Belle (2013 film)

Directed by Amma Asante and written by Asante and Misan Sagay, Belle is the story of an illegitimate mixed-race girl who is sent by her father to live with her rich relatives as she copes with her identity and what her uncle does while falling for an aspiring lawyer. Inspired by a 1779 painting, the film is a fictionalized story about Dido Elizabeth Belle and the events that she took part in that led to the abolishment of slavery in Britain as she is played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Also starring Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Penelope Wilton, Miranda Richardson, Tom Felton, Matthew Goode, Sam Reid, and James Norton. Belle is an exquisitely rich and ravishing film from Amma Asante.

The film is a fictionalized story about Dido Elizabeth Belle as she is a young woman who is half-black and half-white as her white father asks his relatives to care for her where she would contend with her identity as well as what to do with herself as she falls for an aspiring lawyer. It’s a film that plays into this young woman who has all of the means to advance in upper-class society yet is often confused due to her skin color as well as what her uncle is doing as it relates to a famous trial relating to an incident known as the Zong Massacre. Yet, it’s more about this woman who is trying to understand who she is as she deals with prejudice for who she is as well as cope with what is happening in this trial that is happening.

The film’s screenplay does take a few dramatic liberties as it relates to the trial of Gregson vs. Gilbert yet it is more about Dido’s relationship with her uncle William Murray 1st Earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) who would take the young Dido in as he cares for her as well as her status. A status in which Dido would inherit money from her late father (Matthew Goode) as well as be given a much larger inheritance from her uncle and aunts. It’s a status that would help Dido as she would get the attention of many suitors but it would create some problems in her relationship with her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) who is in need to marry someone who has money or else she would be destitute despite Dido wanting to share her inheritance with her. While there’s a chance for Elizabeth to be married into a rich family when Dido gets engaged to Oliver Ashford (James Norton), Dido still has to contend with Oliver’s bigoted older brother James (Tom Felton) and their scheming mother Lady Ashford (Miranda Richardson).

It is when Dido meets John Davinier (Sam Reid) where she begins to ask questions about not just herself but also what is happening around her as it becomes a key plot-point for the film. Especially as Davinier is a young man who doesn’t come from a rich family as he aspires to change the world through law as he rouses Dido’s view of the world as she thinks about herself and where would she be if her father hadn’t took her out of the slums and into a life of great wealth and love. Yet, Davinier would prove to be a man who doesn’t just see Dido as more than just a woman with mixed-skin but as a woman where the two fall in love though he’s not the kind of person that her uncle wants her to be with because of her rich status as she also has to think about her own family. Still, Murray’s encounter with Davinier and Dido’s own awareness of who she is would come into play into not just the decision of this court case but in also how he sees Dido as more than just family.

Amma Asante’s direction is truly exquisite as it plays into a drama where a young woman deals with her upbringing as well as the role she is destined to play along with her identity. Most notably in the way she creates a period drama that manages to be so much more as well as play into how things were back in the late 18th Century where it is set during a crucial period in British history when slavery was still prevalent. Asante would maintain something that feels quite contemporary while still giving the film a feel that is set in 18th Century as she would bring in some unique wide and medium shots into the film but also some unique close-ups into the film as it relates to Dido’s relationship with Davinier. There’s also a few hand-held camera shots and some tracking shots to play into some of the drama while Asante’s compositions are very entrancing to the way it plays into a world that is changing as well as being sort of disconnected from what is really happening.

The direction is also very intriguing for the way it explores the Zong Massacre and the Gregson vs. Gilbert which plays into Davinier trying to reveal exactly what is at stake. While Murray is a man that has the power to create change, he’s reluctant as he has a lot on his plate about how it would effect Britain but also his own status and his own family. Asante maintains that sense of tension that is in Murray as he also copes with the future of his own nieces as his wife Lady Elizabeth (Emily Watson) and his sister Lady Mary (Penelope Wilton) are trying to ensure that Dido and Elizabeth will marry to good families. The film does climax with not just the trial itself but also the reveal of the famous painting that features both Dido and Elizabeth as it relates to exactly how Murray sees Dido. Overall, Asante creates a very captivating and evocative film about a young woman dealing with her identity as well as knowing what she wants in her life as well as how she sees the world.

Cinematographer Ben Smithard does brilliant work with the film‘s very lush and colorful cinematography for the look of the gardens and exterior in the daytime scenes to the usage of candlelight and other lights to play into some of its nighttime interior and exterior scenes. Editors Pia Di Ciaula and Victoria Boydell do amazing work with the editing as it‘s quite straightforward while also having bits of style in a few montages and some dazzling rhythmic cuts. Production designer Sarah Bowles, with set decorator Tina Jones and supervising art director Ben Smith, does phenomenal work with the set pieces from the homes the characters live in as well as the courthouse and the look of the slums where Dido‘s father found her in the film‘s opening sequence. Costume designer Anushia Nieradzik does fantastic work with the design of the dresses from the way it plays to the personality of the women as well as the clothes that the men wear.

Hair/makeup designer Marese Langan does excellent work with the design of the wigs some of the men wore as well as the hairstyle of the men and women. Visual effects supervisor Henry Badgett and Angela Barson do terrific work with the minimal visual effects scenes that is really more set dressing in a few key scenes. Sound editor Lee Herrick and sound designer Robert Ireland do superb work with the sound from the way shoes sound on floors to some of the scenes at the parties that occur in the film. The film’s music by Rachel Portman is wonderful as it is largely a lush orchestral score that adds to the sense of drama while music supervisor Maggie Rodford bring in a soundtrack that is largely classical pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.

The casting by Toby Whale is incredible as it features some notable small roles from Bethan Mary-Jones as the black maid Mabel, Lauren Julien-Box as the young Dido, Cara Jenkins as the young Elizabeth, Alex Jennings as James and Oliver’s father, and Matthew Goode in a brief but very touching role as Dido’s father Captain John Lindsay who manages to the most of his brief role. James Norton is terrific as Oliver Ashford as the youngest of the two brothers who likes Dido while Tom Felton is superb as Oliver’s more prejudiced older brother James who detests Dido for being black while proving to be very cruel to Elizabeth. Penelope Wilton is wonderful as Dido and Elizabeth’s aunt Lady Mary as someone who tries to keep both women in check while realizing their fate if both women don’t find men to be in love with. Miranda Richardson is brilliant as Lady Ashford as a woman who doesn’t like Dido very much only to agree to Oliver’s engagement to her out of ensuring that her son will have money.

Sarah Gadon is fantastic as Elizabeth as Dido’s cousin who is like a sister to Dido as she copes with the changes in Dido’s life but also her own future as she tries to find a good husband so she wouldn’t be destitute. Emily Watson is excellent as Lady Elizabeth as Murray’s wife who is considered the conscious of the film as she tries to ensure the futures for both Dido and Elizabeth while trying to make sense of the decision that her husband is going to make in this court case. Sam Reid is amazing as John Davinier as a reverend’s son who aspires to be a lawyer and makes change as he has this presence that is very engaging as someone that displays some humility as he is intrigued by Dido where he would eventually fall for her.

