Babylon (2022 film)

 

Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, Babylon is the story of a group of people making films in the 1920s as they deal with the sudden transition from silent cinema to the emergence of sound in film. The film is an epic period-drama that explores a group of people working in the industry as they embark onto a world of decadence as they also deal with changing times in the world of film. Starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, P.J. Byrne, Olivia Hamilton, Max Minghella, Rory Scovel, Eric Roberts, Lukas Haas, Jeff Garlin, Olivia Wilde, Spike Jonze, Katherine Waterston, Flea, Samara Weaving, Ethan Suplee, and Tobey Maguire. Babylon is an outrageously wild, decadent, and insanely fun film from Damien Chazelle.

Set from 1926 to 1932 with an epilogue set in 1952, the film follows a number of people living in the wild and excessive world of Hollywood that includes a brilliant yet decadent film star, a rising starlet, a jazz trumpeter, and a Mexican assistant who rises to become a studio executive from the world of silent films to the emergence of sound. It is a film that plays into the lives of various people as they would live a decadent lifestyle that offers so much while also being extremely passionate about their love for film and making films. At the center of this chaos and creativity is a Mexican immigrant in Manuel “Manny” Torres (Diego Calva) who works as an assistant for a studio executive who would befriend various people he meets as he would work his way into a prominent position in the world of film playing to the lives and fates of those he meets and cares for. Even as he has to watch up close and from afar in the lives of these people who would have trouble adjusting to a new world that would become more of an industry than its emphasis on art.

Damien Chazelle’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it opens with Manny trying to get an elephant up a hill for this party despite the fact that the elephant is ill while trying to maintain some control in the sense of decadence happening around him. It is there he meets a young wannabe starlet in Nellie LeRoy (Margot Robbie) who crashes the party as she would get a film role after the original starlet had overdosed on drugs while famed silent film star Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) arrives to the party where he would help Manny get jobs for Kinoscope Studios. Manny would also meet the African-American jazz trumpeter Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo), the famed gossip columnist Elinor St. John (Jean Smart), and the Chinese-American cabaret artist/title writer Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li) as the would all play a role in Manny’s ascent yet the script does focus on Nellie’s own ascent as a silent film star despite her brash attitude and free-spirited personality. Upon his tenure working with Conrad, Manny would learn about Conrad’s ambitions to innovate and inspire yet is unprepared for the emergence of sound in films as Manny traveled to New York City to see The Jazz Singer as Kinoscope would also go into sound.

The film’s first act revolves around the time when Conrad is a top star and Nellie becoming this emerging star while they also take part in decadent parties with Nellie sleeping around with people including Lady Fay, who is known by people in their social circle as a lesbian, as the second act is about the emergence of sound with Nellie having difficulty adjusting to the new format. Even as a party where Nellie’s voice is mocked by a few people as it play into her decline as she would gain a reputation for being wild and engaging herself into drugs and gambling debts. Despite Manny’s ascent as a director and producer as he tries to get Nellie some work while making Sidney a film star with a jazz orchestra for Sidney. Manny is unable to help Nellie in her attempt to be part of Hollywood’s high society as the film’s third act plays into her fall as well as Conrad’s own fading film career as he is treated by MGM as their bailout star. It also play into the world where the film industry has changed with Manny being able to adapt but not everyone he knows are able to adapt in a world that has become more about money than creativity.

Chazelle’s direction is quite grand in its approach to capturing the period of silent films as it opens with the old Paramount Pictures logo from the 1920s as it then cuts into Manny waiting for a truck driver to carry an elephant up on a hill as it has this close-up shot of an elephant’s asshole shitting on a person. It is the first of a series of debauched moments that would arrive as once Manny and some people arrive at this mansion. There’s a young woman peeing on a fat man and all of this happens before 10 minutes while there are all of these tracking shots that showcases a party happening with orgies, dancing, drinking, and all sorts of debauchery including lots of cocaine snorting. All of this happens within 30 minutes of the film before the opening title credit appears as Chazelle allows the audience to be prepared for the amount of insanity they would endure for more than 3 hours. Yet, Chazelle maintains this sense of grandeur into the world that these characters live in with all of these wide shots into how a film was made such as Manny driving to town to wait for a camera arrive to rent after a bunch of cameras have been destroyed and then steal an ambulance to bring that camera before sunset.

That is intercut with Nellie doing her first movie and how natural she comes across to the point that she upstages the film’s main star to the point where she becomes the studio’s top gal as it’s presented with bawdy humor. Much of Chazelle’s direction plays up to the sense of excess that goes on in a Hollywood film production during the silent era while the sequence where Nellie makes her first sound film is among one of the most key moments in which Nellie has to be a certain position for her voice to be heard while everything around her goes wrong as she gets frustrated at the sound engineer while the assistant director absolutely goes on a fucking rant as if he is ready to kill someone. It is a key sequence that showcases everybody trying to adjust into this new form with an aftermath that shows that not everyone will be part of this new era in film as it would change into something far more commercial and less about art. Especially in the film’s third act where Manny would rise into a position of power as a director and studio executive yet uses his clout to ensure that Sidney becomes a star and Nellie remains on the studio’s payroll despite her issues with drugs and gambling. The film’s third act not only has this sense of everything being buttoned down where Chazelle’s close-ups and medium shots add to this element of claustrophobia in these characters who are trying to fit in to high society.

Yet, it also shows that they’ve become disconnected with who they are and hoping to return to that as the sequence where Elinor tries to show high society the new and improved Nellie to the likes of William Randolph Hearst (Pat Skipper) and Marion Davies (Chloe Fineman) while Sidney is the lone black person at the party as it is clear that neither of them fit in with these people and their shitty taste in food and drinks. The film’s climax doesn’t just play to Nellie hitting her bottom but also Manny’s devotion to her as it leads to him discovering a darker underworld in Hollywood that invites the likes of an eccentric gangster in James McKay (Tobey Maguire). It would be followed by this epilogue set in 1952 as it is about what Hollywood had become and what was lost but also the importance of film and the world that Manny was a part of. Overall, Chazelle crafts a tremendously grand and enthralling film about the lives of artists and individuals of the silent film world and their difficulty to adjust to a new world.

Cinematographer Linus Sandgren does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography with its different array of film stock for the films that are made with black-and-white in those films but also luscious colors for the daytime exterior scenes along with some unique lighting for some of the interior scenes including some of its nighttime scenes as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Tom Cross does excellent work with the editing in maintaining a sense of manic energy while knowing when to slow things down as there’s some straight cuts and jump-cuts as it helps maintain this rollercoaster feel for the film. Production designer Florencia Martin, with set decorator Anthony Carlino and supervising art director Eric Sundahl, does amazing work with the art direction with the usage of the cars from the period as well as the interiors of the mansion in the film’s opening sequence as well as the studio sets both in a soundstage and outside of the studio as it is a highlight of the film.

Costume designer Mary Zophres does brilliant work with the film’s costumes from the red dress that Nellie wears in her first appearance as well as the array of period clothing at that time including the lavish dresses that women wore in those times as it is another highlight of the film. Special makeup effects artists Jason Collins, Thomas Floutz, and Tanner White, along with special makeup effects designer Arjen Tuiten, do terrific work with the look of the characters including some of the prop makeup used in films as well as the hairstyles of the time as it all play into this world of decadence. Special effects supervisor Elia P. Popov, along with visual effects supervisors Jay Cooper and John L. Weckworth, does fantastic work with the visual effects in the way special effects were presented during the silent film eras along with some visual set dressing to make Los Angeles look like the 1920s.

Sound designers Ai-Ling Lee and Tobias Poppe, along with sound editor Mildred Iatrou, do superb work with the sound as its mixing of sounds at the opening party sequence as well as the way sound is captured in the early days of film along with moments that help play into the atmosphere of a room or something heard from afar. The film’s music by Justin Hurwitz is incredible for its jazz-based score as it has these arrangements in the pianos, strings and brass including lots of trumpet solos and such while music supervisor Noah Hubbell help cultivate a soundtrack that includes some standards of the time along with a song sung by Lady Fay in My Girl’s Pussy that is shocking as it is a major highlight of the film.

