Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/17/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Based on James Ellroy's novel that is based on the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, The Black Dahlia is the story of two detectives who investigate the murder of an aspiring actress as it would take a mental and emotional toll on the two men as well as their relationship for a young woman as a doppelganger seduces one of them. Directed by Brian de Palma and screenplay by Josh Friedman, the film is an exploration into a mysterious murder that occurred in the late 1940s as two men become lost in the mystery of who kill this woman. Starring Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, Mia Kirshner, Mike Starr, Patrick Fischler, John Kavanagh, Jemima Rooper, Fiona Shaw, Rachel Miner, Rose McGowan, and Hilary Swank. The Black Dahlia is a stylish but very underwhelming film from Brian de Palma.
After a charity fight to raise the salary of L.A. policeman, local street cop Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) become opponents for the fight publicized by Ellis Loew (Patrick Fischler) as the two later become partners in the Warrants division as Bleichert also befriends Blanchard's girlfriend Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). The two become successful in their work while Bleichart and Lake realize they're attracted to each other but keep their feelings intact out of respect for Blanchard. During a case to catch a child rapist where they encounter a shootout, the two find the body of a dead woman cut in half as she's revealed to be Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner). With news of the release of a criminal in Bobby DeWitt (Richard Brake) and the graphic nature of Short's death, Blanchard starts to unravel who wants to go after DeWitt but has to work on the Short case with Bleichert who learns a lot about Short and her aspirations to be an actress.
Bleichert's investigation leads him to clues that includes a journey into the underground lesbian bars where he meets a Short doppelganger in socialist Madeline Linscott (Hilary Swank) who later invites him to to a family dinner. Bleichert and Linscott would have an affair as he later retrieves a stag film that featured short and her friend Lorna Mertz (Jemima Rooper) which makes Blanchard more uneasy as he is later taken out of the case while an earlier case to lead to a falling out between him and Bleichert. Kay later reveals some information about Blanchard's state of mind and why he's become uneasy as things eventually get worse where Bleichert learns a deeper connection between Short and the Linscott family as he gets closer to close the case.
While the film has all of the elements of a stylish, 1940s film-noir and crime stories, it also has the style that Brian de Palma is known for when it comes to suspense considering his often ode to Alfred Hitchcock. Unfortunately, despite all of de Palma's efforts to create a fascinating, intriguing mystery. It loses its sense of direction right into the third act. While screenwriter Josh Friedman does create a faithful adaptation the Ellroy novel. What is lost is many of the psychological and character study aspect of Ellroy. Instead, the script loses some insight into the characters, the murder, and most of all, Bleichert's obsession with Short.
The changes from the book to script are unfortunate since it loses some of its suspense and the style of Ellroy's writing which weaves and entrances its audience. While the first two acts are faithful with some stuff along with major subplots and characters not making it into the film adaptation. The third act is crucial yet misses a lot on the psychological aspect of Ellroy's work where a lot of things is lost and the suspense in the book gets crammed up in too many moments. Notably the confrontation between the Linscott and Bleichert where too much goes on where in the book, Bleichert confronts the Sprague family on a series of suspenseful sequences.
The fault is really to Friedman and de Palma for wrapping things up a bit too fast while having some bizarre sequences, notably the DeWitt confrontation which in the book, is set in Tijuana, Mexico but in the film, it's in Los Angeles where it doesn't entirely work. It ends up overwhelming itself where a lot of the drama and action is forced and de Palma seems to have rushed things a bit too quickly. Still, de Palma does create some fascinating work that is reminiscent to his past films like a boxing fight scene between Bleichert and Blanchard. Some scenes are definitely borrowed from 1940s films with soft lenses on some scenes that adds style to the film. The only real falter in de Palma's directing is the ending. It feels totally false and not true to the character of Bleichert where his character in the end is forced to grow up and confront some inner demons. In the film, it wraps up to quickly with no resolve and comes out very lame. Overall, despite some strong moments in the film, de Palma loses sight of everything by the third and final act.
Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond does some wonderful work in the photography whether its some lovely, soft touches in some emotional sequences between Bleichert and Kay to some of the shading of windows that is true to the noir-style. Zsigmond's work also shines in many of the film's exterior's shot in Los Angeles while the interiors are very intimate with some great long shots from de Palma's directing as the veteran cinematographer does some fascinating work. Production designer Dante Ferretti and art directors Pier-Luigi Basile and Christopher Tandon adds a lot of flair and style to their extravagant presentation of 1940s Los Angeles including the worldly Linscott home and the lesbian bar scenes that all of the interiors were shot in Bulgaria. Costume designer Jenny Beaven also does some great work in the 1940s costume work from the suits and Fedoras that the men wear to the black clothing Kirshner and Swank wear along with the more loose, silvery, grey clothes of Johansson.
Editor Bill Pankow does some nice cutting into the film while adding some great, curtain-like cuts that owes to the old, 1940s film editing style that adds flair to the film while doing great work in not cutting on some great long shots de Palma did. Sound designer Paula Fairfield also does some great work in the sound including an earthquake scene that does add atmosphere along with the sounds of gunshots and things that adds an intensity to the film. Score composer Mark Isham plays to the world of 1940s style of jazz while the orchestral score works in conveying the emotions and intensity of the suspense. The soundtrack also includes an old Cole Porter jazz number performed by k.d. lang in a cameo appearance that is fun in one of the film's lesbian bar scenes.
The film's cast is wonderfully assembled that includes some small appearances from Rose McGowan, Kevin Dunn, Richard Brake, Troy Evans, Ian McNiece as the coroner, William Finley as the Linscott patriarch George Tilden, James Otis as Bucky's demented German father, and Scarface actor Pepe Serna in a cameo as Tomas dos Santos. Rachel Miner is good in the role of Martha Linscott but her character is underwritten since the book has more information on her. Miner isn't the only actress to suffer from the underwritten script as Jemima Rooper's Lorna Mertz is also underwritten since her character has more to hide despite a good performance from Rooper. Patrick Fischler is indeed, Ellis Loew as the publicity-driven D.A. who controls the investigation while trying to make a public thing for himself though the book had more of his plans. John Kavanagh is really good as the slimy, charming Emmett Linscott while noted character actor Mike Starr does some great work as the veteran good cop Russ Millard who unfortunately, is underused since Millard is a great character though Starr doe some great work.
In a performance that can be described as over-the-top, British actress Fiona Shaw gives a performance that goes way overboard as Ramona Linscott as she just goes all out to the point that it becomes unintentionally hilarious. Mia Kirshner delivers one of her best performances in the film's title role as she brings an innocence and sadness to Elizabeth Short as well as a troubling sexiness that is entrancing to watch. Hilary Swank continues to play interesting characters as she brings a lot of vamp in her role as the femme fatale Madeline Linscott. While the book portrayed Madeline as a more psychotic, seductive character, Swank does excellent work in playing sexy with a strange, Irish accent and a presence that is troubling. Though the performance is a bit over-the-top, it's nonetheless entertaining despite the fact it's underwritten. While Scarlett Johansson can transform herself into a true, 1940s starlet with her undeniable beauty. Her character however, suffers the most from the script since it's very underwritten in her connection with DeWitt as well as in her relationship with Bucky. Johansson still manages to be very good as the more guarded, traditional woman who loves the company of two men while often smoking a cigarette and being worrisome to everything around her.
