Novitiate

Written and directed by Margaret Betts, Novitiate is the story of a young woman who is training to be a nun in the early 1960s when the convent she’s living in is dealing with drastic changes during the period of the Vatican II and its effects. The film follows a woman trying to maintain her faith amidst the cruelty from her superiors who are reacting badly towards this emergence of change in the Catholic Church. Starring Margaret Qualley, Dianna Agron, Julianne Nicholson, Liana Liberto, Eline Powell, Morgan Saylor, Denis O’Hare, and Melissa Leo. Novitiate is a riveting and chilling film from Margaret Betts.

Set mainly in 1964 during the announcement of reforms from the Vatican II council, the film follows a young woman training to be a nun as she endures cruelty from her mother superior as well as temptations between body and soul. It’s a film that plays into a woman wanting to devote herself to God yet is unaware of the news about Vatican II and their desire for reforms as she and many others are kept in the dark where she has to endure all sorts of punishment to prove her devotion. Margaret Betts’ screenplay follows the life of Cathleen Harris (Margaret Qualley) who has been fascinated by spirituality ever since her mother Nora (Julianne Nicholson) took her to church just out of curiosity as Cathleen becomes interested where she attends Catholic school five years later where she would eventually decide to be a nun much to her mother’s dismay.

Much of the first act is about Cathleen’s introduction to Catholicism and the desire to be a nun where she would befriend other young women who would train under the tutelage of the kind Sister Mary Grace (Dianna Agron) whom the girls admire. The second act begins when Reverend Mother Marie Saint-Clair (Melissa Leo) gets word about the changes that the Vatican II wants to impose. For Saint-Clair, the changes is something she is unable to accept as she feels it is a threat to the way of life for the nuns though Sister Mary Grace believes the reforms could help the church reach out to more people and not be as exclusive. Yet, Saint-Clair would try to impose her old ideals upon the nuns-in-training including Cathleen who would start to struggle with her own temptations relating to the flesh just as a new novice nun in Sister Emanuel (Rebecca Dayan) has joined the convent transferring from another convent. The third act play into not just Cathleen’s temptation and belief into her sacrifice for God but also this sense of unraveling in Saint-Clair as it relates to this air of change that she has to deal with.

Betts’ direction is intoxicating for not just the way she presents this world of faith and a young woman’s infatuation with that world in the hope that can serve God the best way she can. Shot largely on location in Nashville, Tennessee where much of the film is set, the film does play into the daily life that a future nun has to endure where it begins with a prayer before morning mass and all sorts of activities that play into the training of being a nun as well as learn about the sacrifices that are made. While Betts would use some wide shots to get a scope into the convent and some of the surroundings out of the convent. Much of her direction emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots to get a look inside the rooms as well as these tense weekly meetings with Saint-Clair in which the novices have to confess their faults in front of their peers. It is one of these eerie scenes that play into Saint-Clair’s growing cruelty and unraveling as she would later question the idea of God’s abandonment towards her in a scene late in the film.

The direction also play into this struggle of body and spirit as it relates to the sacrifice Cathleen would make in the third act but also a loss of innocence as it relates to the cruelty she and other novices receive from Saint-Clair. There is this element of sexual temptation and longing to connect with others where the latter play into a meeting between Cathleen and Nora where the latter is concerned about Cathleen’s well-being as she confronts Saint-Clair. The film’s final moments don’t just play into the reality that Cathleen is about to embark on but also this sense of disconnect she was to have with the world that is ever-changing that some who were with her the first time around have left to be in that world. Overall, Betts create an evocative and haunting film about a young woman’s training to be a nun as she deals with changes in the Catholic Church and her struggle in her devotion to God.

Cinematographer Kat Westergaard does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on natural lighting for many of the interiors inside the convent while aiming for a somewhat stylized look of sorts for scenes outside the convent such as Cathleen’s family home. Editor Susan E. Morse does excellent work with the editing as it does have some rhythmic touches in the drama as well as play into some of the dramatic tension that looms throughout the film. Production designer John Sanders and set decorator Gia Grosso do amazing work with the look of Cathleen’s family home for scenes early in the film as well as a few interiors inside the convent with a lot of its religious imagery.

Costume designer Vanessa Porter does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish clothes that Nora wears to the communal dresses that the nuns-in-trainings and novices would wear for a ceremony and the nun uniforms the superiors would wear. Sound editor Ruy Garcia does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the convent with its emphasis on silence as well as sparse noises to play into the dramatic tension and terror in scenes with Saint-Clair being mean to her students. The film’s music by Christopher Stark is terrific for its sparse yet effective piano-based score that is low-key to play into the drama as well as the sense of longing from the young novices while music supervisor Tyler Bradley Walker provides a bit of classical music including a piece by Avro Part.

The casting by Sig De Miguel and Stephen Vincent is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Chris Zylka as Cathleen’s father, Sasha and Eliza Mason in their respective roles as the 12 and 7 year-old Cathleen, Marco St. John as the convent priest Father Luca, and Denis O’Hare in a terrific one-scene performance as Archbishop McCarthy as a top Catholic official who talks to Saint-Clair about the changes from the Vatican II and tells her to stop with these old ideas of punishment. The performances of Morgan Saylor, Eline Powell, Liana Liberto, and Maddie Hasson are fantastic in their respective roles as Evelyn, Candace, Emily, and Sissy as nuns-in-trainings and novices who deal with the cruelty and confessions they have to reveal as well as the pressure to show their devotion to God. Rebecca Dayan is superb as Sister Emanuel as a new transfer whom the girls are suspicious about as she later becomes concerned for Cathleen’s well-being as she later gets close to Cathleen.

Julianne Nicholson is excellent as Cathleen’s mother Nora as a woman who isn’t into the idea of religion as she later becomes concerned with Cathleen’s health as she confronts Saint-Clair about what she’s doing. Dianna Argon is brilliant as Sister Mary Grace as a warm and caring nun who teaches the young novices as she is open to the ideas of the Vatican II where she starts to question Saint-Clair’s views that would later lead to trouble. Melissa Leo is amazing as Reverend Mother Marie Saint-Clair as the Mother Superior who is trying to instill her ideals of sacrifice to see if the novices are able to prove their devotion through acts of cruelty as it relates to her reaction towards the emergence of reform from the Vatican II. Finally, there’s Margaret Qualley in a phenomenal performance as Cathleen Harris as a young woman who is fascinated by faith as she decides to become a nun as she later copes with the cruelty she is getting from Saint-Clair, her struggle to be devoted to God, and her growing sexual awakening as it’s a mesmerizing performance from Qualley.

Novitiate is an incredible film from Margaret Betts that features great performances from Margaret Qualley, Julianne Nicholson, Dianna Argon, and Melissa Leo. Along with its superb ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, and a riveting story relating to faith and conflict between body and spirit. It’s a film that explore the world of faith as well as what some will do to devote themselves to God amidst a sense of change that was emerging in the Catholic Church that threatened their ideals. In the end, Novitiate is a sensational film from Margaret Betts.

© thevoid99 2018

The Big Short

Based on the novel by Michael Lewis, The Big Short is about the financial crisis in 2007 and 2008 and how a small number of individuals knew it was coming and tried to salvage what they would be lost. Directed by Adam McKay and screenplay by McKay and Charles Randolph, the film is an unconventional take on the crisis with its mixture of humor, drama, and moments that break down the fourth wall. Starring Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Marisa Tomei, Rafe Spall, Finn Wittrock, Hamish Linklater, Jeremy Strong, Melissa Leo, and Brad Pitt. The Big Short is a gripping and chilling film from Adam McKay.

Set in the mid-2000s just a few years before the world economy would collapse in such a massive way, the film follows the lives of a few different men who would make a discovery that would lead to its collapse. Told through three different narratives, the film follow the events of these men who wouldn’t just discover loans and bonds that would cause the housing market to become unstable but also do whatever they can to survive and profit from this upcoming financial collapse. The film’s screenplay by Adam McKay and Charles Randolph weaves through these multiple narratives as the storyline of the different individuals who would be part of this catastrophic event would all effect one’s narrative and such. Even as there’s moments where a character from one storyline is in the same place with other characters from that storyline but none of them really meet each other.