The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it features appearances and cameos from Kaia Gerber as a starlet at the first party that Lady Fay flirts with, Patrick Fugit as a police officer at the party, Taylor Hill as Conrad’s last wife, John Mariano as the masters of ceremonies at the opening party, Olivia Wilde as Conrad’s first wife who leaves him early in the film, Karolina Szymczak as another of Conrad’s wives who is a Hungarian opera singer, Jennifer Grant as high society lady Mildred Yates, Phoebe Tonkin as a young starlet in Jane Thornton who is first seen peeing on a man, Joe Dallesandro as a photographer, Albert Hammond Jr. as a man in a chicken line at the first party, J.C. Currais as a truck driver who is supposed to transport an elephant, Karina Fontes as a waitress Conrad flirts with at the first party, Vanessa Bednar as Nellie’s mother, and Spike Jonze as a tyrannical European filmmaker trying to make an epic period film starring Conrad.

Other noteworthy small roles include Alexandre Chen as the famed cinematographer James Wong Howe, Samara Weaving as the film starlet Constance Moore that is upstaged by Nellie, Chloe Fineman as actress Marion Davies, Sarah Ramos as high society member Harriet Rothschild, Pat Skipper as the famed businessman William Randolph Hearst, Eric Roberts as Nellie’s slimy father Robert Roy who would add to Nellie’s financial troubles, Ethan Suplee as McKay’s right-hand man Wilson who constantly spits, Jeff Garlin as the Kinoscope Studios boss Don Wallach, Flea as Wallach’s assistant Bob Levine who is often the middle man Wallach and everyone else as he respects Manny for his hard work, Rory Scovel as a drug dealer/aspiring actor known as the Count who often supplies drugs to actors on set, Max Minghella as MGM studio head Irving Thalberg, Olivia Hamilton as the filmmaker Ruth Adler who would direct many of Nellie’s films, P.J. Byrne as Adler’s assistant director Max, Katherine Waterston as Conrad’s stage actress fiancée who believes film is a low art, and Lukas Haas as Conrad’s best friend/producer George Munn who was the one that had championed Conrad despite his own troubles yet Conrad was always helpful towards him.

Tobey Maguire is great as the eccentric gangster James McKay who appears late in the film as someone that Nellie owes money to as he is this odd yet scary figure that is part of a dark underworld in Los Angeles as well as be the showman of a lifestyle that is way too dark. Jean Smart is brilliant as Elinor St. John as a gossip columnist whose writing helps or breaks people on the rise as she is someone that plays a role in Nellie’s ascent and descent yet has a loyalty to those whose career she helped create despite the role she has to play in the film industry. Li Jun Li is amazing as Lady Fay Zhu as this Chinese-American cabaret singer who is the embodiment of decadence while isn’t afraid to tell the world that she’s a lesbian until her work as a title designer becomes obsolete as she also deals with being ostracized because of her sexuality. Jovan Adepo is excellent as Sidney Palmer as this gifted jazz trumpeter who often plays at parties while also spouting insults towards his bandmates during the parties as he would later become an actor and performer for films in collaboration with Manny until he becomes alienated by high society and the studio’s ideas in making him more appealing to racist Southern audiences.

Brad Pitt is phenomenal as Jack Conrad as a man who is the embodiment of a movie star that can carry a picture and bring money but is also someone that is often involved in short-lived marriages and relationships except with those who has helped him in his career while he would lament over his declining film career in the era of sound films as well as loss and disillusionment. Diego Calva is incredible as Manuel “Manny” Torres as an assistant to Don Wallach who would work his way up the ranks in his love for film and filmmaking where he eventually becomes a filmmaker and a studio executive yet is also devoted to Nellie whom he is in love with despite her many troubles as he is someone that bonded with her early in their careers as he does whatever he can to help her. Finally, there’s Margot Robbie in a spectacular performance as Nellie LeRoy as a young woman who believes she is a star as she is this free spirit that is all about life while is also vulnerable considering her own troubled family life where Robbie displays a lot of charisma and tragedy into someone who couldn’t deal with the need to conform to high society as well as having to make changes in the world of sound films as it is truly a career-defining performance from Robbie.

Babylon is a tremendous film from Damien Chazelle that features sensational leading performances from Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt as well as a major discovery in Diego Calva. Along with ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, exhilarating music score and soundtrack, and its depiction of early 20th Century decadence at its most uncompromising. It is a film that doesn’t apologize for how over-the-top and how insane it is in showcasing a period in time where there were no rules with characters who are forced to play by the rules to survive only for those that refuses to become part of an industry where creativity is unimportant. In the end, Babylon is a magnificent film from Damien Chazelle.

Damien Chazelle Films: Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench – Whiplash (2014 film) - La La Land - First Man - (The Auteurs #76: Damien Chazelle)

© thevoid99 2024

First Man

Based on the biography First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen, First Man is about the life of astronaut Neil Armstrong from his early days as a pilot to being the first man to walk on the moon as he deals with challenges in his professional and personal life. Directed by Damien Chazelle and screenplay by Josh Singer, the film is an unconventional bio-pic of the famed astronaut who deals with the dangers of his job as well as the events in his personal life as he is played by Ryan Gosling. Also starring Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Jason Clarke, Ciaran Hinds, Patrick Fugit, Christopher Abbott, Lukas Haas, and Kyle Chandler. First Man is an enthralling and evocative film from Damien Chazelle.

July 20, 1969 was a momentous moment in the history of civilization when Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon as it was the culmination of a decade long journey during the space race between the U.S. and Soviet Union to reach the impossible. For all of the fame that Armstrong would receive for this accomplishment lies a man who endured professional and personal challenges including moments of tragedy as he would withdraw from fame and even in his own family to focus on what he must do as an astronaut. Josh Singer’s screenplay focuses on Armstrong’s life as a test pilot in 1961 to the moment he returns home from the moon which would also include his first marriage to Janet Shearon (Claire Foy) as well as life with their children including the death of his daughter Karen at age 2 as she had been diagnosed with a malignant tumor and died of complications related to pneumonia.

The script would have Armstrong not just deal with the job in hand as he and other astronauts try to figure out what to do and also what not to do. Even as Armstrong would deal with a couple of tragedies while he would also have a near-death experience during the Gemini 8 mission with David Scott (Christopher Abbott) where the capsule docking with the Agena Target Vehicle as part of a docking experiment had the capsule separated and rolled around orbit. Yet, more problems including the Apollo 1 testing session that lead to the death of Virgil “Gus” Grissom (Shea Whigham), Ed White (Jason Clarke), and Roger Chaffee (Cory Michael Smith) forces Armstrong to make sure nothing else goes wrong as he would eventually be selected to command the Apollo 11 mission with Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll) and Michael Collins (Lukas Haas).

Damien Chazelle’s direction is definitely intense not just for the idea of what it’s like being in a jet plane or in a space capsule but also the sense of fear of what to do in case something bad happens. Shot largely in locations near Atlanta including studios in Atlanta along with additional locations in Los Angeles, the film does play into a moment in time where so much is happening while there is an air of innocence into the Armstrong home life. Even as they would have other astronauts as neighbors and their kids playing with each other as Chazelle aimed for a natural look into these scenes as it would also play into the sense of loss that the Armstrong family would endure as well as the chaos that would happen during the course of Armstrong’s time as an astronaut including tragedy that affected this small community of people. Chazelle would use some wide shots for these scenes as well as a maintain a looseness into the camera by shooting with a hand-held camera for close-ups and medium shots to get an intimacy as well as some of the dramatic tension that occurs between the Armstrongs.