Aaron Eckhart is really the film's best performance as the troubled Lee Blanchard. Eckhart has all of the sensitive tough guy qualities that Kay adores while his character ends up being more troubled with great reasons and a darker past beneath it. Eckhart is Lee Blanchard like the book though the script puts him in strange situations that isn't true to the character though Eckhart manages to do some fine work. Josh Hartnett isn't a great actor and never will be but he does manage to do some of his best work as Bucky Bleichert. While his narration and some of his performances, notably his scenes with the main actors are good. It's inconsistent since he often looks a bit wooden and sometimes, a bit smug including a confrontational scene between him and Johansson. It's not his best work, that goes to The Virgin Suicides, but Hartnett ends up being decent though the script fails to make his character into being far more complex and interesting.
While it has some moments that keeps it from being a disaster, The Black Dahlia is an over-stylized yet un-engaging film from Brian de Palma. While it has a good cast, great settings, look, and style, fans of the book will indeed be disappointed in what got cut and its psychological aspects of it. Fans of noir films will probably lean to the more successful and brilliant L.A. Confidential by Curtis Hanson that is also a novel by James Ellroy. In the end, while the film is entertaining and has style but lacks a lot of substance. In the end, The Black Dahlia is a very disappointing film-noir suspense film from Brian de Palma.
Brian de Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) - (Greetings) - (The Wedding Party) - (Dionysus in ‘69) - (Hi, Mom!) - (Get to Know Your Rabbit) - Sisters - Phantom of the Paradise - Obsession - Carrie - The Fury - (Home Movies) - Dressed to Kill - Blow Out - Scarface (1983 film) - Body Double - (Wise Guys) - The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito’s Way - Mission: Impossible - Snake Eyes - Mission to Mars - Femme Fatale - (Redacted) - Passion (2012 film) - (Domino (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the novel by Don DeLillo, Cosmopolis is the story of a young multi-billionaire whose desire to get a haircut has him going onto a very strange journey where he encounters various people and embark on things that are very unsettling. Written for the screen and directed by David Cronenberg, the film plays into the life of a young man in the span of 24 hours as he starts to lose touch with reality as the world around him becomes chaotic. Starring Robert Pattinson, Sarah Gadon, Paul Giamatti, Samantha Morton, Jay Baruchel, Kevin Durand, Mathieu Almaric, and Juliette Binoche. Cosmopolis is drab and overwrought film from David Cronenberg.
The film is a simple story about a young billionaire who is in his limo driving through the traffic-laden streets of New York City just wanting a haircut. Yet, a visit from the U.S. president, a rapper’s funeral procession, and protests concerning about the state of capitalism puts this young man in one hellish day as he self-destructs slowly as his fortune falls and his own personal life starts to fall apart. It’s a premise that could’ve been engaging and also compelling to explore a man’s self-destruction as it would be in the hands of someone as revered as David Cronenberg. Instead, it’s an overblown and soulless film that doesn’t really have anything to say. For most of the story’s two-acts, the film’s protagonist in Eric Parker (Robert Pattinson) spends his time in his lavish, state-of-the-art limo talking to various advisors, analysts, workers, and such about his dwindling fortune while stepping out to do a few activities and eat a few meals with his wife Elsie (Sarah Gadon).
The screenplay is often filled with this very stylized dialogue where everyone talks in a certain rhythm that goes on too fast and features themes about finances and capitalist theories that doesn’t make any sense. Even as some of the dialogue is so poor that it’s often spoke in a very robotic fashion that just sucks out the life of the story. In the course of the story, Parker sleeps with a few women who aren’t married to him while dealing with the fact that he’s got an asymmetrical prostate as he has a hard time figuring out a currency where protesters are targeting him. The third act does break away from the monotony of the story but only to the point that it gets messier where Parker finally gets his haircut while trying to find out who is trying to kill him as the result almost ends up being the same thing about capitalism, life, and all that where it gets repetitive and loses ground into whatever arguments that Parker is going after.
Cronenberg’s direction should’ve been interesting as he spends much of the film inside a limo where it’s very intimate but also claustrophobic to showcase the cold world that Parker lives in. Instead, the story that Cronenberg is telling doesn’t hold much ground where this mixture of chaos outside of the limo and Parker trying to cage himself in his limo doesn’t do anything as the constant talking just drags the film. The moments where the film leaves the limo and into a few places doesn’t really have Cronenberg do much other than create a few interesting compositions but the way he directs his actors really bogs the film down even more. Even as its climax where Parker leaves the limo to get his haircut and confront whoever is trying to kill him only makes things worse as the film ends on a very abrupt and hollow note. Overall, Cronenberg creates an excruciatingly dull and lifeless film that had something to say but ends up saying nothing at all.
Cinematographer Peter Suschitzsky does nice work with the cinematography to play into its look of the city as it‘s in chaos while editor Ronald Sanders does some good work in the editing though it does have a hard time to keep up with the very talkative dialogue while not doing enough to build up some suspense. Production designer Arvinder Grewal and art director Joshu de Cartier do excellent work with the look of the limos and places Parker goes to while costume designer Denise Cronenberg creates some wonderful dresses that Elsie wears.
Visual effects supervisor Wojciech Zielinski does some bad work in some of the film‘s visual effects that includes a backdrop for the shots outside of the limo. Sound editor Wayne Griffin and Michael O’Farrell do some fine work with the sound to play into the chaotic nature in the locations. The film’s music by Howard Shore is terrific as it is low-key with its emphasis on brooding electronic music that includes some contributions from the Canadian band Metric to provide some dark textures into the soundtrack.
The casting by Deirdre Bowen definitely has a great collection of actors where there’s a few noteworthy performances from George Touliatos as the barber Anthony and Abdul Ayoola as Packer’s driver where the two have a nice conversation about their old lives as cab drivers. Other notable performances from Patricia McKenzie as a bodyguard of Packer, Emily Hampshire as finance chief, Jay Baruchel as his friend Shiner, Kevin Durand as Packer’s main bodyguard Torval, and Philip Nozuka as his analyst don’t really get much to do as they’re bogged down by the film’s atrocious dialogue that just has them over-explaining things.
