Two years into his life as a masked vigilante, Bruce Wayne/the Batman investigates a series of murders involving corrupt police and political officials in Gotham City as it play into so much more including involvement from his own family. It’s a film that follows this young man who is hoping to clean up Gotham from the shadows but the recent murder of a mayor during an election year and other revelations over corruption as it relates to events some decades ago forces Wayne to deal with this mysterious figure who is killing all of these people. The film’s screenplay by Matt Reeves and Peter Craig is straightforward in its narrative yet it does follow a lot of tropes relating to film noir as well as crime films as it acts more of a police investigation mystery-suspense film rather than a conventional superhero film.
Bruce Wayne isn’t this superhero who can use gadgets and such to deal with the chaos within Gotham but rather a young man still haunted by the death of his parents and feels like he owes his family something to ensure that their name can bring hope. Unfortunately in this mayoral election year in Gotham, things are still bad where a crime family still operates and pay off many top officials in the police and government to ensure their place in Gotham. The murder of Mayor Don Mitchell Jr. (Rupert Penry-Jones) raises an awareness into what is happening as many are not fond of the Batman with the exception of Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) who is one of the few police officials that is incorruptible. Wayne and Gordon would watch the elite become targets of this mysterious serial killer known as the Riddler (Paul Dano) who often leaves clues for the Batman to decipher as Wayne would get help from his longtime butler/mentor Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis) whom they have a testy relationship as Pennyworth wants Wayne to be more involved in his family’s legacy of philanthropy.
Upon some discovery into Mitchell’s involvement with the crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and his lieutenant Oswald Cobblepot/the Penguin, Wayne befriends a young waitress at Falcone’s club in Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) who had a friend that was pictured with Mitchell as she had gone missing where a lot of things get leaked leading to more chaos in Gotham. It would force Wayne, Kyle, and Gordon to be among the few who would have to take charge though Kyle’s motivations would lead to vengeance as well as revelations about herself that add to her thirst for vengeance. The antagonists in Falcone and Penguin are interesting in their dealings with the latter being someone who is smarter than people give him credit for as he does reveal some key information as it relates to what happened years ago as he knows the Riddler is going to ruin everything. Even as Wayne is forced to confront some things about his own family where he realizes that people make mistakes but it’s about how fix those mistakes.
Matt Reeves’ direction is definitely sprawling in terms of the way Gotham is presented as it is shot on various locations in London and Liverpool with additional shots in Chicago, Glasgow, and Hertfordshire including studios sets at Leavesden. Reeves’ approach to the film definitely has a sense of physicality in not just some of the action scenes in which Batman combats criminals but also in a world that is grimy as it rains quite often as there are also many areas to Gotham. The usage of wide and medium shots add to the major scale from the look of the club and the underground club within that Falcone is seen at as well as the way some of the shots at the buildings are presented with all of those gorgeous skylines. Still, Reeves grounds the film with its emphasis on physicality in these locations but also maintain this slow-burn of the Batman uncovering each clue with Alfred and Gordon helping him out in solving these riddles that the Riddler is leaving. Some of which are deadly including one clue attached to a corrupt district attorney in Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard) who has a bomb wrapped around his neck as it all play into the Riddler’s game.
Reeves maintains this tense atmosphere in the film as it play into a world that is starting to unravel with the second act being about Wayne not just being a target for the Riddler but also playing to the revelations about why his parents got killed. Even as Kyle reveals that the people that the Riddler are targeting all have took advantage of the ideas that Wayne’s father was trying to do for the city and felt that Thomas Wayne ended up being no different than those the Riddler is targeting. The third act is about the Batman confronting Falcone in the hope he can stop the Riddler yet there are more complications forcing the Batman to meet the Riddler as there is a horror element to this meeting that is followed by something much bigger where it is all about Gotham. The climax involves a massive set piece where there is a lot happening yet it is all about the Batman just trying to save the people of Gotham and give them hope. Overall, Reeves crafts a visceral and gripping film about a masked vigilante dealing with a mysterious serial killer who hopes to expose and destroy Gotham.
Cinematographer Greig Fraser is incredible as its usage of low-level lights for much of the interiors and the exterior scenes at night as it adds to the film’s grimy visuals as well as some of the daytime scenes with its emphasis on natural lighting for a few of its interior scenes. Editors William Hoy and Tyler Nelson do amazing work with the editing as it has some stylish cuts to play into the action while allowing shots to linger for more than 10-15 seconds including a car chase scene and in some of the other action sequences including its climax. Production designer James Chinlund, with set decorator Laura Ng and supervising art director Grant Armstrong, does brilliant work with the look of the nightclub that Falcone and Penguin run as well as the Wayne tower where Wayne lives and some of the interiors in some of the places at Gotham. Costume designers Jacqueline Durran, David Crossman, and Glyn Dillon do excellent work with the costumes with Durran doing much of the design for all of the characters including Kyle’s leather clothing while Crossman and Dillon do the design of the Batsuit that Wayne wears as the Batman.
Makeup designer Naomi Donne and prosthetics makeup supervisor Tristan Verslius do fantastic work with the look of the Penguin as someone does look a bit rough but not in what is expected from the character while also adding some unique look to the wigs that Kyle wears to work. Special effects supervisor Dominic Tuohy and visual effects supervisor Dan Lemmon do phenomenal work with the special and visual effects from the way some of the action set pieces are created including the chase scene and the film’s climax as well as a few set-dressing bits in some scenes including a scene of the Batman flying off a building. Sound designers Lee Gilmore, Craig Henighan, and Chris Terhune, along with sound editor Douglas Murray, do superb work with the sound in the way some of the gadgets sound as well as the way music sound inside a nightclub and the atmosphere some of the action and suspense are presented.
The film’s music by Michael Giacchino is sensational for its orchestral score that include some incredible themes and other pieces of music that play into the drama, action, and suspense as it is a major highlight of the film while music supervisor George Drakoulias cultivates a soundtrack that feature elements of electronic music at the club scene including some classical music for some bits in the film and an effective usage of Nirvana’s Something in the Way to play into the sense of loss and confusion that Wayne goes through.
The casting by Lucy Bevan and Cindy Tolan is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Luke Roberts and Stella Stocker in their respective roles as Bruce’s parents in Thomas and Martha Wayne, Charlie and Max Carver as twin bouncers at Falcone’s club, Hana Hrzic as Kyle’s European roommate Annika who is also Mayor Mitchell’s mistress, Con O’Neill as Gotham’s police chief, Alex Ferns as the police commissioner who is one of the Riddler’s targets, Oscar Novak as a young Bruce Wayne, Peter McDonald as a corrupt police officer in Kenzie who is seen often at Falcone’s club, Gil-Perez Abraham as the Gotham police officer Martinez who at first is distrustful of the Batman until he says something to him in the third act leading a major discovery for both of them, Rupert Penry-Jones as Gotham’s mayor in Don Mitchell Jr., Kosha Engler as Mitchell’s wife, Archie Barnes as Mitchell’s son, Sandra Dickinson as Wayne’s maid Dory, and Jayme Lawson as the mayoral candidate Bella Real who is hoping to clean Gotham as she wants Wayne to be involved more in helping Gotham.
