Based on the non-fiction book by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures is the true story of female African-American mathematicians who worked at NASA where they would provide the numbers for the right flight trajectories for the Mercury space missions in the early 1960s. Directed by Theodore Melfi and screenplay by Melfi and Allison Schroeder, the film is an exploration of the small number of people whose contribution to the 1960s space race to be as important as those that flew into outer space. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Glen Powell, Mahershala Ali, and Kevin Costner. Hidden Figures is an enchanting and exhilarating film from Theodore Melfi.
Set in 1961 and 1962, the revolves around a trio of African-American women who work at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia for NASA where one of the women would find the right mathematic problems for flight trajectories for the upcoming Mercury space missions during the 1960s space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Though these three women try to deal with the work they have to do at a time where everything is segregated at the time as men and women work at different buildings with African-American women having to work in one different side of the building with white women. They all have a role to play in order to beat the Russians in the space race as they’re having a hard time catching up with them. The film’s screenplay by Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder does have a straightforward structure as it play into the obstacles the mathematician Katherine Goble (Taraji P. Henson), the aspiring engineer Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae), and supervisor Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) face.
Yet, the script focuses largely on Goble who is a widowed mother of three girls as she is a gifted mathematician since she was a child yet is still undervalued until she is transferred to work with the Space Task Group led by Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) who would see what Goble has to offer. Still, she has to cope with the fact that she has to run half-a-mile to go to the bathroom since the closest one is only for white women until Harrison makes the decision to get rid of the ideas of segregation by knocking down a “colored only” sign in the women’s bathroom. While Goble would also have to endure the fast-paced world of getting results as well as deal with a supervisor in head engineer Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons) who is trying to impose his superiority over Goble. The script also showcase what Jackson and Vaughn go through as Jackson would work with Karl Zielinski (Olek Krupa) whom he sees as someone with potential and would encourage her to get her engineering degree.
For Vaughn who has been taking on the role of acting supervisor for her team, she still has to deal with her supervisor Vivian Mitchell (Kirsten Dunst) who tells Vaughn what she needs to do though she’s unaware that Vaughn would be the one to figure out the new IBM 7090 supercomputers and how they work. There is also a subplot as it relates to Goble’s personal life as she falls for a military officer in Jim Johnson (Mahershala Ali) who would eventually become her husband which would help bring some happiness to Goble just as she’s starting to find fulfillment in her professional life.
Melfi’s direction doesn’t have a lot of stylish visuals in order to capture a moment in time where it was an era of civil unrest as well as this sense of change emerging. Shot largely at the Morehouse College in Atlanta, the film opens with a look into Goble’s life when she as a child and how she became this unknowingly gifted child that could do math problems beyond anyone’s expectation. While Melfi would use some wide shots including some key scenes set in space, much of the film would have Melfi employ more straightforward shots to play into Goble and the need to do her work and stand out among many. Even as she would wear colorful dresses while the rest of her co-workers are seen wearing white shits and a black tie. The wide shots that Melfi creates in some of the buildings show that sense of disconnect between blacks and whites and their roles in NASA but it eventually becomes more intimate once they start to realize the value these women have for NASA.
Melfi would also play into light-hearted moments as it relates to some of the individual moments that Jackson would go through as she would file a petition to be allowed to get her engineering degree as well as Vaughn taking a library book that would allow her to understand the IBM machine. The film’s climax which revolves around the mission with John Glenn (Glen Powell) who has taken notice of Goble’s work and wants her to do the math as he sees her as someone of immense value. Though Goble at first isn’t part of this mission, Harrison realizes that everything they have been relying on with the IBM show some discrepancies in the calculations forcing him to have Goble at his side. It all play into what one person could do and make a small but important contribution to the space race. Overall, Melfi crafts a compelling and riveting film about three women whose small contributions to the 1960s space race would make a major difference for themselves and everyone else.
Cinematographer Mandy Walker does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the usage of colors for many of the exterior daytime scenes as well as how some of the interiors are lit including some of the scenes set at night. Editor Peter Teschner does terrific work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Wynn Thomas, with set decorator Missy Parker and art director Jeremy Woolsey, does brilliant work with the look of the offices and labs as it play into the environment the characters work at where it starts off that is a bit oppressive but then warms up once everyone is on the same page. Costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus does amazing work with the costumes from the colorful dresses many of the African-American women wear at work and off work as well as the clothes that the white men/women wear which are a bit colorless to display their buttoned-down look.
