The Auteurs #5: Alexander Payne

Though he wasn’t a filmmaker that broke ground like Steven Soderbergh and Quentin Tarantino for what was done with independent films. Yet, Alexander Payne did share the same independent spirit of those filmmakers as he would become one of the most interesting voices in American cinema of the past 15 years. While a lot of the films he did were adaptations of books, they all reflected Payne’s interest in the individual struggling to find themselves as they face uncertainty in a world that always pushes them back. With Payne finally set to return after a seven-year hiatus between feature films with The Descendants, the film is an indication of how important he is to American cinema and international cinema at large.

Born on February 10, 1961 to a Greek-American family in Omaha, Nebraska, Payne’s early life was driven by academics as he was able to attend Stanford University studying Spanish and history. During his study for Spanish that led him to study at the University of Salamanca in Spain where he became increasingly interested in film. One of the films that would later inspire one of his own films was Federico Fellini’s 1960 film La Dolce Vita as he would later do an introduction for the film for its 2004 DVD release. While continuing with his studies, Payne’s interest in films had him living in Los Angeles where he was able to watch the widely influential Z Channel that showed lots of art films as he would later appear in a 2004 documentary about the channel as he displayed a T-shirt that he got from the channel.

It was during that time that Payne would make his first short called Carmen that was released in 1985. While there’s an excerpt of the shown on YouTube, it would later be released fully on a DVD in the 2000s that collected the shorts of other filmmakers. After finishing his studies in 1990, Payne would work on various projects including a short called The Passion of Martin as well as direct segments for a couple of direct-to-video releases from Playboy. It was during that time that Payne would meet one of his key collaborators in Jim Taylor, who was a student at Tisch School of the Arts from NYU. The two would collaborate on a project that would eventually become Payne’s first full-length feature that brought Payne back home to Nebraska.

Citizen Ruth

The only project that is, so far, Payne’s original work is the story of a spray-paint huffing woman who is caught up in a battle between pro-life and pro-choice factions when she is pregnant. Written by Payne and Jim Taylor, the film is a part-satire and part-character study about a woman named Ruth Stoops who gets arrested for her addictions as she learns she’s pregnant. Already having four children in different relationships and with a huge jail sentence happening, a judge tells her that he can reduce her sentence if she has an abortion. This leads to a group of conservative pro-lifers known as the Baby Savers to save Ruth while they deal with a pro-choice group.

The film is a satire of the way both conservative and liberal forces handle things with the one person in the middle being this somewhat dim-witted woman from a very poor background that has no idea what she wants to do. Though she would stumble upon a tape about real estate in her search for cash, Ruth is a far more complex character while being flawed at the same time. All of this is due to Laura Dern’s winning performance as this troubled woman where when a bunch of money is offered, she wants to take it. Yet, the forces that is fighting over the issue of abortion use her as a pawn in this huge debate that goes out of hand.

One of Payne’s success as a filmmaker is crafting an amazing ensemble cast. With Laura Dern In the lead role of Ruth Stoops, there’s Kurtwood Smith and Mary Kay Place as the conservative couple that takes her in while they have Alicia Witt as their rebellious, heavy-metal teenage daughter that just likes to get high with Ruth. On the other corner, there’s Swoosie Kurtz as a supposed friend of the conservative couple who is really a spy for a pro-choice group with Kelly Preston as her lesbian lover. With a cast that includes M.C. Gainey as a sympathetic abortions clinic guard who gives Ruth money just so she can make her own choice. There’s also appearances from Dern’s real-life mother Diane Ladd, Tippi Hedren as a pro-choice leader, and Burt Reynolds in a hilarious performance as the Baby Savers leader who has an adopted son that gives him a massage.

Payne allows both sides of the abortions debate to have some strong points but like any kind of social issue. Things get out of hand where Payne allows these people to really lose insight into the fact that they’re fighting over a woman who is caught in the middle and has no idea what to do. It’s in Dern’s performance that makes the audience feel for Ruth as the conservatives are seen as bland, short-sighted people with a leader who is a total buffoon. The pro-choice group are nothing more than a bunch of unorganized hippies.

The film premiered at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival to great fanfare as it received excellent reviews though a limited release. Yet, the film would prove to be a favorite among indie film goers who saw Payne as a new voice. While it remains his only original feature-film project to date, the film was a fresh outlook into the silliness of political and social debates gone horribly wrong.

Election

For his next feature, Payne and longtime collaborator Jim Taylor chose to adapt Tom Perrotta’s acclaimed 1998 novel Election. The story about an overachieving young student whose ambition to win the school election motivates one of her teachers convinces a popular jock to run against her in order to bring her down. Along the way, things start to unravel in the teacher’s life while he eventually loses his job for what he tried to do. Payne chose to move the location from New Jersey to his native Nebraska as he armed himself with the team of collaborators he had worked with in Citizen Ruth that included editor Kevin Tent, music composer Rolfe Kent, production designer Jane Ann Stewart, art director T.K. Kirkpatrick, and cinematographer James Glennon.

The casting by Lisa Beach proved to be inspiring as she and Payne utilized a cast of mostly small-time actors and newcomers while a lot of the people in the film were essentially from Omaha where the film was set. One of the locals that got to play a big role in the film was Chris Klein as he nabbed the part of the nice-guy jock Paul Metzler. While Thora Birch was initially cast as Paul’s adopted lesbian sister Tammy, she left the film after a few days due to creative differences as she was replaced by a newcomer in Jessica Campbell. For the big parts, Reese Witherspoon nabbed the part as the ambitious yet overachieving student Tracy Flick while Matthew Broderick was cast as Flick’s nemesis in high school teacher Jim McAllister.

In order to maintain a real idea of high school life, Payne chose to have the film set at Papillion-La Vista High School near Omaha during a school year. Using real teachers and real students, Payne was able to maintain a sense of authenticity while his cast were able to fit in as if they were playing their characters. While the production was difficult as Payne didn’t want to disrupt the studies of students, he was able to get things done while managing to shoot in his native Omaha with full support from the city.

Part of Payne’s approach to the film was to give his four principle actors the chance to flesh out their characters and make them seem real. For Chris Klein, he makes Paul Metlzer more than just a nice guy as there’s a real genuine quality to a young kid that is very grateful while stating that not voting for himself seems like the right thing to do. Jessica Campbell’s approach to Tammy adds a real complexity to a girl that just wants to be loved and find some place in the world while she causes a real sense of anarchy during an assembly speech when she says she plans to dismantle the school body government so that no students can attend any more assemblies.

It’s what Payne does best in giving smaller and lesser-known actors the chance to shine while he also gives both Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick career-defining performances. Witherspoon, who was just a young actress on the rise, was able to make Tracy Flick more than what she is by bringing this mix of enthusiasm and cunning determination as a young woman striving to succeed by any means. For the veteran Broderick, the role was a big surprise considering that he was famous more than a decade as the rebellious student Ferris Bueller in John Hughes’ 1986 teen-comedy classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. While Broderick was able to make McAllister an earnest though flawed character who makes bad decisions, the film gave Broderick a comeback of sorts following a period of lackluster projects.

Released in the spring of 1999 through Paramount and MTV Films, the film drew rave reviews while doing modest in the box office. Yet, the film became a bigger hit on home video and DVD as it received numerous mentions at year-end polls while giving Reese Witherspooon a nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes while Payne and Taylor both received their first Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film would later be considered to be one of the great comedies and high school films in lists that followed throughout the years as it remains Payne’s most accessible work so far.

