Based on the novel Tagebuch einer Verlorenen by Margarete Bohme, Diary of a Lost Girl is the story of a young woman who is raped by her father’s clerk as she becomes pregnant and later rejected by her entire family forcing her to fend for herself. Directed by G.W. Pabst and screenplay by Rudolf Leonhard, the film is a silent drama that explores a woman’s plight as she copes with her situations as well as the terror that women endure due to actions beyond their own control. Starring Louise Brooks, Fritz Rasp, Andre Roanne, Josef Ravensky, and Franziska Kinz. Diary of a Lost Girl is a rapturous film from G.W. Pabst.
The film follows the journey and plight of a young woman who is raped by her father’s clerk and becomes pregnant yet her refusal to marry the clerk has her kicked out by her family where she endures a journey to find herself. It’s a film that explores a woman coping with being raped and being shunned by her father and her new stepmother as she endures cruelty prompting her to go into a world of prostitution and uncertainty. Rudolf Leonhard’s screenplay has a straightforward narrative yet it explores the journey that the protagonist Thymian Henning (Louise Brooks) goes through as she would write her experience from a diary that her fired housekeeper Elisabeth (Sybille Schmitz) had accidentally left. After refusing to marry her father’s clerk Meinert (Fritz Rasp), her new housekeeper Meta (Franziska Kinz) sends Thymian’s baby to a midwife while Thymian is sent to a reformatory as she endures all sorts of cruelty in the hands of its matron (Valeska Grest) and her brutal assistant (Andrews Engelmann). Though she gets help from Meinert’s friend Count Osdorff (Andre Roanne), Thymian will make some discoveries as she turns to prostitution as well as uncertainty about her life.
G.W. Pabst’s direction does have elements of style yet it his approach to compositions including some of the close-ups that add to the film’s brilliance. Shot partially on soundstages in Germany, Pabst does create a world set in Germany that explores the plight of post-war uncertainty with Thymian in the middle as she sees what happens to Elisabeth and her eventual outcome. Though there aren’t a lot of wide shots, Pabst’s usage of medium shots do get a lot of coverage of the rooms and places that Thymian goes to as well as the reformatory she is forced to attend. Pabst’s camera movements including a shot of Thymian walking up the stairs are among the key moments of the film yet it’s the close-ups that help add to the drama. Even as Pabst captures the anguish and torment in Thymian upon her decision to become a prostitute that includes a nightclub scene that shows how lost she is as she also deals with the plight of others who become lost due to actions beyond their control. Overall, Pabst crafts a heart-wrenching yet intoxicating film about a woman fending for herself after being shunned by her family for not marrying the man who raped her.
Cinematographers Sepp Allgeier and Fritz Arno Wagner do amazing work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography as it play into the dreary look of the reformatory as well as the gorgeous look of the brothel and nightclub that Thymian goes to. Art directors Emil Hasler and Erno Metzner do brilliant work with the look of the reformatory as well as the pharmacy that Thymian’s father owns and runs as well as the brothel. The film’s music by Javier Perez de Aspeitia from the 2012 restoration edition is incredible for its piano-based score that feature elements of flourishing themes along with some somber pieces as it is a highlight of the film.
The film’s excellent cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Vera Pawlowa as Thymian’s Aunt Frieda who is against Thymian’s banishment from the family, Sybille Schmitz as the housekeeper Elisabeth who is fired early in the film as she drops a diary that Thymian would use, Edith Meinhard as Erika whom Thymian befriends at the reformatory, Arnold Korff as the elder Count Osdorff who is disappointed by his nephew and cuts him off, Andrews Engelmann as the reformatory matron’s creepy assistant, and Josef Ravensky as Thymian’s father Robert who is angered by his daughter’s plight as he would turn to Meta for guidance. Franziska Kinz is fantastic as the new housekeeper Meta who would woo Robert and use her influence to banish Thymian while trying to run the household much to Aunt Frieda’s dismay. Valeska Grest is superb as the reformatory matron who rules the place with an iron fist and demands order.
Fritz Rasp is brilliant as Meinert as Robert’s pharmacy clerk who would rape Thymian and try to marry her while being close in Robert and Meta’s circle to ruin Thymian as well as gain power in the pharmacy. Andre Roanne is amazing as Count Nicholas Osdorff as the nephew of a respected count who isn’t good at any trade as he prefers to party and have fun while does have ideas to create a more respectable brothel as well as helping Thymian out any way he can. Finally, there’s Louise Brooks in a phenomenal performance as Thymian Henning as a young woman raped by her father’s clerk and is forced to marry him only to refuse prompting her to fend for herself as there’s a radiance to her performance including the way she expresses her anguish and sense of loss as it is an iconic performance from Brooks.
Diary of a Lost Girl is a tremendous film from G.W. Pabst that features a radiant performance from Louise Brooks. Along with its riveting story, lush piano score, gorgeous dresses that Brooks wears, and its dazzling visuals. It’s a silent drama that explore a woman’s plight and the uncertainty she faces as well as the lack of roles that would help her find peace and salvation. In the end, Diary of a Lost Girl is a spectacular film from G.W. Pabst.