Visual effects supervisors Chris and Mark LeDoux do fantastic work with the visual effects for the scenes set in outer space including the film’s climax during John Glenn’s Earth orbits. Sound designers Wayne Lemmer and Derek Vanderhorst do superb work with the sound in the way rockets sounded as well as the sparse elements in the way chalk and typewriters would sound. The film’s music by Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, and Benjamin Wallfisch is incredible for its mixture of Zimmer and Wallfisch’s orchestral music to play into some of the low-key elements of the drama without anything bombastic as well as some of the soul-based music created by Williams who would also compile the film’s soundtrack to feature a lot of the music of the times including some of the soul music that was emerging during those times.
The casting by Victoria Thomas is great as it feature some notable small roles from the trio of Saniyaa Sidney, Ariana Neal, and Zani Jones Mbayise as Katherine’s daughters, Aldis Hodge as Mary’s husband, Donna Biscoe as Katherine’s mother who watches over her granddaughters, Karen Kendrick as the younger version of Katherine’s mother, Lidya Jewett as the young Katherine, Kimberly Quinn as Harrison’s secretary Ruth, Olek Krupa as the Jewish-Polish scientist Karl Zielinski who encourages Mary to get her degree as he sees value in her, and Glen Powell in a terrific performance as John Glenn who realizes the value in Katherine’s gift for mathematics as he sticks with her results rather than what everyone says. Jim Parsons is good as Paul Stafford as a head engineer who gives Goble problems to work on and not realizing what she could do as he is forced to accept what she’s able to offer.
Kirsten Dunst is fantastic as Vivian Mitchell as a supervisor who supervises all of the women while having to deal with Vaughn whom she knows is qualified but often tells her about the rules as it’s a low-key yet effective performance. Mahershala Ali is excellent as Jim Johnson as a military officer who woos Goble as he is fascinated by what he does and wants to be there for her. Kevin Costner is brilliant as Al Harrison as the Space Task Group director who takes notice of Goble’s work and realizes her value while making changes that he feels is necessary for everyone including Goble whom he realizes is a much smarter person than everyone else. Janelle Monae is amazing as Mary Jackson as a mathematician who aspires to be an engineer as she has something to offer as a famed scientist realizes that and gives her the chance to get her degree as it’s a performance full of charisma.
Octavia Spencer is incredible as Dorothy Vaughn as an acting supervisor who heads the African-American women’s section who is trying to get promoted while she would be the one person to figure out how the IBM machines work giving her the chance to be valued by everyone. Finally, there’s Taraji P. Henson in a phenomenal performance as Katherine Goble Johnson as the gifted mathematician who knows any kind of problem needed as she is the smartest person in the room that no one is aware of while dealing with some of the demands in her work as well as the need to be there for her daughters as it’s Henson in one of her triumphant performances to date.
Hidden Figures is a spectacular film from Theodore Melfi. Featuring a great cast, a rapturous story, gorgeous visuals, and a joyful music soundtrack. It’s a film that showcases people whose small contributions to something monumental would prove to have a lasting effort as this true story of these three women isn’t just inspirational but also prove that even those behind the scenes matter. In the end, Hidden Figures is a sensational film from Theodore Melfi.
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Guillermo del Toro and screenplay by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor from a story by del Toro, The Shape of Water is the story of a mute custodian at a secret lab run by the American government who falls for a mysterious creature whom the lab is experimenting on. Set in the early 1960s during the Cold War, the film is an exploration of a woman who meets this amphibious creature and sees him for what he really is where she and friends try to protect it from dark forces. Starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Doug Jones as the mysterious sea creature. The Shape of Water is a rapturous and intoxicating film from Guillermo del Toro.
The film is a simple story set in early 1960s Baltimore where a mysterious creature had been captured by the American government for experiments where a mute custodian at the lab befriends and later falls for the creature. It’s a film that bear a lot of elements of the fairy tale but it is presented in a world that is teetering on the brink of world dominance as this mute woman and mysterious creature from the sea in the middle. The film’s screenplay by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor has an unusual approach in which the creature and the protagonist in Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) never speak a word with the latter communicating through sign language. It’s the supporting characters such as Elisa’s co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer), her neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins), a scientist named Dr. Robert Hoffsetler (Michael Stuhlbarg) who is a Soviet spy, and a government official in Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) who captured the creature that do much of the talking in the film.
