Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

 

Based on the comics/animated TV series created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the story of four mutant turtles with martial arts skill who go undercover to hunt down a mysterious crime syndicate that is terrorizing New York City where they deal with other mutants causing mayhem. Directed by Jeff Rowe and screenplay by Rowe, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit from a story by Rogen, Goldberg, Rowe, and Brendan O’Brien, the animated film is a reboot of the film/TV series that is set in a modern world with an array of different animation style as it plays into these four teenage turtles trying to find themselves but also use their skills to make the world a better place. Featuring the voices of Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon as the titular characters along with Seth Rogen, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Ice Cube, Hannibal Burress, Paul Rudd, and Jackie Chan as Splinter. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is an exhilarating and ravishing film from Jeff Rowe.

The film revolves around a series of thefts committed by a mysterious figure where four teenage mutant ninja turtles find themselves battling this mysterious figure as well as trying to be accepted despite the fact that they’re mutants and their adopted father in a mutated rat in Splinter warns them about humans. It is a film that plays into that these four teenage turtles who want to be part of the world even though they’ve been trained by Splinter in the art of ninjitsu in order to get things from the outside world. Still, there is chaos looming throughout New York City as it relates to a mutagen that was developed by a scientist working for a mysterious corporation as it would play not just how the turtles and Splinter would be mutated but also a mysterious figure known as Superfly (Ice Cube) who would hire thugs to steal things and then kill them as they would be witnesses. The film’s screenplay is largely straightforward with a few backstory as it relates to Splinter, the turtles, Superfly, and his gang while it also play into what is at stake as well as these four turtles who all want to be part of the world and be accepted.

Notably as the turtles themselves are teenagers with different personalities that all want to be in the world as Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) is sort of the leader of the group but is also awkward and unsure of himself. Raphael (Brady Noon) is brash and sarcastic but is also full of energy and aggression that he needed to let out. Donatello (Micah Abbey) is the nerdy one who knows how to work tech while also wears glasses. Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) is the goofball in the group who is good at improvising while also wanting to party. Superfly was someone that was cared for by the scientist Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) along with other creatures until he was attacked by the corporation he was working for lead by Cynthia Utrom (Maya Rudolph) who wants to weaponized the mutagen for her own reasons as the opening scene is about her gang attacking Stockman with a mutagen canister falling into a sewer on Splinter and these four young turtles. Yet, it was Superfly who would save other animals that were being mutated as they would be part of a gang as they would meet the turtles and realize that Superfly’s plans in dealing with humans might not be the right thing to do. Even April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) who would meet the turtles after retrieving her scooter as she sees their intention as well a story she is trying to cover in her high school despite a disastrous moment in her attempt to be a news journalist.

Jeff Rowe’s direction is definitely wondrous for not just its story but also a look that is unlike a lot of animated films as it aims for a look that is crude, unpolished, and at times were drawn by children. Yet, it works because it not only adds to the tone of the film but also this world that is off-kilter at times while a lot of its look plays to the fact that it is a film about teenage turtles who are dealing with growing pains but also this need to connect with a world they’ve been sheltered in. With help from co-director Kyler Spears and an immense team of animators that include character designers James A. Castillo, Justin Runfola, and Woodrow White. Rowe would maintain a look and feel to the film as it play into not just the grittiness of New York City but also in the sewers the attention to detail in how it looks thanks in part to the work of production designer Yashar Kassai, along with art directors Arthur Fong and Tiffany Lam in maintaining that look. Even with the work of cinematographer Kent Seki in the lighting as well as the visual effects work of Chris Kazmier and Matthieu Rouxel to help play out the look including the design of the mutants.

Rowe’s direction also has these unique compositions in the close-ups and medium shots as it relates to the turtles and their desire to connect with the world as there’s a scene of them watching a bunch of people watching a scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. There are also some unique wide shots that includes the film’s climax which is grand in terms of what the turtles have to face as it plays into Superfly’s own plans to destroy humanity. Rowe would maintain a massive canvas for the climax as it plays into what is at stake but also what the turtles have to do as they not only get some life lessons about acceptance as well as doing the right thing. Overall, Rowe and Spears craft a riveting and imaginative film about four teenage mutant ninja turtles trying to fit in with the human world as well as take down some bad guys.

Editor Greg Levitan does amazing work with the editing with its fast-cutting style for some of the action and fight scenes but allows shots to reveal what is going on along with stylish moments such as a montage sequence of each turtle fighting bad guys is a highlight of the film. Sound editor Mark A. Mangini does fantastic work with the sound in some of the sound effects for the weapons as well as some of the tech characters use. The film’s music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is phenomenal with its electronic-based score ranging from pulsating, industrial-based themes to some low-key yet plaintive piano-based bits as it is a major highlight of the film. Music supervisor Gabe Hilfer does excellent work in cultivating the film’s soundtrack that largely features 80s/90s hip-hop and other music with contributions from Blackstreet with Dr. Dre and Queen Pen, Wayne Newton, M.O.P., A Tribe Called Quest, BTS, Bobby Vinton, Natasha Bedingfield, Vanilla Ice, Liquid Liquid, De La Soul, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Gucci Mane with Bruno Mars and Kodak Black, ESG, Hugh Masekela, and variations of the 4 Non Blondes song What's Up? that includes a famous remix made for He-Man.

The casting by Rich Delia is great as it features some notable voice cameos from comic creator Kevin Eastman as a human in the film’s climax, Alex Hirsch in a dual role as the voice of a mutated cockroach in Scumbug and a small crime boss who is hired by Superfly, Michael Badalucco as another local crime boss hired by Superfly, Andia Winslow as a TV news anchor, Raechel Wong as a TV news reporter on the scene during the film’s climax, and Giancarlo Esposito in a small but crucial role as the scientist Baxter Stockman who created a mutagen in order to create something unique rather than use it as a weapon Other notable voice performances as members of Superfly’s gang include Hannibal Burress as Genghis Frog, Austin Post/Post Malone as the mutant manta ray known as Ray Fillet, and Natasia Demetriou as the mutant bat Wingnut as they all get the chance to stand out and be funny. The voice contributions of Rose Byrne, John Cena, Seth Rogen, and Paul Rudd in their respective roles as Superfly’s gang members in Leatherhead, Rocksteady, Bebop, and Mondo Gecko are a joy to watch in how they bring in a lot of nuances and humor to the roles with Rudd being the standout as Gecko who seems to find a friend in Michelangelo.

Maya Rudolph and Ice Cube are excellent in their respective roles as the antagonists Cynthia Utrom and Superfly with the former being a corporate executive who wants to weaponized the mutagen as she sees the turtles as a threat while the latter is a more complex individual who is protective of his family but also has some valid reasons into his own hatred for humanity though his plans prove to be extreme for some. Ayo Edebiri is amazing as April O’Neil as high school student who wants to be a reporter as well as becoming the first human friend of the turtles with Edebiri also bringing a lot of charisma to a character that is often sexualized in films as she is presented as a street-smart African-American high school student as it feels fresh. Jackie Chan is brilliant as Splinter as a rat who also becomes mutated by the mutagen ooze as he teaches his turtles ninjitsu but also warns them about not going into the human world due to his own prejudice towards humanity until he would discover about Superfly and his own intentions where he does what he can to make his adopted sons happy.

Finally, there’s the quartet of Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Micah Abbey, and Shamon Brown Jr. in incredible voice performances as Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. Rather than having adult actors voice teenagers, the casting of actual teenagers to play these teenage turtles as they all bring this sense of energy but also a realism that adds to the performance as the kids who are just trying to find themselves. Notably as Cantu, Noon, Abbey, and Brown were able to provide a sense of personality and charisma to their respective characters as they are a major highlight of the film.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a sensational film from Jeff Rowe. Featuring a great ensemble cast, inventive animation, a compelling story on the desire to be accepted, gorgeous visuals, and an incredible music score. The film is definitely an animated film that manages to be more than just a fun action-adventure film but also a compelling coming of age film that also has references to past films from other franchises relating to these turtles. In the end, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a phenomenal film from Jeff Rowe.