G.W. Pabst Films: (The Treasure (1923 film)) – (Countess Donelli) – (Joyless Street) – (One Does Not Play with Love) – (The Love of Jeanne Ney) – (The Devious Path) – Pandora's Box - (The White Hell of Pitz Palu) – Westfront 1918 – (Scandalous Eva) – (The Threepenny Opera) – (Kameradschaft) – (L’Atlantide) – (Adventures of Don Quixote) – (High and Low (1933 film)) – (A Modern Hero) – (Street of Shadows) – (The Shanghai Drama) – (Girls in Distress) – (The Comedians) – (Paracelsus) – (Der Fall Molander) – (The Trial (1948 film)) – (Mysterious Shadows) – (Call Over the Air) – (Voice of Silence) – (Cose da pazzi) – (The Confession of Ina Kahr) – (The Last Ten Days) – (Jackboot Mutiny) – (Ballerina (1956 film)) – (Through the Forests and Through the Trees)
© thevoid99 2020
In the sixth week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We venture into the first of the Seven Deadly Sins for the series in the subject of lust. Defined in many ways such as intense longing and a desire for something or someone. It is one of the seven cardinal sins that play into temptation and chaos. Here are my three picks:
1. The Center of the World
From Wayne Wang is an obscure erotic drama of sorts that was shot during the early days of digital cinema as it revolves around a dot-com millionaire who meets a stripper and pays her $10,000 to spend three days with her in Las Vegas. Starring Peter Sarsgaard and Molly Parker, it’s an exploration of desire and identity as this millionaire copes with his own loneliness and uncertainty while he plays to her rules of four hours of erotic play and no penetration. Yet, things get complicated as well as feelings for one another as it is also told in a non-linear narrative as it’s a gem of a film.
2. Lust, Caution
Ang Lee’s adaptation of Eileen Chang’s story set in late 1930s/early 1940s Shanghai during Japan’s occupation of China where a Chinese student joins the Chinese resistance to spy and later assassinate a top official working for a traitor to the Chinese. It’s a film that takes place during two different moments in time with the first half set in the late 1930s and the second half in the early 1940s with Tang Wei as this Chinese spy trying to meet this official in Tony Leung Chiu-wai who is the target yet there is a conflict between both of them as he’s married and she’s hired to target him as they both get into this intense affair with some nearly-graphic sex scenes.
3. Room in Rome
A loose remake of a Chilean film called In Bed , Julio Medem’s 2010 film about a Spanish woman and a Russian woman who meet in Rome as they spend the entire night together as they discuss their own desires and their own stories in the course of 10 hours. They also talk about their own sense of loss and uncertainty as well as their fascination towards sex with a man or a woman as it is an intimate drama starring Elena Anaya and Natasha Yarovenko that doesn’t have much plot but the performances and setting of the film makes up for it.
© thevoid99 2020
Directed and starring Bradley Cooper and screenplay by Cooper, Will Fetters, and Eric Roth that is based on the 1937 film by William A. Wellman and co-writers Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, and Alan Campbell that was produced by David O. Selznick, A Star is Born is the story of a troubled country-rock singer who meets an unknown singer as he takes her on tour and help guide her own music career just as his starts to decline. It’s a film that was first told in 1937 and had been remade two more times in 1954 and 1976 as it is now told in another new interpretation for a new generation with Cooper playing the role of the singer Jackson Maine and pop singer Lady Gaga as Ally. Also starring Sam Elliott, Dave Chappelle, Anthony Ramos, Rafi Gavron, Greg Grunberg, and Andrew Dice Clay. A Star is Born is a rapturous and heart-wrenching film from Bradley Cooper.
The film is the simple story about the diverging paths of a troubled country-rock singer and the woman he would fall for and make her into a pop star. It’s a story that had been told three different times in its different incarnations as the script by Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters, and Eric Roth use those three different stories to set in the 21st Century where country-rock artist Jackson Maine is touring and making music although his popularity is starting to decline as he would meet this young woman named Ally at a drag club where she sings La Vie En Rose . Ally is also a songwriter but hasn’t made any waves to attract people in the music industry as she’s stuck in a waitressing job and not do much other than live with her father Lorenzo (Andrew Dice Clay) who runs a chauffeur business with friends. When Maine meets Ally at the drag club and strikes a conversation with her about music, sparks happen as he later invites her to one of his shows as they sing a song that she created.
Immediately, Maine accompanies Ally on their tour yet his older half-brother Bobby (Sam Elliott) is concerned about Maine’s alcoholism as well as his tinnitus which is getting worse while Ally’s songs finally attract the attention of a producer in Rez (Rafi Gavron). Through Rez, Ally would go pop and become immensely successful yet Maine struggles with his own issues as he finds himself playing a show in Memphis for money as he questions his own integrity as well as Ally’s decision to do pop music. The script showcases not just some of the decisions Maine has made in his life and career but also the struggle to realize that Ally has so much to offer as he fears he would ruin her. Yet, Ally is aware of Maine’s troubles as she is eager to help him any way she can as well as willing to risk her own career.