Peter Sarsgaard is superb in his small role as Gotham’s district attorney Gil Colson as a sleazy man whom Kyle sees at a club as he knows something that would get many in trouble as he becomes a major target for the Riddler. Andy Serkis is fantastic as Wayne’s butler Alfred Pennyworth as someone who aids Wayne at the Wayne Tower though he feels that Wayne needs to focus more on the family’s businesses and charities while also providing Wayne some insight about the family and mistakes they made. John Turturro is excellent as Carmine Falcone as a crime boss who runs a mob family as he is a devious man who also brings a sense of unease to Kyle as he is also someone that seems to know a lot more than what everyone knows. Colin Farrell is brilliant as Oswald Cobblepot/the Penguin as Falcone’s lieutenant who helps run the business as he is also eager to do his own thing where he is confronted by the Batman believing that he’s an informant only to reveal things that are far more complicated. Jeffrey Wright is amazing as Lt. James Gordon as a police official who is one of the few that the Batman trusts as he is aware that something isn’t right while also deciphering some of the Riddler’s clues.
Zoe Kravitz is incredible as Selina Kyle as a waitress at a club who knows Falcone but is also a cat burglar with her own set of skills where she helps out the Batman while also having her own motives for vengeance as it relates to Falcone as it is definitely a mesmerizing performance from Kravitz. Paul Dano is phenomenal as the Riddler where is largely seen in a mask and some body suit as he does a lot of his riddles through videos via social media as it is a chilling and terrifying performance that really adds some unexpected layers to the famed villain as Dano brought something new as well as make him a formidable foe for the Batman. Finally, there’s Robert Pattinson in a tremendous performance as Bruce Wayne and the titular role as this brooding and troubled man who is among the elite of the Gotham upper class yet is more concerned with trying to save Gotham as a vigilante where he deals with not just the Riddler but also himself and his family’s past where Pattinson brings some restraint but also a physicality that makes him a joy to watch as it is a career-defining performance from Pattinson.
The Batman is a spectacular film from Matt Reeves that features a great leading performance from Robert Pattinson as well as top-notch supporting performances from Zoe Kravitz and Paul Dano. Along with its ensemble cast, stylish visuals, intense action set pieces, emphasis on suspense and character study, eerie sound work, and a sensational music soundtrack. The film isn’t just a superhero film but so much more as it is an exploration of a man dealing with his own grief but also the need to save his city from corruption and terror. In the end, The Batman is a phenomenal film from Matt Reeves.
Matt Reeves Films: (The Pallbearer) – (Cloverfield) – (Let Me In) – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - War for the Planet of the Apes
Batman Films: (Batman (1966 film)) – Batman (1989 film) - Batman Returns - Batman Forever - Batman & Robin - Batman Begins - The Dark Knight - The Dark Knight Rises - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - The Lego Batman Movie
© thevoid99 2022
(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival)
The film revolves around an environmentalist who becomes the new CEO of a beef manufacturing company as she announces the breeding of a new super-pig where 26 specimens are sent to various places all over the world and to see what would be the outcome of those pigs in 10 years in the hope to end world hunger. Yet, the film is more about the bond between a young girl and a pig living in the mountains in South Korea as the pig Okja is discovered by this corporation hoping to use it for a special presentation and then kill it for profit. It is a film that explores not just animal rights but also a corporate CEO wanting to do something right despite the fact that she’s doing the wrong thing in covering up lies with the aid of a zoologist/TV show host who has become emotionally and mentally unstable. Add a group of animal activists and other corporate interests as this young girl is pulled in different directions over her beloved Okja.
The film’s screenplay by Bong Joon-ho and Jon Ronson explore the many complexities of the cattle industry and its war with animal rights activists with this pig in the middle and a young girl in Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) just trying to save it and bring it back home. Still, the characters that Joon-Ho and Ronson create aren’t typical of what is expected as the CEO of the Mirando corporation in Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) is trying to clean up the company’s image and to make it do good despite the fact that she’s covering up lies and remove the troubled legacy that her father and twin sister Nancy have created. The corporate face of the company in zoologist/TV host in Dr. Johnny Wilcox (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a wacky eccentric who has become troubled as well as guilt-ridden for the role he’s playing when Mirando makes some drastic decisions. The animal rights activist group known as ALF lead by Jay (Paul Dano) is trying to maintain some dignity in helping Mija but also doesn’t want to lie to her even though one of his fellow activist in K (Steven Yeun) lies in order to get the mission to save Okja when the pig is sent to New York City for this presentation with Mija also being an unwilling participant from the Mirando corporation.
Joon-ho’s direction is quite grand in the way he presents this world of corporate interests and their need to exploit an animal for profit as it is set in New York City and nearby areas as well as Seoul, South Korea and mountains near the city though much of the film is shot in parts of Seoul and Vancouver. The film opens with a scene in a factory where Lucy Mirando is trying to get people to see that her family’s past is going to be removed for a new future as it is presented in grand fashion with wide and medium shots. Still, Joon-ho maintains a simplicity in the scenes set in the mountains with its small ponds, waterfalls, and forests that Mija and Okja like to play in as it is this world of peace while they live with Mija’s grandfather in this simple home though they have access to TV and internet. When Okja is given to the corporation with Mija’s grandfather given a big payout for raising the super-pig, Joon-ho showcases Mija’s determination to retrieve Okja in Seoul as it has these unique tracking shots in some elaborate chase scenes inside a building, an underground mall next to a subway, and in a highway are among these moments where Joon-ho infuses action, suspense, and humor.
