The film is about a woman who unravels after the birth of her child as she descends into madness putting strain into her relationship with her boyfriend months after they move to Montana. It is a film that is an exploration of post-partum depression as well as a woman coming to terms with the reality of this new change in her life. The film’s screenplay by Lynne Ramsay, Edna Walsh, and Alice Birch does not have a conventional narrative as there is a flashback scene as well as elements of surrealism. It is more of a character study where the script explores the couple in Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson) as they arrive in rural Montana away from New York City to start a new life at the latter’s childhood home near where his parents live. When Grace becomes pregnant, there is a lot of excitement but its aftermath in which they have a baby born with a name to be determined. Things start to fall apart with Jackson often away at work and not understanding her mental and emotional state.
Even as Grace begins to suspect that Jackson is cheating on her after finding condoms in the glove compartment of their car where he often arriving home late. Jackson would attempt to smooth things over in buying a dog, which would prove to be a poor decision considering they have a baby to take care of. It only adds to the tension and Grace’s own mental issues as she turns to Jackson’s mother Pam (Sissy Spacek) who is also going through own issues including sleepwalking with a shotgun. The script also play into elements of surrealism as it relates to a mysterious man in a motorcycle named Karl (Lakeith Stanfield) that Grace is aware of to deal with Jackson’s affairs with other women. Grace’s encounters with Karl play into her own sexual desires, which is not getting at home to the point that she would act in a feral manner while struggling to raise her newborn son.
Ramsay’s direction is entrancing in the way it captures a woman succumbing to madness as it opens with a long shot of Grace and Jackson entering the latter’s childhood that once belonged to his uncle as it is this simple static medium-wide shot that goes on for a few minutes. Shot on a 1:33:1 aspect ratio and on location in province of Alberta in Canada as Montana, Ramsay uses the aspect ratio to create this sense of claustrophobia that help play into Grace’s madness as she become suffocated by the changes in her life as well as the lack of control in being a new mother. While there are some wide shots that are presented in the film including scenes in a car whenever she and Jackson are on the road. Much of Ramsay’s direction is emphasized on close-ups and medium shots to play into Grace’s mental deterioration and her relationship with Jackson falling apart. Even as there are montages where Grace would be alone at the house with her baby as music would blare loudly and it is the same song.
Ramsay also delves into elements of surrealism that includes a strange meeting with Jackson’s late father Harry (Nick Nolte) whom she is dancing with in the forest at night as he is seen previously in a flashback as he has dementia. Some of these scenes at night are surreal, including a shot that followed the film’s opening shot of a forest fire. It is among these moments in the film that play into Grace’s own descent while a few scenes in which Grace and Jackson are in a gathering show the sense of discomfort the former begins to have where she would slowly unravel. There are also these abrupt and shocking moments of violence that play into Grace’s descent into madness as the third act forces Jackson to realize that she needs help. The third act is not just about the realization of what Grace is dealing with but also an understanding about a world that expects too much from her. Whether it is in being a writer, a wife, a mother, a lover, or anything else as it becomes overwhelming to the point that there is only one path to go. Overall, Ramsay crafts a visceral and unflinching film about a woman’s descent into madness following the birth of her child.
Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its colorful and stylish photography for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as the usage of bluish filters for the exterior scenes at night. Editor Toni Froschhammer, along with additional work by Adam Biskupski, does excellent work with the editing as her usage of montages, jump-cuts, and other stylish cuts help play into sense of mania that looms throughout the film. Production designer Tim Grimes, along with set decorator Amber Humphries and art director Amanda Nicholson, does amazing work with the look of Jackson’s home as well as a place made for a party in the film’s third act. Costume designer Catherine George does terrific work with costumes where it is casual apart from a party scene where they wear stylish clothing.
The special effects work of Lindsey Dietz, along with visual effects supervisors James Frislev, Koray Guzey, Victor Tomi, and Mehmet Kurtulus Tuncer, is fantastic for some of the visuals such as the forest fire and a few other bits to play into Grace’s encounter with surrealism. Sound designer Tim Burns does incredible work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere that include sparse sounds of flies flying around the house as well as how music is presented on location as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Lynne Ramsay, George Vjestica, Ben Frost, and music supervisor Raife Burchell is superb as it features original music from Ramsay, Vjestica, and Frost who provide a mixture of score music ranging from ambient music to noisy rock along with a cover of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart. The soundtrack supervised by Frost features a diverse music soundtrack from Toni Basil, Billie Holiday, Eels, the Cocteau Twins, Cream, David Bowie, Raffi, Tom Philips & D.T.S., Peggy Lipton, Elvis Presley, Shirley Ellis, Pinky and Perky, and an inspired usage of the John Prine & Iris Dement duet of In Spite of Ourselves.
The casting by Lucy Pardee is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Sarah McPherson as a cashier who annoys Grace, Gabrielle Rose and Debs Howard as a couple of old ladies who are friends of Pam, Sarah Lind as an acquaintance of Jackson and Grace in Jen who does share Grace’s own issues with motherhood, and the duo of Kennedy and Victoria Calderwood as Grace and Jackson’s unnamed baby. Lakeith Stanfield is superb as the mysterious man named Karl who rides a motorcycle as he is drawn to Grace leading to an affair at a farm. Nick Nolte is brilliant as Jackson’s father Harry as he only appears in 3 scenes such as a flashback of a man dealing with dementia and in a couple of surreal moments where he is the one man who really understands Grace. Sissy Spacek is amazing as Jackson’s mother Pam as a woman dealing with grief as well as her own issues as a woman where she is wise as well as eccentric considering she sleepwalks with a shotgun.
Robert Pattinson is excellent as Jackson as a man that is trying to deal with Grace’s depression the best way he can though he makes some awful decision where Pattinson brings some great facial expressions to showcase his anger as he is a man that clueless at times but also frustrated in his ability to understand what his partner is going through. Finally, there is Jennifer Lawrence in a performance for the ages as Grace as a writer who is struggling with post-partum depression where Lawrence goes all out in terms of her physicality and in displaying the sense of rage and madness her character goes through. It is a performance that can be described as raw and primal in terms of the ferality her character starts to act where she even becomes indifferent in some stages as it relates to her relationship with Jackson where Lawrence has this air of danger and fragility that play into a woman coming undone.
Die My Love is a magnificent film by Lynne Ramsay that features a tremendous leading performance from Jennifer Lawrence. Along with its ensemble cast, eerie visuals, its raw take on post-partum depression and madness, stylish presentation, and a blistering music soundtrack. It is a film that does not play it safe in its depiction of post-partum depression and madness while also being this study of a woman lost in a reality that does not understand her pain. In the end, Die My Love is an outstanding film by Lynne Ramsay.
