Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

 

Based on the character created by Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is the sequel to the 2006 film about the Kazakhstan journalist who returns to America in hopes to bring new relations with the country for Kazakhstan by offering his daughter to the American vice president during the U.S. Presidential elections and the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed by Jason Woliner and screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Jena Friedman, Anthony Hines, Lee Kern, Dan Mazer, Erica Rivinoja, and Dan Swimer from a story by Cohen, Swimer, Anthony Hines, and Nina Pedrad, the film has the trouble-making Kazakhstan journalist go to America where he’s joined by his 15-year old daughter as they explore the country during a tumultuous time as Cohen reprises the role of Borat Sagdiyev with Maria Bakalova as his daughter Tutar. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a wild and exhilarating film from Jason Woliner.

Fourteen years after Borat Sagdiyev went to America where he brought a lot of exposure to Kazakhstan only to be sent to the gulag with the country’s reputation in tatters due to his exploits. The film has the journalist return to America in the hopes to restore relations with Kazakhstan by offering a monkey as a gift to its leaders. Yet, upon arriving to the U.S., Borat learned that his daughter Tutar had smuggled herself and killed the monkey where Borat realizes that he can offer her as a gift to the country. It’s a film that has this journalist who doesn’t know much about anything other than what he learned from his own country as he takes his daughter on this adventure through America during a tumultuous time in its presidential election as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. Along the way during this road trip through America, Borat learns about Tutar as well as dealing with everything he’s been taught about the ways of the world including a book about how to deal with girls/women in regards to Tutar.

During the course of the entire film as the two try to understand American culture with Borat having to take on many disguises as he’s already recognized from his reports years ago. The film’s screenplay doesn’t have much of a plot yet it does show some advancement in the character development of both Borat and Tutar with the former becoming more concerned for her as a father yet he has to deliver her to the American Vice President Mike Pence or anyone else in the current administration so he can avoid more trouble in Kazakhstan. For the latter, she would discover a world that is far removed from what she knows other than just living in a squalor and dreaming of living in a golden cage like the American first lady. Yet, she would also learn about how women in America live both conservative and liberal as it would lead to a brief split between her and her father.

Jason Woliner’s direction definitely plays up the mockumentary-style that was told in the previous film yet considering that it was shot largely on location in the U.S. during what was (and currently as of November 2020) a tumultuous period at the time during its presidential election and worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. While a lot of the compositions are straightforward with Woliner and cinematographer Luke Geissbuhler shooting everything with Geissbuhler as much of the photography is straightforward with some available light used for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night. Yet, there is something free-wielding into the fact that both Borat and Tutar go into events such as a debutante ball or other events where they shock people who have no idea who they really are. The sense of the unknown and shock factor add to the humor while there are also scenes that prove to be touching such as Borat going into a synagogue as a way to cope with loss where he meets Holocaust survivor Judith Dim Evans.

Scenes that include Tutar meeting and learning ideas from professional babysitter Jeanise Jones also have humor but also some heart. The moments where Borat meet QAnon believers Jerry Holleman and Jim Russell who take Borat in during quarantine reveal a kindness as Borat doesn’t make fun of them but show them as actual human beings. Still, there are some hilarious moments such as Borat in a costume as the American president trying to crash a conservative convention featuring Mike Pence while him in another disguise as Country Steve at a MAGA rally prove to be funny. Yet, the film’s climax that involves former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani as his appearance in the film is the most shocking as he is unaware of who both Borat and Tutar are. Especially since the latter is a 15-year old girl yet Giuliani seems to have no problem with that as his actions in the film prove that he’s not just immoral but also a disgusting human being as it definitely breaks aspects of the fourth wall despite the fact that Giuliani is unaware that he’s in a movie. Overall, Woliner crafts a witty yet satirical film about a journalist and his daughter traveling to America to restore talks with their country of Kazakhstan.

