Based on the novel by Robert Ludlum, The Osterman Weekend is the story of a network news broadcaster who has been approached by the CIA to meet with friends during a weekend outing to see if they‘re really KGB spies who are threatening national security. Directed by Sam Peckinpah and screenplay by Alan Sharp from a screen story by Ian Masters, the film is a suspense thriller set during the Cold War as it play into a eerie weekend for a man. Starring Rutger Hauer, John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Hopper, Meg Foster, Helen Shaver, Chris Sarandon, and Burt Lancaster. The Osterman Weekend is a fascinating though flawed film from Sam Peckinpah.
The film revolves around a controversial network news broadcaster, whose TV show has often criticized the American government, that is met by officials from the CIA and the FBI who tell him that his three powerful friends are KGB spies. It’s a film that isn’t just about trust but also a world where everyone is watched as it’s part of this emergence of a new world order as this news broadcaster finds himself targeted for his critiques of the government. Still, he has to force himself to see that there are dark forces as he reluctantly agrees to help them on the condition that the CIA director appears on his show as it would all revolve on this weekend outing with friends that becomes unlike any other weekend. Alan Sharp’s screenplay does create a lot of intrigue about not just national security but also in who to trust as the protagonist John Tanner (Rutger Hauer) becomes a pawn in a game run by the CIA director Maxwell Danforth (Burt Lancaster).
Helping Danforth in assignment is an agent in Lawrence Fassett (John Hurt) who has his own motivations to do this as he believes the KGB killed his wife and wants revenge where he does whatever to help Tanner expose and hopefully get Tanner’s friends to defect. The second act would be set in Tanner’s home with his wife and son where their friends would appear for an annual weekend where no one, except for Tanner, knows they’re being watched by Fassett nearby through surveillance video. What was supposed to be a fun weekend ends up being very tense as the TV producer Bernie Osterman (Craig T. Nelson), plastic surgeon Richard Tremayne (Dennis Hopper), and the stock trader Joseph Cardone (Chris Sarandon) become uneasy by strange things happening. Though it does have a straightforward narrative, the script doesn’t flesh out the three men accused as spies fully as well as in what is revealed. Plus, the twists and turns become very messy as it does lose some insight into what is happening and which characters are good or evil.
Sam Peckinpah’s direction is definitely mesmerizing for the way it plays into the mystery and suspense as it starts off with a surveillance video of Fassett and his wife having sex until she is killed while he is in the shower. It play into this emergence of a world where everyone is watched as well as what kind of power the American government is willing to do during the age of the Cold War as well as target the media who have begun to question their tactics. Shot largely in Los Angeles, the film play into this emergence of an ever-increasing world of surveillance and media trying to manipulate what is truth and fiction. Much of Peckinpah’s approach to compositions are intimate as well as using a lot of intricate camera work to play into growing new world order in the Cold War. Especially with the usage of surveillance video as it adds to the suspense where Tanner would watch Fassett on a TV set talking to him and vice versa as there would be bits of humor that would emerge in the film.
There would be moments of violence such as a chase scene where Tanner goes after men attempting to kidnap his wife and son as well as a climatic confrontation involving Tanner where it has a lot of the stylistic touches that Peckinpah is known for. A lot of it is quite exciting and such yet the film does feel very muddled during the second act and its lead-up to the third where it loses some of its suspense. It’s not just the script that becomes messy but it is also the fact that there were some forces behind the scenes who wanted to create something with a lot of twists but it ends up becoming somewhat predictable and heavy-handed which is something Peckinpah isn’t about. Despite the flaws and the fact that he didn’t have final cut, Peckinpah does at least make a fascinating thriller about a TV broadcast reporter being used as a pawn to lure his friends who are believed to be KGB spies.
Cinematographer John Coquillon does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it largely focuses on low-key lighting and such for many of the film‘s interiors and nighttime exteriors through its low-grade film stock. Editors Edward M. Abroms and David Rawlings do some nice work with the editing as it feature some slow-motion cutting for some of the action including a great chase scene and in some of the action in the climax though it does feel muddled at times. Art director Robb Wilson King and set decorator Keith Hein do fantastic work with the look of the home that Tanner lives which is the setting for the weekend as well as the office that Danforth works at.
Sound designers Alan Howarth and Clancy T. Troutman do terrific work with the sound with the way some of the surveillance equipment is presented as well as in some of the action though the mixing is low in the way some of the dialogue is presented at times. The film’s music by Lalo Schifrin is pretty good for its jazz-like score with elements of keyboard and piano-based music as bits of orchestral music that play into the suspense though it feels like it doesn‘t do enough to make it intense.
The casting by Michael McLean is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Merete Van Kamp as Fassett’s wife, Christopher Starr as Tanner’s son Steve, Jan Triska as a KGB agent, Hansford Rowe as a general Tanner destroys on his TV show, and Sandy McPeak as Danforth’s right-hand man Stennings whom he aids in creating trouble with Danforth. Cassie Yates is good as Cardone’s wife Betty who becomes uncomfortable with the weekend due to the tension while Helen Shaver is fantastic as Tremayne’s wife Virginia as this wild and talkative woman with a cocaine addiction who just riles people up as she manages to piss off Tanner’s wife Ali. Meg Foster is excellent as Ali as Tanner’s wife who is wondering what is going on as she also suspicious of Fassett where she would have her moment as a full-on badass with a bow-and-arrow. Chris Sarandon is terrific as the stock trader Joseph Cardone as someone who becomes unhinged by what is happening on the weekend though it’s a very underwritten role. Dennis Hopper is superb as Richard Tremayne as a plastic surgeon who tries to maintain some control despite his wife’s drug addiction as he is the most sensible of the three men.
Craig T. Nelson is amazing as the TV producer Bernie Osterman as a man who is the most suspicious of the three that could be affiliated with the KGB as he is also a martial arts expert where Nelson manages to convey that ambiguity despite his ridiculous-looking mustache. Burt Lancaster is remarkable as the CIA director Maxwell Danforth as this man who is willing to do whatever it takes to win the Cold War while trying to get Tanner to see the bigger picture of what will happen as he also has some ambiguity to him. John Hurt is marvelous as Lawrence Fassett as a British agent working for the CIA who would aid Tanner in uncovering the truth to pursue his revenge over his wife’s death while there is also something about him that is ambiguous that is added with some offbeat humor. Finally, there’s Rutger Hauer in a stellar but flawed performance as John Tanner as this TV show host who finds himself being a pawn where Hauer doesn’t really do much to flesh out his character due to the faults of the script despite his determination to try and make sense of things and take action.
Despite the post-production tampering, faulty script, and muddled tone, The Osterman Weekend is still a terrific and fascinating film from Sam Peckinpah. Featuring a fantastic ensemble cast and a compelling look into the world of surveillance and national security. It’s a film that is definitely flawed but does say a lot about the dark aspects of the modern world in the age of the Cold War. In the end, The Osterman Weekend is a good yet messy film from Sam Peckinpah.
Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Straw Dogs - Junior Bonner - The Getaway - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - The Killer Elite - Cross of Iron - Convoy - The Auteurs #62: Sam Peckinpah
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Sam Peckinpah and written by Bill L. Norton, Convoy is the story of a group of truckers who band together to do a convoy and deal with a corrupt sheriff. Based on C.W. McCall song of the same name and the CB radio-fad of the 1970s, the film is an action-adventure film that revolves around the craze into a road-like adventure. Starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Burt Young, Madge Sinclair, Franklyn Ajaye, Burt Young, Seymour Cassel, and Ernest Borgnine. Convoy is a silly and uninteresting film from Sam Peckinpah.
