britton, Rory Bruen, Eggert Ketilsson, and Jenne Lee, does amazing work with the look of some of the places that the characters go to including some of the factories that Sator owns as well as buildings and such for some of the film’s elaborate set pieces. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does fantastic work with the costumes from some of the stylish clothing that Kat wears to the tailor-made suits that the Protagonist and Neil wear as well as some of the clothes that Sator wears.

Special makeup effects artists Toni Bisset and Melanie Askamit do terrific work with some of the scars and such for some of the characters in the violence they encounter. Special effects supervisor Scott R. Fisher, along with digital/visual effects supervisors Andrew Jackson, David Lee, and Andrew Lockley, does excellent work with the visual effects in its emphasis to look and feel real in the highway chase scene as well as the battle scene in its third act. Sound designers Richard King and Kathie Talbot do superb work with the sound in the way objects sound though it often clashes with the score as it overwhelms the dialogue at times. The film’s music by Ludwig Gorransson is wonderful for its mixture of hypnotic electronic music with bombastic orchestral swells to play into the suspense and drama though it could’ve been mixed down as the soundtrack also features an unnecessary and awful piece by Travis Scott in the film’s final credits.

The casting by John Papsidera is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Denzil Smith as Priya’s husband Sanjay who is the face of an arms trafficking business, Laurie Shepherd as Kat and Sator’s son Max, Jack Cutmore-Scott as a storage facility manager named Klaus, Yuri Kolokolnikov as Sator’s bodyguard Volkov, Martin Donovan as the Protagonist’s CIA boss Fay, Clemence Poesy as a scientist named Barbara who introduces the Protagonist to the concept of inverted bullets, Fiona Dourif as a military officer who is part of a task force as she also does some exposition, Himesh Patel as a wise-cracking fixer named Mahir, and Michael Caine in a one-scene appearance as a British intelligence officer in Sir Michael Crosby who provides some information to the Protagonist as well as what he would face.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is excellent as the military commander Ives who knows about the idea of time paradoxes and such where he helps out the Protagonist and Neil while also having some motives of his own. Dimple Kapadia is fantastic as Priya Singh as an arms trafficker dealer who is part of a secret organization as she gives the Protagonist clues on what he will face but also has her own interests into Sator’s plans in the hope that she can benefit from whatever the Protagonist does to stop Sator. Kenneth Branagh is brilliant as Andrei Sator as this Russian businessman who deals in illegal businesses as he also has the power to manipulate time as he is hoping to profit from this as he has extremely personal reasons to end the world no matter the cost.

Elizabeth Debicki is amazing as Sator’s estranged wife Kat as a woman who is trapped in a loveless marriage as she decides to help the Protagonist and Neil in stopping her husband in the hopes she can see her son much more as it is a performance full of complexities and emotional gravitas. Robert Pattinson is incredible as Neil as the Protagonist’s handler who helps the Protagonist with the missions while also knowing things that the Protagonist doesn’t know as it relates to time paradoxes and such where Pattinson brings some wit into his performance. Finally, there’s John David Washington in a phenomenal performance as the Protagonist as this unnamed CIA agent who takes part in a mission where he finds himself learning to manipulate time but also deal with all of these complexities as it is a performance full of intensity and determination despite some of the confusing aspects of the script.

Tenet is a remarkable yet overwrought film from Christopher Nolan. While it does feature some incredible visuals, amazing stunt work, a great ensemble cast, and some chilling music pieces. It is a film that has a lot to offer in terms of its action and suspense yet it tries to be complex for its own good where its emphasis on exposition tends to drag the film as well as be confusing. In the end, Tenet is a marvelous yet flawed film from Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan Films: Following (1998 film) - Memento - Insomnia - Batman Begins - The Prestige - The Dark Knight - Inception - The Dark Knight Rises - Interstellar - Dunkirk - Oppenheimer - The Auteurs #13: Christopher Nolan

© thevoid99 2022

Dunkirk

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk is a dramatic re-telling of the evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II in which three different stories are happening during the course of the event. Told on land, sea, and the air, the film follows the lives of soldiers, pilots, and people from Britain who try to escape from the Germans in Northern France. Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Mark Rylance. Dunkirk is a gripping and evocative film from Christopher Nolan.

In 1940 at the Northern-French coast of Dunkirk, thousands of British soldiers are trying to flee the country following France’s defeat to the Germans as naval ships are being sunk with many hoping for a miracle. The film is about this major event in World War II in which many British soldiers are stuck on the beaches of Dunkirk as they’re dealing with German warplanes and forces coming into the city as the French try to hold them off with three different things happening all in the span of a week on land, a day on the sea, and an hour on air. Christopher Nolan’s screenplay is presented in a somewhat non-linear narrative where time is distorted as it showcases what is happening as characters from the different storylines don’t interact in the course of the evacuation. These three different storylines are each given a different title based on its setting as they all would intertwine throughout the course of the film as some of these characters in the different stories would meet with one another to provide some multiple perspectives of what is happening.

The first story entitled The Mole refers to the stranded soldiers on land as they’re trying to evacuate as Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh) is watching over the evacuation as he converses Colonel Winnant (James D’Arcy) over what is happening as they believe many of the soldiers will be left behind. Three of these soldiers including Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), Gibson (Aneurin Barnard), and Alex (Harry Styles) struggle to survive as they try to evacuate and endure everything that has been thrown at them. The second story entitled The Sea revolves around what is happening where a mariner in Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance) and his son Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) decides to sail to Dunkirk to save the soldiers with the help of Peter’s friend George (Barry Keoghan) where they would pick-up a shell-shocked soldier (Cillian Murphy). In the third story called The Air, two British pilots in Farrier (Tom Hardy) and Collins (Jack Lowden) fight off against German planes and bombers as the former contends with a malfunction in his fuel gauge.

