Based on a story from The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, The Little Hours is the story of a young man who is taken in by a priest to work at a convent unaware that the nuns are anything but celibate. Written for the screen and directed by Jeff Baena, the film is a bawdy take on Boccaccio’s story as it is set during the middle ages with elements of modern-day humor to explore some of the darkest aspects of faith and how insane things can go. Starring Aubrey Plaza, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Kate Micucci, Jemima Kirke, Fred Armisen, Molly Shannon, Nick Offerman, Paul Reiser, and John C. Reilly. The Little Hours is a wild and offbeat film from Jeff Baena.
The film follows a convent that is need of a new handyman where its priest takes in a young man that is on the run following a tryst with a nobleman’s wife as he pretends to be a deaf-mute leading to all sorts of trouble. It’s a film where a trio of nuns cope with temptation as they meet this young man who intrigues them as they deal with their own sexual repression and other things. Jeff Baena’s screenplay is quite loose where it play into these situations that are absurd as much of the dialogue in the film is improvised where the characters pretty much get to say things that are more direct and modern rather than take on the language of that period. It’s a format that is unique though it does go overboard at times where it would affect the narrative where it wants to be this raunchy comedy that lives up to the text but also a period piece that is true to the times.
Baena’s direction is very simplistic in terms of its compositions as he doesn’t go into a lot of style as it’s more about dialogue and the setting. Shot on location in the Tuscany area of Italy, Baena does use its mountains and forests as a suitable setting for the film that does create a world that is mysterious but also simpler despite the attitude of some of the characters. While Baena would use some wide shots for a lot of the exteriors and in some of the interiors in some creative compositions. Much of the film is approached more intimately with the close-ups and medium shots that play into the interaction with the characters as well as some of the comedy. Though Baena’s approach to improvisation would hamper the narrative a bit in terms of its pacing and its attempt to be shocking. There is still something that does play true to the text as well as showcase a group of nuns struggling to maintain their vow of chastity in a world that is very repressive. Overall, Baena crafts a witty though uneven film about a trio of nuns who go after a man pretending to be a deaf-mute handyman at a convent.
Cinematographer Quyen Tran does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward for many of the scenes set in the day as well as the scenes at night with its usage of artificial light and fire. Editor Ryan Brown does nice work in the editing as it’s straightforward to play into the comedy as well as some of the absurd moments in the film. Production designer Susie Mancini and art director Andrew Katz do fantastic work with the look of the sets in many of the interiors for the convents and churches as well as the home of the nobleman. Costume designer Natalie O’Brien does terrific work with the costumes from the look of the nun robes as well as some of the lavish clothes of some of the locals. Sound editor Christopher Barnett does superb work with the sound in capturing some of the chaos that goes in some of the funnier moments as well as the calmness of the exterior locations. The film’s music by Dan Romer is wonderful for its usage of folk-based music of the times with some orchestral music while music supervisor Zach Cowie provide a soundtrack of the music of those times.
The casting by Courtney Bright and Nicole Daniels is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Paul Weitz as a handyman that is verbally-abused by the nuns, Lauren Weedman as the nobleman’s mother that Massetto sleeps with, Jon Garbus and Adam Pally as a couple of inept guards for the nobleman, Paul Reiser as Sister Alessandra’s father who is a patron of the church, Jemima Kirke as Fernanda’s friend Marta who is a real troublemaker, Nick Offerman as the nobleman Lord Bruno who always say very dull things, and Fred Armisen as Bishop Bartolomeo who makes a visit during the film’s third act where he is trying to see what is going on. Molly Shannon is fantastic as Sister Marea as the nun’s leader that is trying to maintain order while John C. Reilly is superb as Father Tommasso as the convent’s head who is trying to help make money for the church while hiring Massetto as the new handyman and have him pretend to be a deaf-mute.