For the scenes inside the capsules, there is this claustrophobic element where Chazelle doesn’t just give the audience an idea of what it is like inside a space capsule, a test-jet plane, and other test modules as well as the lunar module. The usage of shaky camera during a rocket launch or seeing what Armstrong and his crew are seeing from their perspective adds to the sense of fear that these men have to face. Even in the sound where it has this element of something could go wrong add to the atmosphere of what is happening. The sequence set on the moon and its landing with stock footage of people watching the event happening is definitely a majestic moment with its usage of wide shots as a look into what Armstrong might be thinking about on the moon though his face isn’t shown on the helmet as it play into everything he’s endured to reach this monumental feat. Overall, Chazelle crafts a mesmerizing yet astonishing film about the life of Neil Armstrong and his struggles with his job and life at home.

Cinematographer Linus Sandgren does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of natural lighting for many of the scenes in the neighborhood including the scenes at night along with some stark yet vibrant lighting for the scenes at the mission control centers in NASA and the low-key lighting for the scenes inside the space capsules and lunar module. Editor Tom Cross does excellent work with the editing as it has some unique rhythmic cuts to play into the drama along with some stylish jump-cut montages for a few recurring flashback scenes from Armstrong’s perspective. Production designer Nathan Crowley, with supervising art director Erik Osusky plus set decorators Randi Hockett and Kathy Lucas, does amazing work with the look of the machines and such for the astronaut training as well as the interior/exterior of the space capsules and how small they as well as the mission control rooms and the homes of the astronauts. Costume designer Mary Zophres does terrific work with the costumes from the clothes that everyone wears on a casual day as well as the astronaut clothes that are worn for the missions.

Special effects supervisor J.D. Schwalm and visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert do incredible work with the special effects with the look of the exteriors of outer space and the moon as well as the usage of practical effects to give the scenes in space an air of realism as it is a highlight of the film. Sound designer/sound editor Ai-Ling Lee and co-sound editor Mildred Iatrou do tremendous work with the film’s sound in creating that sense of atmosphere of what goes on in space where the metal sound like it’s bending or about to break as well as the lack of sound when someone is in outer space or on the moon as it’s a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Justin Hurwitz is superb for its usage of low-key strings, ambient pieces, and usage of the theremin to help maintain an atmosphere that is calm but also disconcerting at times in some of the drama and suspenseful moments in the film. The film’s music soundtrack features an array of music from the 1960s including a few classical and show tune pieces as well as some country and folk music from Gene Autrey, Peter, Paul, & Mary, the Kingston Trio, Samuel Hoffman with Les Baxter, Johnny Ace, the Chantels, and a poetic piece by Gil Scott-Heron who is seen briefly on the film as he is played by Leon Bridges.

The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Kris Swanberg as Elliot See’s wife Marilyn, Lucy Stafford as Karen Armstrong, Luke Winters and Gavin Warren in their respective roles as the older and younger version of Rick Armstrong, Conor Blodgett as Mark Armstrong, Ethan Embry as astronaut Pete Conrad, Pablo Schreiber as astronaut Jim Lovell , J.D. Evermore as NASA flight director Christopher C. Kraft Jr., Cory Michael Smith as astronaut Roger Chaffee, and Brian d’Arcy James as test pilot Joseph A. Walker who gets Armstrong on board to NASA. Shea Whigham is terrific as Virgil “Gus” Grissom as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts who help the new astronauts prepare for what to expect for Gemini and later Apollo. Patrick Fugit is superb as Elliot See as an astronaut in training who befriends Armstrong as he was set to command his own mission only to die tragically during a training mission.

Olivia Hamilton is fantastic as Ed White’s wife Patricia who befriends Janet as they share their stories of fear for their husbands but also what they had to endure at home. Christopher Abbott is excellent as Dave Scott as Armstrong’s co-pilot on Gemini 8 who experiences that near-death experience as he also tries to understand what went wrong. Kyle Chandler is brilliant as NASA chief officer/former astronaut Deke Slayton who makes sure things go smoothly while Ciaran Hinds is amazing as Robert R. Gilruth who is a flight director for NASA who helps oversee the making of the Apollo missions. Jason Clarke is incredible as Ed White as an astronaut who would become the first American to do the spacewalk while trying to understand Armstrong’s distant persona as it relates to loss. Lukas Haas is remarkable as Michael Collins as the capsule module pilot who helps Armstrong and Aldrin reach the moon and ensure their safety.

Corey Stoll is sensational as Buzz Aldrin as the film’s comic relief of sorts as he often says off-color things while being someone who does take his work serious as he would accompany Armstrong on their momentous mission to the moon. Claire Foy is phenomenal as Janet Shearon as Armstrong’s then-wife who deals with loss as well as the sense of fear of what could happen to her husband as she is also someone who doesn’t take shit from anyone as it is a riveting performance from Foy. Finally, there’s Ryan Gosling in a magnificent performance as Neil Armstrong as a test pilot/engineer who is tasked with what has to be done as he deals with the many dangers of his job but is also restrained and distant due to the fact that he’s still reeling from the loss of his daughter and later deal with the loss of colleagues as it’s a performance that is filled with restraint but also with a sense of determination and drive giving Gosling a career-defining performance.

First Man is a tremendous film from Damien Chazelle that features great performances from Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy. Along with its supporting cast, gorgeous visuals, eerie sound design, a soothing yet haunting music score, and a gripping story about what astronauts had to endure and the chaos that goes on behind the scenes. It’s a film that doesn’t play towards the conventions of the bio-pic while also being this study of a man trying not to fail in preparation for his mission to go to the moon while dealing with grief. In the end, First Man is an outstanding film from Damien Chazelle.

Damien Chazelle Films: Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench – Whiplash - La La Land -Babylon (2022 film) - (The Auteurs #76: Damien Chazelle)

© thevoid99 2018

The Revenant

Based on the novel The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke, The Revenant is the real-life story of American frontiersman Hugh Glass who was buried alive following an attack by a bear as he goes after those who had left him for dead. Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and screenplay by Inarritu and Mark L. Smith, the film is an exploration of survival and vengeance set in 1823 South Dakota and Montana with Leonardo diCaprio playing the role of Glass. Also starring Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Forrest Goodluck, Will Poulter, Brendan Fletcher, and Lukas Haas. The Revenant is a chilling and visceral film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

It’s 1823 in the Rocky Mountains where a group of men are collecting fur and pelts while evading the Arikara tribe who has been pursuing them. The film revolves around Hugh Glass’ expedition in that world with his son where he is attacked by a grizzly bear and later left for dead by his men where he goes on a quest for vengeance. While it is a simple story about vengeance and survival during a harsh winter, it is a film that plays into Hugh Glass coping with loss as well as trying to do what is right where he is trying to survive near-death experiences and evade this tribe that is trying to find a chief’s daughter who had been kidnapped. The film’s screenplay by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Mark L. Smith does follow a simple structure in terms of its narrative which play into Glass and Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) trying to survive the attack and then the former’s attack from a grizzly bear where he is left to dead by the trapper John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy).

The narrative is very straightforward yet it is more of a minimalist script that doesn’t rely much on plot but rather character motivations and what Glass is trying to do to survive. Even as he reflects on his own past and his reasons to live as he was accompanied by his son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) on this hunting expedition. After the attack from the bear and being cared for by Hawk and a young trapper in Bridger (Will Poulter), Glass’ life hangs on the balance where Fitzgerald would make some decisions as he is a man driven by greed and thinking only for himself. For Glass who would be left for dead and buried alive, the actions of Fitzgerald would only make him determined for revenge but has to endure something more treacherous which is the cold and bruising weather, his damaged body, and the Arikara tribe who spare no one.

