Licorice Pizza

 

Written, directed, and co-shot by Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza is a coming-of-age story about a child actor in his mid-teens who falls for a young woman in her mid-20s as they deal with growing pains and other things in the San Fernando Valley in the early 1970s. The film is look into the life of a young man and a young woman as they meet an assortment of characters in that time as they also deal with themselves and other things during a tumultuous time in California. Starring Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Benny Safdie, and Bradley Cooper. Licorice Pizza is a rapturous and exhilarating film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

Set in the San Fernando Valley in 1973, the film revolves around the relationship of a 15-year old child actor who meets a 25-year old woman at a yearbook photo shoot as they become friends and business partners through many ventures as they also encounter many misadventures and an assortment of characters during their journey. It is a film that is partially based on the real-life story of film producer Gary Goetzman who was a child actor in real life as well as being a young businessman where Paul Thomas Anderson uses Goetzman’s story to not just explore a young man dealing with growing pains and first love but also a young woman trying to find herself. Anderson’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it follows the many misadventures of the 15-year old Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) and the 25-year old Alana Kane (Alana Haim) who meet each other at the former’s high school for a yearbook photoshoot that the latter is working at.

The two take a liking to each other with Kane chaperoning Valentine for a show in New York City as well as assist him on some business ventures he has ideas for as the first one involves selling waterbeds. Yet, Kane being an adult and Valentine being immature causes tension with Valentine takes interest in other girls including Kane while he would take her to acting auditions as she is opening to doing nude scenes which upsets Valentine. The script doesn’t just play into the relationship but also their encounters with famous people and such during that period including an aging film star in Jack Holden (Sean Penn), a crazy filmmaker in Rex Blau (Tom Waits), the film producer Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper), and the politician Joel Wachs (Benny Safdie) as they’re all based on real people with Peters and Wachs actually being real people. These encounters as well as the ambitions they have would also play into their own growing pains with Valentine being really naïve about his views of the world while Kane becomes aware of the gas crisis of that year that would majorly affect Valentine’s waterbed business.

Anderson’s direction is definitely stylish in the way he portrays the San Fernando Valley and its many areas as they are characters in the film yet it is a look at a time when things were simpler but also crazy. Shot on location in Encino, California with locations shot in and around areas in the San Fernando Valley, Anderson definitely uses a lot of wide and medium shots to get a scope of these locations while shooting in either actual locations of some restaurants or in places that were once there but have been recreated to capture that period that is the early 1970s. There is also an intimacy in Anderson’s direction where he does use close-ups whether it is to play into a character’s face or to play into the desire of a character such as a scene where Kane and Valentine are lying on a waterbed where the latter is looking at Kane and is thinking about doing something that she wouldn’t approve of as she is sleeping.

There are also scenes that do play into the culture including meetings with the owner of a Japanese sushi restaurant in Jerry Frick (John Michael Higgins) who would often talk to his wife in a bad Japanese accent to speak English to whomever he was married to at the time as Anderson definitely focuses on that man’s wife to show her discomfort. With co-cinematographer Michael Bauman, Anderson shoots the film on 35mm with camera lenses dating back to the 1970s to create this feel of the 1970s as there are a lot of colors for and grain for much of the scenes set at night outside including moments where there are little lighting in the film. Notably in some of the tracking shots he creates as it play into the atmosphere of some of the places the characters go to. Anderson definitely showcase this air of reality into the gas crisis of 1973 as everyone is affected including someone like Jon Peters who was then the boyfriend of Barbra Streisand as he’s just fucking insane. There are also a lot of these things as it relates to Kane and Valentine’s relationship where it is taboo considering that the latter is a minor yet he’s the one that is pining for the former who is aware that the idea of them having a relationship is wrong yet she also has feelings for him.

The film’s third act definitely play into the flaws of their relationship as it relates to the world of politics which Kane is interested in yet Valentine isn’t in favor of wanting to do something else that involves money. It doesn’t just show the interests of young people but also two people who are forced to face reality about the worlds they’re in as it proves that they need each other. Even as they realize that they’re still young as they live in a world that is ever-changing with adults who don’t have their shit together. Overall, Anderson crafts a majestic yet intoxicating film about two young people trying to find themselves in the San Fernando Valley in 1973.

Editor Andy Jurgensen does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts and a few montages that play into memories or ideas the protagonists have. Production designer Florencia Martin, with set decorator Ryan Watson and art director Samantha Englender, does amazing work with the look of some of the restaurants the characters go to as well as a gathering where a bunch of kids try to sell things and other stuff. Costume designer Mark Bridges does brilliant work with the costumes from the casual clothes some of the characters wear including jeans and shirts as well as some of the stylish clothes that both Kane and Valentine wear. Hair designer Lori Guidrox and makeup designer Heba Thorisdottir do fantastic work with the look of the characters including Jon Peters with his stylish hair as it play into his over-the-top persona.

Special effects supervisor Elia P. Popov and visual effects supervisor Laura J. Hill do nice work with some of the visual effects which is largely set dressing for some exterior scenes as well as a major scene involving a motorcycle stunt. Sound editors David Acord and Christopher Scarabosio do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the way certain things sound from afar. The film’s music by Jonny Greenwood is incredible for its low-key orchestral based score that is used sparingly that also include covers of a few songs while music supervisor Linda Cohen creates a music soundtrack that features an array of music from the 60s and 70s that include David Bowie, Sonny & Cher, the Doors, Gordon Lightfoot, Todd Rundgren, Nina Simone, Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman, Chuck Berry with the Steve Miller Band, Paul McCartney and Wings, Seals and Croft, Donovan with the Jeff Beck Group, the James Gang, Blood, Sweat, & Tears, Taj Mahal, Mason Williams, the Congregation, Chico Hamilton Quintet with Buddy Collette, and Clarence Carter.

The casting by Cassandra Kulukundis is marvelous as it feature appearances and cameos from John C. Reilly as Fred Gwynne playing Herman Munster at a convention, Ryan Heffington as Peters’ assistant Steve who really works for Barbra Streisand, Emma Dumont as a stewardess named Brenda, Milo Herschlag as Valentine’s younger brother Greg, James Kelley as a fellow child actor in Tim, Tim Conway Jr. as a casting director, Maya Rudolph as the casting director’s assistant Gale, Destry Allyn Spielberg as a Japanese restaurant waitress who had a fling with Valentine, Isabelle Kusman as a young girl named Sue Valentine meets at the opening of his waterbed shop, Iyana Halley as a wig shop clerk, George DiCaprio (Leonardo’s dad) as a wig shop owner who introduces Valentine to the waterbed, Jon Beavers as a creepy guy late in the film, Nate Mann as a political volunteer that Kane befriends, Joseph Cross as Wachs’ dinner guest, Yumi Mizui and Megumi Anjo as Frick’s Japanese wives whom he speaks in a bad Japanese accent towards them, Ray Chase as the KMET radio deejay B. Mitchell Reed, Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Valentine’s mother who manages his career, and Skyler Gisondo as a child actor in Lance whom Alana briefly dates until an awkward dinner with her family.