Elisa is a woman with a routine as she works at nights to clean up with Zelda as the reason she doesn’t speak is due to a neck injury she had when she was a baby. Giles is considered like a caretaker of her of sorts who is struggling to create ads for companies that are changing their ideas of what they want. Yet, Giles is also coping with aging and the fact that he’s gay where he shares his loneliness with Elisa who knows that he’s gay and has no problem with it. Zelda is an African-American who isn’t afraid to say what is on her mind as she also protects Elisa from the suspicion of Colonel Strickland whom she isn’t fond of. Colonel Strickland isn’t a traditional antagonist as he is eager to do his job but also has a family to provide for where he is also paranoid about the Soviet Union spying on what they captured. Then there’s Dr. Hoffsetler as he is a Soviet spy but his interest in the creature is more about science rather than give the Soviets an advantage where he becomes sympathetic for the creature as he knows what it can do and wants to help it.
The direction of del Toro has this mixture of old-Hollywood mixed in with elements of fantasy as well as a look of early 1960s consumerism and conformity despite the sense of unrest that is looming in those times. Shot largely in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada with some of it shot in Toronto, del Toro captures a time in America where the Cold War is looming and things are changing to keep up with people wanting things like Cadillacs or diners that are safe. Yet, there is still something off as it relates to what is really happening as it’s something Giles doesn’t want to see as he has enough reality to deal where he tries to make a pass at a waiter at the diner who he thought was gay who also refuses to serve an African-American couple. It’s among these tropes that del Toro would put in the film to establish the tone of the times which also feels real as the only pleasure for Giles and Elisa they have are through old films they watch on TV or at the cinema that is below their apartment.
While del Toro would use some wide shots of the locations as well as the scope of the lab and a few scenes inside the movie theater. Much of del Toro’s direction would involve more intimate shots in the close-ups and medium shots as it play into the interaction with the characters including the scenes of Elisa and the creature in how they communicate and how they bond. Even as del Toro isn’t afraid to display this air of sexuality early in the film as it relates to Elisa’s routine and her own feelings for the monster who feels like he understands her much better than a lot of human beings. That is something that Col. Strickland isn’t able to understand yet he is still a complex individual as del Toro would create some unique compositions to play into his determination to find what the monster is useful for in the advantage of the Cold War.
It adds to the sense of misunderstanding of what humanity can’t deal with whenever they encounter something that is different where del Toro sees the creature as a being with a soul that is there for the good of the world. It’s something Giles, Zelda, and Elisa would see as does Dr. Hoffsetler who becomes aware that the Soviets have no interest in what the creature can do as it play into this tug-of-war between two superpowers who just want an advantage in this dangerous conflict. Still, del Toro is focused on this unlikely love story between Elisa and the creature as it is about two beings in love and wanting to be with each other without any complications in relation to the real world. Overall, del Toro creates a ravishing and enchanting film about a mute woman who falls for a mysterious creature from the sea.
Cinematographer Dan Laustsen does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of colorful lighting schemes and moods with the usage of green and teal-like colors for many of the film’s interior settings as well as some colorful lighting for some of the exterior scenes at night including the usage of low-key colors for the scenes in the water as well as a black-and-white dream sequence. Editor Sidney Wolinsky does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style in some jump-cuts though much of it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense. Production designer Paul D. Austerberry, with set decorators Jeffrey A. Melvin and Shane Vieau plus art director Nigel Churcher, does amazing work with the look of the lab in all of its detail to the water tanks and electronic equipment to the look of the apartments that Giles and Elisa live in as well as the interior of Col. Strickland’s home. Costume designer Luis Sequeira does fantastic work with the costumes as it play into the period of the early 1960s with the way the suits look as well as some of the dresses that the women wore in those times.
Special makeup effects by Mike Hill and Shane Mahan do incredible work with the look of the creature in all of its intricate designs including body parts that light up as it one of the finest feats of creature design. Visual effects supervisors Dennis Berardi, Trey Harrell, and Kevin Scott do terrific work with the visual effects that’s set in the water as well as some set dressing for some of the exterior scenes in the film. Sound editor Nathan Robitaille does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations including some of the sounds in the lab with Robitaille and del Toro providing some of the vocals sounds of the creature. The film’s music by Alexandre Desplat is marvelous for its enchanting orchestral score that is filled with lush string arrangements and tingling percussion textures as it adds to the sense of fantasy and the suspense in the film while its soundtrack features music from Madeleine Peyroux, Benny Goodman, Andy Williams, Alice Faye, Glenn Miller, and Roger Suen.