The film follows around a trucker whose encounters with a corrupt sheriff forces him to create a convoy from Arizona to Texas in order to avoid persecution during a brawl at a restaurant. It’s a film with a simple story but it never makes sense into what is going on into why these truckers are doing a convoy across the American Southwest while trying to avoid the authorities. The film’s screenplay has a lot that is happening but it often feels very derivative of the car chase films of the 1970s. Most notably Smokey and the Bandit but with lots of trucks and a more devious antagonist as it never really provides any idea of what these truckers are doing a convoy for as its protagonist Rubber Duck (Kris Kristofferson) becomes some unlikely folk hero. Though Rubber Duck is definitely the most interesting character of the film along with a few fellow truckers, they’re not given much to do or be fleshed out more while Duck’s traveling companion in a photographer Melissa (Ali MacGraw) is just some love interest.
While there are elements in Sam Peckinpah’s direction that bear some of his visual trademark in terms of his elaborate action set pieces and slow-motion approach to action. Yet, it feels quite derivative as it goes overboard and doesn’t really do much to help tell the story while it is clear that there was some tampering into what Peckinpah was trying to do. While there are some wide shots of the locations with some second unit direction provided by James Coburn. The direction is often focused on close-ups and medium shots to capture what goes on inside a truck as well as the world of the truck stops and camps where they go into. Yet, they don’t really do much visually where Peckinpah wanted to balance not just some of the action but also the humor as the latter feels forced. When it reaches it climax in this showdown between Rubber Duck and the sheriff known as Cottonmouth (Ernest Borgnine), it does feel quite derivative as it is overly stylized and it is followed by something that is quite lame as it pertains to its ending which is definitely something Peckinpah doesn’t do. Overall, Peckinpah creates a messy and ridiculous film about a trucker leading a convoy against a vile sheriff.
Cinematographer Harry Stradling Jr. does nice work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the gorgeous sunny locations of the American Southwest in the day along with some lighting for the scenes set at night. Editors Garth Craven and John Wright do OK work with the editing where it does showcase what is happening yet its approach in the slow-motion cuts and some of the fast-cutting is just downright terrible. Production designer Fernando Carrere, with set decorator Frank Lombardo and art director J. Dennis Washington, does nice work with some of the interior of the trucks and truck stops as well as the truckers‘ camp in the film‘s second half. Sound mixer William Randall does some fine work with the sound as it play into the way the horns sound as well as the truck engines and other moments involving the action. The film’s music by Chip Davis is pretty good for its mixture of orchestral music with bits of country to play into the world of the American Southwest while music supervisor Bill Fries creates a soundtrack filled with music from Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard, Crystal Gayle, Kenny Rogers, Doc Watson, Anne Murray, and a new version of the titular song by C.W. McCall.
The casting by Lynn Stalmaster is superb for the ensemble that is created despite its lackluster script as it feature some notable small roles from Jorge Russek as a brutal sheriff from Texas, Tommy Bush as a sheriff trying to help Cottonmouth, Donnie Fritts as the Reverend Sloane who rides a bus and joins the convoy with his band of hippie churchgoers, Cassie Yates as Rubber Duck’s waitress girlfriend Violet, and Seymour Cassel as New Mexico governor Jerry Haskins who wants to use Rubber Duck for his own political campaign for the senate. Franklyn Ajaye and Madge Sinclair are good in their respective roles as the African-American truckers Spider Mike and Widow Woman with the former wanting to get home to his wife for the birth of his child and the latter being this quirky, Rastafarian-type of gal.
Burt Young is terrific as Bobby aka Pig Pen/Love Machine as the comic relief who is also a realist as he is this trucker that knows what is going on and can smell bullshit from miles away. Ernest Borgnine is terrible as the sheriff Cottonmouth as a sheriff that is quite dark yet is often seen as a comic foil as Borgnine is unfortunately put into some very humiliating moments. Ali MacGraw is uninspired as Melissa as a photographer with a bad haircut who is just there as a reluctant love interest that is trying to understand what Rubber Duck is doing as it’s just a badly written character. Finally, there’s Kris Kristofferson in a wonderful performance as Rubber Duck as a truck driver who has had enough of Cottonmouth’s abusive attitude as he decides to go on the run unaware that he’s created a convoy even though it’s a role that isn’t well-written either.
Convoy is a pretty bad film from Sam Peckinpah that bear little of his oeuvre as well as the fact that it’s just a film based on a fucking novelty song. It’s a film for anyone interested in the CB craze of the 70s might want to take an interest in but this is definitely an inessential film from Peckinpah as it shows a director not in total control. In the end, Convoy is just a terrible film from Sam Peckinpah.
Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Straw Dogs - Junior Bonner - The Getaway - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - The Killer Elite - Cross of Iron - The Osterman Weekend - The Auteurs #62: Sam Peckinpah
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel by Lothar-Gunther Buchheim, Das Boot (The Boat) is the story of U-boat captain and his crew trekking around the Atlantic Ocean to find and destroy Allied ships while dealing with the daily grinding living and working in a submarine. Written for the screen and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the film is an unusual war film that is largely inside a German U-boat where a captain and his inexperienced crew deal with the chaos of war. Starring Jurgen Prochnow, Herbert Gronemeyer, and Klaus Wennemann. Das Boot is a gripping and rapturous film from Wolfgang Petersen.
Set in October 1941, the film follows a war correspondent whose job is to be observe and look into the actions of a U-boat captain and his crew as they look for and destroy Allied ships during the Battle of the Atlantic Ocean. The film may have a simple story but it has a lot of complexities about not just life inside a submarine but what a captain must do to not just survive but also outsmart and evade the enemy in the sea. Wolfgang Petersen’s screenplay is also focused on the characters such as the captain (Jurgen Prochnow) who has seen a lot of battles and been through a lot yet finds himself dealing with a large crew who hadn’t had much experienced being in a submarine nor deal with the chaos of war. With the exception of the chief engineer (Kluas Wennemann) and chief mechanic Johan (Erwin Leder), much of the crew are young men as well as a few young officers with Lieutenant Werner (Herbert Gronemeyer) being new on board as he is the war correspondent.
The script is focused not just on the tedious atmosphere of being in a submarine as it mostly takes place inside the submarine but also what many had to do in their duties. Especially as the crew have to sleep in cramped bunks with little room as well as run through the narrow parts of the ship without the need to stop in case of an emergency or the enemy is nearby. For Lt. Werner, he sees what the crew had to do as many of them don’t like him at first because he is just there to observe. Yet, he would take part in helping them as it would be these little moments where he would gain their respect while he would befriend a young officer candidate in Ullmann (Martin May) who has a French girlfriend in France as he worries about her. The first act is about the life of being in a U-boat as well as the search for the enemy while the second act is about the encounters with a British destroyer and the need to survive.
The captain himself does whatever he can to oversee everything as he becomes weary as he also has to carry the weight of responsibility for his ship and his crew. Even as he has to cope with a ship that is often under attack by depth charges from the British destroyer as well as a moment in the aftermath of an attack where he and his officers look in horror over a British ship they destroyed. The third act isn’t just about the what the captain needs to do to get home but also the harsh realities of war as it’s something Lt. Werner would learn to cope with. Even as he and some of the officers during a stop before this trip home at a merchant ship become aware of the disconnect that those who aren’t even on the battlefield are unaware of.