With the character of Okja being a major sense of importance to the film thanks in part to work of one of the film’s visual effects supervisors in Erik de Boer, who did the character design, where the actors not only get to interact with this creature but also play into the stakes of the film. Notably where Joon-ho brings the character to New York City as there’s a chilling scene with Okja and Dr. Wilcox at a lab that is disturbing with ALF watching in another location as it play into Dr. Wilcox’s guilt in the corporate role he plays but also in how disturbed he is in doing his job. There is also this sense of disconnect that Joon-ho showcases as it relates to Lucy Mirando about how she approaches business and how her sister Nancy did thinks as the latter is all about money and getting shit done while the former is about image. The sense of humanity also comes into play into its third act with Okja and Mija in the middle as it play into Lucy’s own desire for hope despite the lies she’s hidden yet is followed by a much darker reality that is closer to Nancy’s vision. Yet, there is something hopeful through Mija’s own simple actions but also her own understand about how the world works. Overall, Joon-ho crafts a witty yet heartfelt film about a farm girl trying to save her super-pig from a corporation that wants to kill it for profit.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of naturalistic lighting and lush colors for the scenes in the mountain with low-key lights for the scenes at night while aiming for something a little bit more stylish for the scenes set in New York City in terms of its lighting including the scenes at the factory at night. Editor Yang Jin-mo does excellent work with the editing as it does have some unique fast-cuts for some of the chase and action scenes while also being straightforward in its approach to drama and suspense. Production designers Ha-jun Lee and Kevin Thompson, with art directors Jung-yoon Bae, Deborah Jensen, and Gwendolyn Margetson plus set decorators Susan Bode, Won-Woo Cho, Louise Roper, Yeonghee Seo, and Suk-ki Song, do amazing work with the look of the places in New York City including the Mirando logo and the factory where the super-pigs are forced to stay in the third act as well as the little home Mija and her grandfather live in. Costume designers Se-yeon Choi and Catherine George do fantastic work with the stylish clothes that Lucy Mirando wears as well as the wacky clothing of Dr. Wilcox, the guerilla-inspired gear of ALF, and the simplistic look of Mija.
Hair/makeup designers Hyunkyu Hwang and Sharon Martin do nice work with the look of Lucy Mirando in her quirky presentation from the braces on her teeth in the first scene to her hairstyle that is different from the look of her sister. Special effects supervisor Kyung-soo Park, along with visual effects supervisors Erik de Boer, Angela Ji, Jun Hyoung Kim, and Jeon Hyoung Lee, do terrific work with not just the design of Okja but also some set-dressing for some scenes in the film as well as the presentation of the chase sequence. Sound editor Tae-young Choi and sound designer Dave Whitehead do superb work with the sound in the way Okja sounds, with voice work from Lee Jeong-eun, as well as how certain objects sound including the cattle prod. The film’s music by Jaeil Jung is incredible for its unique mixture of flamenco, classical, and electronic pieces as it adds to the suspense and drama while music supervisor Jemma Burns cultivates a fun soundtrack that features music from the Isley Brothers, John Denver, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Osvaldo Pugliese.
The casting by Jenny Jue is phenomenal as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Lee Jeong-eun as the voice of Okja and a woman in a wheelchair, Lee Bong-ryun as a Mirando receptionist at the Seoul office building, Choi Woo-shik as an indifferent Mirando driver in Seoul, Yoon Je-moon as a Mirando representative who checks on Okja’s health, Byun Hee-bong as Mija’s well-meaning grandfather who is reluctant to give Okja away, Devon Bostick and Daniel Henshall as two activists for ALF in their respective names in Silver and Blond, and Shirley Henderson in a funny performance as Lucy’s assistant Jennifer who oversees some of the publicity detail involving Mija and Lucy for the big event. Giancarlo Esposito is superb as a Mirando executive in Frank Dawson who keeps an eye on Lucy for Nancy while trying to understand what she’s trying to do as well as see if she can succeed. Steven Yeun and Lily Collins are fantastic in their respective roles as ALF activists K and Red with the former being a tech genius who is also Korean as he helps translate for Mija while the latter is a weapon experts of sorts though she has no intentions in harming anyone while also having some funny things to say.
Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent as the wacky Dr. Johnny Wilcox as a zoologist/TV host who is the face of Mirando as someone who speaks in a somewhat high-pitched voice as he is also disturbed in his love for animals to the point that he becomes consumed with guilt and troubling behavior. Paul Dano is brilliant as Jay as a leader of ALF who is trying to do things the right way and help Mija while not wanting to make her uncomfortable as he’s a well-meaning activist that is aware of the compromises that he has to make. Tilda Swinton is amazing in a dual role as twin sisters Lucy and Nancy Mirando as she provides a lot of quirks and upbeat energy into the former as someone trying to reinvent the company’s image while the latter is only seen briefly as someone that is more of a pessimist and a better understanding of business. Finally, there’s Ahn Seo-hyun in an incredible performance as Mija as a young farm girl who cares for this massive super-pig as she deals with Mirando’s intentions for the pig as she does what she can to save him as it is this understated and somber performance from Seo-hyun who provides a lot of the heart in the film.
Okja is a phenomenal film from Bong Joon-ho. Featuring an incredible ensemble cast, themes of activism and animal rights, dazzling visuals, a sumptuous music score, and mixture of genres. The film is definitely a witty and compelling film that explores a young girl trying to retrieve her pet and her understanding about a world that is just trying to clean itself up despite their dirty methods. In the end, Okja is a sensational film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host (2006 film) - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother (2009 film) - Snowpiercer - Parasite - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2021
Based on the book by Richard Ford, Wildlife is the story of a family coming apart where a teenage boy watches his father tend to raging forest fires while his mother begins a relationship with an automobile dealership owner during the 1960s. Directed by Paul Dano and screenplay by Dano and Zoe Kazan, the film is an exploration of a family disintegrating as the roles of parents begin to change as well as those trying to find themselves during a time when everyone had their place in life. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Ed Oxenbould, and Bill Camp. Wildlife is a mesmerizing and ravishing film from Paul Dano.
Set in 1960, the revolves around a family as they had just moved to Great Falls, Montana as their lives to begin to disintegrate after the father loses his job and volunteers to stop a growing wild fire nearby while the mother finds work and begins a relationship with a much older man much to the shock of their teenage son. It’s a coming-of-age film as well as the study of a family whose life is hampered by not just uncertainty but also disappointment just as this 15 year old kid is trying to understand what is going on. The film’s screenplay by Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan follows the life of the Brinson family as Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) was working at a country club as a golf pro until he’s fired as he gets rehired but refuses to take his job back. Jerry’s pride creates tension with his wife Jeannette (Carey Mulligan) who takes a job as a swimming instructor while their son Joe (Ed Oxenbould) works at a local photography studio when Jerry leaves to take a job in fighting forest fires nearby.
Joe does what he can but becomes troubled by Jeannette’s time with one of her students in the elderly automobile dealership owner Warren Miller (Bill Camp) as a relationship occurs that makes Joe uneasy. The script succeeds in not just understanding what Joe is seeing but also Jeannette herself as it is clear a side of herself that she had repressed in her marriage is starting to re-emerge but with an air of uncertainty. Even as she had fallen out of love with Jerry whom she felt had failed her while Miller is offering to help her out as well as Joe and Jerry with Joe becoming unsure of what he’s seeing though he doesn’t think Miller is a bad guy. Jerry is a flawed individual who feels hurt upon losing his job as him volunteering to fight fires is a way to instill his role as the breadwinner but upon his return. Things have changed and things become more complicated.