The character Dr. Michael Burry (Christian Bale) is this oddball hedge fund manager who is socially-inept as he would start the whole story going when he would look into numbers involving high-risk subprime loans as he decides to make a bet against market-based mortgage-based securities by using a credit default swap. Dr. Burry’s plans had bankers laughing thinking he would fail as his actions wouldn’t just get the unwanted attention of his mentor Lawrence Fields (Tracy Letts) but also the attention of a low-level salesman for Deutsche Banks in Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) who is the film’s narrator. He would learn about what Dr. Burry is planning where he joins forces with Front Point hedge fund manager Mark Baum (Steve Carell) after one of Baum’s employees called Vennett by accident as the two analyze what Dr. Burry has found. From a prospectus that Vennett created, two young investors in Charlie Geller (John Magaro) and Jamie Shipley (Finn Wittrock) would find that prospectus as they would take part in the plan to buy credit default swaps with the advice of a former securities trader in Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt).

The film’s narrative would cross-cut through all three different storylines as well as explore all of the traits of these characters as Vennett is a man that is vain and interested in getting the money from the fallout that is to come while Baum is a man just trying to make sense of the world he’s working for as he’s also dealing with his brother’s suicide. The duo of Geller and Shipley are just two guys that wanted to be rich as they get the help of Rickert as they would make a move that would be big but there comes a moral price over what had happened as it would be a discovery that would make Baum not just uneasy but also realizing the large scale of what is to come. Each act opens with a quote as it play into these men making a discovery and see what would happen and then realize the massive scale of the risk as almost everyone in the financial world is against them. Yet, it’s a risk that is would showcase not just the sense of arrogance and indifference of these people in finance but also those who would be seriously affected by this crash.

McKay’s direction is definitely quite engaging for the way it explores the world of finance in all of its complexities and finding a way to make it accessible for anyone who has no clue about bonds, stocks, securities, or anything in the world of finance. Shot largely in New Orleans with some of it shot on other locations such as New York City and Las Vegas. McKay would create something that is grand in some scenes but maintain some intimacy in his usage of close-ups and medium shots as it relates to the drama. Especially in the usage of hand-held camera for these scenes while giving each storyline a different tone as the Dr. Burry storyline is often set in an office building while the stories involving Venette/Baum and the trio of Geller, Shipley, and Rickert also have different presentations though there is that one scene where the two groups are in the same sequence through an intricate tracking shot.

Since the idea of finances and all of the things that go on are considered very complex to anyone that has no idea about these things. McKay would use a few celebrities like actress Margot Robbie, singer/actress Selena Gomez, famed chef Anthony Bourdain, and the economist Richard Thaler to provide some comical expositions to reveal what is a mortgage-based security, a subprime loan, a collateralized debt obligation, and a synthetic CDO. McKay would also showcase images and footage of what was the culture of the world was like in the mid-2000s as people are unaware of what is happening as its third act is quite dark. Notably in the sense of immorality that is happening in the financial world and the people who really lose it all which makes characters like Baum and Rickert uneasy. Especially as it once again play into this air of cynicism and what often happens in the financial world on who is saved and who is left in the dust. Overall, McKay creates a haunting yet evocative film about a group of individuals who would make a discovery that would shake up the financial world in the late 2000s.

Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the usage of natural and low-key lights for the scenes at Dr. Burry’s office as well as the lighter look of the scenes at Baum’s office as well as some of the stylish yet low-key lights for some of the scenes in Las Vegas. Editor Hank Corwin does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, freeze-frames and other stylish cuts to help find ways to create smooth transitions for the different storylines as well as using montages to play into the growing sense of time. Production designer Clayton Hartley, with set decorator Linda Lee Sutton and art director Elliott Glick, does fantastic work with the look of the different offices as well as the garage office that Geller and Shipley work at and the home of Rickert. Costume designer Susan Matheson does nice work with the costumes as it’s mostly casual with the suits that the men wear as well as shorts and t-shirt look of Dr. Burry.

Visual effects supervisor Paul Linden does terrific work with some of the film’s visual effects which is essentially set-dressing to play into the period of the mid-2000s. Sound editor Becky Sullivan does superb work with the sound as it play into the world of parties and meetings where it can be raucous but also quiet. The film’s music by Nicholas Britell is wonderful for its low-key electronic score that play into the drama while the soundtrack features an array of music from rock, hip-hop, and pop music.

The casting by Kathy Driscoll and Francine Maisler is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Rudy Eisenzopf as the mortgage-backed security creator Lewis Ranieri, Max Greenfield and Billy Magnussen as two young mortgage brokers who con people into getting bad loans, Byron Mann as a CDO manager Baum talks to in Vegas about synthetic CDOs, Karen Gillian as the ex-girlfriend of Shipley’s brother who meets Shipley in Vegas who dismisses him as she had just quit the SEC, Adepero Oduye as Baum’s colleague Kathy Tao, Tracy Letts as Dr. Burry’s mentor Lawrence Fields who is aghast over what Dr. Burry did, Melissa Leo as a Standard & Poor’s employee who make some revelations to Baum about some of the dark aspects of the financial industry, and Marisa Tomei in a terrific small role as Baum’s wife Cynthia who is trying to help him with his own revelations as well as the loss of his brother.

John Magaro and Finn Wittrock are superb in their respective roles as Charlie Geller and Jamie Shipley as two young investors who discover Vennett’s prospectus as they try to take advantage of their discovery in the hopes they would get a chance to be part of the elite in finance. The trio of Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, and Hamish Linklater in their respective roles as Baum’s three employees in the optimist Danny Moses, the rash and impulsive Vinny Daniel, and the reserved Porter Collins as three men who help Baum in figuring out numbers as well as discovering how much would be lost. Brad Pitt is excellent as Ben Rickert as a retired securities trader who helps Geller and Shipley with their discovery as it’s a very low-key yet humorous role as a man who reluctantly returns to the world of finance but what he discovers would make him uneasy.

Christian Bale is brilliant as Dr. Michael Burry as a hedge fund manager who would discover the instability of mortgage loans as this oddball that loves to listen to heavy metal as a man who is great with numbers but awkward when it comes to people as he tries to profit everything and ensure the trust of his investors. Ryan Gosling is amazing as Jared Vennette as a low-level salesman for a powerful bank who would discover Dr. Burry’s report and take advantage of his discovery while teaming with Baum to make some money as Gosling’s performance is funny in display his air of arrogance. Finally, there’s Steve Carell in a marvelous performance as Mark Baum as a hedge fund manager for a financial company who would team up with Vennette in betting against the market as he would make a startling discovery of what is going to happen that consumes him with guilt as Carell has this air of energy and anger in his performance that is coupled with humility and sadness.

The Big Short is a spectacular film from Adam McKay. Featuring an inventive script, an incredible ensemble cast, and witty views of financing with stylish moments of exposition that prove to be helpful. It’s a film that explores a moment in time where the world’s finance industry was hit by their own stupidity and those who saw it coming and tried to warn them. In the end, The Big Short is a phenomenal film from Adam McKay.

Adam McKay Films: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - Step Brothers - The Other Guys - Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - (Backseat) - The Auteurs #63: Adam McKay

© thevoid99 2017

The Equalizer

Based on the TV series by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, The Equalizer is the story of a former black ops operative who lives a quiet life until he befriends a young prostitute who has been assaulted by the Russian mob as he decides to take them down. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and screenplay by Richard Wenk, the film is a simple story of a man who tries to make amends of his past as he tries to do what is right in a world that is often troubled and corrupt. Starring Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloe Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Melissa Leo, and Bill Pullman. The Equalizer is a stylish yet gripping film from Antoine Fuqua.

The film is a simple story of a man who works at a hardware store as he hides the secret that he was once a black ops operative where he meets a young prostitute who is later beaten by her pimp as he realizes that her pimp is part of the Russian mob in Boston. It’s a vigilante film of sorts where a man tries to bring justice in a world where it’s not just the mob that is running rampant but also corrupt cops who try to instill their authority on common people. All of which would get a man to use the skills of his dark past and use it for good to make the world a better place for good people. The film’s screenplay by Richard Wenk showcases who Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is as someone who lives a common life who eats at the same diner every morning while reading a book and goes to work at a hardware store where he is loved by other employees while playing softball with them.

At the same time, he helps a young man named Ralphie (Johnny Skourtis) pass his test to become a security guard for the store which shows his own sense of generosity. Yet, he is called into action when he befriends this young hooker named Alina (Chloe Grace Moretz) who is fascinated by the books that McCall reads where she suddenly doesn’t show up one morning at the diner where McCall learned what happened to her. This would lead McCall to do something where he realizes what is going on as it plays into not just a Russian mob syndicate trying to maintain some control in the crime underworld but would also have the aid of corrupt policemen. All of which would eventually lead to a meeting between McCall and a mob leader named Teddy Rensen (Marton Csokas) who is revealed to be working for the most powerful man in the Russian mob as he tries to figure out what is going on unaware that McCall is really far more dangerous.