Petersen’s direction is truly intense in the way he presents life inside a U-boat as the submarine itself is a character in the film but one that is quite menacing and eerie. While many of the exteriors including the film’s opening party sequence is shot partially near Munich with some of it shot around France. Much of the film is shot in a soundstage for the submarine interiors as it is very cramped and claustrophobic where Petersen creates that sense of feeling of how narrow and small the interior walls are inside the submarine. With the aid of the Arriflex-camera which is a smaller version of the steadicam, Petersen’s approach to fast tracking shots to capture the viewpoint of how a crew member would run from one side of the ship to another through these narrow holes in between. It adds to the frenetic tone of the film whenever some sense of danger occurs as Petersen just amps up that intensity. Especially in the quieter moments where it is about the battle of wits as the sub tries to hide itself from that British destroyer who keeps dropping depth charges as they can’t make a noise.
While there are some wide shots including some scenes outside of the ship with some unique backdrops to play into the intensity of the storms. Petersen would favor using medium shots and close-ups to not just play into the claustrophobia of what is going inside the sub but also in the moments where everyone is dealing with aspects of the ship that isn’t working or moments where nothing is happening. There are moments that are humorous from the opening sequence to a few bits inside the sub yet much of it is quite serious including its climatic third act where the boat has to go through an entire British fleet undetected yet it would be a major risk. It is a climax that is quite chilling and unsettling but it also proves what these men will do to survive under great danger inside this submarine. Overall, Petersen creates a harrowing yet visceral film about a U-boat captain and his crew trying to find Allied ships and destroy them in the Atlantic Ocean.
Cinematographer Jost Vacano does brilliant work with the look of the many interiors in the submarine with its usage of lights and shade to play into what is happening on the inside as well as some beautiful exterior scenes in the day and night to play into where the boat is as well as what is going on underwater. Editor Hannes Nikel does excellent work with the editing with the usage of jump-cuts for some of the abrupt moments of action as well as other stylized cuts to play into the suspense and drama that occurs in the film. Production designer Rolf Zehetbauter and art director Gotz Weidner do amazing work with not just the look of the interiors and rooms of the submarine from its engine room and where the torpedoes are but also in the party in the opening sequence and at merchant ship banquet early in the third act. Costume designer Monika Bauert does nice work with the costumes from the uniforms of some of the officers as well as the ragged clothes that the men wear inside the submarine.
Special effects supervisor Karl Baumgartner does fantastic work with the look of the exteriors of the submarine from underwater as well as the backdrops for some of the exteriors of the submarine during the storms as well as in some of the battle scenes. Sound editors Karen Baker Landers, J. Stanley Johnston, and Michael Keller, along with sound designer Scott Martin Gershin, for 1997 special edition director’s cut do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of what is happening inside a submarine and the way the metal is heard underwater as it goes very deep as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music Klaus Doldinger is incredible for its bombastic orchestral score as it has moments that are quite serene to the moments of intensity during the action and suspense scenes while the soundtrack feature elements of classical or folk songs of the times.
The casting by Willy Schlenter is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Gunter Lamprecht as a merchant ship captain, Sky du Mont as an officer at the merchant ship, Claude-Oliver Rudolph as a mechanic named Arlo, Jan Fedder and Ralf Richter as two petty officers, Oliver Stritzel as a torpedo man, Jean-Clause Hoffmann as a diving planes operator, Uwe Ochsenknecht as a torpedo supervisor who is upset over the loss of his futbol team, Bernd Tauber as 3rd watch officer/navigator Kriechbaum, and Heinz Hoenig as the radioman Hinrich who is the jack-of-all-trades of the ship as he listens to everything while also being a medic and a sonar repairman. Martin May is terrific as the officer candidate Ullmann as one of the few Lt. Werner connects with as he deals with the fact that he has a girlfriend in France and worries about what the French will think of her being with a German.
Martin Semmelrogge is superb as the 2nd watch officer whose job is to decode codes as he is quite vulgar in his actions yet liked by the crew. Erwin Leder is fantastic as the chief mechanic Johann as a man who tends to the diesel engines with great care as he nearly loses it during a silent run. Hubertus Bengsch is excellent as the 1st watch officer as a by-the-book officer who always maintains a clean look and other quirks to make him very different from everyone else until he deals with the reality of war. Otto Sander is brilliant as Captain Thomsen as a fellow U-boat captain who is celebrated in the film’s opening party scene as he is this drunken yet wild captain who would meet them again in his boat during a storm.
Klaus Wennemann is amazing as the chief engineer as a veteran who is the captain’s second-in-command as he knows how to fix the submarine as well as do whatever it takes to raise morale. Herbert Gronemeyer is remarkable as Lt. Werner as a young officer who joins the sub as a war correspondent as he copes with being in a submarine as well as what to do there as he would eventually find his role and gain the respect o the crew. Finally, there’s Jurgen Prochnow in a phenomenal performance as the captain as a hardened U-boat captain who has been through a lot as he copes with having an inexperienced crew and trying to find a British fleet to attack as it’s a performance filled with humility and the need to do what is right even as he is willing to say he made a bad call.
Das Boot is an outstanding film from Wolfgang Petersen. Featuring a great cast, dazzling technical work, a fantastic soundtrack, and a thrilling premise. It’s a war film that isn’t just engaging but also filled with characters to care for as well as be an unusual war film where it is about survival and men dealing with the dark aspects of war. In the end, Das Boot is a magnificent film from Wolfgang Petersen.
Wolfgang Petersen Films: (One or the Other of Us) - (The Consequence) - (Black and White Like Day and Night) - (The NeverEnding Story) - (Enemy Mine) - (Shattered (1991 film)) - (In the Line of Fire) - (Outbreak (1995 film)) - (Air Force One) - (The Perfect Storm) - (Troy (2004 film)) - (Poseidon)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Phil Morrison and written by Angus MacLachlan, Junebug is the story of an art dealer who travels to North Carolina with her husband to meet his eccentric family that includes his brother’s young and pregnant wife. The film is a family comedy-drama that explores not just a family that off the wall but a woman trying to understand where her husband comes from. Starring Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola, Celia Weston, Scott Wilson, Benjamin McKenzie, and Amy Adams. Junebug is a witty and delightful film from Phil Morrison.
After meeting a man at her art gallery and then marrying him, the film is about a woman who travels to North Carolina with her husband to meet a reclusive painter as her husband’s family live nearby where she wants to meet them. Along the way, she would get to know this family of eccentrics that includes her brother-in-law’s sweet yet naïve wife who is pregnant. Angus MacLachlan’s screenplay doesn’t just follow the life and work of Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) who runs an art gallery in Chicago that explores outsider art. It’s the fact that she is now part of a family with very strong Southern values as they’re a bit wary of her though she means well. Madeleine’s husband George (Alessandro Nivola) is reluctant about not just introducing her to his family. It’s also because he hadn’t been back home for years as it has caused resentment from his younger brother Johnny (Benjamin McKenzie) who is going through issues as he’s living at home with his parents and young wife Ashley (Amy Adams).