Cooper’s direction does have some elements of style yet much of his direction is straightforward in his presentation of life on the road and on stage as well as the backstage parties, recording sessions, and rehearsals. Shot on various locations with much of it in Arizona and California, Cooper does play into this world that Maine is often surrounded in that include open landscapes, amphitheaters, and music festivals where appearances in such noted festivals as Glastonbury in Britain and Coachella in California are shown. Cooper’s usage of the wide shots showcase the vast world of the venues and festival areas that Maine and later Ally would play to but Cooper also maintains an intimacy as he often captures the performance on the stage with some perspective from the audiences and from the backstage area. The usage of close-ups and medium shots of the performances and some of the action backstage as well as the usage of cell phone footage add to the excitement of the performances in the film.
The non-musical scenes do have an intimacy in the way Ally and Maine would create songs as well as go into discussions about the idea of integrity in music as Cooper knows how to create simple compositions but also in the way characters would react to another. Cooper also maintains that air of simplicity while knowing what not to show during a key dramatic moment late in the film. Notably in the third act as it play into Maine’s own downfall due to his substance abuse as well as growing tinnitus where he is trying to recover but there is also this danger that he could screw things up again. Yet, there is the music as it is what brings him and Ally together as it is a crucial moment for not just its climax but also the ending into the journey that these two endure. Overall, Cooper crafts a touching and ravishing film about the diverging journeys between a country-rock singer and his pop star wife.
Cinematographer Matthew Libatique does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of stylish lights for some of the clubs, venues, and bars the characters go to as well as the lighting in some of the concert scenes and some of the natural elements in the film’s exterior scenes. Editor Jay Cassidy does excellent work with the editing where it is straightforward for much of the film while knowing when to keep shots going as well as create a few montages in some parts of the film. Production designer Karen Murphy, with set decorator Ryan Watson plus art directors Matthew Horan and Bradley Rubin, does fantastic work with the look of Maine’s home that he would later share with Ally as well as the home that Ally lived in with her father. Costume designer Erin Benach does nice work with the costumes from the casual and cowboy-like clothing that Maine wears to the more stylish look that Ally would sport in the clothes that she would wear as a pop star.
Hair stylist Joy Zapata and makeup artist Debbie Zoller do terrific work with the look that Ally would venture into from being somewhat plain into being a bit more glamorous into her transformation as a pop star. Visual effects supervisor Bruce Jones does wonderful work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it mainly serves as set dressing for some scenes in the film. Sound editor Alan Robert Murray does superb work with the sound in the way live music sounds on locations as well as the way music sounds when it’s being recorded as it is a highlight of the film. Music supervisors Julianne Jordan and Julia Michels do incredible work in cultivating the film’s soundtrack as it feature a lot of original songs sung and performed by Cooper and Lady Gaga with the latter co-writing some of the material with Lukas Nelson, Jason Isbell, Diane Warren, DJ White Shadow, Mark Ronson, and Andrew Wyatt as its mixture of country, country-rock, pop, and dance pop add to the story as it’s one of the film’s major highlights.
The casting by Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu is marvelous as it feature notable small roles and cameo appearances from Alec Baldwin as himself hosting Saturday Night Live , Halsey as herself presenting an award, Marlon Williams and Brandi Carlisle as themselves performing at the awards show, Luenell as a grocery cashier, Eddie Griffin as a local preacher, Drena de Niro as the wife of Maine’s friend Noodles, Greg Grunberg as Maine’s driver Phil, the trio of Barry Shabaka Henley, Michael D. Roberts, and Michael Harney as Lorenzo’s friends, Shangela Laquifa Wadley as the drag club emcee, William Belli as the drag queen Emerald, and Ron Rifkin as Maine’s rehab therapist Carl. Dave Chappelle is superb as Maine’s longtime friend and former musician Noodles as a man who has chosen the simple life as well as offer Maine a glimpse into that life that would inspire him to commit full time to Ally.
Rafi Gavron is terrific as Ally’s manager/producer Rez as a man who would drive a wedge between Ally and Maine but is also aware of Maine’s troubles with drugs and alcohol and uses it against Maine. Anthony Ramos is fantastic as Ally’s friend Ramon who would introduce Maine to Ally as well as be someone who would be on Ally’s side and be one of the few people in her life who keeps her grounded. Andrew Dice Clay is excellent as Ally’s father Lorenzo as a man who is supportive of his daughter while is also worried about her not making it knowing about those who had the talent but never made it as it is a charismatic and grounded performance from Clay that also has an air of tenderness that is unexpected from the comedian. Sam Elliott is amazing as Maine’s older half-brother Bobby who also manages Maine as he is aware of his brother’s troubles with substance abuse and his tinnitus as well as being the one who is trying to take care of everything as it is one of Elliott’s finest performances.