The performances of Moti Haim, Donna Haim, Este Haim, and Danielle Haim in their respective roles as Kane’s parents and Kane’s older sisters are fun to watch with Moti being the cantankerous father who often spouts profanity. Harriet Sansom Harris is fantastic in her one-scene performance as Valentine’s agent Mary Grady who interviews Alana as a favor for Valentine where she takes a liking to her. John Michael Higgins is terrific as the Mikado Restaurant owner Jerry Frick who does business with Valentine often talks to his Japanese wives in a racist accent that often brings a look of discomfort to whomever he is married to. Christine Ebersole is superb as Lucy Doolittle as a major TV star that is inspired by Lucille Ball who makes an appearance at a show in New York City where she definitely has issues with Valentine who humiliates her on TV as she wanted to kill him. Benny Safdie is excellent as the real-life politician Joel Wachs as a man filled with ideals that appeal to Kane yet is someone that has secrets of his own which were taboo at that time.

Tom Waits is brilliant as Rex Blau as a filmmaker based on Mark Robson who is a friend of Jack Holden as he would help stage a stunt that Holden used to do where Waits brings that sense of charisma and command as a man who knows how to get people’s attention. Bradley Cooper is incredible in an over-the-top yet spot-on performance as the famed film producer Jon Peters who was then Barbra Streisand’s boyfriend/hairdresser as a figure of masculinity who threatens Valentine on the job he is to do while also being a buffoon of sorts who is just trying to be cool. Sean Penn is amazing as Jack Holden as an aging film actor based on William Holden who does an audition with Kane and tries to get her to take part in a stunt that he did in a film with Blau as Penn does bring that sense of old Hollywood that clashes with the New Hollywood that was happening at the time.

Finally, there’s the duo of Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in tremendous debut performances in their respective roles of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine. Haim’s performance is full of energy as a young woman that is still trying to find herself where she would aid Valentine in a bunch of things where she is put into humiliating situations while reminds herself that he’s still a kid. Hoffman’s performance also exudes energy as someone who is enthusiastic and has a lot of charm to get what he wants but is still a teenager who is indifferent to the realities of the world of around him as he has trouble coping with that reality whenever he fails. Haim and Hoffman together are a joy to watch in not just the chemistry they have but also in the mixture of humor and drama they bring to their roles and the situations they’re in as they are a major highlight of the film.

Licorice Pizza is a magnificent film from Paul Thomas Anderson that features great leading break-out performances from Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, exploration of growing pains, dazzling visuals, offbeat humor, and a sumptuous music soundtrack. The film is a fascinating coming-of-age story that play into the relationship of two young people who are both trying to find themselves during a crazy year in the San Fernando Valley while encountering people and worlds that are strange and entrancing. In the end, Licorice Pizza is an outstanding film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

P.T. Anderson Films: Hard Eight/Sydney - Boogie Nights - Magnolia - Punch-Drunk Love - There Will Be Blood - The Master (2012 film) - Inherent Vice - Junun - Phantom Thread

Related: The Shorts & Videos of P.T. Anderson - The Auteurs #15: Paul Thomas Anderson

© thevoid99 2022

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Written, produced, edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a collection of stories set in the American West as it play into the many adventures of misadventures of people in the West. The film is an anthology film of sorts that play into six different stories relating to the West. Starring Tim Blake Nelson, Tyne Daly, James Franco, Tom Waits, Zoe Kazan, Harry Melling, Liam Neeson, and Brendan Gleeson. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a majestic yet whimsical film from the Coen Brothers.

Set in the American West, the film follow six different stories in the American West as it all relates to the themes of death as well as people’s encounter with it. All of which is told in a book about these tales of the West and these characters as they encounter with some idea of death. In The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a cowboy arrives into town singing songs as he also disposes challengers through gunfights while also commenting about the ideas of humanity where he meets a new challenger. Near Algodones is about a bank robber is attacked by the bank’s clerk where pots and pans where he’s later knocked out and captured by a mysterious man in black only for the day to get weirder following an attack by the Comanche, an encounter with a drover, and all sorts of bad shit in one strange day. Meal Ticket revolves around an impresario travels through the cold West with his performer in a young legless/armless artist who recites poetry, stories, and other texts where they endure a declining audience and lack of money prompting the impresario to find a new act.

All Gold Canyon, that is based on a story by Jack London, is about a prospector arrives on a mountain valley to find gold as he dwells into the land to find gold where he makes a discovery but also another one that is far more deadly. In The Gal Who Got Rattled that is inspired by story by Stewart Edward White, a young woman is on the Oregon Trail with her dim-witted older brother who dies suddenly of cholera where she befriends a train leader who is sympathetic to her plight as he thinks about having a future with her once the trail ends. The Mortal Remains is about five different people traveling on a stagecoach as tension arises during the journey as they all tell their own views while dealing with the fact that there’s a dead body on top of the stagecoach as some wonder why. These six different stories play into themes that play into the danger and uncertainty of the West as well as the realities of a world that is ever-changing.

The direction of the Coen Brothers definitely owe a lot to Westerns of the past but also provide their own visual language in the film as it relates to the presentation of the different stories in the film. Each story opens with a picture in the book and closes with the last page of that story as it’s told through a book as it would then cut to a landscape as many of the film’s locations are shot in the Nebraskan Panhandle, New Mexico, and Telluride in Colorado. The Coen Brothers’ direction would have these gorgeous wide shots of certain locations where they also create these striking compositions that add to the beauty whether it’s a shot of a man about to be hanged or a certain location in the valley. While there are comical elements in these stories with the titular story being the most comical of them all as it’s partially a musical. The rest range into elements of dark comedy as it relates to the theme of death as it play into the sense of melancholia and changing times of the West that is evident in stories such as Meal Ticket and The Gal Who Got Rattled as the former is largely dramatic and minimalist in its story while the latter is more about this uncertainty on the Oregon Trail.

Serving as editors under the Roderick Jaynes pseudonym, the Coen Brothers’ approach to the editing help add to not just the drama but also humor with its usage of jump-cuts and dissolves along with rhythmic cuts in certain aspects of the film. Most particularly in All Gold Canyon where the prospector (Tom Waits) is digging holes trying to find gold along with the montage of the artist in Harrison (Harry Melling) reciting famous texts to the growing declining audience in Meal Ticket. The usage of close-ups and medium shots are evident in The Mortal Remains as it is shot largely inside the stagecoach to play into the dramatic tension as well as the sense of intrigue of where the five passengers are going. It is the Coen Brothers playing into the dangers of the American West as they definitely show violent moments that are graphic as it add to the specter of death. Overall, the Coen Brothers craft an evocative yet offbeat film about six strange tales in the American West.

Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for some of the exteriors in the daytime along with the usage of tints and filters for some interior scenes along with shots set at night or in the evening as it’s a highlight of the film. Production designer Jess Gonchor, with set decorator Nancy Haigh plus art directors Steve Christensen and Chris Farmer, does amazing work with the look of the buildings that some of the characters go to including the saloons as well as the stagecoach and wagons for some parts of the film. Costume designer Mary Zophres does fantastic work with the costumes as it play into the period of the times from the shiny look of the titular character to the rougher and ragged look of other cowboys as it’s a highlight of the film.

Makeup effects supervisor Robin Myriah Hatcher does terrific work with the look of the characters with the artist being the most notable as well as a few passengers on the stagecoach. Visual effects supervisors Michael Huber and Alex Lemke do excellent work with the visual effects where it does do bits of set-dressing in some parts while doing its best work on the look of the artist. Sound editors Craig Berkey and Skip Lievsay do superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as how gunfire and such sounds during a few gun battles in the film. The film’s music by Carter Burwell is incredible for its rich and bombastic musical score that feature some flourishing string arrangements along with elements of folk and country music to play into the air of the times.