Kate Micucci is excellent as Sister Ginevra as young woman who often says a lot of things that she sees that she feels could trouble things while dealing with her own issues relating to her sexual presence where Micucci would show a very funny moment in her encounter with a drug. Aubrey Plaza is brilliant as Sister Fernanda as a young woman that is just very intense as well as secretive to the point that she’s extremely defensive due to the fact that she is carrying a big secret. Dave Franco is amazing as Massetto as a nobleman’s servant who gets caught sleeping with his master’s wife only to pretend to be a deaf-mute who falls for Sister Alessandra and later be put into some serious shit with the other sisters. Finally, there’s Alison Brie in a remarkable performance as Sister Alessandra as a young nun who copes with loneliness and ponders what her future will be like until she meets and falls for Massetto which she tries to keep as a secret unaware of the chaos that is around her.
The Little Hours is a stellar though flawed film from Jeff Baena. Despite its attempt to provide a more modern approach to the film’s original text and infuse it with 21st Century humor. It’s a film that does provide enough funny moments as well as its exploration of sexual repression in the 14th Century thanks in part to its very talented cast. In the end, The Little Hours is a pretty good film from Jeff Baena.
Related: The Decameron
© thevoid99 2018
Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, Whiplash is the story of a young jazz drummer who goes to one of the best music schools in the U.S. as he is being taught by one of the school’s most demanding and fearsome teachers. The film is an exploration into ambition as well as what it takes for someone to wanting to be the best as a young man copes with the demands of his teacher. Starring Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell, Jayson Blair, and Paul Reiser. Whiplash is a tremendously powerful and chilling film from Damien Chazelle.
What happens when a young student at a music school gets the attention of a renowned teacher who pushes him to the edge? That is what the film is about as it is an exploration into a young man’s ambition to be the best jazz drummer out there. In encountering this jazz orchestra conductor who demands the best out of his students and nothing more, Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) hopes to impress this man in the hopes that he can be like Buddy Rich. Yet, Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) thinks Andrew might have what it takes as he pushes him emotionally and mentally to the breaking point. Even as he would put in drummers less talented than him to get into Andrew’s head as it would affect his personal life as well as other things.
Damien Chazelle’s screenplay showcases the ugliness of ambition where Andrew aspires to be great but it can do things that can destroy someone. Inspired by a story Fletcher tells everyone about Charlie Parker, Andrew hopes to impress Fletcher as he keeps practicing and practicing where it would take a toll on his hands where he would get blisters on his fingers. Yet, Fletcher’s demands and constant verbal abuse would get to Andrew as he would nearly lose control as it plays into the ugliness of ambition. Fletcher is an interesting character as he is someone that is looking for the next Charlie Parker or the next Buddy Rich. Even if it means destroying them and to see if they can get back up from that sense of humiliation which is his sick, twisted game of the mind.
Chazelle’s direction is very stylish as he creates a film that may look simple in terms of its compositions but it has this sense of energy that does play like a jazz record. It starts off slow but then it goes fast and slow again while maintaining a sense of rhythm that is unpredictable as it plays into the emotional context of the film. Chazelle’s usage of close-ups and extreme close-ups play into the emotion as it displays Andrew’s determination to be the best as there’s blood on the drum kit or in the look of Andrew’s face. The usage of medium and wide shots also play into the sense of energy as well as some of the looming tension that emerges where Chazelle would frame the actors to play into something that could explode. Especially as the sense of drama comes to ahead in the third act as it relates to Andrew coming to terms with everything he’s enduring as well as him questioning into if he really had what it takes to be a great jazz drummer. Overall, Chazelle creates a very captivating and haunting film about a young drummer’s ambition to be the best and the dangers of ambition.
Cinematographer Sharone Meir does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography with its stylish use of lights for the performances on stage as well as in some of the interiors as it helps set a mood into the sense of darkness that Andrew is embarking on. Editor Tom Cross does incredible work with the editing to create some unique cuts that is very stylish that plays like a jazz record that features some of the intensity into Andrew‘s drumming and that sense of determination into living up to Fletcher‘s demands. Production designer Melanie Jones, with set decorator Karuna Karmarkar and art director Hunter Brown, does excellent work with the set pieces from the look of the studio that Fletcher conducts his class to the dorm that Andrew lived in.