Finally, there’s Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Jackson Maine and Ally. Cooper’s performance as Maine displays a man who is talented but also extremely troubled as years on the road, recording, and partying is starting to take its toll while his tinnitus is starting to get worse as he is in denial about his issues while is forced to face the reality of his troubles. Gaga’s performance as Ally is a marvel to watch as she displays the sense of reluctance to go into a singing career while eventually finding the confidence but is also someone who doesn’t take shit from anyone. Cooper and Gaga together are incredible to watch in the way they bond with one another as well as the scenes where they argue as they added that edge into two people who both have a love for music and each other but at times can’t stand one another as they are a major highlight of the film.
A Star is Born is a spectacular film from Bradley Cooper that features great performances from Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, and Andrew Dice Clay. Along with its evocative soundtrack, gorgeous visuals, a fresh and daring reinterpretation of an old story, and top-notch musical performances. It’s a film that isn’t afraid of being a remake but also find ways to do something new with it while being this whirlwind romantic drama of two singers both going into different paths only to go up when they work together. In the end, A Star is Born is a sensational film from Bradley Cooper.
Related: A Star is Born (1937 film) - A Star is Born (1954 film) – (A Star is Born (1976 film))
© thevoid99 2020
Well this has been a great start to a new year and a new decade. Why? Well let’s see… our dumb-fuck dictator has waged war on Iran and the idea of World War III might happen. People are getting sick left and right with Asia now being hit with a new disease in the coronavirus. Rush drummer Neil Peart died of brain cancer while Kobe Bryant and his 13-year old daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash with several other people. Oh, and the supposed cold I had in the last month had brought me to the emergency room for a few hours as I had bronchitis. So yeah, I think things are really fucking great. That is if you’re a stupid motherfucker. Seriously, this hasn’t been good at all though I’m slowly getting better despite still coughing though not severely. Of course, the fucking bronchitis made me have to stay home as I had to miss some art house films I really wanted to see. Alas, things could be worse.
In the month of January 2020, I saw a total of 30 films in 12 first-timers and 18 re-watches with 2 of the first-timers directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge . One of the highlights of the month has been my Blind Spot assignment in Louisiana Story
1. Parasite
2. Shazam!
3. Swimmer
4. A Star is Born
5. Ceddo
6. Emitai
7. Scent of a Woman
8. Dear Basketball
9. Duran Duran: There’s Something You Show Know
10. The Velvet Underground: Live MCMXCIII
Monthly Mini-Reviews:
Duran Duran: There’s Something You Show Know A documentary about the band’s career that was shown on Showtime, the film showcases the band’s incredible career from their formation in the late 70s to their continued success into the 21st Century. Though it does skim on some parts such as their late 80s/early 90s drought and John Taylor’s brief departure in 1996 before returning in the early 2000s. The film does play into some of the band’s highs and lows including Andy Taylor’s second departure in the mid-2000s where they were sympathetic about why he left leaving the band to be a four-piece of sorts while there’s also interviews with other musicians, fans, and celebrities including Nile Rodgers, Boy George, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Mark Ronson as it’s something fans will enjoy.
The Velvet Underground: Live MCMXCIII VIDEO A concert film of the legendary band’s three-night performance at L’Olympia in Paris in June of 1993 showcases the brief reunion of the seminal band in the classic line-up of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen “Moe” Tucker. It’s a nice concert film that has the band play several of their classics from their four albums including the two albums made without Cale who proves to be a worthy replacement for the late Nico in singing Femme Fatale . Though it wasn’t entirely well-received when it first came out, the live show does at least showcase a band having fun and playing songs to a rapturous audience that wanted to see the band and hear those songs.
Swimmer Swimmer from Natasha Braier on Vimeo .From Lynne Ramsay comes her 2012 BAFTA award-winning short film made to celebrate the 2012 Olympics as it this gorgeous black-and-white short film about the journey of a swimmer going through various bodies of water in Britain. There’s not much of a plot to it yet Ramsay’s intricate approach to sound design with audio samples from other films as well as gorgeous photography by Natasha Braier add to its beauty and intoxicating atmosphere. It’s a film that fans of Ramsay must see as it is proof that she’s one of the best filmmakers working today.
Tolkien A by-the-numbers bio-pic about the young life of J.R.R. Tolkien, it’s a film that has its moments due to Nicholas Hoult’s performance as the famed writer. While much of it takes place during Tolkien’s time studying languages and coming up with ideas for his work, it also showcases his experience at World War I. Lily Collins’ performance as his eventual wife is a standout as she manages to bring the best in Tolkien as it’s an OK film.
Dear Basketball Dear Basketball from joe mcmaster on Vimeo .In light of the shocking death of Kobe Bryant, the short film he created with filmmaker Glen Keane became available as it is definitely something special and deserving of the Oscar for Best Animated Short. It’s Bryant narrating about his love for the game and the many highs and lows he went through as a player but also someone who dreamed of playing the game as a kid. It’s a touching short made mainly in 2D hand-drawn animation as it adds a richness to a film that is just simple and personal.