Tom Wilkinson is phenomenal as William Murray as a man who reluctantly takes Dido in only to care for her as if she was his daughter as he copes with everything he’s trying to do for her as well as being involved in a case that involves blacks which affects the decision he would make. Finally, there’s Gugu Mbatha-Raw in an absolutely tremendous performance as Dido Elizabeth Belle as this young woman who is coping with her identity and place in the world while realizing the complications of the real world as it relates to her race as well as what is expected from her as a woman as it’s a very radiant and powerful performance.

Belle is a remarkable film Amma Asante that features an incredible performance from Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Along with a strong supporting cast as well as an engaging story that features some insightful historical elements. It’s a film that manages to be more than a period piece and a character study as it is also a film that features characters coping with changes as well as uncertainty in their idyllic and safe environment. In the end, Belle is a sensational film from Amma Asante.

© thevoid99 2015

The Five Obstructions Blog-a-Thon #3: Match Point

In the third part of Nostra’s Five Obstructions Blog-a-Thon here is that next obstruction:

Since I’ve been watching a lot of films by Woody Allen this past summer, I recently revisited one of Allen’s great films in Match Point. I have a review that I wrote back in 2006 where my recent re-watch had me wanting to do another review as I decided to do this other one where I share the same views with various other critics about the film. Here is that review:

Woody Allen’s 2005 film Match Point is considered a return-to-form for the filmmaker after a period of films that were either received poorly or got mixed reviews. Yet, it is this drama about a former tennis pro who marries the daughter of a rich businessman who later engages into an affair with his brother-in-law’s American girlfriend that later gets complicated as it’s a film that mixes romance, drama, and suspense. Conceptually, it covers familiar territory for the romantic drama, but it reaches to be like Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. This solid, well-observed and cerebral presentation signifies that Woody is back in full stride after some recent so-so works. Though laden with thematic references to Strindberg's plays, Verdi's opera, modern art and tennis, it overall comes closest in narrative to his Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Allen opens Match Point with the image of a tennis ball hitting the net, and after a lot of casual conversations about the role that luck plays in shaping a life, the movie simplifies in its second half, becoming about one simple question: On which side of the net is that ball going to fall? The image repeats later—this time with a ring that hits a guardrail—and at that point, the movie really could've ended with a hard ironic twist. Yet, Allen is far smarter than that where it plays into the idea of luck and how luck can seal a man’s fate in the decisions he makes including in the most despicable actions such as infidelity and much more.

The lead role of Chris played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is a very interesting character as someone who was once a gifted tennis pro but life after tennis has left him little opportunities. Yet, he still manages to find ways to navigate into places that is foreign to him to see how he can thrive in that world. In fact, as played by Meyers, Chris always is aware of his opportunities and always is playing a kind of mental tennis with people. He may not have a grand design, but he always knows where he is placing the ball and what he hopes to achieve. There, he allows the mentality to get him a job at the club where he meets Tom Hewett, played by Matthew Goode, whose father is a rich businessman.

The handsome Chris is quickly taken into the Hewett family fold. Not as easily absorbed into the posh family's good graces is Nola (Scarlett Johansson), Tom's fiancée. Nola, the daughter of an alcoholic single mother, is heatedly disliked by Tom's controlling mother (Penelope Wilton). When Chris first encounters the sexy Nola, he develops a strong attraction to her but embarks on a relationship with Chloe, Tom's sunny sister (a superb Emily Mortimer). Tom breaks up with Nola and marries someone else. Chris marries Chloe, who enlists the aid of her affable father (Brian Cox) to get Chris a job and help him up the corporate ladder. Still, Chris is entranced by Nola as he wouldn’t see her for months until she shows up at an art gallery where he was supposed to meet Chloe.

Emily Mortimer and Scarlett Johansson show different faces of womankind. Mortimer's Chloe is the nurturing, supportive female: one who takes her husband's denial of an affair at face value and whose primary goal in marriage is to give her parents grandchildren. It's a role that Mortimer slides into without difficulty. Johansson, on the other hand, is simultaneously self-sufficient and needy. It’s the flaws of Nola as well as her background that has Chris feel attracted towards her. What passes between Chris and Nola is not only desire, but also recognition, which makes their connection especially volatile.

Notably in the third act where Nola drops a bombshell that would affect Chris’ family life as he tries to keep things a secret. Rhys-Meyers - an underrated actor - takes time to warm to Woody's ways, but ultimately delivers a subtle, affecting portrait of a man torn between two women and ways of life as he realizes the decision that he has to make. One of which would involve Chris taking on drastic measures that would be extreme. Allen has, however, stuck with his recent nasty streak, and underneath its lovely, icy cinematography, Match Point is a noir supreme; Fritz Lang would have loved it. Yet no matter how dark things get, the characters still behave in a rational, believable way. Unlike most Hollywood films, no one does anything stupid out of sheer stupidity. Here, the missteps occur because of misdirected passion.

It’s a film that is more about the idea of luck and how it can drive a man’s fate. The movie is more about plot and moral vacancy than about characters, and so Allen uses type-casting to quickly establish the characters and set them to their tasks of seduction, deception, lying and worse. It’s one of the reasons why this film is considered one of Allen’s finest though it doesn’t rank with some of the great films of his career like Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah & Her Sisters, and Crimes & Misdemeanors depending on one’s taste of what someone thinks of Allen’s overall career. Still, Match Point is sexy, mysterious, suspense-driven, eventful and essentially quite unforgettable that shows that Woody Allen still has it.

The quotes in bold are from the following in the exact order:

Dennis Schwartz, Ozu’s World Movie Reviews
Noel Murray, AV Club
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Claudia Puig, USA Today
James Beradinelli, ReelViews
AO Scott, New York Times
Andy Jacobs, BBC
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Gary W. Tooze, DVD Beaver

© thevoid99 2013

Stoker

Directed by Chan-wook Park and written by Wentworth Miller with additional contributions by Erin Cressida Wilson, Stoker is a teenage girl who gets an unexpected from her uncle following the death of her father. The film is an exploration into the world of family as it goes into very dark places as it relates to a man’s relationship with his teenage niece where it goes into harrowing territory. Starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Dermont Mulroney, Lucas Till, Alden Ehrenreich, Phyllis Somerville, and Jacki Weaver. Stoker is a mesmerizing yet chilling film from Chan-wook Park.

The film is about a young teenage girl named India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) whose life is shaken by the death of her father (Dermont Mulroney) as the only person in her life is her mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) whom she doesn’t have much of a relationship with. The arrival of her uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) whom India had never known about shake things up even more as he raises a lot of intrigue for both India and Evelyn as the latter clings to Charlie for companionship. Still, something doesn’t feel right for India as mysterious disappearances involve people she knows start to happen while she becomes entranced by Charlie’s charm. After learning more about Charlie, India would also uncover more dark secrets about what really happened to her father as well as why she never heard about Charlie in the first place.

