Blade Runner 2049

Based on the characters from the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep? by Philip K. Dick, Blade Runner 2049 is the sequel to the 1982 film Blade Runner by Ridley Scott as it involves a police officer who makes a chilling discovery that would lead to the end of humanity as he turns to a man who had disappeared thirty years ago who had his own experience with replicants. Directed by Denis Villeneuve and screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green from a story by Fancher, the film is a futuristic sci-fi film set in Los Angeles where a cop tries to save humanity as he also cope with what is at stake as the role of Officer K is played by Ryan Gosling with Harrison Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard. Also starring Jared Leto, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Mackenzie Davis, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, Barkhad Abdi, Wood Harris, Carla Juri, and Robin Wright. Blade Runner 2049 is a sprawling yet intoxicating film from Denis Villeneuve.

Following a blackout just a few years after the events in 2019, an LAPD cop who hunts older replicants in order to rid of them for society where he makes a discovery that would change humanity. It’s a film that follows up what Rick Deckard had discovered years ago that eventually lead to his disappearance and what cop in Officer K is trying to find upon this discovery he made when he was trying to arrest an older replicant in Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista). In this discovery, K is dealing with what he’s found as he wonders if there is more to him than just being a cop who lives alone with a hologram AI named Joi (Ana de Armas) as his companion. The film’s screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green isn’t just about this sense of identity that K is dealing with but also in this discovery that everyone wants to know including a replicant manufacturer in Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) who sees it as the next big step into his creation.

The first act revolves around what K has discovered as he would meet with Wallace’s enforcer Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) who gives him some information about his discovery as it involves Deckard. Yet, K’s journey would lead him to try and find something as he would report to Lt. Joshi (Robin Wright) who believes that something is off as she wants K to find out what is going on but in secrecy as he’s later pursued by Luv. The second act isn’t just about what K is discovering but also more about his identity as he turns to Joi for help with that identity as it relates to a toy horse he believed he had when he was a child. Upon finding this toy horse and numbers on that horse that he also found on a tree when he was arresting Morton, it would eventually lead him to Deckard who has been in hiding. Upon meeting Deckard, K would realize what is at stake but also why Deckard had to leave as it relates to something bigger than himself as well as his own personal involvement.

Denis Villeneuve’s direction is definitely grand in terms of the scale of what he is creating as it is set in 2049 Los Angeles with futuristic versions of the state of California and Las Vegas as this mixture of farm country, cities, and wastelands. Shot mainly in Budapest, Hungary with some of it shot in Iceland, Spain, and other locations, the film definitely has a unique approach to the visual presentation as it begins in this kind of desolate yet beautiful land that is a place for synthetic farming as Villeneuve’s usage of the wide shots would showcase the scope of these locations. The scenes set in Los Angeles is cramped yet vast in terms of the holographic ads and other things that play into something that is futuristic as Villeneuve would create different look and feel for certain places and locations throughout the film.

The direction also utilizes some close-ups and medium shots for some unique compositions in the way characters interact with each other as well as some of the moments in the action. Villeneuve would include bits of humor in the film but much of the film is dramatic with some suspense and action as the drama relates to K’s loneliness and the revelations about what he discovered as it add to him questioning his own identity. By the time Deckard arrives in the film, it does recall elements of the past that includes this very eerie meeting between Deckard and Wallace into what the latter could do and why he needs this discovery that K made. All of which would have K play a big part into giving Deckard something he had lost and find peace over this loss as well as give K some meaning in his life. Overall, Villeneuve creates an exhilarating and rapturous film about a blade runner trying to save humanity by uncovering a discovery that could help those as well as stop a creator from playing God.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography as it is a major highlight of the film for the way he would give various locations a different look and feel from the grey exteriors of the farming land and garbage wasteland to the usage of sepia-drenched lighting for the exteriors of Las Vegas and the array of lighting and shades for many of the film’s interior scenes. Editor Joe Walker does excellent work with the editing as it has some jump-cuts for some of the action as well as some straightforward cutting for the drama and suspense. Production designer Dennis Gassner, with set decorator Alessandra Querzola and supervising art director Paul Inglis, does brilliant work with the look of K’s apartment as well as the LAPD building and the place where the Wallace Corporation is and other aspects to make Los Angeles look really futuristic. Costume designer Renee April does fantastic work with the costumes as it does provide the characters some personalities into some of the clothing that Joi wears as well as the clothing of other characters to play into the futuristic world.