Top 10 Re-watches:
1. Brazil
2. Aliens
3. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
4. Major League
5. Alien
6. Bad Times at the El Royale
7. The Addams Family
8. Paddington 2
9. Diego Maradona
10. About Schmidt
Well, that is all for January. I have no idea what I’m doing next month other than continue work on MCU is Cinema project as I took a break on it as making the fourth part has been difficult. That is something I want to finish and then return to work on my Auteurs piece on Kelly Reichardt. Other than, I’ll just watch films from the never-ending DVR list while I’m unsure of what film I’ll watch that is out in the theaters. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2020
In the fifth week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We go into the world of TV for new shows that premiered in 2019 as there was a lot to offer to viewers in the world of TV. Even as there were new things that audiences would see that offered something new. Here are my three picks:
1. Euphoria
One of two new shows from HBO that I’ve seen so far, this show about a young teenage girl coming home from rehab as she struggles with sobriety while other high schoolers endure trouble such as sexual identity, drugs, and mayhem. This show created by Sam Levinson is definitely shocking as it doesn’t shy away from some of the trouble high school kids endure with Zendaya in the lead role as Rue as a former drug addict struggling with sobriety and finding her place in the world as she befriends a transgender girl named Jules. It isn’t afraid to tackle many subjects but also in the world of sex where there are young women trying to find themselves but often go into the wrong places as it’s definitely something more people should see.
2. Mrs. Fletcher
A limited TV series based on Tom Perrota’s novel about a middle-aged woman dealing with loneliness and her own sexual exploration following her son’s departure into college. It is a fascinating show that stars Kathryn Hahn in the titular role as a divorcee who is trying to find herself but also have her own sexual reawakening while her son enters the world of college as he struggles with his new surroundings. Especially as he was a popular and sexually active teen in high school yet finds himself being an outcast in college while his mother would befriend a former high schooler her son bullied back in high school. It is an amazing series as it raises a lot of questions of what will happen next.
3. AEW Dynamite
On January 1, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan, a new American professional wrestling organization in All Elite Wrestling was announced under the financial backing of Jacksonville Jaguars/Fulham F.C. owner Shahid Khan and the leadership of Shahid’s son Tony with Matt and Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Cody Rhodes as executive vice presidents. On October 2, 2019, AEW's new show premiered marking the first time professional wrestling is on Turner broadcasting since March 2001 when WCW was bought by WWE as well as the beginning of the Wednesday Night Wars with WWE’s NXT brand. Two hours of professional wrestling action with bits of entertainment, the show is already successful as TNT extended AEW’s contract through 2023 with a second show set to be added. So far, it’s been doing great not just through matches and segments but also through the work of the Elite (Omega, Rhodes, Young Bucks, and Hangman Adam Page), Jon Moxley, the Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Santana/Ortiz, Jake Hager, and Sammy Guevara), SCU, the Jurassic Express, Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin, and many others.
© thevoid99 2020
Directed by Bong Joon-ho and screenplay by Joon-ho and Han Jin-won from a story by Joon-ho, Parasite is the story of a poor family whose adult son gets a job as a tutor for rich woman and her family as they scheme to take jobs as highly qualified individuals. The film is an exploration of social classes where a poor family gets a look into the world of the rich and try inhabit that world while making an unsettling discovery. Starring Song Kang-Ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, and Chang Hyae-jin. Parasite is a riveting and intoxicating film from Bong Joon-ho.
The film is the simple story of a poor family whose son is given a job from a friend of his to tutor a teenage girl from a rich family as he would befriend the family and get his parents and sisters jobs pretending to be highly-qualified workers. It’s a film with a simple premise yet it is more of an exploration of different social classes and how one family yearns to have the life this rich family have as they still struggle with living in a small apartment in a poor environment. The film’s screenplay by Bong Joon-Ho and Han Jin-won follow the life of the Kim family as they share this small and cramped apartment trying to get by through odd jobs including making pizza boxes for a local pizza company. When a friend of Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) in Min-hyuk (Park Seo-joon) arrives with a gift for the Kim family in a scholar rock as well as giving Ki-woo his job as an English tutor for a teenage girl as he’s going away to study abroad. Ki-woo accepts his friend’s offer while Ki-woo’s sister Ki-jeong (Park So-dam) creates false documents about Ki-woo’s credentials as a tutor.
Ki-woo meets Yeon-gyo Park (Cho Yeo-jeong) whose husband Dong-ik (Lee Sun-kyun) is a revered architect while their teenage daughter Da-hye (Jeong Ji-so) is struggling in high school as Ki-woo helps her as he gets accepted by Yeon-gyo. Noticing the Park’s youngest son in Da-song (Jung Hyeon-jun), Ki-woo suggests in getting an art tutor/art therapist to help with Da-song as Ki-jeong poses as the art teacher. Through a series of events, Ki-jeong gets the Park’s chauffer Yoon (Park Geun-rok) fired so that her father Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) can get the job while his wife Chung-sook (Chang Hye-jin) eventually becomes the housekeeper following a scheme to the get the Park’s longtime housekeeper Moon-gwang Gook (Lee Jung-eun) fired. Just as the Kim family seems to enjoy their new life and finding ways to improve their own lifestyle, a secret within the house starts to emerge as it would shatter everything they worked for. Even as it forces Ki-taek to come to terms with the life he wanted and the life he already has but also a growing disconnect between the two world of the rich and poor.