The casting by Robin D. Cook and Jonathan Oliveira is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles from John Kapelos as the cinema owner Mr. Arzoumanian, Morgan Kelly as the diner waiter who sells pies, Wendy Lyon as Col. Strickland’s secretary, Madison Ferguson and Jayden Grieg as Col. Strickland’s children, Stewart Arnott as an advertising executive friend of Giles, Nigel Bennett as a Soviet spy that Dr. Hoffstetler talks to, Lauren Lee Smith as Col. Strickland’s wife Elaine, David Hewlett as one of the military scientists in Fleming who is asked to spy on Dr. Hoffstetler, and Nick Searcy as Col. Strickland’s superior General Frank Hoyt who wants the monster be used as a tool for the Cold War.
Michael Stuhlbarg is fantastic as Dr. Robert Hoffstetler as a scientist who is really a Soviet spy that is studying the creature where he realizes that the creature offers so much more as he decides to help Elisa rather than answer to Col. Strickland and the Soviets. Octavia Spencer is excellent as Zelda Delilah Fuller as a talkative custodian who often speaks for Elisa as well as be a conscience of sorts in the film where she would protect Elisa and the creature in the hope that Elisa could find some happiness. Richard Jenkins is brilliant as Giles as Elisa’s neighbor and an aging advertising agent who often wears a toupee where he struggles with age and the need for companionship as well as changing times as he sees the creature as a beacon of hope where he sees what kind of magic it could do as well as be a great sense of hope for Elisa.
Michael Shannon is amazing as Colonel Richard Strickland as a government agent who captures the creature in the hopes he can extract something that could be useful for the human race in the Cold War as he’s a complex man that loves his family and knows a lot of literature where Shannon brings a chilling and scary performance of a man that is willing to kill. Doug Jones is great in his role as the creature where, despite not having any dialogue, he manages to provide a sense of soul and intelligence where it’s just a marvel to watch. Finally, there’s Sally Hawkins in a phenomenal performance as Elisa Esposito as a mute custodian worker who speaks through sign language as she is fascinated by this sea creature where it’s Hawkins’ charm, child-like innocence, and adult-like desires that is key to her performance as it is really a career-defining performance for Hawkins.
The Shape of Water is a magnificent film from Guillermo del Toro. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a compelling story that mixes various genres, an eerie setting, and a sumptuous music score by Alexandre Desplat. It’s a film that captures the sense of wonderment in something that is extraordinary where a woman tries to protect it from those who have inhuman means of using the creature for their own reasons. In the end, The Shape of Water is a spectacular film from Guillermo del Toro.
Guillermo del Toro Films: Cronos - Mimic - The Devil's Backbone - Blade II - Hellboy - Pan's Labyrinth - Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Pacific Rim
- Crimson Peak - Nightmare Alley (2021 film) - Pinocchio (2022 film)
The Auteurs #10: Guillermo del Toro
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer is post-apocalyptic film set in an ice age where survivors are living on a train as the poor and hungry rebel against the elite as they try to take over the train. Directed by Bong Joon-Ho and screenplay by Joon-Ho and Kelly Masterson from a screen story by Joon-Ho, the film is a futuristic dystopia where class is being separated as it all takes place inside a train. Starring Tilda Swinton, Chris Evans, John Hurt, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Alison Pill, Song Kang-ho, Go Ah-sung, and Ed Harris. Snowpiercer is a thrilling yet mesmerizing film from Bong Joon-Ho.
Set in an ice age in the middle of the 21st Century where survivors of the ice age live inside a train. The film is about a rebellion led by the poor who live on the tail-end of the train as they trek through their way to front to confront the mysterious creator of the train. It’s a film that explores not just class structures where the poor is forced to suffer and eat protein bars, unaware of its true substance, while enduring all sorts of abuse as the only person from the front they meet is the train minister Mason (Tilda Swinton). For a young man in Curtis (Chris Evans), it’s all too much for him to take as he would lead the rebellion with the help of his mentor Gilliam (John Hurt) where they free the gates designer Minsu (Song Kang-Ho) and his daughter Yona (Go Ah-sung) only to encounter all sorts of horrors of the train they’ve been living in.