About Schmidt

The success of Election gave Payne clout in Hollywood as he pondered on what to do next. It was during that time between films that Payne would participate in a couple of projects as a screenwriter as he did an un-credited rewrite for Jay Roach’s Meet the Parents in 2000. In 2001, Payne and Jim Taylor worked with Peter Buchman on a script for the third Jurassic Park film for director Joe Johnston that received mixed reviews. Yet, the work that Payne did with those films allowed him time and money to start developing his third film which was an adaptation of Louis Begley’s 1996 novel About Schmidt.

About Schmidt told the story of a retired man who loses his wife as he goes on a road trip before attending his daughter’s wedding as he tries to stop her from marrying into a family that he doesn’t like. The film would be a continued exploration towards Payne’s fascination with the individual struggling to make a difference. Yet, unlike the dim-witted Ruth Stoop and the conniving Jim McAllister, the character of Warren Schmidt is a man who is facing the final years of his life as he seeks to find some use and meaning into the life he’s lead all of these years.

For the role of Warren Schmidt, the legendary Jack Nicholson cast who had just return a four-year hiatus from acting following his Oscar-award winning performance for 1997’s As Good as It Gets to appear in Sean Penn’s 2001 film The Pledge. While getting Nicholson was a big coup, Payne knew that Nicholson shouldn’t play the exaggerated persona that he’s played for some years. With a bad comb over and sense of humility, Nicholson brings the Schmidt character to life as some critics noted that he’s playing an older yet wearied version of the George Hanson character he played in 1969’s Easy Rider.

With a cast that included Hope Davis as Schmidt’s daughter Jeannie, Dermont Mulroney as Jeanne’s dolt waterbed salesman fiance` Randall, and Kathy Bates as Randall’s mother. The film explores Schmidt’s life as he continually writes a letter to Tanzanian boy named Ndugu for an African child sponsors program. Throughout Schmidt’s letters, he reveals his frustrations and longing for simpler time as well as regrets as he goes into this road trip that becomes existential. Once Schmidt arrives for his daughter’s wedding, he tries to stop Jeannie from marry Randall which he was unable to do. Yet, Schmidt would have some strange yet humorous encounters with Randall’s family including a notorious nude scene where Randall’s mother joins Schmidt in a hot tub.

During the wedding scene, Warren gives a speech at the dinner though he hides his absolute disdain towards Randall and his family which only serves as a turning point as he writes to Ndugu over the fact that he’s accomplished nothing. This would lead to what is certainly one of the most touching yet heartbreaking endings as Warren receives a letter from a nun writing back to Warren about Ndugu who makes a painting for Warren. Warren’s reaction to the painting becomes what is truly the emotional highpoint that makes Schmidt stand out from Payne’s other characters as there’s a bit of hope for this old man.

The film premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival to great acclaim leading to a successful commercial release later that year as Jack Nicholson won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama while Payne and Jim Taylor won a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay. The film earned two Oscar nominations for Nicholson for Best Actor and Kathy Bates for Best Supporting Actress. Yet, the film would be Payne’s last film to be shot in his native Nebraska as well as his last with cinematographer James Glennon as the two amicably parted ways before Glennon’s death in 2006.

Sideways

Payne’s fourth film would be a bigger departure from his previous works in terms of location and in tone. Based on Rex Pickett’s novel, Sideways tells the story of two life-long friends who go on a trip to the California vineyard for some wine-tasting and a week of fun before one of them is to get married. Payne once again reached out to his collaborators as Jim Taylor co-wrote the film with Payne while attaining the service of acclaimed cinematographer Phedon Papamichael to shoot the film.

For the casting, Payne chose the acclaimed indie actor Paul Giamatti for the role of Miles Raymond as Giamatti was riding high from his well-received performance as Harvey Pekar in the unconventional bio-pic American Splendor. Payne also brought in his then-wife Sandra Oh for the role of the free-spirited Stephanie while for the roles of Mile’s best friend Jack and Mile’s eventual love-interest Maya would be bigger challenges. The roles were eventually by Thomas Haden Church as Jack and Virginia Madsen as Maya as Payne shot the film largely in the California wine country where the story was set.

Part of Payne’s inspiration for the film came from Fellini’s La Dolce Vita as Payne partly modeled the somber Miles from the character of Marcello that Marcello Mastroianni played in La Dolce Vita. The similarities between the two men is that they’re lost in their own despair as Marcello ponders about a life without all of the decadence he’s surrounded by while Miles is dealing with his own failures in his marriage and his attempts to get a novel published. While the film is a small ensemble piece, it’s led by Giamatti’s sympathetic yet heartfelt performance as a man trying to deal with a lot of his life. There’s a great scene where Miles and Jack spend the night at the home of Miles’ mother as they eat dinner with her. It is followed by Miles stealing money from his mother’s drawer as he sadly looks at pictures of himself at a graduation with his late father and a picture of happier time when he got married.

It’s in Giamatti’s face where he just displays a simple act of emotion over the fact that he’s a failure and he knows that he is doing something bad by stealing from his own mother. During his journey to the wine country, Miles and Jack would meet Maya and Stephanie as the engaged Jack would have an affair with Stephanie while Miles and Maya talk about their love for wine and their own failed marriages. It’s in Madsen’s understated performance as she gives a great monologue about wine that is really a moment in the film where it helps give Miles a sense of direction over the despair he’s going through.

While the film has a lot of dramatic elements, there’s also a lot of great humor that includes a hilarious scene where Miles tries to retrieve Jack’s wallet from a waitress and her husband (M.C. Gainey) where the husband runs after Miles stark naked. Other scenes also involve wine where he and Jack are about to have dinner with Maya and Stephanie as Miles says “I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!”. Rumors had it that because of that quote and Miles’ love for Pinot Noir that sales for Pinot Noir soared while sales for Merlot went down big.

The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival that fall to great acclaim as it was released months later to rave reviews and becoming a huge box office success. The film went on to receive a slew of awards including an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay to Payne and Taylor along with acting nods to Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen. While the film helped boosted the fortunes for Giamatti and Oh, it also helped the lagging careers for Church and Madsen as they found themselves in favor again. While it would be Payne’s biggest success, it was also bittersweet as he and Oh split up while he would go into a seven-year hiatus between films.

Paris Je T’aime - 14th Arrondissement/Hung (TV pilot)

During Payne’s long-imposed period between films following the success of Sideways, Payne took time to produce films for other filmmakers including King of California that starred Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood and The Savages for Jim Taylor’s filmmaker wife Tamara Jenkins that starred Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was in that time that Payne tried to get several projects going including a film that would return him to Nebraska that went through development hell.

In 2006, Payne took part in the anthology film Paris Je T’aime that featured twenty different short films about the city of Paris. Featuring such diverse filmmakers as Gus Van Sant, Alfonso Cuaron, Wes Craven, Olivier Assayas, Gurinder Chadha, Tom Tykwer, the Coen Brothers, Sylvain Chomet, and many others. Payne chose to be involved in two as he appeared in Wes Craven’s Pere-Lachaise short as Oscar Wilde giving advice to Rufus Sewell’s character who is going through some issues with his fiancée, played by Emily Mortimer. Payne’s own short 14th Arrondissement closed the film as it’s a portrait of an American woman (Margo Martindale) going on a holiday in Paris as she narrates in rough French about her love for the city.

The short is truly a gem that features some of Payne’s traits as he explores a woman in awe of Paris as she expresses all of her feelings in her narration as well as a bit of melancholia as she realize she has to return home. The short was considered to be one of the best of the film as it served as a nice stop-gap release for Payne who would continue to try and develop projects.

One of the projects he was involved in with collaborator Jim Taylor was writing an early version of the comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry that starred Adam Sandler and Kevin James. The project was meant to be a much more serious though humorous film but the film was re-written without Payne’s consent by Sandler and his cohorts that Payne later detached himself from the project. In 2009, Payne would finally direct again as he got involved in producing a TV show for HBO called Hung.