Joon-ho’s direction is definitely entrancing in not just the world and home the Park family live in but also the dilapidated environment of the Kim family. Shot on location around Seoul and parts of Jeonju, the film definitely play up to this world between the lower-working class of the Kims and the upper-class world of the Parks. Joon-ho does use wide shots to not just a scope of the locations but also how vast the home of the Parks is that includes a big living room and backyard while much of Joon-ho’s compositions are tighter with medium shots and close-ups at the home of the Kims. Notably in the lack of space as well as the fact that there’s always a drunk person who urinates in front of their home onto a pile of garbage. Joon-ho’s usage of tracking shots add to the atmosphere of the Parks’ home in the way characters move from room to room as well in some of the film’s suspenseful moments.
Joon-ho also adds this air of tranquility in the home of the Parks where the Kims would inhabit all of its splendor during a day when the Parks are out of town. It is a moment in the film as it play into the Kims’ desire for a life that is better but know that it is only fleeting when a major discovery occurs within the house as it changes everything. It also raises questions into the idea of social divide as it intensifies when the Kims come home and things go on as if nothing happened. All of the planning that Ki-woo had created with his family suddenly become questioned with Ki-taek also wondering about the Parks and their lifestyle in contrast to the life he and his family has. Joon-ho maintains this atmosphere of social disconnect as its climax is about a family trying to understand its identity as well as the identity of the home they’re inhabiting as it lead to chaos. Overall, Joon-ho crafts an evocative yet eerie film about a poor family inhabiting the world and home of a rich family.
Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it help create some different color schemes such as the usage of low-key and grimy lighting for the scenes at the home of the Kims and their surroundings that is in sharp contrast to the more naturalistic exteriors at the Park’s home with some unique lighting for the interiors at their home. Editor Yang Jin-mo does amazing work with the editing as it help play into some of the drama and suspense with its usage of jump-cuts and other stylish cuts while using rhythmic cuts for some of the film’s humorous moments. Production designer Lee Ha-jun and set decorator Cho Won-Woo do excellent work with the look of the home of the Park family with its spacious living room, stylish kitchen, a highly-organized garage/basement, and clean bedrooms that is the opposite of the grimy and claustrophobic home of the Kims. Costume designer Choi Se-yeon does fantastic work with the costumes from the clean-cut and stylish clothes of the Parks to the more ragged look of the Kims while they would wear more posh-like clothing upon working with the Parks.
Hair/makeup designer Young Kim Seo does nice work with the look of the characters including the more refined look that the Kims would sport upon working for the Parks. The special effects work of Jung Do-ahn and Park Kyung-soo, with visual effects supervisor Jeong Ho Hong, do terrific work with the special effects that is mainly bits of set dressing that include some of the sunny exteriors at the Parks’ backyard as well as some shots from the cellphones the characters often carry. The sound work of Choi Tae-young is superb in creating the atmosphere in the film’s locations as well as the air of ambiance at the home of the Parks that is removed from some of the chaos in the city along with some of the more disturbing moments that would occur during its third act. The film’s music by Jung Jae-il is incredible for its somber piano-based orchestral score as it play into the sense of wonderment as well as some of the melancholia that occurs along with some eerie moments of suspense as it is a highlight of the film. Music supervisor Park Hyoshin provides a wonderful soundtrack that features some classical pieces as well as contemporary music that plays in the background including a song co-written by Joon-ho in the film’s final credits.
The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Park Seo-joon as Ki-woo’s friend Min-hyuk who gives Ki-woo his tutoring job, Jung Yi-seo as the pizza place manager, Park Guen-rok as the chauffer Yoon, and Park Myung-hoon as a mysterious man that Da-song thinks is a ghost. Lee Jung-eun is terrific as the housekeeper Gook Moon-gwang as the Parks’ original housekeeper who has a strange allergy while is also involved with a big mysterious secret at the house while Jung Hyeon-jun is superb as the Parks’ youngest child in Da-song who is fascinated by Native Americans and creates some unique drawings. Jeong Ji-so is wonderful as the Park’s teenage daughter Da-hye as young girl trying to learn English as she is pursued by Min-hyuk yet starts to fall for Ki-woo. Lee Sun-kyun and Cho Yeo-jeong are fantastic in their respective roles as Dong-ik and Yeon-gyo Park as the rich couple with the former as a revered architect and the latter as a simple housewife who is trying to run a household as she is easily swayed by the Kim’s scheme.
Park So-dam is excellent as Ki-jeong as the Kim adult daughter who is good at creating forged documents and such while also knows about art as she teaches Da-song about art while making observations about his work. Chang Hyae-jin is brilliant as Chung-sook as the Park matriarch who spends much of her time cleaning while being the one to discover a major secret at the house. Choi Woo-shik is amazing as Ki-woo as the Kim adult son who is smart but unable to pass exams where he takes the tutoring job for a friend while he would scheme his way to get his family to get work only for things to become troubling. Finally, there’s Song Kang-ho in an incredible performance as Ki-taek as the Kim patriarch who is hoping to get his family out of their life as he would eventually fill in as the Park chauffer where he enjoys the job but becomes troubled by what he discovered at the Park family home as he later deals with the disconnect between his family’s world and the Park’s family lifestyle.