Related: (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 film)) – (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze) – (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III) – (TMNT (2007 film)) – (The Mitchells vs. the Machines) – (null 16)

© thevoid99 2023

Licorice Pizza

 

Written, directed, and co-shot by Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza is a coming-of-age story about a child actor in his mid-teens who falls for a young woman in her mid-20s as they deal with growing pains and other things in the San Fernando Valley in the early 1970s. The film is look into the life of a young man and a young woman as they meet an assortment of characters in that time as they also deal with themselves and other things during a tumultuous time in California. Starring Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Benny Safdie, and Bradley Cooper. Licorice Pizza is a rapturous and exhilarating film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

Set in the San Fernando Valley in 1973, the film revolves around the relationship of a 15-year old child actor who meets a 25-year old woman at a yearbook photo shoot as they become friends and business partners through many ventures as they also encounter many misadventures and an assortment of characters during their journey. It is a film that is partially based on the real-life story of film producer Gary Goetzman who was a child actor in real life as well as being a young businessman where Paul Thomas Anderson uses Goetzman’s story to not just explore a young man dealing with growing pains and first love but also a young woman trying to find herself. Anderson’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it follows the many misadventures of the 15-year old Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) and the 25-year old Alana Kane (Alana Haim) who meet each other at the former’s high school for a yearbook photoshoot that the latter is working at.

The two take a liking to each other with Kane chaperoning Valentine for a show in New York City as well as assist him on some business ventures he has ideas for as the first one involves selling waterbeds. Yet, Kane being an adult and Valentine being immature causes tension with Valentine takes interest in other girls including Kane while he would take her to acting auditions as she is opening to doing nude scenes which upsets Valentine. The script doesn’t just play into the relationship but also their encounters with famous people and such during that period including an aging film star in Jack Holden (Sean Penn), a crazy filmmaker in Rex Blau (Tom Waits), the film producer Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper), and the politician Joel Wachs (Benny Safdie) as they’re all based on real people with Peters and Wachs actually being real people. These encounters as well as the ambitions they have would also play into their own growing pains with Valentine being really naïve about his views of the world while Kane becomes aware of the gas crisis of that year that would majorly affect Valentine’s waterbed business.

Anderson’s direction is definitely stylish in the way he portrays the San Fernando Valley and its many areas as they are characters in the film yet it is a look at a time when things were simpler but also crazy. Shot on location in Encino, California with locations shot in and around areas in the San Fernando Valley, Anderson definitely uses a lot of wide and medium shots to get a scope of these locations while shooting in either actual locations of some restaurants or in places that were once there but have been recreated to capture that period that is the early 1970s. There is also an intimacy in Anderson’s direction where he does use close-ups whether it is to play into a character’s face or to play into the desire of a character such as a scene where Kane and Valentine are lying on a waterbed where the latter is looking at Kane and is thinking about doing something that she wouldn’t approve of as she is sleeping.

There are also scenes that do play into the culture including meetings with the owner of a Japanese sushi restaurant in Jerry Frick (John Michael Higgins) who would often talk to his wife in a bad Japanese accent to speak English to whomever he was married to at the time as Anderson definitely focuses on that man’s wife to show her discomfort. With co-cinematographer Michael Bauman, Anderson shoots the film on 35mm with camera lenses dating back to the 1970s to create this feel of the 1970s as there are a lot of colors for and grain for much of the scenes set at night outside including moments where there are little lighting in the film. Notably in some of the tracking shots he creates as it play into the atmosphere of some of the places the characters go to. Anderson definitely showcase this air of reality into the gas crisis of 1973 as everyone is affected including someone like Jon Peters who was then the boyfriend of Barbra Streisand as he’s just fucking insane. There are also a lot of these things as it relates to Kane and Valentine’s relationship where it is taboo considering that the latter is a minor yet he’s the one that is pining for the former who is aware that the idea of them having a relationship is wrong yet she also has feelings for him.

The film’s third act definitely play into the flaws of their relationship as it relates to the world of politics which Kane is interested in yet Valentine isn’t in favor of wanting to do something else that involves money. It doesn’t just show the interests of young people but also two people who are forced to face reality about the worlds they’re in as it proves that they need each other. Even as they realize that they’re still young as they live in a world that is ever-changing with adults who don’t have their shit together. Overall, Anderson crafts a majestic yet intoxicating film about two young people trying to find themselves in the San Fernando Valley in 1973.

Editor Andy Jurgensen does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts and a few montages that play into memories or ideas the protagonists have. Production designer Florencia Martin, with set decorator Ryan Watson and art director Samantha Englender, does amazing work with the look of some of the restaurants the characters go to as well as a gathering where a bunch of kids try to sell things and other stuff. Costume designer Mark Bridges does brilliant work with the costumes from the casual clothes some of the characters wear including jeans and shirts as well as some of the stylish clothes that both Kane and Valentine wear. Hair designer Lori Guidrox and makeup designer Heba Thorisdottir do fantastic work with the look of the characters including Jon Peters with his stylish hair as it play into his over-the-top persona.

Special effects supervisor Elia P. Popov and visual effects supervisor Laura J. Hill do nice work with some of the visual effects which is largely set dressing for some exterior scenes as well as a major scene involving a motorcycle stunt. Sound editors David Acord and Christopher Scarabosio do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the way certain things sound from afar. The film’s music by Jonny Greenwood is incredible for its low-key orchestral based score that is used sparingly that also include covers of a few songs while music supervisor Linda Cohen creates a music soundtrack that features an array of music from the 60s and 70s that include David Bowie, Sonny & Cher, the Doors, Gordon Lightfoot, Todd Rundgren, Nina Simone, Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman, Chuck Berry with the Steve Miller Band, Paul McCartney and Wings, Seals and Croft, Donovan with the Jeff Beck Group, the James Gang, Blood, Sweat, & Tears, Taj Mahal, Mason Williams, the Congregation, Chico Hamilton Quintet with Buddy Collette, and Clarence Carter.

The casting by Cassandra Kulukundis is marvelous as it feature appearances and cameos from John C. Reilly as Fred Gwynne playing Herman Munster at a convention, Ryan Heffington as Peters’ assistant Steve who really works for Barbra Streisand, Emma Dumont as a stewardess named Brenda, Milo Herschlag as Valentine’s younger brother Greg, James Kelley as a fellow child actor in Tim, Tim Conway Jr. as a casting director, Maya Rudolph as the casting director’s assistant Gale, Destry Allyn Spielberg as a Japanese restaurant waitress who had a fling with Valentine, Isabelle Kusman as a young girl named Sue Valentine meets at the opening of his waterbed shop, Iyana Halley as a wig shop clerk, George DiCaprio (Leonardo’s dad) as a wig shop owner who introduces Valentine to the waterbed, Jon Beavers as a creepy guy late in the film, Nate Mann as a political volunteer that Kane befriends, Joseph Cross as Wachs’ dinner guest, Yumi Mizui and Megumi Anjo as Frick’s Japanese wives whom he speaks in a bad Japanese accent towards them, Ray Chase as the KMET radio deejay B. Mitchell Reed, Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Valentine’s mother who manages his career, and Skyler Gisondo as a child actor in Lance whom Alana briefly dates until an awkward dinner with her family.

The performances of Moti Haim, Donna Haim, Este Haim, and Danielle Haim in their respective roles as Kane’s parents and Kane’s older sisters are fun to watch with Moti being the cantankerous father who often spouts profanity. Harriet Sansom Harris is fantastic in her one-scene performance as Valentine’s agent Mary Grady who interviews Alana as a favor for Valentine where she takes a liking to her. John Michael Higgins is terrific as the Mikado Restaurant owner Jerry Frick who does business with Valentine often talks to his Japanese wives in a racist accent that often brings a look of discomfort to whomever he is married to. Christine Ebersole is superb as Lucy Doolittle as a major TV star that is inspired by Lucille Ball who makes an appearance at a show in New York City where she definitely has issues with Valentine who humiliates her on TV as she wanted to kill him. Benny Safdie is excellent as the real-life politician Joel Wachs as a man filled with ideals that appeal to Kane yet is someone that has secrets of his own which were taboo at that time.