Hung is the story of an unsuccessful high school history teacher and basketball coach whose life is in shambles as he turns to male prostitution. Payne directs the show’s pilot which explores Ray Drecker’s dreary life as he reconnects with an old one-night stand who would become a pimp due to the fact that he has a big penis. The pilot dwells into Payne’s mix of melancholia and humor as he creates a nice set-up for the series that shows Ray Drecker’s life finding meaning again as he later finds himself dealing with two female pimps as he tries to help the lives of friends, his teenage kids, and his ex-wife.

The Descendants

Payne’s long-awaited return to the big screen finally arrives with his fifth feature-length film in an adaptation of Kaui Hart Hemming’s novel The Descendants. The story of a man trying to reconnect with his young daughters while dealing with his wife’s coma and her extramarital affairs along with the pressures to sell the ancestral land that he owns. The film marks another departure for Payne as his longtime co-writer Jim Taylor served as producer while Payne wrote the script with Nat Faxon and Jim Rash for the film.

Shooting the film on location in Hawaii, Payne gets a chance to explore the life of a man that is shaken by his wife’s boating accident that leaves her comatose. Having to take care of his two daughters whom he doesn’t see much as well as 25,000 acres of land that he’s inherited as his relatives plan to sell it. The film is a mix of comedy and drama as it leans largely on the latter where Payne chooses to focus on a man trying to reconnect with his two daughters. The character of Matt King is a lot like the characters Payne has previous explored in terms of their flaws and confusion over the decisions they’ve made.

What makes Matt King standout from Ruth Stoops, Jim McAllister, Warren Schmidt, Miles Raymond, and Ray Drecker is that King is a man that doesn’t have to worry about striving for success or worrying about things except that he’s not much of a father or a husband. Instead, he has land that he’s been trusted for generations dating back to the late 1800s where the family contract is to expire soon. For him, this big piece of land is a big deal as it represents not just the history of family but Hawaiian history and the temptation to sell it for lots of money for himself and his relatives confuse him.

When he has to take care of his two daughters and learn about his wife’s affair with a real estate agent, he wonders what did he do to make his wife go astray as he’s angry over these revelations. Yet, he’s not angry about it as his teenage daughter Alexandra was the one who revealed it to her father as she is consumed with guilt that the last memory of her mother before the accident was an angry one about her mother’s affair.

What makes this film previous from his different work is the relationship between Matt and Alexandra King as they’re respectively played by George Clooney and Shailene Woodley. The two add a dynamic that isn’t seen very much in father-daughter relationships as the two work together to find the man that ruined their lives as they’re facing grief and the fact that they had to tell the youngest sister about her mother’s state. Late towards the film as Matt King and his two daughters face the inevitable, they receive a surprise visit from the woman whose husband had an affair with Matt’s wife. Her appearance is the most heartbreaking which shows Payne playing melodrama without going overboard as Clooney watches Judy Greer vent her sadness and anger towards the woman that ruined her own family life.

The way Payne presents that scene in a very simple manner shows a filmmaker not just taking risks into something like melodrama. It shows a filmmaker maturing in the way he would present something that could’ve been overwrought. Payne’s sense of humor still remains intact with this film in a scene where Alexandra’s boyfriend laughs at Alexandra’s grandmother dementia where he later gets punched by her grandfather. The film is definitely the culmination of what Payne’s done so far as well as the fact that he hasn’t lost his touch.

Through the five feature films he’s already made in his career, Alexander Payne is truly a voice that is unlike anyone out there in cinema. He is always interested in characters who are very human that allows an audience to find something they can relate to. He is also someone that can take an ordinary location seem very beautiful whether it’s somewhere in the middle of a Nebraskan suburb, a California vineyard, or in the islands of Hawaii. There’s not a lot of directors that can do that as he is someone that has a different sensibility of doing things but make it feel natural. If there one American filmmaker right now that exemplify the best of what American cinema can be, it’s Alexander Payne.

© thevoid99 2011

Juno

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/30/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Jason Reitman and written by newcomer Diablo Cody, Juno is about a young girl from a small town who suddenly gets pregnant. Deciding to give the baby away to a couple, she begins to deal with the changes in her life and such. While Reitman's previous film was a satire on the tobacco industry, this film is more about a young girl's pregnancy and how her family and friends deal with this experience. Starring Ellen Page, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Olivia Thirlby, and Rainn Wilson. Juno is a charming, witty film from Jason Reitman.

Juno MacGuff is a 16-year old high school student who just discovered that she's pregnant after trying three pregnancy tests at a convenience store. Realizing the father is her friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), she remembers that the conception happened out of boredom one night. Calling her best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), she suggests that Juno to go to an abortion clinic but cold feet makes her change her mind. With help from Leah, Juno searches for the Penny Savers to find a couple to give the baby up for adoption. After finding the right couple, Juno tells her father Mac (J.K. Simmons) and step-mother Bren (Allison Janney) about her pregnancy and plans to give it up for adoption.

Juno and Mac then meet the couple they're going to give the baby to in the form of middle-class, posh suburban Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) as Juno just wants to give the baby away. Though she is amused by their yuppie lifestyle, she learns Mark is a music composer for commercials with love for alternative rock and old-school horror films. While Vanessa is excited about having a baby, Mark seems more interested in his own world as he and Juno bond over music and horror films. With support from Mac and Bren, Juno deals with her newfound role as a 16-year old pregnant teenager while her friendship with Paulie is becoming shaky as they hope to reform their old band. Hanging out with Mark, Juno learns about their previous attempts to adopt when she and Leah meet Vanessa at the mall and her love for children.

By the spring and in the final stages of the pregnancy, Juno learns that Paulie might go to the prom with Katrina De Vroot (Ashley Whillans), a girl Paulie claimed he doesn't like. A falling out ensues as Juno decides to meet Mark where she learns about his relationship with Vanessa starting to falter. The sense of disillusionment over adulthood and love force Juno to confront with realities she is too young to face as she tries to find a way to deal with everything. Even as her child is about to come out.

If a film about teenage pregnancy was done in a Hollywood style, it wouldn't work because it's tendency to sugarcoat something or make an entire situation look very silly. Yet, in the mind of director Jason Reitman and first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody, this is a film that doesn't pander down to Hollywood conventions or anything that's expected for a typical teenager. Instead, the whole film feels very real yet is done with a lot of sarcastic humor and realism, particularly in how high school is. Juno is a character who is essentially a loner with a few friends though she and Leah are in different social circles. Yet, Juno gets by with her own sarcasm, love of punk rock and alternative music, and her individuality that is both her strength and weakness.

Screenwriter Diablo Cody does a fantastic job with this amazing screenplay that is filled with a lot of heart, humor, and moments that audiences can relate to. Whether it's life in high school or dealing with adult situations that a 16 year old might not handle at all. Cody's script is very smart in the way characters are developed and such, notably the character of Vanessa. She's a woman who might seem like a typical, WASP-like character who is so giddy about having a child. Yet, when Juno gets to know her, there's a whole lot more to Vanessa as this woman who wants to be a mother. It's part of Cody's study of character that reveals that even though Juno is this kind of smart-aleck teenage girl, she is a real teenage girl that teenagers can relate to.

This is where Jason Reitman's direction is at it's best. While Reitman’s approach to humor is more subtle than his father, he really takes a huge step forward as far as approaching a film like this. Whereas his debut film Thank You for Smoking was a satire that was stylish yet worked in some parts, Juno really shows Reitman taking his direction to a more intimate level. It doesn't look overlit or forced so the result seems relaxed and natural that includes a wonderful opening credit sequence that's done in animation. Even the compositions are great to emphasize the moments of drama and humor as Reitman really shines with his direction that is overall solid.