For a cast that includes such revered talents as Mathieu Almaric, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, and Samantha Morton, they are unfortunately wasted in this film. Giamatti plays a disgruntled, troubled ex-employee of Packer who just talks and talks while Almaric is just a guy who slams a pie into Packer. Morton doesn’t do anything but talk about numbers and such as if she was a robot while Binoche plays an art consultant who sleeps with Packer as she talks about money and art. Sarah Gadon is terrible as Packer’s young wife Elsie as she only appears in a few scenes as the scenes she have with Pattinson are included with some bad dialogue that’s made worse by the fact that they’re talking like robots. Finally, there’s Robert Pattinson in a performance that is unsurprisingly typical of what he’s known for as he’s just a bore to watch as well as the fact that he talks like a robot in some respects while often does a lot of blank stare to showcase that he is indeed a very bland and soulless young man who can’t act worth a shit.
Cosmopolis is a fucking travesty of a film from someone as brilliant as David Cronenberg. Thanks in part to Robert Pattinson’s horrendous performance as well as its un-engaging story and overwritten dialogue. It’s a film that should’ve said something about a man’s self-destruction in the wake of a capitalist protest but instead says nothing profound. Even as it ends up being a cinematic downward spiral of nothingness that goes further into a spiral of ever-more nothingness. In the end, Cosmpolis is a film that just absolutely fucking sucks.
David Cronenberg Films: Stereo - Crimes of the Future - Shivers - Rabid - Fast Company - The Brood - Scanners - Videodrome - The Dead Zone - The Fly (1986 film) - Dead Ringers - Naked Lunch - M. Butterfly - Crash - eXistenZ - Spider - A History of Violence - Eastern Promises - A Dangerous Method - Maps to the Stars - Crimes of the Future (2022 film)
The Auteurs #26: David Cronenberg: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Dementia 13 is the story about a woman who tries to put herself in her mother-in-law’s will after the death of her husband only to deal with an axe-wielding maniac. Produced by Roger Corman, the film marks Francis Ford Coppola’s first directorial feature in the form of a B-movie slasher film that features a lot of the attributes of horror. Starring William Campbell, Luana Anders, and Patrick Magee. Dementia 13 is a pretty good whodunit from Francis Ford Coppola.
The film is a simple whodunit in which a widow arrives to her late husband’s home in Ireland to attend an annual memorial service for her late sister-in-law that had died several years ago. Her intention to go to Ireland is to gain access to her mother-in-law’s will which she wants to be in where an axe-murderer is happening killing off many people as the family doctor Justin Caleb (Patrick Magee) investigates what is going on. It’s a simple premise that doesn’t have much plot as Francis Ford Coppola creates a story that has the typical schematics of a suspenseful-thriller. Yet, he also explores the dynamic of this family where one of them is getting married as everyone is a suspect into these mysterious murders. While there’s a playfulness in Coppola’s script, it is sometimes hampered by these elements where it doesn’t do enough to make the story more engaging than it should be.
Coppola’s direction is quite simple in terms of compositions and such while he is able to use the low-budget presentation to create some unique images. Notably in some montages and flashbacks to play into the idea that something isn’t right in these flashbacks. While Coppola does a good job in building up a lot of the suspense, some of it isn’t presented very well probably because of the low budget. One scene involves a minor character getting his head cut off and the presentation itself ends up being unintentionally hilarious. The cheese factor does still manage to keep the film interesting while its reveal of who the killer is does manage to pay off. Overall, Coppola creates a pretty decent and enjoyable whodunit.
Cinematographer Charles Hannawalt does nice work with the film‘s black-and-white photography where some of it looks grainy while does have some nice use of lights for the exterior scenes set at night. Editors Stuart O’Brien and Morton Tubor do terrific work with the editing as it‘s stylized to play with its suspense as well as it‘s use of flashbacks and montages. Art director Al Locatelli and set decorator Eleanor Coppola do excellent work with the interior look of the Irish castle and the rooms the characters live in. The sound work of Joseph Gross and Liam Saurin is superb for the atmosphere it creates. The film’s music by Ronald Stein is brilliant for its use of orchestral music to play into its suspense as well as themes that help maintain that sense of horror.
The film’s cast is amazing as it features some notable small performances from Derry O’Donovan as the family maid, Karl Schnazer as a poacher who lurks nearby, Peter Read as John Haloran who dies early in the film, and Barbara Dowling as the late Kathleen Haloran who is only seen in the flashback scenes. Mary Mitchell is terrific as the young woman Kane who is marrying Richard Haloran as she becomes frightened by what is happening while Bart Patton is pretty good as the youngest member of the Haloran family in Billy as a young man who is still traumatized by his sister’s death.
Luana Anders is excellent as John’s wife Louise who arrives to Ireland to try to get herself in her mother-in-law’s will while Eithne Dunne is wonderful as Lady Haloran who is still mourning her late daughter. William Campbell is fantastic as Richard Haloran as a man disturbed by what’s happening as he becomes a major suspect. Finally, there’s Patrick Magee in a brilliant performance as Dr. Justin Caleb who tries to figure out what is happening while doing odd things in his investigation.
Dementia 13 is a terrific mainstream debut film from Francis Ford Coppola. Though it’s really more of a cheap knock-off of other slasher films of the times that features some of the cheesy elements of producer Roger Corman. It is still an interesting film to see where Coppola started and how he would evolve in the years too come. In the end, Dementia 13 is a worthwhile and fun film from Francis Ford Coppola.
Francis Ford Coppola Films: (Tonight for Sure) - (The Bellboy and the Playgirls) - (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 - The Outsiders - Rumble Fish - The Cotton Club - (Peggy Sue Got Married) - (Captain EO) - (Heart of Stone) - (Tucker: The Man and His Dreams) - New York Stories: Life Without Zoe - The Godfather Part III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) - (The Rainmaker) - (Youth Without Youth) - Tetro - (Twixt)
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the short story Eight O’Clock in the Morning by Ray Nelson, They Live is the story about a nameless drifter who discovers through sunglasses that aliens are roaming around Earth controlling the social aspects of humanity as he and a friend tries to stop them. Written for the screen and directed by John Carpenter, the film is an exploration into a world where aliens had unknowingly taken over as they use subliminal messages and such to control humanity. Starring Roddy Piper, Keith David, and Meg Foster. They Live is a captivating yet witty film from John Carpenter.
Society has run rampant as the wealthy become richer while the poor become poorer as there’s no more middle ground. A nameless drifter known as Nada (Roddy Piper) arrives in Los Angeles looking for work where he notices something is going wrong as he comes across some strange sunglasses where he sees people with deformed faces and subliminal messages all over buildings and such. Realizing that these aliens have discovered their secret, Nada tries to hide as he convinces a man named Frank (Keith David) that something is going forcing the two to stop and kill these aliens before they wipe out humanity. It’s a premise that is pretty simple as John Carpenter creates a story that plays into a world where humanity is unaware that they’re being controlled. Especially as the poor either has to live on the fringes of the world or eventually conform to these expectations.