While George’s father Eugene (Scott Wilson) is welcoming towards Madeleine, his wife Peg (Celia Weston) isn’t receptive towards Madeleine as is Johnny who is uneasy about Madeleine’s presence towards Ashley who loves her. Yet, Madeleine would notice that there is tension in the family as she tries to balance her time with the family as well as deal with a competing art gallery from New York who also want the artwork of the local artist David Wark (Frank Hoyt Taylor). The time spent with the family would also become more problematic despite Ashley who is the embodiment of innocence as Madeleine is fascinated by her as she wants to be there for the young woman. Yet, the looming tension within the family would come to ahead once Ashley goes into labor as it becomes clear where everyone is at.
Phil Morrison’s direction is quite simple as it is shot largely on location in North Carolina through a trio of small towns including Winston-Salem as it doesn’t go for anything that is visually-striking. While there are a few wide shots, Morrison aims for something more intimate from the scenes inside the car to some of the local gatherings the characters go to. There are some camera movements in the film yet it is more about the simple aspects of George and his family as well as Madeleine being an outsider into this world. Morrison’s compositions are more concerned with the family unit as well as the tension that is looming with Madeleine being this observer. Still, she does get into moments that are uncomfortable such as a scene where she’s trying to help Johnny prepare for his GED exam as well as being there for Ashley. The film’s third act isn’t just about Madeleine kind of being left out as she would attend to her own business but also the resentment involving Johnny and George. Notably as it reveals why the latter hasn’t been coming back home lately with Ashley somewhere in the middle of this family tension. Overall, Morrison creates a heartfelt yet lively film about a woman meeting her new husband’s oddball family.
Cinematographer Peter Donahue does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it is mostly straightforward with its usage of lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Joe Klotz does nice work with the editing as it‘s mostly straightforward with a few jump-cuts and fade-outs for transitional scenes from the latter. Production designer David Doernberg and set decorator Sara Parks do fantastic work with the look of the family home in all of its quaint objects as well as the art gallery that Madeleine works at.
Costume designer Danielle Kays does terrific work with the costumes as it is mostly casual with some of the more city-like clothing of Madeleine and the colorful clothes that Ashley wears. Sound editor Eric Offin does superb work with the sound as it is mostly low-key and sparse to play into the surroundings and locations in the film. The film’s music by the indie-rock band Yo La Tengo is wonderful for its low-key indie-rock music with sparse guitar melodies and textures as the soundtrack mostly feature some classical music, traditional gospel, and a soul song written by Stevie Wonder.
The casting by Mark Bennett is great as it feature some notable small roles from Alicia Van Couvering as Madeleine’s gallery assistant, Joanne Pankow as Wark’s sister/attorney, and Frank Hoyt Taylor as the eccentric yet reclusive artist David Wark that Madeleine meets and want to present his art to the world. Scott Wilson is superb as George’s father Eugene as a man who is very receptive to Madeleine as she is interested in his work creating birdhouses and stuff out of wood. Celia Weston is fantastic as Peg as a woman who adores her son George though is wary about Madeleine as she sees her as kind of a snob and not good enough for George. Benjamin McKenzie is excellent as Johnny as George’s younger brother who doesn’t really like Madeleine very much yet harbors some issues towards his older brother which also has him feel strained towards Ashley.
Alessandro Nivola is brilliant as George as a man who falls for and marries Madeleine as he is reluctant to see his family where he copes with not just old issues but also trying to make Madeleine feel like part of his family. Embeth Davidtz is amazing as Madeleine as a British art gallery owner who is fascinated by outsider art as well as get to know George’s family where she finds a bond with both George’s father and Ashley. Finally, there’s Amy Adams in an incredible breakthrough performance as Ashley as this talkative and lively pregnant woman who is hoping a baby would help her marriage to Johnny as she is so full of innocence and wonderment that makes the character a pure joy to watch.
Junebug is a remarkable film from Phil Morrison. Featuring some beautiful images, a compelling story, superb music, and a great cast led by Amy Adams in a career-defining performance. It is a true gem of a film that explores unique family dynamics as well as a woman trying to see where her husband comes from. In the end, Junebug is a marvelous film from Phil Morrison.
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel The Willing Flesh by Willi Heinrich, Cross of Iron is the story of an aristocratic Nazi officer who heads the army as he deals with non-commissioned officers who don’t agree with his methods. Directed by Sam Peckinpah and screenplay by Julius J. Epstein, James Hamilton, and Walter Kelley, the film is a World War II film set during the Battle of the Caucasus in 1943 as it is an exploration of class and duty. Starring James Coburn, Maximillian Schell, James Mason, Senta Berger, and David Warner. Cross of Iron is a gripping yet rapturous film from Sam Peckinpah.
Set during the 1943 Caucasus campaign at the Taman Peninsula, the film revolves a newly-arrived officer who leads a campaign hoping to get the prestigious Iron Cross as he has to contend with a cynical platoon leader whose main concern is to survive in the battlefield with his men. It is a war film that play into not just what is happening in the battlefield but also behind the scenes as those who fight are struggling to survive yet there are officers with aristocratic backgrounds who doesn’t just crave some form of validity into the fact that they fought a war but also return home as some hero while others did the dirty work for that officer. For Sgt. Rolf Steiner (James Coburn) who already earned an Iron Cross, it’s a medal that doesn’t mean anything as he’s survived many battles with a platoon he sees as brothers as they’re trying to fight for another day despite his own disdain towards Adolf Hitler.
The film’s screenplay is quite complex into not just Sgt. Steiner and his views on war and honor but also is someone who see things for what they are as there are officers he does respect like Colonel Brandt (James Mason) and Captain Kiesel (David Warner) who share his views on war. When Captain Stransky (Maximillian Schell) enters the picture with aristocratic background dating back to the days of Prussia. Cpt. Stransky would become Sgt. Steiner’s new leader as he hopes to lead soldiers into battle and push the Soviets back into Moscow without having to be on the battlefield. Instead, a bloody battle that left several dead including an officer that Sgt. Steiner’s platoon admires where the issue about whether Captain Stransky deserves this Iron Cross come into question. When Sgt. Steiner makes his report to Col. Brandt about what happened, things become complicated where Sgt. Steiner and his platoon are forced to fend for themselves during an evacuation as they didn’t receive the order. All of which would play into Sgt. Steiner’s own view on war and survival.
Sam Peckinpah’s direction is definitely intense not just for the graphic depiction of violence that occurs on the battlefield but also for the tension that is looming behind the scenes. With many of the film’s exterior locations shot on location in former parts of Yugoslavia in Slovenia and Croatia with some interiors shot at Pinewood Studios in Britain. Peckinpah does use a lot of wide and medium shots to capture the vast locations as well as that sense of terror that looms in the battlefield. Even as he would use close-ups and medium shots to play into the suspense such as an opening sequence where Sgt. Steiner and his platoon attack Soviet soldiers as they would later find a young Soviet soldier-boy whom they would take as a POW yet would treat him kindly as he would stay in their camp. It is among these little moments of sentimentality in the film that includes a birthday celebration for a respected officer as it shows a group of men trying to find some semblance of humanity during this chaotic period of war. Those moments are presented with an intimacy as it shows some of the good that is in war as opposed to the scenes where Cpt. Stransky is telling his own officer about his own plans as well as show that air of arrogance and entitlement that Sgt. Steiner would despise. The scenes of war and battle are quite extravagant as well as having a sense of style yet it’s the non-battle scenes such as a sequence of Sgt. Steiner at a hospital in the second act is a very surreal one where he isn’t sure what is going on.