The casting by Ellen Chenoweth is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from E.E. Bell as a piano saloon player, Tom Proctor as a Cantina bad man, and David Krumholtz as a saloon Frenchman in the titular segment while Jesse Luken as the drover and Ralph Ineson as the Man in Black are terrific in their brief appearances in Near Algodones. In the titular opening segment, the performances of Clancy Brown as the gambler Curly Joe, Willie Watson as a young gunslinger, and Tim Blake Nelson as the titular character are great with Nelson being a jovial and engaging individual who sings about his exploits while being a great gunslinger. In Near Algodones, Stephen Root is fantastic as the bank teller who is more than prepared for a bank robbery while James Franco is superb as the robber who finds himself in dangerous situations. Liam Neeson and Harry Melling are incredible in their respective roles as the impresario and the artist named Harrison in the Meal Ticket segment with Neeson being largely silent as a man trying to make money while Melling displays a charisma through the things he says.

Tom Waits is brilliant as the prospector trying to find gold in All Gold Canyon while Sam Dillon is wonderful in his small role as a young man trying to rob the prospector. In The Girl Who Got Rattled, the performances of Zoe Kazan as Alice Longabaugh, Bill Heck as Billy Knapp, and Grainger Haines as Mr. Arthur are amazing with Kazan being the major standout as a young woman coping with her situation while there’s notable small roles from Jefferson Mays as Alice’s brother Gilbert and Ethan Dubin as Matt who is trying to cheat Alice. In The Mortal Remains, the performances of Tyne Daly as the devout Christian woman, Saul Rubinek as the Frenchman, Chelcie Ross as trapper, Jonjo O’Neill as the Englishman, and Brendan Gleeson as the Irishman all sitting at the stagecoach are excellent to play into the tension and differences of these individuals as they deal with the journey ahead and their destination as well as the reality of their environment.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a sensational film from Joel and Ethan Coen. Featuring a great ensemble cast, compelling stories on death and the unexpected elements of life, gorgeous cinematography, and an incredible music score and soundtrack. It’s a film that is an unusual yet engaging anthology film of sorts set in the American West that play into all sorts of situations and stories that all relate to uncertainty in those times. In the end, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a phenomenal film from Joel and Ethan Coen.

Coen Brothers Films: Blood Simple - Raising Arizona - Miller's Crossing - Barton Fink - The Hudsucker Proxy - Fargo - The Big Lebowski - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - The Man Who Wasn't There - Intolerable Cruelty - The Ladykillers - Paris Je T'aime-Tulieres -To Each His Own Cinema-World Cinema - No Country for Old Men - Burn After Reading - A Serious Man - True Grit - Inside Llewyn Davis - Hail, Caesar!

The Auteurs #9: The Coen Brothers: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2018

The Outsiders

Based on the novel by S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders is the story of two young greasers who go on the run following a self-defense murder of a drunken rich kid in Tulsa as they deal with their roles in the world. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and screenplay by Kathleen Rowell, the film is coming-of-age story involving teenage kids from poor/working class environments dealing with the prejudice of their world as well as seeing if there’s a good life outside of these restrictions. Starring C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, Leif Garrett, Darren Dalton, Glenn Withrow, Michelle Meyrink, and Tom Waits. The Outsiders is an enchanting and evocative film from Francis Ford Coppola.

Set in the early 1960s in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the film revolves around a rivalry between two different gangs from different parts of the town that represent the social divide in the city. From the south of Tulsa are a group of kids from the working class/poor section of the town known as the greasers who wear denim, leather, and have grease on their hair while the kids from the north of Tulsa are the Socs who are rich kids who have their life set by their parents, wear letterman jackets, and posh clothes. In the middle of this conflict are a couple of young greasers who sneak into a drive-in movie venue where they befriend a young woman as they would later have an ugly encounter with her drunken boyfriend that ended with one of them killing a Soc in self-defense. With the help of another greaser, the two young men leave Tulsa and hide out where they deal with their roles as greasers as well as wondering if there’s more to offer as they encounter heroism as well as tragedy.

The film’s screenplay by Kathleen Rowell (that was largely re-written by Francis Ford Coppola) focuses on three young greasers in Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell), Johnny Cade (Ralph Macchio), and Dallas “Dally” Winston (Matt Dillon) who spend a lot of time bumming around Tulsa as Curtis is still reeling from the death of his parents some years ago as he lives with his older brothers Darrel (Patrick Swayze) and Sodapop (Rob Lowe) where there’s tension Ponyboy and Darrel. Johnny is also from a dysfunctional family home as his friendship with Ponyboy is very close where they end up having to fight off a gang of Socs led by Bob Sheldon (Leif Garrett) who is angry over the fact that his girlfriend Cherry Valance (Diane Lane) befriended Ponyboy and Johnny as they didn’t play up the stereotypes of the greasers. Much of the film’s second act is set outside of Tulsa where Johnny and Ponyboy hide in an abandoned church where they change their look and view on the world until they reunite with Dally who gives them news about what they did to Sheldon.

Much of the film’s second half isn’t just about the act of heroism from Johnny, Ponyboy, and a reluctant Dally but also the fallout of Sheldon’s murder leading to a climatic rumble between the greasers and Socs with fellow greasers Two-Bit Matthews (Emilio Estevez), Steve Randle (Tom Cruise), and Tim Shepard (Glenn Withrow) helping out the Curtis brothers and other greasers with a sudden appearance from Dally. Yet, it’s the aftermath of the rumble that would change things as it relate to the reality of the world and the sacrifice that Johnny made into his act of heroism.

Coppola’s direction is intoxicating for not just shooting the film on location in Tulsa, Oklahoma and nearby locations but also in emphasizing some elements of realism into the film. There are also elements of styles in the compositions as the film and ends with Ponyboy Curtis reflecting on a memory and writing it all down on paper as if a book is coming to life. The usage of the locations doesn’t just play into this life in a 1960s town in the Midwest where there isn’t much to do but there is also this air of social divide as Coppola doesn’t dwell into the environment that the Socs live in as he prefers to show some of the dirtier side of the city including drive-ins, local shops, and other places that greasers would hang out at. While he would use some wide shots to establish some of the locations including a crane shot of sorts for the scene where Ponyboy and Johnny are confronted by Bob and his friends at the greasers’ turf.

Coppola would also create some stylish shots in the compositions in the way characters interact with one another that would include scenes where Ponyboy is presented in the background and Johnny in the foreground in a medium shot during the film’s third act in a chilling yet somber scene. There are also these dreamy moments during a key scene in the second act where Coppola create this shot of Ponyboy talking to Johnny about some of the stuff he read and this idea of purity and innocence that is presented in a golden shot of sorts. It’s an innocence that Ponyboy would struggle to carry towards the third act as it also play into some of the fallacies of masculinity as it relates to Dally who always act tough and thinks he’s smarter than everyone. Yet, he is unprepared for not just this reality in loss but also the reality that he’s still young who is in need of growing up. Overall, Coppola creates a majestic yet touching film about a gang of teenage greasers dealing with growing pains and the realities of their environment including the social divide.

Cinematographer Stephen H. Burum does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key colors for some of the film’s daytime and nighttime exteriors as well as the usage of golden sunlight for a few key scenes as it play into Ponyboy’s innocence. Editor Anne Goursaud does excellent work with the editing as it help play into some the drama with some stylish dissolves and other cuts that also help play into some of the film’s energetic moments. Production designer Dean Tavoularis and set decorator Gary Fettis do fantastic work with the look of the abandoned church that Ponyboy and Johnny hide at outside of Tulsa as well as some of the interiors of the home where the Curtis brothers lived in.