Dano’s direction is definitely rapturous for not just setting and its location but also in some of the compositions he creates to play into this growing disintegration within this family. Shot on various locations in Montana and parts of Oklahoma, Dano maintains this quaintness of this small town in 1960 Montana that does look and feel like it is from that time while playing into this world where everyone had a role and identity that they should play. Dano would maintain an intimacy for much of the direction as it relates to characters interacting with one another as much of it features Joe and whoever he’s with as there are some close-ups and medium shots that help play into the dramatic tension that occurs throughout. Even as Dano would often create shots from Joe’s perspective as he would get a discomforting look of Miller walking out of a bathroom and into his mother’s bedroom. It’s followed by moments of Joe looking at his mother and Miller talking in a car as it adds to this dramatic tension as it is shown largely from Joe’s perspective.
Dano also uses the wide shots to not just get a scope of the locations and what Jerry is facing but also in the home as there’s a great shot of the family home shot from the outside as Joe is in his room getting for bed while Jerry and Jeannette are in the kitchen. It plays into the growing disconnection between all three members with Joe having to realize that his parents not only don’t have all the answers but are deeply flawed as people. Dano does maintain some restraint into heavy drama as he prefers for the actors to find the conflict from within as well as realize that the bubble they live in has already burst. Even as the ending is about three people who are a family despite the fact that they’re not as close as they once were but probably found a way to make peace with themselves. Overall, Dano crafts an intoxicating and riveting film about a family disintegrating through failure and uncertainty in the eyes of a 15-year old boy.
Cinematographer Diego Garcia does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is naturalistic and understated approach to the images including the colors of some of the objects with some low-key lighting for some of the interior/exterior scenes set at night. Editors Matthew Hannam and Louise Ford do excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few jump-cuts and other minimal stylish touches to help in structuring the story. Production designer Akin McKenzie, with set decorator Melisa Jusufi and art director Miles Michael, does amazing work with the look of the house that the Brinson family live in as well as Miller’s auto dealership and his home. Costume designer Amanda Ford does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward to play into the look of 1960 with the exception of the clothes that Jeannette wears that is stylish including a dress she wears on her dinner date with Miller.
Hair stylist Alexandra Ford does nice work with the look of Jeannette’s hair as it ranges from casual to more stylish during her time with Miller. Visual effects supervisors Philippe Desiront, Sergey Kononenko, and Simon Lecavalier do terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it largely relates to the forest fires on the mountains. Sound designer Jacob Ribicoff and sound editor Tony Volante do superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the locations as well as some of the sparse textures in some of the film’s quieter moments. The film’s music by David Lang is wonderful for its somber yet radiant music score that mixes piano, strings, and woodwinds to capture the sense of uncertainty and despair that Joe copes with as he watches his family’s life disintegrate while music supervisor Susan Jacobs creates a soundtrack of the music of the times that feature pieces by the Moonglows, Connie Francis, the Elgins, Virgil Warner, Yvonne Devaney, the City of Tomorrow, Dinah Washington, Sue Thompson, the Chantels, Serge Gainsbourg, Kenny Brent & Donna Harris, the Flamingos, and the Marvelettes as well as a classical piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and an ambient music piece by Johann Johansson.
The casting by Jodi Angstreich and Laura Rosenthal is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles from Travis Bruyer as the Forester, Darryl Cox as a country club member Jerry befriends, and Zoe Margaret Colletti as Joe’s classmate/love interest Ruth-Ann. Bill Camp is excellent as Warren Miller as a former war veteran/automobile dealership owner who becomes a swim student of Jeannette as he offers to help her as well as be in a relationship where Camp portrays him as a kind man. Ed Oxenbould is incredible as Joe Brinson as a 15-year old kid who watches his parents’ marriage disintegrate as he tries to understand everything while dealing with his own anguish and growing pains in his own role in life.
Jake Gyllenhaal is marvelous as Jerry Brinson as a former golf pro who gets fired from a country club as he becomes a volunteer to get his pride back only to deal with something far more difficult and then come home realizing that his family life is on the rocks. Finally, there’s Carey Mulligan in a sensational performance as Jeanette Brinson as Jerry’s wife and Joe’s mother as a housewife who is angry at her husband’s pride as she takes a job as a swimming instructor while becoming lost in her affair with a much older man as Mulligan provides an understated performance as a woman wracked with internal conflict and confusion as it is one of her finest performances to date.
Wildlife is a tremendous film from Paul Dano that features great performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, and Ed Oxenbould. Along with its rich script, gorgeous visuals, somber music soundtrack, and study of a family coming apart. It is a film that explores a family whose identity is shattered by pride, hardship, and decisions that is seen from the eyes of a teenage boy who copes with these sudden changes. In the end, Wildlife is a phenomenal film from Paul Dano.
© thevoid99 2020
Written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Swiss Army Man is the story of a man stranded on an island where he finds a corpse that he would use to help him do things while being a companion as he longs to return home. The film is an unconventional comedy-adventure film that has a man dealing with his situation as he tries to find a way to return home as well as stay alive despite his own suicide attempt. Starring Paul Dano, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Daniel Radcliffe. Swiss Army Man is an offbeat yet thrilling film from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
The film is a simple premise about a man stranded on an island as he tries to kill himself only to find a dead body who would get him back to land though they get lost in a forest on their way back to civilization. While it doesn’t have much of a plot as the body does come to life and brings a sense of companionship to this man who was stranded on an island. The screenplay by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert does follow the situation that Hank Thompson (Paul Dano) is in as he’s stranded on an island trying to reach for help as he’s at his most desperate while longing to be with this woman named Sarah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) whom he’s been fond of from afar. Upon finding his dead body named Manny (Daniel Radcliffe), he realizes that Manny possesses some special powers that include farts that can get him to place as well as the ability to help him create things or be used as a weapon. Yet, he would become fond of Manny as Hank would also tell him about things of the world and such as their relationship would become complex as they reach towards civilization.
The direction of Kwan and Scheinert is filled with some quirky moments yet it also has elements that are adventurous with elements of surrealism given the film’s premise. Shot largely on location in California at the town of San Pedro and some scenes at Humboldt County, the film does start off with images of trash with messages for help as it would then show Hank attempting to hang himself as he contemplates his own loneliness and inability to reach out to Sarah whom he doesn’t know much except through the pictures on his phone. There are some wide and medium shots in the direction as it play into the scenes at the woods that include these intricate yet weird scenes of recreation of civilization that includes a bus ride so that Hank can give Manny an idea of civilization.
The direction of Kwan and Scheinert would also have some close-ups to play into Hank and Manny’s interaction as well as these scenes where the latter is trying to understand the idea of humanity as well as the idea of love. Even as he would see a magazine with half-naked woman or a picture of Sarah as he would get an erection which is used as a compass. The direction also play into this idea of fantasy vs. reality as it relates to Hank and his own faults as it relates to Sarah as someone he wants to be with making Manny believe that she’s his soul mate. Yet, the emergence of reality for both Hank and Manny would come to ahead in the third act once they do reach civilization but also deal with the realities of nature and Hank’s own troubles with reality which brings some revelation to Manny on the way he sees things. Overall, Kwan and Scheinert craft a whimsical yet heartfelt film about a man who befriends a dead body and uses it to get him back into civilization.