Antoine Fuqua’s direction is very engaging not just for playing into a sense of style but also in maintaining something that is very simple that isn’t afraid to be conventional but also have some intrigue to make it more interesting. Notably as Fuqua isn’t afraid to play into a sense of repetition in the way McCall conducts his daily life as well as know when to go for scenes that are just simple character moments such as a scene where McCall helps out Ralphie over a situation that happened in his mother’s restaurant. It’s among these smaller moments that Fuqua creates that really gives the film a balance as it showcases more of who McCall is as well as a sequence where he visit a couple of old friends from the CIA who would help him uncover more of the mob activities in Boston. Fuqua would keep things simple with his approach to close-ups and medium shots along with a few wide shots as much of it is shot on location in Boston.

For the moments of suspense and violence, Fuqua knows when to build up the element of suspense as it plays into McCall’s sense of control and how he observes every environment and scenario to see what he can do in a situation. The moments are quite violent where it involves blood and sorts yet McCall’s approach has a sense of control compared to the tactics of the mob which are far more brutal as it would lead to a violent climax. Overall, Fuqua crafts a very smart and thrilling film about a vigilante who tries to do what is right in a world where good people are being harmed.

Cinematographer Mauro Fiore does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of lights for many of the nighttime interior/exterior scenes to set moods for the film that pay homage to film noir. Editor John Refoua does nice work in the editing with its rhythmic approach to some of the action while knowing when to slow things down for the suspenseful and dramatic moments. Production designer Naomi Shohan, with set decorator Leslie E. Rollins and art director David Lazan, does brilliant work with the design of the places that the Russian mob works and socialize at as well as the hardware store that McCall works at. Costume designer David C. Robinson does terrific work with the costumes from the stylish dresses that Alina wears to the suits that the mob wears.

Makeup artist Rob Fitz and tattoo designer Rhet Kidd do amazing work with the wigs that Alina wears as well as the look of the tattoos of the Russian mob figures. Visual effects supervisor Sean Devereaux does some fantastic work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects as it plays to the scenarios that McCall tries to figure out in situations as well as some of eerie violent moments. Sound designer David Esparza and sound editor Mandell Winter do superb work with the sound to play into some of the textures in some of the locations as well as some sound effects to play into the suspense. The film’s music by Harry Gregson-Williams is wonderful as it’s this mixture of eerie electronic music with some orchestral flourishes that play into the suspense and drama while some of the music of the film ranges from soul, hip-hop, and post-punk.

The casting by Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu is great as it features some notable small roles from David Meunier as Alina’s pimp Slavi, Alex Veadov as a mob figure named Tevi, Vladimir Kulich as the head of the Russian mob named Pushkin, Haley Bennett as a prostitute friend of Alina named Mandy, and Johnny Skourtis as a friend of McCall named Ralphie who wants to be a security guard with McCall’s help. David Harbour is terrific as a corrupt cop named Masters who works with the mob as he is later confronted by McCall who would use some devious tricks to get him to talk. Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo are excellent in their respective roles as Brian and Susan Plummer as two former CIA agents who McCall turns to for help on information of the people he is dealing with.

Marton Csokas is brilliant as the mob leader Teddy Rensen who is trying to oversee the operations in Boston as he deals with the mysterious death of his men as well as McCall whom he sees as a major threat. Chloe Grace Moretz is fantastic as Alina as a teenage prostitute who befriends McCall as they share a love for books as she finds a guardian angel in McCall. Finally, there’s Denzel Washington in a phenomenal performance as Robert McCall as it’s a very lively performance from Washington who does bring in some charm and humor into his role but it’s mostly quiet and stoic in the fact that he’s this silent badass that knows what to do and how to get it done to make sure that the world is a safer place for good people.

The Equalizer is a marvelous film from Antoine Fuqua that features an incredible performance from Denzel Washington. Not only is it a smart and compelling suspense-thriller but also a unique study into a man who uses violent skills to ensure some justice into a world that is corrupt and bring hope to ordinary people living decent lives. In the end, The Equalizer is a remarkable film from Antoine Fuqua.

© thevoid99 2015

21 Grams

Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, 21 Grams is the story of three people who are each connected by the death of a person as they each cope with loss and faith. The second part of a trilogy that explores death, the film is a multi-layered story that plays into the lives of three people who don’t know each other but become connected by tragedy. Starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio del Toro, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melissa Leo, Danny Huston, Clea Duvall, Denis O’Hare, and Eddie Marsan. 21 Grams is an ominous yet exhilarating film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

When a hit-and-run claimed the lives of a man and two little girls, the lives of three different people are affected in drastic ways as the film is about tragedy and its after effects. Much of it involves the life of a critically-ill mathematician who is need of a heart transplant, a grieving widow who also lost her daughters in this tragedy, and a born-again ex-convict whose faith is tested over what had happened. Through Guillermo Arriaga’s complex and multi-layered screenplay, it is told in a non-linear fashion as it plays into not just the tragedy but also the search for meaning as one man tries to find redemption, another man is trying to find answers into why he’s alive, and a woman is caught in the middle over what she had lost. All of which plays into those dealing with mistakes and such as well as several other things where everyone tries to find answers.

For the mathematician Paul Rivers (Sean Penn), he is given a second chance to live but his own marriage to Mary (Charlotte Gainsbourg) starts to fall apart as he becomes obsessed with the identity of the heart he had received which would lead him to Cristina (Naomi Watts). Cristina would learn about Paul and what he has to do with the death of her family as it has the two come together to track the man who was responsible for changing their lives in the ex-convict Jack Jordan (Benicio del Toro). Yet, there are elements into both Cristina and Jack that are interesting as the former was a former drug addict who was saved by her husband as she found a reason to live as that loss drove her back to drugs and alcohol.

In the latter, here is someone who is trying to redeem himself as he devotes himself towards Christianity and swear off drugs and alcohol but his involvement in this tragedy forces him to question his own faith and being as he has no clue what to do as he carries the guilt. All of which forces all three characters to converge into a heavy confrontation about loss as it is, once again, told in a non-linear fashion. There’s moments that play into the drama where all three have to work together as it becomes clear that none of them have anything to gain in this tragedy that their connected by. Even as they all know that there is nowhere else to go as some try to find redemption while others seek an answer.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s direction is very entrancing not just for how dreary he presents the drama but also into the many layers that the story takes. Much of it is presented with a sense of intimacy as Inarritu’s approach to close-ups and medium shots play into the anguish that occurs throughout the film. Even in scenes where Jack eats dinner with his family as he is trying to be a good father but his approach might seem harsh as it relates to his own children. Much of Inarritu’s approach is shot with hand-held cameras but it’s never overly shaky as he maintains something that is very steady and to the point. Notably as Inarritu would create scenes to tease various storylines coming together such as Mary waiting for Paul as he does surgery as she gets a glimpse of Cristina walking out of the hospital with her family.

Since it is a film told in a non-linear narrative, Inarritu is able to create moments in the film where it allows a scene to be told in very different ways. Even as he would shift moments that is supposed to be in the third act back into the first or second act as it plays into the drama. There’s also moments in the film where things do intensify on an emotional level as it relates to Cristina’s grief and Jack’s own guilt such as the scene of him returning home as he reveals to his wife what he had done. Inarritu’s approach to the compositions in how he frames his actors are also intense such as its climax in the third act as it is about who is where in the frame and such. Overall, Inarritu creates a very brooding yet somber film about death, faith, and understanding.

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does amazing work with the film‘s grainy and colorful cinematography where it adds to the very grimy sense of despair that looms in the film with its gritty approach to daytime exteriors to its usage of low-key lights and dark shades for the interior scenes whether it‘s day or night. Editor Stephen Mirrone does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other stylish cuts to play into the drama and its offbeat, non-linear narrative. Production designer Brigitte Broch, with set decorator Meg Everist and art director Deborah Riley, does excellent work with the look of the different homes of the three characters to showcase who they are as well as some of the places they go to including the swimming pool center that Cristina goes to.

Costume designer Marlene Stewart does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual for the look of the characters to play into their sense of loss. Sound designers Martin Hernandez and Roland N. Thai do fantastic work with the sound to capture the intensity of the emotions as well as some of the chaotic moments of violence and drama that occurs in the film. The film’s music by Gustavo Santaolalla is superb for its very ominous and eerie score with its emphasis on folk guitars and somber electric guitars to play into the drama while music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein brings in a nice soundtrack that features different kinds of music from acts like War, Ozomatli, Ann Sexton, and Dave Matthews.