Lynne Ramsay Films: Ratcatcher - Morvern Callar - We Need to Talk About Kevin - You Were Never Really Here - (Polaris)
Related: The Auteurs #6: Lynne Ramsay - Favorite Films #9: Morvern Callar
© thevoid99 2025
Set in a futuristic world in the span of nearly 5 years, the film is about a man who joins a space expedition towards a snowy planet that is to be colonized as he signs for a job that would kill him multiple times where his 17th variation makes a discovery about the planet they are colonizing. It is a film that does not play into a certain genre as it blends all sorts of genres from science fiction, satire, suspense, drama, and action as it explores a man who takes a job to escape from loan sharks as the ship is ruled by a politician who plans to rule the colony as he would also bring in a cloning device on his ship although the cloning device is deemed illegal on Earth. Bong Joon-Ho’s screenplay has a lot of layers in its narrative as it is largely told from the perspective of its titular character (Robert Pattinson) as he is a man that has endured a lot of bad luck from the death of his mother as a child as he blames himself for what happened and the trouble his childhood friend Timo (Steven Yeun) has put him in through involving loan sharks.
In taking on the job as an expendable, Mickey would endure a series of odd jobs in which he would be killed or become a lab rat for diseases and such as he would be cloned through a printing machine of sorts though it is a method that is illegal on Earth. The expedition is run by the politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette) in the hopes that he can bring hope to humanity on a new planet although he is revealed to be an idiotic narcissist while Ylfa is the smarter of the two but is also arrogant and obsessed with bad gourmet cooking. Mickey would find friends during his journey including a girlfriend in the security officer Nasha (Naomi Ackie) but becomes annoyed with people asking him what it is like to die. Even as they land on the planet where Mickey makes a discovery about its inhabitants after getting injured on the job and left for dead by Timo. Upon his return, Mickey, in his 17th variation, learns about something else that is happening that is considered forbidden as it explains why Earth is not fond of the idea of cloning. All of this leads to revelations about what Marshall wants to do and the trouble he is creating on the planet he wants to colonize.
Bong’s direction is grand in not just its unique setting and blend of genres but also in its approach to satire. Shot at the Leavesden Studio in Britain, Bong’s creates a world that is chaotic where much of the action takes place inside a spaceship. The usage of close-ups and medium shots in these cramped and claustrophobic rooms that Mickey, Nasha, and others live in do play into this idea of class as the Marshalls live in a spacious and lavish room with the finest food and decors that represents this disconnect that the Marshalls have with everyone else in the ship. Bong also uses wide shots to get a look into the Marshalls’ room as well as the dining hall and scenes on the snowy planet known as Niflheim as it is a key element in the film’s second half as well as the first scene of the film where Mickey 17 is left on a ravine injured where Timo leaves him for dead. It is also the moment where Mickey would discover the original inhabitants of these creatures that look like bugs but something different in their interiors as they were designed by Bong and creature designer Jang Hee-chul.
Bong’s direction also play into this sense of absurdity in the many ways Mickey would die as well as the atmosphere of the spaceship as it has an offbeat presentation of how bureaucracy works as there are also odd things that happen in the film. Even as there is a guy in a pigeon suit (Tim Key) who would come in to be a reporter as a mascot for Marshall. The film does take a serious tone in its third function as it relates to the inhabitants of Niflheim and what Marshall wants to do although Mickey is in a far more complicated situation as it relates to why Earth banned cloning and re-printing humans. Even as he becomes a bigger liability where it leads to Marshall waging war with the inhabitants of Niflheim although they have no issues with humanity. Still, Bong plays into the many fallacies of politics as well as what happened when people put their faith in someone who is an imbecile forcing a regular person to do what he can to save humanity from themselves. Overall, Bong crafts a witty and riveting film about a man who dies constantly on the job during a four-year expedition to colonize a planet for an imbecilic politician.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish usage of lighting for the interior scenes inside the spaceship with low-key lighting for the rooms that Mickey and others live in to the artificial look of the Marshalls’ suite. Editor Yang Jin-mo does excellent work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts and jump-cuts to play into the action and suspense along with some stylish cuts for some of the humor. Production designer Fiona Crombie, with set decorator Alice Felton plus supervising art director Jason Knox-Johnston and senior art director Darren Tubby, does amazing work with the look of the interiors of the spaceship including the rooms, dining hall, lab, and garage as well as the caves at Niflheim. Costume designer Catherine George does fantastic work with the costumes from the ordinary jumpsuits many of the people at the spaceship wear to the posher clothing that the Marshalls wear.
Hair & makeup artist Anita Burger does terrific work with some of the makeup that Kenneth Marshall has in his TV appearances including a somewhat-heightened tan on his face. Visual effects supervisors Dan Glass, Arudra Jaykar, and Kelvin McIlwain do incredible work in the look of the planet and the exterior of the spaceship as well as the movement of the body parts from the creatures at Niflheim. Sound designer Eilam Hoffman and sound editor Choi Tae-young do superb work with the sound in the way the creatures sound as well as layers of sound effects for scenes inside the ship as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Jung Jae-il is great in its piano orchestra presentation with elements of bouncy percussions and string arrangements that play into the film’s offbeat tone while its music soundtrack features pieces from Nino Rota, Elliot Smith, Georg Friedrich Handel, and a hilarious original from Jung and Sharon Sung Jae Choi that the Marshalls sing that is full-on camp.
The casting by Francine Maisler is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Milo James as a young Mickey, Ian Hanmore as a loan shark Timo and Mickey owes money to, Ellen Robertson as Kai’s girlfriend Jennifer, Tim Key as the man in a pigeon suit, Thomas Turgoose as a security officer who likes to carry a bazooka, Angus Irmie as a security officer known as Shrimp Eyes, Stephen Park as the head security officer Zeke who becomes concerned with what the Marshalls are doing and other activities involving drugs, Holliday Grainger as a Marshall representative whom Mickey meets early in the film about becoming an expendable, Cameron Britton as the science team leader Arkady who is a stooge for Marshall, Patsy Ferran as the scientist Dorothy who cares about Mickey’s well-being, Anna Mouglalis as the voice of the head creeper creature from Niflheim, and Edward Davis as a political figure who was part of the reprinting program who went too far in his studies as he is seen in a flashback.
Daniel Henshall is terrific as Marshall’s personal assistant Preston as this smarmy man who is willing to goad his boss into anything and film it to boost his boss’s ego. Anamaria Vartolomei is fantastic as the security officer Kai Katz as a woman who is one of Mickey’s friends as she would cope with events that shaped her while also making a discovery that makes her uneasy. Steven Yeun is excellent as Timo as a childhood friend of Mickey who would constantly put him in trouble as he would get a job as a pilot for the ship where he constantly finds a way to advance his position as well as taking part in illegal activities involving drugs. Naomi Ackie is brilliant as Nasha as a security agent who becomes Mickey’s girlfriend as she deals with his own issues while also becoming aware of Marshall’s idiocy where there is a great moment where she calls him out in front of his face into how stupid he is.