Cinematographer Eric Steelberg does an excellent job with the film's cinematography that has a more natural look with wonderful colors and grey-like footage to showcase the differing look of the seasons from autumn to summer. Whereas the entire film has this look that is colorful yet desolate, it works to convey the look as well as the mood of the film. Editor Dana E. Glauberman does great work with the film's editing to convey the film's quirky tone with the use of jump-cuts and fade-outs to work the film's structure and changing of the seasons. Production designer Steve Sakland along with art directors Michael Diner and Catherine Schroer do great work in presenting the different places of Juno's world from the posh-like suburbia of the Lorings, the rooms of Leah and Paulie, to the working-class home of the MacGuff family that is very real with loads of props including the cheeseburger phone that is actually owned by screenwriter Diablo Cody.

Costume designer Monique Prodhomme does excellent work with the look of the high school track clothes that Paulie wears with those yellow short-shorts, red shirt, and yellow headband. It's funny and a bit creepy while the overall costume works to convey the personalities of each character. Sound editors Barney Carbal and Perry Robertson do a fantastic job with the film's sound, notably a scene of dramatic tension at the abortion clinic that forces Juno to make a drastic decision that works for laughs and such. The film's folky score by Matt Messina with chimes and such is wonderful plaintive as it conveys a Hal Ashby like feel reminiscent of his 1971 classic film Harold & Maude that featured the music of Cat Stevens.

The soundtrack is amazing and definitely one of the year's best. Featuring songs by Kimya Dawson and her former band the Moldy Peaches, the soundtrack is wonderful in conveying Juno's quirky little world that also features music from Sonic Youth covering the Carpenters' Superstar, Belle & Sebastian, the Kinks, Buddy Holly, Cat Power, the Velvet Underground, and Mott the Hoople's classic song All The Young Dudes written by David Bowie. It's a great soundtrack that is similar to the style of the film soundtracks of Wes Anderson but with a great selection while the music is used to great effect.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with small roles from Ashley Whillans as Katrina De Vroot whom Juno refers to as Soupy Sales, Kaaren de Zilva as an Ultrasound technician, Steven Christopher Parker and Candice Accola as Juno's lab partners who were fighting each other in a scene, Valerie Tian as Juno's schoolmate Su-Chin who is an abortion protester, Darla Vandenbossche as Bleeker's mom, and Sierra Pitkin as Juno's little sister Liberty Bell. Emily Perkins of Ginger Snaps fame makes a great appearance as pierced receptionist who looks very punk and twisted while Rainn Wilson is funny as a convenience store clerk who makes funny remarks to Juno's pregnancy.

Newcomer Olivia Thirlby is excellent as Juno's sexy best friend Leah, a cheerleader who helps Juno in finding the right parents while having to be one of her few real friends during this moment as Leah is also interested in old, adult teachers. Allison Janney is great as Juno's step-mother Bren who might seem like a typical mother but has her funny one-liners as she supports her step-daughter while saying the right, funny things in the film. J.K. Simmons is also great and funny as Mac MacGruff, an old army veteran who supports his daughter while giving her quirky advice on life and such. Jason Bateman is wonderful as Mark Loring, a man not sure about being a father as his desires to be a rock musician is in conflict as he desperately tries to hold on to his youth.

Jennifer Garner is amazing as Vanessa Loring, a loving, caring woman whose desires to be a mother is in conflict as she is pondering about her own maternal instincts despite her cheery personality. Garner may not have moments of humor but she holds her own as a woman who realizes she might have what it takes. Michael Cera is a joy to watch as Paulie Bleeker, this skinny kid wearing short-shorts who represents the kind of awkwardness of this young man who knows isn’t ready to be a father while trying to deal with being a young man growing up. Cera's performance is great while he does look fantastic in those yellow short-shorts, red shirt, and yellow bandana.

Then there's Ellen Page in what has to be one of the year's best performances by an actress. The 20-year old Canadian actress definitely shows her range as this quirky, offbeat young woman who tries to deal with this new reality while making her way in life through her sarcasm. Page's performance is a knock-out as she not only carries the film with such ease as well as natural humor and depth into playing a real-life teenager. This is truly Ellen Page's film all the way as she makes a star-making turn in this great performance.

Juno is a flat-out humorous, sweet, entertaining, and realistic film from Jason Reitman and company led by Ellen Page's winning performance and a funny script from Diablo Cody. Featuring a great ensemble cast and a superb soundtrack, it's a film that has a nice mix of humor and drama about teenage pregnancy without all of the sentimental mush that often revolves around these films. In the end, Juno is a phenomenal film from Jason Reitman.

Jason Reitman Films: Thank You for Smoking - Up in the Air - Young Adult - Labor Day - (Men, Women, & Children) - Tully - The Front Runner - Ghostbusters: Afterlife - The Auteurs #30: Jason Reitman

© thevoid99 2011

Boogie Nights

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Boogie Nights is the story of a young man who catches the attention of a porno filmmaker in the 1970s. After becoming a star and part of a family, his life goes into a downward spiral during the 1980s which affects himself and the people he calls his family. The film is an exploration of the world of the 1970s porn film industry and the people who were part of it. With an all-star cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, Robert Ridgley, Nicole Ari Parker, Luis Guzman, Melora Walters, Philip Baker Hall, and Alfred Molina. Boogie Nights is an exciting yet lively film from P.T. Anderson.

Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) is a 17-year old kid who works as a busboy for a club owner named Maurice Rodriguez (Luis Guzman). One of the club regulars is Maurice’s friend and renowned porno filmmaker Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) who hears that Eddie is well-endowed. After meeting Jack and his longtime girlfriend/porno actress Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Eddie feels like he’s got a chance to make something himself away from the verbal abuse of his own mother (Joanna Gleason). After an audition with one of Jack’s actresses in the young Rollergirl (Heather Graham), Eddie succeeds as he meets actors in magician/musician Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly) and a stereo salesman named Buck Swope (Don Cheadle).

Renamed Dirk Diggler, Eddie immediately becomes a star with Jack guiding him as he makes Eddie part of a family that includes cameraman/editor Kurt Longjohn (Ricky Jay), actress Becky Barnett (Nicole Ari Parker), soundman Scotty (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and assistant director Little Bill (William H. Macy). Jack hopes to get some respect outside of the world of the porn industry where he, Eddie, and Reed come up with a series of films that become popular. After a New Year’s Eve party to end the 1970s ended in tragedy, Jack’s hopes to become legit crashes when his longtime financier Colonel James (Robert Ridgley) is arrested. Having to work with another producer in Floyd Gondoli (Philip Baker Hall) who forces Jack to switch from film to video, Jack’s world starts to fall apart as Eddie becomes addicted to drugs.

For Jack and the people around him, things become tough in the 1980s as Buck and his wife Jessie St. Vincent (Melora Walters) hope to start a stereo business for themselves. Eddie and Reed are unable to get their music career going due to their own addictions while Amber finds herself going through child custody issues with her ex-husband (John Doe). With all of the turmoil surrounding Jack, Eddie, and their splintered group of friends, Eddie and Reed would face a troubling encounter with a dealer in Rahad Jackson (Alfred Molina) when their friend Todd Parker (Thomas Jane) tries to make things complicated in a deal gone wrong.

The film is about a group of dysfunctional people who form a family in an industry that doesn’t get a lot of respect as they hope to be accepted for who they are. In this family, there’s a wide group of people that are diverse and unique. Leading the pack is a porno filmmaker who sees his films as art as he tries to put some substance into his work. At his side is a porn star who is the mother of the group as she acts as a maternal figure to the younger stars while dealing with the fact that she doesn’t get to see her own kid. Then there’s this young kid who has a big penis that hopes to find something he can be proud of and not deal with his cruel mother.