Wentworth Miller’s screenplay does explore the life of this young woman who is quite detached from reality in some ways as she is known to be gifted in art, piano-playing, and being a very skilled hunter. Yet, she’s also a loner as she always wears these schoolgirl shoes since childhood as she is very close to her father but her relationship with her mother hasn’t been easy. Notably as Evelyn is an unstable individual who seems to envy India over her relationship with her father while she has always been lonely. By the time Charlie comes to the house, Evelyn wants to be with him until she learns that Charlie is more interested in India that increases the already troubled relationship between the two women. Once India learns more about Charlie, she is both repulsed and fascinated by his secrets.

Miller’s script allows the mystery to unfold slowly while playing with the tropes of what is expected in a suspense/thriller. There are small characters who only appear briefly as they seem to know more than what India and Evelyn might realize. Yet, it does add to this element of mystery where it gives India a chance to piece things out where the third act has her not only making some realizations about herself but also why her father has never said anything about Charlie. Miller’s script also has some stylish dialogue that includes a few voice-overs and monologues including a very chilling one from Evelyn towards India that reveals a lot of the jealousy a mother has towards her daughter.

Chan-wook Park’s direction is very stylish though not in its look as Park is able to keep some of the visual elements a bit simpler where it’s shot on location in Nashville, Tennessee. Yet, Park is able to infuse a lot of interesting images to present this mixture of family melodrama with some suspense where he plays into the world of death as well as family. Park’s direction does have him using a lot of interesting framing devices to play into the sense of detachment between mother and daughter and how someone like Charlie could be placed in the middle of this lingering tension. Even where Park is intrigued by the mother-daughter tension where not a lot is revealed yet it is clear in the acting that these two women don’t really like each other but they still want something from another.

Park also creates some very interesting images to not just play out the suspense and melodrama but also do with a large degree of style. Notably in the tracking shots where his camera is often moving to capture the sense of movement such as India wandering around the house to observe Charlie. There are also images that play out the sense of style where Park would re-create images to explore India’s mind as she is pondering about her own persona that is dark at times but also girlish. Things do get unveiled in the third act where it goes into very dark territory that does play into Park’s fascination with violence as well as sexuality where it shows India becoming more of a woman to the surprise of her mother that adds more tension between the two. Overall, Park creates a very entrancing yet visceral film about family and the dark secrets that lurk in them.

Cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon does excellent work with the film‘s photography to play out some of the beautiful look of some of the location exteriors as well as some beautiful lighting schemes for some of the scenes at the Stoker home including its dark basement. Editor Nicolas de Toth does spectacular with the film‘s very stylized yet seamless editing that is filled with an array of jump-cuts and dissolves including some montages and match cuts that are just exquisite in its imagery and impact. Production designer Therese DePrez, along with set decorator Leslie Morales and art director Wing Lee, does amazing work with the look of the Stoker home as well as some locations around the area including the Stoker garden.

Costume designers Kurt and Bart do brilliant work with the costumes from the clothes that Charlie wears to the stylish yet clean-cut dresses and shoes that India wears to display her transition from teenager to womanhood. Sound designers Chuck Michael and John Morris do superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of some of the exterior locations including some scenes set in the house to play up that air of suspense. The film’s music by Clint Mansell is phenomenal for its eerie yet intoxicating score that is filled evocative piano pieces and brooding orchestral pieces as well as additional piano duets by Philip Glass along with songs by Lee Hazelwood with Nancy Sinatra and Emily Wells.

The film’s cast is just marvelous as it includes some noteworthy appearances from Ralph Brown as a sheriff, Lucas Till as a classmate who constantly harasses India, Alden Ehrenreich as another classmate who is interested in India, Judith Godreche as a doctor, Phyllis Somerville as the Stoker family maid, Dermont Mulroney as India’s father Richard, and Jacki Weaver in a terrific appearance as India’s great aunt Gin who definitely knows a lot about some of the Stoker family secret. Nicole Kidman is great as Evelyn as a woman seemingly trying to put on a façade to deal with her grief as she clings to Charlie for companionship while harboring some resentment towards her own daughter over Charlie and her late husband Richard.

Matthew Goode is superb as Charlie where he has this very clean-cut look where he is handsome and charming but also has a very dark demeanor that is very intoxicating to watch as he later unveils more and more about who he really is. Finally, there’s Mia Wasikowska in a remarkable performance as India Stoker where Wasikowska displays a chilling restraint to her role as well as a low-key dark humor to her role as she just commands every scene she’s in by doing so little while also being quite confrontational as it’s definitely one of Wasikowska’s finest performances.

Stoker is an incredible film from Chan-wook Park that features top-notch performances from Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, and Nicole Kidman. While it’s a very stylized thriller with some unique images and themes on family, it’s also an interesting one that plays into some of the dark traits about families. For fans of Chan-wook Park, the film definitely serves as a reminder into why he’s one of the best filmmakers working today where he infuses the film with a lot of exotic imagery and heavy themes. In the end, Stoker is a tremendous film from Chan-wook Park.

Chan-wook Park Films: (The Moon Is… the Sun’s Dream) - (Trio) - Judgment (1999 short film) - JSA: Joint Security Area - Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance - (If You Were Me-Never Ending Piece and Love) - Oldboy - Three Extremes-Cut - Sympathy for Lady Vengeance - I'm a Cyborg but That's OK - Thirst - (Night Fishing) - (Day Trip) - The Handmaiden - (The Little Drummer Girl (2018 TV Series)) - Decision to Leave

© thevoid99 2013

The Lookout

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/31/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Scott Frank, The Lookout is about a young man, damaged from an accident several years ago who is left mentally impaired as he's forced to right notes and things to get his life going. When he meets an old friend from high school, he suddenly takes part in a bank heist that would eventually go wrong. Frank, who has been known for writing screenplays in films like Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Minority Report makes his directorial debut where he takes a different approach of the heist film. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino, Bruce McGill, and Alberta Watson. The Lookout is a smart, intelligent character study/heist film from Scott Frank.

The star hockey player in his high school and one of the top students, Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) seemed to have it made. He had rich parents in Robert and Barbara Pratt (Bruce McGill and Alberta Watson) and was someone many idolized. Then one night after prom, he and some friends were on his car where playing around until a seriously horrifying accident happened leaving Chris damaged. Four years later, Chris is alive but mentally and emotionally impaired as he can barely remember the accident or put things in order. Even opening a simple can opener can be troubling. He talks to his counselor in Janet (Carla Gugino) about his day-to-day problems while he lives with a blind cook named Lewis (Jeff Daniels). In the day, he goes to school to improve his sequencing order while at night, he works as a janitor in a bank for his boss Mr. Tuttle (David Huband) and trying to work as a teller with help from Mrs. Lange (Alex Borstein).

Then one night after work, Chris goes to a bar where he meets a guy named Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode) who claims to have known him back in high school. Gary buys him a beer as the two begin to meet frequently as Gary introduces him to a former dancer named Luvlee (Isla Fisher). Chris is invited to a party where Luvlee told him she remembered him back in school at a championship game he played as she seduces him. Chris enjoys the company as he was invited to a post-Thanksgiving dinner where he learns of a plan involving a bank heist at his own bank. Chris at first doesn't want to get involved but Gary tells him it will be the only way to get away from his own mundane, repetitive life. Chris gives in eventually with a bit of help from Luvlee while Lewis notices a change in Chris' attitude and the company he's surrounded by. With Chris unwittingly takes pictures of the bank, he doesn't become aware of what is really going on.