Nolan’s direction is definitely riveting from start to finish as he doesn’t go for anything that showcase who these characters are before what is happening as it’s more about what is happening in Dunkirk and these soldiers trying to survive. Shot on the actual location at Dunkirk beach in France with some of it shot in Great Britain and the Netherlands with the ship interiors shot in the U.S. Nolan decides to create this sense of immediacy and terror that looms throughout the film as it just keeps going where there is no idea what will happen next. Shot on 65mm film and 65mm IMAX film stocks, Nolan would use the wide shots to capture the vastness of the locations including the English Channel to see how big the evacuation was and how many small boats and ships were there to save these soldiers from imminent doom. There are some close-ups and medium shots to display that terror including some hand-held cameras that help create that suspense and terror in scenes where a German plane is flying and ready to attack the soldiers on the beach.

For a film where so much is happening all at the same time or what happened a few minutes before, Nolan doesn’t stray from the human story as he does showcase these small moments that play into characters dealing with what is happening and figuring out how to survive. Whether it’s on a small boat or inside a plane, Nolan always show what these characters are looking into as well as the fact that he never shows the face of the enemy throughout the entirety of the film. There are also these moments amidst this massive shroud of darkness that showcase not just a glimmer of hope but also the sense of good in humanity amidst the plague of fear looming. Especially as Nolan would put in that sense of historical context into how important the evacuation was as a touchstone moment for Britain. Overall, Nolan crafts a thrilling yet rapturous film about the real-life Dunkirk evacuation that was a pivotal moment for Britain’s role in World War II.

Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography from the sunny look in some scenes set in the sea to the greyer look of the scenes on land and in the air as well as some nighttime shots with the usage of fire for lighting specifics. Editor Lee Smith does incredible work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and some stylish non-linear cutting that help provide different perspective of the events that happen in the film as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Nathan Crowley, with set decorators Emmanuel Delis and Gary Fettis plus supervising art directors Kevin Ishioka and Eggert Ketilsson, does excellent work with the look of the interior of some of the naval ships as well as Mr. Dawson’s ship and the decayed pier at the Dunkirk beach. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does superb work with the costumes as it is mostly some army and naval uniforms which Commander Bolton wears in the latter.

Special effects supervisors Ian Corbould and Paul Corbould, along with visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, does fantastic work with the usage of practical effects for some of the aerial scenes with a few bits of computer-based effects for set dressing and crowd scenes. Sound editor Richard King does brilliant work with the sound to create a sense of atmosphere from the sound of planes flying in the air to the sound of torpedoes and bomb as the sound is often filled with terror as it is another of the film’s highlights. The film’s music by Hans Zimmer is amazing for its orchestral-based score with its offbeat arrangements in the percussions and sound as it help play into the suspense with some more somber pieces in the drama as it is one of Zimmer’s finest scores of his career.

The casting by John Papsidera and Toby Whale is great as it does feature a couple of notable small roles from Jochum ten Haaf as a Dutch seaman and the voice of Michael Caine as a radio communications man talking to Farrier and Collins. Jack Lowden is superb as the air force pilot Collins as a man trying to do whatever he can to stop the Germans from sinking ships and kill soldiers as he would also have a moment of terror of his own. Tom Hardy is excellent as Farrier as an air force pilot who is dealing with the malfunction of his fuel gauge as he is aware of how low he is on fuel but knows what he has to do as he doesn’t show much of his face except his eyes to show what must be done. Fionn Whitehead is fantastic as the young soldier Tommy who is the first character shown in the film as someone dealing with trying to survive while Harry Styles is wonderful as Alex as another young soldier who is also trying to survive but also has suspicions toward something that he feels is off. Aneurin Barnard is terrific as Gibson as a young soldier who is also trying to survive as he spends much of the film not saying very much.

Barry Keoghan is amazing as a 15-year old boy in George who helps Mr. Dawson and his son in retrieving soldiers on the sea while Tom Glynn-Carney is brilliant as Mr. Dawson’s son Peter as a young man who is helping his father as well as converse with those he saves. Mark Rylance is marvelous as Mr. Dawson as a civilian who decides to go to Dunkirk with his son and George in an act to help soldiers without having the navy to take his boat as he is aware of what is at stake. Cillian Murphy is incredible as a shell-shocked soldier Mr. Dawson saves as he copes with what he’s experienced as he’s in a state of shock. James D’Arcy is remarkable as Colonel Winnant as an officer trying to make sense of what is going on as well as wondering what is next for Britain in World War II. Finally, there’s Kenneth Branagh in a phenomenal performance as Commander Bolton as a naval officer trying to manage the evacuation as well as pondering if there is some form of miracle as his performance is just the most touching in the way he reacts to that glimmer of hope.

Dunkirk is an outstanding film from Christopher Nolan. Featuring a great ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, top-notch technical work in the editing and sound, Hans Zimmer’s enthralling score, and an inventive script that creates a sense of terror and intrigue. It’s a war film that just goes head on into what is happening as it’s told in multiple perspective from the soldiers stuck at the beach, on sea, and air to the civilians who travel from their homeland to bring their boys back home. In the end, Dunkirk is a magnificent film from Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan Films: Following - Memento - Insomnia (2002 film) - Batman Begins - The Prestige - The Dark Knight - Inception - The Dark Knight Rises - Interstellar - Tenet - Oppenheimer - The Auteurs #13: Christopher Nolan

© thevoid99 2017

Cinderella (2015 film)

Based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault, Cinderella is the story of a young woman whose quaint and loving world is shattered by the death of her family as she is treated cruelly by her stepmother and stepsisters until a ball is announced where she would be able to go with a little help from magic. Directed by Kenneth Branagh and screenplay by Chris Weitz, the film is a lavish interpretation of the fairytale that also features elements from the 1950 Disney animated version with Lily James in the titular role. Also starring Richard Madden, Derek Jacobi, Stellan Skarsgard, Ben Chaplin, Hayley Atwell, Holliday Grainger, Sophie McShera, Nonso Anozie, Helena Bonham Carter, and Cate Blanchett as the stepmother Lady Tremaine. Cinderella is a dazzling and heartwarming film from Kenneth Branagh.