Hair supervisor Lizzie Lawson and makeup supervisor Csilla Blake-Horvath do terrific work with the look of some of the characters including a few prostitutes as well as Joi in the different personalities she takes to please K. Visual effects supervisors Pierre Buffin, Richard Clegg, Paul Lambert, Petr Marek, Viktor Muller, and John Nelson do incredible work with the visual effects from the look of the city in some parts as well as the holograms and some of the action sequences as it is top-notch work. Sound editor Mark A. Mangini and sound designer Theo Green do amazing work with the sound in creating some sound effects as well as in the way guns and the flying cars sound. The film’s music by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch is great for its mixture of electronic bombast and ambient textures to create a score that is always engaging and help to play into the action and suspense while music supervisor Deva Anderson brings in some music that K listens to like Frank Sinatra as well as a couple of songs by Elvis Presley and variations of Tears in the Rain by Vangelis.

The casting by Zsolt Csutak, Francine Maisler, and Lucinda Syson is marvelous as it feature a couple of cameo appearances from two characters from the original film in Edward James Olmos as Deckard’s old colleague Gaff and Sean Young as the replicant Rachael with help from Loren Peta as Young’s double. Other notable small roles include Wood Harris as a cop named Harris, David Dastmalchian as a police scientist named Coco, Barkhad Abdi as a black markets analyzer in Doc Badger, Lennie James as a wasteland businessman in Mister Cotton, Hiam Abbass as a mysterious underground leader in Freysa, and Dave Bautista in a superb small role as the replicant Sapper Morton. Mackenzie Davis is terrific as a replicant prostitute named Mariette who is asked by Luv to follow K while being very discreet about her true motive while Carla Juri is wonderful in a small role as a mysterious memory designer in Dr. Ana Stelline who creates memories for replicants.

Jared Leto is fantastic as the replicants creator Niander Wallace as a man who is trying to create a new form of replicants as a way to get rid of humanity’s flaws as he believes this new discovery would be the key to what he wants. Robin Wright is excellent as Lt. Joshi as a LAPD official who orders K to find out about this discovery as well as question his own offbeat behavior as she is aware of what is at stake. Sylvia Hoeks is brilliant as Luv as Wallace’s replicant enforcer who is tasked with finding more about this discovery as she is this dangerous and powerful individual who is eager to get what she wants by any means necessary. Ana de Armas is amazing as Joi as an artificial-intelligence hologram who serves as K’s companion that tries to help him understand as well as wanting to feel alive to prove that there is more to her than just some program.

Harrison Ford’s performance as Rick Deckard is incredible as he provides this sense of a man who had seen and experienced so much in his life as he tries to cover his tracks while dealing with this newfound revelation over this discovery that he was involved in that also includes Rachael whom he mourns for. Finally, there’s Ryan Gosling in a sensational performance as K as a cop who copes with his identity upon this discovery he’s made as well as wanting to get answers as he is quite tough but also flawed as it is a very grounded and restraint performance from Gosling who brings a lot to a role of someone dealing with loneliness and himself.

Blade Runner 2049 is a magnificent film from Denis Villeneuve that features top-notch performances from Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford. Along with its great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals courtesy of cinematographer Roger Deakins, a hypnotic score, and a compelling premise that explores the idea of identity and humanity. It’s a film that manages to be not just some sprawling sci-fi adventure film with elements of film noir, suspense, and action but also a film that says a lot about people and who they are as well as what can happen when one wants to use that power for his own reasons. In the end, Blade Runner 2049 is an outstanding film from Denis Villeneuve.

Related: Blade Runner - The Auteurs #68: Denis Villeneuve

Denis Villeneuve Films: August 32nd on Earth – Maelstrom – Polytechnique – Incendies - Prisoners (2013 film) - Enemy (2013 film) – Sicario - Arrival (2016 film) - Dune-Part One (2021 film) - Dune-Part Two - (Dune: Messiah)

© thevoid99 2017

24 Hour Party People

Directed by Michael Winterbottom and written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, 24 Hour Party People is the story about the rise and fall of Factory Records from the late 1970s to the early 1990s told by its founder in a Granada TV reporter named Tony Wilson. The film explores Wilson’s desire to showcase something new in the advent of punk as he would launch the careers of acts Joy Division/New Order and the Happy Mondays all hailing from the city of Manchester. Starring Steve Coogan, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, Paddy Considine, Danny Cunningham, Paul Popplewell, Sean Harris, and Andy Serkis. 24 Hour Party People is a whimsical yet truly original docu-drama from Michael Winterbottom.

Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan) is an unhappy reporter for Granada TV as he attends a local concert with his wife Lindsay (Shirley Henderson) and friend Alan Erasmus (Lennie James) where playing at the show were the Sex Pistols. Along with many soon-to-be-famous figures attending this legendary concert, Wilson creates a show called So It Goes that becomes a hit in Manchester as it explored this new wave of artists emerging from the punk scene. Tony decides to end the show in order to create a showcase for local bands as it would include Joy Division managed by Rob Gretton (Paddy Considine). Though Tony would later have a liasons with a couple of hookers, Lindsay would in turn have sex with the Buzzcocks’ Howard Devoto (Martin Hancock). With the help of Erasmus and Gretton, Tony decides to form his own label called Factory Records as he signs Joy Division to the label.