Inarritu’s direction is definitely sprawling in terms of not just the visual palette he creates but also in the atmosphere that is set which adds to the film’s very dreary tone. Shot largely on location in mountain and forest locations in Alberta and British Columbia provinces in Canada as well as some of it in Argentina, the film has this sense of physicality in what Inarritu is going for. The forest and the mountains are definitely characters in the film as it play into what Glass and the men in the film are trying to do in this terrible conditions of not snow but also winds and blizzards in the mountains. Inarritu’s usage of wide and medium shots would bring so much to the location as well as what these men have to do to get in this fort and be safe despite another presence from the Arikara tribe who will kill everyone including a group of Native Americans living outside of the fort. It adds to the tense tone of the film as well as elements of surrealism as it relates to Glass’ past and the sense of longing and loss that looms over him.

Inarritu would create something that is a bit dream-like but also moments that are filled with dazzling visual imagery in some of the intense action scenes along with some close-ups that play into the suspense and drama. Inarritu would also create this idea about death as it play into Glass’ own sense of grief and loss as it includes a flashback of him looking into this small hill filled with skulls. It adds to Glass’ determination to go after Fitzgerald where the two would have this climax where it’s not just a battle of wits but also a battle of will with the cold mountains and harsh weather conditions being their surroundings. Overall, Inarritu crafts a very gripping and evocative film about a man’s determination for revenge and survival in the Rocky Mountains.

Cinematographer Emmuanel Lubezki does incredible work with the film‘s cinematography with its naturalistic yet intoxicating approach to much of the lighting for many of the scenes set in day and night with the latter using natural lighting things such as fire and lamps as it is a major highlight of the film. Editor Stephen Mirrione does brilliant work with the editing in creating some unique jump-cuts and other stylish cuts to play into the film‘s offbeat rhythms as well as using fade-outs to structure the story. Production designer Jack Fisk, with art directors Laurel Bergman, Michael Diner, and Isabelle Guay and set decorator Hamish Purdy, does amazing work with the design of the ferry boats, the fort, and some of the smaller things that are created in the forest including the little tents that Glass would make in his journey.

Costume designer Jacqueline West does fantastic work with the costumes from the look of the clothes that the Native Americans wear as well as the array of furs and such that many of the trappers and frontiersmen wear. The hair/makeup work of Sian Grigg, Duncan Junman, and Robert Pandini do excellent work with the look of Glass from the beard and hair as well as the bruises and scars on his body as well as the look of Fitzgerald. Visual effects supervisor Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith, and Cameron Waldbauer do terrific work with the visual effects from the look of some of the animals including the bear that would attack Glass as it look and felt real.

Sound designers Lon Bender, Martin Hernandez, and Randy Thom, along with sound editor Victor J. Hernandez, do sensational work with the sound from the way the wind sounded as it creates a sense of unease in the locations as well as the sounds of arrows, gunfire, and all sorts of naturalistic sounds that is captured throughout the film. The film’s music by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto, and Bryce Dessner is superb for its mixture of discordant string arrangements and bombastic percussions with an air of ambient textures while music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein would provide some traditional music pieces that were played during those times.

The casting by Francine Maisler is phenomenal as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Lukas Haas, Brendan Fletcher, Paul Anderson, and Kristoffer Jones as fellow trappers and soldiers who work under Captain Henry in hunting pelt while Fabrice Adde is terrific in a small role as head French trapper team named Toussaint. Other noteworthy small roles include Grace Dove as Glass’ late wife, Melaw Nakehk’o as the captured daughter of the Arikara chief, Arthur Redcloud as a Pawnee Indian Glass meets during his journey who would heal him, and Duane Howard as the Arikara chief Elk Dog who leads his tribe to find his daughter and kill whoever stands in his way. Forrest Goodluck is fantastic as Glass’ son Hawk as a young man who aids his father as he copes with Fitzgerald’s insults as well as the situation his father is in. Will Poulter is excellent as Bridger as a young trapper who deals with the severity of Glass’ situation where he tries to help him while understanding what Fitzgerald is doing and what kind of person he is.

Domhnall Gleeson is brilliant as Captain Andrew Henry as a military leader who is the leader of the expedition as he is someone that trusts Glass as he does whatever he can to help him while wondering about what Fitzgerald is about. Tom Hardy is incredible as John Fitzgerald as a trapper who is a man that is in it for himself and make a lot of money while seeing that carrying the injured Glass is a waste as he decides to leave him for dead without any remorse. Finally, there’s Leonardo diCaprio in a tremendous performance as Hugh Glass as this frontiersman that tries to survive as he gets attacked by a bear and then left for dead where it’s a performance from diCaprio that is astonishing in terms of how little he speaks and how determined he is to survive as the physicality of what he does is just eerie to watch in what is one of his finest performances to date.

The Revenant is a spectacular film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu that features great performances from Leonardo diCaprio and Tom Hardy. Along with a strong supporting cast, dazzling visuals, high-octane sound, a thrilling soundtrack, and a harrowing story of death, survival, and vengeance. It’s a film that manages to be engrossing in its locations as well as what is going on during a time where hunting was natural and survival was key to living. In the end, The Revenant is a magnificent film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Films: Amores Perros - The Hire-Powder Keg - 11'9'01-September 11-Mexico - 21 Grams - Babel - To Each His Own Cinema-Anna - Biutiful - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - The Auteurs #45: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

© thevoid99 2016

Brick

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/24/06 w/ Additional Edits.

Written, edited, and directed by Rian Johnson, Brick is the story of a high school kid trying to discover the mystery of his ex-girlfriend's disappearance. In his feature-film debut, Johnson brings the high school movies to darker levels that is reminiscent of film noir. Giving the high school outsider the chance to be a protagonist, the film reveals many dark levels of high school and everything that troubles young teens. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Emilie de Ravin, Meagan Good, Noah Fleiss, Matt O'Leary, Nora Zehetner, and Richard Roundtree. Brick is truly one of the year's most harrowing and intriguing takes on the film-noir genre from the brilliant Rian Johnson.

On another day in high school, Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) receives a mysterious, troubling phone call from his ex-girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin). With his best friend Brain (Matt O'Leary), they wonder what happened to her two months ago that led to his break-up where he would try to gather notes. After finding a mysterious red card, he talks to the school's top actress in Kara (Meagan Good) about the card which is an invitation to a party by rich girl Laura (Nora Zehetner). Brendan attends the party in secrecy which is a bothersome to Laura's jock-boyfriend Brad (Brian J. White) where Laura notices him as they briefly talk before she goes outside to talk to a mysterious guy with a black car. The next day, Brendan confronts a Goth-like stoner named Dode (Noah Segan) on Emily's whereabouts. Later, he finds a haggard Emily who just wants a final conversation as she's become addicted to drugs and isn't telling Brendan about anything.

Brendan however, has stolen her notepad that features a mysterious note which features a time and a place to meet. That's when Brendan finds Emily, dead in a sewer tunnel. He hides her after finding someone looking on as he decides to investigate everything. He already suspects the involvement of Dode and Kara while finding a link to a local drug kingpin known as the Pin (Lukas Haas). Learning that Brad is a customer of the Pin, he ends up being quickly assaulted by a muscle-man named Tugger (Noah Fleiss). The assault has put him in the office of the school's vice principal Trueman (Richard Roundtree) who wants a full investigation on Emily's disappearance but Brendan, refuses to cooperate after a recent cooperation got one of his friends in trouble. With Brain as the only person he can trust, Brain decides to watch out for Dode and Kara while he had been contacted by Laura. Laura wants to help out as she knows the Pin while Brendan continues to get assaulted by Tugger only to keep going after him that leads him to the home of the Pin.

Brendan meets the Pin who is aware that Brendan knows something as he makes a deal on the sale of the last brick full of drugs. The Pin still wants to know about the last one that put a fellow customer in a coma where Brendan feels there's a connection. Plagued by internal injuries and a growing sense of paranoia, Brendan has another confrontation with Dode, who reveals a troubling information about her. With Dode planning to reveal more to the Pin, it all becomes trouble as Brendan learns of Tugger's emotional dysfunction that troubles his association with the Pin. With Laura comforting him, Brendan learns more of what goes on. What Kara had tried to plan and the troubling relationship between the Pin and Tugger as he gets closer to Emily's death and the involvement of a brick-shaped drug.