With the heist going underway, tension begins to mount as Chris is wondering if he's doing the right thing. With Gary and his gang deciding to rob the bank at night with Chris being the lookout, he realizes he's in a lot more than he bargained for.

Heist films often has this sense of tension where things could go wrong during a heist and this film plays to the tradition of heist films of the past. The only difference about this movie is that it's really about this young, emotionally/mentally damaged young man who is sucked into a world of crime as an escape to his own mundane, repetitive life. Writer/director Scott Frank creates a momentum where the audience gets to know Chris Pratt and all of the things he's done in his day-to-day life. Even when he has to remember things, he has to write them all onto a notepad. It's really an engaging character study of this young man who becomes part of a heist as he gets into a moral dilemma.

The way the heist is set up reveals how Chris at first, gets into it by trading a jacket his mother bought him to the way he reacts to his own mundane life. Then once the heist comes around, there is this eerie tension that Frank sets up where it's known that something goes wrong. Whether it's a visit from the deputy watchman in Deputy Ted (Sergio Di Zio) comes in to check on Chris. To the moment they break into the vault and knowing that trouble is coming around.

Then there's the line "whoever has the money, has the power" which then becomes a game about power. Gary wants to use the money to lure Chris into all sorts of temptation until Chris' own conscience gets the best of him. While mainstream audiences might find the film's momentum in the first two acts to be jarring, it pays off in the third act. Particularly in the ending where it doesn't play to Hollywood conventions or has twists. Everything plays out straightforward. Even the characters who each have some back story while Gary is also flawed in a physical way since he carries an inhaler. Overall, the film's smart writing and very observant, stylish direction works as Scott Frank makes a hell of a debut.

Helping Frank in his visual presentation is cinematographer Alar Kivilio whose intimate camera work in the interior settings play to the film's tension, notably in the heist sequence. The exterior work shot on location in Canada as Kansas works to play up to the film's cold feel including the opening sequence that involves fireflies. Production designer David Brisbin and art director Dennis Davenport help bring the American look to create the bars and apartments that Chris lives and works in. Costume designer Abram Waterhouse also adds to the look of dark colors for most of the cast to convey this aura of darkness. Editor Jill Savitt really shines with her stylistic editing to convey the tension and suspense while giving the use of flashbacks to reveal the troubling emotions of Chris. Sound editor Kelly Cabral plays to the film's tension, particularly in the final moments to convey the cold weather and what is to come. Composer James Newton Howard brings a very melodic, moody score to play to the troubling mind of Chris Pratt as well as the suspense during the heist and its aftermath.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with small performances from Janaya Stephens and Marc Devigne as Chris' older, adult siblings, David Huband and Alex Borstein as Chris' bank supervisors, Sergio Di Zio as the comical Deputy Ted who often gives Chris donuts, and Laura Vandervoort as Chris' former high school girlfriend Kelly who brings an eerie presence to the film. Playing Gary's gang are Morgan Kelly as Marty and Aaron Berg as Cork who are both excellent while it's Greg Dunham as Bone that really brings an excellent presence with his black long hair and black sunglasses. Carla Gugino is excellent in her one-scene performance as Chris' caseworker while veteran actors Bruce McGill and Alberta Watson are fine as Chris' parents who struggle their attempt to reconnect with their son.

Known to audiences for her comedic work in Wedding Crashers, Isla Fisher is wonderful as the sexy seductress Luvlee with her charming, vibrant charm while Fisher shows a bit more of her serious side in a very intriguing scene with Jeff Daniels where she proves that she's more than just some pretty face. In a performance that is really against type, Matthew Goode is superbly terrifying as Gary Spargo. Known to audiences for his romantic work in movies like Chasing Liberty, Imagine Me & You, and Woody Allen's Match Point, the British actor plays against his good looks for a shaved haircut and a beard as this tough, manipulative robber who want to have money and power while using his wits to manipulate the fragile Chris. Goode is truly a revelation as he proves his range, even doing an excellent American accent. Veteran actor Jeff Daniels is also superb as the blind Lewis whose comical comments and wit brings a lot of needed humor to the dark film while being the only friend that Chris has while trying to keep him grounded in the world he's being sucked in. It's a fantastic performance from the veteran actor.

Finally, there's Joseph Gordon-Levitt in another winning performance as Chris Pratt. What is more shocking in this angst-ridden, emotionally troubled performance is the restraint that Gordon-Levitt brings. There's a way he stands and how he is quiet when doing his work or writing in his notepad. The way he observes things with silent. It's a very minimalist performance that could've gone wrong with some huge outburst. Yet, Gordon-Levitt remains still though at times, he curses and tries to deal with his emotions. When he's sucked in, he becomes a bit more selfish while remaining restrained and right to the end, he becomes a full-on acting powerhouse. This is not the same child actor we've known in Angels in the Outfield or the teen from 3rd Rock from the Sun. Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves he is for real and has what it takes to carry a film like this which he's also proven in films like Mysterious Skin and Brick.

The Lookout is a smart, engaging, entrancing crime drama from Scott Frank featuring a wonderfully leading performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Fans of heist films will enjoy the tension and momentum it builds up while mainstream audiences should give the film's slow build-up a chance to be sucked in. With a fantastic supporting cast including Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, and Isla Fisher, it's a film that features great performances, witty dialogue, and great scenes that audiences can enjoy. Yet, the film really belongs to both Frank and Gordon-Levitt as a new director has now emerged while Gordon-Levitt continues to become a force in American Cinema. For anyone wanting a smart alternative to some of the big films this spring, check out The Lookout.

(C) thevoid99 2012

A Single Man

Based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood, A Single Man is the story about a gay British professor who loses his lover in an accident as he decides to kill himself. Directed by Tom Ford and adapted by Ford and David Scearce, the film is an exploration of a man in mourning while pondering about his own existence in early 1960s Southern California. Starring Colin Firth, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Julianne Moore. A Single Man is a gorgeous yet compelling drama from Tom Ford.

Following the death of his lover Jim (Matthew Goode) several months earlier, British professor George Falconer (Colin Firth) has remain haunted by Jim’s death as he reflects on memories of his life with Jim and the day he got the call about Jim’s death. With only his longtime friend Charlotte (Julianne Moore) around nearby, George’s grief continues to surround him as he decides to kill himself later in the day. Working at a university in nearby Los Angeles, George spends the day teaching as he manages to catch the interest of his young student Kenny (Nicholas Hoult). Later in the day, George goes to the bank where he runs into his neighbor Mrs. Strunk (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her daughter Jennifer (Ryan Simpkin) while stopping at a liquor store to buy alcohol where he chats with a Spanish male hooker named Carlos (Jon Kortajarena).