Under the Frank Armitage pseudonym as the screenwriter, Carpenter creates a story where this drifter tries to deal with these strange things he’s seeing through these sunglasses. Even as he notices early on about some strange things happening at a church across the street from where he, Frank, and other poor people were living. Nada is a just a man trying to find work and make a honest wage but he couldn’t ignore all of these strange events happening where he realizes how much of a threat he is to these aliens. Much of the first half has little dialogue as it’s all about Nada just trying to comprehend what he’s seeing as the second half has him meeting a TV programmer named Holly (Meg Foster) as he tries to convince her that something is not right.
Carpenter’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of the world he’s presenting where many of the scenes shot in color that is set in Los Angeles seems like a world where nothing is happening. Once Nada wears the sunglasses, the direction is far more mystical where it’s all presented in black-and-white where deformed faces are being shown as well as these big subliminal messages like “obey”, “marriage and reproduce”, and other things are shown in big letters. There’s even a flying saucer roaming around the city of Los Angeles to play up that element of sci-fi and suspense as Nada tries to hide from cops and other alien forces as he just kills them.
The direction also has Carpenter using some humor to comment on the situations where Nada always has something funny to say. Even as he kills the aliens with guns and whatever he can find realizing that they die like the humans. There’s also some very intense scenes that occur such as the famous fight scene between Nada and Frank where Nada tries to convince Frank to wear the sunglasses. Carpenter just lets the camera gaze and make the fighting feel as real as it could with very little cuts. It’s all about two men just getting it on and then realize that they’re the ones that will have to stop the aliens as it’s third act has Carpenter blending sci-fi, horror, and suspense into this chilling climax about what these aliens want to do. Overall, Carpenter creates a very exciting and smart film about conformity and social schism in the form of a sci-fi film with aliens.
Cinematographer Gary B. Kibbe does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the colorful look of the scenes set in Los Angeles in day and night as well as the black-and-white photography for the scenes of the characters seeing the aliens. Editors Gib Jaffe and Frank E. Jimenez do fantastic work with the editing to play into the film‘s suspense and action as well as using straight yet methodical cuts for the film‘s fight scene. Art directors William J. Durrell Jr. and Daniel A. Lomino, with set decorator Marvin March, do superb work with the set pieces from the home of Holly to the look of the posters and props appear in the locations.
The makeup work of Francisco X. Perez is amazing for the look of the aliens where they‘re seen for what they really are. Sound editor Jeffrey L. Sandler does terrific work with the sound from the use of sound effects as well as the atmosphere in the locations. The film’s music by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth is wonderful for its low-key yet brooding score with its mix of electronic music and blues to play into the element of mystery that occurs in the film.
The film’s cast is remarkable as it features some notable small roles from Sy Richardson as a revolutionary, Norman Alden as a construction foreman, Peter Jason as an underground organizer named Gilbert, and George “Buck” Foster as a drifter Nada meets at the shantytown who often complains about the TV being hacked. Meg Foster is terrific as a TV programmer named Holly that Nada meets as she is baffled by Nada’s appearances until she learns about the truth. Keith David is brilliant as Frank as a man just trying to mind his own business and work so he can get money for his family as he later deals with the aliens. Finally, there’s Roddy Piper in a marvelous performance as Nada as a wise-cracking drifter who makes the discoveries about aliens as he decides to fight them off and such while saying some funny things as it’s definitely an iconic performance from Piper.
They Live is a phenomenal film from John Carpenter that features superb performances from Roddy Piper and Keith David. It’s a very smart film that is entertaining but also with some brains where it’s not afraid to make fun of conformity and consumerism as well as bring something that is adventurous. In the end, They Live is a sensational film from John Carpenter.
John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Halloween - Someone’s Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward
The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof, Prometheus is the story about two scientists who join a space crew to travel to a distant planet thinking they have found the origins of humanity in this unknown planet unaware of what might really be lurking. The film is a prequel of sorts to the Alien franchise which Scott had started back in 1979 where it explores ideas of faith and humanity in a sci-fi horror setting. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Rafe Spall, Kate Dickie, Benedict Wong, Sean Harris, and Guy Pearce. Prometheus is a sprawling though somewhat messy film from Ridley Scott.
The film is about these two scientists who believe that an archeological drawing might have the answer into who created humanity as they travel to a distant planet on a ship headed by the Weyland Corporation. What they would eventually find is something else as it causes a lot of trouble as well as the end of humanity. It’s a premise that is simple but since there are things in the story that leaves a lot of questionable gaps as well as the motivations into some of the characters. Driving the story is Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) who is convinced that the drawing she and her longtime boyfriend in scientist Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) is an invitation to find the answers of human existence as they convince the ailing Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) to help them find these answers.
The film’s screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof does raise questions into what might have existed in another world and were these so-called Engineers the creators of humanity. Yet, the script doesn’t really explain much into who they were and where they really come from as Dr. Shaw, Holloway, Weyland manager Meredith Vickers, and an android named David (Michael Fassbender) all try to find the answers. Yet, Vickers and David have motives that are very different as the latter is programmed by his master to find things where he would eventually tamper with some of his discoveries.
There aren’t clear motivation about Vickers as she is this very ambiguous individual as she is just looking over everything as she’s also being kept in the dark by David. Then there’s the ship’s pilot Janek (Idris Elba) who is the film’s realist who is convinced that something isn’t right as his confirmations prove to be true. It all plays to the element of suspense though its outcome doesn’t really payoff as it becomes very obvious as it’s a major flaw in the screenplay. Even as several characters get killed off and more questions start to emerge about what is inside this mountain they found in a planet.
Ridley Scott’s direction is quite spectacular in the way he presents the film from this opening sequence of an Engineer drinking this mysterious substance only to fall into a waterfall as he is disintegrating setting the stage for what he might become later on. Much of the film is set in mountains as much of the film’s location was shot in Iceland to play into a world that is unique and almost Earthly. Scott’s presentation of these locations do have a sense of wonder as it’s set in the late 21st Century where humanity is becoming more eager to find its origins in a planet that is vast and probably filled with all of those things. Much of the film’s interior settings as it’s all shot in a soundstage play into that element of suspense and mystery where it’s about the characters trying to find out what is inside this mountain.
Due to the script’s shortcomings, Scott doesn’t do enough to build up the suspense where it’s obvious what’s going to happen as a couple of characters encounter some strange alien being that will cause a lot of trouble. Even as it would later play into the elements of the third act where Dr. Shaw has to either hold on to her faith or just accept the truth. Yet, her decision becomes crucial as she is fully aware of what is out there as there’s an added twist to the story which creates more ambiguities to the story. Despite some of the flaws in the story, Scott manages to create a very solid and extraordinary film about the idea of human existence and where humanity comes from.
Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the dark look of the mountain caves where the characters try to observe to the lights inside the Prometheus spaceship all the characters live in. Editor Pierto Scalia does amazing work with the editing from the use of rhythmic cuts to play out the suspense and action that occurs in the film. Production designer Arthur Max, with set decorator Sonja Klaus and supervising art director John King, do fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the caves and the objects there to the interiors inside Prometheus. Costume designer Janty Yates does nice work with the look of the astronaut suit the characters wear when they go into the planet‘s exteriors as well as the clothes inside the spaceship.