Costume designer Lisa Norcia does nice work with the costumes from the clothes that Andrew wears which is casual while the clothes that Fletcher is all black with the exception of one scene. Visual effects supervisors Jamison Scott Gel and Grant Miller do terrific work in a notable sequence that plays into Andrew‘s obsession into trying to prove himself to Fletcher. Sound editors Craig Mann and Ben Wilkins is amazing as it plays to the intensity into how the drums sound as well as the way music is heard in other rooms as it‘s one of the film‘s highlights. The film’s music by Justin Hurwitz is fantastic for some of jazz-based score that plays into the film while music supervisor Andy Ross brings in a lot of frenetic jazz pieces from the likes of Tim Simonec, Stan Getz, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Dana Williams, Nicholas Britell, and Hank Levy.
The casting by Terri Taylor is superb as it features some notable small roles from Chris Mulkey and Suanne Spoke as Andrew’s uncle and aunt, Jayson Blair as the core drummer that Andrew would replace from Fletcher’s class, and Austin Stowell as a classmate of Andrew who would try to replace him. Paul Reiser is excellent as Andrew’s father who is concerned with his son’s well-being as what is son is embarking on. Melissa Benisot is wonderful as Nicole who would date Andrew briefly early in the film as she copes with the demands he’s putting on himself to impress Fletcher. J.K. Simmons is phenomenal as Terence Fletcher as a jazz orchestra conductor who is an absolute tyrant that demands greatness in his players as he has this intimidating presence that is very scary at times. Finally, there’s Miles Teller in a remarkable performance as Andrew Neiman as this young man that aspires to be one of the great jazz drummers as he nearly breaks down in every level as Teller displays a humility and determination to become the best as it’s a very haunting performance.
Whiplash is an astonishingly powerful and exhilarating film from Damien Chazelle. Featuring top-tier performances from Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, it’s a film that explores a young man’s drive to be great as well as the mental and emotional it would take to do so in the hands of taskmaster who will do anything to see if he has what it takes. In the end, Whiplash is a sensational film from Damien Chazelle.
Damien Chazelle Films: Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench - La La Land - First Man - Babylon (2022 film) - (The Auteurs #76: Damien Chazelle)
© thevoid99 2015
Based on the book Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace by Scott Thorson and Alex Thorleifson, Behind the Candelabra is the story about Thorson’s affair with the famed pianist Liberace during the late 1970s where they endured all sorts of trials and tribulations to keep the affair a secret from the public. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and screenplay by Richard LaGravenese, the film is a look into the life of one of the great entertainers of the 20th Century and the secret life he had with a young man as Liberace is played by Michael Douglas and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson. Also starring Dan Aykroyd, Scott Bakula, Cheyenne Jackson, Rob Lowe, Tom Papa, Paul Reiser, and Debbie Reynolds as Frances Liberace. Behind the Candelabra is a majestic yet sensational film from Steven Soderbergh.
Liberace was known as a man of flamboyance and showmanship who loved to dress in lavish designer suits that is often very excessive while his piano designs play up to his personality. Yet, the man was an entertainer who believed that too much of a good thing is wonderful. Still, there is the private side of Liberace that the public didn’t really know about until after his death in February of 1987 where it was revealed that he was gay. What this film is about is Liberace’s love affair with a young man named Scott Thorson who wouldn’t just be Liberace’s assistant and chauffer in his shows but the relationship they had was loving but also tumultuous. Largely as Liberace would start to stray from the relationship making Thorson more insecure as he becomes addicted to drugs. It’s a story that is told in the span of a decade where the relationship would have its ups and downs though there was a real love between these two men.