The idea of a high school noir film might seem like a gimmick where people would get the idea of young high school kids trying to talk like Humphrey Bogart and have some meandering voice-over narration. Well, Rian Johnson uses his knowledge of noir novels and films along with the stark experience of high school to create an entirely original approach to noir. Using high school as the centerpiece of the mystery, Johnson chooses the high school loner/outsider as his protagonist instead of the nerd, jock, preppie, or any kind of typical cliques of high school. The film is really about a loner who tries to investigate his ex-girlfriend's death and how he immersed himself into a world full of cliques involving drugs. The result is a mystery that builds its momentum with great energy and excitement of young independent cinema with the psychological style and wit of old-school noir films.

Johnson's writing is filled with great, intense dialogue that mixes modern-day conversation with traditional, noir-like wordplay that becomes more of today's language. The talking is a bit fast yet works in the rhythm of traditional noir while a lot of the conversations and rapport between characters. Johnson's approach to mystery is far-more complex and layered than traditional mystery films where Brendan tries to find out everything and the more he searches, he begins to piece things right to the end. Yet, since Johnson sets the film in high school, he avoids the usual world of high school that's been known in John Hughes films.

That's where Johnson's directing is really at its most ominous since he uses high school as a sense of discomfort to Brendan's role in being a loner. Brendan is a smart kid yet couldn't put himself in the world of cliques since he doesn't really like anyone except for the Brain. Johnson even goes as far as to explore the world of stoners and rich cliques as more than just the one-dimensional stereotype while the only stereotype that is displayed in great form is the character of Brian. Johnson's directing captures the atmosphere of not just high school but the dark, bland world of suburbia where it has the sense of energy and eeriness of some of the films of Gregg Araki as well as Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko. With Johnson also serving as editor, his cutting brings a perspective and rhythm that is energetic to display the paranoia that Brendan suffers as well as wonderful jump-cuts that brings a disjointed tone to the film. Overall, Johnson's writing, directing, and editing is top-notch.

Helping Johnson in his visual presentation is cinematographer Steve Yedlin whose color schemes and lighting creates an ominous, intimate tone in some of the interiors including a wonderful lighting sequence in a scene involving the brick. The exteriors are a bit gray to convey the atmosphere that is high school along with some wonderful coloring to view the sunlight as some of the shots are a mix of blue-gray for some scenes. Production designer Jodie Tillen along with set decorator Shara Kasprack do great work in the interior designs for some of the homes, notably Laura's home that is decorated with candles. The best design in the film is the room of the Pin that is very spacious with colorful carpets and wall that only features a few chairs and a desk. Costume designer Michele Posch also does great work in the costumes whether is the Goth-like clothing of Dode and the Pin to the array of fashionable clothing worn by Laura and the stage costumes of Kara. Sound designer Jonathan Miller also does great work with the sound to convey the atmosphere, notably a scene on the beach where the clashing of waves and trains are wonderfully mixed.

Composer Nathan Johnson along with Larry Seymour creates a great, timbre-like score filled with disjointed ukelele melodies and a strange, saloon-like piano score that is nearly reminiscent of some of the music Ennio Morricone made in Sergio Leone's classic gangster film Once Upon a Time in America. Johnson's score is rich in not playing to traditional score work of noir-films in rather setting the fierce atmosphere that Brendan is in. The film's soundtrack features music from the play The Mikado where the song The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze is performed wonderfully by Nora Zehetner along with traditional cuts like Frankie And Johnny, a metal track from The Hospital Bombers Experience, and the classic Sister Ray from the Velvet Underground.

Finally, there’s the film's wonderful ensemble cast that includes an energetic yet intentionally annoying performance from Brian J. White as the jock Brian who thinks he rules the school only to underestimate Brendan. The legendary Richard Roundtree is only in the film briefly as the school's vice principal who wants to know what goes on as Roundtree serves as the only adult in the film as he does some fine work. Lost's Emilie de Ravin is excellent in her role as Emily with her eerie presence and disintegrated look as she plays a would-be victim who doesn't know what she got herself into while carrying a dark secret. Noah Segan is excellent as the Goth stoner Dode with his thin, troubling look as a guy who hopes to blackmail Brendan with some information while being completely unaware what he's gotten himself into. Meagan Good is also good as the seductive Kara who uses her sex appeal in hoping to win over Brendan into getting some information as Good brings a lot of sexiness and charm to play the character.

Noah Fleiss gives a great performance as the muscle-man Tugger with his fierce attitude and physique where he is a big threat while is trying to find some questions about the brick. Fleiss also shows his sensitivity where he proves that Tugger is more than a muscle-man but someone who knows a thing or two about power. Matt O'Leary is amazing as fellow loner the Brain with his witty speech and knowledge on what he knows. O'Leary is really the great sidekick that Gordon-Levitt needed as he also serves as a moral conscience for the film and the one who grounds Brendan.

In a role that is many miles away from the innocent boy in Witness, Lukas Haas delivers what could be his best performance as the Goth-like kingpin known as the Pin. Haas brings a disconcerting presence that is very attentive as he is a smart man that is very powerful while trying to make a business in the basement of his mother's home. Nora Zehetner of Everwood gives a real breakthrough as the film's femme fatale Laura. With a seductive yet haunting presence, Zehetner really shines with her ode to noir while adding edge to a character who knows a lot yet could be trouble for Brendan. Zehetner has great chemistry with Gordon-Levitt as she proves herself to be sexy yet dangerous.

Following such challenging roles in Manic and Gregg Arak's classic 2004 film Mysterious Skin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has continued to become a more powerful, complex actor since his days as a child star. Gordon-Levitt gives Brendan a sense of old-school noir-like caricature that is natural and stylistic while bringing a darker sensibility in being a loner. Gordon-Levitt also proves that he can carry a film while not acting like the typical movie star. He displays his angst and concern with such brutal honesty that it's probably his most realistic portrayal of any character that he brings. With this film, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has now taken a step into being one of the most provocative actors of his generation.

The Region 1 DVD from Focus Features presents the film in the anamorphic widescreen format ratio of 1:85:1 along English 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound including subtitles in Spanish, French, and English for the hearing impaired. The DVD includes three DVD trailers for Michel Gondry's Dave Chappelle's Block Party, the horror film Slither, and Spike Lee's The Inside Man. Three special features are included into the film. The first is a three-minute featurette entitled The Inside Track: Casting the Roles which includes auditions from Nora Zehetner and Noah Segan playing their roles in a 2003 audition with a casting director that showed why they got their roles.

The second featurette is a 22-minute gallery of extended and deleted scenes with an introduction to each scene from Rian Johnson. Eight scenes including an extended performance of Zehetner singing The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze, three scenes with her and Gordon-Levitt, an extended phone conversation between Brendan and the Brain, an extended meeting with Brendan and Kara, and a strange yet cheesy dream sequence reveals Johnson's reasons for cutting these scenes. Several of them were due to timing which made the film ran over two hours and a few including the scenes with Brendan and Laura were plagued with sound problems. It's a great feature that includes photos with some nice insight from Johnson.

The final special feature is an audio commentary track from Rian Johnson who talks about his influences, notably writer Dashiell Hammett and the Coen Brothers film Miller's Crossing about the language of the film in its ode to noir. During the entire commentary, he talks in brief conversations in individual moments with actors Nora Zehetner and Noah Segan along with production designer Jodie Tillen, costume designer Michele Posch, and producer Ram Bergman. Each guest talk about their own experience as Zehetner recalls that she and Rian worked before since he worked as an editor in May by Lucky McKee which she was in. Segan talks about his clothing while towards the final credits, there's a funny surprise concerning producer Ram Bergman. Though the commentary style is a bit unconventional, it's insightful and entertaining.