It’s part of what Paul Thomas Anderson does as a storyteller in creating characters that are engaging but also striving to be somebody and feel proud of themselves. Jack Horner, Amber Waves, and Dirk Diggler are just among the group of people featured in this massive ensemble drama in the span of nearly a decade starring with the late 70s to the early 80s. The characters Anderson create are more than what they’re given as there’s a gay soundman who falls for Dirk, an African-American stereo salesman who loves country music, a high-school dropout who never takes off her roller-skates, and a porn actor that loves to do magic tricks and play rock n’ roll.

These are the kind of characters who don’t play to certain stereotypes of what many would perceive to be porn stars. In fact, there are a group of people who are quite intelligent that chooses to be in porn films because they want to be in porn films. Anderson doesn’t judge these people for who they are as they’re all quite flawed yet have something that the audience can be engaged by. The script is a classic rise and fall tale where a porn director, his top actor, and the people they’re with start to make something where it becomes a success and everyone seems to have a good time. Then comes the fall in the 1980s as excess, mismanagement, bad choices, and prejudice would test and splinter these people as they would all struggle with themselves and things they would encounter.

Anderson’s direction of the film is definitely vibrant in the way he shows the film as more than just an exploration into 70s porno chic. From the opening tracking shot where he has the camera walk into the club to the tense meeting Dirk, Reed, and Todd would have with Rahad Jackson. There is never a moment in the film that is dull or unimportant as Anderson makes sure that scenes of simple conversations, porno shoots, and troubling circumstances say something. There is a lot of style that Anderson chooses to go for as he utilizes these long tracking shots to either introduce characters or to capture an atmosphere of the location. The overall work that Anderson does is truly magnificent as he creates a very hypnotic and engrossing film.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit does an incredible job with the photography from capturing the vibrant and colorful lights of the discos and the sunny Californian exteriors for the scenes of the 70s. For the 80s sequences, the look remains the same but has a darker feel as there’s a lot of material shot at night to exemplify the tough circumstance the characters face throughout the film. Editor Dylan Tichenor does a brilliant job with the editing to maintain a leisured pace throughout while creating wonderful montages to exemplify the excitement of the 70s as well as the struggles the character go through in the 80s where the editing shifts what circumstance the characters go through.

Production designer Bob Ziembecki, along with set decorator Sandy Struth and art director Ted Berner, does a sensational job with the set pieces created such as Jack‘s lavish home and Maurice‘s disco to the stylish but eerie home of Rahad Jackson. Costume designer Mark Bridges does a fantastic job with the costumes created from the bellbottoms, hot pants, and the stylish clothing of the 70s to the more grimy look of 80s fashion. Sound editor Dane A. Davis does an excellent job with the sound from the way the parties are captured to the intimacy of Dirk’s first day working on a porno set.

The film’s score by Michael Penn is very wonderful for the array of moods created such as the soothing yet playful harmonium piece for the first half performed by Jon Brion to a more intense yet haunting score for its second half. Music supervisors Bobby Lavelle and Karyn Rachtman create an amazing soundtrack that is filled with lots of music from the 70s and 80s from acts like the Emotions, War with Eric Burdon, Electric Light Orchestra, the Commodores, Hot Chocolate, Rick Springfield, Night Ranger, Nena, and many others.

The casting by Christine Sheaks is superb as the ensemble cast that is created is truly one of the best casting jobs ever assembled. In small but notable roles, there’s Joanna Gleason as Eddie’s abusive mother, Nicole Ari Parker as Buck’s former girlfriend/porn star Becky Barnett, Jonathan Quint as a young porn star who threatens Dirk’s star power, X vocalist/bassist John Doe as Amber’s ex-husband, Kai Lennox as an old classmate that Rollergirl knew, Channon Roe as a guy Dirk meets in the film’s second half, Michael Penn as a music producer Dirk and Reed work with, and a couple of wonderful appearances from porn legends Nina Hartley and Veronica Hart with Hartley as Little Bill’s adulterous wife and Hart as a judge in Amber’s child custody case. In a small but chilling performance, Alfred Molina gives a scene-stealing performance as crazed drug dealer Rahad Jackson.

Other notable yet brilliant small supporting roles include Philip Baker Hall as the brash yet sleazy producer Floyd Gondoli, Ricky Jay as Jack’s filmmaking collaborator Kurt Longjohn, William H. Macy as Jack’s assistant director Little Bill, the late Robert Ridgely as Jack’s old financier/producer Colonel James, Melora Walters as Buck’s new porn star girlfriend Jessie St. Vincent, and Luis Guzman as the funny club owner Maurice Rodriguez. Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellent as the sensitive yet caring Scotty who is in love with Dirk while John C. Reilly is great as the upbeat Reed Rothchild while bringing some great humor to his character. Don Cheadle is excellent as the sensitive yet country music-loving Buck Swope who is accused of not being black enough while just trying to be an all-around nice guy. Heather Graham is wonderful as the sexy yet innocent Rollergirl who likes to have fun while hoping to be accepted as a smart girl.

Julianne Moore is amazing as Amber Waves, a veteran porn star who tries to deal with her own custody issues while being the maternal figure to everyone around her. Burt Reynolds is superb as porn director Jack Horner as the man trying to make everyone feel proud of themselves while hoping to be respected while having to deal with changing times. Reynolds’ performance is definitely the best thing he’s done in his career as he displays a man that is trying to keep everything together. Finally, there’s Mark Wahlberg in his breakthrough performance as Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler where Wahlberg brings charisma and a boyish innocence to a young kid that wants to feel like he’s accomplished something while dealing with the anguish of losing his stardom and dealing with his drug addiction.

Boogie Nights is a remarkable film from Paul Thomas Anderson that features a truly outstanding ensemble cast. For anyone new to P.T. Anderson’s work will definitely see this as the best place to start for the way he can present scenes and handle a large ensemble cast. Featuring great technical work and a fun music soundtrack, it’s a film that revels in what was great about the world of 70s porn in its emphasis to be just as creative as any kind of film. In the end, Boogie Nights is a tremendous yet captivating film from Paul Thomas Anderson.

Paul Thomas Anderson Films: Sydney/Hard Eight - Magnolia - Punch-Drunk Love - There Will Be Blood - The Master - Inherent Vice - Junun - Phantom Thread - Licorice Pizza - One Battle After Another

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

© thevoid99 2011

Gate of Hell

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/18/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa and based on the play by Kan Kikuchi, Jigokumon (Gate of Hell) tells the story of a 12th Century samurai trying to marry the woman he had just rescued from an attempted coup only to realize she is already married. In response, he challenges the husband to a duel that would provide tragic consequences. The first Japanese film to be released internationally in color, it was considered to be one of the landmark films of the country winning several international awards. Starring Kazuo Hasegawa, Machiko Kyo, and Isao Yamagata. Jigokumon is a beautiful though haunting film from Teinosuke Kinugasa.

It's 1159 as a rebellion against the royal family is underway as they're about to attack the castle. Needing a decoy to distract the rebellion army, Lady Kesa (Machiko Kyo) plays the role as she is accompanied by many men including a samurai named Moritoh Enda (Kazuo Hasegawa). The distraction against the rebellion was a success though trouble has emerged when the royal family are captured. Knowing that his brother is part of the rebellion after betraying the family, he awaits word as he becomes a courier to General Kiyomori (Koreya Senda). In exposing a traitor who was trying to send word to the enemy, the rebellion is defeated as Moritoh in return wants the hand of Lady Kesa for marriage. Kiyomori grants the request but the problem is that Lady Kesa is married to an Imperial guard named Wataru Watanabe (Isao Yamagata).