It play into not just his disdain for officers and their lack of disconnect with the realities of war but also wounded soldiers with scars and amputated body parts being part of this air of decadence. There is also a scene towards the third act where Sgt. Steiner and his platoon try to return to their base through Soviet territory where they encounter Soviet women soldiers as one of them would try to have his way only to get a rude awakening. It’s a moment that shows Sgt. Steiner being aware of the inhumanity that he sees as well as what he doesn’t want to do. The dramatic moments that Peckinpah create are quite fascinating such as a meeting into the decision into whether Cpt. Stransky deserves the Iron Cross as it play more into not just an air of cynicism towards war but also the de-value of what honor means. Overall, Peckinpah creates a harrowing yet confrontational film about a class warfare from within between German officers and soldiers during World War II.
Cinematographer John Coquillon does brilliant work with the film‘s grimy yet intoxicating cinematography from the way many of the daytime exteriors are presented as well as the lighting for the scenes inside the bunkers as well as the sense of artificiality in the hospital sequence. Editors Michael Ellis, Murray Jordan, Tony Lawson, and Herbert Taschner do amazing work with the editing with its usage of slow-motion cuts, stylish transitional dissolves, jump-cuts, and other stylish cuts to play into the action as well as the drama. Production designers Brian Ackland-Snow and Ted Haworth, with art director Veljko Despotovic, do excellent work with the look of the bunkers and trenches as well as the look of the hospital and some of the ruined buildings where the Nazi officers do their politicking behind the scenes.
Makeup supervisor Colin Arthur does terrific work with the look of some of the wounded soldiers in the hospital sequence as it play into some of the surreal elements Sgt. Steiner encounters. Sound editor Rodney Holland and sound mixer David Hildyard do superb work with the layer of sounds in the film as it play into the chaos of the battlefield as well as the sense of fear in how shells and gunfire sound from inside the bunkers. The film’s music by Ernest Gold is fantastic for its bombastic orchestral score with some cadence-like drumming in the background as it play into the horrors of war while the soundtrack also includes some German folk pieces from those times.
The film’s marvelous cast include some notable small roles from Slavko Stimac as a Russian boy Sgt. Steiner and his platoon capture and let him become a loyal servant that they would care for, Veronique Vendell as a Soviet soldier whom Sgt. Steiner and his platoon would deal with as they would make a bargain with her after one of his soldiers would do something wrong, Michael Nowka as the young Private Dietz who is new to the platoon as he would gain their respect through his determination, Arthur Brauss as another newcomer in Private Zoll who is brought into the platoon by Captain Stransky as he raises many of the platoon’s suspicions, and Igor Galo as Lieutenant Meyer as an officer Sgt. Steiner and his platoon admire and respect as they would give him a birthday celebration. Other notable small roles include Burkhard Dreist, Vadim Glowna, and Dieter Schidor as a trio of privates that are part of Sgt. Steiner’s platoon who are all men of great skill.
Fred Stillkrauth is terrific as Corporal Karl “Schnurrbart” Reisenauer as the second-in-command of Sgt. Steiner’s platoon whom Steiner goes to for suggestions while Klaus Lowitsch is superb as Cpl. Kruger as a wildcard solider who wears a Soviet cap as he despises the Soviets while knowing how to bullshit them. Roger Fritz is fantastic as Lt. Triebig as a closeted homosexual officer who is blackmailed by Captain Stransky to do his bidding as he would also make decisions that would impact the entire squad. Senta Berger is wonderful as Eva as a nurse who would watch over Sgt. Steiner during his time at the hospital as well as be a lover of him during that time. David Warner is excellent as Captain Kiesel as a hardened officer who has been in and out of the battlefield as he despises Captain Stransky while becoming quite cynical about war though still be loyal to Colonel Brandt.
James Mason is brilliant as Colonel Brandt as an officer who is upper class but understands the role he has to play in war as he is sympathetic to Sgt. Steiner’s views but is more hopeful about the future of life after war. Maximillian Schell is amazing as Captain Stransky as aristocratic Prussian officer who craves glory and prestige as he uses his influence and class status to get what he wants while dealing with the more grounded Sgt. Steiner whom he sees as an opponent as Schell definitely display that utter arrogance into a man that cares more about a fucking medal than the respect of his soldiers. Finally, there’s James Coburn in an incredible performance as Sgt. Rolf Steiner as a soldier who has fought a lot of wars and has gained a lot of respect where he copes with the many reasons to fight and the lack of honor that is emerging as it’s one of Coburn’s finest performances in his career.
Cross of Iron is a tremendous film from Sam Peckinpah that features great performances from James Coburn, Maximillian Schell, and James Mason. Along with a fantastic supporting cast, evocative visuals, a chilling score, and captivating themes on war, honor, and class. It’s a war movie that showcases what is happening behind the scenes as what some are willing to do and what they won’t do in and out of the battlefield. In the end, Cross of Iron is a phenomenal film from Sam Peckinpah.
Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Straw Dogs - Junior Bonner - The Getaway - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - The Killer Elite - Convoy - The Osterman Weekend - The Auteurs #62: Sam Peckinpah
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Marc Evans and written by Laurence Coriat, Hunky Dory is the story of a drama teacher who decides to update William Shakespeare’s The Tempest by adding the 70s rock music her students are listening to. The film is a period film of sorts set in the mid-1970s in Wales where a woman tries to find ways to connect with her students during a hot summer. Starring Minnie Driver, Aneurin Barnard, George MacKay, Kimberly Nixon, Steve Spiers, and Robert Pugh. Hunky Dory is a charming but messy film from Marc Evans.
Set in a small Welsh town in 1976, the film revolves around an idealistic drama teacher who decides to create an updated version of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest by adding contemporary music of the times to the narrative. It’s a simple story that is set in a summer at a comprehensive school where its students are quite jaded as they’re also going through things in their home life. Laurence Coriat’s screenplay has a lot of characters as well as this teacher in Vivienne (Minnie Driver) who wants to do something different as there are fellow teachers who are aghast in what she’s doing while the headmaster (Robert Pugh) is reluctant to let her do this as he would eventually play the role of Prospero in the play. When the script focuses on the students, it becomes a mess as it is hard to follow the many who are dealing with love, growing pains, and identity crises. It also makes the story feel sluggish and unfocused at times where there isn’t enough depth from the script to let the audience be engaged by these characters.
Marc Evans’ direction is quite simple as it is shot on location in Wales to play into this mixture of middle and working class group of people just trying to live day-by-day with the young teens enjoying the summer. The compositions are lively at times as well as say a lot into the process of creating a play that is unconventional but being very faithful to the source. Yet, the script’s need to cover everything including these character force Evans to try and do so much yet never find a way to balance things or simplify it. It would have these scenes involving these kids that do drag the film as it yearns the audience to wanting to see the musical rehearsal which feel more lively and serves as this needed escape from reality. Yet, that reality would come into the film for its third act but Vivienne would find a way to stage The Tempest as her interpretation of the play is unique as well as the choice of the songs that the students sing. Overall, Evans creates a whimsical but lackluster film about a teacher trying to stage a rock n’ roll version of The Tempest.
Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it largely has a very sunny look for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes with some low-key scenes at night though it is overwhelmed with bits of sepia hues. Editor Mali Evans does nice work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward despite its sluggish pace. Production designer Jacqueline Abrams and art director Carly Reddin do fantastic work with the look of the staging of the play as well as the look of the homes of some of the characters. Costume designer Stewart Meacham does terrific work with the costumes from the bellbottom pants the boys wear to the stylish clothes the women wear in those times.