Toni Collette is incredible as Ylfa Marshall as Kenneth’s wife who is this woman that wants to create gourmet cooking that she can make money of as well as crave power where Collette has an element of camp that adds to her performance as she is monstrously hilarious. Mark Ruffalo is amazing as Kenneth Marshall, as this political figure who wants to colonize a planet in the belief that he will save humanity except for the fact that he is a narcissistic imbecile who craves attention while Ruffalo speaks in a way that is over-the-top as it adds a level of hilarity to his performance. Finally, there’s Robert Pattinson in a tremendous performance as Mickey Barnes and the many variations he would take including Mickey 17 as this ordinary man who takes the job where he makes himself expendable where he would be cloned and re-printed as a lab rat while doing odd jobs that are considered deadly. Pattinson’s performance is also full of joy in how shy he is as he speaks in an odd way while he would speak more menacingly as another variant as it is one of Pattinson’s finest performances of his career.
Mickey 17 is a spectacular film by Bong Joon-ho that features a phenomenal leading performance from Robert Pattinson. Along with its ensemble cast, grimy visuals, its satirical approach to social standings and political idealism, and a fun music score. The film is an engaging and witty genre-bending film that explores a man who dies constantly for someone’s own idea of power only to become a rebel and realize that man’s ignorance and stupidity over everything. In the end, Mickey 17 is a sensational film by Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host (2006 film) - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother (2009) - Snowpiercer - Okja - Parasite - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
© thevoid99 2025
(Winner of the Cannes Soundtrack Award to Daniel Lopatin at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival)
The film revolves around a robbery that gets botched where a mentally-disabled man is arrested and captured forcing his older brother to find ways to get him out of jail as he spends much of time getting money and such to get him out while being on the run himself. It is a film with a simple premise as it explore a criminal trying to do what he can to get his brother out of jail knowing that his brother is unable to deal with prison due to the fact that he’s mentally-disabled. The film’s screenplay Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein is largely straightforward as it follows Constantin “Connie” Nikas (Robert Pattinson) accompanying his younger yet mentally-disabled brother Nick (Buddy Safdie) for a bank robbery as the two wear masks and carry guns as they seemed to have succeed unaware that a dye pack is in the bag as it exploded leaving Connie and Nick on the run where the latter is arrested and later gets into a fight during his jail stay.
The rest of the film has Connie trying to get money to get his brother out as he asks his girlfriend Corey (Jennifer Jason Leigh) for $10,000 to get him out of jail but things get complicated as a bail bondsman revealed that Nick has been sent to a hospital following a beating. Connie decides to take matter into his own hands and things start to get more troubling as it puts him into a series of misadventures that included a Sprite bottle filled with LSD and other things along the way with a number of individuals involved.
The direction of Josh and Benny Safdie is riveting in terms of its sense of realism as well as the fact that it is shot on location in New York City with the borough of Queens being the prominent location. While there are some wide shots including aerial shots of these locations, much of the direction from the Safdies is grounded as the first shot is presented with close-ups where Nick is in a session with a psychiatrist (Peter Verby). There is this element of cinema verite that the Safdies go for in the action in their usage of close-ups and medium shots such as the bank robbery scene where it is all about notes and wit as there is no violence that happens. There are also scenes set at the infamous New York prison Riker’s Island that does give the film a sense of realism as if it was shot at Riker’s Island where Nick gets into a fight and beaten up badly. The direction also this energy in the way Connie would do to get his brother out as the hospital scene in the second act in which he sneaks in to try and get Nick out is filled with suspense but there is also an encounter with a guy he meets in Ray (Buddy Duress) who would have this dizzying montage about his own day as it is filled with a lot of misadventure.
Since the film uses its locations as characters in the film such as a scene at night at the Adventureland amusement park in Long Island. The Safdies also create this air of tension in which Connie had to use his own street smarts to get out of a situation but also realize that he can’t trust certain people. Even as this small Sprite bottle filled with LSD that is worth money becomes something he needs to get his brother out but there are also these revelations in the third act of what Connie had done as he’s also a fugitive with TV news reporting about what he and Nick did. Still, the Safdies do explore this air of danger into the world of crime and what this man had to do to help his brother knowing that they screwed up as he felt responsible for what had happened. Overall, the Safdies craft an intense and high-octane film about a criminal trying to get his mentally-disabled brother out of jail.
Cinematographer Sean Price Williams does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural light for some exterior scenes in the day as well as available and bits of light for the exterior scenes at night as well as the usage of neon lights for the nighttime interior scenes. Editors Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein do amazing work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts as well as the montage sequence involving Ray as well as other cuts to help establish what is happening without going too long or too short. Production designer Sam Lisenco, with set decorator Audrey Turner and art director Patrick Duncan, does fantastic work with the look of some of the places that Connie goes to whether it’s a home from an old lady or a place where he stole some keys from someone. Costume designers Miyako Bellizzi and Mordechai Rubinstein do terrific work with the costumes from the coats that Connie and Nick wear as well as some of the casual street clothes they wear as it adds that sense of grittiness into their look.
Special makeup effects designer Toby Sells and hair/makeup artist Anouck Sullivan do excellent work with the look of a character while Sullivan does a lot of the look for Connie including his dyed blonde hair in the film’s second half. Visual effects supervisor Adam Teninbaum does nice work with a few of the film’s visual effects as it relates mainly to Ray’s montage sequence as well as bits of set dressing in some locations. Sound designer Ryan M. Price does superb work with the film’s sound in the way overlapping conversations sound in a prison as well as the way police sirens sound from afar as it helps add to the film’s suspense. The film’s music by Daniel Lopatin, in his Oneohtrix Point Never pseudonym, is incredible for its brooding and gripping electronic music score that often helps play up the sense of drama and suspense along with a few ambient bits while Lopatin also creates a closing song with Iggy Pop as well as cultivating the film’s soundtrack that includes pieces from Frankie Ruiz, Mosley & Johnson, and Nike Boi.
The casting by Jennifer Venditti is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Eric Paykert as a bails bondsman, Rose Gregorio as Corey’s mother who doesn’t like Connie, Saida Mansoor as Connie and Nick’s grandmother who believes Connie is a bad influence on Nick, Peter Verby as Nick’s psychiatrist, Ron “Necro” Braunstein as Ray’s friend Caliph, Barkhad Abdi as an Adventureland security guard in Dash, Buddy Duress as a recently-paroled man in Ray whom Connie would find himself involved in trying to get some money and a Sprite bottle full of LSD, Taliah Lennice Webster as a 16-year old girl named Crystal who helps Connie out following an incident in the hospital as she also helps him in trying to get a few things, and Jennifer Jason Leigh in an excellent small role as Connie’s older girlfriend Corey who tries to help him bail out Nick only to realize the financial trouble she’s in.
Benny Safdie is brilliant as Nick Nikas as a mentally-disabled young man who is slow but not an imbecile as he is someone that is confused at times while also has a hard time socializing which makes him an easy target for the police as he would put himself in trouble with other prisoners. Finally, there’s Robert Pattinson in a magnificent performance as Constantin “Connie” Nikas as Nick’s older brother who is also a street-smart criminal that knows what to do but feels guilty for his action where Pattinson definitely plays someone who is a flawed person that is unlikeable at times but is also someone that at least cares about his brother and is willing to do anything to get his brother out of jail and find ways to get what he wants.