Editors Craig Alpert, Michael Giambra, and James Thomas do excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward but also in a few montages and slow-motion shots. Production designer David Saenz de Maturana, with set decorators Jill McGraw and Bryan Walior plus art directors Vraciu Eduard Daniel, John Lavin, and Silvia Nancu, does amazing work with the look of some of the set design for some of the scenes set in Kazakhstan as well as the look of the truck and horse carriage that Borat drives through America. Costume designer Erinn Knight does fantastic work with some of the clothes that Borat and Tutar would wear during their journey as it play into some funny moments but also moments of character development.

Special makeup effects artists Barney Burman, Laura Dandridge, and Ragnar Jorunndottir, plus hair designer Peter Swords King, do incredible work with the look of some of the disguises that Borat would wear to not be recognized that are funny as well as the look of Tutar early in the film before her makeover. Sound editors Andrew DeCristofaro and Darren “Sunny” Warkentin do superb work with the sound in capturing some of the available sound on location as well as some sound montages that play into the issues that Borat has to face in case he failed his mission. The film’s music by Erran Baron Cohen does brilliant work with the film’s music with its humorous approach to Eastern European folk music with some brass arrangements and such while music supervisor Richard Henderson provides a fun soundtrack that features an array of pop, hip-hop, rock, and country with some Eastern European folk spin on a few of those songs as it also includes a country original that Borat sings as Country Steve in Wuhan Flu Song which is quite catchy.

The casting by Nancy Bishop and Kris Redding is wonderful for not just the actors they got to appear in the film but also the real-life people who were unaware that they were being filmed as real-life people such as the professional babysitter Jeanise Jones, Holocaust survivor Judith Dim Evans (whom the film is dedicated to), QAnon followers Jerry Holleman and Jim Russell as they come off as genuine and nice people who do show some humanity. Especially Holleman and Russell who are two decent men that have their hearts in the right place despite their politics and the misinformation they’re being fed. Others such as Instagram influencer Mary Chanel, salesman Bryan Patrick Snyder, and debutante coach Dr. Jean Sheffield are also worth noting as kind people while the film also feature cameo appearances from Tom Hanks as himself (one of the few who knew what was going on), American vice president Mike Pence, and Rudy Giuliani as themselves with Giuliani being the most infamous person on the film due to his immoral actions.

Dani Popescu is excellent as Kazakhstan’s leader Premier Nursultan Nazarbayev as a political official who would send Borat to America in the hope that Borat would redeem himself and the country though he has an ulterior motive to send Borat to the U.S. Finally, there’s the duo of Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as the father-daughter duo of Borat and Tutar Sagdiyev. Bakalova’s performance is the true discovery as she provides not just this are of energy and innocence but also the willingness to take things really far as well as provide a lot of the film’s heartfelt moments. Cohen’s performance is lively in a man that is not just known for creating mischief but also deal with what is at stake for himself where he also learns about some harsh truths including his own misogynist attitude as it relates to Tutar. Cohen and Bakalova together aren’t just a joy to watch in how funny they are but also play into these tender moments of a father and daughter learning more about each other but also realize that they bring the best in each other as they’re the real highlight of the film.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a spectacular film from Jason Woliner that features tremendous performances from Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova. While it may not be as outrageous as its predecessor, it is a film that manages to be so much more of not just exploring American culture from a foreigner’s perspective but also a journey of a father and daughter bonding together. Even as it still manages to be funny and shocking that includes an unforgettable moment involving Rudy Giuliani who is indeed an irredeemable and inapprehensible person who should be in prison and rot in prison. In the end, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a sensational film from Jason Woliner.

Related: (Ali G Indahouse) - (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan) – (Bruno (2009 film)) – (The Dictator (2012 film)) – (Grimsby)

© thevoid99 2020

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 8/6/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Adam McKay and written by McKay and Will Ferrell, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is about NASCAR driver whose life of winning and having everything is ruined by the arrival of a Formula One Frenchman who destroys Ricky Bobby's world as it would take those who really care for him to get him back on top. The film is another exploration of a buffoon who is forced to deal with reality as well as he also deals with abandonment issues with his father as Will Ferrell plays the titular character. Also starring John C. Reilly, Amy Adams, Gary Cole, Jane Lynch, Sacha Baron Cohen, Andy Richter, Leslie Bibb, David Koechner, Molly Shannon, Pat Hingle, Greg Germann, and Michael Clarke Duncan. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a hilarious comedy from Adam McKay.