The film’s screenplay does begin with bits of exposition about how the ice age had begun all due to an experiment, that was to combat global warming , suddenly went wrong and led to this dystopia where its survivors live on the train. Yet, that is only in the first few minutes as it fast-forwards 2031 where Curtis and his friends Edgar (Jamie Bell), Tanya (Octavia Spencer), and Andrew (Ewen Bremner) are planning a revolt where both Tanya and Andrew want to retrieve their respective child who had been taken by an associate of the train’s creator Wilford (Ed Harris) who is seen by Mason and the elite as a god. For Curtis, seeing friends die and children taken away as well as the horrors he had experienced has him wanting to confront Wilford as the journey he and his friends take becomes an arduous one where they see things that don’t make sense as it shows how oppressed they are.
Yet, Mason is just a spokesperson for the elusive Wilford as she is eventually taken hostage to take Curtis and his band of rebels to the train and its different compartments. Upon these encounters with the compartments, there are these strange ideas of satire in the way Wilford’s teachings are handled as it has this very offbeat approach to dark humor. A lot of it is quite absurd yet it adds that film’s approach of dystopia where everyone has to be in the train in order to survive or else endure the horrors of what is outside as the ice age is still happening. There are images of what is outside the train as it on the same track for an entire year that spans all over the world in this massive track that goes from continent to continent. All of which plays into a world where there maybe no hope yet Curtis believes the answer to that hope is at the front of the train and its engine.
Bong Joon-Ho’s direction is very chilling in the way he maintains a sense of atmosphere as it’s shot almost entirely inside a train. There are a few wide shots in the film yet much of the compositions that Joon-Ho creates are focused on medium shots and close-ups along with some unique camera angles to play into the sense of terror and suspense. At the same time, there’s an element of claustrophobia as some of the compositions are very tight as is the train compartments where the poor cluttered inside to showcase the tension that is building up. Some of which involve these very gruesome images of violence where Joon-Ho brings in a lot of shooting styles from hand-held to more controlled approaches of action and suspense while also creating some moments that is all shot in one take
There is that sense of build-up into each compartment that Curtis and his character go through as Joon-Ho creates these set pieces inside the train compartments that are very surreal as well as off-putting. Some of which is played for laughs such as this very strange scene where Curtis and his gang encounter a schoolteacher (Alison Pill) who is a very cartoonish character just like Mason in some respects. Of course, things become more dangerous and deadly where it would play into not just Curtis’ motivations into meeting Wilford but also the chance to know why he was put into these situations. Curtis’ meeting with Wilford is very climatic but also filled with a lot of revelations into Wilford’s own motivations that showcases a lot about humanity and its fallacies. Overall, Joon-Ho crafts a very intense and provocative film about a revolt inside a train in a futuristic ice age.
Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo does amazing work with the cinematography from the grimy look and lighting in some of the compartments such as the tail end to the array of lighting styles to play into the different look of the compartments to showcase its offbeat and surrealistic tone. Editors Steve M. Choe and Changju Kim do brilliant work in the editing in creating some very unique rhythms to play into the film‘s action, drama, and dark humor along other stylish cuts from slow-motion and such to play into its action. Production designer Ondrej Nekvasil, with set decorator Beata Brendtnerova and art director Stefan Kovacik, does superb work with the design of the train compartments from the very drab and stuffy look of the tail compartment to the very different settings of the compartments to play into its offbeat tone.
Costume designer Catherine George does excellent work with the costumes from the ragged look of the poor to the more colorful and cartoonish look of the rich. Hair/makeup designer Jeremy Woodhead does nice work with the look of the Mason character in her very weird presentation from her hair and teeth that makes her more like a cartoon than a serious authority figure. The visual effects work of Kang Changbae and Eric Durst is spectacular for not just the look of the train in its exteriors but also in some of the action set pieces as well as what Earth looked like in its ice age. Sound designers Sung Rok Choi, Timothy Nielsen, and Dave Whitehead do fantastic work with the film‘s sound from the way the train sounds inside and out to the some of the atmosphere in the different train compartments. The film’s music by Marco Beltrami is wonderful for its orchestral flourishes along with some bombastic, electronic-based pieces while some of the film’s soundtrack includes a classical piece by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as a song from Cream.