The special visual effects work of Robert Swarthe is terrific for a lone sequence that relates to the assault of Ponyboy and Johnny by the Socs as it has an element of surrealism. Sound designer Richard Beggs does amazing work with the sound in creating sound textures for Ponyboy’s dream sequence as well as the natural atmosphere of some of the film’s locations. The film’s music by Carmine Coppola is wonderful for its rich and somber orchestral score that play into the dramatic elements of the film while the soundtrack features a couple of songs in the film from Them and a song by Stevie Wonder that was co-written with Carmine Coppola.

The casting by Janet Hirshenson is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it include some notable small roles and appearances from novelist S.E. Hinton as a nurse, William Smith as a store clerk Dally tries to threaten late in the film, Gailard Sartain as man that Ponyboy briefly talks to following the act of heroism, Sofia Coppola as a young girl asking for change, Tom Waits as a guardian of sorts for Dally in Buck Merrill, Glenn Withrow as a fellow greaser in Tim Shepard, Michelle Meyrink as Cherry’s friend Marcia, and Darren Dalton as a Soc named Randy Anderson who was Bob’s friend as he would have a conversation with Ponyboy during the third act stripping away the image of a Soc. Leif Garrett is terrific in his small role as the Soc Bob Sheldon who was Cherry’s boyfriend who berates her while being drunk as he has an immense disdain towards the greasers.

Diane Lane is fantastic as Cherry Valance as a mid-upper class girl who is part of the Socs though she dispels its stereotypes upon befriending Ponyboy and trying to help him over what happened. Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez are excellent in their respective roles as Steve Randle and Two-Bit Matthews as a couple of greasers who are friends of the Curtis brothers with Randle as a tough kid who works with Sodapop while Matthews is a slacker of sorts who does watch over Ponyboy and Johnny during an encounter with the Socs. Rob Lowe is superb as Sodapop Curtis as the middle brother who works at a gas station with Randle as he is always trying to mediate between Darrel and Ponyboy. Patrick Swayze is brilliant as Darrel Curtis as the elder brother of Sodapop and Ponyboy who is trying to be responsible despite being too hard on Ponyboy.

Ralph Macchio is amazing as Johnny Cade as Ponyboy’s best friend who is a sensible person as he deals with what he had to do to save Ponyboy as well as pondering his own place in the world. C. Thomas Howell is marvelous as Ponyboy Curtis as a 14-year old greaser who is coping with loss as well as pondering a life outside of being a greaser as it’s a performance full of innocence and grace. Finally, there’s Matt Dillon in a phenomenal performance as Dally Winston as a young yet tough greaser who is cool but lacking in sensitivity as he is always tough where he tries to do whatever he can to protect Ponyboy and Johnny.

The Outsiders is a remarkable film from Francis Ford Coppola. Featuring an ensemble cast of future stars as well as gorgeous visuals, compelling themes of innocence and identity, and a lush musical score by Carmine Coppola. It’s a film that is engaging as well as displaying elements of realism and fantasy into the idea of growing pains in early 1960s Tulsa. In the end, The Outsiders is an incredible film from Francis Ford Coppola.

Francis Ford Coppola Films: (Tonight for Sure) – (The Bellboy and the Playgirls) – Dementia 13 - (You’re a Big Boy Now) – (Finian’s Rainbow) – (The Rain People) – The Godfather - The Conversation - The Godfather Pt. II - Apocalypse Now/Apocalypse Now Redux - One from the Heart - Rumble Fish - The Cotton Club - (Peggy Sue Got Married) – (Garden of Stone) – (Tucker: The Man & His Dreams) – New York Stories-Life Without Zoe - The Godfather Pt. III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) – (The Rainmaker) – (Youth Without Youth) – Tetro - (Twixt)

© thevoid99 2018

The Cotton Club

Based on the historical picture book by James Haskins, The Cotton Club is the story of a musician who finds himself falling for a mobster’s girlfriend where he gets himself into trouble during the era of Prohibition. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and screenplay by Coppola and William Kennedy from a story by Coppola, Kennedy, and Mario Puzo, the film is a stylish gangster-musical film of sorts as it is set largely in this nightclub. Starring Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee, Bob Hoskins, James Remar, Nicolas Cage, Allen Garfield, Laurence Fishburne, Gwen Verdon, and Fred Gwynne. The Cotton Club is a lavish yet incoherent film from Francis Ford Coppola.

Told in the span of the final years of the famed gangster Dutch Schultz (James Remar), the film follows a coronet player who falls for Schultz’s teenaged girlfriend as he’s given a job to protect her after saving him from an assassination attempt where things eventually become complicated. The film doesn’t just explore the life of this cornet player who is love with this young woman but also a tap dancer who is trying to pursue a singer who sings at the titular club that feature a lot of African-American singers, musicians, and dancers yet they can’t be at the club as audience members. The film’s screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and William Kennedy want to showcase this world that is the center of the gangster world in New York City. Yet, there’s so many characters in the story including real-life gangsters as it eventually becomes messy to understand what is going on and what it wants to be.

There’s this love story where the cornet player Dixie Dwyer (Richard Gere) pursuing Schultz’s girlfriend Vera (Diane Lane) as well as the story of his tap-dancing friend Sandman (Gregory Hines) trying to woo the mixed-race singer Lila Rose Oliver (Lonette McKee). The narrative would move back-and-forth into these storylines as well as Schultz’s activity in the world of crime as he would find himself becoming a rival of Owney Madden (Bob Hoskins) and his right-hand man Frenchy (Fred Gwynne). Madden owns the Cotton Club which would have Schultz later form a rival club yet they would use Harlem as the place of conflict with some of Schultz’s men including Dixie’s brother Vincent (Nicolas Cage) getting into trouble with some of the locals including Bumpy Rhodes (Laurence Fishburne) who decides to fight back. It all takes place in the span of a few years as the script wouldn’t just try to be this romantic-gangster drama with elements of musical performances. Its major drawback is that blend of genres as well as dialogue that isn’t strong and characters that aren’t engaging enough.

Coppola’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of its presentation of the film as it has elements of old Hollywood and these lavish musical numbers with intricate choreography by Henry LeTang. Shot largely in New York City with its interiors shot at the Astoria studio in the city, the film does play into this high-octane world of New York City gangster life during the days of Prohibition. Coppola would use wide shots to get a scope of the locations in its exteriors as well as the performances that include tap dance numbers, choirgirl dances, and all sorts of things that was prevalent during the days of Prohibition. Much of the direction that Coppola aims for is style in its usage of slanted camera angles, close-ups, and medium shots to capture the atmosphere of the clubs. Even as the moments of violence are intense such as this dramatic re-creation of Vincent leading an assassination on one of Schultz’s men where some children are killed. It’s among some of the key moments in the film where it manages to overcome many of the script’s shortcomings including an argument scene involving Madden and Frenchy as it’s presented in a very simple yet direct medium shot.