Joy Division becomes a success, with the help of its troubled producer Martin Hannett (Andy Serkis), but the health issues of its singer Ian Curtis (Sean Harris) nearly derails everything as a tour to the U.S. is about to happen. Instead, Curtis’ suicide would end things as Lindsay leaves Tony who forges ahead with the label’s next venture in a club called the Hacienda. With Hannett gone from the Factory Records label and Tony unsure about the label’s future as well as the future of the Hacienda. Joy Division is revived as New Order where their song Blue Monday becomes a hit despite the expensive packaging by Peter Saville (Enzo Cilenti). Then a new local band emerged in the mid-1980s called the Happy Mondays would arrive with a new sound as Tony signs them to the label.

With Hannett returning to produce the Mondays’ second album Bummed, a new culture was emerging as Manchester became the capital of cool while the local music scene became massive. The Hacienda becomes the place to party as Tony becomes enamored with success and gains a new girlfriend in beauty queen Yvette Livesey (Kate Magowan). Yet, things would eventually fall apart due to financial mismanagement, Martin Hannett’s death, and the drug use of Happy Mondays’ vocalist Shaun Ryder (Danny Cunningham). All of this would force Tony to do something that would be against everything he stood for.

Most music bio-pics or stories about a certain music scene/time period often deviates to certain formulas. What made this film stand out from the rest is the fact that it doesn’t play by the rules. Instead, the fourth wall is often broken by its protagonist Tony Wilson as he would comment on everything that is happening in this 16-year period of success and failure. At one point, the real Tony Wilson appears directing a TV show as its doppelganger would point him out to emphasize the absurdity of this film. While Wilson may claim that he’s just a supporting character in this film as it’s about the music and the men who made that music. There is clearly no doubt that he is the most interesting person in that story.

Frank Cottrell Boyce creates a screenplay that plays with the rise-and-fall formula by doing the one thing most music bio-pics or docu-dramas often do which is to take dramatic liberties with the real story. It’s something that is frowned upon by music critics and historians who feel that it takes away from the real story. What Bryce does is that he plays up to these exaggerations by having the audience be aware that some of the moments that is shown on screen is an exaggeration. One key scene is where Tony catches his wife Lindsay having sex with Howard Devoto as there’s a janitor stating “I don’t remember any of this happening”. That person is the real Howard Devoto as Tony would later admit that it never happened but Tony would counter that by stating that he’s sticking to the legend of what happened.

It’s the exaggerations, breaking the fourth wall, and not playing by the rules that allows the story to be more than just what it is expected in its genre. Boyce’s script is filled with lots of humor as well as pretty accurate portrayals of the individuals who would help contribute to the history of British popular music. Ian Curtis is portrayed as a troubled genius. Shaun Ryder is portrayed as a drug-addicted writer that Tony claims is the greatest Poet since Yeats. Rob Gretton is portrayed as a short-tempered man who is willing to get into fights with everyone. Peter Saville is known as a guy who creates these great posters and art work yet would often miss the deadline. Then there’s Tony Wilson who is portrayed as many characters would often call him. A twat. Yet, it’s a very comical character of a man whose principle about giving the artist the freedom to fuck off while just wanting a fair share of whatever profits are made.

Michael Winterbottom’s direction is definitely filled with style as he creates a film that plays up to its off-the-wall story. Shooting on location in Manchester, Winterbottom aims for the authenticity of that city as he would also create a look that is very engaging and vibrant. Notably as all of it shot on digital with elements of grain to heighten the look of the different periods that is displayed in the film. Featuring re-creations of the TV programs that Tony Wilson hosted inter-cut with actual archival footage of those programs. Winterbottom gets a chance to re-create a period in time that is never going to be replicated.

Another key element of Winterbottom’s direction is the comedy as Winterbottom opens the film with Tony Wilson reporting about hang gliding that is presented with Wilson acting like a moron. A lot of the humor is mostly improvised in order to not go for cheap gags while some of it is quite dark. The scene where Shaun Ryder meets Bez (Chris Coghill) for the first time via UFO is among one of the film’s most surreal moments as well as another scene involving Shaun and his brother Paul (Paul Popplewell) who throw bread to pigeons as if it was a war film. The overall work that Winterbottom does is truly phenomenal in terms of its emphasis to re-create a period in time and tell it with great humor.

Cinematographer Robby Mueller does an excellent job with the film‘s grainy digital photography to play up the grimy look of the 1970s and 1980s for its exteriors to the more colorful lighting set-ups in the Hacienda nightclub scenes along with black-and-white shots for some of the musical performances. Editor Trevor Waite does an amazing job with the film’s editing in creating unconventional rhythms for the film’s pacing while utilizing stylish cuts for some of the film’s transition and music scenes. Production designer Mark Tildesley, along with set decorator Lucy Howe and art director Paul Cripps, does great work in the re-creation of the Hacienda club for its interiors as well as the other club in the late 1970s where Tony presented the bands of Manchester.