The casting by Jenny Jue and Johanna Ray is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Paul Lazar as the maker of the mysterious protein bars, Tomas Lemarquis as a Wilford agent known as Egg-head, Marcanthonee Reis as Tanya’s five-year old son Tim, Steve Park as an officer of Mason, Emma Levie as a strange associate of Wilford, Clark Middleton as a poor painter who makes portraits for his friends, Vlad Ivanov and Adnan Haskovic as Mason’s muscle-men, and Luke Pasqualino as the mute fighter of the rebellion known as Grey. Ewen Bremner is terrific as the angry yet resourceful Andrew while Alison Pill is very funny as the offbeat teacher who tries to teach children the ideas of Wilford.
Ed Harris is excellent in a small yet very memorable role as the mysterious Wilford as a man who runs the train as he believes that he can save the world. John Hurt is amazing as the aging rebel leader Gilliam as he would guide Curtis into leading the rebellion as he hopes to confront Wilford himself. Octavia Spencer is brilliant as Tanya as the woman of the group who aids Curtis so she can retrieve her son. Tilda Swinton is great as the train minister Mason as she is this very cartoonish and offbeat character that tries to assert authority but is really a slimy coward. Jamie Bell is superb as Curtis’ sidekick Edgar who aids him in every way while doing a few funny things yet proves to be very reliable in every situation. Go Ah-sung is fantastic as the clairvoyant Yona as this young woman who can see through the gates while being an emotional compass of sorts in the film as she deals with the different worlds she’s never encountered.
Song Kang-ho is phenomenal as the drug-addicted gate designer Namgoong Minsu as a man who can open gates while making some realizations of his own about what is happening in and out of the train. Finally, there’s Chris Evans in a remarkable performance as Curtis Everett as a rebel leader who had seen and endured so much as he decides to take charge and confront Wilford as it’s a role filled with command but also anguish over some of his decisions as it’s a truly Evans in one of his best roles to date.
Snowpiercer is an outstanding film from Bong Joon-ho. Armed with a great ensemble cast as well as captivating themes on humanity, dystopia, and class structure. It’s a film that manages to do a lot of things where it’s not just an action film with brains but it’s also quite funny at times as it hits all of the marks and more. In the end, Snowpiercer is a sensational film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother - Okja - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by James Ponsoldt and written by Ponsoldt and Susan Burke, Smashed is the story of a schoolteacher who decides to get sober as she deals with her alcoholism as well as the aspects of her troubled life including her husband who is also an alcoholic. The film is an exploration into a woman’s attempt to get sober as she also tries to deal with the world around her where her life had been driven by alcohol. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Megan Mullally, and Nick Offerman. Smashed is an extraordinary film from James Ponsoldt.
It’s a film that explores the world of a young woman whose drinking has finally gotten her to do some very dumb things where she would find herself waking up in places she doesn’t know or being hung-over in class where she actually vomited in front of her students. That moment along with other strange things forces her to confront the fact that she’s an alcoholic as she gets help from her vice-principal Dave (Nick Offerman) to go meetings as she also deals with the fact that her husband is also an alcoholic. During the course of the film, Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) tries to maintain her sobriety with help from Dave and a recovering alcoholic named Jenny (Octavia Spencer) as the latter becomes her sponsor. While Hannah’s husband Charlie (Aaron Paul) tries to be supportive, he continues to drink which causes problems into the relationship as Hannah’s need to be honest would finally cause more problems with her own life.
The film’s screenplay doesn’t have much of a plot as it’s more of a character study about this woman and her battle with alcoholism as she struggles to maintain her sobriety. Even as she admits to lying to her students by accident and later to her principal Mrs. Barnes (Megan Mullally) that she’s pregnant as she is later consumed with guilt over what she’s done. While Dave, who is also a recovering alcoholic whose been sober for nine years, is the first to notice Kate’s problems. He is also the one that offers her help while admitting to having his own issues trying to meet women which shows Kate that even maintaining sobriety is hard work. Notably as she’s forced to meet with her estranged mother (Mary Kay Place) as well as Charlie’s own drinking where she questions him about him really being supportive that would eventually cause some problems with the relationship.