For all of the lavishness, stylish musical numbers, and homage to the gangster films of the time, Coppola unfortunately doesn’t find a center into the film as much of its centerpiece takes place in the titular club. Rarely, the characters of Dixie and Sandman would interact as the script never establishes more of their friendship in favor of their respective romantic pursuits. The direction is all over the place where it messes up much of the film’s tone as it would be one genre and then go into something else. Even the film’s ending which mixes fantasy and reality of what happens to the characters wants to be this traditional Hollywood ending but the result is extremely messy as Coppola tried to end it with a sense of style. Overall, Coppola creates an extravagantly rich but inconsistently tonal film about life at a club during the days of Prohibition.

Cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish approach to lighting for some of the musical performances as well as the look of the exteriors set at night. Editors Barry Malkin and Robert Q. Lovett do excellent work with the editing as it is stylish with its usage of dissolves and transition wipes to play into the film’s frenetic style. Production designer Richard Sylbert, with set decorators Leslie Bloom and George Gaines plus art director Gregory Bolton and David Chapman, does amazing work with the look of the nightclubs in all of its lavish form as well as the backstage areas and the places the characters would go to.

Costume designer Milena Canonero does incredible work with the costumes as it is a highlight of the film in the lavish dresses and costumes the women wear including the colored suits of the male performances in the musical numbers. Sound editor Edward Beyer does superb work with the sound with the way music sounds on location as well as the sounds of gunfire and other violent moments in the film. The film’s music by John Barry is fantastic for its orchestral-jazz based score that play into the period of the time with elements of blues music while music consultant Jerry Wexler would provide a soundtrack that feature many of the standards of the time that are performed by the actors in the film including Richard Gere playing his own cornet solos.

The casting by Lois Blanco and Gretchen Rennell is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Mario Van Peebles as a dancer at the Cotton Club, Mark Margolis as an assassin late in the film, Sofia Coppola as a young girl trying to sell Vince an apple, Giancarlo Esposito as one of Bumby’s hoods, Bill Cobbs as a veteran gangster in Big Joe Ison, Woody Strode as a Harlem veteran who advises Bumpy, Larry Marshall as the famed performer Cab Calloway, Rosalind Harris as the famed actress Fanny Brice, Jennifer Grey as Vince’s girlfriend Patsy, Tom Waits as the Cotton Club manager Irving Starck, Diane Venora as the actress Gloria Swanson who sees Dixie as a future film star, Lisa Jane Persky as Schultz’s girlfriend Frances Flegenheimer, Maurice Hines as Sandman’s brother Clay who would perform with Sandman as part of a tap duo, Julian Beck as Schultz’s advisor Sol Weinstein, Allen Garfield as Schultz’s accountant Otto Biederman, Joe Dalessandro as Lucky Luciano, and Gwen Verdon as Dixie and Vince’s mother Tish Dwyer who knew Madden who always liked her.

Fred Gwynne is terrific as Frenchy as Madden’s right-hand man who looks menacing yet is also calm unless he gets really angry while Bob Hoskins is superb as Owney Madden as the revered gangster that knows what to do and get things done but is also a man that has some morals where he tries to help out whoever he can. Nicolas Cage is fantastic as Vince Dwyer as Dixie’s brother who is trying to be a gangster working for Schultz only to get carried away to the point that he becomes trouble for everyone. Laurence Fishburne is brilliant as Bumpy Rhodes as a Harlem gangster who has had it with Vince and Schultz’s antics as he decides to fight back and get some rights for his people. James Remar’s performance as Dutch Schultz definitely has the ferocity and anger of Schultz but it also borders into parody at times where it’s a mixed bag overall as Remar isn’t given more to do but be angry and jealous for most of the film and rarely display any kind of sensitivity.

Lonette McKee is good as Lila Rose Oliver as a singer who is fascinated by Sandman but is keen on wanting to do other things as she is able to get opportunities that other women couldn’t get as she’s half-black, half-white as McKee’s performance is wonderful but very underwritten. Gregory Hines is excellent as Sandman as a tap dancer that is eager to perform at the Cotton Club and win over Lila as it’s definitely the best performance of the film where Hines is someone that is just trying to make it as he later copes with the chaos that is happening in Harlem as well as the prejudice he endures. Diane Lane is alright as Vera as Schultz’s teenaged mistress who wants to run a club as it’s a performance that has charm but not a lot of substance as her character doesn’t really do much but be pretty and be the object of affection. Finally, there’s Richard Gere in a decent performance as Dixie Dwyer as he does display a sense of charm while being a capable musician. It’s just that his character is also messy where he can be the nice and smooth talker one minute and then be an asshole the next minute as it’s just a messy performance from Gere.

The Cotton Club is an entertaining but extremely messy film from Francis Ford Coppola. Despite its gorgeous visuals, lavish production values, terrific supporting performances, and an enjoyable music score/soundtrack, it’s a film that had all of the right ideas on paper but doesn’t mesh well in terms of its execution. Notably as it tried to be so many things in one entire film only to have a lot of tonal issues as well as being more style over substance. In the end, The Cotton Club is a worthwhile but incoherent film from Francis Ford Coppola.

Francis Ford Coppola Films: (Tonight for Sure) – (The Bellboy and the Playgirls) – Dementia 13 - (You’re a Big Boy Now) – (Finian’s Rainbow) – (The Rain People) – The Godfather - The Conversation - The Godfather Pt. II - Apocalypse Now/Apocalyse Now Redux - One from the Heart - The Outsiders – Rumble Fish - (Peggy Sue Got Married) – (Garden of Stone) – (Tucker: The Man & His Dreams) – New York Stories-Life Without Zoe - The Godfather Pt. III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) – (The Rainmaker) – (Youth Without Youth) – Tetro - (Twixt)

© thevoid99 2018

The Fisher King

Directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Richard LaGravenese, The Fisher King is the story of a once famous radio shock-jock who seeks to find redemption when he meets a man whose life he ruined and tries to help him. The film is the first of an unofficial trilogy set in America from Gilliam as it explores not just the world of fantasy but also in finding hope in the bleakest forms of reality. Starring Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer, and Michael Jeter. The Fisher King is a dazzling yet heartfelt film from Terry Gilliam.

Three years after being responsible for the deaths of a group of people by a madman who later killed himself, a radio shock jock meets a strange man whose wife was killed at that restaurant who seeks the Holy Grail and the love of a shy woman as the shock jock decides to help him in an act of redemption. While it is a simple tale of redemption, the film is also a mixture of adventure, fantasy, and romance as it would play into the world of Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) who lost so much through his own actions as his encounter with this homeless man named Parry (Robin Williams) would play into the chance to become a better person while help this lost man regain something that he had lost following his wife’s death. In the process, Jack would also reluctantly help Parry in his quest to find the Holy Grail in the home of a rich architect as Parry believes in this legend of the Grail.

Richard LaGravenese’s screenplay definitely has this air of fantasy and romance but it is also balanced by this world of cynicism as the film opens with Jack as this very arrogant and snide radio shock-jock who talks a lot of shit and has everything until he is responsible for prompting a man to go after a waitress that unfortunately led to a killing spree where Parry’s wife was among the people who were killed. Jack loses his fame as he is wracked with guilt where he would live with a video store owner in Anne (Mercedes Ruehl) who would prompt Jack to do something as she would also help him to Parry back on track. Especially as it relates to Parry’s attraction to this shy publishing accountant in Lydia (Amanda Plummer) through the craziest means.