The casting by Francine Maisler is remarkable as it features notable small roles from Carly Nahon and Claire Pakis as Cristina’s daughters, Paul Calderon as a friend of Jack in Brown who tries to get him work, Denis O’Hare as Paul’s heart surgeon, John Rubenstein as Mary’s gynecologist who tries to help her chances to be pregnant, Clea Duvall as Cristina’s friend Claudia, Danny Huston as Cristina’s husband Michael, and Eddie Marsan as Reverend John who tries to help Jack following the tragedy. Melissa Leo is excellent as Jack’s wife Marianne who tries to cope with what Jack had done as she tries to help him. Charlotte Gainsbourg is superb as Paul’s wife who is eager to start over with him after a separation period as well as taking care of him as she copes with the changes in their life after his surgery.

Benicio del Toro is brilliant as Jack Jordan as a former convict turned born-again Christian who becomes the catalyst for the tragedy that is shaped in the film as he spends much of the film questioning his faith and ponders if he can be redeemed. Naomi Watts is amazing as Cristina Peck as a recovering addict who falls back into her addition following the loss of her family as Watts display the sense of anguish that looms over her as she searches for answers and satisfaction. Finally, there’s Sean Penn in a marvelous performance as Paul River as a mathematician who was dying until he received a new heart as he ponders whose heart does he have as he tries to find answers while coping with his own mortality and existence.

21 Grams is a phenomenal film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu that features very strong performances from Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benicio del Toro. It’s a film that doesn’t explore the severity of death and tragedy but also plays into the world of existence and faith. It’s also a film that doesn’t play by the rules of conventional narrative thanks in part to Guillermo Arriaga’s inventive screenplay. In the end, 21 Grams is a tremendous film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

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

© thevoid99 2014

Prisoners (2013 film)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Aaron Guzikowski, Prisoners is the story of two girls who had been abducted as a father and a detective both go on the search to find the girls. The film is an exploration into abduction as a man of the law tries to do things right while a father becomes obsessed with his search. Starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, and Melissa Leo. Prisoners is a gripping yet eerie suspense-drama from Denis Villeneuve.

Set during the Thanksgiving holidays in a small town in Pennsylvania, the film is about two girls who have been abducted as one of their fathers goes into a frantic search to find them while a detective does the same as the latter delve into many clues about abductions in the town. It all plays into two men who are both trying to find two girls as they suspect a young man with a RV truck but when evidence proves to have little results. It would force Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) to take the law into his own hands which would cause a lot of problems and obsessions for Dover. Even as Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to notice Dover’s troubled behavior as he is taking on the case with great care as he goes even deeper into dark secrets as it relates to many abductions in the town.

The film’s screenplay by Aaron Guzikowski explores what men will go through to find two girls who had been abducted on Thanksgiving Day as it plays into this search where Keller Dover and friend Franklin Birch (Terrence Howard) do whatever to find their daughters who were just going to Dover’s house on that day and were supposed to return. Instead, something goes wrong where Keller’s son Ralph (Dylan Minnette) reveals that he saw a RV truck nearby where the girls were playing nearby as Detective Loki manages to arrest the owner in a mentally-challenged young man named Alex (Paul Dano). Though Loki believes that Alex is innocent yet wants to keep an eye on him, it only angers Dover whose obsession with finding his daughter has him kidnapping Alex and torture him in his father’s old home as Franklin and his wife Nancy (Viola Davis) both realize what Dover is doing. For Franklin and Nancy, it makes them uneasy while Dover’s wife Grace (Maria Bello) has fallen apart to the point that she thinks her daughter is dead and blames herself.

The diverging paths that Dover and Loki take showcases what these two men would do as Dover basically suspects Alex due to comments or the fact that he was singing a variation of Jingle Bells which only triggers Dover’s rage as he would descend into alcoholism. While Detective Loki is the more practical of the two men, he would lose himself in the case as several false leads and troubling clues only get him in trouble as a man he suspects in Bob Taylor (David Dastmalchian) would only lead him to different paths. Loki would also question a pastor in Father Dunn (Len Cariou) who would also have some very strange answers that doesn’t just relate to the case but also in the town’s dark history concerning abductions.

Denis Villeneuve’s direction is very entrancing for the way he explores life in this small town in Pennsylvania that looks like every other town in America. Especially as it’s set during the Thanksgiving/Xmas holiday period where there isn’t a lot of sunshine but a lot of gray skies with bits of rain and snow to set the mood of the film. It’s quite grimy in its look as it starts off very calm until the drama kicks in where Dover and Franklin embark into their own search with no result which leads to Detective Loki who is called in as he was eating all by himself in a Chinese restaurant on Thanksgiving. The interrogation scenes are very intimate yet some of the drama that plays into the search and Dover’s own troubled descent does drag the film a bit where it has a sense of what is going to happen.

Things do pick up in the second act once it becomes clear of how far Dover will go to find answers much to the disgust of Franklin and Nancy as the direction becomes much tighter in terms of its suspense. Especially in the room that Alex would be in as Dover’s own form of torture to get answers where Villeneuve’s use of close-ups and medium shots come into play. Even in scenes relating to Loki’s own investigation where the use of recorded video footage in the interrogation scenes showcase how Loki can be in control or sometimes lose control. Things do come to ahead in its third act where it plays to the lost sense of obsession that looms in Dover and Loki trying to be the one person to make things right. Overall, Villeneuve creates a very terrifying yet powerful film about two men and their obsession to find two little girls who have been abducted.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins does phenomenal work with the film‘s cinematography as it has a very naturalistic look for many of its daytime interior/exterior scenes while the usage of lights and candles for scenes at night are truly exquisite to play into the dark mood of the film. Editors Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach do excellent work with the editing to create some unique rhythms to play into the suspense and drama as it often has this slow burn to play into the mystery over what happened to the girls. Production designer Patricia Vermette, with set decorator Frank Galline and art director Paul D. Kelly, does amazing work with the look of the homes the characters live in as well as the home that Dover‘s father lived in that he would use to torture Alex. Costume designer Renee April does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual to play into the look and seasonal setting of the film.

The makeup work of Donald Mowat and Pamela Westmore is brilliant for the beat-up look that Alex would sport after the abusive torture that Dover would give him as well as the look of his aunt Holly (Melissa Leo). Visual effects supervisor Phillip Feiner does terrific work with the film‘s minimal visual effects for the look of snowfall in a few scenes to play up as set-dressing. Sound editor Robert Alan Murray and sound designer Tom Ozanich do superb work with the sound to play into the sense of terror such as Alex‘s screams inside Dover‘s torture chamber as well as some eerie scenes set at home. The film’s music by Johan Johannsson is fantastic for its haunting score that is a mixture of low-key orchestral music and piano pieces with some ambient textures to set the dark mood while music supervisor Deva Anderson brings in a soundtrack filled with music by Radiohead, Ocean, and other traditional pieces.

The casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is great as it features notable small roles from Wayne Duvall as Detective Loki’s superior Captain O’Malley, Len Cariou as Father Dunn, Zoe Soul as Franklin and Nancy’s teenage daughter, Kyla Drew Simmons as Franklin and Nancy’s adolescent daughter who is abducted, Erin Gerasimovich as Drover’s daughter Anna who is also abducted, David Dastmalchian as a person Loki suspects in the film’s second act, and Dylan Minnette as Dover’s teenage son Ralph who watches over his mother while seeing his father begin to fall apart. Melissa Leo is terrific as Alex’s aunt Holly who claims that her nephew is innocent as she becomes a key player in the film’s third act. Paul Dano is excellent as Alex as a young man who is suspected of abducting the girls as he is captured and tortured by Dover.

Maria Bello is wonderful as Dover’s wife Grace as a woman ravaged by her daughter’s disappearance as she becomes lost in grief while Viola Davis is superb as Nancy Birch who discovers what Dover is doing as she tries to find reason as well as find her daughter. Terrence Howard is fantastic as Franklin Birch as a father who is coping with his own loss as he discovers what Dover is doing as he becomes anguished with wanting justice but also wanting to do things in the right way. Jake Gyllenhaal is incredible as Detective Loki as this detective who is trying to find the two girls any way he can while dealing with Dover’s insistence to find them as Gyllenhaal brings a sense of determination and care into his character as someone who is trying to do what is right. Finally, there’s Hugh Jackman in a remarkable performance as Keller Dover as this man who is obsessed with finding his daughter as he begins to suspect Alex as he descends into madness and nearly loses himself into what is important as it’s a very dark role from Jackman.

Prisoners is a fantastic film from Denis Villeneuve that features phenomenal performances from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. While it’s a film with some flaws, it is still compelling in exploring how far men will go to retrieve someone that they care for as well as someone whose job is to find that person and deal with the consequences. In the end, Prisoners is a marvelous film from Denis Villeneuve.