Costume designers Stephen Noble and Natalie Ward do fantastic work with the costumes made from the bellbottoms of the 1970s to the more baggy clothing of the late 80s/early 90s. Makeup designers Janita Doyle and Jill Sweeney do wonderful work with the hair and makeup design for some of the characters, notably the Martin Hannett character, to emphasize the changing times throughout the film. Sound editor Zane Hayward does amazing work with the sound pieces such as the atmosphere of the Hacienda nightclub to the musical performances that occur in the late 70s set pieces.

Music supervisors Liz Gallacher and Pete Tong create a truly phenomenal soundtrack from start to finish that truly explores the best of what the music scene had to offer from 1976 to the early 90s. With music ranging from punk, house music, Madchester, post-punk, and new wave. It’s a truly intoxicating soundtrack to listen to as it features music from the Sex Pistols, the Durutti Column, A Certain Ratio, Joy Division/New Order, the Happy Mondays, 808 State, the Clash, A Guy Named Gerald, the Buzzcocks, the Jam, and many others. It’s definitely one of the great film soundtracks of the last decade.

The casting by Wendy Brazington does a truly outstanding job with assembling the film’s cast and cameos that appear for this film. Among those making cameos are the real Tony Wilson as a TV director, Happy Mondays bassist Paul Ryder as a drug dealer, Stone Roses bassist Mani, Mark E. Smith of the Fall, Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets, Vini Reilly in a very brief cameo, Keith Allen as London Records executive Roger Ames, Kenny Baker of Star Wars as a zookeeper, Martin Hancock as Howard Devoto, DJ Mike Pickering, Happy Mondays backing vocalist Rowetta, and Howard Devoto as the janitor who calls out on his supposed tryst with Lindsay Wilson. Notable small appearances include Simon Pegg as a guard, Rob Brydon as a journalist, Peter Kay as club owner Don Tonay, Kate Magowan as Tony Wilson’s third wife Yvette, Dave Gorman as local icon John the Postman, and Enzo Cilenti as the always late graphic designer Peter Saville.

Playing the members of Joy Division/New Order, John Simm, Ralf Little, and Tim Horrocks are very good in their respective roles of Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris while Sean Harris gives a very haunting performance as Ian Curtis. In the part of the members of the Happy Mondays, Paul Popplewell and Chris Coghill are funny in their respective roles as Paul Ryder and Bez while Danny Cunningham is hilarious as drug-out sleaze-bag Shaun Ryder. Shirley Henderson is really good as Tony’s first wife Lindsay while Lennie James is terrific as Factory Records co-founder Alan Erasmus.

The film’s best supporting performances go to both Andy Serkis and Paddy Considine in their respective roles as producer Martin Hannett and Joy Division/New Order manager Rob Gretton. Serkis brings a very dark yet comical performance as the very brash Martin Hannett who serves as a fellow troublemaking confidant to the Mondays. Considine brings a wonderful sense of humor to the role as the short-tempered Gretton who is always ready to beat someone up and isn’t afraid to say anything. Finally, there’s Steve Coogan in a truly marvelous performance as the late Tony Wilson. Coogan brings a great sense of wit and swagger to a man that is kind of an idiot while proving to be an ambitious fuck-up. It’s definitely the best performance that Coogan has given in his career.

24 Hour Party People is a truly fun yet ravishing musical docu-drama from Michael Winterbottom. Thanks in part to a truly brilliant ensemble cast led by Steve Coogan along with Frank Cottrell Boyce’s whimsical screenplay. It is definitely one of the great films about a piece of musical history that explores the world that would help shape the British indie scene. Particularly as the film serves as a great introduction to Madchester, punk, post-punk, and house music thanks in part to a top-notch soundtrack. In the end, 24 Hour Party People is an extraordinary film from Michael Winterbottom.

Michael Winterbottom Films: (Rosie the Great) - (Forget About Me) - (Under the Sun) - (Love Lies Bleeding) - (Family (1993 TV film)) - (Butterfly Kiss) - (Go Now) - (Jude) - Welcome to Sarajevo - I Want You - (With or Without You (1998 film)) - Wonderland (1999 film) - The Claim - In This World - Code 46 - 9 Songs - Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story - The Road to Guantanamo - A Mighty Heart - Genova - The Shock Doctrine (2009 film) - The Killer Inside Me - The Trip (2010 film) - (Trishna) - (Everyday) - The Look of Love - (The Trip to Italy) - (The Face of An Angel)

Related: Control (2007 film) - Favorite Films #8: 24 Hour Party People - Joy Division (2007 film)

© thevoid99 2012