James Ponsoldt’s direction is very engaging in the way he explores a woman’s struggles to becomes sober as Ponsoldt goes for a hand-held, cinema-verite style to make it feel as realistic as possible. Even as the drama gets intense that includes a scene of a drunk Kate walking to a nearby convenience store to buy alcohol at two in the morning where the clerk refuses to sell it to her because it’s against the law. Yet, a lot of the presentation is very simple in its framing as well as some scenes where Kate and Charlie ride bicycles through the city where they would be drunk early in the film. Even in the AA meetings where Ponsoldt keeps the direction very simple without the need to embellish and just keep it simple. Even as things would intensify in the course of the film where Kate struggles with her sobriety and the fact that she is an alcoholic where she realizes she needs to face up some responsibilities. Even as it would affect many parts of her life including her marriage. Overall, Ponsoldt creates a very poignant yet mesmerizing film about a woman’s struggle with alcoholism and her need to become sober.
Cinematographer Tobias Datum does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the nighttime exteriors of the locations in Los Angeles to the look of the bars and places the characters go to. Editor Suzanne Spengler does fantastic work with the editing to play up some of the chaos in the drama with some straight cuts as well as using some stylish cuts to help structure the story and create some abrupt moments. Production designer Linda Sena and art director Sarah M. Pott do nice work with the set pieces from the classroom that Kate teaches to the bars and meetings that she goes to.
Costume designer Diaz Jacobs does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual to play up the personality of the characters. Sound editor Ryan Collins does superb work with the sound to play out the atmosphere of the bars as well as the quietness of the AA meetings. The film’s music by Eric D. Johnson and Andy Cabic is wonderful as it features a largely indie-folk score to play out the drama while music supervisors Tiffany Anders and Lukas Barry bring in music that is similar to the score that includes pieces by Bill Callahan and Linda & Richard Thompson.
The casting by Kim Coleman and Avy Kaufman is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small performances from Kyle Gallner as Charlie’s brother Owen and Mary Kay Place as Kate’s estranged mother Rochelle. Megan Mullally is terrific as the school principal Mrs. Barnes who wonders what is going on with Kate as she think she’s pregnant until she learns the truth. Nick Offerman is excellent as Kate’s co-worker Dave who learns about her problems as he tries to help her out while revealing his own struggles in being sober. Octavia Spencer is amazing as Kate’s sponsor Jenny who helps her with being sober as well as tell her about the struggles that goes on. Aaron Paul is fantastic as Kate’s husband Charlie as a man who loves his wife as he hard time not drinking without her as he wants to be supportive but is afraid of how much she might change.
Finally, there’s Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a remarkable performance as Kate as a woman whose alcoholism has finally gotten out of control as she tries to be sober. Winstead’s performance is quite charming and engaging at times but also intense in the way she can act like a very crazed drunk who can be mean and confrontational. It’s definitely a performance that is unforgettable as well as a true break-out moment for Winstead.
Smashed is a phenomenal film from James Ponsoldt that features an incredible performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The film isn’t just a very realistic yet harrowing look into the world of alcoholism but also to showcase a woman’s struggle to be honest with herself and to be sober. Even as it showcases the lows that she goes through as well as deal with her husband’s own alcoholism. In the end, Smashed is a sensational film from James Ponsoldt.
James Ponsoldt Films: (Off the Black) - The Spectacular Now - The End of the Tour - (The Circle (2017 film)
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station is the true story about the last day of a young man’s life. The film is based on a real-life incident in which this young man is killed by police officers in a transit station in Oakland as it was seen by many. Starring Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Ahna O’Reilly, and Octavia Spencer. Fruitvale Station is a mesmerizing yet chilling film from Ryan Coogler.
At 2:15 AM on New Year’s Day 2009 at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland, California, a 22-year old man named Oscar Grant III was shot by a BART police officer while resisting arrest over a scuffle in the train. The incident was captured by video cameras and cell phones that night as Grant would later die from his wounds hours later. The film explores the final day of Grant’s life as it plays into this young man’s life as he’s a father to a little girl as he is hoping to start new in the New Year with his girlfriend as he gives up dealing marijuana. While Grant is also a flawed man who also served some time in prison, he is someone who wants to do right for his girlfriend, his daughter, and his mother as he got food and stuff for his mother’s birthday while partying with friends to celebrate the New Year until it all went tragically wrong.