Parasite is a tremendous film from Bong Joon-ho. Featuring an incredible cast, dazzling visuals, an intriguing study of social classes and lifestyles, a mixture of comedy and suspense, and an intoxicating music score by Jung Jae-il. It’s a film that explore this unique world of social classes as well as a poor family trying to inhabit the world of the upper class while being reminded of where they come from. In the end, Parasite is a spectacular film from Bong Joon-ho.
Bong Joon-ho Films: Barking Dogs Never Bite - Memories of Murder - The Host (2006 film) - Tokyo!-Shaking Tokyo - Mother (2009 film) - Snowpiercer - Okja - Mickey 17 - The Auteurs #44: Bong Joon-ho
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Based on the DC Comics series by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck, Shazam! is the story of a teenage boy who meets a wizard who grants him powers to become a superhero to deal with a man who is also given the powers featuring the 7 Deadly Sins. Directed by David F. Sandberg and screenplay by Henry Gayden from a story by Gayden and Darren Lemke, the film is a superhero/coming-of-age film of sorts where a boy says a word that would turn him into a superhero as he deals with not just who he is but also the idea of family as he gets adopted into a kind-loving home with five different adopted siblings. Starring Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou as the Wizard/Shazam. Shazam! is a witty and heartwarming film from David F. Sandberg.
The film revolves around a teenage kid looking for his birth mother as an encounter with bullies lead him to meet a mysterious wizard who gives him the power to become a superhero by saying a magic word in the hopes he can defeat another man who has gained entry into the Rock of Eternity as he is accompanied by the forces known as the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. It’s a film that has a simple premise yet it is really about a man and a boy who both encountered magic as they’re also lost due to the fact that they never had a family. Henry Gayden’s screenplay opens with a sequence set in 1974 where a young boy named Thaddeus Sivana (Ethan Pugiotto) would encounter the mysterious wizard known as Shazam who offers the boy the chance to become a hero yet the young Thaddeus is tempted by the Eye of Sin making him unworthy of the powers. The event would later cause a car accident that would paralyze his father as the older Thaddeus (Mark Strong) becomes obsessed with finding entry to the Rock of Eternity as he would eventually gain the Eye of Sin and defeat the Wizard unleashing monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Around the time the older Thaddeus gains the Eye of Sin and its monsters, a teenage boy named Billy Baston (Asher Angel) is a foster-child in Philadelphia searching for his biological mother as he’s taken to another foster home run by Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans, respectively) where he shares the home with five other foster children in the college-bound Mary Bromfield (Grace Fulton), the obsessive gaming/tech enthusiast Eugene Choi (Ian Chen), the shy and sensitive Pedro Pena (Jovan Armand), the youngest in Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman), and the superhero enthusiast Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) who walks with a crutch as he’s often the target for bullies. It is Billy defending Freddy from the bullies and an ensuing chase that would get him to meet the Wizard who gives him the powers to become the hero mainly for the goodness in Billy’s heart as well as hoping to defend the honor of the siblings that the Wizard lost many years ago due to Eye of Sin.
One of the strengths of the script isn’t just this duality between Sivana and Baston in their encounters with the wizard but what they are able to do with the powers they’re given. Though Baston admits to the Wizard that he’s not pure of heart, his willingness to at least stand up for his adopted family as well as at least wanting to reunite with his mother at least show someone who is a good person. Sivana’s motivations is someone who never felt love from his father and older brother as his obsession for magic makes him wanting to lash out at his family but also crave power with the help of the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins. The script also shows that when Baston becomes Shazam, he is given these powers but he uses it for money and mischief until he gets Sivana’s attention as he deals with the fact that he has to face off with someone who is powerful and wanting to kill him and anyone else trying to protect him.
David F. Sandberg’s direction is definitely full of exuberance in its tone while also bringing in some dark material as it relates to Sivana and his powers. Though the film is set largely in Philadelphia during the Christmas holidays, it is shot largely on location in Toronto as Philadelphia where it play into the misadventures of Baston but also a boy just trying to find a home. Sandberg does use some wide and medium shots to establish the locations but he also create some unique compositions that do have an air of simplicity into how Baston copes with his situation or how he interact with his adopted siblings. Even as there’s these bits of drama that showcases each of his siblings and who they are as well as Shazam would interact with a few of them such as Darla who immediately discovers Shazam’s true identity once he turns back to Baston. Sandberg also maintains a light-hearted tone such as a montage of Shazam learning what kind of powers he has as there is also an air of innocence for the fact that Shazam is really a young teenager who wants to know what it’s like to drink beers and go to strip clubs.