Richard LaGravenese’ screenplay takes it time to explore how this relationship was formed with Thorson attended a show with another gay man in Bob Black (Scott Bakula) who knew Liberace as he would introduce Thorson to the man. Since Thorson was a young animal trainer who aspired to be a veterinarian, Liberace invited to his home to help tend one of his sick dogs as a love affair ensued though Thorson isn’t aware that he’s becoming one of many lovers Liberace has had previously that had come and gone including his protégée Billy Leatherwood (Cheyenne Jackson) and a butler named Carlucci (Bruce Ramsay). What wasn’t expected is that the affair would become much deeper to the point that Liberace would hire a drug-addicted plastic surgeon in Dr. Jack Startz (Rob Lowe) to make Scott look a bit like Liberace himself.
That would eventually play to some of the troubles of the relationship as Thorson begins to feel insecure as he is addicted to drugs while he isn’t taken seriously by some of Liberace’s personnel including manager Seymour Heller (Dan Aykroyd). Adding to the insecurities is the fact that Liberace likes to sleep with other men including a young dancer named Cary (Boyd Holbrook) which would eventually play to their split where Thorson would try to expose Liberace in the early 80s only to fail. While there are some dramatic liberties that LaGravenese does with his screenplay in order to dramatize the story, he does make sure that it is still a love story that has an element of camp but also drama. The dialogue is also quite stylish as it plays up to some of Liberace’s own campy personality on and off the stage as well as maintaining some realism over the intensity of the relationship between the two men.
The direction of Steven Soderbergh definitely plays up to that sense of excess that Liberace is known for where he utilizes a lot of stylish compositions but also keep things at a minimum to explore the complexity of this relationship between Liberace and Thorson. With the use of tracking shots, wide shots, and other camera angles, he creates a film that is about the secret life of a man seen from the perspective of a younger man. There are also shots that would mirror similar situations where Thorson is watching Liberace talking to younger men that also echoed a similar scene where Billy Leatherwood is shot in a close-up while Thorson and Liberace are blurred in the background though their dialogue can be heard quite clearly.
There are also moments in the direction where Soderbergh creates an element of camp that includes a very funny scene of Liberace and Thorson watching Johnny Carson where Liberace is aghast over how old he looks. Even the scenes of Liberace playing the piano in his stage performances maintain that sense of decadence where Soderbergh knows that excess is best. Through his very colorful yet lavish cinematography, under his Peter Andrews alias, where he uses lights to create a sense of atmosphere in the film’s humor and drama. Soderbergh also creates an element of drama in its third act where not only does Thorson deal with loss in a big way but also betrayal. Through his editing, under the Mary Ann Bernard alias, where Soderbergh creates some fantastic montages and rhythmic cuts to play up the drama that comes in that third act.
Even in some of the attention to detail where it reveals a moment in time when all of that excess would finally come to haunt Liberace in the end. It’s in these moments where Soderbergh does restrain things to create a sense of calm and normalcy where it definitely has a melancholia in the imagery that he’s conveying. Since the film is about Liberace, Soderbergh knows that he can’t end the film on a down note. It has to end in style and the way he chooses to end the film isn’t just about Liberace but also the love he had with Scott Thorson. Overall, Soderbergh creates a very heartfelt and engaging film about Liberace and his secret relationship with Scott Thorson.
Production designer Howard Cummings, along with set decorator Barbara Munch and art director Patrick M. Sullivan Jr., does brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of Liberace‘s home to his stage shows where everything is excessive and lavish that includes two of everything and little model pianos to play up Liberace‘s sense of generosity to those he love. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick does amazing work with the costumes as they‘re always filled with style from the fur coats, the suits, capes, and everything else that is all a part of Liberace‘s world of decadence. The makeup and hair design work is also worth noting for the hair styles that play up the world of the late 70s and early 80s as well as Liberace’s own hair and how his face evolved through his plastic surgeries including Thorson who also looked a younger version of Liberace after his surgery.