The film is a unique take on the fairy tale about how this young woman who lived under the cruelty of her stepmother and stepsisters where she is forced to serve them until a ball is announced where she would standout and capture the heart of the prince in her land through magic and a glass slipper. It’s a story that’s been told many times yet what director Kenneth Branagh and screenwriter Chris Weitz does is provide some back story for some of the characters but also add some offbeat humor into the story. The film begins with the life of Cinderella as a child where she was known as Ella who lived in a happy home with her family and servants until the death of her mother (Hayley Atwell) and her father (Ben Chaplin) eventually remarrying years later to Lady Tremaine until he would die tragically. It would set the events of what would happen where Tremaine and her stepdaughters would treat Ella cruelly and fire all the staff forcing Ella to become their servant. For all of the cruelty she endures, Ella maintains a strong front as she made a vow to her mother to be kind and have courage.

Branagh’s direction definitely plays to a very lavish style where it is largely fantasy as opposed to elements of intense reality. Shot largely in Britain, the film is set during medieval times but from a world where there isn’t much conflict nor poverty where everything is great but not perfect. Once Lady Tremaine comes in, she represents a woman who likes to live lavishly and with excess just like her own daughters who are full of themselves and expect to be treated as elite while Ella is a woman who is generous and uses whatever she can to live or sleep on with the aid of mice. Upon meeting the Prince (Richard Madden) during a horseback ride as the Prince claims to be an apprentice, it is clear that Branagh wanted to provide more depth to these character as the Prince isn’t some typical prince but rather a young man coping with what is ahead of him. Especially as the Duke (Stellan Skarsgard) wants him to marry another princess for political reasons rather than for love.

Branagh’s approach to compositions with its wide and medium shots get a good view of the landscape as well as the world that the Prince lives in along with the lifestyle that Tremaine and her daughters crave for. Branagh would also use some medium shots and close-ups to play into the life of Ella and how she would cope with the living situations in her life as well as the cruelty she endures. Once the Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) arrives, the film lightens up where Branagh goes for some offbeat comedy as some of it is childish but also manages to be very funny. Even in the way Branagh portrays the stepsisters as buffoons manage to be entertaining while not losing sight into the story itself. Especially the message as it plays into the idea of depth and what one must endure in a world that is often very cruel and unforgiving. Overall, Branagh crafts a fantasy film that manages to be entertaining as well as enchanting.

Cinematographer Haris Zambarkoulos does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with the usage of lights for many of the interiors set at night as well as in the ball scene to the exteriors for scenes set at night. Editor Martin Walsh does nice work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward with some rhythmic cuts for the scenes at the ball. Production designer Dante Ferretti, with supervising art directors Gary Freeman and Leslie Tomkins and set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo, does fantastic work with the look of home Ella lives in as it‘s quaint yet warm while the palace itself is lavish to play into the world that the Prince lives in. Costume designer Sandy Powell does brilliant work with the costumes from the dresses and gowns many of the women wear including the blue ball gown that Ella would wear at the ball.

Makeup designers Naomi Donne and Norma Webb, with hairstylists Carol Hemming, Orla Carroll, and Wakana Yoshihara, do amazing work with the look of the characters including the hairstyles of Lady Tremaine and her daughters as well as the look of the Fairy Godmother. Visual effects supervisor Huseyin Caner does terrific work with the visual effects in some of the moments of magic as well as the design of the mice that Ella talks to. Sound editor James Mather does superb work with the sound in creating effects for some of the fencing scenes in the palace as well as some low-key sounds at Ella‘s home. The film’s music by Patrick Doyle is wonderful for its lush, orchestral-based score that plays into the sense of fantasy as well as some of the moments of innocence that Ella carries throughout the film while the soundtrack also features song from the 1950 animated film.

The casting by Lucy Bevan is remarkable as it features notable small roles from Rob Brydon as a family friend in Master Phineus, Nonso Anozie as the Prince’s guard captain, Jana Perez as a princess the Duke feels the Prince should marry, Eloise Webb as the young Ella, and Derek Jacobi in a superb performance as the King who sees the conflict in his son over what to do. Ben Chaplin and Hayley Atwell are fantastic as Ella’s parents as kind-hearted people who provide the many elements that would make Ella who she is with Chaplin as the worldly father and Atwell as the very kind-hearted mother. Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera are excellent in their respective roles as the stepsisters Anastasia and Drisella as they both provide a sense of comic relief in how untalented and dim-witted they are. Stellan Skarsgard is brilliant as the Grand Duke as the man running the kingdom where he is hoping to make some political maneuvers while conspiring with Lady Tremaine in the film’s third act.

Helena Bonham Carter is a total delight as the Fairy Godmother as this magical being who shows up to help Ella get ready for the ball as well as being someone that is just funny to watch. Richard Madden is amazing as the Prince as a young monarch who copes with the role he is about to gain while falling for Ella unaware of who she is as he deals with what to do as a prince and as a man. Cate Blanchett is incredible as Lady Tremaine as a wicked stepmother who treats Ella very cruelly while hoping that the ball would put her and her daughters out of debt and gain power in being part of the royal court where Blanchett adds a bit of restraint in her approach to humor as well as chewing the scenery. Finally, there’s Lily James in a radiant performance as the titular character as a young woman who copes with loss and cruelty while trying to raise her spirits and do what is right as well as be courageous and kind.

Cinderella is a phenomenal film from Kenneth Branagh. Armed with a great cast, gorgeous scenery, and an engaging story that manages to be faithful to its source and more. It’s a film that is also very accessible in terms of what it needed to say as well as be very entertaining. In the end, Cinderella is a splendid and majestic film from Kenneth Branagh.

Kenneth Branagh Films: (Henry V (1989 film)) - (Dead Again) - (Swan Song) - (Peter‘s Friends) - (Much Ado About Nothing (1993 film)) - (Frankenstein (1994 film)) - (A Midwinter’s Tale (1995 film)) - (Hamlet (1996 film)) - (Love’s Labour Lost (2000 film)) - (Listening) - (As You Like It (2006 TV film)) - (The Magic Flute (2006 film)) - (Sleuth (2007 film)) - Thor - (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit)

© thevoid99 2016

Celebrity (1998 film)

Written and directed by Woody Allen, Celebrity is the story about a divorcing couple that both take on two different paths of their lives where both find themselves immersing into the world of celebrity culture. The film is an exploration into that world where two people go into different paths to see what will happen after this encounter with this world. Starring Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Leonardo diCaprio, Charlize Theron, Hank Azaria, Winona Ryder, Joe Mantegna, Melanie Griffith, Bebe Neuwirth, and Michael Lerner. Celebrity is a stylish though very messy film from Woody Allen.