Good Time is a phenomenal film from Josh and Benny Safdie that features a great leading performance from Robert Pattinson. Along with its supporting cast, stylish visuals, gripping story, and a hypnotic music score by Daniel Lopatin. It is a crime film that explore a young man who is trying to save his brother following a botched bank robbery as he endures a series of misadventures to get money to get his brother out. In the end, Good Time is a sensational film from Josh and Benny Safdie.
Safdie Brothers Films: (The Pleasure of Being Robbed) – (Daddy Longlegs) – (Lenny Cooke) – Heaven Knows What - (Uncut Gems)
© thevoid99 2022
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
The film follows a CIA agent who joins a mysterious organization to stop a madman in unleashing the end of the world through time travel as he learns how to manipulate the flow of time and help the madman’s wife in retrieving her son. It is a film that is filled with complexities as it play into the idea of time paradoxes and the flow of time where this agent finds himself dealing with not just these mysterious figures including another agent but also other people whom he has to battle. Christopher Nolan’s screenplay is filled with a lot of complexities but also a narrative that explores this unnamed figure that is known mainly as the Protagonist (John David Washington) who is first seen in a mission at a concert hall in Kyiv to retrieve an object and then he sees something where it was largely a test for him where he joins this secret organization. He meets his handler Neil (Robert Pattinson) who is often vague about what he knows as they target this Russian oligarch named Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh).
In order to get to Sator, the Protagonist and Neil approach his estranged wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) to get close to him in the hope she can regain regular contact with their son whom she is unable to see often. She agrees to help them as it involves all sorts of objects that they need to retrieve yet the script is also filled with a lot of exposition into the world that these characters are in as it relates to inverted objects that rewind into an object and all of these ideas of time paradoxes. It is an aspect of the film that isn’t just overwhelming but it does drag the story at times as there are moments where scenes are recreated from another perspective in its third act as it play into the idea of past, present, and future but Nolan does make it confusing at times.
Nolan’s direction is definitely vast as it is shot on multiple locations such as Oslo, Mumbai, the Almafi coast in Italy, Estonia, Denmark, Britain, and the U.S. including some studio-created sets shot in Los Angeles. Nolan creates a world that is vast as it opens at a music hall where a concert performance is happening and then a group of terrorists come in and terrorize everyone leading to a battle between terrorists and the military yet the Protagonist is part of a group that is trying to do something else and fight off whoever they can. It is definitely a great way to start the film as there is a lot happening but it also reveals what the Protagonist is encountering when he sees a bullet hole disappear all of a sudden as if it never appeared. Nolan also include a lot of wide shots of buildings and these large windmills as it play into the world that the Protagonist is a part of where he goes to India to meet a mysterious arms dealer in Priya Singh (Dimple Kapadia) who serves as the mastermind of her business with her husband Sanjay (Denzil Smith) as its face. The film also feature these dazzling stunts and fight choreography in the way Nolan presents this world where things move forward and backward as if it is a dance of sorts. Even in some of the intimate fights where Nolan uses medium shots and close-ups as there is a lot of attention to detail in what is being shown.
Nolan’s usage of wide and medium shots play a lot into the scope of the film as well as how big the world the Protagonist and his cohorts encounter as well as in some of the locations that include coastal ports and windmills in the middle of the sea. The close-ups do play into some of the intimate moments but also in some suspenseful moments but the film does drag in scenes that do involve lots of exposition as it does get overbearing and confusing at times. The film’s third act is essentially a recreation of scenes from the first half of the film but it play into a different perspective for the Protagonist as well as others as it play into the ideas of fate and reality. Even for those who feel trapped by their own reality and need a way to make sure that they can control the future without having to control the future of others. Overall, Nolan crafts an exhilarating yet clunky film about a secret agent going on a mission that involves time paradoxes and the fate of the world.
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its wondrous approach to natural lighting for some of the daytime exterior scenes of these vast locations as well as some stylish usage of lights for many of the scenes at night. Editor Jennifer Lame does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, montages, and other stylish cuts to play into the sense of confusion and chaos that looms throughout the film. Production designer Nathan Crowley, with set decorators Emmanuel Delis, Kathy Lucas, and Anna Pinnock plus art directors Toby Britton, Rory Bruen, Eggert Ketilsson, and Jenne Lee, does amazing work with the look of some of the places that the characters go to including some of the factories that Sator owns as well as buildings and such for some of the film’s elaborate set pieces. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does fantastic work with the costumes from some of the stylish clothing that Kat wears to the tailor-made suits that the Protagonist and Neil wear as well as some of the clothes that Sator wears.
Special makeup effects artists Toni Bisset and Melanie Askamit do terrific work with some of the scars and such for some of the characters in the violence they encounter. Special effects supervisor Scott R. Fisher, along with digital/visual effects supervisors Andrew Jackson, David Lee, and Andrew Lockley, does excellent work with the visual effects in its emphasis to look and feel real in the highway chase scene as well as the battle scene in its third act. Sound designers Richard King and Kathie Talbot do superb work with the sound in the way objects sound though it often clashes with the score as it overwhelms the dialogue at times. The film’s music by Ludwig Gorransson is wonderful for its mixture of hypnotic electronic music with bombastic orchestral swells to play into the suspense and drama though it could’ve been mixed down as the soundtrack also features an unnecessary and awful piece by Travis Scott in the film’s final credits.
The casting by John Papsidera is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Denzil Smith as Priya’s husband Sanjay who is the face of an arms trafficking business, Laurie Shepherd as Kat and Sator’s son Max, Jack Cutmore-Scott as a storage facility manager named Klaus, Yuri Kolokolnikov as Sator’s bodyguard Volkov, Martin Donovan as the Protagonist’s CIA boss Fay, Clemence Poesy as a scientist named Barbara who introduces the Protagonist to the concept of inverted bullets, Fiona Dourif as a military officer who is part of a task force as she also does some exposition, Himesh Patel as a wise-cracking fixer named Mahir, and Michael Caine in a one-scene appearance as a British intelligence officer in Sir Michael Crosby who provides some information to the Protagonist as well as what he would face.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is excellent as the military commander Ives who knows about the idea of time paradoxes and such where he helps out the Protagonist and Neil while also having some motives of his own. Dimple Kapadia is fantastic as Priya Singh as an arms trafficker dealer who is part of a secret organization as she gives the Protagonist clues on what he will face but also has her own interests into Sator’s plans in the hope that she can benefit from whatever the Protagonist does to stop Sator. Kenneth Branagh is brilliant as Andrei Sator as this Russian businessman who deals in illegal businesses as he also has the power to manipulate time as he is hoping to profit from this as he has extremely personal reasons to end the world no matter the cost.
Elizabeth Debicki is amazing as Sator’s estranged wife Kat as a woman who is trapped in a loveless marriage as she decides to help the Protagonist and Neil in stopping her husband in the hopes she can see her son much more as it is a performance full of complexities and emotional gravitas. Robert Pattinson is incredible as Neil as the Protagonist’s handler who helps the Protagonist with the missions while also knowing things that the Protagonist doesn’t know as it relates to time paradoxes and such where Pattinson brings some wit into his performance. Finally, there’s John David Washington in a phenomenal performance as the Protagonist as this unnamed CIA agent who takes part in a mission where he finds himself learning to manipulate time but also deal with all of these complexities as it is a performance full of intensity and determination despite some of the confusing aspects of the script.