Denis Villeneuve Films: August 32nd on Earth - Maelstrom - Polytechnique - Incendies - Enemy (2013 film) - Sicario - Arrival - Blade Runner 2049 - Dune-Part One (2021 film) - Dune-Part Two - (Dune: Messiah) - The Auteurs #68: Denis Villeneuve

© thevoid99 2014

Flight (2012 film)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by John Gatins, Flight is the story of a substance-abusing airline pilot who manages to stop an airplane from crashing as he later tries to deal with addiction to drugs and alcohol. The film marks a return for Robert Zemeckis after a period of helming motion-capture animated films as he explores a man dealing with his addiction and actions. Starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, Bruce Greenwood, and Melissa Leo. Flight is a harrowing yet gripping film from Robert Zemeckis.

The film is this exploration into the life of an airline pilot who is brilliant but troubled by his substance abuse when he suddenly does the impossible and save a bunch of lives during a crash landing that could’ve killed everyone on board. Yet, he not only deals with the fact that there were a few people that did die but also the questions into whether he’s a hero or was he negligent in his role during this event. In turn, Captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is forced to face not just what he did but also his substance abuse as he’s an alcoholic who also occasionally does some cocaine. While meeting a recovering heroin addict in Nicole (Kelly Reilly), he tries to deal with the lies he has created as friends try to help him yet the guilt over the lives that were lost and his actions continue to haunt him. It’s a film that is about a man dealing with guilt where he would eventually reach his bottom.

John Gatins’ screenplay is largely a character study about Whitaker as he’s a man that is divorced and he doesn’t see his son very much while he spends most of his time drinking and doing some cocaine with a flight attendant. He’s even intoxicated during this flight where everyone could’ve died but he has somehow managed to pull something off that some describe as miraculous. The film’s first act not only follows Whitaker’s day where he nearly crashed the plane but also Nicole who would reach her bottom after nearly dying of a heroin overdose. Whitaker’s encounter with Nicole would have him thinking about getting sober but his demons would often come back which would threaten their relationship as Nicole is eager to stay clean.

Adding to the chaos of Whitaker’s life is an impending hearing he has to face about his role where he asks those to lie for him so he can save his own skin. Still, there are those like his friend Charlie (Bruce Greenwood) who wants to help as does Whitaker’s lawyer Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle) but Whitaker proves too much to be a man who is just unraveling. Especially as he is convinced that he’s failed as a husband and father as he hopes this hearing he is to attend will get him back on a plane and just do what he does without compromise.

Robert Zemeckis’ direction is unique in not just some of the way he presents the drama but also in the fact that it is a story of a man not willing to face his demons as he is waiting to hit his bottom. Much of the direction in terms of the drama is pretty straightforward but also entrancing in some of the close-ups he creates to showcase the sense of pain and denial that Whitaker is dealing with. He also puts in some little details into the compositions such as the line of coke that is on a small mirror or a tiny bottle of vodka. There is a sense of unpredictability in the way Zemeckis captures a man that could be falling apart one day or be sober the next though it all plays into Whitaker’s state of mind as he just wants to self-destruct or lash out at someone. Still, Zemeckis wants to present Whitaker as a good man in a scene where he helps Nicole move out of her apartment where he fights off her landlord as he would offer her a place to stay. Even as he accompanies to meetings where Zemeckis has the camera on a person talking as well as Whitaker’s reaction where it does play into a sense of foreshadow.

The plane crash sequence is definitely one that is filled with terror and gripping suspense where Zemeckis maintains a claustrophobic intimacy of what goes on in the cockpit as well as where the passengers are sitting as the plane would go upside down. The shots of the plane from the outside are quite spectacular to play into the horror and the sense of the impossible that Whitaker pulled off. Still, that moment would be shown in numerous occasions including the hearing that Whitaker attends as it’s definitely one of the most chilling moments of the film as it is also its climax. One that is just unforgettable not just in its dramatic impact but also in the way Whitaker has to face not just truths about himself but everything else he did in that day. Overall, Robert Zemeckis creates a very powerful drama about a man facing his own demons and the lies that he surrounds himself with.

Cinematographer Don Burgess does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from some of daytime locations in Atlanta as well as the scenes in the Whitaker farm to some of the interior scenes such as some shots in hotels and the bars that Whitaker goes to. Editor Jeremiah O’Driscoll does brilliant work with the editing from the use of rhythmic cuts for the film‘s intense moments in the plane to some of the stylish cuts for some of the film‘s dramatic moments. Production designer Nelson Coates, with set decorator James Edward Farrell Jr. and art director David Lazan does fantastic work with the set pieces such as the plane as well as the farm that Whitaker lives in as a sanctuary to get away from the press and the world.

Costume designer Louise Frogley does terrific work with the costumes where it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the hippie-like look of Whitaker‘s friend/drug dealer Harling. Visual effects supervisors Kevin Baillee and Hitesh Shah do amazing work with the visual effects for the scene of the plane where it plays into that sense of danger where it looks like it‘s going to crash as it‘s one of the film‘s major highlights. Sound designers Dennis Leonard and Randy Thom do superb work with the sound to capture what was going on inside that plane as well as some of the sound mixing to play into the troubled state of mind from Whitaker as well as Nicole early in the film. The film’s music by Alan Silvestri is wonderful for its broad orchestral score for some of the film’s intense moments along with low-key cuts to underscore the drama while its soundtrack contains a mix of music from the Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Marvin Gaye, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and several others.

The casting by Scot Boland and Victoria Burrows is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small performances from Nadine Velazquez as the stewardess Whitaker is with in the beginning of the film, Peter Geraty as the airline owner who wants to punish Whitaker for making him lose money, Garcelle Beauvais as Whitaker’s ex-wife Deana, Justin Martin as Whitaker’s son who doesn’t want to see him, Tamara Tunie as a flight attendant that survived the crash as she knows about Whitaker’s substance abuse, and James Badge Dale in a very memorable one-scene performance as a cancer patient Whitaker and Nicole meet at the hospital. Brian Geraghty is terrific as Whitaker’s co-pilot Ken Evans who would survive the crash as he would be a key person that would force Whitaker to confront his demons. Melissa Leo is wonderful as a NTSB investigator who interrogates Whitaker at the hearing.

John Goodman is very funny as Whitaker’s drug dealer Harling who always comes in to a Rolling Stones song as he would find ways to get Whitaker back up as he’s also a very unique individual who is an enabler but also the one person that can get him to focus. Don Cheadle is superb as Whitaker’s lawyer Hugh Lang who tries to get Whitaker to face the reality of his situation while admitting to not liking him. Bruce Greenwood is excellent as Whitaker’s friend Charlie who tries to help him deal with the legal things as well as trying to get him sober no matter how impossible it is. Kelly Reilly is fantastic as Nicole as this recovering heroin addict who befriends Whitaker as she would also live with him for a while as she would struggle with his alcoholism and her need to be sober.

Finally, there’s Denzel Washington in a magnificent performance as William “Whip” Whitaker as a man who lives a very exciting but empty life of being an airline pilot as well as doing all of the things a pilot does. Yet, he is a man that is denial over his substance abuse as he is also quite cruel and abusive to others which adds a sense of power to Washington’s performance. He can make Whitaker a despicable human being but also one who is sympathetic and in need of help as it is definitely Washington creating one of his best roles ever.

Flight is an incredible film from Robert Zemeckis that features a tour-de-force performance from Denzel Washington. Along with strong supporting work from John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood, and Don Cheadle. The film is definitely one of Zemeckis’ best films that explores a man falling apart in the wake of a nearly catastrophic event where he does something miraculous. Even as he is forced to wake up and face the demons in his life. In the end, Flight is a phenomenal film from Robert Zemeckis.

Robert Zemeckis Films: (I Wanna Hold Your Hand) - (Used Cars) - (Romancing the Stone) - Back to the Future - (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) - (Back to the Future Part II) - (Back to the Future Part III) - (Death Becomes Her) - (Forrest Gump) - (Contact) - (What Lies Beneath) - (Cast Away) - (The Polar Express) - (Beowulf (2007 film)) - (A Christmas Carol (2009 film)) - The Walk (2015 film) - (Doc Brown Saves the World) - (Allies (2017 film))

© thevoid99 2013

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/15/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed and starring Tommy Lee Jones, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada tells the story of an aging cowboy who discovers the body of his dead immigrant friend as he captures his killer and take him on a long, horseback journey from Texas to Mexico to bury the body. Written by Guillermo Arriaga, the writer of films like Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel for director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The film is a part western, part-journey that is also inspired by the story of Don Quixote. Also starring Barry Pepper, Julio Cedello, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones, Melissa Leo, Vanessa Bauche, Cecilia Suarez, and Levon Helm. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is an enchanting yet haunting film from Tommy Lee Jones and company.