Still despondent over Jim, George had also bought bullets for a pistol in his intent to kill himself. He then chooses to eat dinner with Charlotte as the two talk about their old life in Britain as Charlotte admits to feeling envious towards George and his relationship with Jim. Particularly as Charlotte couldn’t do enough to save her own marriage as George’s memories of Jim about how they first met has him going back to the bar where they met. He runs into Kenny at the bar where the two chat while George ponders about his possible final moments of his life.

What happens when someone loses the love of their life and is unable to find something else afterwards? For a man like George Falconer, he couldn’t deal with a life without his lover Jim as the film is an exploration of a man trying to come to terms with his lover’s death as he seeks to end his own life in the span of an entire day. Throughout the film, George is reflecting on memories of his life with Jim from how they met to the moment he got a call about Jim’s death while meeting various people he knows in his life or those he barely know that are very interesting to him.

The script that Tom Ford and David Scearce create is a character study of a man in what could be the last day of his life as the film both opens and ends with voice-over narration on George reflecting on what he might do. The script also allows to go very depth in not just George’s relationship with Jim but also Charlotte whom he’s known a lot longer since they’re both British who are very close friends and were lovers for a brief time. Charlotte is a woman who is just as lonely as she has been divorced and her own child has already left leaving with not really much to do at all as she hopes to have George around so neither of them wouldn’t be lonely. Still, it’s not enough for George as he finds himself catching the attention of a young student who just wants to offer some form of companionship as the two talk about age and experience which prompts George to think that there could be life after Jim.

Tom Ford’s direction is truly entrancing in the way he presents the film with lots of style to complement the mood of George Falconer. Ford, who is known as a fashion designer, definitely goes for a film that is like a fashion presentation but with a deeper context due to its narrative. Part of Ford’s unique presentation is the way the film looks with this heightened yet de-colored photography that exemplify Falconer’s detached mood. Yet, it would go into full color for emotional reasons to express his yearning to possibly reconnect or see something that he likes. Ford also has this engaging eye for the way objects are presented as if there is something very meticulous to the way an object like pencil sharpener might look or how an object is placed on a desk. It’s all part of who George Falconer is as Ford creates what is truly a mesmerizing and hypnotic film.

Cinematographer Eduard Grau does a brilliant job with the film‘s cinematography from a gorgeous black-and-white flashback scene to the way the film looks throughout the film from its de-saturated yet heightened feel to a much broader look where the coloring intensifies to complement George‘s mood. Editor Joan Sobel does a terrific job with the editing to play up the intensity of the drama while utilizing jump-cuts to play with some of the rhythm in George’s flashbacks as well as straight cuts to help move the transitions in a very leisured, methodical approach.

Production designer Dan Bishop, along with set decorator Amy Wells and art director Ian Phillips, does a spectacular job with the set pieces created such as George‘s home and the objects created to exemplify the world of early 1960s America. Costume designer Ariane Phillips does a superb job with the costumes from the suits that George wears to the very stylish dress that Charlotte wears during the dinner. Sound designer Leslie Shatz and sound editor Robert Jackson do an amazing job with the sound work to complement some of the distorted feelings that George is going through in what he’s hearing to the sparse intimacy in some of the locations that he is present in.

The film’s score by Abel Korzeniowski is great for its low-key yet somber piano to play up the melancholia that surrounds the film. Additional music by Shigeru Umebayashi features heavier orchestral pieces that soars throughout the film as it plays up the more melodramatic elements of the film. Music supervisor Julia Michels does an excellent job with selecting some of the music that is played in the film like Etta James, Bernard Herrmann, Jo Stafford, and Booker T. & the M.G.s to play up the world of the 1960s.

The casting by Joseph Middleton is outstanding for the ensemble that is created as it includes Elisabeth Harnois as a young woman with a dog that George meets, Lee Pace as a fellow professor, Keri Lynn Pratt as a young secretary George notices, Aline Weber as a friend of Kenny’s, Erin Daniels as a bank teller, Jon Kortajarena as the male Spanish prostitute Carlos that George chats with, and Jon Hamm in an un-credited voice cameo as a man on the phone who tells George the horrible news. Other notable small roles include Ginnifer Goodwin as George’s kindly neighbor Mrs. Strunk along with Ryan Simpkin as her daughter and Paul Butler as her toy-gun playing son.

Nicholas Hoult is excellent as the very handsome Kenny who wants to get to know George while wondering why he’s been reluctant to be around people lately. Matthew Goode is wonderful as Jim, a charming yet delightful man who would be George’s lover as Goode makes a fantastic impression in the flashback scenes. Julianne Moore is great as Charlotte, a lonely yet lavish woman as Moore brings a wonderful sense of charm and an over-the-top persona to a woman desperate to not be alone as it’s a radiant role for Moore. Finally, there’s Colin Firth in a magnificent yet haunting performance as George Falconer. Firth’s performance is entrancing for the way he deals with death and his determination to end it while going through all of the turmoil and anguish of what he’s dealing with. It is truly a performance for the ages from Colin Firth.

A Single Man is an extraordinary yet rapturous film from Tom Ford that features a heartbreaking performance from Colin Firth. The film is definitely a wonderful directorial debut for Ford that truly exemplifies his idea of style that is all over the place but very engaging in its presentation. Particularly as it presents itself like a period piece that exudes itself with exquisite beauty that is rarely seen in a lot of films in recent years. In the end, A Single Man is a stunning yet beautiful film from Tom Ford.

Nocturnal Animals

© thevoid99 2011

Match Point

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/27/06 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Woody Allen, Match Point returns to the dramatic theme of morality and murder that he discussed in 1989's Crimes & Misdemeanors. This time, the setting for Allen's new film is in the upper-class world of London society where an ex-Irish tennis pro found himself climbing up the world of upper-class British society as he meets a client's sister and their family only to be tempted by his client's American fiancee. The film discusses on how luck can do things for a young man as he is forced to choose between a modest lifestyle or a safe, secure lifestyle with all the works. Starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Penelope Wilton, James Nesbitt, Ewen Bremner, and Brian Cox. Match Point is an excellent, return-to-form feat from Woody Allen.

After a period of playing professional tennis, Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) is searching for a new life after being bored from playing tennis. After taking a job working as a tennis instructor for a posh country club, he meets a young man named Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode) who becomes a tennis student. After a conversation about opera, Tom invites Chris to watch an opera with his family including Tom's sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer), his father Alec (Brian Cox), and mother Eleanor (Penelope Wilton). After being invited frequently to the Hewett home, Chris becomes attracted to Chloe while being in awe of the hard work Alec has done with his life. During a party, Chris meets Tom's American fiancee Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson) as Chris finds himself attracted to Nola's sensuality.

After a series of double dates and dinners, Chris learns of Nola's background as he meets her again when she's up for an audition that fails as she continues to struggle as an actress. While Chris feels happy with Chloe, he's surprised at the generosity he's been getting from Alec who accepts him immediately into the family as is Eleanor who doesn't have the same feelings towards Nola. During a day at the Hewett home, Eleanor's suggestions and criticism about Nola's failed desire to become an actress gets to her as she walks out upset as Chris comes after her where they begin a fling. The affair only becomes brief as Nola wants to move on and after she broke up with Tom, she leaves the U.S. With Tom marrying a woman named Carol (Rose Keegan), Chris marries Chloe but his obsession with Nola troubles him.