Tenet is a remarkable yet overwrought film from Christopher Nolan. While it does feature some incredible visuals, amazing stunt work, a great ensemble cast, and some chilling music pieces. It is a film that has a lot to offer in terms of its action and suspense yet it tries to be complex for its own good where its emphasis on exposition tends to drag the film as well as be confusing. In the end, Tenet is a marvelous yet flawed film from Christopher Nolan.
Christopher Nolan Films: Following (1998 film) - Memento - Insomnia - Batman Begins - The Prestige - The Dark Knight - Inception - The Dark Knight Rises - Interstellar - Dunkirk - Oppenheimer - The Auteurs #13: Christopher Nolan
© thevoid99 2022
Set a decade after a global economic collapse similar to the Apocalypse, the film follows a loner who encounters a trio of thieves who stole his car as he goes after them with the help of the thieves’ younger brother who had been left for dead following a robbery. It’s a film that plays into a man who is driving through the Australian desert as he is just passing through as his world collapse when his car is stolen as he becomes hell-bent on getting it back as he takes this slow-witted young man with him despite being wounded and guilty by association. David Michod’s screenplay has a straightforward narrative while it also plays up into the ambiguity into why this man named Eric (Guy Pearce) wants his car back as he finds the wounded Reynolds (Robert Pattinson) to accompany him.
Yet, they journey into a world of lawlessness where American currency is worth more than Australian currency while the military is the police of sorts as everything is done with some secrecy where people hide from criminals or the military. For Eric, none of that matters as he’s already lost so much since the economic collapse as he just wants his car back while not giving a fuck who he has to kill. Even if he has to drag Reynolds into the fray though Reynolds prove to be more useful than Eric realizes as it plays into Eric’s own humanity which he seemed to have lost. Especially as Reynolds is just someone who is innocent but knows his way to get around the lawless environment to help Eric.
Michod’s direction definitely echoes aspects of the western as it is shot on various locations at the South Flinders Ranges in Australia as well as areas nearby the town of Maree. Michod plays this world where people live remotely or hide in their houses as if things are dangerous yet it begins with Eric stopping at a bar where there aren’t many people as there’s a shot of a truck tumbling following an accident with Eric on the foreground taking a sip while the truck is in the background tumbling. It plays into the lawless nature of the film where the three men steal Eric’s car as sees it from afar as he also notices the truck which he takes and goes after them in a chase but there is this air of psychology into how Eric tries to approach these men but it doesn’t go well prompting him to play into the world of lawlessness. It is in this moment where he finds the wounded Reynolds as he asks for his help but Reynolds is in need of medical care. Yet, having access to guns and health care isn’t easy as the former requires money while the latter requires secrecy as it’s something Eric has to cope with. Michod maintains some unique compositions including a lot of gorgeous wide and medium shots in not just capturing the scope of the locations but also in how unsettling it is in this post-apocalyptic setting. There are these intimate moments in Michod’s approach to the close-ups and medium shots in the way it develops Eric’s relationship with Reynolds as first it starts off with Eric treating Reynolds with indifference and only using him to get to his destination.
Yet, Reynolds is someone that isn’t treated with respect at first but his innocence in the things he talks about but also his survival instincts does make Eric care for him following a skirmish involving a few military officers whom Reynolds, his brother, and the other thieves were stealing from. It does play into something that would happen in the second as Michod doesn’t stray from the brutality of the violence as it adds to the eerie nature of the environment the characters are in. Notably as Eric has been de-sensitized by the world due to the fact that he is someone that is carrying his own demons as it does bring a lot of reason into why he wants his car back. The film’s climax is violent but it’s more about Eric helping Reynolds confront his brother as well as bring some order back to the world of lawlessness. Overall, Michod crafts a chilling yet mesmerizing film about a loner who accompanies a young man to confront a trio of thieves who stole his car.
Cinematographer Natasha Braier does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes including some shots in the morning and in the evening as well as the usage of low-key colorful lights for some scenes at night. Editor Peter Sciberras does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the suspenseful moments in the film. Production designer Josephine Ford, with set decorator Jennifer Drake and art director Tuesday Stone, does amazing work with the look of the motels, houses, and places that Eric and Reynolds venture into in their dilapidated state as it adds to the dreary look of the film. Costume designer Cappi Ireland does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward and casual to play into the hot area of Australia.
Hair/makeup supervisor Fiona Rees-Jones does terrific work with the look of the characters to help play into the grimy look as well as usage of mist to play to their reaction with their hot surroundings. Special effects supervisor Angelo Sahin and visual effects supervisor Dave Morley do fantastic work with the some of the special effects such as the truck tumbling scene as well as some of the violent moments in the film. Sound designer Sam Petty does superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations including some of the quieter moments as it adds to the film’s eerie tone. The film’s music by Antony Partos is incredible with its mixture of ambient and brooding electronic textures to play into the suspense while music supervisor Jemma Burns provides a soundtrack that adds to the film’s tone with music from Colin Stetson, Tortoise, the Ink Spots, Frances-Marie Uitti, and an offbeat track from Keri Hilson.
The casting by Kirsty McGregor is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Nash Edgerton as a soldier who confronts Eric, Samuel F. Lee as a gun-toting acrobat, Anthony Hayes as a brutal soldier, David Field and Tawanda Manyimo as two of the thieves who steal Eric’s car, Susan Prior as a reclusive doctor named Dorothy who also shelters lost dogs, Gillian Jones as an aging opium den owner known as Grandma, and Scoot McNairy in a terrific performance as Reynolds’ older brother Henry who leads the gang of thieves as he also abandons Reynolds.
Finally, there’s the duo of Robert Pattinson and Guy Pearce in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Reynolds and Eric. Pattinson brings this air of innocence as a young man wounded during a robbery and left for dead as he deals with what happened to him but is also someone that has some strong survival instincts despite his lack of social skills. Pearce has this air of chilling restraint as someone that just wants to drive through the desert only to have his car stolen as he’s a man willing to get it back by any means necessary. Pattinson and Pearce do have this amazing rapport as two men trying to reach their destination but also confront those that had wronged them as well as made them feel worthless in a lawless world.
The Rover is an incredible film from David Michod that features great performances from Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson. Along with its gorgeous cinematography, eerie music score, unsettling tone, and its modern yet visceral approach to the western, the film is definitely a film that isn’t afraid to be grimy and violent while also playing into two men who feel rejected by this dark world only to stand up for some kind of principle that the world had lost. In the end, The Rover is a sensational film from David Michod.
David Michod Films: Animal Kingdom - (War Machine) – (The King (2019 film))
© thevoid99 2021
Directed by Robert Eggers and written by Robert and Max Eggers, The Lighthouse is the story of two lighthouse keepers who tend to a lighthouse in the late 19th Century as their life of solitude becomes troubled as they endure their own demons. The film is a psychological horror film that explore the world that two men live in as they deal with their own issues as well as their state of mind as they start to unravel. Starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. The Lighthouse is an intoxicating yet haunting film from Robert Eggers.