Herding goats near the Texas-Mexico border is a man named Melquiades Estrada (Julio Cedello) where he shoots at a coyote as the two gunshots are heard by a new border patrolman named Mike Norton (Barry Pepper) who shoots Estrada to death and later buries him. After Estrada's body is found by patrolmen, local sheriff Belmont (Dwight Yoakam) calls Pete Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones) to reveal that Estrada is found dead as Perkins asks Belmont who killed Estradas as he would recall the times he met Estrada where they became friends. Particularly when they out with a couple of women including Pete's married girlfriend Rachel (Melissa Leo) who is also having an affair with Belmont. Meanwhile, Mike Norton is dealing with his troubled marriage to Lou Ann (January Jones) who feels bored by her new surroundings despite finding a friend in Rachel where she went on a double-date with Pete and Melquiades some time ago. Mike's new job as a border patrolman has become troubled due his violent attitude towards Mexican where he becomes distant following Estrada's death. 

After Belmont buries Estrada at another place, Rachel reveals to Pete that Mike Norton is the one who killed Estrada. When Belmont refuses Pete's request to arrest Norton due to issues with the border patrol, Pete decides to take matters into his own hands by breaking into the Nortons' home trailer where he ties up Lou Ann and kidnaps Mike. Forcing Mike to dig Estrada's body, Pete decides to make a vow to bury his friend at his birth home of Jiminez, Mexico as he also takes Mike on a treacherous journey on horseback as an act of revenge. While Belmont decides to go after Pete, pete is at the other side of the mountains forcing Belmont to let the border patrol and its Captain Gomez (Mel Rodriguez) to handle things but they're unable to capture Pete and Mike. Back in Texas, Lou Ann makes a decision about her marriage as she reveals to Rachel what she will do. With the journey to Mexico where Pete and Mike later encounter a blind man (Levon Helm), Mike tries to escape where he gets bitten by a rattlesnake as he's later saved by a group of U.S. bound Mexicans led by Lucio (Ignacio Guadalupe) to a small town where Pete also arrives at the town. 

At the town, Mike is treated by a woman named Mariana (Vanessa Bauche) whose nose Mike had broken weeks ago while Pete makes a call to Rachel to come to Mexico and get married. Melancholia eventually seeps into both Pete and Mike as they continue towards their journey to Jiminez as many locals claim the place doesn't exist. Finally meeting a woman (Cecilia Suarez) Pete thinks is Melquiades' wife, Pete wonders if everything his friend had said is true or not as he and Mike try to find the place called Jiminez.

The film is essentially about a man vowing to keep a promise to a friend of his while seeking justice and honor in his death. The character of Pete Perkins is someone who is seeking companionship in his lonely life whether it's through a married woman like Rachel or his friend Melquiades Estrada. When Melquiades is taken away, he tries to seek justice by capturing a man as ignorant as Mike Norton. When Norton becomes a prisoner, he is being punished not just physically but also emotionally and mentally as he goes on his own personal journey about himself.

Director Tommy Lee Jones and writer Guillermo Arriaga create a unique structure to the film to the film. Especially with Arriaga's unique narrative style as he separates the film into four parts. The first half is told through flashbacks and present time back and forth about the first two burials of Melquiades Estrada and Perkins seeking justice. The second half of the film involves the journey and the people back in Texas that concludes with the third and final burial of Melquiades Estrada. The film also involves a melancholic tone as Perkins tries to deal with his own alienation following Estrada's death as he tries to take care of his body as its decaying while being eaten by ants and such. The theme of alienation is very prevalent not just in Perkins but also the supporting characters as they all deal with boredom in this little Texan town with Lou Ann couldn't cope with living in small town Texas despite her friendship with Rachel.

Jones' direction works to convey the tone of fantasy and reality with that ode to Man of La Mancha where Jones' character is Don Quixote and Mike Norton is Sancho Panza. The location in Texas is truly inspiring as Jones uses it to great heights from its mountains to its beautiful scenery of water and desert truly gives the film a worldly feel. Jones' approach to the ending might seem baffling to some audience but again, it's him delving into a kind of realism mixed in with fantasy relating to Perkins. Jones use of compositions, scenery, and themes to convey the film is truly magnificent as it shows that he has a great future in being a director.

Cinematographer Chris Menges does some amazing work in the use of exteriors from the skylines to the dark, moody nighttime scenes to convey the film's melancholic mood. The interiors are also wonderful from the blue-green look of the diner Rachel works at to the Mexican bar mixed in with red lights and blue that Perkins is in to call Rachel. Menges' cinematography is astonishing as is his shots of the Texan mountains and hills. Editor Roberto Silvi does an excellent job with the film's present-day/flashback cutting to give the film a nice, unique pacing that works to convey the film's first half while the second half is more straightforward and intense. Production designer Merideth Boswell and art director Jeff Knipp do an amazing job in creating the look of the homes and places that Perkins and Norton go into, notably a cantina that is filled with wonderful lights and such.

Costume designer Kathy Kiatta does a fantastic job in the look of the costumes from the men's clothing filled with belts, cowboy boots, and cowboy hats to the dresses of the women as well as casual gear that is filled with wonderful colors. Sound recordist Loic Gourbe and mixer Mark Weingarten do a wonderful job in capturing the atmosphere of each location shot as well as the sounds of gunshots and animals in the desert. The film's music by composer Marco Beltrami is amazing in its understated tone with the use of acoustic instruments that has an intensity in the guitars to convey a feel of the western. Beltrami's score also does well in the suspense and melancholia as it's another highlight of the film. The soundtrack mostly consists of country classics by Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr., Freddy Fender, Roger Miller, and Dwight Yoakam as well as some Mexican, ranchero music.

The film's cast assembled by Jeanne McCarthy is wonderfully superb with small performances from screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga as a cowboy whom Perkins and Norton run into, Rene Campero as a local Don who Perkins talks to if he knew Melquiades, Celia Suarez as a woman who Perkins thinks is Melquiades' wife, and Vanessa Bauche as Mariana, a woman whom Mike had broken her nose during an immigration chase who would later return the favor. Ignacio Guadalupe is good as Lucio, a Mexican who accompanies Perkins and Norton to town while befriending the old cowboy. Mel Rodriguez is also good as border patrol captain Gomez who tries to control Mike while doing his job to try and capture Perkins. Legendary drummer for the Band, Levon Helm is amazing as a blind man who takes Perkins and Norton for dinner and company as he asks them a favor that is morally wrong that neither are wanting to do.

Melissa Leo is excellent as Rachel, a married woman who has numerous affairs with both sheriff Belmont and Perkins as she tries to keep the young Lou Ann company while being confused in her affairs while January Jones is pretty good as the neglected and lost Lou Ann. Julio Cedello is great in his small role as Melquiades Estrada who is just a simple man that becomes the unwittingly victim of his own death while his body is being carried around in a treacherous journey.

Country singer Dwight Yoakam is excellent as the cantankerous Sheriff Belmont who has a real dislike towards Perkins while trying to maintain his role as sheriff only to find comfort in Rachel. Barry Pepper is brilliant in his role as Mike Norton, an angry, naive, ignorant man who has committed murder only to be dragged and tortured physically and emotionally into a journey as he tries to seek redemption and understanding. Pepper's performance is a real highlight as he endures many physical and mental challenges for his character while being a great foil for Jones.

Then there's Tommy Lee Jones in one of his finest performances yet. In his role as a laconic, melancholic rancher is just amazing to watch as Jones' understated, minimalist performance is shown a wide range of emotion and humor as he plays a man trying to make a promise. Jones also brings a wonderful presence to his character as if he is Don Quixote that makes his performance more worldly and grand as it's a great character for the actor to play.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a truly superb film from Tommy Lee Jones and writer Guillermo Arriaga with a great cast led by Jones and Barry Pepper. With a wonderful supporting cast that includes Melissa Leo, Dwight Yoakam, and the late Levon Helm, it's a very unique and exotic film that plays into the world of the western and its theme of redemption. Fans of Jones' acting will no doubt consider this one of his finest work as well as be surprised by what he's able to do as a filmmaker. So in the end, for anyone that wants a mesmerizing western mixed in with fantasy, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is the film to see.