The film is a simple story about a man who always wanted to be a NASCAR racer after his father Reese (Gary Cole) gave him advice when he showed up one day at school for career day. For Ricky Bobby, he would take his father's advice where he would become the king of NASCAR while having his friend Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly) be his racing partner as they become the duo known as "Shake N' Bake". With lots of money, the best pit crew ever, a hot wife named Carley (Leslie Bibb) and two kids in Walker (Huston Tumlin) and Texas Ranger (Grayson Russell), Ricky seems to have it all. Yet, issues with his fathers and the arrival of former French Formula-One racer Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) would ruin things for Ricky until his father and a few others would help Ricky regain his confidence. It's a film that doesn't have much of a plot but it does have a lot of silliness as well as a bit of satire into the world of NASCAR.

What makes Talladega Nights appealing is that the same brand of humor that was in Anchorman is that director Adam McKay and co-writer Will Ferrell understands what is funny. While they chose to not bring in a very strong plot that is predictable to more cynical audiences. McKay and Ferrell just go for the comedy and let the story win its audience thanks to an abundance of great characters and a structure to the screenplay that is very well-handled in its simplicity. The comedy however, is more improvised while the scripted moments works to convey the story. The result is that McKay manages to bring enough humor to balance some of the more hearty moments concerning Ricky's abandonment issues with his father. Plus, McKay's vision of NASCAR isn't to satirize or to give scope to its culture other than the fact that it's an event many people including families love to go to. To see cars race against each other despite some of its violent moments involving crashes.

Helping McKay in his extraordinary vision is cinematographer Oliver Wood who brings some wonderful coloring to the film's exteriors, notably the NASCAR scenes while giving the film a real sense of style and intensity to the race scenes. Production designer Clayton Hartley and art director Virginia L. Randolph do great work of exploring the world of NASCAR with its array of bars, Southern upper-class and lower-class homes, and most of all, the location of Applebee's. Costume designer Susan Matheson does great work in the look of the drivers like Ricky's Wonderbread jumpsuit, Cal's Old Spice suit, and Jean's Pierre suit. Editor Brent White brings a wonderful pace and rhythm to the editing, especially when timing its comedic moments that allows the audience to savor a funny moment and have the time to laugh. Sound editor George H. Anderson also does great work in conveying the loud atmosphere that is NASCAR.

The film's music is filled with an array of country, Southern-style music, and metal courtesy of composers Anthony Short and Alex Wurman. The soundtrack is a mix of stuff like Monster Magnet, AC/DC, Buckcherry, Journey, Pat Benetar, and a lot of classic rock. Overall, it's a fine soundtrack while some songs, notably a Pat Benetar will never be the same once they're heard. I should also note that during the crazy credits, watch out for John C. Reilly and notably, Michael Clarke Duncan doing some singing.

Finally, there is the film's cast which is way bigger and funnier cast than the people Ferrell and McKay assembled for Anchorman. With cameos from the like of several NASCAR-related broadcasters plus NASCAR drivers like Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and hilarious small performances from Molly Shannon as Larry's drunk wife, Andy Richter as Jean's dog-trainer husband Gregory, director Adam McKay as the driver Ricky replaces, Jason Davis as a Waffle House manager in the career-day scene, and unspoken cameos from Elvis Costello and Mos Def. Ferrell/McKay regular David Koechner doesn't get much to do as one of the pit crew yet manages to make a memorable, funny small appearance as does Ian Roberts and Jack McBrayer who say some funny lines. Pat Hingle is also good as the prideful Dennit while Jake Johnson and Luke Bigham are excellent as the young Ricky and Austin Crimm as the young Cal.

Houston Tumlin and Grayson Russell as Walker and Texas Rangers are very funny boys as they're given some of the film's funniest and filthiest lines as you just can't beat two little boys saying mean things about their grandfather. Greg Germann is also good as the corporate, heartless Larry who thinks nothing about making money while manipulating the minds of Cal and Carley for his own gain. Leslie Bibb has some funny moments as Carley while doing some fine work as the wife who cares about nothing but being rich and having it all while looking hot. Fresh off her Oscar-nominated performance in Junebug, Amy Adams is even hotter, I mean hot like FIRE-HOT! as the sweet, caring assistant Susan. Though Adams doesn't appear much, her performance is great, notably in the third act as she proves her comedic talents while looking very hot as she does a great job while leaving the audience wanting more of her.