Hair/makeup designer Jo Evans does brilliant work with the look of the hairstyle the kids wear during the 70s as well as the makeup they would wear for the stage presentation. Sound editor Stephen Griffiths does superb work with the sound as it play into the rehearsal process on the stage as well as how music sounds live and other things in the locations. The film’s music by Jody Talbot is pretty good for its mixture of low-key orchestral music with bits of rock while music supervisor Liz Gallacher creates a fun soundtrack that play into the period as well as the songs that the students singing ranging from acts like David Bowie, Roxy Music, Electric Light Orchestra, the Beach Boys, Nick Drake, and other music ranging from soul to pop.
The casting by Jessica Ronane is wonderful as it does feature some notable small roles from George MacKay as a musician who is dating one of his bandmate’s sister, Kimberly Nixon as young girl who is dating her brother‘s best friend,, Adam Byard as a musician who is upset to learn his friend is dating his sister, Darren Evans as a troubled skinhead named Kenny, Kayleigh Bennett as a young woman who has a crush on a classmate who could be gay, Julia Perez as Vivienne’s French friend Sylvie, Steve Spiers as a rugby coach, and Haydn Gwynn as the social studies teacher Mrs. Valentine as they’re not really given really strong material to work with.
Danielle Branch is alright as the promiscuous Stella while Aneurin Barnard is good as Davey as two teens students who are good singers with the latter having a thing for the former. Robert Pugh is excellent as the school headmaster who is aware of what Vivienne is trying to do as he would take on a role in the play as Prospero as it reminds him of his days in World War II. Finally, there’s Minnie Driver in an amazing performance as Vivienne as an idealistic drama teacher who wants to do a Shakespeare play but also wanting to infuse with contemporary music just to give the students a chance to have some fun while wanting to see what they’re dealing with.
Hunky Dory is a decent but underwhelming film from Marc Evans. Despite a fantastic soundtrack and top-notch performances from Robert Pugh and Minnie Driver, it’s a film that wanted to be a lot of things but crammed too much to the point where it becomes severely uneven and sluggish. In the end, Hunky Dory is an okay but lackluster film from Marc Evans.
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Ezra Edelman, O.J.: Made in America is a five-part, eight hour (ten-hours with commercials) documentary series about the life of O.J. Simpson who was loved for his work as a football player and later a comedy actor only to fall hard when he was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman which he would be acquitted of only to be charged with another crime 13 years later. The film isn’t just about the life of a once-revered figure in sports but also how race and celebrity culture would play a role into the life of this man. The result is a riveting and engrossing film from Ezra Edelman.
Orenthal James Simpson is a man of many complications where he is revered for being a football player for the University of Southern California as well as the Buffalo Bills and end his career with the San Francisco Giants. He is also loved for his work as a sports commentator, a spokesman for many ads including Hertz, and acting in many films in which his appearances in The Naked Gun trilogy are considered some of his best work. All of that changed in 1994 when his second ex-wife Nicole Brown and a friend of hers in Ron Goldman were found dead in the former’s home as Simpson was accused of killing her as he would be acquitted a year later. Then in 2007, Simpson was arrested and convicted of robbery when he tried to reclaim some personal possessions with some associates as he would get a thirty-three year sentence as he is rumored to be released in 2017 via parole.
The film is about not just the rise and tragic fall from grace of O.J. Simpson but also his relationship with the world around not just celebrity and class but also race as he was considered someone that was disconnected from the racial struggles that African-Americans faced during the 1960s through the 1990s. While Simpson didn’t want to have race be involved with his accomplishments or in his ascent towards society as he simply wanted to be loved and embraced by everyone. He would succeed in a lot of ways but there are those in the African-American community who adored him but wondered why he never gave something back to them? Director Ezra Edelman would create a film that slowly chronicles many aspects of Simpson’s life and African-Americans’ struggle for racial equality. Especially in the city of Los Angeles where it was the hotbed for this tension between that community and the LAPD.
Broken into five parts, the film follows not just Simpson’s rise as a public figure and sports icon but also the events that led to his fall. The first part is about Simpson’s beginnings and his rise into being a sports icon as well as what was happening in Los Angeles during the 1960s and 1970s with the Watts riot and the tension between the police and African-Americans. The second part is about his post-sports career and his foray into acting as well as his second marriage to Nicole Brown along with revelations about their marriage. It would be inter-cut with what was happening in Los Angeles in the 1980s where the tension was boiling as it led to many events including the Rodney King beating in 1991 and the trial a year later where four LAPD officers were acquitted of the beatings that lead to the riots. The third part is about what happened the night Brown and Goldman were killed as well as the many events leading up to the trial while the fourth part isn’t just about the trial and the many players involved but also the emergence of sensationalism in the news that made the trial a media circus.
The fifth part is the verdict and the trial’s aftermath where it lead to the civil trial and then Simpson’s move to Miami, Florida from the Brentwood area in Los Angeles and his final fall from grace in Las Vegas 2007 where he robbed a memorabilia collector over some personal possession. With the aid of editors Bert Granato, Maya Mumma, and Ben Sozanski, Edelman compile many footage including rare home movies and such about Simpson and what he was probably doing at home as well as rare audio clips provided by sound editor Keith Hodne. Some of which play into not just the events in the trial but also things Simpson and those involved or indirectly involved had said including former LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman who is interviewed in the film as well as prosecutor Marcia Clark, Simpson’s defense lawyers F. Lee Bailey, Carl E. Douglas, and Barry Schrek, and district attorney Gil Garcetti.
The interviews are quite straightforward due to aid of cinematographer Nick Higgins who would also create some gorgeous establishing shots that included recreations of the old homes that Simpson and Brown lived in during their separation. Other people interviewed are relatives of Simpson, one of Nicole Brown’s sisters, filmmaker Peter Hyams, and other friends/associates of Simpson. Some of which reveal things that are disturbing as it relate to the murders and whether Simpson did it or not. There are also interviews with a couple of jurors in that murder case as well as civil rights activists and ministers as some became very uneasy about the results of the verdict as well as the fact that Simpson never did anything positive or contributed anything to the community. There are also some revelations about the justice system proving that it’s a very flawed system as Clark would admit that Simpson’s robbery trial and verdict was in some ways payback for the murder trial which he was acquitted for.
It’s a film that covers a lot of ground yet leaves so many unanswered questions about Simpson as it is clear that he is pretty much a selfish individual who wants to be loved but is also a great manipulator as if he’s playing a game. Edelman does whatever to find the sides of Simpson that makes him so loveable but also finds a lot that shows Simpson in an awful light. He also showcases things such as the graphic photos of the dead bodies of Brown and Goldman are quite disturbing. Adding to some of the haunting moments of the film is the music score by Gary Lionelli who provides a mixture of eerie orchestral elements with some somber jazz as it play into that rise and fall of Simpson while music supervisors John Houlihan and Julie Glaze Houlihan create a mixture of music that play into Simpson’s ascent and later descent with elements of funk and disco early on to some eerie and dark ambient music that includes a piece from Nine Inch Nails.
O.J.: Made in America is an astonishing film from Ezra Edelman. It’s a documentary that isn’t just fascinating but also chilling in its exploration of one of the most iconic figures in sports who is now one of the most polarizing figures in the world. Featuring insightful interviews and commentaries from those who knew or encountered him as well as footage that showcased the man in many different spectrums. It’s a film that showcases a lot about America and how troubling it was and still is with this man in the center of it. In the end, O.J.: Made in America is a tremendous film from Ezra Edelman.