(C) thevoid99 2012

Mildred Pierce (2011 TV Miniseries)

Based on James M. Cain’s 1941 novel, Mildred Pierce tells the story of a middle-class housewife’s struggle to give her children a better life during the Great Depression. Though she finds works as a waitress and begins to work her way up, she also begins to deal with the ambitions of her eldest Veda as their lives turn tragic. The story would eventually become a feature film in 1945 by Michael Curtiz that starred Joan Crawford in the title role, which would win her an Oscar for Best Actress. In 2011, the melodramatic story is told once again into a new medium for a five-part TV miniseries. This time, under the helm of one of American cinema’s great talents in Todd Haynes.

Directed by Todd Haynes with a teleplay by Haynes and Jon Raymond. Haynes’ adaptation of Mildred Pierce is a re-telling of the novel by expanding on the melodrama with the realism of the 1930s. While some might consider the project to be a companion piece of sorts to his 2002 film Far from Heaven. The miniseries is a different take on the world of housewives that Haynes had previously explored in Far from Heaven and Safe. Even as he goes for a grittier yet stylistic approach to the story with Kate Winslet in the title role. Also starring Evan Rachel Wood, Guy Pearce, Mare Winningham, Melissa Leo, Brian F. O’Byrne, James LeGros, and Hope Davis. Mildred Pierce is a sprawling yet evocative drama from Todd Haynes and company.

Part 1

It’s 1931 during the Great Depression in Glendale, California when Bert Pierce (Brian F. O’Byrne) leaves his home and his wife Mildred after accusations of infidelity. With her two young daughters in the glamorous Veda (Morgan Turner) and the playful Ray (Quinn McColgan), Mildred realizes that she needs work. While her neighbor Lucy Gessler (Melissa Leo) helps out along with Bert’s business partner Wally Burgan (James LeGros). Still in 1931, as Mildred struggles to find work in any kind of field. While an employment agent helps her find work, she gets a job offer to work for a maid by a rich woman named Mrs. Forrester (Hope Davis).

Mildred turns her down as she continues to try and find work where during a lunch break, she sees an argument between waitresses as the manager (Mark Margolis) fires one of them. Realizing they’re short, Mildred volunteers for the day as she accepts the job of being a waitress. While she only tells Lucy about the job, she hopes that no including Veda would know about this.

Part 2

With help from Ida Corwin (Mare Winningham), Mildred succeeds as a waitress as she brings in some money. While things are fine at the restaurant, the only thing the customers complain about is the pie as Mildred brings in pies of her own to help boost things. Realizing that she can make money on her own with her cooking skills, she also learns the ropes of the restaurant business with Wally’s help to start a restaurant. Though Wally reveals that in order for Mildred to have her own business, she needs to divorce Bert. Bert reluctantly does so though he still gets the chance to see his daughters.

Mildred’s secret comes out when her new assistant Letty wear Mildred’s waitress dress. Mildred has a confrontation with the snobbish Veda while revealing the plans she’s having for the restaurant. On the last day of her job as a waitress, a man named Monty Beragon (Guy Pearce) arrives as he asks Mildred for a day at the beach in Santa Barbara. Mildred accepts where romance happens between Mildred and the fruit company heir. On the way home, Mildred would encounter tragedy that would change her life as well as her relationship with Veda.

Part 3

After the family tragedy Mildred faced, she decides to move forward to open her restaurant called Mildred’s. With her maid Letty (Marin Ireland) helping out for the first day, it starts off slow until it grew in that first night. With Ida and Lucy helping out, the first night becomes successful as Monty makes an appearance much to the delight of Veda. With Monty in Mildred’s life and making an indelible impression on Veda, everything seems to be going well. Even as Monty gets a chance for Veda to audition for a prestigious music teacher. Though the audition is a success, Mildred knows that she has to get a top piano for Veda so she can continue to practice.

With Prohibition on its way out and Monty having money troubles, Mildred takes Lucy’s advice to have a little bar in her restaurant. Yet, it’s not enough to deal with Monty’s financial issues while Veda’s time with Monty makes Mildred uneasy. Even as Veda is unimpressed by Mildred’s present while saying things that upset Mildred about Veda’s conversations with Monty. At a rainy night on New Year’s Eve, Mildred confronts Monty about his conversations with Veda along with the fact that she works and he doesn’t.

Part 4

With Mildred’s becoming a success as Mildred hopes to expand her business, Lucy finds a location at Laguna that would become a place where Mildred would exceed her finances. With help from Wally and Ida, Mildred’s third restaurant at the Laguna becomes another success as she also expands her entrees. After the news of her teacher‘s death, Veda (Evan Rachel Wood) tries to get an audition with a famed music impresario named Treviso. Instead, the audition becomes a disaster leading Veda to party with a group of young people.

Mildred is worried about Veda’s partying ways as she gets an unexpected visit from Mrs. Forrester. What Mildred learns from Mrs. Forrester has her worried while she asks Veda what happened. Veda revealed she turned to Wally for help as Mildred learns the realization of what Veda is trying to do. Yet, what is more shocking is Veda’s motivation to do so as Mildred kicks her out. With Veda gone, Mildred focuses on her business yet she longs for information about Veda. Then, she hears the news from Bert that Veda has succeeded as an opera singer.

Part 5

After learning about Veda’s success and hearing her sing through the radio, Mildred is desperate to contact her. She realizes that Veda’s music instructor is Treviso who is happy about working with Veda though suggests to Mildred to not make any contact with her for her own sake. With ideas of finding a new home in Pasadena, Mildred runs into Monty as they reconnect. Selling her his estate, the two get married as Veda makes a surprise appearance. Though everything seems fine as Veda becomes a big success. Mildred learns about some holes in her finances as it becomes clear what’s been happening. Even Bert reveals what’s been happening as people from her business have tried to warn her about something. It is there that Mildred faces not only betrayal but also heartbreak.

While the original 1945 film was a noir-like melodrama set in the 1940s, it was a very stylized approach to what James M. Cain had originally intended with the book. Under the direction of Todd Haynes, Cain’s story about a woman trying to win the heart of her ungrateful daughter expands into something much bigger and more realistic. Even as Haynes uses Mildred’s struggle early in the miniseries as an allegory to what was going in the late 2000s during the troubled economy. Yet, Haynes and co-writer Jon Raymond delve into the story about this woman’s desperate to succeed in her own times and win her daughter’s heart. Even by going to Cain’s novel and bring in characters that weren’t present or under-utilized in Michael Curtiz’s 1945 film.

The relationship between Mildred and Veda is the heart of the miniseries while characters such as Bert Pierce, Ida Corwin, Wally Burgan, and Monty Beragon are more prominent in the book. Even the character Lucy Gessler, who wasn’t in the 1945 film, is presented in the miniseries. With these supporting characters, they bring in their own perspective about the Mildred and Veda relationship though it’s told through Mildred’s perspective.

Since it’s told in nearly six-hours and in five parts, it’s all about Mildred’s progression from a wife whose husband has left her for another woman to struggle on her own. When she eventually takes a job as a waitress so she can raise her daughters. During this time as a waitress, she learns about the restaurant business and with the help of a few people. She starts her own restaurant and eventually succeeds by turning it into an empire. Yet, part of the motivation isn’t to give her daughters the chance to feel secure but also for them to have a very good life. Unfortunately, one of them wants more than that.

The character of Veda is someone that wants ambition and wants to succeed at any cost. When family tragedy occurs in the Pierce family, it does bring Veda and Mildred closer which also serves as Mildred’s reason to want to have Veda around her. Instead, Veda becomes more ambitious and falls for Monty’s lifestyle. The chance to play music and later, become a singer is Veda’s chance to not only leave Glendale but also leave the mother who she feels is holding her back.

With the relationship of the two progressing throughout the duration of the story, there comes various people involved that would look at this relationship. The one person that would help create the divide in the two is Monty. Monty is a rich playboy who likes to live a lifestyle that he can afford, at first. By the time his own finances dry up, he goes to Mildred for money as she takes care of him. Instead, his own time with Veda would be the breaking point as they won’t see each other for a few years. When he does reappear, he would be responsible for the reunion between Mildred and Veda. Yet, that wouldn’t last as he would create the problems Mildred would face the near-ruin of everything she’s worked for. What’s even worse isn’t just betrayal but also an indication of how foolish she can be.

Part of Mildred’s fault is her ability to try and please others such as Monty and Veda. Yet, they take advantage of her hospitality making Mildred into a tragic figure of sorts. Even by the miniseries’ climatic moment is where she finally reaches her breaking point following everything that has just happened to her. The ending of the miniseries isn’t as stylish as Curtiz’s film but it’s an indication of what Mildred has learned and realizes in the end.