Cinematographer Larkin Seiple does excellent work with the film’s cinematography in its usage of vibrant colors to play into the look of the forests as well as some scenes in the beach for the scenes in day and night. Editor Matthew Hannam does brilliant work with the editing as its stylish usage of jump-cuts and montages help play into some of the emotional aspects of the film as well as some of the humorous moments. Production designer Jason Kisvarday, with set decorator Kelsi Ephraim and art director David Duarte, does fantastic work with the look of the homes that Hank and Manny built in the woods to play up Hank’s idea of a world that Manny could be in. Costume designer Stephani Lewis does nice work with the costumes from the ragged clothes than Hank wears to the ruined suit of Manny as well as the clothes they wear for their fantasy scenes.
Makeup artist Leslie Devlin does amazing work with the look of Manny in his decayed state as well as the moments where he’s being used as an object. Visual effects supervisor Alvin Cruz does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it is largely based on scenes relating to Manny’s powerful farts as well as the things he does with his body. Sound editor Brent Kiser and sound designer Andrew Twite do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as some of the sounds that Manny makes when he’s first trying to talk or when he’s being used as an object. The film’s music by Andy Hull and Robert McDowell is wonderful for its low-key yet choral-based score that relies on organic musical instruments and vocals to play into some of the dramatic moments of the film while music supervisor Lauren Mikus provide a soundtrack that include contributions Hull and McDowell’s band Manchester Orchestra, a traditional music piece, and the theme of Jurassic Park by John Williams.
The casting by Nina Henninger does incredible work with the casting as it include some notable small roles from music composer Andy Hull as a news cameraman, filmmaker Shane Carruth as a coroner late in the film, Richard Gross as Hank’s dad who appears late in the film, Antonia Ribero as a young girl named Crissie, Timothy Eulich as the young girl’s father, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a fantastic small performance as Sarah as the object of Hank’s affection whom he carries pictures of her in his phone as he hopes to win her over as well as being Manny’s object of affection. Paul Dano is great as Hank Thompson as a young man stranded on an island as he copes with the disappointment in his life as well as being lonely as he struggles to get back into civilization as well as bring some meaning to his life and win Sarah’s affections. Finally, there’s Daniel Radcliffe in a sensational performance as Manny as a rotting corpse who comes to life and does things while trying to understand the ideas of life as it a physical yet endearing performance from Radcliffe who isn’t afraid to be an object also one that isn’t afraid to be funny and display emotion as it’s Radcliffe at his best.
Swiss Army Man is a phenomenal film from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert that features great performances from Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano. Along with its weird and surreal premise, gorgeous visuals, and a hypnotic music score, the film is definitely a strange yet enchanting film about what a man will do to live but also find companionship through a farting corpse that comes to life. In the end, Swiss Army Man is an extraordinarily rich and witty film from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
Related: (The Death of Dick Long) - Everything Everywhere All at Once
© thevoid99 2018
Written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino, Youth is the story of two old men who travel to a holiday spa in Switzerland as they reflect on their life as they also cope with aging and their longing to be youthful as they meet other people young and old. The film is a study on the ideas of youth, aging, and the struggle about what to do with the time that is left in one’s life. Starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, and Jane Fonda. Youth is a ravishing yet evocative film from Paolo Sorrentino.
Set in Swiss Alps in a holiday spa, the film follows two men who are vacationing there as they cope with what is ahead as one of them is a famed composer trying to enjoy retirement while his friend is a filmmaker eager to make one more film and get a big-time actress to star in it. During their time, the two discuss things they can and can’t remember as well as the fact that they’re in their final years unsure of when death will arrive. Especially as the two also have children who are married to each other where something unexpected happens as they would also meet various characters in the course of their vacation. Paolo Sorrentino’s screenplay doesn’t just explore the ideas of youth, aging, life, and death but also the struggle for identity and meaning in the world. Even as these two men try to see if they still matter or have already contributed to the world and be forced to realize they have nothing to prove anymore.
The composer Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) and the filmmaker Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel) both try to deal with their roles in life as the former copes with the task of performing a concert for Queen Elizabeth II and her husband for the latter’s birthday while the latter is trying to make a film which he believes will be his greatest work. During the course of their stay, they befriend an actor named Jimmy (Paul Dano) who is doing research for a role while Fred is accompanied by his daughter Lena (Rachel Weisz) who just went through a life-changing event making her stay at the spa much longer. Around the same time, Fred and Mick also encounter many eccentrics during their stay as they also comment on their past as well as their own faults as men where Fred admits to not being a good father to Lena as well as the fact that he wasn’t faithful to his wife where he copes with the fact that he couldn’t do his greatest piece without her.
Sorrentino’s direction is gorgeous for the way he presents this world of tranquility and peace that is like paradise. Shot largely on location in Flims, Switzerland at the Waldhaus Flims hotel with some shots at the Hotel Schatzalp in Davos and additional scenes set in Rome and Venice. Sorrentino creates some unique compositions to play into something that is idyllic in terms of where the elderly would go to relax as well as the fact that it’s a place for those in their prime as well as the young. Sorrentino’s usage of wide shots play into the look as well as some of the intimate moments that involve many of the residents at the spa where they’re shot in groups. The intimacy would also be used in the close-ups and medium shots as Sorrentino knows where to frame the actors or create something that is adds a lot to this air of tranquility and calm as these residents are given the chance to relax but also do some activities and listen to music.
The direction also has moments that are quite surreal as it play into this air of fantasy that some of the characters embark on. These sequences not only are dream-like but also play into some of the fear some of the characters endure but also moments that play into their sense of desire. Even as they are these odd moments that do make sense as well as showcase that feeling of existence where it would be overshadowed by the harshness of reality. Notably in a sequence in the third act which relates to the lives of Fred and Mick as the former is still carrying some form of grief and regret while the latter would face heartbreak of the worst kind. All of which these two men would be forced to carry for the remainder of their lives. Overall, Sorrentino creates an enchanting yet rapturous film about two old friends going on a holiday in the Swiss Alps coping with the remaining moments of their lives.
Cinematographer Luca Bigazzi does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of its natural and colorful look for many of its daytime exteriors the usage of lights and moods for many of the scenes set at night. Editor Cristiano Travaglioli does nice work with the editing as it has some stylish rhythmic cuts to play into the offbeat moments while much of it is straightforward. Production designer Ludovica Ferrario, with set decorator Noel Godfrey and art directors Daniel Newton and Marion Schramm, does amazing work with the look of the rooms the residents live in as well as some of the design of the rooms and places they would go to. Costume designer Carlo Poggioli does excellent work with the different array of clothes of the many residents who are at the spa as well as the look of the actress that Mick wants to work with.