Tom Waits is brilliant as Rex Blau as a filmmaker based on Mark Robson who is a friend of Jack Holden as he would help stage a stunt that Holden used to do where Waits brings that sense of charisma and command as a man who knows how to get people’s attention. Bradley Cooper is incredible in an over-the-top yet spot-on performance as the famed film producer Jon Peters who was then Barbra Streisand’s boyfriend/hairdresser as a figure of masculinity who threatens Valentine on the job he is to do while also being a buffoon of sorts who is just trying to be cool. Sean Penn is amazing as Jack Holden as an aging film actor based on William Holden who does an audition with Kane and tries to get her to take part in a stunt that he did in a film with Blau as Penn does bring that sense of old Hollywood that clashes with the New Hollywood that was happening at the time.

Finally, there’s the duo of Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in tremendous debut performances in their respective roles of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine. Haim’s performance is full of energy as a young woman that is still trying to find herself where she would aid Valentine in a bunch of things where she is put into humiliating situations while reminds herself that he’s still a kid. Hoffman’s performance also exudes energy as someone who is enthusiastic and has a lot of charm to get what he wants but is still a teenager who is indifferent to the realities of the world of around him as he has trouble coping with that reality whenever he fails. Haim and Hoffman together are a joy to watch in not just the chemistry they have but also in the mixture of humor and drama they bring to their roles and the situations they’re in as they are a major highlight of the film.

Licorice Pizza is a magnificent film from Paul Thomas Anderson that features great leading break-out performances from Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, exploration of growing pains, dazzling visuals, offbeat humor, and a sumptuous music soundtrack. The film is a fascinating coming-of-age story that play into the relationship of two young people who are both trying to find themselves during a crazy year in the San Fernando Valley while encountering people and worlds that are strange and entrancing. In the end, Licorice Pizza is an outstanding film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

P.T. Anderson Films: Hard Eight/Sydney - Boogie Nights - Magnolia - Punch-Drunk Love - There Will Be Blood - The Master (2012 film) - Inherent Vice - Junun - Phantom Thread - One Battle After Another

Related: The Shorts & Videos of P.T. Anderson - The Auteurs #15: Paul Thomas Anderson

© thevoid99 2022

Maggie's Plan

Written and directed by Rebecca Miller from a story by Karen Rinaldi, Maggie’s Plan is the story of a woman who falls in love with a married man only for things go wrong years later as she schemes to get him back to his ex-wife. The film is a romantic comedy of sorts as it plays into a woman who put herself into a situation only to find herself in serious trouble as she becomes part of a messy love triangle. Starring Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Travis Fimmel, Wallace Shawn, and Julianne Moore. Maggie’s Plan is a witty and whimsical film from Rebecca Miller.

The film follows a young woman who meets a writer as they fall in love despite the fact that he’s married to a college professor as they would later marry and have a child only for the marriage to lose its luster where the woman believes her husband is hung up on his ex-wife. It’s a film that explores a woman’s desire to wanting to become a mother only for her plans to just have a child without any emotional attachments to the father only for things to not exactly go her way. Rebecca Miller’s screenplay follows the titular protagonist (Greta Gerwig) who works at the New School in New York City where she’s the director of business development and outreach for the art and design students as she would meet another person at the school in John Harding (Ethan Hawke) over a bill where they have somewhat similar last names as Maggie’s surname is Hardin. Learning that Harding is working on a novelist and married to the famed writer Georgette Norgaard (Julianne Moore) who tenures at Columbia University.

Maggie and Harding befriend one another due to the former’s interest towards the latter’s novel as they suddenly begin an affair where the story moves three years later where they have a daughter named Lily (Ida Rohatyn). Yet, things become complicated as their relationship has hit a funk where Harding would help his ex-wife over business deals with Maggie watching over her teenage stepdaughter Justine (Mina Sundwall) and stepson Paul (Jackson Frazer). Maggie is convinced her relationship with Harding is going to end in divorce where she meets Norgaard about the idea of her getting back with Harding. It all play into Maggie’s need to control the situations as well as reclaim some idea of individuality as she often had to cancel meetings in her job and do all of the things that a mother does with Harding often too consumed with his own work and such. Norgaard is reluctant at first about Maggie’s plan as she’s still got issues with Maggie over her affair with Harding but also realizes that she still has feelings for her ex-husband.

Miller’s direction is straightforward in terms of the compositions and setting as it is shot largely in New York City during the winter as well as locations at upstate New York as Quebec. While there are some wide shots in some scenes, much of Miller’s direction rely on close-ups and medium shots as it relates to the characters interacting with one another. Even in scenes that are lightly comical as it relates to Maggie being with her friends including a man named Guy (Travis Fimmel) whom she originally wanted to impregnate her by donating his sperm. It’s among the lightly-comical moments that include the night Maggie tries to use Guy’s sperm to impregnate herself where Harding has rung the intercom to meet her as it would play into some silliness. 

The scenes that showcases Harding’s marriage to Norgaard display that air of inequality where Norgaard is presented as someone that might seem pretentious yet she is revealed to be someone that is an intellectual but with a chip on her shoulder. In the film’s third act, it does become dramatic as it relates to Maggie and Harding yet would have an air of humor in the growing friendship between Maggie and Norgaard as Miller would show the two having common ground as well as create something together that would benefit everyone. Overall, Miller crafts a charming and enjoyable film about a woman’s scheme to get her husband back with his ex-wife that would eventually cause chaos in her own life.

Cinematographer Sam Levy does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward for its exterior look including the scenes set in Quebec that includes its low-key lighting for the interior scenes at night. Editor Sabine Hoffman does terrific work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few jump-cuts and montages with the latter playing into Maggie’s relationship with Harding early in the film. Production designer Alexandra Schiller, with set decorator Kendall Anderson and art director Brian Goodwin, does fantastic work with the look of the apartments the characters live in from the posh-look of Norgaard to the more Bohemian look of Maggie when she lives with Harding.

Costume designer Malgosia Turzanska does nice work with the costumes as it has a sense of style from the colorful look of Maggie to the more posh look of Norgaard. Sound editor Marlena Grzaslewicz does superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the hotel in Quebec to the exteriors of New York City. The film’s music by Michael Rohatyn is wonderful for its low-key score that mixes folk and indie music to play into the world of New York City while music supervisor Adam Horowitz provide a mix of music from reggae to rock.

The casting by Cindy Tolan is great as it feature some notable small roles from Wallace Shawn as a Q&A interviewer for Norgaard and Harding early in the film, Kathleen Hanna as a singer at an inn in Quebec, Ida Rohatyn as John and Maggie’s daughter Lily, Jackson Frazer as John and Georgette’s son Paul, and Mina Sundwall as John and Georgette’s teenage daughter Justine who is wondering why her dad is eating with her mom. Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph are superb in their respective roles as Tony and Felicia as friends of Maggie who have a family of their own as they’re concerned about her scheme with Tony being uncomfortable with the situation. Travis Fimmel is terrific as Guy as a friend of Maggie who makes and sells pickles as she wants him to donate his sperm to her only for things to not happen. Ethan Hawke is excellent as John Harding as a college professor for the New School that is trying to create a novel yet often neglects his parental duties and still has feelings for Georgette unaware of what he’s doing to Maggie.

Julianne Moore is incredible as Georgette Norgaard as a Danish intellectual/writer who is also a professor at Columbia University as she has some resentment and anger towards her ex-husband yet still has feelings for him where she would go along with Maggie’s plan only to befriend Maggie as it’s a charming performance from Moore. Finally, there’s Greta Gerwig in a remarkable performance as Maggie Hardin as a director for the New School who is eager to have a child where things don’t go as planned as she tries to take control of the situation in getting her husband back with his ex-wife only to realize her faults and accept about the way things are.