© thevoid99 2016
Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea is the story of a lonely janitor who is asked to raise his nephew following the death of his brother as he copes with his own faults in his life. It’s a film where a man reluctantly steps up to do what is right as well as deal with the demons in his own life. Starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Lucas Hedges, Gretchen Mol, and Kyle Chandler. Manchester by the Sea is a mesmerizing yet engrossing film from Kenneth Lonergan.
The film is a simple story of a man who learned that his brother died of a heart attack while learning his brother wants him to become his nephew’s guardian. It’s a film that follows this lonely janitor who isn’t just forced to return home and be given the responsibility to watch over his teenage nephew but also cope with the past as he remains troubled by family tragedy. Kenneth Lonergan’s screenplay has narrative that sort of moves back and forth in the life of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) as he reflects on what he had when he was married to a woman named Randi (Michelle Williams) as they had a family. At the same time, he had a good relationship with his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) and nephew Patrick (Luca Hedges). Yet, something tragic happened that led to Lee and Randi splitting up and Lee moving away from the small town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts into a town near Boston where he works as a janitor.
The script doesn’t just follow Lee’s reluctance to raise Patrick but also Patrick’s own growing pains as he tries to distract himself from the reality over his father’s death. Especially as he is taken aback by his uncle who appears to not really wanting to be involved with him as he considers the option of reaching out to his estranged mother Elise (Gretchen Mol) whom Lee doesn’t like at all as she was an alcoholic and drug addict that Joe had to separate from. It adds to Lee’s struggle in wanting to do right to his late brother but also contend with the demons in his own life. Even as Lee’s attempt to connect with others has him wanting to be alone and not be reminded of the past where he continuously struggles with loss and wanting to do what is right.
Lonergan’s direction is definitely majestic in terms of the imagery that he creates as well as being shot almost entirely on location in Manchester-by-the-Sea which is a major character in the film as well as other small towns in Massachusetts. Though Lonergan doesn’t really go for anything that is visually-striking, he does present that is still simple in its composition but also has something more in terms of his observation of what is going on. Much of the film is shot during the wintertime as it adds a lot to not just the visuals but also in some of the situations the characters have to cope with. While Lonergan would use wide shots to play into the location and the beauty of wintertime in Massachusetts, he would more favor something intimate with the medium shots and close-ups. Especially in the former as it play into some of the awkward moments Lee would have in his attempts to connect with people such as the mother of one of Patrick’s girlfriends.
Lonergan’s direction is also quite loose as it has bits of humor but also a sense of something real into the world that Patrick is in as he plays hockey and is also in a garage band with friends and one of his girlfriends. The flashbacks of Lee’s life with Randi and their family is also quite loose as it play into the good times as well as what happened that would destroy everything for Lee. There is also something striking about how Lee presents himself in his isolation as it has some truth into that sense of loss where Lonergan’s framing is quite entrancing. Even in moments where he attempts to connect showcase someone that is quite damaged and still trying to get himself back on track. Its conclusion isn’t just about the reality of what Lee has to do for Patrick but also for himself as well as get help from the people who can be relied on in an often complicated world. Overall, Lonergan creates a ravishing yet somber film about a man dealing with the responsibility to taking care of his nephew following the death of his brother.
Cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from some of the sunny exteriors of the locations along with more gray and snowy look as well as the way some of the nighttime interior/exteriors are shot and lit. Editor Jennifer Lame does excellent work with the editing as it play into some of the drama and presentation of the flashbacks with the usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts. Production designer Ruth De Jong, with set decorator Florencia Martin and art director Jourdan Henderson, does fantastic work with the look of the single room that Lee lives in Quincy to the home of his brother and the boat they have.
Costume designer Melissa Toth does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly casual to play into the look of the wintertime. Sound designer Jacob Ribicoff does superb work with the sound as it play into not just the atmosphere of some of the locations but also in the way it is mixed to play into how music is heard on location or things that play into the drama. The film’s music by Lesley Barber is brilliant for its somber yet orchestral-based score that play into melancholic tone of the film while music supervisor Linda Cohen creates a soundtrack that features a lot of opera music as well as a mixture of rock and soul music to play into the locations or what is heard on the radio.
The casting by Douglas Aibel is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Ben O’Brien as the young Patrick, Stephen Henderson as Lee’s boss early in the film, Tom Kemp as Lee and Joe’s father in the flashback scenes, Chloe Dixon and Ellie Teeves as Lee and Randi’s daughters from the flashbacks, Josh Hamilton as Joe’s lawyer Wes, Erica McDermott as a boat yard boss who doesn’t want to give Lee a job for some unknown reasons, Kara Hayward and Anna Baryshnikov in their respective roles as two of Patrick’s girlfriends in Silvie and Sandy, Liam McNeil as Randi’s new husband, and Tate Donovan as Patrick’s hockey coach. C.J. Wilson is fantastic as longtime family friend George who helps out Lee and Patrick while being someone who knows about the family boat and how it works. Heather Burns is wonderful as Sandy’s mother Jill who is wondering what Sandy and Patrick are doing while trying to flirt with Lee as their lone meeting ends up being awkward. Matthew Broderick is superb as Rodney as Elsie’s new fiancée who is a devout Christian that Patrick tries to get to know as it ends up being very awkward. Gretchen Mol is excellent as Elsie as Patrick’s estranged mother who is infamous for her substance abuse where she responds to Patrick’s email as she invites to a lunch with Rodney that is just very uncomfortable.
Kyle Chandler is brilliant as Joe Chandler as a man that is the embodiment of responsibility and care as he does whatever to help Lee as well as be a good man until he is stricken by a rare heart disease. Lucas Hedges is amazing as Patrick as Joe’s son who doesn’t try to cope with the sudden death of his father but also wanting to stay home to be with friends and his father’s boat as well as wonder why his uncle is reluctant to look after him. Michelle Williams is incredible as Randi as Lee’s ex-wife who was a woman that Lee loved and cared for until tragedy happened as she becomes estranged until she hears about Joe’s death as Williams is just devastatingly radiant in a key scene she has late in the film. Finally, there’s Casey Affleck in a phenomenal performance as Lee Chandler as a man that had everything and lost it all as he tries to cope with the loss of his brother as well as the responsibility he has to bear for his nephew where Affleck displays that air of restraint and anguish into a man trying to isolate himself from the world as well as struggle to do what is right for his family.
Manchester by the Sea is a magnificent film from Kenneth Lonergan that features great performances from Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, and Lucas Hedges. Along with a brilliant supporting cast, an effective screenplay, gorgeous visuals, and a mesmerizing music soundtrack, it’s a film that explores not just grief but also a man coping with responsibility and the need to do right for his family. In the end, Manchester by the Sea is a rapturous film from Kenneth Lonergan.
Kenneth Lonergan Films: You Can Count on Me - Margaret (2011 film)
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright, Nocturnal Animals is a multi-layered story involving a woman who reads a novel written by her ex-husband as it involves his own life as she also reflects on the life she had with him. Written for the screen and directed by Tom Ford, the film is a neo-noir film where a woman in an unhappy marriage copes with her own past as well as the life she’s in right now. Starring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Isla Fisher, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Andrea Riseborough, Michael Sheen, Armie Hammer, Karl Glusman, Jena Malone, and Laura Linney. Nocturnal Animals is an evocative yet gripping film from Tom Ford.