Set on an isolated island in the U.S. in the late 19th Century, the film is about two men running a lighthouse as they live and work in a solitude environment that eventually gets to them as their four-week tenure is extended further by a storm and other disturbing events. It’s a film that doesn’t have much plot as it play into two men working at a lighthouse as they deal with the job at hand amidst horrendous weather conditions and other strange things. The film’s screenplay by Robert and Max Eggers opens with the arrival of Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) and his supervisor in Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) as the latter had ran the lighthouse before as Winslow learns that Wake’s previous assistant had gone mad. Winslow accepts the job for pay as he learns to deal with Wake yet he would start to see strange things including a mermaid (Valeriia Karaman) while he also witnesses Wake behaving strangely as well. The tension between Winslow and Wake would come ahead yet would either be soothed or intensified through alcohol.
Robert Eggers’ direction definitely recall films of the past in not just its visuals and its usage of the 1:19:1 aspect ratio that is more akin to the cinematic style of 1920s/1930s cinema. Shot on location in Nova Scotia, Eggers does use some wide shots to get a scope of the locations as well as the sea to play into its air of isolation yet much of the direction is emphasized on close-ups and medium shots with some intricate camera movements throughout the film. Eggers’ usage of the close-ups doesn’t just play into some of the emotional moments of the film but also in some of the dramatic tension and suspense as it relates to the moments in and out of the lighthouse as well as what Winslow sees on the island. There are also these offbeat moments in the film as it relates to Winslow’s encounter with a seagull as Wake states that killing one would bring a curse to the island.
While there are moments of the film that do slow things down as it involve scenes of no dialogue, it does play into not just some of the tension that occur but also into the surreal moments of the film. Notably in what Winslow sees in the film as there are also these intimate yet lively moments of Winslow and Wake as they get drunk and sing sea chanteys while going into conversation about themselves and such. Even as it goes into the third act as Winslow copes with what he’s encountered as well as it play into what he is seeing is real or maybe in his head. Even as Wake becomes more upset over what Winslow had brought to the island as Eggers’ direction does intensify while he creates these gorgeous compositions that add a lot of intrigue into what Wake does at the top of the lighthouse which he always closes. Eggers’ visuals would showcase some of the mystery of that lighthouse as along with the island are characters of the film as it would play into everything Winslow and Wake have been fascinated by. Overall, Eggers crafts a terrifying yet rapturous film about two men working and living in a lighthouse on an isolated island.
Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke does incredible work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its usage of lighting for some interior scenes at night along with the way the rocks and muddy roads look as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Louise Ford does excellent work with the editing as its usage of rhythmic cuts help play into the drama and suspense along with the few bits of humor as a lot of it is straightforward. Production designer Craig Lathrop, with set decorator Ian Greig and art director Matt Likely, does brilliant work with the look of the lighthouse and the houses around the lighthouse as well as the interiors in how small their bedroom is and how shambolic the home looks from inside. Costume designer Linda Muir does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely low-key into the uniforms that the men wear as well as the shambolic look it would have.
Special makeup effects artists Shane Shisheboran and Vague Vartanian do terrific work with the look of the mermaid as well as a few things that Winslow would see. Visual effects supervisors Eran Dinur, Luc Julien, Marc Massicotte, Eric Pascarelli, Vico Sharabani, and Asaf Yeger do superb work with the visual effects as it relates to some of the film’s surreal moments as well as some minimal work in the look of the seagulls flying above. Sound designers Mariusz Glabinski and Damian Volpe is amazing for the way a foghorn would sound from afar as well as the sounds of the seagulls and the sea as it helps bring in this tense and eerie atmosphere of the film. The film’s music by Mark Korven is phenomenal for its ominous and chilling score that is filled with heavy bass in the strings and in some of the instrumentation as it helps with the atmospheric tone of the film while its soundtrack feature traditional sea chanteys.
The casting by Kharmel Cochrane is wonderful as it feature a few actors who make appearances from afar with Valeriia Karaman as the mermaid. The performances of Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson in their respective roles as Thomas Wake and Ephraim Winslow are sensational in displaying the manic energy and paranoia they both endure with Dafoe being more of an authority figure who farts a lot and tells a lot of stories while Pattinson is the one doing more of the physical duties who becomes frustrated on many levels including sexually as he would masturbate to a mermaid figurine. Dafoe and Pattinson have great rapport with one another as they deal with their own differences in age and work methods as well as be two men trapped in this island and tending to a lighthouse with mysterious things surrounding it and from within.
The Lighthouse is a spectacular film from Robert Eggers that features two great leading performances from Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. Along with its gorgeous black-and-white visuals, evocative music score, eerie sound design, and its chilling premise. It’s a film that explore the idea of two men in an island running a lighthouse as they deal with bad weather, personalities, and all sorts of shit as they also encounter things that are hard to describe. In the end, The Lighthouse is a phenomenal film from Robert Eggers.
Robert Eggers Films: The VVitch - The Northman - Nosferatu (2024 film) - (The Auteurs #75: Robert Eggers)
© thevoid99 2019
Written and directed by Werner Herzog, Queen of the Desert is about the life of Gertrude Bell from her 20s to the final years of her life as she becomes a famed traveler, writer, archeologist, cartographer, and political officer. The film is a dramatic account of her life as she would also meet various figures who would be important to modern history as she is played by Nicole Kidman. Also starring James Franco, Damian Lewis, Jay Abdo, and Robert Pattinson. Queen of the Desert is a visually-entrancing yet underwritten film from Werner Herzog.
The film chronicles the life of Gertrud Bell from 1903 to 1916 though it begins in 1915 where various individuals are in the Middle East trying to figure out what to do with T.E. Lawrence (Robert Pattinson) suggesting Gertrud Bell to help negotiate matters. It’s a film that play into Bell’s desire to see the world where she would inhabit various roles in her life but also endure tragedy and adventures. Werner Herzog’s screenplay doesn’t do much to create a substantial narrative that play into Bell’s evolution from a lady of privilege into the famed traveler who would also be a writer, a cartographer, archeologist, and political officer who would befriend tribes and help bring brief peace to feuding tribes. It also play into her romantic dalliances with embassy employee Henry Cadogan (James Franco) and later on the military officer Lt. Col. Charles Doughty-Wylie (Damian Lewis). The romantic elements of the script never really fits in with the main story that revolves around Bell’s evolution into this woman who would travel throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa. Even as she would encounter different parts of the world and meet these unique individuals who live from the outside of conventional society.