Sandberg doesn’t just play into this innocence but also the selfishness that teenagers go through as Shazam isn’t aware of the fact that just because he has superpowers doesn’t mean he can just show them off. He also has to take responsibility once he meets Sivana as it would lead to the third act where Baston has some revelations about what happened to him as a child as it relates to his mother and what happened the day he got lost from his mother. It would be a moment where Baston has to learn the true idea of family but also show exactly what kind of man Sivana is as someone who may have powers and the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins. The film’s climax that has Shazam vs. Sivana and his army as it has this mixture of action, adventure, and humor. Most notably in who Shazam gets to help him fight as there are these small bits of innocence that occur but also moments that make fun of typical clichés expected in superhero films. Overall, Sandberg crafts an exhilarating yet enchanting film about a kid who becomes a superhero by saying a magic word.
Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography the low-key and dark colors of the Rock of Eternity lair that the Wizard lives in as well as the world that Sivana is surrounded by to the more colorful look and wintery lighting of Baston and his family. Editor Michel Aller does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward in some parts while knowing when not to deviate into chaotic editing style for the action as it does let shots linger on as well as bring in some style in a montage sequence where Shazam tests his powers. Production designer Jennifer Spence, with set decorator Shane Vieau plus art directors Brandt Gordon and Colin Woods, does amazing work with the look of the Rock of Eternity as well as the home Baston and his adopted siblings live in. Costume designer Leah Butler does fantastic work with the clothes that Sivana wears as well as the clothes of Baston and his siblings and the suit he wears when he’s Shazam.
Prosthetics makeup designer Steve Newburn does terrific work with the look of Sivana with his eye as well as the look of the Wizard. Special effects supervisors Mark Lawton and Cameron Waldbauer, with visual effects supervisors Mike Wassel, Carey Villegas, and Kelvin McIlwain, do incredible work with the visual effects from the design of the monsters as well as in the special effects to play into Shazam’s powers. Sound designers Bill R. Dean and Erick Ocampo do superb work with the sound as it play into the powers both Shazam and Sivana have as well as some of the places the characters go to. The film’s music by Benjamin Wallfisch is marvelous for its bombastic orchestral score with themes that soar into the sense of adventure and humor while music supervisor Season Kent provides a fun soundtrack of music that feature pieces from Queen, Natalie Cole, Warrant, the Ramones, Bing Crosby, Calvin Harris with Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, & Big Sean, Bruno Mars, Cheap Shot, Dean Martin, Survivor, Twenty One Pilots, Niall Horan, and Naughty by Nature.
The casting by Rich Delia is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from the voices of Steve Blum, Darin De Paul, and Fred Tatasciore as the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins, Andi Ohso as a social worker in Emma Glover, Lotta Lotsen as Sivana’s researcher Dr. Lynn Crosby, Wayne Ward and Landon Doak in their respective roles as the adult and teenage version of Sivana’s older brother Sid, Carson MacCormac and Evan Marsh in their respective roles as the school bullies in Brett and Burke Breyer, Caroline Palmer as Billy’s mother Marilyn in a flashback scene and in a key scene in the third act, David Kohlsmith as the four-year old Billy Baston, Ethan Pugiotto as the young Thaddeus Sivana, and John Glover as Sivana’s cruel father who treats him like shit in the film’s opening sequence as well as being cold to him in a sequence where Sivana confronts him. Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans are terrific in their respective roles as Victor and Rosa Vasquez as foster parents who are good people trying to give Billy and his adopted siblings a good home as well as being really kind people.
Ian Chen and Jovan Armand are superb in their respective roles as Billy’s foster brothers in Eugene Choi and Pedro Pena with the former as gamer and tech enthusiast who is also a skilled hacker while the latter is a shy and sensitive kid having a hard time opening up as he doesn’t say much but is always helpful. Faithe Herman is fantastic as the youngest foster sibling in Darla Dudley as a sweet young girl who likes to cook while is also someone that is full of innocence and sees the good in people. Grace Fulton is excellent as Mary Bromfield as the oldest foster sibling who is bound for college yet is devoted to her family as she is willing to protect them. Jack Dylan Grazer is brilliant as Freddy Freeman as Billy’s foster sibling who is a superhero enthusiast as he helps Shazam understand his powers while trying to deal with his own disabilities and desire to have what Billy has as Shazam.
Djimon Hounsou is amazing as the Wizard who is called Shazam as a man of great power and magic who gives Billy his powers in the hopes that Billy can defeat Sivana and bring hope to the world. Mark Strong is remarkable as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana as a man obsessed with his encounter with the Wizard as a kid where he finally gains access where he aligns himself with the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins in the hope he can get Shazam’s powers to rule everything and everyone. Asher Angel is incredible as Billy Baston as a teenage kid trying to find his mother but is also reluctant to be part of a family only to realize what the Vasquez and his adopted siblings could give him. Finally, there’s Zachary Levi in a phenomenal performance as Shazam as Billy’s adult alter-ego who is a ball of energy and enthusiasm as someone trying to understand his powers but also what it means to be powerful and use them for good as Levi provides that air of innocence and exuberance that the character is about.
Shazam! is a tremendous film from David F. Sandberg. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a witty and lighthearted tone, a dazzling music score, and colorful visuals. It is a superhero film that doesn’t take itself seriously while showcasing some strong themes on family, power, and the idea of being a hero. In the end, Shazam! is a spectacular film from David F. Sandberg.
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Aquaman - Birds of Prey – Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2020