Visual effects supervisor Thomas J. Smith does superb work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects such as the TV stuff that Liberace watches that he‘s in along with some backdrop dressing for some scenes in Las Vegas and Palm Springs. Sound editor Larry Blake does excellent work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the performance as well as some of the intimate moments between Liberace and Thorson as it would also play into their dissolution. The music adaptation by the late Marvin Hamlisch is fantastic for the piano pieces Hamlisch selects as well as some playful score music from the composer as he makes the music a major highlight that isn’t just about Liberace but also a great tribute to Hamlisch himself whom the film is dedicated to.
The casting by Carmen Cuba is marvelous for the actors that is assembled for this film as it features appearances from David Koechner as an adoption attorney, Josh Meyers as Liberace’s attorney in Thorson’s palimony suit, Jane Morris as Scott’s adopted mother Rose, Nicky Katt as the drug dealer Mr. Y, Cheyenne Jackson as Liberace’s protégée Billy Leatherwood, Bruce Ramsay as Liberace’s gay butler Carlucci, and Boyd Holbrook as a Young Americans dancer named Cary whom Liberace gets interested in as he would usurp Scott. Other notable small performances include Paul Reiser as Thorson’s attorney in the palimony suit, Tom Papa as Liberace’s head assistant Ray Arnett, and Scott Bakula as Bob Black who would introduce Scott to Liberace.
Debbie Reynolds is amazing as Liberace’s mother Frances where Reynolds looks unrecognizable as an old European woman who adores her son while is one of the few people who is very kind to Thorson as Reynolds steals every scene she’s in. Rob Lowe is hilarious as the freaky-looking plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Startz as a man who looks like he’s had too many facelifts while doesn’t really know what he’s talking about as he claims to know so much. Dan Aykroyd is superb as Liberace’s manager Seymour Heller who doesn’t have much of an opinion towards Scott as he’s very straightforward while being Liberace’s great protector from all sorts of things as he is also the guy who takes care of things.
The film’s best performances definitely go to the duo of Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in their respective roles as Liberace and Scott Thorson. Damon exudes all of the naiveté and frustrations of a young man who is caught up in Liberace’s world as he seeks to find himself while dealing with Liberace’s affairs with other men. Douglas is a real surprise as he plays up all of the charm that is Liberace while not being afraid to go camp as he can be funny but also quite dramatic. The two together make a fantastic duo in the way they play off each other in all of its moments whether it’s funny, romantic, or dramatic as they are key reasons for the film’s success.
Behind the Candelabra is a tremendous film from Steven Soderbergh that features outstanding performances from Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. The film isn’t just a very genuine and compelling love story but also a look into the life of one of the great entertainers of the 20th Century and the secret life that he had. If this film is Steven Soderbergh’s final contribution to cinema, at least he goes out with a winner and in grand style. In the end, Behind the Candelabra is a fabulous and sensational film from Steven Soderbergh.
Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray’s Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean’s Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean’s Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)
The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by James Cameron from a story by Cameron, David Giler, and Walter Hill, Aliens is the sequel to 1979’s Alien in which Ellen Ripley returns to the planet fifty-seven years after the event where she encountered the alien as she’s joined by Marines and a corporate officer to go after the alien creatures. With Sigourney Weaver reprising her role as Ripley, the film also stars Michael Biehn, Lance Henrikson, Bill Paxton, Carrie Henn, William Hope, Jenette Goldstein, Al Matthews, and Paul Reiser. Aliens is a remarkable yet chilling action-suspense film from James Cameron.
Fifty-seven years after encounter with an alien that left her crew dead, Ellen Ripley wakes up from a cryogenic sleep as she’s been rescued by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation who interrogate her about what happened. After learning that the planet she visited has now become a terraforming colony, Ripley loses her space license as she meets a corporate representative in Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) who offers to get her job back by taking part of a mission to return the planet over the loss contact in that planet. Ripley reluctantly takes part as she and Burke are joined by a group of Marines led by Lieutenant Gorman (William Hope) to see if Ripley’s claims about aliens are true. On board the Sulaco, Ripley meets the team that consists Sergeant Apone (Al Matthews), Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn), Private Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein), Private Hudson (Bill Paxton), and an android named Bishop (Lance Henrikson).