One aspect of the script that definitely succeeds isn’t just the stories but how fully-realized the characters are as Parry was also a man who had everything only to lose it because of a tragedy as those reminders would come to him in the form of a red knight that only he can see. Especially as it would prompt Jack to realize the greater task that he needs to retrieve the Grail with Parry as well as getting the chance to prove that he can be redeemed no matter how many times he says that he is a fuck-up. The unlikely teaming of Jack and Parry isn’t just one aspect of the story that is so compelling but it’s also one where a man tries to help another and vice versa as they both would try to deal with the demons that had been haunting them.

Terry Gilliam’s direction is truly astonishing not just in its sense of style but also in the fact that he is able to mix a sense of realism with fantasy as it’s set entirely in New York City. The film has Gilliam infusing a lot of unique camera angles including some slanted shots and elaborate crane shots. Even in some of the intimate moments where the sense of style is very evident but not very distracting. Gilliam does go for something simple in the way he presents the drama as it relates to Jack’s own life as he struggles with his guilt and what his life has become despite the support of Anne. There are scenes that do feel quite unsettling and real such as the homeless places near the Brooklyn Bridge as well as some very exhilarating scenes at Central Park where Parry tries to convince Jack to lie naked in the middle of the park to watch the moonlight.

The direction also has Gilliam play with the world of fantasy though it’s more restrained in comparison to his other films such as this lavish waltz scene in the middle of Grand Central Terminal as it plays to Parry’s own sense of fantasy. The scenes involving the Red Knight also play into that sense of fantasy but as a form of reality that Parry wants to avoid as Gilliam would go for something that feels very dizzying. Even as some of the wide shots and compositions would have something that feels like a world that is very different. All of which would play into this climax in this very odd journey to get the Holy Grail as it seems like this strange task but one that would help Jack and Parry find hope in their troubled lives. Overall, Gilliam creates a sensational yet touching film about a man finding redemption in helping another man who was destroyed by tragedy.

Cinematographer Roger Pratt does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography as it is very straightforward but also stylish in some of the lighting schemes that Pratt creates for some of the nighttime exteriors as well as some of the interior scenes. Editor Lesley Walker does incredible work with the editing as it‘s very stylized with some jump-cuts, montages, and a stylish use of transition wipes for a dinner scene with the four principle characters. Production designer Mel Bourne, with set decorator Cindy Carr and art director P. Michael Johnston, does amazing work with the set pieces from the video store that Anne runs to the accounting firm and hospital rooms as well as the castle where the Grail is.

Costume designer Beatrix Aruna Pasztor does terrific work with the costumes from the ragged look of Parry in his homeless clothes to the white suit he would wear in his date with Lydia. The visual effects work of William Cruse and Kent Houston do nice work with some of the effects as it’s very minimal including the design of the Red Knight. Sound editor Peter Pennell and sound designer Bill Kates do superb work with the film‘s sound in some of the sound textures to play into the sense of terror that Parry would endure as well as the sounds of radio broadcasts that Jack used to do. The film’s music by George Fenton is excellent for its broad and operatic score as it has some very lush orchestral themes to play into the sense of romance as well as bombastic pieces for the adventurous moments. The film’s music soundtrack includes a mix of music ranging from pop standards and modern music like Ray Charles, Chill Rob G, and Harry Nilsson.

The casting by Howard Feuer is great as it features notable small roles from Kathy Najimy as a crazed video store customer, Tom Waits as a disabled veteran, Harry Shearer as a TV star that Jack despises, Lara Harris as Jack’s girlfriend when he was famous, and David Hyde Pierce as Jack’s agent Lou. Michael Jeter is fantastic as a homeless cabaret singer Jack and Parry would meet as they would help him to reach a message to Lydia. Amanda Plummer is amazing as the very shy and socially-awkward Lydia who has her own quirks and insecurities where her date with Parry would bring her hope about her own life. Mercedes Ruehl is phenomenal as Anne as this no-nonsense woman who hopes to be more than a friend to Jack as she would also help Lydia and Parry as it’s a truly touching and powerful supporting performance.

Jeff Bridges is brilliant as Jack Lucas as this man who had it all only to be undone by a tragedy that he unknowingly caused as he tries to find redemption where it’s Bridges showing some humility as well as an ugliness but also a role that has him be sympathetic as he wants to right the wrongs in his life. Finally, there’s Robin Williams in a magnificent performance as Parry as this very troubled man who has lost himself as he becomes homeless and seeks the Holy Grail as Williams brings a sense of energy in his humor as well as sense of warmth and vulnerability. Especially in his moving monologue to Lydia about what he wants to do as it showcases Williams’ power as an actor where he can blend comedy and drama and do it so easily.

The Fisher King is a remarkable film from Terry Gilliam that features great performances from Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, and Mercedes Ruehl. The film is definitely Gilliam’s most accessible work in its blend of romance and fantasy as well as a compelling story on redemption. Even as it features moments that are quite crazy that is balanced with stories about characters trying to find hope again. In the end, The Fisher King is an outstanding film from Terry Gilliam.

Terry Gilliam Films: Jabberwocky - Time Bandits - Brazil - The Adventures of Baron Munchausen - 12 Monkeys - Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas - The Brothers Grimm - Tideland - The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus - The Zero Theorem - The Auteurs #38: Terry Gilliam

© thevoid99 2014

Down by Law

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Down by Law is the story of three men who are incarcerated at a Louisiana prison as they decide to work together to make an escape. The film is an exploration into the lives of three different men who are accused of different crimes where they rely on each other to deal with their situation. Starring Roberto Benigni, Tom Waits, and John Lurie. Down by Law is a captivating yet visually-entrancing film from Jim Jarmusch.

The film is the simple story of three different men who find themselves in trouble in different circumstances as they’re sent to a prison in Louisiana where they later escape as they try to evade the authorities through its swamp. Yet, these are three men who don’t know each other as they have to work together despite their differences. Two of which in an unemployed radio DJ named Zack (Tom Waits) and a small-time pimp named Jack (John Lurie) are both sent to prison for something they didn’t do as they were set up. Joining them is this Italian immigrant named Bob (Roberto Benigni) who is arrested for manslaughter as he would be the one to lead the escape despite his poor English.

Jim Jarmusch’s screenplay has a unique structure in the way he sets up the story as the first act is about Jack and Zack dealing with their issues in New Orleans where they’re both set up as Zack has a brief encounter with Bob. The second act is about the three men sharing a prison cell in Louisiana as Zack and Jack don’t really like each other as Bob is the wild card who did kill someone but only by accident. The third act is about the three men escaping prison yet they have to encounter something far more terrifying which is the Louisiana swamp where they have no idea where to go and such.

Jarmusch’s direction is very evocative in the way he presents the film as he makes the Louisiana bayou, its small towns, and the city of New Orleans just as important as the characters in the film. Most notably as he aims for something that feels like a mixture of Americana with a European sensibility in the compositions he creates that are simple but also offbeat. Particularly as he maintains an intimacy in the scenes set in the prison cell where it’s a bit claustrophobic but also lively such as a moment where the three men scream “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream” that led the other inmate to do the same. It all plays to that sense that something is going to happen where it would play into their escape from prison.

Much of the scenes set in New Orleans and the Louisiana swamp are much broader in scope with Jarmusch using a lot of medium and some wide shots to create some unique images for the former in the film’s first act. The film’s third act in the swamp are definitely the most entrancing portions of the film where the sense of location adds to an element of suspense in Jarmusch’s direction where the swamp turns out to be something far more menacing because it has that sense of the unknown. Yet, there is some humor that is still prevalent in the form of Bob where he would be the one to find some hope as well as a fitting resolution. Overall, Jarmusch crafts a very engaging and compelling film about three different men who are bounded together by prison as they make a grand escape.