Maggie’s Plan is a marvelous film from Rebecca Miller that features great performances from Greta Gerwig and Julianne Moore. Along with its supporting cast and a witty story of a complicated love triangle, it’s a film that manages to bring something new to the romantic-comedy genre while being a woman’s film in its exploration for them to find their place in the world. In the end, Maggie’s Plan is a brilliant film from Rebecca Miller.

Rebecca Miller Films: (Angela (1995 film)) – Personal Velocity: Three Portraits - The Ballad of Jack and Rose - The Private Lives of Pippa Lee - Arthur Miller: Writer

© thevoid99 2018

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone and written and starring Schaffer, Taccone, and Andy Samberg, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is the story of a pop music artist who embarks on a world tour to promote his second album where everything goes wrong as he struggles with trying to be successful and popular. The film is told in a mockumentary fashion as it follows the life of a pop star who shares too much of himself as he does whatever he can to sell records and be in the spotlight unaware of the chaos he’s creating. Also starring Imogen Poots, Sarah Silverman, Joan Cusack, Maya Rudolph, Chris Redd, and Tim Meadows. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a hilarious and outlandish film from Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone.

The film is told in a documentary fashion about the pop star Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) and the release of his sophomore solo release Connquest and its world tour as his attempts to be a bigger star and stay away from the shadow of his old group the Style Boyz. Yet, Conner4Real would endure not failure but also becoming desperate to be in the limelight where he would lose sight of things. Even as he would take part in publicity stunts that went wrong while his opening act in the hip-hop artist Hunter the Hungry (Chris Redd) would overshadow him and more. The film’s screenplay by the Lonely Island trio of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone doesn’t just play into the world of pop stardom where the individual is too open with his fans but is also so keen on becoming everything to all people that he’s kind of lost touch with reality.

Especially as there are people who are more interested in a Style Boyz reunion but Conner4Real refuses even though he has his former Style Boyz bandmate Owen (Jorma Taccone) as his DJ. The script’s narrative kind of moves back and forth with interviews from real musicians and other celebrity personalities with some such as Nas talk about how great the Style Boyz were and what broke them up as it relates to Conner becoming a bigger star than Owen and the band’s lyricist Lawrence (Akiva Schaffer) as the latter leaves the industry to become a farmer. The film also play into things that Conner does that are outlandish in his attempt to stay in the limelight as his goal is to perform at a pop music awards show.

The film’s direction by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone is quite straightforward where it does play into conventional aesthetics of a documentary but it’s also not afraid to make fun of everything that is happening. Much of the compositions in the film are straightforward where they also use cellphones as cameras to play into the extreme openness of Conner. The concert scenes definitely have these massive wide and medium shots into how big Conner’s shows are but also have this element of being bloated to express Conner’s own ego and willingness to entertain as it makes fun of the many trends in contemporary music which also include Owen wearing some big prop on his head like other EDM artists. The film also has scenes where it makes fun of publicity stunts and other things where it does have an element of realism that is exaggerated but all for its humor. Especially as it goes into some offbeat moments as well as providing some satire such as a spoof on the celebrity news program TMZ as a lot of it is smacked on. Overall, Schaffer and Taccone create a fun and whimsical comedy about a pop star dealing with failure and his own ego.

Cinematographer Brandon Trost does excellent work with the cinematography as it is largely straightforward with some unique lighting for the concert scenes as well as some of the scenes set at night. Editors Jamie Gross, Craig Alpert, and Stacey Schroeder do terrific work with the editing as it largely feature some montage cutting into Conner‘s rise into stardom and some of the antics he does as well as some jump-cuts that are kind of common with documentaries. Production designer Jon Billington, with set decorator Lori Mazuer and art director Ramsey Avery, does amazing work with the look of the stage that Conner performs at with all of its lights and props as well as his tour bus and lavish mansion.

Visual effects supervisor David Niednagel does nice work with some of the visual effects that include some holograms and other weird shit that Conner uses for his shows. Sound editor George H. Anderson does superb work with the sound in the way the crowd sounds for the shows including that one fan at the upper deck during a non-sell out show. The film’s music score by Matthew Compton is wonderful as it is mostly low-key electronic music while music supervisors George Drakoulias and Randall Poster provided a soundtrack filled with pop and hip-hop include many original songs by the Lonely Island as music for Conner4Real, the Style Boyz, Hunter the Hungry, and other fictional performers.

The casting by Allison Jones is great as it feature some notable small roles and cameos from Danny Strong as a member of Conner’s entourage who is shorter than him, Joanna Newsome as Conner’s steam punk doctor, Bill Hader as a guitar tech, Will Forte as a bagpipes player, Will Arnett as a TMZ reporter, Kevin Nealon as a photographer, Ashley Moore as Conner’s personal assistant, James Buckley as a member of Conner’s entourage, and Weird Al Yankovic as a heavy metal singer. Other cameos with people playing themselves include Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Nas, Questlove, Jimmy Fallon, Snoop Dogg, Seal, Ringo Starr, Carrie Underwood, Usher, Pharrell Williams, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, Win Butler and Regine Chassagne of Arcade Fire, RZA, and the Roots.

Joan Cusack is wonderful as Conner’s mother who joins the tour early on as well as be the one to give him his beloved turtle Maximus as a child. Imogen Poots is fantastic as Conner’s movie star girlfriend Ashley Wednesday as someone who goes along for the ride until a marriage proposal publicity stunt goes horribly wrong. Maya Rudolph is superb in her small role as Deborah as an executive for an appliance manufacturer that would sponsor Conner’s tour until a stunt to launch the tour goes wrong. Chris Redd is excellent as Hunter the Hungry as a brash up-and-coming rapper who becomes Conner’s opening act that started off as an ally only to overshadow and humiliate him. Sarah Silverman is brilliant as Conner’s publicist Paula Klein who tries to do whatever she can to get Conner for an appearance at an awards show while being a conscience of sorts who is aware that things aren’t going well. Tim Meadows is amazing as Conner’s manager Harry who also managed the Style Boyz and was a former member of Tony Toni Tone` that is trying to deal with the business and what is happening with Conner and the tour.

Akiva Schaffer is hilarious as Lawrence as a former member/lyricist of the Style Boyz who becomes a farmer as he feels underappreciated for his work while thinks Conner is going the wrong way with the music. Jorma Taccone is terrific as Owen as another former member of the Style Boyz who is Conner’s DJ that is trying to cope with the extravagance of the tour while being the one true friend that Conner has. Finally, there’s Andy Samberg in an incredible performance as Conner Friel/Conner4Real as a pop star who is embarking on a world tour for his second album unaware of how bad the record is as well as surrounding himself with too many people who aren’t honest with him as he loses touch with reality and literally exposes himself in the worst ways as it’s just so funny to watch.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is marvelous film from Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone that is a spot-on spoof on the extravagant world of contemporary pop music. It’s a film that isn’t just entertaining filled with a great cast, funny cameos, and some hilarious songs but it’s also a witty satire that showcases some of the drawbacks of 21st Century stardom. In the end, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a remarkable film from Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone.

© thevoid99 2017

Big Hero 6

Based on the comic book series by Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau, Big Hero 6 is the story of a tech prodigy who creates a robot that helps him fight against a masked villain with the help of friends. Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams and screenplay by Robert L. Baird, Dan Gerson, and Jordan Roberts, the film is set in a futuristic hybrid-city of San Francisco and Tokyo where a young kid tries to learn what it means to be a hero as well as cope with loss. Featuring the voices of Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Genesis Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., Alan Tudyk, Maya Rudolph, and James Cromwell. Big Hero 6 is an exhilarating and touching film from Don Hall and Chris Williams.