Herzog’s direction is definitely entrancing for not just shooting on the Sahara desert but also to create a world that is vast and with a sense of the unknown. While much of the film is shot on location in Merzouga, Morocco along with shots in Marrakesh, Erfourd, and Ouarzazate in Morocco plus parts of London and establishing shots in Merzouga and Petra, Jordan. Herzog would capture the beauty of the deserts and locations through some intricate wide shots that gathers so much coverage as well as establish this depth of field that play into the vastness of the locations. Still, Herzog is focused on Bell’s travels and the things she encounter as he would create some nice intimate moments in the close-ups and medium shots upon her meeting with sheiks as she would understand them and they would be gracious in return. It’s among the moments that do make it interesting as well as scenes where Bell meets Lawrence and their views about the world itself.
While there are also some humorous moments in the film, the film unfortunately suffers from its shortcomings in the script where it would affect its pacing as it would plod from time to time including the romantic moments in the film. It’s where the film definitely loses interest as it also makes Bell seem like a homewrecker when it’s not exactly true considering that it was the men that were pursuing her. Herzog’s direction for those scenes do have some interesting compositions but it’s the script that doesn’t really flesh out the emotional aspect of those scenes. Overall, Herzog crafts a messy though fascinating film about the life and work of Gertrude Bell.
Cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger does excellent work with the film’s cinematography in emphasizing the natural lighting and look for many of the scenes set in the desert while emphasizing on a bluish look for the winter scenes in Britain. Editor Joe Bini does nice work with the editing as it has a few jump-cuts and some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the suspense and drama despite its shortcomings in the script. Production designer Ulrich Bergfelder, with art directors Rabiaa N’Gadi and Caroline Steiner, does brilliant work with the look of the homes that Bell would stay in as well as some of the old villages and such where the sheiks lived in. Costume designer Michele Clapton does fantastic work with the costumes from the lavish dresses that Bell and the women would wear at embassy galas and such to the more rugged look she would wear upon her travels through the desert.
Hair/makeup designer Alessandro Bertolazzi does terrific work with the look of the women hairstyles of the time as well as the messiness of Bell’s hair in the desert. Visual effects supervisors Kaspar Kallas and Olaf Przybyszewski do some fine work with some of the film’s visual effects as it largely minor work in bits of set-dressing. Sound designer Laurent Kossayan does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations including the sounds of guns and cannons throughout the film. The film’s music by Klaus Badelt and Mark Yaeger is amazing for its somber orchestral score driven mainly by strings as it play into the mystique of the Sahara and its desolate locations as well as the world that Bell would encounter.
The casting by Salah Benchegra, Beth Charkham, and Shannon Makhanian is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Mark Lewis John as Bell’s uncle Frank Lascelles, Beth Goddard as Bell’s aunt, Holly Earl as her cousin Florence who has feelings for Cadogan, Assaad Bouab as a sheikh who invites Bell to his home as they share a love of poetry and literature, Sophie Linfield as Doughty-Wylie’s wife Judith, Younes Bouab as a young King Faisal I of Iraq, Christopher Fulford as a young Winston Churchill, David Calder as Bell’s father Hugh who disapproves her relationship with Cadogan, and Jenny Agutter as Bell’s mother Florence who is concerned about her daughter’s desire for adventure as she is reluctant to let her daughter seek it out. Jay Abdo is fantastic as Fattouh as a guide who would accompany Bell on her many journeys as well as be her most loyal companion who would help her trek through the land and be someone that Bell would really care for. Robert Pattinson is excellent as T.E. Lawrence as the famed archeologist, army officer, writer, and diplomat whom Bell would meet as he doesn’t care for any romantic interest in Bell but rather as a colleague and equal whom he shares his views on the world with.
Damian Lewis is terrific as Lt. Col. Charles Doughty-Wylie as a military official who becomes Bell’s second major love interest as someone who is fascinated by her views of the world where Lewis has his moments but he and Kidman don’t really radiate any kind of chemistry due in part to the script. James Franco’s performance as Henry Cadogan as this embassy employee isn’t very good due in part to the script’s shortcomings as well as the fact that Franco doesn’t do a good English accent as he and Kidman also don’t have any chemistry where it feels forced. Finally, there’s Nicole Kidman in an incredible performance as Gertrude Bell as the woman who do all sorts of things as she seeks adventure and challenges where Kidman displays a radiance to her character as well as some restraint in her facial reactions. Despite some of the drawbacks of the romantic aspects on Bell’s life, Kidman does display that anguish of a woman who had dealt with so much as she is also trying to move forward with her desire to explore the world.
Queen of the Desert is a stellar yet underwhelming film from Werner Herzog that features a great performance from Nicole Kidman. Along with its dazzling visuals, somber music score, and strong supporting performances from Jay Abdo and Robert Pattinson. It’s a film that does play into Bell’s life as an explorer though it fumbles into its exploration into aspects of her personal and romantic life which isn’t as interesting as what she does when she’s traveling. In the end, Queen of the Desert is a good but messy film from Werner Herzog.
Werner Herzog Films: Feature Films: (Signs of Life) - (Even the Dwarfs Started Small) - (Fatana Morgana) – Aguirre, the Wrath of God - (The Enigma of Kasper Hauer) - (Heart of Glass) – Stroszek - Nosferatu, the Vampyre - Woyzeck - Fitzcarraldo - (Where the Green Ants Dream) – Cobra Verde - (Scream of Stone) - (Lessons of Darkness) - (Invincible (2001 film)) - (The Wild Blue Yonder) – Rescue Dawn - (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) – (My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?) – (Salt and Fire) – (Family Romance, LLC)
Documentaries: (The Flying Doctors of East Africa) - (Handicapped Future) - (Land of Silence and Darkness) - (The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner) - (How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck) - (La Soufrière) - (Huie's Sermon) - (God's Angry Man) - (Ballad of the Little Soldier) - (The Dark Glow of the Mountains) - (Wodaabe) – Herdsmen of the Sun) - (Echoes from a Somber Empire) - (Jag Mandir) - (Bells from the Deep) - (The Transformation of the World into Music) - (Death for Five Voices) - (Little Dieter Needs to Fly) – My Best Fiend - (Wings of Hope) - (Pilgrimage) - (Ten Thousand Years Older) - (Wheel of Time) - (The White Diamond) – Grizzly Man - Encounters at the End of the World - Cave of Forgotten Dreams - (Into the Abyss) – (On Death Row) – From One Second to the Next - (Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World) – (Into the Inferno) – (Meeting Gorbachev)
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the novel by David Grann, The Lost City of Z is a fictionalized story of Percy Fawcett’s exploration through the Amazon to find a lost city as he would go on various trips in his lifetime to find this mysterious city. Written for the screen and directed by James Gray, the film is a look into a man’s determination to uncover a legendary myth that would later become an obsession. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Angus MacFayden, Ian McDiarmid, Franco Nero, Harry Melling, Clive Francis, and Tom Holland. The Lost City of Z is a ravishing yet eerie film from James Gray.