Cinematographer Robby Muller does phenomenal work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to play into the desolate yet vibrant look of New Orleans along with the more ethereal images that he creates with his camera for the scenes set in the swamp as he is one of the film‘s major highlights. Editor Melody London does excellent work with the film‘s editing by aiming for some style with its jump-cuts and transitional cuts to play into the film‘s unique structure as well as its suspense and humor. Set decorator Janet Densmore does fantastic work with some of the film’s minimal set pieces such as the prison cell the three men stay in as well as the shack they find in the middle of the swamp.

Costume designer Carol Wood does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual including the prison suit’s the three men have to wear. Sound editor John Auerbach does terrific work with the sound to play into the atmosphere of the prison as well as the low-key sounds for the scenes in the swamp. The film’s music by John Lurie is amazing for its low-key yet playful jazz-based score to play into the film’s humor while the film also includes a couple of original songs by Tom Waits that helps with the film’s humor as well as a rendition of Naomi Neville’s It’s Raining by Irma Thomas that adds a key moment to one of the film’s final scenes.

The film’s brilliant cast includes some notable appearances from Billie Neal as one of Jack’s frustrated hookers, Ellen Barkin as Zack’s frustrated and angry girlfriend, and Nicoletta Braschi as an Italian woman that Bob meets late in the film. Robert Benigni is great as the very comical Bob as an Italian immigrant who speaks little English as he tries to find ways to get the spirits going and urge Jack and Zack to escape. John Lurie is superb as Jack as this small-time pimp who is upset over what happened as he tries to figure out what he’ll do once he gets out. Tom Waits is marvelous as Zack as an unemployed radio DJ who tries to figure out how to deal with his time while realizing how troubled the swamp is. Benigni, Lurie, and Waits make one incredible trio in the way they interact together as they are one of the reason for the film’s greatness.

Down by Law is a remarkable film from Jim Jarmusch. Thanks to the fantastic trio of Roberto Benigni, John Lurie, and Tom Waits as well as Robby Muller’s beautiful cinematography. The film is definitely a unique take on the prison escape movie where it focuses on the individuals instead of the plot to escape and such. Even as Jarmusch infuses it with some low-key humor and offbeat situations to make it so much more as it defies convention. In the end, Down by Law is a sensational film from Jim Jarmusch.

Jim Jarmusch Films: Permanent Vacation - Stranger than Paradise - Mystery Train - Night on Earth - Dead Man - Year of the Horse - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - Coffee & Cigarettes - Broken Flowers - The Limits of Control - Only Lovers Left Alive - Paterson - Gimme Danger - (The Dead Don't Die) - The Auteurs #27: Jim Jarmusch

© thevoid99 2013

Seven Psychopaths

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, Seven Psychopaths is the story of a struggling screenwriter who teams up with his best friend and another man to steal dogs only to realize they’ve stolen the dog of a troubled gangster. The three men deal with all sorts of trouble as they try to return the dog to the gangster. The film is a dark comedy that revolves around mistakes and mayhem as a writer seeks inspiration for his movie. Starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Olga Kurylenko, Abbie Cornish, Zeljko Ivanek, Gabourey Sidibe, Kevin Corrigan, and Tom Waits. Seven Psychopaths is a witty yet off-the-wall dark comedy from Martin McDonagh.

Struggling to write a new screenplay called Seven Psychopaths, Marty Faranan (Colin Farrell) is trying to come up with ideas as he’s dealing with writer’s block and lack of inspiration. Helping him is his friend Billy Bickle (Sam Rockwell) who often spouts lots of ideas for Marty to use as Billy spends his time kidnapping dogs with his friend Hans (Christopher Walken). One of the dogs Billy and Hans get is a Shih Tzu that belonged to the gangster Charlie Costello (Woody Harrelson) as Billy decides to keep the dog for himself. Aware that Costello is deranged and is willing to kill at any length to get his dog back while there’s a psychopath killing low-level mobsters.

Marty, Billy, and Hans go on the run to hide from Billy and his hoodlums where Marty gets ideas for his story while learning more about the world of psychopaths that included a man he previously met named Zachariah Rigby (Tom Waits). Hiding at the desert, Marty gets more ideas while struggling with his alcoholism where he learns more about what is going on as Billy has a crazy idea for the ending that involves a showdown with Costello.

Anyone who knows about the art of writing knows that inspiration is hard to come by as the film is about a man trying to write a story about psychopaths that is different from the world of crime movies. Yet, he would end up meeting a slew of crazy characters that would be inspirational to him while taking part in a scheme that goes all wrong when it involves a gangster who is completely edgy and is willing to do anything to get his dog back. Mayhem ensues when these three men try to figure out how to deal with this unhinged gangster as more surprises are unveiled about the people the writer has been hanging out with.

Martin McDonagh’s screenplay definitely has a flair of snappy dialogue, absurd situations, and multiple stories that revolves around psychopaths as it begins with two hitmen (Michael Stuhlbarg and Michael Pitt) talking about killing someone and all things go to shit when the first psychopath is introduced. It’s part of McDonagh’s scheme to introduce a slew of psychopaths as it includes Vietnamese man (Long Nguyen) seeking vengeance against the Americans over the Vietnam War. Throughout the film, there’s scenes where it plays to Marty’s attempt to write the screenplay as there’s lots of fantasy scenes that plays to the idea of trying to write a screenplay. Even as it involves all sorts of character twists and such that plays to that world of the writer. The one flaw in the script is the way some of the female characters are presented like Marty’s girlfriend Kaya (Abbie Cornish) and Costello’s girlfriend/Billy’s mistress Angela (Olga Kurylenko) as they don’t really get much to do at all with the story.

McDonagh’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of presenting the mind of a writer as Marty is this uninspired writer who likes to drink a lot and hang around with his oddball buddies. Shot on location in Los Angeles and other parts nearby, it is a film that revolves around this strange criminal underworld that features a lot of strange and dark violent scenes. The violence is very brutal in the presentation as it plays to not just the fantasy of violence but also the grim reality. McDonagh does create some wonderful compositions and framing to display the world or the characters in their situations that includes some fantasy scenes or offbeat flashback scenes. Overall, McDonagh creates a fun yet very unconventional black comedy that explores the world of writing and psychopaths.

Cinematographer Ben Davis does nice work with the film‘s cinematography to capture the beauty of the locations in Los Angeles as well as the locations at the Joshua Tree Park. Editor Lisa Gunning does superb work with the editing by creating montages in the film‘s flashbacks and fantasy scenes along with some stylish cuts in some of those moments. Production designer David Wasco, along with set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and art director John Dexter, does some fantastic work with the sets such as the home that Billy lives in to the dog shelter he and Hans run.

Costume designer Karen Patch does terrific work with the costumes from the clothes the men wear to the more stylish clothes that Kaya wears. Sound editor Joakim Sundstrom does some wonderful work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the locations along with the intimate moments involving a few characters. The film’s music by Carter Burwell is brilliant for its low-key, jazz-driven score to play up the film‘s dark humor. Music supervisor Matt Biffa is filled with a lot of songs from the 60s and 70s to play out the world the characters inhabit.