The film explores the world of a divorced couple who both go into very different paths outside of their marriage. Lee Simon (Kenneth Branagh) was a travel writer who turns into a celebrity journalist as he ventures into the world celebrity culture while trying to work on a novel in the hopes to gain a career as a writer. For his insecure ex-wife Robin (Judy Davis), she quits being a schoolteacher as she tries to find a new place in life where she eventually works for a TV producer named Tony Gardella (Joe Mantegna) as she falls for him. The paths these two would take would have not just some major impact in their personal lives but also the path they would both take in this messy world of film premieres, parties, theaters, gatherings, and all sorts of thing in that world that is celebrity culture.

While it’s an interesting concept, Woody Allen’s screenplay unfortunately loses some of its luster in the second act where not only does the journeys of Lee and Robin become repetitive but their neuroses would also play into their troubles as that would become grating to watch. The script’s narrative does move back-and-forth into the different storylines of Lee and Robin in the paths they take though their storylines would coincide in brief moments. Most of it would play into their dramatic development over their split as those moments are told in flashbacks such as Lee’s decision to end the marriage and why did he did he decide to pursue a career in writing in his 40s after attending his high school reunion. A lot of the first act is interesting but it loses some steam in the second while it does have an interesting third act to see the outcome of the paths they took.

Allen’s direction is quite stylish as he aims for something that is timeless in its black-and-white photography as it would recalls some of his early films from the 1980s. Notably in the compositions and camera movements that he creates as it has this amazing opening of a plane writing the word “help” in the sky for a film. While many of Allen’s compositions are gorgeous, some of the humor doesn’t seem to work as it relies too much on characters acting awkward to their situations where the comedy feels a bit forced instead of natural. At the same time, the situations that occur starts to wear thin to the point that the outcome is sort of predictable. Overall, Allen creates a film that has an interesting concept but loses steam due to its predictability and over-emphasis on neurotic characters in a culture they know little about.

Cinematographer Sven Nykvist does amazing work with the film‘s gorgeous black-and-white photography that has this air of style in its look that is timeless as well as playing to some of air of pretentiousness that is common with art films. Editor Susan E. Morse does nice work with the editing in the way the story is structured as well as a few moments in the film‘s drama. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Susan Kaufman and art director Tom Warren, do terrific work with the set pieces from the look of the runways and parties to the home of Lee.

Costume designer Suzy Benzinger does wonderful work with the costumes from the many stylish clothes of the models and the young people that Lee hangs around with to the more loose clothing of Robin early in the film. Sound editor Robert Hein does excellent work with the sound from the atmosphere of the party scenes to the intimate moments in the apartment and such. The film’s soundtrack consists of classical and jazz music from the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Billie Holliday, Stan Getz, the Gershwin Brothers, and Richard Wagner to play up the world of that culture to give the film a romantic feel.

The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Juliet Taylor is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as well as the cameos that are made as it includes appearances from Donald Trump, supermodels Frederique and Roshumba, filmmaker Greg Mottola as a director in the film’s opening sequence, Andre Gregory as an art house filmmaker, Karen Duffy and Debra Messing as TV reporters, J.K. Simmons as a souvenir salesman, Alison Janney and Celia Weston as socialites, Tony Sirico as a mob guy who is supposed to appear on a TV show, Isaac Mizrahi as an artist, Jeffrey Wright as an off-Broadway theater director, Sam Rockwell and Adrian Grenier as entourage guys for actor Brandon Darrow, Gretchen Mol as Darrow’s girlfriend, David Marguiles as an alderman, Kate Burton as Robin’s friend Cheryl, Dylan Baker as a Catholic retreat priest, Douglas McGrath as a novelist, Larry Pine as a publisher, Aida Turturro as a fortune teller, and Hank Azaria as a date of an aspiring actress named Nola.

Bebe Neuwirth is excellent as a famed prostitute named Nina who teaches Robin how to pleasure someone sexually while Michael Lerner is funny as a famed plastic surgeon named Dr. Lupus. Famke Janssen is terrific as the publisher Bonnie whom Lee dates while Melanie Griffith is very good as the actress Nicole Oliver whom Lee hangs out with early in the film. Winona Ryder is superb as the aspiring actress Nola whom Lee falls for while Charlize Theron is amazing as a supermodel Lee hangs out with as they get into some trouble. Leonardo DiCaprio is great as the young actor Brandon Darrow as he displays all of the traits of a bad boy actor. Joe Mantegna is wonderful as TV producer Tony Gardella whom Robin falls for as he becomes the guy that can help her.

Judy Davis is fantastic as Robin as a former English schoolteacher whose life worsens following her divorce with Lee as she becomes more insecure and neurotic as she tries to figure out what to do with her life while meeting Tony as Davis brings some humor and dramatic weight despite some of the repetitiveness of her character. Finally, there’s Kenneth Branagh in an absolutely horrible performance as Lee. Branagh can do comedy but in trying to impersonate the personas that Woody Allen has played in his many films just doesn’t work. It comes off as a very bad impression of Allen where the awkwardness feels forced while Branagh doesn’t do enough to make his character sympathetic as he ends up being a real scumbag.

Celebrity is a really terrible film from Woody Allen. Despite a remarkable performance from Judy Davis as well as wonderful ensemble, the film is hampered by its messy storyline as well as Kenneth Branagh’s poor leading performance. While there’s moments in the film that are very engaging that includes Sven Nykvist’s cinematography, the overall results are just very disappointing. In the end, Celebrity is just a dreadful film from Woody Allen.