Told in the span of 20 years in the early 20th Century, the film follows the exploits of Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) who was a military officer that was asked by the Royal Geographical Society into surveying a land that is at the center of a border dispute between Brazil and Bolivia. This journey into South America and the Amazon would lead to this obsession in finding what he believes to be a lost city where the first idea of civilization began. It would be a journey that Fawcett would venture into through the course of 20 years where he would return to Britain with his findings only to be met with ridicule and skepticism. James Gray’s screenplay revolves around three expeditions Fawcett would make as he would often be accompanied by Corporal Henry Costin (Robert Pattinson) in these expeditions since Costin does know a lot about the Amazonian rain forests. The first act is about Fawcett’s life as an officer in Britain as well as his first expeditions through the Amazon where he would make a discovery about the possibility of a lost city.
The second act is about another expedition with Costin and another soldier in Corporal Arthur Manley (Edward Ashley), who also took part in the first expedition, where they’re joined by famed biologist James Murray (Angus MacFayden) who is unprepared for the trek through the Amazon as he becomes a liability into the expedition that would be stopped abruptly due to Murray’s selfishness and the news of Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination that would start World War I. While it is obvious there are some dramatic liberties that do relate to Fawcett’s explorations as well as what happened to him in World War I, it does play into the fact that the man was devoted to his family including his wife Nina (Sienna Miller) whom he always turn to for advice. The third act is about Fawcett’s final expedition with his eldest son Jack (Tom Holland) in 1925 as well as the fame he received about his past expeditions before embarking on the journey that would eventually be shrouded with mystery.
Gray’s direction is definitely mesmerizing for the scope of the locations he captures as well as the sense of danger and mystery into exploring the Amazon. Shot largely on location in Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland for scenes set in Britain with the scenes of the Amazon shot near Santa Marta, Colombia. Gray would create an atmosphere for the two different worlds where they both share an air of serenity and chaos. The scenes set in Britain would play into a world that is organized but also with an air of superiority towards their idea about the people in the Amazon believing to be savages. It’s an idea that Fawcett doesn’t agree with as Gray would use medium shots and close-ups in how characters interact with one another in Europe with some wide shots for some of the location. When Fawcett is at the Amazon with Costin and Manley, the direction is definitely looser but also with an air of unpredictability as it relates to the encounter with natives. Notably in the second act where Costin is able to communicate with the natives where he, Costin, and Manley make a major discovery about their way of living.
Gray would also play into this air of chaos that looms into Fawcett’s findings with those in the British government not impressed with his findings and claims while there would be a brief detour for a World War I battle scene where Fawcett has to lead a regiment with Costin at his side. It would include a small scene where Fawcett and other soldiers meet a fortune teller who is aware of Fawcett’s obsession with finding the lost city as she would tell him it is his destiny. The film’s third act does play into this air of intrigue in Gray’s direction into not just Fawcett’s return to the Amazon with his son Jack joining him but also what has changed in the years since his last major expedition. Still, Gray wants this final expedition to be more about the bonding between father and son who went through a period of estrangement as they would embark on a discovery that would create intrigue but also the idea that what they found is something much bigger. Overall, Gray crafts an intoxicating and haunting film about a man’s desire to find a lost city in the middle of the Amazon in the course of 20 years.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of sepia-drenched lighting for some of the nighttime interiors in Britain as well as a few nighttime scenes with the usage of fire while emphasizing on low-key colors for some of the exterior scenes in the jungle as it’s a highlight of the film. Editors John Axelrad and Lee Haugen do excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts for some of the action and suspense including a few montages that play into the surrealism that Fawcett would encounter. Production designer John Vincent Puzos, with set decorators Maria Andrea Rangel and Naomi Moore plus senior art director Fiona Gavin, does amazing work with the look of the homes that the Fawcett families lived in as well as the site for one of the tribes that Fawcett and his men encounter where they stay briefly yet peacefully. Costume designer Sonia Grande does fantastic work with the costumes from the dresses that Nina wears as well as the suits and clothes that the men wore during those times.
Hair/makeup designer Nana Fischer does terrific work with the look of Costin with his beard as well as some of the hairstyle that Nina sported in those times. Special effects supervisor Simon Cockren and visual effects supervisor Eran Dinur do superb work with some of the special effects that include bits of set dressing as well as the look for some of the animals Fawcett and his team encounter. Sound editor Robert Hein does incredible work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the jungles and for the World War I sequence as well as the quieter moments in the film. The film’s music by Christopher Spellman is wonderful for its orchestral score that play into the suspense and drama for some of the scenes set in the Amazon while music supervisors George Drakoulias and Randall Poster provide a mixture of classical and traditional pieces of the times as well as opera piece that Fawcett and his men would hear early in the film.
The casting by Kate Ringsell is great as it feature some notable small roles from Nathaniel Bates Fisher and Daniel Huttlestone in their respective roles as the adolescent and teenage versions of Brian Fawcett, Bethan Coomber as the seven-year old Joan Fawcett, Elena Solovey as the fortune teller Madame Kumel, Pedro Coello as Fawcett’s native guide Tadjui who accompanies on the first expedition, Harry Melling as a young government official in William Barclay who mocks Fawcett’s findings, Tom Mulheron and Bobby Smalldridge in their respective roles as the young and adolescent Jack Fawcett, Edward Ashley as the often-reliable Corporal Arthur Manley who joins Fawcett and Costin in their expeditions, Clive Francis as the RGS official Sir John Scott Kettle who is a supporter of Fawcett’s expeditions as well as the few that believed him, and Ian McDiarmid in a terrific performance as Sir George Goldie who heads the Royal Geographical Society in which he assigns Fawcett to survey the land between Brazil and Bolivia to settle their border dispute. Franco Nero is superb as the mysterious Baron de Gondoriz as a man who lives in the jungle as he would lend Fawcett information as well as a guide.
Angus MacFayden is fantastic as the famed biologist James Murray who joins Fawcett for an expedition that he was unprepared for as he would be a liability and would later try to discredit Fawcett for his own selfish reasons. Tom Holland is excellent as Jack Fawcett in his teens and young adulthood as a young man unhappy with his father’s reputation and not being around only to later join him on the final expedition where he would more than acquit himself into life in the jungle. Sienna Miller is amazing as Nina Fawcett as Percy’s wife who is treated as an equal to her husband as well as help him find information and such while knowing that Jack wants to join his father. Robert Pattinson is brilliant as Corporal Henry Costin as Fawcett’s right-hand man who had been to the Amazon and help him find certain pieces as it’s a low-key yet reserved performance from Pattinson that allows him to show so much by doing so little. Finally, there’s Charlie Hunnam in an incredible performance as Percy Fawcett as a man determined to find this lost city where Hunnam display a sense of humility and curiosity as well as knowing that not everything he does is the right decision as it is Hunnam giving one of his finest performances of his career so far.
The Lost City of Z is a tremendous film from James Gray that features great performances from Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson, and Tom Holland. Along with its gorgeous visuals, beautiful locations, intricate sound work, and eerie music, the film is definitely a mesmerizing look into a man’s obsession to find a place that is considered mythical but also discover wonders that traditional society would have trouble understanding. In the end, The Lost City of Z is a phenomenal film from James Gray.
James Gray Films: Little Odessa - The Yards - We Own the Night - Two Lovers - The Immigrant (2013 film) - Ad Astra – The Auteurs #67: James Gray
© thevoid99 2018