Hair/wig designer Aldo Signoretti and makeup designer Maurizio Silvi do fantastic work with the look of the actress that Mick wants to work with in her diva-esque persona as well as the look for Mick‘s own surreal moment. Visual effects supervisor Andrew Morley does terrific work with some of the visual effects as it play into the elements of surrealism that the characters would encounter or dream about. Sound editor Dario Calvari does superb work with the sound in playing up that sense of tranquility as well as the layer of sounds that Fred would hear in a surrealistic moment. The film’s music by David Lang is wonderful for its mixture of somber folk with elements of orchestral flourishes that play into the serenity of the locations as it would also feature additional contributions by Mark Kozelek who appears in the film as himself in creating some songs that are performed including Fred‘s famed composition that is sung in the final credits by the soprano singer Sumi Jo.
The casting by Shaheen Baig, Laura Rosenthal, and Anna Maria Sambucco is great as it feature some notable small roles from the British pop vocalist Paloma Faith as herself, Ed Stoppard as Lena‘s husband/Mick‘s son, Alex MacQueen as an emissary for Queen Elizabeth II, Ian Keir Attard as the emissary‘s assistant, Madalina Diana Ghena as Miss Universe, and Roly Serrano as an overweight and ailing version of the famed futbol icon Diego Maradona. In the roles of the screenwriters who work with Mick on his story, there’s Tom Lipinski, Chloe Pirrie, Alex Beckett, Nate Dern, and Mark Gessner as these different writers who provide Mick different ideas as well as try to come up with the ending as they‘re all fun to watch. Luna Mijovic is wonderful as a young masseuse that Fred befriends while Robert Seethaler is superb as a mountain climbing instruction that Lena takes interest in. In a small but crucial role as the diva-esque actress Brenda Morel, Jane Fonda is incredible as this longtime collaborator of Mick who makes this appearance as she represents some of the harshness of reality that Mick faces where she just owns that scene.
Paul Dano is excellent as Jimmy Tree as a young actor who befriends Fred and Mick where he shares their frustration with their work as he’s famously known for playing a robot where he hopes to find a role that could give him more. Rachel Weisz is amazing as Lena as Fred’s daughter who is also his assistant as she makes an unexpected return to the retreat where she copes with some of the bitter aspects of her relationship with her father. Harvey Keitel is phenomenal as Mick Boyle as a filmmaker eager to try and create one final film that would define his legacy while dealing with aspects of his life along with his friendship with Fred. Finally, there’s Michael Caine in a remarkable performance as Fred Ballinger as this music composer trying to retire as he is dealing with the demands of his former career in doing a concert for Queen Elizabeth II and write a memoir while dealing with his own faults as a man, a father, and as a husband where he also recalls things he can and can’t remember.
Youth is a spectacular film from Paolo Sorrentino that features brilliant performances from Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, and Jane Fonda. Along with memorable performances from the rest of its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, strong themes on life and death, and superb music. It’s a film that explores many of the ideas about getting old as well as the idea of capturing some element of youth in an old age. In the end, Youth is a tremendous film from Paolo Sorrentino.
Paolo Sorrentino Films: (One Man Up) - (The Consequences of Love) - (The Family Friend) - (Il Divo) - (This Must Be the Place) - (The Great Beauty)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Bill Polhad and screenplay by Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner from a story by Lerner, Love & Mercy is the story of the Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson told in two parallel narrative that focuses on Wilson in the mid-1960s where he was considered an eccentric but gifted music genius and in the late 1980s as a shell of his former self under the abusive of his therapist until a Cadillac saleswoman saves him. The film is an unconventional bio-pic that explores Wilson’s rise and descent into madness and mental illness and later be saved when he is at his most vulnerable as Paul Dano and John Cusack play the role of Wilson in the 60s and 80s, respectively,. Also starring Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti. Love & Mercy is ravishing and touching film from Bill Polhad.
The name Brian Wilson isn’t just synonymous with not music that would stand for eons but a man who was gifted yet troubled where he would succumb to mental illness and depression only to re-emerge a survivor and an icon. The film is about not just Wilson’s time in the mid-1960s where he would create the landmark album Pet Sounds as well as his attempts to make the album Smile. It’s also about the man 20 years later as he is under the control of therapist until he falls for a Cadillac saleswoman in Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks) who would later become his savior. All of which is told in a parallel, back-and-forth narrative style that reflects on Wilson’s mental descent in the 1960s as well as emerging out of that dark cloud of abuse and confusion in the 1980s.
The film’s screenplay by Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner create this narrative that plays into the highs and lows that Wilson would endure as a co-founder of the surf rock band the Beach Boys who were considered the American rivals to the Beatles in terms of creating top-notch pop songs. The film does give a brief insight into the Beach Boys’ rise where the bulk of the 1960s narrative begins with Wilson’s breakdown in an airplane that would ultimately keep him out of the road. Being grounded, Wilson would find a sanctuary at the studio where he would have all of the time in the world to create songs at his own pace while would wait for the band to return from touring to contribute vocals. That strand in the narrative shows not just the exuberance that Wilson had but also the emergence of his mental descent which was due to a lot of things such as drugs as well as his strained relationship with his father Murry (Bill Camp). The script also reveals the tension between Wilson and the band that ultimately led to the shelving of Smile.
The 1980s narrative which would inter-cut with the 60s narrative shows Wilson as a middle-aged man where it begins with him looking for a car to buy where he would meet Ledbetter who has no clue the man she was talking to is Brian Wilson. Yet, she somehow finds herself going out with Wilson, despite the presence of his therapist Dr. Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti), where she gets to know the man and see someone who is a good person but also in need of help. Especially as he had been disconnected from his family including two daughters, his ex-wife, his mother, and his band that includes his brother Carl and cousin Mike Love under Landy’s supervision as Ledbetter gets to know more of the real Wilson but also observe what Landy does. One key scene involves Ledbetter coming to Wilson’s home to bring food where she hears Landy screaming at a heavily-medicated Wilson during a songwriting session as Ledbetter learns from Wilson’s maid Gloria (Diana Maria Riviera) about the extent of Landy’s abuse. It’s a key sequence in the film that would have Ledbetter take a stand no matter what kind of dirt Landy could dig up on her. Though there are a few dramatic liberties that Moverman and Lerner do for dramatic reasons, they don’t stray too far from the real story nor do anything to exaggerate things other than show a very fragile man in need of saving.
Bill Polhad’s direction definitely has an air of style as it play into not just the world Brian Wilson was in but also in somewhat Hellish-existence he was living in under Dr. Landy’s abuse. Due to the film’s complex narrative, Polhad definitely aims for different visual styles as it relates to tone of the times as well as Wilson’s own state of mind. The 1960s narrative definitely owes a lot to style in terms of its usage of different film stock which help play into the Beach Boys rise and Wilson coming into his own as a producer and songwriter. Many of the compositions are quite simple in its usage of close-ups and medium shots where it would play into what Wilson is doing as he hears ideas in his head that would unfortunately morph into voices of doubt from his father and cousin Mike (Jake Abel). There is a bit of usage in the hand-held cameras yet Polhad prefers to keep things simple while also create elements that play into Wilson’s encounter with psychedelic drugs that were helpful at first only to turn on him towards his mental descent. The 1980s narrative has Polhad go for something much simpler but also with a look that is a bit more polished as it play into a world that is sort of modern but one that Wilson seems detached from.