Makeup designer Tina Earnshaw does terrific work with some of the film makeup effects such as the look of Peter Weyland as well as the Engineers. The visual effects by Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, and Martin Hill do brilliant work with the visual effects such as the 3-D holograms that appear on the visual maps inside Prometheus as well as some of the looks of the planet they landed on. Sound editors Victor Ray Ennis and Mark P. Stoeckinger do superb work on the sound to create some amazing sound design to play into the suspense as well as some of the scenes inside the spaceship and caves. The film’s music by Marc Streitenfeld is wonderful for its low-key yet brooding score to play into some of the wonders that is discovered as well as some ominous pieces to play into its suspense.
The casting by Nina Gold and Avy Kaufman is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it includes some notable small performances from Kate Dickie as the ship’s medic Ford, Emun Elliot and Benedict Wong as Janek’s wise-cracking co-pilots, Patrick Wilson in a flashback scene as Elizabeth’s father, Rafe Spall as the nerdy biologist Millburn, and Sean Harris as the more wild geologist Fifield who isn’t so sure about what is going on in the caves. Guy Pearce is terrific in a small role as Peter Weyland as this man who appeared as a hologram as an aging man who supports what Dr. Shaw and Holloway are trying to find. Logan Marshall-Green is excellent as Charlie Holloway as a scientist who is also eager to find the answers like Dr. Shaw as he becomes frustrated with the lack of progress in the search. Charlize Theron is pretty good as Meredith Vickers as this cold and distant manager who watches over the mission where Theron is hampered by the script by her lack of motivations and ambiguity which makes her performance a bit baffling to watch.
Idris Elba is fantastic as Janek as this no-nonsense pilot who just flies the ship as he doesn’t think this is going to go well as he also brings some humor to the film with his wisecracks. Michael Fassbender is amazing as the android David as a robot that is eager to please his creator while having the desire to want to be human despite some of his actions as Fassbender is just a real standout in the film. Finally, there’s Noomi Rapace in a remarkable performance as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw as this woman who relies on her Christian faith to believe that there is something out there only to find trouble as she deals with a lot that would challenge her idea of faith and existence as she dares to asks bit questions.
Despite some of the shortcomings and messiness of its script, Prometheus is still a worthwhile and engaging film from Ridley Scott. Thanks in part to some of the themes it presents as well as the performances of Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Idris Elba. It’s a film that has ideas that are compelling while balancing it with some suspenseful entertainment though it is quite flawed. In the end, Prometheus is a very stellar film from Ridley Scott.
Ridley Scott Films: (The Duellists) - Alien - Blade Runner - (Legend) - (Someone to Watch Over Me) - (Black Rain) - (Thelma & Louise) - (1492: Conquest of Paradise) - (White Squall) - (G.I. Jane) - (Gladiator) - (Hannibal) - (Black Hawk Down) - (Matchstick Men) - (Kingdom of Heaven) - (A Good Year) - (American Gangster) - (Body of Lies) - (Robin Hood) - (The Counselor) - (Exodus) - The Martian - (Alien: Covenant) - All the Money in the World
© thevoid99 2013
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/31/06 w/ Additional Edits.
Directed by David Slade and written by Brian Nelson, Hard Candy tells the story of a 14-year old girl whose chats with a 30-year old photographer on the Internet leads to a meeting in a coffee shop. Things start out innocently where suddenly, things start to take a turn for the worse. Set into a dark, thriller genre, Hard Candy is a film where the Lolita-character takes revenge only to confuse on who is the victim. Starring Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page, and Sandra Oh. Hard Candy is a thrilling, provocative film from David Slade.
Chatting on the Internet in a discussion relating to sex, a 14-year old girl named Hayley (Ellen Page) wants to meet up with the person she's chatting with at a coffee shop. She waits at the shop carrying a book bag full of books where she meets a 30-something photographer named Jeff (Patrick Wilson). Jeff, is revealed to be the man she's been chatting with as the two go into discussion about photography, books, and music where she claims to be a fan of Goldfrapp and missed the show. He tells her that he has a bootleg back in his house and she wants to hear it. After buying her a t-shirt, Jeff decides to take Hayley to his house in the hills near Los Angeles. She sees his somewhat, posh house that included pictures of young women on the wall and a small studio.
After a conversation and talks about photos, Hayley decides to drink with Jeff where everything starts out innocently as he decides to take photographs of her. Then suddenly, he passes out and wakes up finding himself tied to a chair. Hayley then officially revealed her motives where she suspects that he's really a pedophile who shoots child pornography and hiding young girls where one of them is missing. He knows what she's talking about but claims that he's not the guy that's been capturing young girls. Immediately, the two go into a battle of mind games where he suspect that she's a young girl lashing out on her anger probably due to the neglect of her parents. She scoffs otherwise at his assumptions as she continues to try and make him confess about the missing girls.
Even as they engage in conversations about his role as an adult and herself as a kid, things get more tense in his attempts to escape where he's now tied up where she decides to perform a mental game of torture. The result makes him reveal a story as a kid where the suspicion of his possible pedophilia might be revealed as things start to wind down. After another attempt to escape falters, Hayley makes a deal with Jeff into doing where making things worse, his ex-girlfriend Janelle (Jennifer Holmes) has been called and a neighbor (Sandra Oh) is being suspicious after seeing Hayley on a roof earlier. Finally, the battle between the two comes to a point where ultimately, the truth is revealed with some damaging results.
The subject of pedophilia is something that not everyone will do but screenwriter Brian Nelson takes the subject as a revenge tale of sorts of a young girl wanting to go after a suspected pedophile and turns it into a thriller. With some stylized yet confrontational dialogue, the film moves as a psychological thriller where the audience is trying to understand the motives and truths behind everything. Then there's the stylized yet ominous direction of David Slade that captures everything with great intensity. The energy of some of the film's dramatic moments are captured while being aware that the film is really about characters and dialogue rather than a plot, which there isn't much of. Still, Slade's direction is amazing and fluid to create an atmosphere that is tense.
Helping Slade in his unique vision is cinematographer Jo Willems whose sharp color schemes in the film's first act ranging from the wooden look of the coffee shop, to the grainy brightness of the exterior parking lot to the more colorful look Jeff's house. Willems' photography is amazing in how it shifts from a normal color scheme to a more tinted, brighter, blueish color to convey something that is dramatic and stylistic. Editor Art Jones also plays to the film's stylistic approach with some wonderful editing that slows a few things down but during the film's intense moments involving action, the editing is fast and energetic while slowing down for more engaging shots. Production designer Jeremy Reed and art director Felicity Nove do wonderful work in the design of Jeff's studio and his house that plays to the film's eerie look and claustrophobic feel.