Realizing that it's up to Lady Kesa to make the decision, Moritoh tries to get her to decide him but comes no answer despite Kiyomori's presence. Moritoh signs up for a horse race that Wataru is participating as Wataru is aware that he must beat Moritoh to defend the honor of his wife. Instead, the outcome isn't want Wataru got but Moritoh still isn't satisfied as he was rejected by Kesa. Moritoh decides to take manners into his own hands by waiting for Kesa to come out of her house and later, threatening her aunt to death. Kesa comes to check on her aunt as she meets Miritoh who just wants her as she refuses as he makes more threats that would lead to a tragic consequence for all involved.

The film in a lot of ways is about honor and the code of the people involved. For Moritoh, he's a man who has fallen for a woman he had helped save for the good of the royal family. Expected, he's to be rewarded but the fact that Lady Kesa is married means his request can't be granted. A man of his stature, a samurai, must be denied and ask for something else but instead he doesn't. Therefore, his demands to be with the married Lady Kesa not only makes him look bad but also Lady Kesa. For her, the role of a wife means absolute devotion and loyalty to her husband. Plus, her husband is a man who is good-natured, honorable, and knows his place. He also loves Lady Kesa and is willing to do anything for her. Lady Kesa however, because of Miritoh's advances and the presence of Kiyomori, she has become humiliated and filled with shame for putting herself and these men around her in such a position.

Writer/director Teinosuke Kinugasa definitely plays up to the film's themes about honor and the roles people play in 12th Century Japan. The first two acts are told brilliantly as the film's direction is told in a theatrical setting. Since it was based on a play, the film has the feeling of a play with amazing set designs and intimate camera shots. For some of the film's scenes with lots of action and drama, there's tracking shots and camera movements to help intensify the drama. It all goes well in the first two acts but by the third act of the film. The story kind of falls apart as audiences have an idea of what's going to happen. It loses some momentum while the characters become more sentimental over what happens in the end. Though the theme of honor and its code are still intact, there's not much sympathy for the characters involved with the exception of Wataru in some respects. Yet, his answer reveals a true persona that brings more question than answers. Despite the flaws and familiar plot points of the film, Teinosuke Kinugasa does create an interesting study of character and themes in an entrancing yet harrowing drama.

Cinematographer Kohei Sugiyama does spectacular work with the usage Eastmancolor film stock to create a film that looks gorgeous but also eerie in its colorful cinematography. While it has some of the lush look of the early films of color of the 1940s and early 1950s, it's approach to lighting for the nighttime, exterior shading and interior scenes are set up wonderfully while the daytime scenes are awash with beautiful scenery of the beaches, mountains, and such in great detail with some grainy work mixed in. Editor Shigeo Nishida does excellent work with the film's editing with the use of dissolves, straight transition cuts, and fade-outs to flesh the story out structurally. Production designer Kisaku Ito and art director Yoshinobu Nishioka do great work in the set designs for the home of Wataru and Lady Kesa in its traditional Japanese structure along with the home of General Kiyomori.

Costume designer Sanzo Wada, who was also the color consultant, does amazing work with the costume design from the lavish, gorgeous robes Lady Kesa wore including the empress' robes. To the clothing the men wear to display their roles of power and such. The sound work by Shyohe Miyauchi and Yukio Umihara is excellent in the way the action scenes are captured along with the suspenseful sounds of footsteps walking around the home of Wataru. The music by Yasushi Akutagawa is a mixture of soothing orchestral arrangements to display the film's drama along with traditional sounds of Japanese music with loud percussions, drums, and harp-like instruments to play up the film's melancholia.

The cast is excellent with some small performances from Yataro Kurokawa, Kotaro Brando, and Masao Shimizu as samurai warriors and Michiko Araki as one of Lady Kesa's lady-in-waiting. Koreya Senda is great as General Kiyomori, a devious general who helps Moritoh into getting what he wants as he abuses his powers to humiliate Lady Kesa. Isao Yamagata is excellent as Wataru Watanabe, a man who is loyal to his wife and loves her but isn't the strong warrior some perceived to be as he finds himself being confronted by Moritoh. Kazuo Hasegawa is very good as Moritoh, a brave samurai warrior who shows great courage only to be denied of his reward. Hasegawa proves he can powerful but his character becomes somewhat of a pathetic, desperate figure who just doesn't get it. Finally, there's Machiko Kyo in a fantastic performance as Lady Kesa. A woman torn between her devotion to her husband and the pressures from those superior to her. While her character does delve into melodrama at times, what she does with the character in relation to her code of honor is still powerful as it's a great performance from the actress.

Despite some flaws along with some missing subtitles and a very old film print, Jigokumon is still an excellent film from Teinosuke Kinugasa. With some excellent performances from its cast along with some great technical work in its cinematography, set designs, costumes, and music. It's a film that proves a great historical point of view of post-war Japanese cinema as it is introduced to color. While it has a familiar plot and a flawed third act, Jigokumon is still a film worth watching that provides some great insight into the theme of honor in a country as unique as Japan is.

(C) thevoid99 2011

The Descendants

Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming, The Descendants is the story of a man dealing with a boating accident that put his wife in a coma. While taking care of his two daughters he barely knows, he deals with revelations about his wife while facing the possible loss of land that he’s inherited for many years in Hawaii. Directed by Alexander Payne with an adapted script written by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, the film marks Payne’s return following a seven-year gap since his last film with 2004’s Sideways. Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, and Robert Forster. The Descendants is an extraordinary yet witty comedy-drama from Alexander Payne.

After learning that his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) has been in a boating accident that’s left her comatose, Matt King (George Clooney) is in shock as he has to take care of his 10-year old daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) whom he doesn’t see very much due to his busy work as a lawyer. Matt is also dealing with land he’s inherited for many generations as it’s set to expire in seven years where his cousins are interested in selling it to a developer. Matt and Scottie travel to another part of the Hawaiian islands to retrieve Scottie’s 17-year old sister Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) from boarding school about the news of Elizabeth’s accident. When Matt learns from a doctor that Elizabeth might not make it, Matt tells Alexandra the news where she reveals something more startling that Elizabeth has been having an affair.

After confronting a couple of life-long friends in Mark (Rob Huebel) and Kai Mitchell (Mary Birdsong) about Elizabeth’s extramarital affair, Mark reluctantly reveals that the man she’s been seeing is a real estate agent named Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard). Upset over what his wife has done and overwhelmed with plans for the 25,000 acres of land he might be selling. Matt decides to tell friends and Elizabeth’s father Scott (Robert Forster) about Elizabeth’s status as the only that doesn’t know is Scottie. With Alexandra’s boyfriend Sid (Nick Krause), Matt takes the girls to Kauai for a vacation while he and Alexandra try to find Brian Speer. Matt also shows the girls the land he’s been trusted to for many years as he meets his cousin Hugh (Beau Bridges) who reveals some information about who might get the island if the sale will happen.

After finding Speer and learn he has two sons and a wife named Julie (Judy Greer), Matt and Alexandra try to figure out what to do to tell Speer about what happened. With only Scottie to tell about her mother, Matt faces some big decisions about his own life as well as what to do with the land that’s been passed down to him for generations.

What happens to a man when his life as a trustee to 25,000 acres of land is set to expire while learning that his comatose wife has been cheating on him? Well, that is essentially the situation that Matt King is going through as he’s a man that is being pulled in every direction while having to take care of the two daughters he’s not really close with. Eventually, he starts to bond with them as they deal with their mother’s comatose state while being joined by the eldest daughter’s boyfriend in these adventures to tell the news to family and friends about his wife. Then another adventure occurs when he takes his daughters and Sid to the land he’s been trusted to while hoping to confront the man his wife has been having an affair with.