Arriving at the planet where Ripley serves as a consultant, the Marines enter the building where all they could find were two living facehuggers in containment tanks in a lab. Also there is a survivor in a young girl named Newt (Carrie Henn) who has been traumatized by the aliens as the Marines continue to search throughout the locations that included a nuclear-powered processing plant. There, the Marines make a drastic discovery about what they found as they’re suddenly attacked by the aliens leaving many of them dead until Ripley drives the Marine vehicle to save Hicks, Vasquez, and Hudson while Gorman becomes unconscious during the rescue. When their drop ship has been destroyed and unable to have access to the other one, Bishop volunteers to get to the building’s transmitter to get the other drop ship.
After an encounter with the facehuggers where Ripley and Newt are saved by Hicks, the group starts to realize what Burke is up to. With the aliens ready to attack, Ripley and the group struggle to survive as it leads to an all-out battle between the humans and aliens led by their queen.
The film is essentially the story of where Ellen Ripley returns to the planet where her crew discovered an alien life form that would eventually destroy her crew and leaving her as its sole survivor. Upon her return as she accompanies a group of Marines, an android she’s wary about, and a corporate representative. All hell breaks loose when they all had to encounter a group of aliens forcing Ripley to fight back. It’s a very simple premise that has all of the makings of a compelling sci-fi film with elements of suspense, horror, and action. Yet, there’s a lot more to the story in what James Cameron brings that makes the film far much better than it needed to be.
The first is in the way Ripley is portrayed as she returns home after being asleep for fifty-seven years while having nightmares about everything she had encountered in the past. Here’s this woman who had just lost a lot as she’s forced to report to a bunch of corporate honchos who could care less about what happened while caring more about the cargo that was lost. When she’s offered to get her job back by returning the planet, she immediately says no but changes her mind as she just wants to see these aliens dead. Once arriving to the planet where she would find a survivor in a young girl, her maternal instincts come in as she becomes this great protector for this young girl by fighting off the aliens any way she can.
It’s not just Cameron’s approach to the Ripley character that makes the script succeed, he also creates a small group of supporting characters that provide enough substance for the audience to care about. While Hudson may be a loudmouth moron, he is a comic relief who is able to do his job and kick ass while Corporal Hicks becomes the unexpected leader knows about what he should do as a soldier but prefers to ensure the safety of his team and the people he’s protecting. Then there’s the android Bishop who seems like a liability based on Ripley’s own issues with them as he ends up becoming the most helpful person on the team where he would gain the trust of everyone. Finally, there’s the Burke character who is this corporate representative who is just there to oversee things as he becomes the one person everyone else distrust because of his own agenda.
Cameron’s script not only works in creating characters that are interesting but also manages to do a lot with a premise that could’ve failed in terms of the schematics that is expected in a horror film. What Cameron does is create a unique structure to the story where the first half is about Ripley returning to the world and getting ready to take part on this mission. It’s in the second half where the element of suspense and horror comes in where it becomes a film where a group of people struggle to survive and get out of a planet that no one should’ve encountered in the first place.
Cameron’s direction is truly a marvel to watch in terms of the ambition he sets out to make as well as the intimacy that he brings to the film. From the visual-effects driven exterior space shots he creates to the tense meetings that occur between Ripley and the Marines as they all try to figure out how to survive. There’s also a sense of claustrophobia in the direction as the camera is always moving to see these places as a lot of is enclosed and very small. Even in a scene where Bishop goes inside a pipe to get the transmitter, Cameron does manage to find a way to keep things engaging without needing to over-explain things.