Costume designer Jennifer Johnson also plays to the film's color with Hayley's red hooded coat and the sexy clothing she wears early on to the gritty jeans that she wears in the second and third act. Sound editor Richard Taylor also adds to the film's claustrophobic tone with some eerie sounds that is accompanied by the eerie, plaintive score work of Harry Escott and Molly Nyman.
The film features a small cast that includes Odessa Rae (being credited as Jennifer Holmes) in the role of Jeff's girlfriend and a strange cameo from Sandra Oh of Grey's Anatomy and Sideways as a neighbor selling girl scout cookies and asking Hayley about a babysitting offer. Noted stage actor Patrick Wilson, whose previous works included The Alamo, Phantom of the Opera, and Angels in America gives a solid, complex performance as Jeff. Wilson's performance is brilliant as a man who starts off being a bit creepy yet charming only to become a victim where the audience end up sympathizing for him, even if he might or might not be a bad person. Still, it's a great performance from Wilson.
The film's real breakthrough is Ellen Page, a 19-year old Canadian with several Canadian and American TV movie and low-budget indies to her credit before appearing in recent films like Mouth to Mouth and X-Men 3: The Last Stand. Page brings an angst and innocence to her role where she starts off as this cute young girl reminiscent of early Natalie Portman. Then when Page goes into darker territory, her angst and energy is unstoppable and eerie to watch. Her multi-layered, engaging performance is something that is very unmatched with some of today's young actresses as Ellen Page proved to be the real thing.
Despite some uncomforting moments and unconventional tactics, Hard Candy is one of 2006's most uncompromising and provocative features. With Brian Nelson's script, David Slade's stylish directing, and the performances of Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson. This is a film that will shock audiences and will leave them uncomfortable while thinking about the horrors of pedophilia. In the end, Hard Candy isn't an easy film to swallow but definitely brings a lot of energy and style to the thriller genre.
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Alex Cox, Repo Man is the story of a young punk rocker who works with a repo man where they find a car that carries something mysterious in its trunk. The film is a mixture of sci-fi with elements of humor and commentary on culture clashes set in the Los Angeles punk rock scene. Starring Harry Dean Stanton, Emilio Estevez, Tracey Walter, Sy Richardson, and Olivia Barash. Repo Man is an extraordinary yet whimsical film from Alex Cox.
The film explores the world of men who repossess cars from those who have not paid their bills as one of them in Bud (Harry Dean Stanton) takes in a young street punk named Otto (Emilio Estevez) to be his protégé as they do their jobs where Otto learns the code of being a repo man. Yet, something strange is happening around Los Angeles as Bud, Otto, and their co-workers try to find a 1964 Chevy Malibu that is worth $20,000 as they have to deal with a rival repo company as well as street punks, and other strange forces who all want the car. Yet, there is something mysterious in that car where it could be something alien as Otto tries to make sense of everything while Bud wants it so he can gain financial independence.
Alex Cox’s script showcases a world that is kind of wild as it’s set during the early 1980s in Los Angeles where the L.A. punk scene was thriving and Otto is part of that world as he feels unhappy by his lame job at the supermarket and the fact that his hippie parents gave away his college money to a crooked evangelist. An encounter with Bud would give Otto something to do while finding something that is sort of dangerous and make some good money off of it. Yet, Otto would also encounter lots of strange things during his job including a young woman named Leila (Olivia Barash) who believes that aliens are coming to Earth as she and a mysterious driver named J. Frank Parnell (Fox Harris) are being tailed by scientists and government officials who want to know about what is in Parnell’s trunk.
The film features a lot of strange narratives that includes a trio of punks robbing places and stealing things, Otto getting his taste of the repo life, and dealing with rival repo men as they all want this 1964 Chevy Malibu that features a $20,000 reward. Many of which includes some humorous moments as well as some dark moments that would force Otto to look into what could be a bleak future as Bud becomes frustrated with the fact that his fellow workers don’t want to live the code that he likes to live by. It’s a film that definitely features a lot of genre-bending themes from the buddy-film to elements of sci-fi adventure where it could’ve been uneven and messy but Cox manages to find a way to bring it all together in its third act where everyone tries to go after the car.
Cox’s direction is very stylish for not just the way he presents early 1980s Los Angeles where it’s kind of messy and wild where there’s some poverty and such. Yet, it has this energy that is just intoxicating to watch from some of the scenes of Bud and Otto stealing cars where there is that sense of thrill to some of action involving the 1964 Chevy Malibu. Cox uses a lot of straightforward compositions as well as wide shots to play out the look of Los Angeles including some intimate moments to showcase the chaos of the L.A. punk scene. Cox’s direction also plays into the world of the repo business where many of the people Otto work with are men who have no qualms taking things away from people as it’s all about pay your bills or we will take your shit. Otto eventually learns the hard way about these rules as he would have a few bad encounters where things do crazy but he gets the job done.
Cox would also fuse the film with an element of sci-fi and horror as there is that element of mystery of what is in the trunk of this 1964 Chevy Malibu and who ever opens it pretty much gets burned to death. Even as the many rivals Bud and Otto have will all steal the car but will notice that something isn’t right where it becomes clear that there is something in the car. Even as Cox creates some scenes and characters that all play into that element of suspense where it would create this amazing climax involving the car as repo men and scientists face off to uncover the mystery of that car. Overall, Cox creates a very imaginative and exciting film about repo men trying to get a mysterious car for $20,000.
Cinematographer Robby Muller does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful and evocative cinematography with the look of the daytime exteriors scenes to the gorgeous use of colors and lights for the interior and exterior scenes set at night. Editor Dennis Dolan does amazing work with the editing to play up the rhythm of the action and humor as well as slowing it down to play into the more suspenseful moments. Art directors J. Rae Fox and Lydia Burbank, with set decorator Cheryl Cutler, do terrific work with the look of the repo place Otto and Bud work at to the bars and clubs Otto and Leila hang out at. Costume designer Theda DeRamus does nice work with the costumes as it’s mostly low-key from the shirt-and-tie to the look of the punks.
The visual effects by William Cruse does excellent work with some of the visual effects from the way the people get burned after seeing the contents in the trunk of the Chevy Malibu to the look of the car when it glows late in the film. Sound editor Warren Hamilton Jr, does superb work with the sound to play up some of the atmosphere of the clubs as well as some of the sound effects such as gunfire and such to play into the chaos of L.A.. The film’s music by Tito Larriva and Steven Hufsteter is fantastic for its mixture of punk and low-key electronic music to play out its suspense and energy while music supervisor Kathy Nelson creates an exciting soundtrack that features music from such punk luminaries as the Circle Jerks, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies, Fear, and Iggy Pop doing the theme song for the film.