Jane Lynch is very funny as the supportive, moralistic Lucy Bobby who is the perfect Southern mama with a bit of an eccentric side while she's the kind of mama you don't mess with. Lynch is memorable in every scene she's in while being very funny. Gary Cole is extremely funny as the drunkard, wild, and less moralistic Reese who may not be a great father or the role model that Ricky needed. Yet, Cole makes him interesting and very funny as a man who doesn't know how to be a dad yet becomes a great mentor for Ricky when he's down. Michael Clarke Duncan has a small role yet he's great in his role as the cautious, caring Lucius while delivering some of the film's funnier moments, notably in the final credits which you have to hear and see to believe. Sacha Baron Cohen, known to people as Ali G or Borat, gives one of the most hysterical and freakiest performances on camera. Cohen does a great, slimy French accent who has a taste for jazz, cappuccinos, books, and saying Ricky's name as "Y-ree-kee Boo-bee" while providing the right kind of match that Ferrell needed as the scenes they have are gold.

Ok, the Best Supporting Actor of the Year. Hands-down goes to John C. Reilly, who some say is this generation's Gene Hackman. Well, like Hackman, Reilly can't suck. Reilly is the perfect sidekick that Ferrell needed by just being very dim-witted, supportive, and deliver some of the film's funniest, improvisational one-liners while having some great chemistry with Ferrell. Reilly really brings a lot of the comedy and buddy-aspects of the film as it's one of his best performances since Reilly gives depths and laughs to a character like Cal Naughton, Jr. as Reilly is also riding high in Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion. Will Ferrell delivers in what is sure to be, another classic performance as Ricky Bobby. Ferrell is very good when he's playing dumb or ignorant while he's so great whenever he's in a desperate moment like running in his underwear, saying Grace to the Baby Jesus, crying about his daddy, or just racing. Ferrell is comic gold as he just delivers a performance that is magnificent and a character that is complex like Ricky Bobby.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a phenomenal comedy from Adam McKay with another winning performance from Will Ferrell. Along with some strong supporting work from John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Amy Adams, and Michael Clarke Duncan, it's a film that definitely adds to the brilliance of the Ferrell-McKay collaboration. Even where it gets a chance to poke fun at winners while bringing in some bawdy humor that people can enjoy. In the end, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a marvelous film from Adam McKay.

Adam McKay Films: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - Step Brothers - The Other Guys - Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - The Big Short - (Backseat) - The Auteurs #63: Adam McKay

© thevoid99 2014

Les Miserables (2012 film)

Based on the novel by Victor Hugo and its musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, Les Miserables is the story about a convict who becomes a mayor in France only to be haunted by the presence of a police inspector as he goes on the run with a young girl to take care of for her mother as they later deal with a growing revolution. Directed by Tom Hooper and screenplay by Boublil, Schonberg, William Nicholson, and Herbert Kretzmer, the film is an exploration into redemption and seeking the chance to find a new life while facing old fears. Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Helena Bohnam Carter. Les Miserables is a sprawling yet spectacular musical from Tom Hooper.

After serving 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread for his nephew, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is released on parole as he tries to find work only to be shunned for his conviction as he finds shelter at a church. After stealing some silver from that church and later captured, the bishop (Colm Wilkinson) claims that he gave the silver to Valjean as he later tells him to use it to start a new life. Eight years later, Valjean reinvents himself as a mayor only to deal with the presence of a police investigator named Javert (Russell Crowe) whom Valjean know who was the lead guard at the prison many years ago. Meanwhile, a woman named Fatine (Anne Hathaway) was fired by a foreman as she is seeking to get money for her young daughter Cosette (Isabelle Allen) who is living at another home. Fatine is forced into prostitution as she is later saved by Valjean who realizes what’s happened to her as he vows to Fatine that he will find Cosette and take care of her.