Set in a futuristic city that combines San Francisco and Tokyo into a city called San Fransokyo, the film follows a 14-year old tech prodigy with little direction in life as he is encouraged by his older brother to use his talents where a tragic incident prompts the boy to become a hero and fulfill his brother’s wish to help people. It’s a film that isn’t just a boy coping with loss but also befriend a creation of his brother in an inflatable healthcare robot named Baymax (Scott Adsit) who would inspire him to do good. The film’s screenplay doesn’t just follow the young life of Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) who is this brilliant and smart kid that can create robotic stuff including micro-bots as it would be something he and Baymax would have to go against as it’s under the control of a mysterious masked villain. While Hiro and his friends do have a suspect as it relates to a tech entrepreneur in Alistair Keri (Alan Tudyk) who would give Hiro an offer for his micro-bots earlier in the film at a showcase. Yet, there are some things that become complicated as it relates to the grief Hiro has for his brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney).

The film’s direction by Don Hall and Chris Williams is definitely extraordinary for not just the setting of the film but also in creating something that bends a lot of genre but knows what it wants to be. The look of San Fransokyo is definitely a marvel as it does look and feel like a city that has its own unique style while Hall and Williams use some wide and medium shots for the locations while going for the latter in some of the intimate moments involving Hiro and Baymax. The close-ups would play into some of the emotional moments while the direction also has some humor as well as scenes that showcase Hiro’s talents along with the things Tadashi’s friends are able to do. It adds to some lavish sequences that are added with some gorgeous visuals due to the contributions of cinematographers Rob Dressel and Adolph Lusinsky in how some of the scenes at night are lit.

Aided by production designer Paul A. Felix and art director Scott Watanabe as well as visual effects supervisor Kyle Odermatt in the way some of the scenes in the sky look with Odermatt creating a very surreal sequence that occurs late in the film. There is a richness to the animation while it also leans toward the world of comic books as Hall and Williams definitely maintain that look of a comic book as the characters in the form not only are inspired by comics but also play up its sense of whimsy and adventure. Overall, Hall and Williams create a fun and heartfelt film about a young tech prodigy fulfilling his brother’s wish to do good by becoming a hero.

Editor Tim Mertens does excellent work with the editing as it has some nice rhythms to play into the action as well as in some of the humor without deviating too much into fast-cutting techniques. Sound editor/designer Shannon Mills does amazing work with the sound in creating some sound effects as well as in the way Baymax sounds. The film’s music by Henry Jackman is fantastic as it has these amazing orchestral flourishes in the strings as it play into the sense of adventure as well as in the drama and suspense as it is a highlight of the film.

The casting by Jamie Sparer Roberts is great as it feature some small yet notable voice roles from James Cromwell as a tech college professor who sees promise in Hiro’s work with micro-bots, Maya Rudolph as Hiro and Tadashi’s aunt Cass who raises them and runs a café, and Alan Tudyk as the tech guru Alistair Krei whom Hiro and Tadashi’s friends suspect as the mysterious masked villain because he wants the micro-bot tech that Hiro created. Genesis Rodriguez is wonderful as chemist wiz Honey Lemon who becomes part of the team due to her creation of powerful chemicals while Jamie Chung is fantastic as GoGo as an electromagnetic wiz who is also very athletic. Damon Wayans Jr. is superb as Wasabi as neurotic laser engineer who creates weapons involving lasers as he is also the most cautious. T.J. Miller is excellent as Fred as the school’s mascot who is the biggest comic book nerd as he is the wild card of the team.

Daniel Henney is brilliant as Tadashi as Hiro’s older brother who shows Hiro the things he can do and his ambitions where an incident would lead to his passing yet would find a way to give his younger brother some wisdom. Scott Adsit is amazing as the voice of Baymax as this robot who is this object of innocence as his object is to help people in need as a medical robot as it’s a character that is so complex where it shows something that has a lot to offer as it’s one of the most adorable and heartfelt characters in a film. Finally, there’s Ryan Potter in a marvelous performance as Hiro Hamada as a fourteen-year old robotics prodigy who deals with loss as well as a lack of direction where he is determined to solve the loss of his older brother as well as deal with growing pains as Potter’s performance is a highlight of the film.

Big Hero 6 is a phenomenal film from Don Hall and Chris Williams. Featuring some amazing imagery, top-notch art direction and animation, a great voice ensemble, and a heartfelt story about doing good and coping with loss. It’s a superhero film with heart as well as providing something much more than just being entertaining and fun. In the end, Big Hero 6 is a sensational film from Don Hall and Chris Williams.

© thevoid99 2016

A Very Murray Christmas

Directed by Sofia Coppola and written by Coppola, Bill Murray, and Mitch Glazer, A Very Murray Christmas is a musical comedy where Bill Murray hosts a Christmas special at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City as a deadly snowstorm arrives where he wonders if anyone will show up. With Murray as himself, the special is an offbeat yet lively take on the world of variety specials that is about the holidays and Murray himself. Also starring George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Paul Shaffer, Maya Rudolph, Michael Cera, David Johansen, Chris Rock, Jason Schwartzman, Jenny Lewis, Rashida Jones, Dmitri Dmitrov, Julie White, and the band Phoenix. The result is a fun and heartwarming TV special from Sofia Coppola.

It’s Christmas Eve at New York City’s Carlyle Hotel where Bill Murray is hosting a live Christmas special as the city has been hit by a snowstorm where none of the guests he wanted to have including George Clooney have arrived. Thus, the day becomes a nightmare where Murray goes into a full meltdown where he desperately tries to save his TV special while drowning his sorrows at the bar with friend and music director Paul Shaffer. Along the way, a lot of hilarity and singing ensue with those working at the bar and a few guests saddened by the snowstorm. It’s a simple story where Murray just tries to get into the Xmas spirit while dealing with talent agents, producers, and all sorts of people trying to kiss his ass. Still, there is a lot that happens where Murray and whoever is around him play songs whether it’s traditional or contemporary Xmas songs and songs that don’t fit into that mold.

Sofia Coppola’s direction is quite intimate but also gorgeous for the way she presents the rooms and bar at the Carlyle Hotel which is a character in the special. With the aid of cinematographer John Tanzer and production designer Anne Ross, Coppola ensures the low-key look of the hotel as well as provide a sense of whimsical comedy in Murray’s attempt to stage this TV special. Coppola’s usage of close-ups and medium shots maintain that sense of intimacy while many of the musical moments are either improvised or planned. With the aid of music director Paul Shaffer, the songs that are sung range from traditional songs and holiday standards along with contemporary songs that are either for the holidays or a song like Todd Rundgren’s I Saw the Light. With the aid of sound editor Max Green, the sound of noises in the kitchen and bar helps with the atmosphere as well as Sarah Flack’s editing where it is straightforward to play into what is happening.

The musical numbers that are improvisational do give the special a very lively feel where it has this sense of not knowing what is going to happen while it does have an air of fantasy where the look of it is brighter and colorful thanks to Tanzer’s stylish lighting, Flack’s upbeat editing, the art direction, and Stacey Battat’s playful costume design. It adds to what Murray would’ve wanted in his Xmas special as it sort of mocks the idea of the variety show but also have some fun with it. Even as it is all about celebrating Christmas with friends and colleagues despite all of the chaos that occurs.

The special’s cast include appearances from Dimitri Dimitrov as Murray’s assistant, Jenny Lewis as a singing waitress, the French-indie band Phoenix as chefs, David Johansen as the bartender, Maya Rudolph as the lounge singer, Amy Poehler and Julie White as Murray’s producers of the special, Jason Schwartzman and Rashida Jones as an engaged couple that were supposed to be married at the hotel, and Michael Cera as a talent agent who is desperate to have Murray as his client.

As themselves, George Clooney, Chris Rock, Miley Cyrus, and Paul Shaffer all bring their own sense of charm to their appearances with Clooney providing some nice vocals on Santa Claus Want Some Lovin’ while Rock plays a reluctant player in Murray’s attempt to revive his TV special. Finally, there’s Bill Murray who brings a very diva-esque approach to himself as someone that is just losing it over the failure of his show where he tries to get himself in the Xmas spirit where it’s Murray sort of making fun of himself and his persona while being so fun to watch.