While many of the compositions are a bit more detached in some aspects as it relates to Wilson’s mental state, it does play into a man trying to get back into the world through Ledbetter. One sequence in which Ledbetter spends the night with Wilson has this unique tracking shot where Wilson becomes paranoid that someone is watching as he begs Ledbetter to leave but still be with him as it is a heartbreaking scene that shows how scared Wilson is. Another sequence in the film’s third act is this strange montage that has the older Wilson confront his past in flashbacks and hallucinations as it relates to the voices in his head where the two Wilsons do see each other as it play into what he lost and what he could gain. Overall, Polhad crafts a mesmerizing and riveting film about the life of Brian Wilson through all of its trials and tribulations in two different time periods.
Cinematographer Robert Yeomen does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from the way many of the Californian location exteriors look to play into that sunny environment that inspired the music of the Beach Boys to some of the lush interiors inside the recording studios and the look of Wilson‘s two homes in the 80s that has this very lovely but unsettling look. Editor Dino Jonsater does brilliant work with the editing as it does play into the film‘s unique narrative style with its smooth transition cuts as well as some stylish montages and other cutting styles to play into some of the exuberance and dark moments in the film. Production designer Keith P. Cunningham, along with art directors Andrew Max Cahn and Luke Freeborn and set decorator Maggie Martin, does fantastic work with the home Wilson had in the 60s with its piano on top of a sandbox and the recording studios as well as the homes he had in the 1980s that are very sparse but also empty. Costume designer Danny Glicker does wonderful work with the costumes from the look of the 1960s clothes that many wear to the more casual look of the 1980s with the exception of the clothes that Ledbetter wore.
Makeup effects designer Tony Gardner does nice work with the look of some of the characters in the way they evolved in the 1960s as well as the comical yet terrifying look of Dr. Landy. Visual effects supervisor Luke T. DiTommaso does terrific work with some of the film‘s visual effects as it relates to Wilson‘s first acid trip that play into his desire for a new sound and some of its purity as well as a flashback sequence that relates to the story about how his father damaged his right ear. Sound designer Eugene Gearty and sound editor Nicholas Renbeck do excellent work with the sound in the way Wilson would hear things including a dinner sequence that would scare him as well as the more sparse moments during the scenes in the 80s where Wilson tries to deal with his mental state. The film’s music by Atticus Ross is incredible as it is largely a mixture of ambient sound textures as well as a collage of the music of the Beach Boys as their music is prominently featured along with a new song by Brian Wilson and other music that is played on the film from Dusty Springfield, the Moody Blues, Kenny G, and Heart.
The casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is great as it features some notable small roles from Oliver Polhad as the adolescent Brian Wilson in the flashback sequence, Morgan Phillips as Dr. Landy’s son Evan who watches over Wilson and Ledbetter during a boat trip, Erik Eidem as one of Wilson’s caretakers in Doug who becomes concerned of Dr. Landy’s treatment of Wilson, Joanna Going as Wilson’s mother Audree in the film’s flashbacks, and Diana Maria Riviera in a terrific role as Wilson’s maid Gloria who would help Ledbetter in saving Wilson. Other noteworthy small roles as members of the Wrecking Crew session players in Teresa Cowles as bassist Carole Kaye, Gary Griffin as keyboardist Al de Lory, and Johnny Sneed as drummer Hal Blaine along with Mark Linett as engineer Chuck Britz, Jeff Meacham as Pet Sounds lyricist Tony Asher, and Mark Schneider as Smile lyricist Van Dyke Parks as they play into the people who are in awe of Wilson’s gift as an artist.
Nick Gehlfuss and Graham Rogers are terrific in their respective roles as Beach Boys members Bruce Johnston and Al Jardine who both express a bit of reservation into what Wilson is doing. Bill Camp is excellent as Wilson’s father Murry who isn’t keen on what his son doing feeling it is straying from the formula as well as being this domineering figure that would continuously haunt Wilson for much of his life. Brett Davern is superb as Wilson’s younger brother Carl as one of the few who likes what his brother is doing while becoming concerned for his mental state of mind. Kenny Wormald is fantastic as Wilson’s youngest brother Dennis who likes what Wilson is doing while having a few reservations about its commercial prospects. Erin Darke is wonderful as Wilson’s first wife Marilyn who expresses concern about her husband’s mental state as well as trying to form the family that he would unfortunately become estranged to.
Jake Abel is amazing as Wilson’s cousin/Beach Boys vocalist Mike Love who expresses concern of not just what Wilson is doing musically but also for the fact that Wilson is straying from what made their music so popular. Paul Giamatti is marvelous as Dr. Eugene Landy as Wilson’s therapist during the 1980s who is trying to take care of him but his methods become abusive where he would even try to threaten Ledbetter as it’s a monstrous performance. Elizabeth Banks is phenomenal as Melinda Ledbetter as the woman who would become Wilson’s second wife as this former model-turned Cadillac saleswoman who befriends Wilson only to fall for him where she would also be the person that would save him and get back in touch with what was good in the world.
Finally, there’s John Cusack and Paul Dano in outstanding performances as Brian Wilson where both men provide unique aspects to the man. As the middle-aged Wilson in the 1980s, Cusack displays that sense of confusion and anguish into a man lost in a haze of medication as well as trying to find some good despite the paranoia he carries as it relates to Landy. As the young Wilson in the 1960s, Dano provides the exuberance to someone who realizes the power of his creativity as well as an innocence that he would eventually lose due to drugs and demons. Both Cusack and Dano create something that allows so many layers to the Brian Wilson myth but also ground it with a humanity and fragility that nearly destroyed the man.
Love & Mercy is an incredible from Bill Polhad that features the amazing dual performances of John Cusack and Paul Dano as Brian Wilson. Featuring an inventive narrative by screenwriters Michael Alan Lerner and Oren Moverman, a ravishing score by Atticus Ross, and Elizabeth Banks’ graceful performance as Melinda Ledbetter-Wilson. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules of the bio-pic genre while creating a unique study of a man/artist struggling with demons and his desire to create great music. In the end, Love & Mercy is a magnificent film from Bill Polhad.
© thevoid99 2016
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
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/4/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris and written by Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine is the story of a family who go on a road trip to take their young daughter to a beauty pageant as it includes a drug-addicted grandfather, a suicidal gay uncle, and a son who hasn't spoken in months. The film is a unique road film of sorts that explores a family and their dysfunctions as they all deal with setbacks while getting a young girl to a beauty pageant in California. Starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin. Little Miss Sunshine is a phenomenal film from Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris.