After evading Javert who had learned about Valjean’s true identity, Valjean finds Cosette who is living with a couple in Thenardiers (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bohnam Carter) as he gives them money to take Cosette off their hands. After realizing Javert is in Paris looking for him, Valjean and Cosette hide in a convent where Valjean is able to escape from Javert. Nine years later as Valjean becomes a father to Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), revolution is happening as Cosette catches the eye of a young revolutionary named Marius (Eddie Redmayne). Also in Paris are the Thenardiers and their daughter Eponine (Samantha Barks) who is in love with Marius as she reluctantly shows his where Cosette lives.

After realizing that Javert is nearby, Valjean runs away again with Cosette until the battle rages on where he learns that Cosette has fallen in love with Marius as he decides to help Marius with the revolution. When Javert is in the battle as a spy and later captured by the revolutionaries, he and Valjean come face-to-face where Valjean would make a decision about their fates.

The film is the story about a convict who seeks to find redemption after being in prison for 19 years over a small crime as he is haunted by who he is as well as an inspector who doesn’t believe that this man will redeem himself. Along the way, he finds salvation and love as he does whatever it takes to do right for a woman who had been wronged and for a young girl to become a beautiful young woman who later falls for a revolutionary. In the course of the film, it is a story about people all trying to get something whether it’s to fulfill a sense of duty, to find love, to be loved, or to gain redemption in these terrible times during the early 1800s in France after the French Revolution.

The screenplay is faithful to the musical as it explores a lot of the complexities of these characters as it is largely about Jean Valjean’s yearning to find redemption for his sins where he would do things for those he felt had been wronged or what he had done. Yet, he is pursued by Inspector Javert who is convinced that Valjean is a criminal and always will be a criminal as once he learned Valjean had broke parole. He is determined to do whatever to get him back in prison as an act of duty. When Valjean reinvents himself as a mayor where he hopes that people will be treated well, he learns about a woman who had been fired and goes into prostitution in Fatine. Fatine is someone who just wants to work to give money to help care for her illegitimate child as she goes into great despair thinking there is no good in the world until Valjean saves her where he would vow to do right for her by becoming a father to her daughter.

When Valjean takes Cosette away from the cruel Thenardiers, who likes to steal from their customers at their inn, he hopes to give Cosette a life that is good and will allow her to become a woman. Yet, times would change in the face of another revolution in France where Cosette would fall for this young revolutionary in Marius as he becomes torn between love and duty as he is unaware that the Thenardiers’ daughter Eponine is in love with him as she would play a key part in the story. Eventually, things would collide where Valjean would have to get involved with the revolution in order to do whatever to give two young people a future while facing his own demons as well as Javert.

Tom Hooper’s direction is definitely big in terms of its presentation as it is a musical that isn’t shot on some stage or a soundstage. Instead, it is shot as if it was on location where things are big and the musical numbers also play up to the grandeur of the story. While there’s a few moments such as some shaky hand-held camera work that doesn’t entirely work at times, Hooper does manage to keep things in tact through these sprawling compositions filled with crane shots, tracking shots, and other stylistic shots to maintain that air of spectacle. Hooper does also bring things where it is intimate in order to display emotions or something that helps tell the story.

Since this is a musical, there isn’t a lot of spoken dialogue as a lot of it essentially sung. Notably on the set where it adds to the emotional tone of the story such as the I Dreamed a Dream scene where it is shot in one unbroken take to capture the sense of anguish and loss that Fatine is going through. While the bombastic music that is by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil does play into the many emotions of the film, Hooper’s direction makes sure that the music isn’t distracting while taking a few moments for the singing to stop for a few dialogue interplay with the actors. Still, it is about what is sung and how it helps tell the story as Hooper knows when to keep things simple that includes the film’s ending. Overall, Tom Hooper crafts a very heart-wrenching yet dazzling musical that has all of the splendor in what is expected in the genre.