The casting by Victoria Thomas is great as it features some appearances from the punk band the Circle Jerks as a nightclub band, the Untouchables as a gang that Otto gets into trouble with, Dick Rude as Otto’s former punk friend Duke, Miguel Sandoval as Duke’s dim-witted friend Archie, Jennifer Balgobin as Otto’s former girlfriend Debbi, Zander Schloss as Otto’s former supermarket co-worker Kevin, and Del Zamora & Eddie Velez as the rival repo men in the Rodriguez brothers. Fox Harris is terrific as the very strange J. Frank Parnell who drives around the 1964 Chevy Malibu while Vonetta McGee is excellent as no-nonsense secretary Marlene. Susan Barnes is superb as the mysterious Agent Rogersz who has a silvery glove in her left hand while Tracey Walters is hilarious as the kooky Miller who always have some strange philosophies as he often intrigues Otto.
Olivia Barish is fantastic as Leila as this young woman with a fascination for aliens has her meeting Otto unaware of the trouble they’re in. Sy Richardson is brilliant as the very uncompromising Lite who carries a gun and does things to steal with no sense of morals at all. Emilio Estevez is amazing as Otto as this young man who is a point in his life where he deals with an uncertain future only to find thrills and such in being a repo man as he would later deal with some chilling consequences. Finally, there’s Harry Dean Stanton in a tremendous performance as Bud as this very no-nonsense guy who lives a certain code while always finding ways to get whatever he wants as he later deals with changing time and the prospect of being independent as he and Estevez have great scenes together in displaying the chemistry between old and young ideals.
Repo Man is a dazzling film from Alex Cox that features top-notch performances from Harry Dean Stanton and Emilio Estevez. The film isn’t just a funny and weird sci-fi comedy but also a very imaginative one that reveals men’s desire to find their way while dealing with strange forces. In the end, Repo Man is a phenomenal film from Alex Cox.
Alex Cox Films: Sid & Nancy - (Straight to Hell) - (Walker) - (El Patrullero) - (Death and the Compass) - (The Winner) - (Three Businessmen) - (Revengers Tragedy) - (Searchers 2.0) - (Repo Chick)
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Alejandro Brugues, Juan de los Muertos (Juan of the Dead) is the story about a 40-year old slacker who finds himself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse in Cuba as he gathers his friends and his daughter to fight against zombies in Cuba while making money off of it. The film is an ode to the George Romero zombie films while setting in a country that is often isolated from the world. Starring Alexis Diaz de Villegas, Jorge Molina, and Andrea Duro. Juan de los Muertos is a very exciting and funny zombie film from Alejandro Brugues.
The film is a simple story about a man in his 40s named Juan (Alexis Diaz de Villegas) who doesn’t really do anything except help out elderly neighbors and attend community meetings while sleeping around with a married woman as he also has an estranged daughter named Camila (Andrea Duro) whom he doesn’t see very often. Then on a day in Havana where he hangs out with his friend Lazaro (Jorge Molina) and Lazaro’s son Vladi California (Andros Perugorria), they suddenly encounter zombies as Juan gathers whatever family and friends he has left to battle the zombies while making some money out of it. It’s a film that takes the zombie genre and set it in Havana, Cuba where it’s a place where no one is sure what is going on as the government claims that the forces they’re dealing with are dissidents, anarchists, or anything involving the U.S.
Alejandro Brugues’ screenplay definitely plays to a lot of the conventions that is expected with the genre while he blends the film with lots of humor. Especially as someone like Juan has no clue about zombies thinking they’re just nothing more than dissidents and anarchists that have gone wrong. Despite the fact that Juan and Lazaro are slackers who have no qualms wanting to profit from killing zombies. It’s just that their business venture doesn’t always work out as they unfortunately kill some good people but it’s often by accident. Yet, Juan wants to make his daughter proud as she had always been disappointed by him as she would also prove to be helpful in the zombie-killing business by killing some in her own way. Still, the dwindling numbers of humans and the growing number of zombies does add some dramatic weight that is to happen where Juan realizes what he and his small band must do to survive.
Brugues’ direction is pretty straightforward in terms of compositions as Brugues was able to shoot the film in Havana. Especially as the idea of a zombie apocalypse in Havana seems pretty funny where Brugues uses some TV news footage where the press and government try to deny the idea of the zombies rampaging all over Cuba. Brugues knows how to fuse suspense and humor where the people of Havana have no idea how to deal with this apocalypse except for Juan by accident as he gets some friends to try and kill whatever they can in order to survive. Throughout the film, Brugues puts in a lot of gags which often involves Lazaro accidentally killing people with his harpoon gun. Yet, it just adds to the energy of the film that is always exciting as the mixture of humor, horror, suspense, and drama somehow manages to work. Overall, Brugues creates a very entertaining and terrifying zombie film that gives audience enough gore and laughs for them to enjoy.
Cinematographer Carles Gusi does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as he uses its low-key digital look to create a sense of terror in some of the scenes set at night as well as a few tints for many of the film‘s daytime scenes. Editor Mercedes Cantero does fantastic work with the editing to create some montages as well as some stylish cuts to play with some of the film‘s action. Art director Derubin Jacome does nice work with some of the set pieces such as the apartment roof where Juan and his gang live as well as the look of some of the places they encounter. Costume designer Esther Vaquero does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the character La China (Jazz Vila) who wears flamboyant clothing.
Special effects makeup designer Cristian Perez Jauregui does brilliant work with the look of the zombies as well as playing to their decayed look with some detached limbs and such. Visual effects supervisors Manuel Rico and Juan Ventura do some wonderful work with some of the visual effects in not just the death of the zombies but also to play with some of the exteriors of Havana. Sound editor Jose A. Manovel does superb work with the sound in creating some sound effects for the zombie deaths as well as the atmosphere in some of the location settings. The film’s music by Sergio Valdes is amazing for its very playful Cuban-based music filled with some jazz as well as traditional Cuban dance music as the soundtrack also includes Sid Vicious’ cover of My Way.
The film’s marvelous cast includes some notable small performances from Susana Pous as a married neighbor Juan sleeps with, Blanca Rosa Blanco as a hooker Lazaro likes, Manuel Herrera as a TV announcer always displaying some untruthful news, Jazz Vila as the very flamboyant La China, Eliecer Ramirez as the big strongman El Primo who faints whenever he sees blood, and Antonio Dechent as a mysterious zombie killer simply known as Father Jones. Andros Perugorria is excellent as Lazaro’s son California who is proven to be a formidable opponent for the zombies as he helps gather food for the survivors. Andrea Duro is fantastic as Juan’s daughter Camila who returns to Cuba from Spain as she deals with the zombie apocalypse as she helps her estranged father as well as fall for California.
Jorge Molina is great as Juan’s dim-witted and horny friend Lazaro who is definitely a badass though he does things that aren’t so great yet manages to bring some nice humor to the film. Finally, there’s Alexis Diaz de Villegas as Juan as this man who hasn’t done much in life as he tries to deal with the zombie apocalypse in his own unique way where he brings a lot of intensity and humor to his character that makes him a very unique protagonist.