Alexander Payne and his co-writers create a story that is about a lot of themes as well as characters who are more than what they’re expected to be. Yet, it all centers around Matt King’s revelation about himself as he’s faced with what to do about 25,000 acres of land and taking care of his daughters for his comatose wife. King is obviously a flawed man as he’s an absentee father of sorts who has no idea how to deal with the rambunctious Scottie as he asks his more troubled teenage daughter Alexandra to help out. Yet, she is dealing with her own issues and the guilt over the fact that her last moments with her mother weren’t very pleasant. For Alexandra, she and her father figure out how to tell Scottie the horrible news while dealing with the fact that her mother did cheat on her father.

While there is a lot of drama as well as great character development for both Matt and Alexandra while the characters they surround themselves with like Sid are more than just caricatures or a form of comic relief in the case of Sid. Sid, Brian Speer, Matt’s cousin Hugh, and other minor characters do get a chance to show a complex side of themselves in how they react to the news or help out in the situation. While it’s clear that the ending over Elizabeth’s fate is inevitable, it’s all about what Matt, Alexandra, and Scottie had to endure and deal where they all find some form of closure and learn to become better people in the process.

Payne’s direction is truly engrossing in the way he presents this drama about a man and his daughters while making it a whole lot more than what the story suggests. Since the narrative is told from Matt’s perspective through some voice-over narration about his own world and his faults, Payne always make sure the camera follows King in everything he’s doing. Notably a scene about the revelation of his wife’s affair as he runs to the home of his friends to confront about what they know. It’s done with a great sense of precision and framing in the way King reacts and to how the camera is placed in where he’s running to. Payne’s direction has a great degree of style for his presentation that includes a lot of light-comedic moments as well as dramatic moments.

The scene where Alexandra reacts to the news about her mother’s possible fate as she is underwater in a swimming pool is told in a very simple manner in what she is feeling. Payne doesn’t make it into something overly dramatic by just using sparse sound work to capture that moment. While the intimacy of these dramatic moments and how he presents some comical moments show the wide range of ideas that Payne can do as a filmmaker. He’s also known for making locations be part of the story as he shot the film all on location in Hawaii where he doesn’t just show the grand beauty of the island landscapes. He also shows that there’s parts of that place where it looks like a typical American city. For the scene where King shows his daughters and Sid the acres of land he’s been trusted to, it is shown with a grand style that is jaw-dropping to watch. Overall, Payne creates what is truly a mesmerizing yet heart wrenching film about a man trying to find peace in his troubled family life.

Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael does a brilliant job with the film‘s photography as he gives Hawaii a look that isn‘t meant to be just beautiful. Since some of it is shot on rainy days and partly-sunny weathers, Papamichael is able to use the landscape to set the mood of what the characters are dealing with some great exterior shots while utilizing some wonderful interiors to help create tense mood such as the scene where Alexandra and Matt confront Brian. Editor Kevin Tent does a terrific job with the editing as he brings a lot of style to the editing such as a few transition wipes and dissolves to keep the pace lively and methodical as well as a few jump cuts to play up some of the comic moments of the film.

Production designer Jane Ann Stewart, with set decorator Matt Callahan and art director T.K. Kirkpatrick, does an excellent job with the look of Matt‘s home with all sorts of pictures and maps as well as Elizabeth‘s hospital room and the hotels and cottages Matt and his daughters visit in Kauai. Costume designer Wendy Chuck does a wonderful job with the costumes used in the film such as the casual yet colorful clothing that Matt wears along with the youthful clothing that Alexandra and Scottie wears. Sound designer Frank Gaeta does a great job with the sound work to emphasize the crashing waves that surrounds Hawaii to the intimate scenes where the sound work is low-key yet effective to play up its dramatic elements.

Music supervisor Dondi Bastone does a phenomenal job with the film’s soundtrack as it’s mostly carried by an array of Hawaiian folk music. Featuring contributions from performers like Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson, and Reverend Dennis Kamakahi. The music plays up to some of the emotions of the film with simple yet melodic-driven ukulele pieces as it’s definitely a major highlight of the film.

The casting by John Jackson is superb as he creates an ensemble cast that is definitely flawless. Featuring notable small yet memorable roles from Milt Johnson as Elizabeth’s doctor, Rob Huebel and Mary Birdsong as Matt’s friends Mark and Kai Mitchell, Beau Bridges as Matt’s laid-back cousin Hugh, renowned pro surfer Laird Hamilton as Elizabeth’s boat driver Troy, and Patricia Hastie in an incredible silent role as the ailing Elizabeth King. Matthew Lillard is very good as Elizabeth’s lover Brad Speer as he tries to deal with Matt as well as the fact that his affair might ruin his marriage. Robert Forster is excellent as Elizabeth’s father Scott who is upset over what happened as he tries to make Matt and Alexandra feel guilty over their issues with Elizabeth.

Nick Krause is very funny as Alexandra’s laid-back yet helpful boyfriend Sid while Judy Greer is wonderful as Brad’s caring wife Julie whom Matt and Alexandra feel sorry for. Amara Miller is terrific as Matt’s 10-year old daughter Scottie whose energetic performance brings a real complexity to a girl that seems lost without her mom while doing all sorts of things that confuses her father. Shailene Woodley is magnificent in a real break-out performance as Alexandra as Woodley brings a real maturity to a girl filled with guilt as she tries to help out her father with the news that she revealed to him.

Finally, there’s George Clooney in a tremendous performance as Matt King. Clooney strays from the charming persona he’s been known for by giving a much more serious and frantic performance as a man dealing with lots of issues. Clooney does bring some light-hearted funny moments in the film while he also proves that he can be a fool and show the anguish of frustration that his character is going through. Clooney’s best scenes are with Woodley and Miller in how he’s trying to deal with their issues while being the caring man that is just trying to be the best father he can. It’s definitely one of the best performance Clooney has given in his career.

The Descendants is a fantastic yet compelling film from Alexander Payne featuring a great ensemble cast led by George Clooney. Along with wonderful supporting work from Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, and Judy Greer. It’s a film that has Payne delving into the world of loss and redemption while creating characters that are very real and engaging. The film definitely ranks up there with some of Payne’s best film proving that he is one of the most unique voices in American cinema today. In the end, The Descendents is an amazing and heartfelt film from Alexander Payne.

Alexander Payne Films: Citizen Ruth - Election - About Schmidt - Sideways - Paris Je T'aime -14th Arrondissement - Nebraska - (Downsizing) - The Holdovers - (Tracy Flick Can't Win) - Auteurs #5: Alexander Payne

© thevoid99 2011

Circumstance (2011 film)

Written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz, Circumstance is the story of a teenage Iranian girl who falls for her best friend while her brother seeks religion following his recovery from drug abuse. The film is an exploration of homosexuality in Iran as the film is shot in Lebanon while it also goes into the world of Iranian youth culture. Starring Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, and Reza Sixo Safai. Circumstance is a compelling drama from Maryam Keshavarz.

Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) is a young Iranian teenager becomes very close to her new friend Shireen (Sarah Kazemy), who has just enrolled to the school that Atafeh attends. The two also attend secret parties filled with all sorts of things like drugs and alcohol as they enjoy their time together. Meanwhile, Atafeh’s older brother Mehran (Reza Sixo Safai) returns home as he struggles to recover from drug abuse. Unsure of what to do with his life, he meets a man named Mohammad Mehdi (Amir Barghashi) during prayer at a mosque who helps him with some answers. When Shireen is suited to marry a man named Yusef (Milad Hadchiti), Shireen tells Atafeh during a trip with Atafeh’s parents (Soheil Parsa and Nasrin Pakkho) and Mehran at the family beach home.