Cinematographer Danny Cohen does excellent work with the film’s photography from the somewhat de-saturated look of the colors in the exteriors to the more simplistic yet stylish lighting schemes in the interiors. Editors Melanie Anne Oliver and Chris Dickens is terrific for its stylish approach to cutting by using some fast cuts on some of the film’s upbeat numbers while going for more methodical cuts in the ballads. Production designer Eve Stewart and supervising art director Grant Armstrong do amazing work with the set pieces from the dreary look of the prostitutes area to the chaos that is set in Paris for the film’s revolutionary scenes including its climatic battle.

Costume designer Paco Delgado does brilliant work with the costumes from the lavish yet ragged look of some of the women‘s clothing to the uniform that Javert wears. Hair and makeup designer Lisa Westcott does superb work with the look of the characters for Valjean as he ages in the years to the more offbeat look of the Thenardiers. Visual effects supervisors Richard Bain and Sean Mathiesen do wonderful work with some of the exterior settings to recreate the look of early 1800s France. Sound designer Dominic Gibbs along with sound editors Lee Walpole and John Warhurst, does fantastic work with the sound to blend all of the voices in multiple singing parts as well as the intimacy in some of the solo parts of the singing.

The casting by Nina Gold is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Aaron Tveit as Marius’ revolutionary friend Enjolras, Daniel Huttlestone as the adolescent revolutionary Gavroche, Michael Jibson as the foreman who fires Fatine, Patrick Godfrey as Marius’ grandfather, Natalya Angel Wallace as the young Eponine, and Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop of Digne who would play a key part into the direction Valjean would take into his life. Helena Bohnam Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen are delightful as the very funny Thenardiers who like to steal and do whatever as they later try to profit from the revolution. Eddie Redmayne is superb as Marius as a young man who is torn with his devotion for the revolution and the love he has for Cosette as he later deals with the aftermaths about what he’s gained and lost.

Samantha Barks is amazing as Eponine as the daughter of the Thenardiers who is in love with Marius as she tries to deal with his feelings towards Cosette as she would play a part into the revolution. Isabelle Allen and Amanda Seyfried are wonderful in the different age of Cosette with Allen as the young girl seeking to find someone to treat her right while Seyfried adds to sense of longing as the older Cosette as she has a wonderful moment in her duet with Redmayne. Russell Crowe is excellent as Inspector Javert with his rugged presence and his determination to maintain his sense of duty though there’s some parts in Crowe’s singing where he is trying a bit hard though he is better suited in the ballads when he doesn’t try so hard.

Anne Hathaway is outstanding in her small yet unforgettable performance as Fatine where Hathaway displays all of the anguish and torment the character goes to as she later deals with loss and later peace. Hathaway’s performance of I Dreamed a Dream is truly the highlight of the film where the singing is raw yet so filled with emotion that it is an indication of Hathaway’s talents as an actress. Finally, there’s Hugh Jackman in a tour-de-force performance as Jean Valjean where Jackman not only brings in that sense of physicality and strength that was needed for the part. Jackman also brings in a sensitivity and conflict to man unsure of himself as he seeks to find redemption as it is definitely a crowning achievement for the Australian actor in all counts including his singing.

Les Miserables is a phenomenal film from Tom Hooper that a remarkable ensemble cast and a look that plays to its ambition. It is a film that indicates that the musical will never go away when it’s executed in the right way. Notably as it features amazing songs and dazzling set pieces that plays to the many emotions of the story. In the end, Les Miserables is a marvelous film from Tom Hooper.

Tom Hooper Films: (Red Dust) - (The Damned United) - The King's Speech

© thevoid99 2012

Hugo (2011 film)

Based on the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Hugo is the story of a young boy who lives secretly at a Parisian train station in the 1930s fixing clocks unbeknownst to anyone. When he meets a young girl, they uncover a secret from automaton that he and his late father try to repair which relates to filmmaker George Melies. Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by John Logan, the film is a family adventure film where Scorsese also pays tribute to early 20th Century cinema. Starring Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law, Emily Mortimer, Frances de la Tour, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ray Winstone, Richard Griffiths, and Ben Kingsley. Hugo is a dazzling film from Martin Scorsese.

Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) lives alone at a train station in Paris where he fixes clocks throughout the station in secrecy. With his father (Jude Law) dead due to a fire at a museum and his uncle Claude (Ray Winstone) away, Hugo spends his time making sure the clocks work while stealing parts to fix an automaton that his father had found at the museum. Still, Hugo tries to evade the snoopy station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) while getting into trouble with a bitter toy shop owner name Mr. George (Ben Kinglsey) who notices that Hugo had been stealing as he also takes away his notebook. Hugo follows George to his home as he sees a young girl named Isabel (Chloe Grace Moretz) who notices Hugo outside as he asks for his notebook back.

Though Isabel was unable to retrieve the notebook, she befriends Hugo as the two go into an adventure where he introduces her to the movies. While Hugo’s talents to fix things did get George’s attention as he hires him briefly to fix things, Isabel’s interest in what Hugo is hiding as him showing her what he’s been doing. Since she has a key that is shaped like a heart, they managed to get the automaton working where they uncovered a big secret. Realizing that it has to do with a film that Hugo had seen years ago, they ask the help of a station librarian Monsieur Labisse (Christopher Lee) who tells them to go to the Parisian library about the history of film through a book. They meet its author Rene Tabard (Michael Stuhlbarg), a film historian who is a big fan of George Melies though he believes that Melies has died during the first World War.

With Isabel learning about George’s strange behavior and its reasons as she even asks her godmother Jeanne (Helen McCrory) about it. Yet, she and Hugo continue to try to uncover the mystery about Melies while Hugo tries to evade the station inspector. Particularly when Hugo receives news about his uncle as he tries to get the automaton to help uncover the secret about Melies.

While the film is about a young boy trying to repair an automaton to unveil a secret that he and his father wanted to unveil. It becomes much more once the film progresses into an adventure story about the boy and a girl where the secret they unveil involves the disappearance of George Melies. Throughout the story, there’s little subplots that involves the people that Hugo sees such as the longing attraction between a café owner (Frances de la Tour) and a newspaper seller (Richard Griffiths) and the station inspector’s infatuation with a flower girl (Emily Mortimer). It’s all part of the world that its titular character lives in as he is determined to finish his father’s work. What he would eventually do in relation to his own love for cinema is that he would take part into something much bigger.

John Logan’s screenplay is brilliant for the way he follows this young boy in his quest to uncover a secret that would unlock something that is very magical. Magic is part of the theme in the film as the mysterious George character is a man that seems to be lost and what he would find through Hugo would have him unravel as if he is trying to hide a secret. While the secret would be unveiled, the reasons for Melies’ disappearance would become more compelling as Hugo and Isabel would play into something where they could have the chance to resurrect Melies. Logan’s script definitely goes into the world of film and the idea of film preservation while creating a story that is truly thrilling and lively in what is expected for the adventure drama.

The direction of Martin Scorsese is truly divine in the way he chooses to present the film as more than just a tribute to the early days of cinema and film restoration. Instead, Scorsese creates a film where he can put his passion for cinema into a family adventure that is very engaging and exciting. From a wonderful tracking shot that follows Hugo in his world inside the station to the way he recreates 1930s Paris through visual effects and actual set pieces as it’s shot in a studio in London. Scorsese’s direction is very stylish from the way he shoots from above for conversation pieces to the way he allows the camera to be intimate and simple for conversation scenes.

Since it is an adventure film where Scorsese is able to create scenes that are very lively and thrilling. He’s also able to find a way to make the scenes involving Melies and his work into something that is more than just a love letter. The way he creates the world of Melies is by going into old-school cinema to see how they were made along with using footage of old movies ranging back from the first film made by the Lumiere Brothers back in 1895. There is a romantic element to the way Scorsese chooses to present these films and from the perspective of the two young kids. He recreates the idea of what it’s like to see a movie for the first time that is indescribable. What Scorsese does with this film is to prove that filmmaking is like magic as he creates what is a truly magical. Overall, Scorsese makes a film that is very accessible as well as being both entertaining and educational about cinema and its impact.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson does a glorious job with the film‘s colorful cinematography that is filled with a wonderful yet de-saturated look for some of the scenes involving Melies. The look for the rest of the film is quite straightforward with an element of style for the way the lights are set up as well as the dark look of the station deep inside where the look is more sparse and natural in its machine-like world. Longtime Scorsese collaborator in editor Thelma Schoonmaker does a brilliant job with the editing in adding some stylistic flairs to the cutting with rhythmic cuts to play up the energy as well as maintaining a leisured pace for the film. Schoonmaker also plays into the world of magic for utilizing the old films to help create wonderful montages of its history including a gorgeous montage that includes clips of the surviving work of George Melies.