Juan de los Muertos is a spectacular film from Alejandro Brugues. The film is definitely a zombie film that has all the things needed in the genre while infusing it with bits of social and political commentary set in a world that is often isolated from everyone. Especially as it has Cubans fighting off zombies with whatever they got and have fun doing it as well as make a nice profit. In the end, Juan de los Muertos is a remarkable film from Alejandro Brugues.
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the short story by George Langelaan and its 1958 film adaptation directed by Kurt Neumann, The Fly is the story about a scientist whose attempt to create a teleport machine has suddenly gone wrong when a fly ends up in one of the pods he was in as his girlfriend tries to help him. Directed by David Cronenberg and screenplay by Cronenberg and Charles Edward Pogue, the film is a modern-day version of the 1958 film that explores a man’s experiment gone wrong as he starts to lose his idea of humanity. Starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, and John Getz. The Fly is an astounding yet unsettling sci-fi horror film from David Cronenberg.
The film has this simple premise in which a brilliant yet eccentric scientist named Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) who has been trying to create a teleport machine in the hopes that the idea of traveling via air, road, or sea would ceased to exist. After showing it to a journalist named Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) who meets him at a science convention, she helps give him ideas on how something living can transport from one pod to another. When Seth decides to teleport himself from one pod to another, the experiment works until Veronica is convinced something has gone wrong when it became clear that a housefly was in the pod with Seth as he starts to disintegrate and lose his humanity where he becomes this strange hybrid between man and fly. It’s an idea that has all of the elements that is perfect for a sci-fi horror film with elements of drama and dark humor as it plays into a man’s obsession with becoming brilliant yet finds himself becoming something else.
The film’s screenplay has a unique structure that plays into world of Seth Brundle as the first act is about him meeting Veronica and showing her his teleport experiment. The two eventually have a relationship much to the dismay of Veronica’s editor/former boyfriend Stathis Borans (John Getz) who learns about the affair as he follows Veronica. An act of jealousy from Brundle over Veronica’s relationship with Stathis would have him try the experiment itself as its second act would play into his belief that the experiment has made him better. Veronica however, starts to question him about what he’s become as hairs are coming out of a scar from his back. It is all part of the schematics of what is expected in the genre yet David Cronenberg and co-screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue add an element of human drama into the story. Especially in the love story between Seth and Veronica as Seth finds someone he can talk to while Veronica is fascinated by Seth’s genius.
By the film’s second half where Veronica becomes concerned for Seth’s well-being and his denial about what he’s becoming. It all plays to this very chilling third act where Seth has accepted into what he’s becoming as he tries to find a way to save himself. Veronica tries to help but couldn’t believe the state that he’s become while there’s another element that ups the drama as well as everything else that would play into Veronica’s own well-being. This would get Stathis involved as he tries to help Veronica while discovering what has happened to Seth where it would play into a very intense climax.
Cronenberg’s direction is very engaging in not just the way he plays into the drama but also take a slow burn into creating the horror that is to come. Many of the compositions that Cronenberg does for its first act is quite simple as it plays out as an understated drama with a bits of humor and romance where it builds up the romance between Seth and Veronica. Yet, there’s the Stathis character who is kind of a smarmy schmuck that still has feelings for Veronica as he would definitely drive Seth into jealousy which makes him wanting to test his teleport device himself. Cronenberg would create these shots of Seth showing the newfound strength and abilities that he has after being teleported but there are a few moments where Cronenberg would play into that sense of horror through a few key shots and sounds that would create a sense of foreboding.
There are bits of horrific moments that occur in the first half but it would all come to play in the second half such as a scene where Seth leaves in a state of anger to get a drink as he would do some things that would begin his de-evolution as a human being. Notably in the third act where the horror becomes very real when Veronica finally sees what Seth has become after a few weeks where he’s become this very horrific hybrid of human and fly. There is also an added dramatic stake that would increase the sense of horror where Seth’s state of mind becomes more erratic and less human as it involves Veronica. Even as the horror becomes this mixture of gore and body horror as there’s some drastic decisions to be made as well as tragedy over what Seth had become. Overall, Cronenberg creates a very intense and terrifying film about a man’s experiment that went horribly wrong.
Cinematographer Mark Irwin does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the use of lights to play into the interior of Seth‘s loft as well as some of the look of the many locations set in Toronto. Editor Ronald Sanders does brilliant work with the editing by creating some methodical cuts to play up the horror as well as some rhythmic cuts to showcase Seth‘s state of mind as it becomes erratic. Production designer Carol Spier, with set decorator Elinor Rose Galbraith and art director Rolf Harvey, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of Seth‘s loft as well as the design of the pods.
Costume designer Denise Cronenberg does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the men wearing suits while it‘s Veronica that gets to wear some more stylish clothes. Special makeup effects by Stephen Dupuis and Chris Walas is tremendous for the look of Seth in the state he‘s in where he slowly starts to look like a freak with some very disturbing results as well as what he would look like later on as it‘s makeup work at its finest. Sound editors David Evans and Wayne Griffin do superb work with the sound from the way the pods sound when the doors open to some of the intimate moments such as the sound of the housefly. The film’s music by Mark Irwin is fantastic for its chilling score which is a mixture of low-key electronics and broad orchestral arrangements to play out the sense of horror and suspense.
The casting by Deirdre Bowen is terrific as it features a mostly small cast that includes Leslie Carlson as a doctor friend of Stathis, Joy Boushel as a woman at a bar Seth meets, George Chuvalo as that woman’s friend, and David Cronenberg making a cameo as a gynecologist in a very terrifying scene. John Getz is excellent as Stathis Borans as a man who has feelings for Veronica as he is very smarmy around her until he learns about what is happening to Seth as he tries to help Veronica. Geena Davis is remarkable as Veronica Quaife as a journalist who falls for Seth as she is later terrified by the changes he’s going through as she tries to help him while dealing with something that would complicate everything. Finally, there’s Jeff Goldblum in a magnificent performance as Seth Brundle as this brilliant yet weird scientist who hopes to change the world with a teleport machine only to succumb to the condition that would make him less human.
The Fly is an outstanding film from David Cronenberg that features brilliant leading performances from Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. Along with some great technical work in its look, music, and its award-winning makeup effects. It is definitely a film that can be classified as what a horror film should be and more. Even as it has that element of human drama and suspense that makes it stand out to appeal to audiences who aren’t into horror. In the end, The Fly is a phenomenal film from David Cronenberg.
David Cronenberg Films: Stereo - Crimes of the Future - Shivers - Rabid - Fast Company - The Brood - Scanners - Videodrome - The Dead Zone - Dead Ringers - Naked Lunch - M. Butterfly - Crash - eXistenZ - Spider - A History of Violence - Eastern Promises - A Dangerous Method - Cosmopolis - Maps to the Stars - Crimes of the Future (2022 film)
The Auteurs #26: David Cronenberg: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2013