Brick is an extraordinary film from Rian Johnson that features an incredible lead performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film is definitely one of the most unique films that transcends genres thanks to its noir-inspired dialogue, unique camera work, brooding music, stylized editing, and an amazing supporting cast that includes Nora Zehetner and Lukas Haas. In the end, Brick is an entrancing yet exhilarating film from Rian Johnson.

Rian Johnson Films: The Brothers Bloom - Looper - The Last Jedi - Knives Out - Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - (Knives Out 3)

© thevoid99 2012

Last Days

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/10/05 w/ Extensive Revisions & Additional Edits.

April 5, 1994 was a day that many rock fans would remember as Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain committed suicide only to be found three days later. 11 years since his death, many people still wondered why the gifted and tortured songwriter had done such a deed. In 1998, documentary filmmaker Nick Broomsfield tried to find answers in which he feels part of the reason he killed himself was his overbearing wife and Hole singer Courtney Love. Still, questions remained unanswered while some try to find a sense of understanding into Cobain's death. In 2005, one director chose to figure out that understanding through a fictional account about a young rock singer, similar to Kurt Cobain, who is spending his final days of his young life entitled Last Days.

Written and directed by Gus Van Sant, Last Days is the third and final part of his elliptical trilogy of death. Using the same minimalist style and improvisation that preceded the last two films, Gerry and Elephant, Van Sant chooses to explore one man's psyche as he is detaching himself from the world around him. Starring Michael Pitt, Asia Argento, Ricky Jay, Lukas Haas, Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon, Nicole Vicius, Scott Green, Ryan Orion, and Harmony Korine. Last Days is a harrowing, eerie portrait of a downward spiral captured by the brilliant Gus Van Sant.

Wandering around in the middle of the woods, a young man named Blake (Michael Pitt) treks across the woods to detach himself from the world. After spending the night at a campfire, he returns home as the only people at his house are those who claim to be his friends. After retrieving a box that he had dug up while doing some domestic activities, a man named Thadeus (Thadeus A. Thomas) arrives to sell phone books that ends up being being awkward due to Blake's distracted behavior. Preying around his house, he locks himself where a young woman named Asia (Asia Argento) finds him. With her boyfriend Scott (Scott Green) and friend Lukas (Lukas Haas) also around, they deal with a couple of Mormon missionaries (Adam & Adam Friberg) as the two men with Asia and Lukas' girlfriend Nicole (Nicole Vicius) leave the house. Later that day, a private investigator (Ricky Jay) and a friend of Blake named Donovan (Ryan Orion) tries to find him unaware that Blake is hiding somewhere in the woods.

After Donovan and the investigator leave, Blake returns home where a record executive (Kim Gordon) visits to get him back into rehab. Blake instead, chooses to wallow around as his four friends return listening to music and doing all sorts of things prompting Blake to leave. Walking to town, he goes to a club where he talks with a club goer (Harmony Korine) and later returning home with an intent on what he wants to do.

Other directors would've either take an issue on suicide as something honorable or to attack the person committing it. Since the film is inspired by Kurt Cobain's suicide, like the previous films of Gus Van Sant's Death Trilogy, it brings more questions than answers. Yet, it's the right approach since Van Sant neither condemns nor praises Blake's final actions. Plus, Van Sant goes into that approach where the audience is aware of what this young man has accomplished yet everything that comes around it only troubles him to the point that he has a desire to kill himself. It's really about a man who is in the final moments of his life as he ponders what he's trying to live for.

Now the writing of the film is really more of an outline where Van Sant leaves more room for improvisation. In terms of its structure, the first act is really about Blake wandering around in his own torment and to the world around him. The second act is a bit more non-linear in which its where the directing and editing becomes very idiosyncratic. Where in one scene, we have Lukas and Scott talking to religious counselors while Asia is trying to find Blake, who is in his room watching a Boyz II Men video. It starts off with Asia trying to find Blake where we see the sense of perspectives. That style of Van Sant's editing, writing, and directing really comes into the forefront for entire second act where everything is happening to the Lukas and Scotts's conversations with Blake where it originally starts off with the two and their girlfriends partying. Even the investigation scene is where Blake leaves only to hide on a bench to watch the river while Donovan and the private investigator are trying to find him at the same time.

Though it's obvious what's going to happen in the third act, it's really more of a winding down to what's to come with an even more eerie aftermath. Particularly with the friends of Blake who feel that they could be in trouble since they were in his house. It's really more disturbing in the end since Van Sant doesn’t try to make the audience feel overly empathetic towards Blake. Another thing about Van Sant's writing in this film is the lack of dialogue since its often improvised for a sense of authenticity while Blake barely talks. It's that improvisation and minimalism that gives Van Sant's film an eerie quality, especially in one scene of the second act where Blake is performing and the camera on a dolly track is moving back to see Blake playing with his music. It's one of the scariest and most troubling scenes of the film. Van Sant on the directing front is as potent and observant than ever while on the editing, he gives the film a slow but deliberate pacing that works in its observation and study of the protagonist the audience is seeing.

Helping Van Sant in his minimalist, wandering vision includes two important collaborators who worked in his trilogy, cinematographer Harris Savides and sound designer Leslie Shatz. Savides brings a harrowing yet colorful cinematography to many of the film's interior, wooden scenes with little lighting that gives the film an evocative tone while many of the film's exterior scenes, especially at night where the lighting is often filled with available light or fire. The compositions Savides brings is beautiful while channeling the ghostly quality of what's to come. Leslie Shatz also brings that ghostly, ethereal quality to her sound design with its use of bells and choirs singing in the background that suggest something spiritual that's to come for Blake in his final moments. Shatz also conveys the use of music and the surroundings Blake is in away from the outside world with sounds of trains, waterfalls, airplanes, and everything else. It helps tells the story as Shatz, who won a Grand Technical Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, does amazing work.

While art director Tim Grimes brings a lot of detail to the look of Blake’s house including its dingy kitchen and wooden house design, costume designer Michelle Matland also brings the right kind of clothing from the sunglasses and sweaters that brings a nice reference to Kurt Cobain. Consulting a lot of the film's music is Sonic Youth leader Thurston Moore who brings not just a lot of alternative rock to the forefront along with a cut from the Velvet Underground but also some original music from Lukas Haas and Michael Pitt who really conveys the eerie, disconcerting sound of the music of the times. One of the best pieces of music that brings humor to the film in a movie that lacks humor is Boyz II Men's On Bended Knee that shows that time of the 1990s. The film still retains the classical sense that Van Sant got in his previous parts of his trilogy while opening and closing the film with a mournful opera piece.

The film's small cast includes some fine performances including a few unknowns who are either local actors like the Friberg brothers who are really local actors while the Thadeus A. Thomas is in real life a phone-book salesman. These performances are done realistically and give the film a sense of realism. Cameos from Harmony Korine as a Dungeons & Dragons fan talking to Blake and Kim Gordon who brings a mysterious quality into her performance where the audience isn't sure what she’s playing though from an interpretive view, it could be an angel in disguise as a record executive. It's a fine performance while Ricky Jay brings a lot of humor to his character as he talks about Chinese circus acts while Ryan Orion is excellent as Blake's friend trying to find him while talking a lot of stuff to the detective. The performances of Asia Argento, Nicole Vicius, Lukas Haas, and Scott Green are well done since they do have their moments to stand out when really, they do great background work as Blake's patrons who are unaware of what he's going to do while look at him as a real person instead of a rock star.