The casting by Sarah Finn is great for the ensemble that is created as it features some cameo appearances from Harry Dean Stanton as a mysterious psychopath, Michael Pitt and Michael Stuhlbarg as a couple of mob hitmen in the beginning of the film, Kevin Corrigan and Zeljko Ivanek as a couple of Costello’s henchmen, Long Nguyen as a Vietnamese psychopath, Brendan Sexton III as the young Zachariah, Gabourey Sidibe as the dog’s original caretaker Sharice, and Linda Bright Clay as Hans’ wife Myra. Abbie Cornish and Olga Kurylenko are quite good in their respective roles as Marty’s girlfriend Kaya and Costello’s girlfriend Angela though neither of them really get a lot of development nor any big moments for them to really stand out. Tom Waits is superb as the mysterious Zachariah who has this amazing scene where he tells a story about his notorious killings.

Woody Harrelson is brilliant as the deranged Charlie Costello who is determined to get his dog back as Harrelson brings a dark humor to the character who is also an emotional mess. Christopher Walken is fantastic as Hans who is a man with a dark past as he tries to deal with a situation while providing some very funny ideas to Marty. Sam Rockwell is outstanding as the very offbeat Billy who spouts all sorts of ideas to Marty while doing all sorts of crazy things as it’s Rockwell at his finest. Finally, there’s Colin Farrell in an excellent performance as the troubled Marty who is trying to come up with a great script as he deals with his alcoholism, his bitchy girlfriend, and all of the violence that is happening around him as it’s a very funny performance from Farrell.

Seven Psychopaths is a marvelous film from Martin McDonagh that features top-notch performances from Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, and Woody Harrelson. The film is definitely an intriguing piece into the world of writing as well a darkly-comic look into the world of the psychopaths. Notably in the latter as it shows the absurdity of murder and crime as well as what some people are willing to do to create the ultimate story. In the end, Seven Psychopaths is a remarkable film from Martin McDonagh.

Martin McDonagh Films: (Six Shooter) - In Bruges - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

© thevoid99 2012

Coffee and Cigarettes

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Coffee and Cigarettes is a collection of 11 vignettes relating to people having conversations about anything while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. The film is a collection of 11 shorts, three of which were made prior in 2003 including the 1993 Somewhere in California segment that won Jarmusch the short film Palme D’or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. With an all-start cast that includes Roberto Benigni, Steven Wright, Joie Lee, Cinque Lee, Steve Buscemi, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, Cate Blanchett, Steve Coogan, Alfred Molina, Issach de Bankole, Jack & Meg White of the White Stripes, RZA & GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Bill Murray. Coffee and Cigarettes is fun collection of shorts and vignettes from Jim Jarmusch.

In Strange to Meet You, Roberto Benigni and Steven Wright meet as Wright is nervous about a dentist appointment during a conversation about their love coffee and cigarettes. Twins is about twins (Joie Lee and Cinque Lee) drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes in Memphis as a waiter (Steve Buscemi) tells them his theories about Elvis Presley and his twin brother Jesse. Somewhere in California has Iggy Pop and Tom Waits have an awkward conversation as Waits claims he’s a doctor while Pop offers him a drummer he has just worked with. Those Things’ll Kill Ya has Joseph Rigano and Vinny Vella talking about their vices as Vinny’s son Vinny Jr. asks for money via sign language in an act of silence.

Renée has Renée French drinking coffee and looking at magazine while a waiter (E.J. Rodriguez) tries to serve her. No Problem is about two friends (Issach de Bankole and Alex Descas) talking as Issach keeps asking Alex questions about some issues. Cousins is about Cate Blanchett meeting her cousin Shelly (Cate Blanchett) at a hotel lounge where they talk about their lives as Shelly reveals she has a new boyfriend. Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil has Jack White showing Meg the Tesla Coil he had while talking about the brilliance of Nikola Tesla.

Cousins? has Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan having tea in Los Angeles talking about their career as Molina shows him something claiming he and Coogan are cousins. Delirium is about GZA and RZA talking about alternative medicines and the dangers of caffeine where Bill Murray appears drinking a mug of coffee. Champagne is about two old men (William “Bill” Rice and Taylor Mead) talking about nostalgia as the music of Mahler.

The concept of the film is about two or three people having conversations about practically anything while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. Throughout each segment, there is a looseness to the story as many of the conversations are improvised where people talk about many things throughout. Whether its about music, art, coffee, cigarettes, Nikola Tesla, anything, or maybe nothing at all. The idea of drinking coffee and having a smoke is something intriguing to Jim Jarmusch throughout many of these shorts that have been created from 1986 through 2003.

Through each short as they’re all presented in black and white with varying running times, Jarmusch is able to keep the camera still and often shooting the coffee and cigarettes. At the same time, he repeats a few motifs and dialogues to keep the all the shorts connected in one way or another. While a lot of the shorts work and a couple like Renée and Champagne don’t work entirely, Jarmusch does create what is certainly a fascinating film.

Helping Jarmusch with his vision are a team of cinematographers, editors, and production designers that get involved in the film throughout the years. With Frederick Elmes shooting a large portion of the material while Tom Di Cillo does Strange to Meet You, Robby Mueller on Twins, and Ellen Kuras for Renée and No Problem. The cinematography from the early parts have a grainy look while it becomes a bit more refined to complement the atmosphere of each section. Editor Jay Rabinowitz doing a lot of the segments while Jim Jarmusch and Terry Katz did Somewhere in California and Melody London doing Twins and Strange to Meet You. The editing is very tight and rhythmic to capture a lot of the conversations while Renée and Champagne kind of meanders a bit.

Mark Friedberg and Tom Jarmusch do a lot of the production design of the film to help set the mood for each segment that is happening while Dan Bishop does the Twins segment. For the sound work, longtime Jarmusch collaborator Anthony J. Ciccolini III does a lot of the sound work and mixing for all of the segments including the remixing for the older segments. The soundtrack is a mixture of music that is played the background though the film opens and closes with Louie, Louie by Richard Berry opening the film and Iggy Pop’s cover closing the film. The rest of the soundtrack includes pieces by Tom Waits, Jerry Byrd, the Stooges, Tommy James & the Shondells, the Skatalites, Funkadelic, and Gustav Mahler.

The cast is truly phenomenal as there’s a wonderful array of performers many of whom are playing themselves or exaggerations of themselves. Notable standouts include Bill Murray, RZA, and GZA in Delirium, Steve Buscemi in Twins, Steven Wright and Robert Benigni in Strange to Meet You, Steve Coogan and Alfred Molina in Cousins?, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits in Somewhere in California, and the White Stripes in Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil that features a cameo from Cinque Lee. The best performance easily goes to Cate Blanchett in the Cousins segment as she plays herself and her cooler cousin with long black hair and stylish clothes as it’s a funny, remarkable performance.

Coffee and Cigarettes is an entertaining yet captivating film from Jim Jarmusch. While it may not reach the heights of great films like Mystery Train and Night on Earth as a whole. Some of the vignettes do stand out as great little mini-masterpieces of Jarmusch as a filmmaker who likes to keep things simple and to the point. It’s a film that fans of his work will enjoy where they to get to revisit the older shorts and see some new ones. In the end, Coffee and Cigarettes is a stylish yet enjoyable film from Jim Jarmusch.

Jim Jarmusch Films: Permanent Vacation - Stranger Than Paradise - Down By Law - Mystery Train - Night on Earth - Dead Man - Year of the Horse - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - Broken Flowers - The Limits of Control - Only Lovers Left Alive - Paterson - Gimme Danger - (The Dead Don't Die) - The Auteurs #27: Jim Jarmusch

© thevoid99 2011