The result of his obsession only troubles Chloe's desire to want a child as Chris' new job working in his father-in-law's firm leaves him a bit unfulfilled. Then one day at a museum, Nola appears as he asks her phone number. Immediately, a secretive affair happens as Chris finds his fulfillment with Nola but a secure future with Chloe though their attempts to create a child only troubles them. Then when the affair gets more intense, Nola doesn't want the affair to be secretive anymore. Chris finds himself in a bind as he learns some distressing news from Nola as she demands that he should leave Chloe. Chris turns to an old friend in Henry (Rupert-Penry Jones) about his situation where a life with Nola could be modest but there's no future but with Chloe, he is secure and can get anything. While Chloe becomes suspicious of what's going on, Chris goes to a drastic decision that will haunt him.

While the story of Match Point isn't anything groundbreaking, particularly in the third act which resembles the dramatic situation in Allen's 1989 masterpiece Crimes & Misdemeanors. What is new is where Allen goes to where originally, it was supposed to be in Long Island, New York but due to financial situations, London becomes a new background where everything works. Not only does Allen explore the posh world of London but he uses the city as a new world that he never has been to by delving into Alfred Hitchcock for his script. The story does reference the idea of luck but in a more realistic yet cynical point of view where Allen comes to the conclusion that the world isn't very happy. Particularly when the third act is explored by two detectives in Inspector Dowd (Ewen Bremner) and Detective Banner (James Nesbitt).

While Allen's direction is his most entrancing since Husbands & Wives, it's because he aims for an observant view of how these characters live and how they behave. By the third act, it begins to deconstruct itself from this study of a man trying to work his way into the upper class only to find a way to mess with it. In that third act, not only does Allen rip himself off but also Hitchcock on how he plots things and how he uses elements of mystery where the conclusion overall becomes a bit more cynical and nihilistic. In many ways, this is Allen at his most bleakest. His strength as a director is only topped more in his role as a writer. The script is by far is most inspiring and solid since Crimes & Misdemeanors where in the previous film, he explores the morals and in Match Point, he goes into the idea of trying to get away with it without any moral consent.

Both stories have certain parallels in the way Nola is a bit like Anjelica Huston's character Dolores and Chris is a bit like Martin Landau's Judah Rosenthal. The difference is that the characters in Match Point aren't just younger but are in entirely different situations of sympathy and where their characters stand. What is similar is in the situations they're in terms of where they're at in their lives where both Chris and Judah are living in respected, posh lifestyles and how their affairs would threaten their positions and the people around them. Both men not only could find ways to reason with their lovers but choose crime to deal with it. The only difference is the moral aftermath and the situations that result. The Nola/Dolores characters are both desperate, neurotic, and passionate but only the Dolores character seems to be more in sympathy since she's the one more ridden with guilt while Nola really has nothing to offer. In many ways, this is Woody Allen reaching into old territory and finding something new to say.

Helping Allen in his observant vision is cinematographer Remi Adefarasin who does a wonderful job in capturing the beauty world of posh London with his lighting techniques of the interiors and exteriors in its grey skies. Production designer Jim Clay and set decorator Caroline Smith do a great job in not capturing the locations of the rich world of London but finding every way where this world does feel a sense of comfort as opposed to the more simplistic world of Nola. The costumes by Jill Taylor also reveal the posh world, particularly the suits of Chris and Tom and the dresses for Chloe and Nola. Alisa Lepselter, who has been Allen's editor since 1999's Sweet & Lowdown, does a wonderful job in giving the film a leisurely pace in its near two-hour running time which makes it Allen’s longest film to date.

Then there is the music where in previous films, Allen goes for jazz pieces but in this film he goes for opera. The opera music uses it as a dramatic crutch while bringing the emotional tension and drama where Allen plays the film as if it was an opera where tragedy is to come. His choice of music by Guiseppe Verdi, Gioacchino Rossini, Carlo Gomes, Georges Bizet, Gaetano Donizetti, and Andrew Lloyd Webber definitely creates a wonderful film soundtrack and a nice introduction mix-tape for opera music.

Finally, we have the cast which includes nice, small performances from Rose Keegan, Rupert-Penry Jones, Geoffrey Streatfield as Chris' boss at the firm, and Margaret Tyzack as Nola's neighbor. Ewen Bremner and James Nesbitt are excellent in their roles as detectives with differing views on things where Bremner seems more cynical while Nesbitt is more imaginative in his ideas of how crime is committed. Penelope Wilton is wonderful in his role as Eleanor whose views can be hurtful but is a woman who only wants the best for her children despite her own ideals. Brian Cox is perfect as this generous, warm man who has accomplished everything while wanting to give Chris a shot for his own hard work and providing comfort for everyone around him, including Nola. Matthew Goode is also excellent as the charming Tom who likes to show off while being friendly to Chris while his own actions for Nola on their break-up reveals a flaw about his own reputation in front of his family.

Of the supporting cast, Emily Mortimer is the real star as a naive, scorned woman who may live a posh life but has at least some knowledge of the world outside her. Mortimer displays a sweetness and restraint as a scorned woman who becomes suspicious while feeling she might not be enough for Chris as Mortimer really gives a masterful, truly sympathetic performance as she tries to give everything for her husband. Scarlett Johansson is also excellent in her performance as Nola where she starts off as this fragile, neurotic young woman who has trouble trying to start a career while getting into an affair. By the third act, Johansson makes her character to be very unlikable although it doesn't entirely work since it's more of a caricature of Anjelica Huston's character in Crimes & Misdemeanors where Nola has no motivation for what she can do with her life with Chris.

Finally, there's Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in his best performance to date as Chris Wilton. What Rhys-Meyers did which was a wise decision for a Woody Allen film was being a Woody Allen protagonist but without acting like Allen. Rhys-Meyers definitely brings a performance that is brilliant in terms of trying to protect himself while delving into bad deeds. When it comes to the situation and decisions he's in, Rhys-Meyers shows the morality and anguish his character is in as he plays it perfectly while having great chemistry with both Johansson and Mortimer.

While it's not a groundbreaking film, Match Point is truly a superb effort from Woody Allen who definitely has made his best film since Crimes & Misdemeanors. Thanks to a great cast led by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Brian Cox, Matthew Goode, and Penelope Wilton, Allen has finally got his mojo back. Though it's unclear if he can keep it going, this film does prove in why Woody Allen is one of the best as he delves into some new territory of cynicism and justice. While new fans could find something attractive about the film, old fans will definitely be pleased as Woody Allen scores with Match Point.

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

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

© thevoid99 2011

Watchmen (film)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/7/09.