A Very Murray Christmas is a phenomenal TV special from Sofia Coppola that is about the brilliance that is Bill Murray. Fans of the actor will no doubt get a chance to see the man making fun of himself while trying to put on a fun Xmas special that manages to be entertaining and more. In the end, A Very Murray Christmas is a sensational TV special from Sofia Coppola.

Sofia Coppola Films: Lick the Star - The Virgin Suicides - Lost in Translation - Marie Antoinette - Somewhere - The Bling Ring - The Beguiled (2017 film) - On the Rocks - Priscilla (2023 film)

Sofia Coppola Soundtracks: Air-The Virgin Suicides OST - The Virgin Suicides OST - Lost in Translation OST - Marie Antoinette OST - (The Bling Ring OST) - (Priscilla OST)

Related: The Ads & Videos 1993-2008 - The Auteurs #1: Sofia Coppola - Favorite Films #1: Lost in Translation - Favorite Films #4: Somewhere - 10 Reasons Why Lost in Translation is the Best Film Ever...

© thevoid99 2015

Idiocracy

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/26/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Mike Judge and written by Judge and Etan Cohen, Idiocracy tells the story of an Army serviceman and a prostitute who both take part in an army experiment where more than 500 years later, they arrive to see that their world has become dumber as the man finds himself to be the smartest person alive. A satire about culture and the de-evolution of the world, Judge's sophomore feature film shows his knack for humor as well as the wittiness of his debut feature. Starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews, Justin Long, and featuring appearances from Judge associates Stephen Root and David Herman. Idiocracy is a witty satire on the world that is ravaged by stupidity.

The film is a satirical comedy set 500 years from the present time where the world has gone completely stupid where an Army serviceman named Joe (Luke Wilson) and a hooker named Rita (Maya Rudolph) are both awaken from a top-secret Army experiment where they supposed to be frozen for a year inside two pods. Instead, a series of unfortunate circumstances has Joe and Rita be the smartest people on Earth as the English language has deteriorated into a mixture of hillbilly, slang, valley girl, and grunts while the world drinks a drink known as Brawndo that claims to have electrolytes. For Joe, he must use his average knowledge to save the world from further stupidity where he would encounter things such as TV shows like Ow! My Balls!, a film called Ass, all brought to you by Carl Jr.'s, Buttfuckers with its big-ass fries, and all sorts of dumb shit.

Mike Judge's concept of the world gone stupid is definitely an ambitious one in comparison to his debut film Office Space. Yet, the story about an average man finding himself in a world where he's the smartest man alive is definitely one that is both downright hilarious and shocking at the same time. The comedy that includes some extremely funny, lowbrow dialogue where people would say "I like money", "Shut up! I'm 'batin", 'You talk like a fag", and "I like money" in a drawl that can be described in a hybrid of Hillbilly, Valley Girl, inner-city slang, and grunts. Another factor that is funny is how corporations are handled where a Costco would end up taking an entire city or Starbucks offering hand-jobs along with other places. Plus, Carl's Jr. would have a slogan that says "Fuck you, I'm eating" and Fuddruckers' had its named changed to Buttfuckers.

The result is a highly original yet funny vision of the future. What's more shocking is that it's also true in some ways. The script that Judge and Etan Cohen creates is filled with hilarious scenes and such yet underneath it is some social commentary on pop culture and people's obsession with it. Now, there's nothing necessarily wrong with watching a guy getting kicked in the nuts or watching a bare-naked ass farting. The problem is that it gets old after a few minutes. Not to the people in this film where the #1 grossing movie for the past few years that also one several Oscars is a movie called Ass. 90 minutes of a bare-naked butt farting maybe funny to some but for someone that has intelligence might find it funny for a while but not for the rest of the film.

Judge's direction of dystopian with CGI-imagery of a town gone horribly bad. Architecture looking very messed up, mountains of trash, and the Washington monument looking very slanted. His vision of the future is actually horrifying to watch because it might actually come true. What happen to the scientists in that film? Well, they end up looking for the cure of hair loss and such. The idea of de-evolution through Judge's camera is very haunting as is the narration by Earl Mann is to remind the audience of how dumb the world has become. Even mentioning that Brawndo has ended up replacing all the food groups and such.

Despite the film's high concept and commentary, it is flawed due to a few pacing issues when things aren't being funny. Plus, some of the humor isn't as good as Office Space but what Judge does is truly original. Especially since his dystopian vision is starting to come true unfortunately. Even with pop culture. Today, people have no idea who Ingmar Bergman, Marcel Marceau, Robert Altman, Andy Warhol, or even Afrikka Bambatta (he's still alive as of 2014) are or what have they done. Hell, it's amazing that ten years ago, some movies have gotten dumber by the minute.

Instead of people going to see a movie like Grindhouse or maybe something intellectual as Talk to Me, they go see something as dumb as Wild Hogs or Are We Done Yet? Plus, how have we gone from Smells Like Teen Spirit to My Humps? There's a line that Rita says about Albert Einstein, "Do you think Einstein thought the whole world was full of dumb shits?" Joe replies, "Maybe that's why he build the atomic bomb". This is what Judge seems to say about intellectuals and their stance on the world and sadly, it's starting to come true.

Cinematographer Tim Suhrstedt brings a grainy yet saturated look to the film's cinematography to convey the bleakness of the film with its dark, shady colors and sepia imagery. Production designer Darren Gilford and art director William Ladd Skinner do amazing work in some of the film's set designs with dirty-looking buildings and places covered in trash. Costume designer Debra McGuire's futuristic clothing is inspiring and also cheesy with everyone wearing shiny-like t-shirts and baggy pants where the future has also lost it sense of fashion. Editor David Rennie brings a nice, intense look to the film including some of the dramatic reactions to the film's dystopian tone. Sound editor Michael J. Benavente also plays to the atmosphere in bringing noise of explosions and grunts that work very well. Visual effects supervisor Kent Johnson's look of the future is amazing, even a shot of a bridge that's already broken and such. Composer Theodore Shapiro brings a score that's dominated by country-like acoustic guitar to play up the film's humor as well as a mix of music featuring metal and reggae.

The film's cast is unique in playing up to the film's comedy. Small appearances from director Mike Judge as the Army officer Collins, Bottle Rocket's Robert Musgrave as an Army sergeant, rapper Scarface as Rita's pimp Upgrayed, Sara Rue as a bimbo attorney general, Danny Cochran as the idiotic Secretary of Education, and in the roles of the unfortunate yuppie couple in the film's intro, Darlene Hunt and Patrick Fischler are funny. Cameo appearances from Stephen Root, David Herman, Thomas Haden Church, and Justin Long are very funny along with Luke's older brother Andrew in a great cameo as the flame-throwing gladiator Beef Supreme. In the role of the U.S. president, Terry Crews gives a hilarious, energetic performance as President Camacho with his long, heavy-metal wig and exuberance that makes him one of the most overlooked comedy actors.

Dax Shepard is extremely funny as the dim-witted lawyer Frito Pendejo. His last name in Spanish means stupid, which is even funnier. With his hillbilly accent, Shepard makes every moment worth laughing about in how he responds to situations, talk, and all sorts of hijinks. He along with Crews are some of the film's best supporting performances. Maya Rudolph is also funny in her role as Rita, a hooker who finds her old job becoming too easy while becoming aware that she too, is smarter than everyone except Joe. Rudolph does great supporting work as she becomes the only person that Joe can really talk to. Luke Wilson is great in his role as Joe, an average guy who is thrust into a situation as he ends up being the smartest man alive. Wilson's mix of subtle humor and drama proved to be the right tone as his remains one of the most overlooked performances of 2006.

While not as strong or as funny as Mike Judge's debut film Office Space, Idiocracy is still one of the funniest and smartest comedies of 2006 thanks to some great performances from Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, and Terry Crews along with Judge's high-concept. Fans of Judge's work will no doubt enjoy the film's humor and satire but for a general audience. It might seem too much or rather from their point of view, "very pompous & faggy". Intellectuals might think the film isn't serious enough or rather way too serious yet it's a film that is a mirror in the ways of how people have been dumbed down lately by pop culture such. In the end, Idiocracy is a must-see for anyone who wants smart satire that is also downright hilarious.