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

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

© thevoid99 2013

Thor (2011 film)

Based on the Marvel comic by Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, and Jack Kirby, Thor is the story of a demigod who has been banished by his home planet as he lands on Earth. Falling for a scientist while learning that his brother is taking over his home planet, Thor has to return to reclaim his power. Directed by Kenneth Branagh and screenplay by Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, and Don Payne from a screen story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich. The film is an origin story of how Thor came to power as he’s played by newcomer Chris Hemsworth. Also starring Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Rene Russo, Tom Hiddleston, Ray Stevenson, Jaime Alexander, Idris Elba, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, with special appearances from Clark Gregg, Jeremy Renner, and Samuel L. Jackson. Thor is a big and bombastically entertaining film from Kenneth Branagh.

After a war with the Frost Giants led by Laufey (Colm Feore) that led to the victory of Odin and the Asgardians where they claim the Giants’ source power in the Casket of Ancient Winters. An uneasy truce was made for many years as Odin is set to give his throne to his son Thor, a break-in for the Casket by a few Frost Giants failed as Odin thinks it’s just nothing. Thor however, thinks it’s an attempt to break peace as he decides to defy his father’s orders as he along with his younger brother Loki, their friend Sif (Jaime Alexander) and the Warriors Three in Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas), and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) go to Jotunheim to confront Laufey and the Frost Giants leading to a battle. After Odin arrives to stop the battle and save his sons and friends, he decides to banish Thor from Asgard and strip his powers from him.

Thor suddenly lands in the planet Earth as he is discovered by an astrophysicist named Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy (Kat Dennings), and their mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) who take him to a hospital unaware of who he is. After some complications where his hammer has gotten the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its leader Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), Thor hopes to retrieve it as he tells Jane about what he is. After an attempt to retrieve the hammer where Thor was unable to pull it out of its stone, Thor is taken by S.H.I.E.L.D. where he gets a visit from Loki claiming that Odin has died. With Thor accepting his fate, he is retrieved by Selvig who discovers that Thor might actually be the legend he had read as a child.

Back in Asgard, Odin has fallen into deep sleep where Loki learns about his true parentage as he takes over the kingdom of Asgard where Sif and the Warriors Three suspect something is wrong. Wanting to get Thor back to Earth, they convince the gatekeeper Heimdall (Idris Elba) to transport them to Earth as he is aware of Loki’s dark rule. With Sif and the Warriors Three arriving at Earth to convince Thor to return to Asgard, they all deal with the Destroyer that Loki sends forcing Thor to do something that is unexpected of him in order to deal with his brother.

The film is essentially an origin story of how Thor came to be what he is through his father’s rule and then be banished for his arrogance only to learn about what he must do to save both Asgard and Earth from evil forces. During the course of the story, Thor reveals the world that he lives in to this astrophysicist who has been trying to uncover the mysteries of the universe where the two fall for each other. Still, there’s the matter of what his brother is doing as he starts off as this very quiet and innocent individual who always felt being in his brother’s shadow only to learn about his true parentage. This discovery would crucial to Loki’s development as he becomes an antagonist to Thor much to Thor’s dismay as he loved and cared for his brother.

The screenplay is a by-the-books kind of story in terms of what is expected in an origin story involving superheroes. Still, it has moments of character development for both Thor and Loki where they each would have an understanding of who they are. Notably the former who is this demigod with amazing powers where once he arrives to Earth. He’s still a strong and powerful man but is forced to realize that he can become human as well giving him the chance to understand things that his father had been trying to tell him. It’s a very good script that does what is needed to do as well as provide some substance to some of the characters in the film.

Kenneth Branagh’s direction is definitely ambitious in terms of the way he presents Asgard as this bombastic yet beautiful planet while going for a more straightforward look for the scenes in New Mexico. Branagh opens with the film with Jane and her team trying to find something that leads to them to discover Thor. It is followed by the origin story of how Odin lost his right eye during the war with the Frost Giants as he tells that story to a young Thor and Loki including the importance of the Casket. The rest of the film does become this very vast and interesting origin story that features some wonderful compositions including slanted camera shots. Branagh wisely avoids some of its tropes like fast-cuts and overwhelming the film with lots of action sequences. Instead, he allows the story to play out with bits of humor drama while balancing with some exciting action scenes. Overall, Branagh creates a very enjoyable action-blockbuster that does a lot for what is expected and more.

Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos does nice work with the film‘s cinematography from the dark setting of Jotunheim to the more colorful yet stylish camera work for the scenes in New Mexico. Editor Paul Rubell does excellent work with the editing to help establish some of the action that is happening while playing up to some of the film’s humor as it’s tightly-paced for what is expected in a comic-book film. Production designer Bo Welch, with set decorator Lauri Gaffin and supervising art director Maya Shimoguchi, does amazing work with the set pieces for the Asgard palace and halls while going for a more low-key approach in the base that surrounds Thor‘s hammer along with some wonderful sets for the New Mexico small town that Jane lives in.

Costume designer Alexandra Byrne does very good work with the costumes from the armor and regal look that the Asgardian characters wear to the more casual clothing of Earth that Thor later sports. Visual effects supervisor Wesley Sewell does superb with the visual effects such as some of the exterior set pieces for the Asgardian palace and the bridge that connects them to the Bifrost transporter along with the effects for the Destroyer in the film’s New Mexico battle scene. Sound designers Michael Babcock and Richard King do terrific work with the sound work from the spectacle of the action scenes with its explosions and clanging objects to the tense atmosphere that occurs in Coulson’s interrogation for Thor. The film’s score by Patrick Doyle is brilliant for its orchestral bombast and sweeping arrangements to play up the action and drama that occurs as it’s a very thrilling score by Doyle.

The casting by Sarah Finn and Randi Hiller do amazing work with assembling the film’s ensemble cast that includes notable small appearances from Dakota Goyo and Ted Allpress in their respective roles as the young Thor and Loki, Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, Rene Russo as Thor’s mother Frigga, and cameo appearances from Stan Lee as a truck driver, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Other small roles include Tadanobu Hogun and Joshua Dallas in their respective roles as Warriors Three members Hogun and Fandral while Ray Stevenson is funny as the big and gluttonous Volstagg. Colm Feore is pretty good as the villainous Laufey who despises Odin while Idris Elba is excellent as the very wise gatekeeper Heimdall. Jaime Alexander is wonderful as Thor’s close friend Sif who is proven to be a very able warrior while Kat Dennings is hilarious as Jane’s assistant Darcy.