Production designer Dante Ferretti and set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo do a spectacular job with the set pieces created such as the some of scenes in the train station along with a few exteriors for places in London as 1930s Paris. One of the key highlights in the art direction is the set pieces created for Melies film as it is shown in great detail for what they looked like and how they were made. Costume designer Sandy Powell does an excellent job with the costumes from the uniform that the station manager wears to the simple yet casual 1930s clothes that a lot of the cast wears including the stylish costumes made for the Melies scenes.

Visual effects supervisors Ben Grossman and Robert Legato do an amazing job with the visual effects for some of wide exteriors of 1930s Paris along with some old-school effects to recreate the special effects of Melies‘ films. Sound editor Phillip Stockton does a fantastic job with the sound from the chaos of the station to the way a film is played on a projector to emphasize its magic.

The film’s score by Howard Shore is wonderful with its lush, orchestral pieces to play up some of the adventurous moments of the film as well as creating some low-key work in the dramatic moments as it‘s a very lively and exciting score. Music supervisors Karen Elliot and Randall Poster do a terrific job with the soundtrack as it includes soothing Parisian accordion music to 1930s jazz as well as an original song performed by Zaz that plays up to period.

The casting by Ellen Lewis is phenomenal as the ensemble that is created truly plays up to that world that is created for the film. In small appearances, there’s memorable performances from Jude Law as Hugo’s father, Ray Winstone as Hugo’s alcoholic uncle, Shaun Aylward as a street kid caught by the inspector, director Martin Scorsese as a photographer, and Emil Lager as legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. In other small but memorable supporting roles, there’s Emily Mortimer as a very kind flower girl as well as Christopher Lee as an informative yet generous bookshop owner. Frances de La Tour and Richard Griffiths are wonderfully funny in their respective roles as a café owner and a newspaper seller who are both in love despite the café owner’s Dachshund.

Michael Stuhlbarg is excellent as film historian Rene Tabard who helps Hugo and Isabel uncover information about Melies. Helena McCrory is radiant as Isabel’s godmother Jeanne who tries to protect her husband while eventually revealing her own secret as she becomes much warmer as the film progresses. Ben Kingsley is great as George, a bitter toy shop owner who is very suspicious about Hugo while becoming more guarded as the film progresses. Sacha Baron Cohen is very funny as the station inspector who tries to capture Hugo and woo the flower girl as Cohen also displays his gift for physical comedy and awkwardness into a very charming performance.

Finally, there’s the duo of Chloe Grace Moretz and Asa Butterfield in their respective roles as Isabel and Hugo. Moretz brings a wonderful enthusiasm and energy to Isabel in the way she get things going. Butterfield is superb for the exemplifying the anguish and longing of a boy trying to finish something and uncover a secret. Moretz and Butterfield also have a chemistry that intoxicating in the way they work and interact together as they are the heart and soul of the film.

Hugo is an outstanding and delightful film from Martin Scorsese. Armed with a great ensemble cast of veterans and young actors along with great technical work by its crew. It’s a film that is truly ambitious in its size while displaying lots of heart in telling a story a boy that would help resurrect the life of a filmmaker. While the film may be a departure of sorts for Scorsese but his passion for film and his mastery at cinematic wizardry makes this film a joy to watch from start to finish. Even as it has enough power and love that would rank with some of his great films of the past. In the end, Hugo is a magnificent and imaginative film from Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) - (Boxcar Bertha) - (Mean Streets) - Italianamerican - Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) - Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas - Cape Fear (1991 film) - The Age of Innocence - (Casino) - (Kundun) - (My Voyage to Italy) - Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues: Feel Like Going Home) - Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) - No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) - Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman) - Killers of the Flower Moon - (An Afternoon with SCTV)

© thevoid99 2011