Mike Judge Films: (Beavis & Butt-Head Do America) - (Office Space) - (Extract)

© thevoid99 2014

The Way, Way Back

Written, directed, and co-starring Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Way, Way Back is the story about a 14-year old kid who goes on a summer holiday where he hangs around and later works at a water park to deal with his summertime blues and his growing disdain towards his mother’s boyfriend. The film is an exploration into a young boy’s summer as he finds a place where he belongs while dealing with the chaos in his family life. Also starring Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Annasophia Robb, Zoe Levin, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, and Liam James. The Way, Way Back is a fantastic film from Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.

The film explores a summer in the life of an introverted 14-year old boy named Duncan (Liam James) who finds a home in a nearby water park run by a carefree manager named Owen (Sam Rockwell). Especially as the boy is dealing with growing pains as his mom’s boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) is very critical and says mean things to him. While his mother Pam (Toni Collette) and Trent spend their time with other adults, Duncan spends more time at the water park where he also works while bonding with another jaded teen in Susanna (Annasophia Robb). The film is a coming-of-age tale where this boy deals with his situation that includes his father moving to California and that his mother’s boyfriend is an absolute dickhead. In Owen, Duncan finds the father-figure he needs as well as being true to himself.

The film’s screenplay explores the complicated life of this 14-year-old boy who is a very introverted individual that is considered odd by Trent and his teenager daughter Steph (Zoe Levin) as he is also aghast by the craziness his mother has with other adults as he feels like his mother isn’t aware of how he’s really feeling. Especially as she’s often with Trent and some friends of his where some of Trent’s activities and behavior give Duncan more reasons to dislike him as Trent often states that they should bond and be in tune together. Owen is an extremely different person that Duncan can identify with as he’s sort of a man-child who runs a water park and likes to have fun. Owen also helps Duncan come out of his shell by giving him a job and advice on life as well as how to win the heart of Susanna who hates having to deal with her boozy mother Betty (Allison Janney).

The direction of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash is quite straightforward as they don’t really aim for a sense of cinematic style by rather just focusing on the story and keeping things simple. The compositions are still engaging while they allow the comedy to be loose and natural along with some of the smaller moments where it plays to Duncan’s development. Faxon and Rash know where to put the actors in the background while having them be placed in moments that can advance the story. Even in the drama where it relates to Duncan’s testy relationship with Trent where Duncan discovers things that would have a dramatic impact in how it relates to Duncan’s desire to protect his mother. Still, Faxon and Rash bring a lot of fun into the film in many of the scenes at the water park as it’s shot in an actual water park in Massachusetts where it has a bit of realism in the story. Overall, Faxon and Rash create a very vital and lively film about a young boy’s summer of fun and coming into his own.

Cinematographer John Bailey does excellent work with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the look of the locations in Massachusetts and the water park to the scenes at night with its use of natural light. Editor Tatiana S. Riegel does wonderful work with the editing as it‘s quite straightforward while using some nice rhythmic cuts and montages to play out the sense of fun Duncan has at the water park. Production designer Mark Ricker, with set decorator Rena DeAngelo and art director Jeremy Woodward, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the home to some of the small props created for the water park.

Costume designers Michelle Maitland and Ann Roth do terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with some style to play into some of the female characters in the film. Sound editor Perry Robertson does nice work with the sound to play up the energy of the parties and such along with the craziness at the water park. The film’s music by Rob Simonsen is fantastic for its mixture of folk and indie music to play up Duncan‘s journey while music supervisor Linda Cohen creates a soundtrack that mixes 80s music with some folk and indie as it’s a fun soundtrack to listen to.

The casting by Allison Jones is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from River Alexander as Susanna’s nerdy younger brother Peter and Zoe Levin as Trent’s bitchy teenage daughter Steph. Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are funny in their respective roles as water park employees Roddy and the nerdy Lewis while Maya Rudolph is wonderful as the more responsible water park co-manager Caitlyn. Allison Janney is hilarious as Susanna’s boozy mother Betty who always carries a drink and always wear clothes to show her sex appeal. Rob Corddry and Amanda Peet are terrific as the couple Kip and Joan whom Trent and Pam hang out with Corddry as the more wild Kip and Peet as the more vivacious Joan.

Annasophia Robb is wonderful as Susanna as a teenage girl jaded by the summer and what her mother is doing as she bonds with Duncan while finding out where he goes and what he does as she also finds a good time. Toni Collette is excellent as Duncan’s mother Pam as a mother wanting to have a good time while dealing with Duncan’s disappearances and moodiness as well as Trent’s often peculiar behavior. Steve Carell is fantastic as Trent as this guy who is a grade A asshole that always says very off-putting things and tries to assure his sense of being a man in his attempt to make Duncan more manly as he truly doesn’t get him. Sam Rockwell is phenomenal as Owen as a man who helps Duncan deal with his growing pains while giving him a place where he can feel at home. Finally, there’s Liam James in a marvelous performance as Duncan as he exudes all of the moodiness of a confused 14-year old kid who is looking for a place in the world as he eventually finds somewhere that he can belong to and have the summer of his life as James brings a lot of sensitivity and energy to his character.

The Way, Way Back is a superb coming-of-age film from Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Armed with an great ensemble cast as well as an engaging story about a young teen trying to fit in and do something in the summer. It’s a film that is very heartwarming but also very funny while giving something that audiences can relate to. In the end, The Way, Way Back is a remarkable film from Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.

© thevoid99 2013

A Prairie Home Companion

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 6/19/06 w/ Additional Edits.

Throughout his entire career, Robert Altman has made films that always explored different worlds and genres. Films like M.A.S.H., McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville, The Player, Short Cuts, and Gosford Park along with favorites like Images, The Long Goodbye, California Split, 3 Women, Brewster McCloud, Cookie's Fortune, Vincent & Theo, and The Company. All of these films revealed Altman's talent for telling little stories with many people as they all come together to explore something. Ever since starting in the 1960s, Altman has become a major influence in American cinema as he has inspired many directors to handle huge, ensemble stories. In 2006, in his 80s, Altman received a Lifetime Honorary Academy Award for all of his work. That same year, he released what would be his final film in A Prairie Home Companion.

Based on the same radio program created by playwright Garrison Keiller, the film version of A Prairie Home Companion tells the story of the radio program broadcasting its final show in its native Minnesota. Directed and produced by Altman with Keiller writing the script, the film reveals the end of an era as Altman explores the world of radio and performance. With an all-star cast that includes Altman regular Lily Tomlin plus Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Tommy Lee Jones, Virginia Madsen, Maya Rudolph, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Lindsay Lohan, and Keiller as himself. A Prairie Home Companion is a true testament to the talents of Robert Altman.

After the owners of the Soderbergh family deciding to sell the famed Fitzgerald Theater, which broadcasts the radio program called A Prairie Home Companion, it's a hard day for everyone. For an ex-detective turned security supervisor named Guy Noir (Kevin Kline), he's spooked by the haunting presence of death as the radio program is to play its final show. For leader Garrison Keiller, he decides to give the show a good send off as the stage manager Al (Tim Russell) and makeup lady Donna (Sue Scott) are saddened that they'll never see all of the musicians and people who will be there. To join the final broadcast is a country legend named Chuck Akers (L.Q. Jones), the Johnson Sisters, and the country team of Dusty (Woody Harrelson) and Lefty (John C. Reilly). Joining her mother Yolanda (Meryl Streep) is a young poet named Lola (Lindsay Lohan) who helps her mother and aunt Rhonda (Lily Tomlin) while writing poems about suicide.