Stellan Skarsgard is superb as Jane’s mentor Dr. Erik Selvig who is intrigued by Thor as he reminds him of a children’s book he read years ago. Anthony Hopkins is great as Thor’s father Odin who is overwhelmed with Thor’s arrogance as well as keeping a secret about Loki’s true roots. The film’s big breakthrough is Tom Hiddleston in the role of Loki where Hiddleston brings a wonderful restraint to a man living in his brother’s shadow only to become a more intense character as he suddenly starts to take over. Natalie Portman is terrific as Jane Foster by exemplifying her intelligence and determination to discover Thor’s background while there’s also a bit of subtle humor to the way she is smitten with Thor.  Finally, there’s Chris Hemsworth in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as he displays wonderful charisma as well as sense of humility to make his character more human as it’s a true star-making performance for the young actor.

Thor is a fun action-blockbuster from Kenneth Branagh that features top-notch work from Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Armed with a strong supporting cast and an engaging story, it is a film that does what is needed to do to entertain but also has some substance to make it more worthwhile. Notably as it involves some crucial development for Thor and Loki as they’re set to face off again in The Avengers. In the end, Thor is a stellar  film from Kenneth Branagh.

Kenneth Branagh Films: (Henry V (1989 film)) - (Dead Again) - (Swan Song) - (Peter‘s Friends) - (Much Ado About Nothing (1993 film)) - (Frankenstein (1994 film)) - (A Midwinter’s Tale (1995 film)) - (Hamlet (1996 film)) - (Love’s Labour Lost (2000 film)) - (Listening) - (As You Like It (2006 TV film)) - (The Magic Flute (2006 film)) - (Sleuth (2007 film)) - (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) - Cinderella (2015 film) - (Murder on the Orient Express (2017 film))

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One Films: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers (2012 film)

Marvel Phase Two Films: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: The Age of Ultron - Ant Man

Marvel Phase Three Films: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man & the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Captain Marvel - Spider-Man: Far from Home

Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Eternals – Spider-Man: No Way Home – 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)

Related: MCU is Cinema: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 – Pt. 4 – (Part 5) – (Part 6) – (Part 7) - The MCU: 10 Reasons Why It Rules the World

© thevoid99 2012

My Week with Marilyn

Based on the novels The Prince, the Showgirl and Me and My Week with Marilyn by Colin Clark, My Week with Marilyn is the story of a film assistant who spends a week with Marilyn Monroe during the production of the film The Prince and the Showgirl. Directed by Simon Curtis and screenplay by Adrian Hodges, the film explores one man’s infatuation with the iconic beauty as he sees her dealing with personal issues as well as trying to make a movie with the likes of Laurence Olivier. Starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, the film also stars Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, Dougray Scott, Derek Jacobi, Toby Jones, Zoe Wanamaker, and Judi Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndike. My Week with Marilyn is a wonderful film about one man’s experience with one of the cinema’s most iconic stars.

It’s 1956 as Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) is hoping for a job interview to work in a film production headed by Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh). Colin knows Olivier through a party held by his rich parents as he gets the job as Olivier’s assistant as well as the third assistant director a new project Olivier is directing and starring in along with Dame Sybil Thorndike and Marilyn Monroe. With Monroe arriving with her third husband/playwright Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott) and her acting coach Paula Strasberg (Zoe Wanamaker), excitement is in the air as Olivier and his wife Vivien Leigh (Julia Ormond) greet Monroe and Miller.

With Colin working on set as he meets a costume girl named Lucy (Emma Watson), Colin watches the production unfold where it eventually becomes a disaster due to Marilyn’s erratic behavior. While Colin’s job also has to fetch Marilyn and check up on her, he gets more than he bargains for when she takes an interest in him. Colin would end up spending a lot of his time with Marilyn as she gets to relax while he takes her to places. Eventually, Marilyn would manage to perform well though the time Colin would have with Marilyn wouldn’t last following an illness. With the production taking shape and wrapping, Colin reflects on the brief moment he had with Marilyn Monroe.

The film is about a young man’s time with Marilyn Monroe in the shape of one entire week where he would get to know the real Marilyn through all of her flaws and insecurities. While this young man would also go into deep of Marilyn’s life and why she was difficult to work with. Largely because she was a student of method acting as opposed to the more theatrical training that Laurence Olivier had. For Colin Clark, he is in the middle of watching something where times are changing as the old guards like Olivier, Vivien Leigh, and Sybil Thorndike are on their way out while Marilyn is to become the new thing.

While Adrian Hodges’ script is a bit uneven due to the differing narratives that surrounds the film about Olivier’s difficulty with Marilyn’s approach to acting as well as this young man’s infatuation with the iconic beauty. Still, they do manage to coexist as it’s told from the perspective of Colin Clark as he watches a film being made as he has to deal with all sorts of people including Marilyn’s producer Milton H. Greene (Dominic Cooper) who had his affair with Marilyn. While there’s a lot of people warning this young man not to get too close, Clark does get close only to realize that it will include trouble. For Clark, the week he spends with Monroe and getting to know her while watching how a film is made would provide an experience unlike anything that most people would give for. Though the story is really more of a dramatic interpretation of what really happened rather than the actual truth. Hodges does manage to create a story that is exciting about one man’s time with Marilyn Monroe.

Simon Curtis’ direction is quite straightforward yet it’s also very engaging as he opens the film with Clark watching Marilyn Monroe perform on screen as he is enamored by her. The rest of the film is very intriguing for how a film was made at the time while showing what Olivier is trying to deal with as well as Marilyn dealing with her own issues. Curtis manages to create a wonderful sense of intimacy for the way that film is made while going for a sense of style in scenes where Marilyn and Colin walk around the park all by themselves. Overall, Curtis manages to create a film that is entertaining and dramatic in this brief moment in the life of Marilyn Monroe.