The teleplay by Haynes and Jon Raymond succeeds in not only the character study of Mildred Pierce as well as other characters. They succeed in also creating the environment of what was it like during the Great Depression. Through Haynes’ sprawling yet stylish direction, he creates something that is not just reminiscent of 1970s cinema. He also brings a contemporary approach to the story while retaining the language of the 1930s. Yet, Haynes is always having his camera interested in what is going on with Mildred’s world and through the people around her.

There are scenes throughout the miniseries where Mildred is looking around whether she’s inside a car or at a restaurant looking around. It’s as if she’s is feeling detached by the world around her. Even as Haynes understands what Mildred is going through with her life. Even as the story progresses, she becomes more refined while is awaiting to be reunited with Veda. The scenes where Veda performs an opera is truly captivating as it’s shown not just from Mildred’s perspective but also in how Veda is displaying those emotions through her singing. It’s not just Veda singing to her mother where it seems like she’s being grateful underneath all of that performance is a young woman becoming more detached from the woman who tried to give her everything.

Haynes’ direction truly succeeds in creating a feeling of detachment while bringing new life to the world of the Depression in California though it’s mostly shot in the state of New York. The look of the 1930s during the Depression might not seem as decayed or in ruins but rather a period where people are struggling while trying to get things moving. Even as he creates wonderful shots and camera movements to get into the emotion of the story. Even as he ends each part with some sort of cliffhanger as the end of the first part really shows a great example of what is happening. The result is truly a magnificent miniseries helmed by one of American cinema’s great filmmakers working today.

Cinematographer Edward Lachman does a superb job with the miniseries’ gorgeous photography. Lachman plays up the sunny yet dreamy quality of many of the miniseries’ exteriors that gives it a Californian feel. For many of the interiors, Lachman brings in an amazing array of lighting schemes whether its to reflect sunlight against the glass in some scenes or creating a mood for what is happening. Lachman’s photography is truly exquisite as it is definitely the highlight of the miniseries’ technical work.

Editors Alfonso Goncalves and Camilla Toniolo do a phenomenal job with the editing of the entire series. With Goncalves on the first two parts, Toniolo on the third, and both doing the last two parts. The editing works in playing up to the drama and uncertainty about Mildred early in the story. Even as presents the story in a leisured yet methodical pacing while not making it too slow. While it’s length works as a miniseries which allows each part to be separated at over an hour each. The editing also works to convey the intense melodrama that occurs throughout the miniseries as it is definitely some fine work.

Production designer Mark Friedberg, along with set decorator Ellen Christiansen and art director Peter Rogness, does a great job with the recreation of 1930s California from the look of the restaurants and homes that characters lived in. Even with the cars as Freidberg and his team do something that is truly spectacular with the period setting including the grand scenes for the opera. Costume designer Ann Roth does a spectacular job with the costumes for the miniseries. Roth’s costumes plays up to the evolution of Mildred’s character from a middle-class woman struggling to find work to a woman with lavish clothes running a business. Even with Veda’s clothes early as child with someone wanting top-class to a much more grander style of clothing to represent her narcissistic personality.

Visual effects supervisor Lesley Robson-Foster does a very good job with the minimal sound effects to enhance the look of 1930s America along a few shots for some of the driving scenes. Sound designer Leslie Shatz does an amazing job with the sound work for the miniseries. From the way cars sounded back then to the surroundings Mildred would encounter throughout duration of the miniseries along with the homes she lives in. Shatz’s work is truly stellar in the way she allows the sound to intensify the dramatic elements of the miniseries.

The score by Carter Burwell is truly wonderful for the way Burwell plays up to the melodrama as well as the period of the music. Creating a score filled with lush arrangements and orchestral flourishes that is bombastic and also understated to play up the drama. Even with something as plaintive as a piano to help play to Mildred’s complex emotions. Music supervisor Randall Poster helps with the soundtrack by creating a mix of 1930s pop music at the time, notably I‘m Always Chasing Rainbows that serves as Mildred‘s sort of theme. Poster also selects varied classical opera pieces for Veda to play with vocals by Sumi Jo to serve as Veda’s voice. The music overall is fantastic as it’s another highlight of the miniseries.

The casting by Laura Rosenthal is definitely top-notch with the array of people that appears throughout the entire miniseries. In small but notable appearances include Paul Sparks as an agent trying to get Veda to New York City in the fifth part of the series, Mark Margolis as the diner boss, Miriam Shor as a diner waitress, Elvy Yost as Mildred’s secretary in the latter part of the miniseries, Halley Feiffer as one of Mildred’s waitresses, and Marin Ireland as Mildred’s maid/assistant Letty. Quinn McColgan is very good as Mildred’s youngest daughter Ray who provides all of the warmth and playfulness that anyone could ask for in a kid. Hope Davis is excellent in a small but pivotal role as Mrs. Forrester, a rich woman who snidely offers Mildred a job in the first part only to return in the fourth when she confronts Mildred about Veda.

Mare Winningham is great as Ida Corwin, a diner waitress who helps Mildred run the restaurant while being the person who tries to warn Mildred about the finances. James LeGros is wonderful as Wally Burgan, a businessman who occasionally sleeps with Mildred early in the series to help her start a business while being the man who would make decisions that baffles Mildred. Melissa Leo is phenomenal as Lucy Gessler, Mildred’s best friend and confidant who helps her run the restaurant business while trying to warn Mildred about Veda’s behavior. Brian F. O’Byrne is extremely impressive as Bert Pierce, Mildred’s first husband who leaves for another woman only to become a supporter of her and one of the few people she trusts. O’Byrne truly brings an everyman quality to Bert who is kind of a sap but a guy that is sympathetic as his own relationship with Mildred in the progression of the story becomes one of the most interesting as O’Byrne really shines.

Guy Pearce is amazing as Monty Beragon, the charming playboy who wows Mildred with his tastes as he helps her succeed. Yet, Pearce also brings a devilish quality to Beragon as he is someone who is more brutish and also lazy as a guy who just likes to live a lifestyle that he can’t really afford. It’s Pearce at his finest as he and Kate Winslet have some wonderful chemistry whether they’re in love or hating each other. For role of Veda Pierce, two actresses play the character in two different age groups. For the younger Veda, Morgan Turner is superb as this young, ambitious little girl who scoffs at the idea of the working class while being very spoiled. Turner adds a smugness to that character that makes her someone that anyone would love to hate. Yet, it’s a remarkable performance from the young Turner as it’s really a set-up for what will Veda become as a teenage girl/young woman played by Evan Rachel Wood.

Evan Rachel Wood gives, what is probably the best performance of her young career so far. Not only does she make Veda more unlikable, she makes Veda into a monster that anyone wishes would be dead. Wood truly brings a very dramatic flair to her character by being a bit over the top and also bringing the idea that she is a talented singer/musician in the way she mimics things. By the time the story progresses and she becomes larger than life, Wood definitely has moments she nearly steals the scenes from Kate Winslet including a nude scene that is one of the most infuriating moments of the miniseries. It is definitely a break-out performance for the young Evan Rachel Wood.

Finally, there’s Kate Winslet in what is definitely one of her greatest performances of her career. In playing the titular character, it is a very different performance than the one Joan Crawford gave in the 1945 performance. It’s stripped down and also very direct about a woman struggling to bring security to her young daughters and to succeed on her own terms. Winslet brings a real weariness to her character while her physicality in the way she reacts to things is just startling. Even as she has a great rapport with her fellow actors including Evan Rachel Wood where the two have great scenes together about their troubled relationship. While it may not be her best performance of her career, it is certainly among one of her best in an amazing career.

Mildred Pierce is a spectacular yet mesmerizing miniseries/melodrama from Todd Haynes featuring a towering performance from Kate Winslet in the title role. Along with some fantastic supporting work by Evan Rachel Wood, Morgan Turner, Guy Pearce, Melissa Leo, Mare Winningham, and Brian F. O’Byrne. It’s definitely a story that really plays to its sense of ambition and heartbreak. While it may not be as overly stylized as Michael Curtiz’s 1945 film, it is definitely a more realistic take on James M. Cain’s novel though both have the same idea. While it is a long story to watch, it is told in the right medium as a miniseries as Todd Haynes truly went all out for this story. In the end, the 2011 miniseries of Mildred Pierce is a dazzling yet intense project from Todd Haynes.

Todd Haynes Films: Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story - Poison - Dottie Gets Spanked - Safe - Velvet Goldmine - Far from Heaven - I'm Not There - Carol - Wonderstruck - Dark Waters (2019 film) - The Velvet Underground

Related: Mildred Pierce (1945 film) - The Auteurs #3: Todd Haynes

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