Finally, there's Michael Pitt who gives the performance of his career as the troubled yet brilliant Blake. With very little dialogue, Pitt does a lot of muttering, mumbling, and talking to himself yet it sells within each moment of the film. Pitt manages to convey the torment and fragility of a young rock star who has simply has had enough. Often tripping on things, stumbling around, or just wandering off through sense of paranoia, there's never a moment in which Pitt wants empathy or sympathy since he knows what he's about to do is wrong and he can't escape it. It's a selfish character but it's a very human one as Pitt brings all of the qualities that is needed for this troubled young man. Still in his early 20s and with film roles in movies like Bully by Larry Clark, Hedwig & the Angry Inch by John Cameron Mitchell, The Dreamers for Bernardo Bertolucci, and The Village for M. Night Shylaman, Michael Pitt is truly becoming one of the most daring and risk-taking actors of his generation and he's just getting started on his path towards greatness.

The HBO Films Regional 1 DVD of Last Days includes the 5.1 Dolby Digital audio in English, Spanish, and French along with English and Spanish subtitles. The DVD comes in two different sides and two different cinematic formats for the film on the first side. The film does the 16:9 widescreen format that is loved by most film buffs while Van Sant also chooses to bring the 4:3 fullscreen format which he preferred for this film since it was the original theatrical presentation he wanted. The special features on the DVD is very minimal but worth watching. One is a making-of 20-minute featurette where Van Sant, producer Dany Wolf, Harris Savides, and the film's cast talk about the improvisation and creativity that goes on behind the film and how inspiring it was to have a sort of freedom.

The second featurette is a making-of scene where it's the dolly shot track where Lukas Haas shoots the crew trying to get this long dolly shot with crew members trying to remove the railing so the camera wouldn't get that while balancing it. It's a great featurette for any aspiring film director. Only one deleted scene makes it to the DVD and it's the scene where Blake is performing from a ceiling view and it's the scene that was shot in the final cut in that long dolly track shot. Here, we see Blake performing with guitars, fuzz boxes, and everything as he destroys it in the end of the 8-minute scene. The final part of the special features is music video by the band Pagoda led by Michael Pitt which is an alt-rock song of the band performing with his co-star Nicole Vicius dancing around with tapes on her breasts while the band eat while talking. It's a fun video to watch.

While it's a film not for everyone and certainly for those who hadn't enjoyed Van Sant's recent work, Last Days is still an incredible, poignant film from Gus Van Sant led by Michael Pitt's entrancing performance. Though for those who didn't enjoy the elliptical approach of his previous films in the trilogy will sure hate this film. Fans of Nirvana obviously will have mixed feelings though its observant approach makes the film very interesting. While it's nowhere near the brilliance of earlier films like My Own Private Idaho, Drugstore Cowboy, or To Die For, Last Days does remain one of Gus Van Sant's more intoxicating and provocative films of his career. In the end, Last Days is a superb yet melancholic film from Gus Van Sant.

Gus Van Sant Films: Mala Noche - Drugstore Cowboy - My Own Private Idaho - Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - To Die For - Good Will Hunting - Psycho (1998 film) - Finding Forrester - Gerry - Elephant - Paranoid Park - Milk - Restless - Promised Land

The Shorts & Videos of Gus Van Sant - The Auteurs #4: Gus Van Sant

(C) thevoid99 2011

Inception

Ever since scoring a breakthrough with 2000’s Memento, Christopher Nolan has been considered to be one of the finest new directors making films at this time. 2002’s remake of 1997 Norwegian film Insomnia ensured Nolan’s place as one of the top new directors as he was selected to revive the Batman film franchise. In 2005, Batman Begins was released to a lot of acclaim as did its 2008 sequel The Dark Knight that is currently the third highest grossing film in the U.S. While 2006’s The Prestige was a break from the franchise that also maintained Nolan’s viability and anticipation running high for the third Batman film. Nolan returns to more original material with a film about mind extractions and other strange occurrences with Inception.

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Inception tells the story of a man who steals ideas from a company by extracting into their mind. In his job, he is also trying to deal with the death of his wife while hoping to do one last job before returning to his family. During this job, he encounters trouble as he tries to escape from his own guilt and everything else. A psychological drama of sorts mixed in with elements of heist films, Nolan crafts a film with a lot of ambition filled with dazzling visual effects and a complex story line that recalls some of his early films. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Tom Berenger, and Pete Postlethwaithe. The film also stars such Nolan regulars as Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, and Michael Caine. Inception is a remarkable, visually-stunning film from Christopher Nolan and company.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is at a party for a Japanese businessman to talk about his job which is to extract ideas from other people’s minds. Joining Dom is his right-hand man and researcher Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). At the party, Dom sees his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) where things go wrong. All of a sudden, Dom and Arthur have woken up in the middle of another world with Saito and an architect named Nash (Lukas Haas). When it is revealed that Saito really has nothing to be extracted from, it is clear that Saito used Dom and Arthur as an audition for what he really seeks. He wants to inject an idea into the mind of a corporate rival which is known as inception as he offers Dom something he couldn’t refuse.

The offer was for Dom to finally return to America if he takes the job. Dom’s inability to return to the U.S. to return to his kids was due to the death of his wife whom he’s been seeing frequently in his own dreams. Seeking guidance from his father-in-law and mentor Miles (Michael Caine), Miles gives Dom a new architect to work with in a young student named Ariadne (Ellen Page) who becomes part of his new team. Learning about how to construct dreams, Ariadne enters into a new world as she is joined by a forger named Eames who takes on various disguises and a chemist named Yusuf (Dileep Rao) who has created a powerful sedative for deep dream sleep. Saito joins the team as Arthur finds the target in Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the son of Saito’s corporate rival Maurice Fischer (Pete Postlethwaithe), who is currently dying.

During the planning, Ariadne learns of Dom’s troubles as she would often see Mal or something from Dom’s memories into his subconscious as he could be a liability to the upcoming mission. Realizing that Ariadne is the one who knows what might’ve happened, Dom realizes that he needs her to keep him on check. With the entire team including Saito boarding a 747 plane with Robert Fischer on board, Fischer gets drugged as the whole team goes into his subconscious. Upon their arrival into Fischer’s subconscious, trouble ensues as they realize that Fischer has put some defenses. After kidnapping Fischer in his own subconscious, Eames disguises himself as Fischer’s godfather Peter Browning (Tom Berenger) to get some information.

Instead, it becomes more troubling as Fischer and the team have to go into another subconscious with Yusuf keeping an eye out for trouble. Inside becomes more complicated as Dom and everyone goes into levels of subconscious minds to get what’s inside the safe of the Fischer family. Yet, Dom becomes more troubled by his own past and the presence of Mal as he confesses his own guilt as he realize what he must do.

For a film as ambitious and complex as Inception is, what is more surprising is how simple the plot of the film. It’s about a man doing one more heist job by going into someone’s mind so he can go home. While that plotline seems simple, nothing in the mind of Christopher Nolan is simple as he fleshes out ideas that are truly complex and layered. Notably for the fact that he takes the audience into a journey that revolves around a man’s guilt as well as his attempts to break into people’s minds.

While the screenplay and concepts recall some of the work of Charlie Kaufman, Nolan creates a story where he distorts the idea of where people are at.  The film starts with a sequence of Cobb arriving into the home of an old man which would be revisited towards the end. Yet, it cuts to a scene of Cobb at a party with Arthur and Saito where the audience thinks its real. Then comes the realization that they’re all in someone’s subconscious and then what is going on now is someone else’s subconscious. While at first, what happens is hard to follow. Nolan is just giving the audience an idea of what is real and what is fiction. Immediately, the audience gets a chance to figure things and there’s a character that sort of becomes their guide in the form of Ariadne, the new member of Cobb’s team.