Cinematographer Ben Smithard does an excellent job with the film‘s photography where he does some amazing work in recreating some of the film footage of The Prince and the Showgirl to complement the Technicolor photography of Jack Cardiff. For the rest of the film, the look is very stylish while having a gorgeous air to the scenes of Marilyn and Oliver walking around in the park as Smithard’s work is noteworthy. Editor Adam Recht does a nice job with the editing as there’s some playful rhythmic cuts to play up the energy of getting ready on set while the pacing of the film is very leisured so that the audience can have time to see what goes on.

Production designer Donal Woods, along with set decorator Judy Farr and art director Charmian Adams, does a brilliant job with the set pieces created such as the studio and staging for the film sets scene as well as opening dance number that is full of pizzaz and all of that good stuff. Costume designer Jill Taylor does a fantastic job with the costumes created such as the casual late 50s clothing that a lot of the cast wears including the lavish dresses that Marilyn wears for the film she‘s making. Sound editor Nick Lowe does a stellar job with the sound work such as the hollow intimacy of a film set to the sparse world of the house and places that Marilyn surrounds herself in.

The film’s score by Conrad Pope and Alexandre Desplat is wonderful with Pope providing some jazzy pieces for the film with Desplat providing a more piano-driven theme for some of dramatic moments of the film. Music supervisors Maggie Rodford and Dana Sano provide a terrific soundtrack filled with jazz music of the times including the songs that Marilyn Monroe sang in some of her films.

The casting by Deborah Aquila, Nina Gold, and Tricia Wood is great as it features notable small appearances from Philip Jackson as Marilyn’s chauffeur/caretaker, Toby Jones as a brash publicist, Richard Clifford as character actor Richard Wattis, Derek Jacobi as Colin’s godfather who gives Marilyn a tour of a castle, and Dougray Scott as Marilyn’s third husband in famed playwright Arthur Miller. Other noteworthy performances include Dominic Cooper as the slimy Milton H. Greene, Zoe Wanamaker as the very controlling but humorous Paula Strasberg, Julia Ormond as the legendary Vivien Leigh who is dealing with aging, and Emma Watson in a small but charming performance as the costume girl Lucy that Colin briefly dates.

Judi Dench is wonderful as Dame Sybil Thorndike whose kindness and generosity brings a sense of warmth that was needed while being very funny in the way she snipes at Olivier and giving support towards Marilyn. Kenneth Branagh is superb Sir Laurence Olivier as he deals with his own issues over the fact that he’s one his way out while being very charming in how he greets Marilyn while being frustrated over her behavior. Eddie Redmayne is excellent as Colin Clark, the young assistant who watches over Marilyn while being enamored by her as he becomes an unlikely companion of hers. Particularly as Redmayne gets to play the observer while his scenes with Michelle Williams are a joy to watch in the way he gets to be the guy she needed for a while.

Finally, there’s Michelle Williams in what is truly a radiant and mesmerizing performance as the iconic star Marilyn Monroe. While Williams doesn’t really have the body of Monroe as she had to employ a body double for nude scenes. Williams does manage to bring in a sparkling enthusiasm in playing the iconic figure with a great sense of charm and wit while managing to showcase the insecurities and anguish that she goes through in trying to win over her peers and dealing with her persona. It’s a towering performance for the young actress in filling the shoes of someone as big as Marilyn Monroe. Yet, Michelle Williams manages to bring her back to life and reminding everyone that there was a whole lot more to Monroe than being some iconic sex symbol.

My Week with Marilyn is stellar and enchanting film from Simon Curtis featuring a spellbinding performance from Michelle Williams. Featuring a wonderful supporting cast that includes Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Julia Ormond, and Emma Watson. The film is an intriguing look into a brief period of Marilyn Monroe’s life from the perspective of a young man who got to hang out with her for a week. Notably as it brings insight into the troubled production of The Prince & the Showgirl which will probably have more people see this film that Monroe and Sir Laurence Olivier tried to create. In the end, My Week with Marilyn is a dazzling film from Simon Curtis.

© thevoid99 2011

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets (film)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/29/02 w/ Additional Edits.

When Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone came out in the fall of 2001, the Harry Potter film franchise officially begins with a bang.  Excellent reviews and huge box office exceeded expectations.  The film also gave attention to its young cast in Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson as they all became stars.  While Chris Columbus succeeded with the first film, he was already getting ready to start work on the second film of the seven-part film series where Harry explores a dark chamber with a creature that is attack Muggle-born students called Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets.

In The Chamber of Secrets, the film picks up where it’s left off as Harry now lives in a room (instead of a closet in the previous film) in the Dursley’s home but Uncle Vernon (Richard Griffiths), Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw), and cousin Dudley (Harry Melling) still treat him like an outsider, especially in a deal for Vernon where Harry is forced to be in the room pretending he doesn’t exist. Harry ponders why his friends haven’t send him any letters until he learned that a slave elf (a CGI-creation voiced by Toby Jones) named Dobby who tells Harry not to return to Hogwarts because of some terrible danger behind the school. Harry wants to return to Hogwarts but Dobby gets him in trouble with Dursleys that forced Uncle Vernon to put bars in Harry’s window. Later that night, Harry gets an unexpected visit from a floating car driven none other than his best friend Ron and his brothers Fred & George Weasley (James & Oliver Phelps) where they break the bars of the window as Harry packs his clothes and his pet owl Hedwig as they escape the Dursleys.

Harry arrives at the Weasley home where he meets with elder brother Percy (Chris Rankin), little sister and first-year Hogwarts student Ginny (Bonnie Wright), and the parents, Arthur and Molly Weasley (Mark Williams and Julie Walters). There, Harry and the Weasley clan take another way to Diagon Alley but Harry gets a first sign of trouble as he says the magic words and lands him at the wrong side of the town. After catching up with Weasleys, he meets up with friend Hermione as the gang goes to the bookstore to buy some books. There, they meet a popular and pompous wizard named Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) who is adored by many female wizards and students, particularly Mrs. Weasley and Hermione but disgusted by all the male students who thinks he’s an egotistical wizard. Lockhart sees Harry and uses him to help boost sales of his recent book by taking a photograph with him. Harry wasn’t very pleased taking a picture with Lockhart and he then runs into his nemesis Draco Malfoy. Accompanying Draco is his father Lucius Malfoy (Jason Issacs) who seems to enjoy belittling Harry as well as the Weasleys since he always considered them a weak clan of wizards particularly Mr. Weasley. Lucius also takes shot at Hermione because her parents are Muggles (non-magic folk) and she isn’t a pureblood wizard like the Weasleys, Potter, or the Malfoys.