One of the most celebrated and popular graphic novels in the history of literature, Watchmen about a group of retired vigilantes investigating the murder of one of their former colleagues only to uncover a troubling conspiracy. Written by Alan Moore with illustrations by Dave Gibbons, the novel took a unique spin into the superhero genre while delving into satire and character study. The novel is so acclaimed in giving the graphic novel medium widespread attention that adaptations for the book to become a film became an impossible task. Developing the film proved to be hell since its attempts began just after the novel was released. 20th Century Fox tried to get it started that took years. In 1991, Warner Brothers got involved with project with Terry Gilliam attached but years of development forced Gilliam to drop out and the film project was shelved.

Another attempt in 2001 started but a few years into it became troubling until Paramount Pictures got involved with Darren Aronofsky attached to the project. Aronofsky left to work on The Fountain as Paul Greengrass got involved but the project eventually folded. With Lawrence Gordon, who owned the rights to the film, deciding to go back to Warner Brothers. Nothing seemed sure until 2006 when production finally found got started with a new director in Zack Snyder, who scored a big hit with his adaptation of Frank Miller's 300. Production finally began with Snyder at the helm despite a lawsuit between Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox that finally got resolved for the long-awaited release of Watchmen.

Directed by Zack Snyder with a script by David Hayter and Alex Tse along with un-credited contributions from Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Watchmen tells the story of a group of former vigilantes living in 1985 at the peak of the Cold War as the tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union reaching its climax with Richard Nixon still the President of the U.S. When an ex-vigilante is murdered, one of his former comrades investigates to uncover a conspiracy in order to get rid of his other vigilantes as well as a nuclear holocaust. The film is an ambitious tale that takes the superhero genre to darker territory and character study not explored in some of today's superhero films. With an all-star cast that includes Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Stephen McHattie, Matt Frewer, and Carla Gugino. Watchmen is an excellent, sprawling, and ambitious film from Zack Snyder.

It's October 1985 when an ex-vigilante known as Edward Blake aka the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) has been murdered leaving behind his old smiley face badge on the street as evidence. One of Blake's former colleagues name Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) from the Watchmen vigilante team of the late 1960s-early 1970s group finds the badge. He investigates Blake's murder as he tells his former partner from the group Daniel Dreiberg aka Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson) about the Comedian's death. Dreiberg is now retired due to the Keene Act of 1977 banning vigilantes from work where he spends his time having weekly meeting with the original Nite Owl in Hollis Mason (Stephen McHattie). After Rorschach's visit, Dreiberg tells another of his former colleagues in Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). Now a billionaire who has revealed his identity while using his old vigilante name to sell products, Veidt hears of Dreiberg's warning about Rorschach's conspiracy that someone is taking out former vigilantes.

Rorschach visits a couple of former Watchmen in Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) and Laurie Juspeczyk aka Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) about the Comedian's death. Manhattan, who is the only Watchmen with superpowers due to a nuclear accident and is considered the best weapon the U.S. ever has is now more concerned with particles and such than humanity. Manhattan's state of mind has now strained his long-term relationship with Laurie as she decides to have dinner with Dreiberg whom she hadn't seen in years as they talk about the Comedian's death and fear of a possible nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. During Blake's funeral where Veidt, Dreiberg, and Manhattan recall disturbing memories about the Comedian while Laurie visits her mother Sally Jupiter, the original Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino). Attending the funeral in secrecy is a former nemesis of the Comedian in Edgar Jacobi aka Moloch (Matt Frewer).

Rorschach confronts Moloch about what he knows as he revealed about a strange visit from a distraught, guilt-ridden Blake. Laurie's visit with her mother about Blake's death that featured an old story about Blake raping Sally back in 1949 has Sally saddened about Blake despite what happened. Laurie's relationship with Dr. Manhattan has finally soured as she leaves him to be with Dreiberg as Manhattan prepares for a big TV interview. During the interview, Manhattan talks about nuclear holocaust when a journalist presses Manhattan on about accusations that he gave a few former colleagues including his ex-girlfriend Janey Slater (Laura Mennell) cancer as she makes a surprising appearance. Now a threat, Manhattan exiles himself to Mars as he thinks about the time he used to be a man named Jon Osterman and how he became Dr. Manhattan as he's now detached of humanity as well as Earth.

When Rorschach continues his investigation into Blake's death, he uncovers a big conspiracy which involved an assassination attempt on Adrian Veidt. What happens is a set-up in which he's captured and sent to prison following an interrogation with a psychoanalyst. With Dreiberg and Laurie becoming closer and deciding to renew their vigilante status, they also decide to break Rorschach from prison as they uncover a much larger conspiracy involving the end of the world. With nuclear holocaust closing in and Manhattan unconvinced that he can do anything, it's up to the Watchmen to uncover the truth only to find out something even more horrifying.

Watchmen is truly one of the greatest novels in the history of literature and for years, to make a film version of it seemed impossible. Yet, what Zack Snyder and screenwriters David Hayter and Alex Tse did the impossible and succeeded, for the most part. The story is truly complex and psychological as it unveils harsh realities and truths to the world. Yet, like most adaptations, things had to be cut from the book as well as some alterations. Still, Hayter and Tse does manage to craft a faithful script to the book though minor characters like the magazine stand owner and the kid who hangs out reading The Tales of the Black Freighter are merely cameos. The sub-story of The Tales of the Black Freighter isn't featured in the film but is still being told as an animated feature in a straight-to-DVD release.

Still, the faithfulness of the story from book to script is excellent in presenting smaller characters like Janey Slater and the story of the original Minutemen vigilante group is told in the opening credits. Though not much is revealed since the original graphic novel is more in detail of how the Minutemen was formed and disbanded. Part of the script's flaws is some lack of detail, back story on some of the characters, and the fact that some audiences might find the story to be too dense. It's not a proto-typical kind of superhero, comic-book action film but far more darker and more adult. It's really about a group of individuals dealing with retirement, their own humanity or lack thereof, and ambitions amidst the troubled state of the world. The writers do take credit in creating something that is entertaining but also faithful to what Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons wanted in the book.

Director Zack Snyder, who had done a brilliant job with his take on Frank Miller's 300 manages to succeed with the look and visual palette of Watchmen. With help from the novel's illustrator Dave Gibbons, Snyder does faithfully use images from the comics for its compositions of the film as if the novel came to life. Snyder's faithfulness is honorable though there's a few moments he doesn't get right. There's a few anachronisms in the film in its appliances and famous people seen throughout that might baffle a few people. Snyder does get the story going in giving people a break from the action for the drama where it doesn't drag nor its two-hour, forty-three minute running time feel very slow.

Snyder's direction is very stylish where he does the slow-fast edits like he did in 300 but not overtly while not lightening things up in terms of the sex and violence. The sex is though playful and sexy in its scenes involving Laurie Juspeczyk and Daniel Dreiberg which includes a comical moment from the book. At the same time, Snyder does make sure that audiences get to see Dr. Manhattan's scrotum since he's naked throughout though it's really all CGI. Then there's violence which is quite graphic as broken bones are heard, lots of blood, and such that goes on. There's things that are quite shocking but it's true to what Alan Moore wanted as well as the nature of its characters, notably the Comedian who is the kind of gung-ho American at its worst and distasteful. The film's ending is altered in a major way though its intentions in relation to the original ending in the novel is still intact. Overall, despite the flaws the film has, Zack Snyder does create a faithful version of the book with its colorful images and dark tone.