Ariadne is one of several supporting characters that does get a chance to stand out as she doesn’t just serve as a Greek chorus in a way for the audience. She is also the one person who goes deeper into Cobb’s mind and tries to help him deal with it. While another supporting character in Arthur does have an idea about Cobb’s state of mind, he only backs away just so he can do his job. Arthur, like Cobb, does become a mentor for Ariadne so she can be guided into what subconscious she’s in. Others like Saito, Fischer, Yusuf, and Eames don’t get as much development yet they’re characters that audiences do get to care about and get to know them a bit. Yet, it’s Cobb that is the man that drives the film as he is dealing with his own guilt over his wife’s death as well as his reasons to want to go home. When the audience is introduced to Mal, we see a woman who seems angry yet there’s a reason for her anger that is rooted in what Cobb might’ve done to her.

If Nolan’s creation of characters, environments, and how they interact to the different subconscious worlds they’re in. It’s Nolan’s direction that really takes the story to a level that is truly stunning. When the film is shown, it’s clear that Nolan uses his ambition to tell a story that is truly mesmerizing. In creating cities and places where things can fold on top of another or action sequences that involves a fight where the hallway is spinning around. Nolan is going for tricks where he doesn’t have to use CGI entirely by getting sets built and actually make sure it doesn’t look it’s being made by computers.

Nolan still utilizes certain framing styles and compositions along with close-ups and zooming shots to make audiences know that they’re watching a Christopher Nolan film. Still, it’s clear that the film the audience is watching is by a director who is refining his craft while learning new tricks to create something that is fascinating and jaw-dropping. Even in the visual-effects driven sequences about the recreation of cities where there’s a scene where a city folds on top of itself that looks truly amazing. Even as he uses visual effects for more than just spectacle but use it as a form of storytelling. What Nolan does overall with the film whether its creating high-octane action sequences reminiscent of chase movies or even James Bond-inspired action sequences. Even if it’s just a simple scene where they set up the heist. This film proves that Nolan is clearly at the top of his game as he is becoming one of the best filmmakers working today.

Nolan’s longtime cinematographer Wally Pfister does spectacular work with the film’s lighting design and visual look. Pfister’s photography is stunning in its wide scope along with dark shades for interior and exterior scenes to create a chilling mood. For the first inception subconscious sequence in the rain, the look of the film is dark but also pristine but without any kind of polish. It’s truly some of the best photography captured on film as Pfister is definitely becoming one of the best cinematographers in the business.

Another noted Nolan collaborator in Lee Smith does some fantastic work with the film’s editing. Taking on a mostly, leisurely pace for a majority of the film so it can move quite seamlessly without anything moving very fast or going too slow. Smith pretty much slow things down once the action sequences are done so audiences can have a breather. There’s even dramatic scenes where the cutting is fast but only to intensify what is happening in the heist while the action is fast but not hyperactive so the audience can have an idea of what is happening. The work that Smith puts into the editing is masterful and an example of how it should be done.

Production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, along with set decorators Larry Dias and Doug Mowat plus supervising art director Brad Ricker, does amazing work with set design for the film. While some of the film is shot on location in Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles, Tangiers, parts of England, and in Canada. Many of the interiors for some of the subconscious scenes, including the zero-gravity sequence, were built with a look that is polished but not in a bloated manner. The designs of the buildings and for Saito’s Japanese style home is superb as the art direction is truly stunning.

Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does some excellent work with the look of the costumes that complement the visual look of the art direction. While a lot of the clothes is mostly casual in several scenes. Some of the scenes have the characters were suits or evening gowns to convey the sense of atmosphere in the subconscious the characters are in. Visual effects supervisor Paul J. Franklin is phenomenal in the use of CGI that doesn‘t look fake. For several of the subconscious-driven sequences, notably the folding building scene. Franklin, along with his team, succeed in not going overboard in visual effects as it’s an example of how it should be done.

Sound designer Richard King does amazing work in the film‘s sound editing and design to create broad layers for the locations the characters are in. Notably the action scenes that are layered with sounds of heavy rain, tire squeals, gunshots, and trains railing on the ground as the layering is phenomenal. King’s work is definitely another of the film’s technical highlights. The film’s music by Hans Zimmer is a haunting yet eerie score piece that is filled with broad orchestral arrangements mixed in with down-tempo yet smooth electronic textures. Adding flourish to the sound on guitar is legendary guitarist for the Smiths in Johnny Marr. The guitar textures Marr brings to Zimmer’s score is incredible while the rest of the soundtrack includes the drone-based score music of Zack Hemsey and the Edith Piaf song Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien that’s played throughout the film.

The casting by John Papsidera is definitely spellbinding as it‘s definitely one of the best ensemble cast team ever assembled. Small roles from Claire & Taylor Geare as different ages of Dom’s daughter Phillipa and Magnus Nolan & Taylor Geare as his son James are excellent for their small, face-less appearances. Others include Talulah Riley as a blonde in a subconscious fantasy scene and Tai-Li Lee as a man who helps people sleep longer in a brothel of sorts. Notable small but memorable appearances include Lukas Haas as Nash, an architect in an early sequence while Michael Caine makes a cameo appearance of sorts as Dom’s father-in-law/mentor who gives him advice about what to do. Tom Berenger is very good as Fischer’s godfather who tries to go into the secret code of Fischer’s vault while Pete Postlethwaithe is also good as Fischer’s hardened father whom Fischer has a strained relationship with.

Dileep Rao is excellent as Yusuf, a chemist who helps Dom and the team in their mission by creating a sedative for long sleeps while they’re on the job as he also gets in the action for a brilliant car chase scene. Tom Hardy, of Bronson fame, is great as Eames. A humorous forger who takes on various disguises while being the guy who goes into the action and be the shooter as Hardy’s performance is a real standout. Cillian Murphy is wonderful as Robert Fischer, the target of the inception who wonders what’s going on as he ends up becoming part of team despite his reluctance. Ken Watanabe is brilliant as Saito, the businessman who hires Dom for the inception as he also takes part in the action not knowing about the stakes of what has to be done.

Marion Cotilliard is phenomenal as Mal, Dom’s deceased wife who appears in Dom’s subconscious and others who seems to have a vendetta over the idea that Dom has abandoned her.  Cotillard’s performance is definitely complex as a woman who has no idea what happened to her but is determined to get into Dom’s head. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great as Arthur, Don’s right-hand man and researcher who helps organize the job while taking in part of the action. Gordon-Levitt proves to be able to stand with the likes of DiCaprio while getting involved in one of the film’s best action sequences as it’s another solid performance from the young actor. Ellen Page delivers what is probably her best performance to date as Ariadne, the new architect for the team. While not displaying the wit she had in Juno a few years ago, it’s definitely a more mature performance as she plays the observer and conscious of sorts. Even as she plays DiCaprio’s anchor where she shows her true dramatic talents in working with DiCaprio as it’s definitely a winning supporting turn.

Finally, there’s Leonardo DiCaprio in what is definitely one of his greatest performances to date. In the role of Dom Cobb, DiCaprio brings a tour-de-force performance as man struggling to get home while dealing with the death of his wife. There’s a sense of restraint and anguish to his performance while maintaining a sense of professionalism when he’s on the job. DiCaprio definitely shows his presence in doing physical stunts and such while he has a great camaraderie with the entire cast. It’s clear how far DiCaprio has grown as an actor since the days of Leo-mania when Titanic was the highest-grossing film of all-time back in 1997. His role as Dom Cobb proves that Leonardo DiCaprio is becoming one of the best actors working today.

Inception is a marvelous yet jaw-dropping film from Christopher Nolan and company. Featuring amazing technical work and a solid ensemble cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s a film that definitely that challenges the audience of what can be done with a blockbuster. Particularly in an era where 3D and low-concept films with silly gimmicks are expected to bring asses in the seats. Fortunately, Nolan nor his cohorts believe in that as Inception is a film that is smart enough for audiences of moderate taste that they can follow. In the end, Inception is a remarkable film that shows that ambition doesn’t have to be presented with loads of CGI and gimmicks. All that is needed is a story and a vision that is unique as it comes from the spectacular mind of Christopher Nolan.

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

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