The film is a simple story about a family from Albuquerque, New Mexico who go on a road trip to California that a young girl named Olive (Abigail Breslin) can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Yet, not everyone is on board as Olive's father Richard (Greg Kinnear) is trying to score for a book deal for an idea he has as a motivational speaker. Adding to the chaos is Richard's stepson Dwayne (Paul Dano) who hasn't spoken in nine months in a vow of silence as he's obsessed with the work of Nietzsche while Richard's brother-in-law Frank (Steve Carell) is recovering from a suicide attempt due to a break-up with his boyfriend who left him for his rival. It would take Richard's wife Sheryl (Toni Collette) and Richard's father Edwin (Alan Arkin) to rally the family to go on this trip where a lot of major setbacks involving the family ensue. Much of it would play into the idea of failure that is prevalent around them where upon their arrival to California for Olive's pageant, some of the family fear that Olive will endure the same kind of humiliation and devastation they had been through.
Michael Ardnt's script takes it time to explore many of the dysfunction of the family as Edwin is a heroin addict who got kicked out of his retirement home as he would be the one teaching Olive how to dance for the upcoming pageant. Ardnt's approach to the script does have a lot of tropes and conventions that is expected in a road film but adds a lot of layers into the idea that a family might face failure and the whole trip would've been for nothing. Even as characters like Frank and Dwayne are individuals who are on the brink of depression as the latter is hoping to become a pilot by going into this act of silence. Adding to the tension is Richard as he has this theory about being a winner yet his thoughts would rub the family the wrong way as it would play into Olive's insecurities until her grandfather has this great monologue about what being a loser really means and says that Olive is none of those things because at least she's trying. Much of Richard's ideas would be ironic as he would put his own family finances and such into great danger as the third act is about Olive at the pageant. It's a moment in the film where it tests the sense of hopelessness of the family and what they might face as Olive is clearly the underdog against a bunch of young, sexualized girls in the pageant.
Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris help create that spontaneity of the road film by adding a lot of situations like a family pushing the van while running after it to get in or the repeated honks of it. They also give each character something to do while dealing with their own situations as when they together, it works. When it comes to the comedy, it's very natural and often deadpan from the likes of Carrell and Dano who play the more miserable personalities dealing with their own situations. Then when the third act comes for the world of young little beauty pageants. It shows a world that can be very discomforting, even with the recent event concerning the Jon Benet murder 10 years ago. Still, Dayton & Faris don't exactly make fun of it nor take it totally serious as they show what it is and how people react to it. Overall, they created a wonderfully funny, heartfelt film that brings in a lot of caring moments and huge laughs.
Helping out Dayton/Faris in their visual presentation is cinematographer Tim Suhrstedt whose color schemes of yellow highlight the American Southwest of its vast deserts while the interiors have some nice, grainy shades of blue as the film is wonderfully shot to convey the vastness of the road. Production designer Kalina Ivanov along with art director Alan E. Muraoka and set decorator Melissa M. Lavender do great job in capturing the realism of the dysfunctional family home while doing a great job on the design of the pageant in all of its cheesy glory. Costume designer Nancy Steiner does great work in presenting the bland clothing of the adults with the exception of Alan Arkin's character while giving Paul Dano some cool t-shirts to wear while the real standout in the clothing goes to Abigail Breslin from the headbands, the boots, and everything including her costume.
Editor Pamela Martin does some great work in the editing playing to the rhythm of a road film with some jump cuts and perspective cutting to convey what the characters feeling while giving time for a specific scene. Sound editor Stephen P. Robinson and mixer Steven Morrow also do great work in conveying the humor of the film, particularly the honking of the van-bus which makes everything funny. Composer Mychael Danna along with the group Devotchka create a whimsical, offbeat score that also includes music by Sulfjan Steven and some beauty pageant music that is cheesy with the exception of an 80s funk classic.
Finally, there's the film's great cast that includes some funny small performances from Geoff Meed as a biker, Dean Norris as a state trooper, Robert J. Connor as the pageant host, Mary Lynn Rajskub as a pageant official, Julio Oscar Mechoso as a mechanic, and the incomparable Beth Grant in a very funny performance as a pageant official. Other notable minor roles from Bryan Cranston as Richard's agent, Stan Grossman and Justin Shilton as Frank's ex-boyfriend Josh are excellent in their brief appearances to convey the problems for the respective characters of Richard and Frank.
Of the main cast, no one conveys the showiness of comedy better than Alan Arkin as the grandfather. Arkin brings all of the troubling and discomforting innuendos of a drug-addict grandfather who says all the wrong things that disturbs the family while being very supportive of Olive as he teaches her to dance as Arkin brings all the right humor. Paul Dano gives probably his best performance to date as the moody Dwayne where in the film's first half, Dano brings a lot of humor with the things he writes in a notepad while not saying anything. When Dano breaks down, he channels a lot of angst while he has great chemistry with Steve Carell.
Steve Carell proves his comedic genius by going into minimalism as he plays a moody, quiet suicidal professor who brings a lot of funny moments by doing so little and not saying much. Carell, like Bill Murray who was considered for the role, proves that showiness doesn't have to be the only way to be funny as Carell brings a lot of depth to a character who is going through a lot of troubles and frustration as its one of his best performances. Greg Kinnear also proves his brilliance as an actor in comedy and drama as a man filled with irony as someone who talks about winning but is really a total loser. Kinnear brings a lot of struggle and depth to a man who tries his best for his family but ends up saying the wrong things and tries to find ways to do right as Kinnear proves himself to be a very versatile actor.
If Dano and Carell brings misery, Arkin brings misogyny, and Kinnear brings a straightforwardness, Toni Collette is the glue that brings everyone together. The Australian actress who knows how to pull off an American accent is great as the maternal figure of the family who tries to get everyone back on their feet while dealing with frustration of their dysfunctions. Collette also shines in being the normal one of the family as she stands out with her comedic talents and drama as she brings out another great performance. If Collette is the glue that keeps the cast together, it's the young Abigail Breslin who is the heart of the movie. Breslin steals the show as the optimistic Olive whose chance to compete for a beauty pageant comes true. Breslin brings a lot of depth to a young girl wanting to have her family on her side despite their dysfunctions while dealing with her own physical features as it's the family that supports her. Breslin is the real breakthrough as she proves her worth in every scene, especially her dance in the competition as she knocks everyone dead.
Little Miss Sunshine is a phenomenal film from Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris as it features a great cast, an amazing script, and strong themes about family. It's a film that is very accessible to families while not being afraid to say crass language and such that is controversial. Yet, it plays true to what families go through and not matter the obstacles they face. They always come together to beat the odds. In the end, Little Miss Sunshine is a tremendous film from Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris.
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