The film is the story of a woman who is given a manuscript of a novel written by her ex-husband which is about a man and his family who would have a deadly encounter with criminals in West Texas. Through the book, the woman reflects on her brief marriage to her first husband as well as coping with the decisions she’s made in her life including being in an unhappy marriage. Even as she wonders if there are some paralleling images and metaphors in the book she’s reading in relation to her own life. Tom Ford’s screenplay has this unique narrative where it isn’t about a woman reflecting on her life but also dealing with the one she’s in now. It is also about this story of a man who is driving to West Texas going for a holiday with his wife and daughter where an ugly encounter with some locals while on the road.
The narrative would move back and forth with the protagonist Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) reading the manuscript by her ex-husband Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal) as well as the story that Sheffield made about a man named Tony Hastings (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is aided by a local detective in Bobby Andes (Michael Shannon) in going after the criminal named Ray Marcus (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). It all play into two people being forced to confront themselves in this story as it draw into a lot of parallels into the choices they make but also the outcome of these decisions. Even as reality and fiction would blur through this manuscript as Susan would see things as well as wonder if it is all true or just fiction. Notably as Susan would also look back into her own life which includes things she didn’t want to face but eventually come true as well as the choices that Tony has to make where Andes give him some revelations about the dark realities of the world and what has to be done.
Ford’s direction definitely bears a lot of style from this grotesque opening sequence of naked obese women during the opening credits which is part of a lavish and decadent gallery that Susan is hosting. It plays into a world of reality and cynicism that Susan is a part of but she seems quite disconnected from that world. With the Susan narrative shot largely in Los Angeles and flashbacks in New York City while the Tony narrative is shot in Texas. Ford creates a film that has this nice balance between the two world yet would maintain paralleling images that showcase the similar struggles Tony and Susan would endure. Ford’s usage of wide and medium shots play into the locations the characters are in as the scenes involving Susan have this sense of detachment as Ford creates careful framing from the world she has become a part of while the flashbacks are much simpler as well as display some foreshadowing into what will happen to her. There is also something is quite offbeat to the world that Susan is in from the friends that she has as well as the people who work with her in the art gallery. It has this sense of artificiality and materialism that is quite overwhelming where Ford would do things that seem to mock reality but it would come to haunt Susan as she becomes engrossed by Edward’s manuscript.
The scenes about the journey Tony would take as well as gain some justice with Andes’ help are much more rooted in reality. Notably as it play into a world that is quite unforgiving and eerie as Ford uses a lot of wide shots to capture the West Texas locations. There are also some close-ups as it play into the anguish that Tony would endure as well as some revelations about Andes that to his own need to wanting to do things right. There are moments that are very shocking where Ford would maintain something that is unsettling as it would eventually come into Susan’s world as reality/fiction begin to blur. All of which returns to Susan and the events in her life as well as the pain that she caused for her ex-husband to write this manuscript for her. Overall, Ford creates a visceral and eerie film about a woman questioning her own life by a manuscript written by her ex-husband.
Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the way some of the nighttime scenes in Los Angeles and Texas are presented as well as the usage of artificial light for many of the scenes at the art gallery and such in Susan‘s world along with more grimy yet naturalistic look of the daytime exterior scenes in Texas. Editor Joan Sobel does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts along with other stylish cuts including some dazzling slow-motion to play into the horror and suspense that Tony would endure. Production designer Shane Valentino, with set decorator Meg Everist and art director Christopher Brown, does amazing work with the look of the stylish yet cold home that Susan lives in as well as the off-the-wall art gallery and its offbeat artwork to the more dirty and grounded look of the scenes and locations set in Texas. Costume designer Arianne Phillips does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish dresses that Susan wears as well as the people in Los Angeles she is with as well while the look of the characters in Texas is more casual and grimy.
The makeup work of Malanie J. Romero, with additional work from Nathaniel De’Lineadeus, is terrific not just for the look of a few characters that are in Susan‘s world but also in the bearded look of Tony as well as the look of the character Ray. Visual effects supervisor Martin Goodwin does nice work with some of the minimal visual effects that relate to some of the artificiality in Susan‘s world which includes the look of a character in one scene through some eerie makeup effects. Sound editor Lon Bender and sound designer Kris Fenske do superb work with the sound as it play into some of the moments of suspense that Tony would encounter as well as in some of the eerie moments for Susan in how she sees things along with some sparse moments in the film that are very chilling. The film’s music by Abel Korzeniowski is incredible for its somber orchestral score that feature some heavy string arrangements and themes that add to the drama and suspense.
The casting by Francine Maisler is great as it feature some notable small role and appearances from Zawe Ashton as Susan’s assistant, India Menuez as Susan’s daughter, Kristin Bauer van Straten as a grotesque-looking member of Susan’s art gallery in Samantha Van Helsing, Graham Beckel as an officer investigating what happened to Tony, Robert Arayamo as a young local harassing Tony and his family, and Jena Malone in a very offbeat yet funny performance as Sage Ross who is a fellow executive of Susan’s art gallery who wears these very odd clothes. Michael Sheen and Andrea Riseborough are fantastic in their respective brief appearances as the couple Carlos and Alessia Holt with Sheen wearing some flamboyant clothing and Riseborough sporting some outlandish hairdo as they represent that sense of materialism in Susan’s world. Karl Glusman is superb as Lou as a young local who was part in the dark he encounter he has with Tony and his family as he is quite creepy.
Ellie Bamber and Isla Fisher are wonderful in their respective roles as Tony’s daughter and wife in India and Laura as two women who become frightened by the rowdy locals they meet with Bamber being more abrasive towards them and Fisher being the more concerned of the two. Armie Hammer is terrific as Susan’s husband Hutton as a man that definitely has that look of being good-looking as well as be intentionally-bland as a man that is really neglectful of his wife and what she does. Laura Linney is brilliant as Susan’s mother Anne Sutton as this bourgeois woman of decadence and wealth that Susan tries to rebel as Linney’s one-scene appearance is just fun to watch as someone that doesn’t approve of Edward while having some valid truths about what Susan might have to deal with. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is excellent as Ray Marcus as a rowdy local that Tony and his family would encounter as he is just this wild firecracker of a man that is quite scary as well as be very confrontational.
Michael Shannon is amazing as the detective Bobby Andes as a man who had seen a lot of things as he believes what Tony had been through and suspects Ray while also revealing a lot that he has to deal with in his pursuit of true justice in a world that is becoming more complicated. Jake Gyllenhaal is remarkable in a dual performance as Edward Sheffield and Tony Hastings where Gyllenhaal portrays this kind and idealistic man in the former that wants to be a writer but becomes frustrated with Susan’s criticisms. In the latter, Gyllenhaal brings someone that looks anguished and frightened as well as be consumed with guilt as a man desperate to find some justice for what happened to his family. Finally, there’s Amy Adams in a phenomenal performance as Susan Morrow as an arts gallery owner that is dealing with an unhappy marriage and the decisions she’s made in her life as she becomes enamored with a manuscript her ex-husband wrote where she copes with her past and wonders why she can’t sleep nor be happy with the life she’s in.
Nocturnal Animals is a spectacular film from Tom Ford that features great performances from Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Laura Linney. Along with eerie visuals, an amazing supporting cast, chilling sound work, and majestic music. It is this haunting yet intoxicating neo-noir thriller that plays into a woman coping with her past through the actions of a manuscript about the dark aspects of humanity from her ex-husband. In the end, Nocturnal Animals is a tremendous film from Tom Ford.
A Single Man
© thevoid99 2016