Ryan Coogler’s screenplay is quite straightforward in terms of its approach to storytelling though the story does allow one flashback scene in which Oscar (Michael B. Jordan) reflects on his previous jail time as he meets his mother (Octavia Spencer) which plays to Oscar’s resolve to give up drug dealing despite the troubled situation he’s in as he lost his job and owes rent money. Still, Oscar is dedicated to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz) and their daughter Tatiana (Ariana Neal) as he is willing to do right despite the fact that he’s sort of a screw-up. Still, Oscar is a guy who is very kind and generous while there’s a brief moment where he meets a man who went through similar struggles that Oscar is going through yet gives him advice as well as an opportunity to help Oscar. These little moments would showcase the kind of man Oscar is and why his death is so tragic.
Coogler’s direction is very engaging for the way he explores the last day of Grant’s life as he goes for something that is straightforward but also be very direct into the events that was happening in Grant’s final day. A lot of the direction is very intimate but also broad as Coogler goes for a lot of hand-held cameras without being very shaky while creating some dazzling compositions to play up the sense of beauty in Grant’s world. The scene of Grant’s shooting is really one of the most intense moments of the film that showcases what probably happened before the police came in which leads to a very intense moment where Grant and his friends are confronted by the police and the incident that would change everything. The film opens with the actual footage of what happened to Grant while there are some very haunting moments that is told with great simplicity in the aftermath of the shooting. Overall, Coogler creates a very stark but powerful film about a man’s life being taken away by injustice.
Cinematographer Rachel Morrison does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the straightforward look of the daytime scenes to the more low-key look for some of the exterior scenes at night with the exception of the scene at the train station. Editors Claudia Castello and Michael P. Shawver do amazing work with the editing in creating a few jump-cuts for some scenes as well as some methodical cutting to play up the suspense in relation to the shooting. Production designer Hannah Beachler and set decorator Kris Boxell do nice work with some of the set pieces such as the homes the characters live in as well as a few of the places the characters go to.
Costume designer Aggie Guerard Rodgers does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual for many of the characters. Visual effects supervisor Catherine Tate does superb work with the film‘s minimal effects that involve the popping up of cell phone screens to showcase certain messages and such that would play a key part in the story. Sound designer Bob Edwards does fantastic work with the sound to convey the atmosphere of some of the intimate moments as well as the scenes in the train and the train station. The film’s music by Ludwig Goransson is incredible for its haunting yet evocative score filled with low-key ambient pieces with its keyboards and guitars to convey the drama while music supervisors Jonathan Leahy, Manish Raval, and Tom Wolfe create a soundtrack that is mostly filled with hip-hop to play into the world that Grant and his friends live in.
The casting by Nina Henninger is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Chad Michael Murray and Kevin Durand as the two BRAT officers who arrest Grant on that horrible night along with Ahna O’Reilly as young woman Oscar meets at the supermarket as she later sees him at the train on that horrible night. Other notable small roles include Marjorie Shears as Oscar’s grandmother and Ariana Neal as Oscar and Sophina’s daughter Tatiana. Melonie Diaz is wonderful as Oscar’s girlfriend Sophina as a woman dealing with his flaws as she is also aware that he is trying to do right as she brings a very chilling restraint late in the film that includes the film’s ending.
Octavia Spencer is amazing as Oscar’s mother Wanda who is a kind soul but also very stern at times while Spencer would convey something very powerful very late in the film that plays to the tragedy. Finally, there’s Michael B. Jordan in a remarkable performance as Oscar Grant III as Jordan brings an intensity into his performance as a young man trying to start anew while adding a sensitivity to his role as someone who is kind and generous while being a good father to his daughter as it’s a real breakthrough for the young actor.
Fruitvale Station is a brooding yet outstanding film from Ryan Coogler that features great performances from Michael B. Jordon, Melonie Diaz, and Octavia Spencer. It’s a film that explores a day in the life of a young man before his tragic death and the injustice it would carry without over-dramatizing the true story nor under-playing it. It’s also a film that showcases a world where things don’t go the way it seems in terms of what happened as well as its troubling aftermath that showcases an injustice over what happened. In the end, Fruitvale Station is a magnificent film from Ryan Coogler.
Ryan Coogler Films: Creed (2015 film) - Black Panther (2018 film) - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Sinners (2025 film) - The Auteurs #74: Ryan Coogler
© thevoid99 2013