Cameron also knows when to give the action a break in order for the characters to figure out what to do or to reveal the motives of a few like Burke. Even as he creates moments such as Ripley’s time with Newt that shows that allows the audience to be intrigued by this relationship that has the audience rooting for Ripley to be this protector. Even in the film’s climatic battle against the Alien Queen where Ripley delivers one of the great lines in film. When it comes time for Ripley and the Marines to kick some ass, Cameron creates some striking compositions to capture the element of suspense and then goes for the kill where invests a lot of time to establish what is going on and what are they trying to kill. Overall, Cameron creates a truly mesmerizing and thrilling film that bends all sorts of genre while giving audiences a film that entertains its audience.
Cinematographer Adrian Biddle does superb work with the photography from the bright look of some scenes in the spaceships to the more brooding look of the scenes in the colony buildings filled with startling lighting schemes and other moments to maintain that sense terror. Editor Ray Lovejoy does brilliant work with the editing to play up the suspense with slow, methodical cuts along with more fast-pace rhythms for the film‘s action scenes. Production designer Peter Lamont, with set decorator Crispian Sallis and supervising art director Terry Ackland-Snow, does great work with the set pieces from the look of the spaceships to the building halls filled with lots of alien material including the queen’s nest.
Costume designer Emma Porteus does nice work with the costumes from the uniforms the Marines wear to the more casual clothing the other characters wear. Visual effects supervisors Robert and Dennis Skotak and Alan G. Markowitz do amazing work with the visual effects for many of the film‘s exterior space ship scenes along with some of design of the scenes involving the aliens. Sound editor Don Sharpe does terrific work with the sound by playing up the suspense in some scenes that leads to the Marines fighting off the aliens as it enhances the atmosphere. The film’s music by James Horner is wonderful for its low-key yet suspenseful-driven score to play up the sense of terror as well as a cadence drum theme for the Marines to arrive and get ready.
The film’s incredible ensemble cast features some notable small performances from Paul Maxwell as corporate head Van Leuwen, Mark Rolston as smart gunner Private Drake, Al Matthews as Sgt. Apone, and Cynthia Dale as Corporal Dietrich. William Hope is very good as the Marines’ commanding officer Lt. Gorman while Jenette Goldstein is excellent as the tough Private Vasquez. Bill Paxton is very funny as the cocky Private Hudson who ends up being scared about what is happening as he has some of the film’s best lines. Lance Henrikson is superb as the android Bishop who helps everyone out while revealing the flaws of being human and being an android.
Paul Reiser is terrific as the slimy Burke who pretends to be all cool only to have ulterior motives about his own agenda as Reiser makes Burke a guy everyone loves to hate. Michael Biehn is amazing as Corporal Hicks who leads the Marines into battle while being the guy who is willing to help out everyone when things get troubling. Carrie Henn is wonderful as the young girl Newt as she displays an innocence of a girl traumatized by what she saw as she also helps out the Marines into surviving the aliens. Finally, there’s Sigourney Weaver in an outstanding performance as Ellen Ripley by making her a far more complex and determined character. Weaver brings a sense of weariness as a woman reluctant to take part in a mission while becoming maternal in protecting Newt as she later becomes this full-blown badass who is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with the aliens as it is truly one of Weaver’s best performances.
Aliens is a magnificent film from James Cameron that features a towering performance from Sigourney Weaver. The film is definitely not just one of the great sci-fi horror films of that genre but also one of the key films that makes the Alien franchise so interesting. Filled with great technical work and memorable supporting performances from Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Lance Henrikson, Paul Reiser, and Bill Paxton. It’s a film that has a lot of substance in terms of its story and presentation as well as a lot of action and suspense to be entertained by. In the end, Aliens is a triumphant film from James Cameron.
James Cameron Films: (Xenogenesis) - (Piranha II: The Spawning) - (The Terminator) - (The Abyss) - (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) - (True Lies) - (Titanic) - (Expedition: Bismarck) - (Ghosts of the Abyss) - (Aliens of the Deep) - Avatar
Alien Films: Alien - Alien 3 - Alien: Resurrection
© thevoid99 2012