Cinematographer Larry Fong does a fantastic job with the film's look in relation to the novel. With the look being close to the graphic novel, Fong's cinematography is not filled with a lot of heavy lights as it relies on dark colors and lots of shading. It's a film that is meant to look bleak yet colorful as it also moves along with the action and apocalyptical tone. Editor William Hoy does great work with the editing as it's stylized with fast cuts for the action along with slow-motion moments that later becomes fast for some of the fight scenes. At the same time, the cutting doesn't move very slow for its long running time as it does a serviceable job for its pacing and feel.

Production designer Alex McDowell along with set decorator Jim Erickson and supervising art director Francois Audouy is superb in its look of New York City, though shot in Vancouver, along with its interior sets and places. Particularly the building of Adrian Veidt that he works along with his Antarctica base and the homes of Dreiberg and his basement filled with gadgets and such. Notably the Owlship he has called Archie that's filled with gadgets and such. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson does a great job with the costumes with the latex look of Silk Spectre II that is sexy along with Nite Owl II's costumes that looks a bit like Batman. The suit of Ozymandias is kind of ridiculous since it has nipples which is meant to look silly while Rorschach and the Comedian are more gritty. Yet, the look of the Minutemen are spectacular in its 1940s design and such.

Makeup artist Emanuela Daus along with her team do an excellent job with the fake hair that Jackie Earle Haley wears as his true identity along with the look of Adrian Veidt and Laurie Juspeczyk. Yet, the look of Richard Nixon (Robert Wisden) does look a bit ridiculous while the make-up on Carla Gugino as her older version of Sally Jupiter is sub-par at best. The visual effects by supervisors Dennis Jones and Peter G. Travers is phenomenal with the look of Dr. Manhattan, the blot-movements of Rorschach's mask, and Dr. Manhattan's home at Mars. The visual effects are the real technical highlight of the film. The sound by sound editor Scott Hecker and designers Rick Hromadka and Jeremy Pierson are excellent in the way broken bones are heard. The atmosphere that goes on in the city and the way the Owlship moves and sounds. Hecker's work in the editing of Rorschach's narration is great along with its mixing to give the film a noir-like feel as the sound is masterfully brilliant.

The music score by Tyler Bates is very good in melodic-driven piece of keyboards and guitars for its drama and action. Yet, its soundtrack is mostly dominated by several music pieces that features Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changin' in the opening credits plus stuff from Jimi Hendrix, Nena, Tears for Fears, Janis Joplin, Simon & Garfunkel, KC & the Sunshine Band, and a comical use of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah in one of the film's funny moments. Played in the closing credits is another Dylan song Desolation Row that's performed in a punk-style by My Chemical Romance yet the greatest piece of music played on film is from Phillip Glass in the Jon Osterman-Dr. Manhattan sequence from Glass' score of 1983 Godfrey Reggio cult film Koyanniqatsi.

The casting by Kristy Carlson is excellent with appearances from people playing celebrities and political figures like David Bowie, Mick Jagger, photographer Annie Lebovitz, Lee Iacocca, Fidel Castro, and as Henry Kissinger, Frank Novak. Other memorable appearances as famous people are Ron Fassler as Ted Koppel and Robert Wisden as Richard Nixon who is good though why didn't anyone ask Dan Hedaya to play the role since he was the best Richard Nixon in the 1999 comedy Dick. Small appearances from Zack Snyder's son Eli as the young Rorschach while appearing as the original minute men are Apollonia Vanova as Silhouette, Daryll Scheelar as Captain Metropolis, Dan Payne as Dollar Bill, Niall Matter as Mothman, Glenn Ennis as Hooded Justice, and Clint Carelton as the young Hollis Mason/Nite Owl.

Other small roles like Ron LaBelle as Osterman's former colleague Wally Weaver and Nhi Do as a Vietnamese girl who fights the Comedian are memorable while it's Laura Mennell who is good as Janey Slater. Stephen McHattie, who previously appeared in 300 is very good as Hollis Mason, the original Nite Owl who retires only to have conversations with Daniel Dreiberg. Matt Frewer is excellent as Moloch, a retired villain who reveals to Rorschach of what he knows about the Comedian's state of mind. Carla Gugino is excellent as Sally Jupiter, the original Silk Spectre who is now retired as she talks about Edward Blake while dealing with Laurie's anger towards her.

Malin Akerman is pretty good as Laurie Juspeczyk aka Silk Spectre II. Though Akerman has the look and body of Silk Spectre, her acting isn't entirely great though serviceable for her character. Akerman does embody the angst and sweetness of Laurie as she's dealing with her mother and Dr. Manhattan while finding solace and comfort in Daniel Dreiberg. Patrick Wilson is also good as Daniel Dreiberg aka Nite Owl II as he plays this somewhat bland, mild-mannered guy who is afraid of being the Nite Owl yet can't escape from it. Wilson does bring a nice-guy complexity while also proving he can be tough as he has wonderful chemistry with Akerman. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is great as Edward Blake aka the Comedian, an immoral, violent, and unpredictable man who'll kill anything for the government only to have his violent past caught up to him. Morgan sells the character with great bravado and charisma while bringing depth to the character as he deals with guilt and regret.

Matthew Goode is excellent as Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias, a former vigilante turned billionaire who is more concerned about his own image while finding ways to save the world with the help of Dr. Manhattan. Goode's performance is definitely the least charismatic and most restrained of the cast as he stands out for being the one in control. Billy Crudup is amazing as Dr. Manhattan, an ordinary man turned into a superhuman of sorts only to become detached in his state as he is mostly devoid of emotion. Crudup rarely has scenes where he's emotional as his character is definitely very interesting as someone who lost interest in humanity while focused on dealing with logic.

The film's best performance is Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach, the masked vigilante who refuses to quit his job as he investigates the Comedian's death. Haley, though mostly masked in the film is the most interesting as he has this raspy voice in his character while being the film's narrator throughout the film. Haley's face when he's unmasked is truly devoid of emotion mostly as he's just stoned-face and plays it cool. Haley is really the heart of the film as he brings more than enough into why Rorschach is the most beloved character of Watchmen, novel or film.

While it's not the famed novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, the film version of Watchmen is still an excellent film from Zack Snyder. With an excellent cast led by Jackie Earle Haley, the film is very faithful to the famed graphic novel while providing new territory for the superhero film genre. Fans of the book will be happy that it's faithful while will understandably be upset of what got cut from the transition from book to film. Audiences of superhero films will be entertained though its complex story might be too much for some as well as its two-hour, forty-three minute time length. This is definitely not a film for kids, especially for its adult themes, graphic violence, and sexual content. In the end, though it's not a perfect film, Watchmen is still an entertaining, provocative, and ambitious film from Zack Snyder and company.

Zack Snyder Films: (Dawn of the Dead (2004)) - 300 - (Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole) - Sucker Punch - Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Justice League - Zack Snyder's Justice League - (Army of the Dead) - Rebel Moon

(C) thevoid99 2011