After the confrontation with Malfoys, Harry and the Weasleys enter the secret wall through the Hogwarts Express train where Harry’s feeling that something in Hogwarts that didn’t want him came back as he couldn’t get through the secret wall, thus leaving him and Ron to miss the train. Ron and Harry decides to take the Weasleys floating car to catch up with Hogwarts train but they have trouble along when the train is behind them and as they arrive at Hogwarts, they encounter a big tree that damages the Weasleys’ car and Ron’s magic wand. The duo gets an unwelcoming reception from Snape who had a paper of the floating car that was seen by some Muggles and wanted them to be expelled but since they don’t live in the Slytherin house that he runs, he couldn’t do anything since they live in the Gryffindor house run by McGonagall who decides to give the two detention.

School goes underway for the second-year students of Hogwarts as Herbology professor Sprout (Miriam Margoyles) teaches them to pull exotic plants that reveal screaming roots. Harry then meets up with Gryffindorff team captain Oliver Wood (Sean Biggerstaff) for team practice of the next Quidditch game with the rival team Slytherin where they learn that the Slytherin team has a practice spot as well with a new seeker, Draco. Thus begins one of several battles between Potter and Malfoy and believe me; those two don’t like each other. Even when Draco calls Hermione a “mudblood” that leads to Ron to try and curse Draco with a spell that backfired due to his damaged wand. They go to Hagrid for help where he tells them that the Malfoys were always a bad clan because they think they’re better than everyone and don’t like non-, pureblood wizards at Hogwarts. Harry meanwhile, is starting to feel something strange has arose as voices started to talk in his head and he sees a message written in blood about the Chamber of Secrets being opened and Finch’s cat who looked like she’d been hang but was petrified by some evil force.

Harry is suspected of wrongdoing but Hermione and Ron along with some of the professors don’t think so. The Hogwarts staff picks Lockhart for some investigation surrounding the Chamber of Secrets while he becomes the new teacher for the Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lockhart and his ego comes in with a painting of himself painting him as he teaches the students how to stop tiny, little elves but has problems until Hermione stops them with a spell that begins the suspicion for Ron and Harry about Lockhart’s credibility. Harry then goes into a Quidditch match against Slytherin where he goes head-to-head with Draco over the Golden Snitch but he is followed by a ball that seems to go after him. After the match, the ball is trying to kill as Hermione stops it that leads to Lockhart trying to repair Harry’s arm but left again, Lockhart’s credibility comes in question as Harry’s arm isn’t repaired.

More eerie messages and voices come for Harry as he, Ron, and Hermione begin to read about the Chamber of Secrets. The Chamber was created by Slytherin as a way for him to create more spells but was rejected by the other founders of Hogwarts School. The chamber could be open by an heir of Slytherin, which made the trio suspect the Malfoys that could be the heirs. In order to get something from Draco, they decided to make a potion in an abandoned section of the girl’s bathroom haunted by a ghost named Moaning Myrtle (Shirley Henderson). More students hit with the same spell Finch’s cat got were sent to the hospital that were later followed by a trail of small spiders coming out after the students were petrified as Lockhart decided to create a lesson where students can defend themselves with their wands. Helping Lockhart was Snape who again made Harry and Ron question whether Lockhart is really the great wizard he claims to be. There, another battle between Harry and Draco comes in that forced Lockhart to make some spell that turned out to be the wrong one as a snake comes in and scares the students until Harry speaks to the snake in a secret language that made Harry to question if he’s the real heir of Slytherin.

Then the film takes a dark turn as Harry discovers about a story of the Chamber being opened by Tom Riddle (Christian Coulson) that led to the death of a non-pureblood student fifty years ago and learned that all the victims of the spell were non-pureblood that spells trouble for Hermione. Harry and Ron discover more about the Chamber and learn some horrible stories surrounding close colleagues, spiders, and snakes. There, they have to discover what’s behind the Chamber of Secrets or else Hogwarts School will be closed for good as Potter.

The Chamber of Secrets is definitely a much darker and more intense film than the first. With its plot twists and simplistic storytelling, it’s an enjoyable film from start to finish. The action scenes in the movie, particularly the Quidditch match is more fun than ever. The performances from the young actors are more relaxed as each of them get more in touch with their characters while the additions of Margoyles and Branagh are refreshing and add more humor to the film while Jason Issacs does an excellent job as the malicious Lucius Malfoy. The rest of the supporting cast, although their roles were brief, were very excellent including Richard Harris in his final film performance (shortly before the film was completed) that served as an example of his great talent

Steve Kloves' script does dwell into some of the darker territory that would set the course for the film as it takes in what is needed for the story to move forward.  Chris Columbus' direction however, isn't as wondrous in comparison to the first film as it's mostly by-the-book in what is expected for a fantasy/adventure film.  Even as he approaches some of the darker aspects of the story by just making it adventurous and intense but not exactly getting his hands dirty.  Despite that cautious approach, Columbus does succeed in maintaining that world of Harry Potter and presenting the story in a faithful manner.

Overall, Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets is an excellent sequel that doesn't exactly surpass its predecessor.  Though it's so far, the weakest of the film series, it does contain some memorable performances from its young cast including one-timer Kenneth Branagh and then-series newcomer Jason Issacs.  While it's definitely an entertaining film, it's one that doesn't go far into the dark tone that would come yet it is still a worthy film of the series.  In the end, Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets is a solid film for the franchise.

Harry Potter Reviews: The Films: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire - Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix - Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2

The Novel: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire - Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix - Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallow

Related: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

© thevoid99 2010