The show is played featuring many of the regulars of the radio program including a voiceman (Tom Keith), the duo of Robin & Linda Williams, Jearlyn Steele, and Keiller who sings and opens the program while doing little commercials in between. While he performs and does his program, Yolanda and Rhonda reminisce about the days when they did the radio program with the rest of their late sisters which they still grieve about. Dusty and Lefty rehearse their own comedy routines for the program while Guy Noir is intrigued by a mysterious woman (Virginia Madsen) who turns out to be an angel watching the show in its final broadcast. The Johnson Sisters perform as do the duo of Dusty and Lefty while something happens to one of their performers as seen by the makeup lady and the lunchlady (Marylouise Burke).

The specter of death is nearing on its program as Guy asks the pregnant stagehand Molly (Maya Rudolph) to be on the lookout as things only overwhelm all of the performers. Garrison doesn't know what to do while dealing with his own issues with Yolanda over a brief fling they had many years ago as he talks with Lola about her late father and the angel about a joke. Things get worse when the new owner (Tommy Lee Jones) arrive to get ready to destroy the Fitzgerald Theater for a parking lot as he watches the final performance. Guy wants Molly to call in the angel as he tries to understand the owner's intentions for his new parking lot. With the show closing down, Al wants Dusty and Lefty to clean their act for the show which ends up becoming a disaster. Lola decides to help out by performing where the show leads to a final send-off while Garrison doesn't want to admit its over as the end come nears for A Prairie Home Companion.

Stories about the end of an era or an end of something is often told in a very sad way but for Robert Altman, who too might be on his way out. The end is not really the end at all. Even for a 30-year old radio program that people love to listen and laugh with is filled with a lot of spirit and joy. With a script Keiller wrote based on a screen story he did with Ken LaZebnik, Altman manages to capture the spirit of the radio program by doing the film exactly on the Fitzgerald Theater right smack down in the middle of St. Paul, Minnesota. Even the script that Keiller wrote shows the atmosphere of theater and music as things don't go the way they plan while everything is a disaster and people become unsure of what to do. Still, it's the right script that brings the antidote to the style of Robert Altman.

Altman uses his mastery of multiple storylines and overlapping dialogue to convey this story of a final performance by letting many characters know what they're feeling and their own anxieties. Even the specter of death is felt throughout the entire film as an angel is coming by while the new owner comes in to represent the changing times. Though Altman isn't making some kind of political statement into the world of corporations, he's really talking more about what a radio program means to the people who listens to them or be part of the program. Altman is able to make the audience aware of what's going on while keeping up with the storylines as he goes for long shots in certain sequences while cutting to another part of the story in the film. He also captures the tension, sadness, and joy that is part of the radio program as Robert Altman, with a little help from stand-in director Paul Thomas Anderson, shows his mastery in the art of creating a world right in front of his eyes.

Helping Altman with his unique, intimate vision is cinematographer Edward Lachman whose lighting technique harkens the days of old cinema of the 1950s and 60s in the film's exterior sequences and scenes in the diner across from the theater. The film's interiors filled with blue coloring and huge, white background lights for some of the staging reveals the grand presentation of the radio station along with some wonderful, yellowish lighting for some of the film's interior scenes. Lachman's dreamy, intimate presentation is a real highlight for the film. Production designer Dina Goldman and set decorator Tora Peterson also captures the atmosphere of the stage by re-creating little background sets and placing props to give the sense of intimacy of the story. The look of the film in its production and photography shows the true authenticity of the stage. Costume designer Catherine Marie Thomas also does wonderful work for the film's costumes whether it's the more extravagant clothing of the Johnson sisters, the cowboy suits of the Dusty & Lefty, to the noir clothing that the Dangerous Woman and Guy Noir wears.

Editor Jacob Craycroft does great work in giving Altman's unique presentation a nicely paced, leisurely style while giving perspective on the multiple stories while cutting when a story is done to a performance on stage. Craycroft's editing is truly masterful for its presentation on all the stories and tension as it rings true to Altman's work. Sound mixer Drew Kunin and sound editor Eliza Paley also does great work on the sound where the whole films sounds like it's done exactly in a theater. The sound of the film help captures the atmosphere as well as the music that is playing in the background on some scenes while the music comes out fully.

Finally, there's the music of the film which is the heart of the movie and the radio program. With a group of musicians who all played on the radio program including Robin and Linda Williams, Jearlyn Steele, and Keiller himself, all the actors do perform and sing the songs that in that film. In many ways, the music is true to the program's spirit as it leans more towards traditional country music, jingles, and traditional pop. Many of the film’s song performances are wonderful while several of them indeed standout with some altered lyrics done by Keiller. Songs like Lindsay Lohan's Frankie & Johnny, the Bad Jokes song by Dusty & Lefty, and a wonderful country ballad by the Johnson Sisters are amazing to hear. Even the final song in the film, Red River Valley brings a wealth of emotions whether its sadness and joy, it captures the spirit of the radio program as it becomes one of the best film soundtracks of the year.

The film's cast which includes such regulars of the radio program like Robin & Linda Williams, Jearlyn Steele, Tom Keith, bandleader Richard A. Dworsky, and Prudence Johnson are all wonderful, notably Tom Keith whose sound effects are hilarious. Smaller performances like Marylouise Burke as the Lunch Lady, Sue Scott as makeup lady Donna, Tim Russell as Al, and L.Q. Jones as Chuck are all notable in their roles as they bring the sadness of the fading radio show while L.Q. Jones gives a great performance of a country song on the stage. Lindsay Lohan gives a wonderful performance as a jaded youth who learns about what joy the radio program brings a she manages to give a great rendition of Frankie & Johnny as Lohan proves to be a very good actress despite her other film choices. Maya Rudolph is very funny as the pregnant Molly who is trying to keep things organized while dealing with Guy Noir's paranoid suspicion.

Tommy Lee Jones is also excellent as the cynical Axeman who feels that times are changing and acts very still while watching its final broadcast while not being aware of what the radio program means to people. Jones does a very good job in representing someone who thinks he can take away things only to realize that its spirit will never be gone. Kevin Kline gives one of his funniest performances as Guy Noir which shows Kline's mastery in physical and reactionary comedy. Kline manages to bring a nice, noir-like approach to dialogue in some scenes while his comedic scenes are pure gold which owes more to the style of Charlie Chaplin. Virginia Madsen is also amazing as the angelic Dangerous Woman who brings a chilling presence as she reminisces her joy of the program and what led to her own death as Madsen brings an old-school, entrancing quality reminiscent of 1940s acting. Garrison Keiller is also great for playing himself as he often reveals his own brand of comedy while bringing charm to his real self that is often enjoyable about Keiller.

Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly are truly the funniest duo of film as Dusty & Lefty with their not-so-intelligent personalities and off-putting comments. Their performances truly brings the right kind of humor that aren't for everyone, notably the Bad Jokes song which features some really funny bad jokes. Harrelson is wonderful for his own charming personality while the often great character actor Reilly is great for his own comedic timing, including the time to fart as the guy should be in every movie. Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin are amazing in their role as Yolanda and Rhonda Johnson. With Streep doing the more showy role and Tomlin as the more comedic performance, both women do great work in their own individual roles as Streep does a great Midwestern accent as Tomlin says some funny things in the film. When they perform on stage, both women are surprising in their own performances as a ballad they sing shows the range of their voices as its proof that these two ladies can sing.

While the film isn't anywhere as movies like Nashville or Short Cuts, A Prairie Home Companion is still an amazing and exuberant film from the great Robert Altman. Thanks to a great cast, a great crew, great music, and the work of Garrison Keiller, A Prairie Home Companion does belong in the list of films that Altman has made that people can enjoy. While the film may not bring more people into the radio show, at least he makes them aware of what kind of program the show is. For this, Altman succeeds in capturing the spirit of what is A Prairie Home Companion as he bows out with style. If anyone is a fan or new to his work, A Prairie Home Companion is a true testament to the spirit and talents of Robert Altman.

Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple) - (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. & Stiggs) - Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner '88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - Pret-A-Porter - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie's Fortune - Dr. T & the Women - Gosford Park - The Company - (Tanner on Tanner)

© thevoid99 2011