While hanging out with the brash Joey (Keon Mohajeri) and the sensitive Hossein (Sina Amedson), Atafeh and Shireen go to a club as Shireen, following an encounter with a cab driver, becomes unhinged through alcohol. A raid happens at a club where Mehran is revealed to have join a group led by Mehdi to bring morality back to the Iranian youth culture. Atafeh and the family are confused by Mehran’s sudden need to pray as he starts to have interest towards Shireen from afar. After a night where the two girls dub a film for Hossein, the two are caught by Mehdi’s group as Mehdi makes threats towards Atafeh’s father about her wrongdoings. With Shireen in bigger trouble, Mehran makes a move that would complicate everything else. Particularly for Atafeh who discovers what Mehran has been up to.

The film is a love story between two teenage girls in a world where homosexuality remains taboo as one of the girl’s brother becomes part of a religious fanatic group. Maryam Keshavarz’s script explores the relationship between Atafeh and Shireen as it progresses from an innocent thing to be more serious as it becomes harder for the two girls to express their love for each other publicly. Notably as complications arrive including Atafeh’s brother Mehran who becomes interested in Shireen for reasons that might not entirely be honorable. While the script does have its flaws due to the narratives over the relationship between Atafeh and Shireen as well as Mehran’s storyline of his own integration into fanaticism. Keshavarz is able to give these characters a complexity that is engaging including minor parts such as Atafeh and Mehran’s parents.

Keshavarz’s direction is very engaging for the way she has the camera always at what is going on and the environment that surrounds the two young women. While the film is shot on location in Lebanon instead of the more conservative Iran, it allowed the film to roam into the secret worlds that Islamic youths venture into as well as landscapes similar to Iran. While a lot of the film shot with hand-held camera to maintain a style similar to cinema verite, there is also a lot of shots shown from the perspective of security cameras to exemplify the tense world of Iran as these girls are constantly being watched. The direction is intimate for the way it’s framed such as how Atafeh eats dinner with her family along with stylish fantasy sequences to present the world that the characters crave for. Overall, Keshavarz creates a truly solid and captivating film about gay/lesbian love in a world as restrictive as Iran.

Cinematographer Brian Rigney Hubbard does an excellent job with the film‘s photography from the grainy yet naturalistic look of the exterior city and landscape shots in Lebanon while creating some entrancing yet stylish shots for some of the nighttime exteriors such as the nightclubs and parties the girls attend. Editor Andrea Chignoli does a wonderful job with the editing in giving the film a stylistic feel to its pacing with jump-cuts and other rhythmic-driven cuts to play up some of the romantic and more intense, darker scenes in the film.

Production designers Natacha Kalfayan and Scott Enge do some fantastic work with the set pieces such as the posh home that Atafeh and Mehran live in to the mosque that Mehran goes to. Costume designers Lamia Choucair and Danielle Gilbert do nice work with the veils and clothes the women wear to represent their youthful energy while the majority of the characters wear more casual though slightly conservative clothing. Sound editor Glenn T. Morgan does some fine work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the nightclubs and the tense highways of Lebanon as well as sparse, intimate moments in the scenes at the house.

Music composer/supervisor Gingger Shankar does a brilliant job with the music that is created ranging from traditional Islamic music to haunting ambient pieces to play up some of the dramatic elements of the film. Shankar also assembles a soundtrack that includes traditional Islamic music as well as modern-day Islamic pop and hip-hop as well as bits of punk, Western pop, and classical piano music to exemplify Mehran’s old passion.

The cast is terrific as it includes small but notable performances from Keon Mohajeri as the arrogant Joey and Sina Amedson as the aspiring filmmaker Hossein. Amir Barghashi is very good as the quiet but chilling Mehdi, an organization leader that tries to maintain control for the lives involved as he becomes close to Mehran. Soheil Parsa and Nasrin Pakkho are wonderful as Atafeh’s stern but sympathetic parents who try to deal with Mehran’s new behavior as well as Atafeh’s own issues the best way they can. Reza Sixo Safai is superb as Mehran as he brings an eerie performance to man trying to redeem himself only to get himself into a very dark world that brings discomfort to his family.

Finally, there’s the duo of Nikohl Boosheri and Sarah Kazemy as they give remarkable performances in their respective roles of Atafeh and Shireen. The two brings a lively yet charismatic approach to their performances with Boosheri as the more refined young rich girl while Kazemy as the more troubled one. The two also add a sexiness that isn’t overt while being seductive enough to be exciting as it’s definitely some fantastic work from two newcomers.

Circumstance is a superb and mesmerizing film from Maryam Keshavarz. While it’s a story that might not seem new to gay and lesbian audiences other than its environment. It is still an engaging drama that explores the world of homosexuality in Iran without trying to make some political statement. In the end, Circumstance is an excellent film from Maryam Keshavarz.

© thevoid99 2011

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/13/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Cristi Puiu with a script he co-wrote with Razvan Radulescu, Moartea domnului Lazarescu (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu) tells the story of an old, cranky engineer who becomes ill as he calls for an ambulance. Instead, he goes on a series of adventures as he's being neglected by doctors and being moved from one hospital to another. A commentary on the medical system and its treatment of patients, the film is a dark yet comical view on the system itself. Starring Ion Fiscuteanu and Luminita Gheorghiu. Moartea domnului Lazarescu is a eerie yet entrancing film from Cristi Puiu.

Dante Remus Lazarescu (Ion Fiscuteanu) is feeling ill. Complaining of stomach problems relating to an ulcer surgery some years ago as well as a headache. He calls for an ambulance for help as he waits and waits. While drinking some alcohol to calm him, he lives alone with his 3 cats while his wife had died 8 years ago and his daughter is now married and living in Toronto. After throwing up, he goes to his neighbors for help but his health deteriorates as he tries to take some pills while is throwing up blood. After several calls, a nurse named Mioara (Luminita Gheorghiu) arrives to check on his condition. Realizing the seriousness of his condition that he might have colon cancer, she asks the neighbor's wife to call his older sister to come in to Bucharest the next day.

After arriving into the hospital, he is checked upon but he and the nurse receive harsh criticism from the doctor over his drinking and convinced that his problem is nothing of concern. Yet, the doctor does suggest that he should go to another hospital for CT scan to check on his liver. Mioara and her drive Leo (Gabriel Spahieu) accompany to the University hospital where at first, they're asked to go another hospital due to an overcrowding relating to a horrific bus crash accident that the previous hospital is dealing with. Yet, they're taken in as a young doctor checks on Lazarescu as well as older, bearded one named Dragos who sees that something is indeed wrong. Yet, Dragos suggests that he should go to another place while he does feel that a CT scan should be immediately but the wait might be longer. During the CT scan, a friend of Mioara in Mariana helps Lazarescu during the scan while a young doctor reveals some grim news.

Going to a third hospital, Lazarescu and Mioara arrive to a young group of doctors but the reception they receive is harsh. Though they reveal some news about Lazarescu, an attempt to have him sign a disclaimer didn't work as Lazarescu can barely speak coherently while his condition rapidly deteriorates. After being shunned at the third hospital, they go to one last hospital where Mr. Lazarescu will receive treatment in what is a hell of a night for him.

If the day of birth has to be overwhelming on the person, that can't be compared to the final moments of your life in the same situation that Dante Remus Lazarescu had to go through. On the course of an entire night, Lazarescu goes through a moment that he won't forget as he lays there dying. Throughout the journey, he's treated and then moved from one hospital to another where he finds his health deteriorate to the point that he can barely talk or move. He's relieving himself countless times, he stinks, his breath is filled with booze, and he's still cranky. The one person that's with him throughout this entire journey is a paramedic, who has worked in the system for years. While she isn't a doctor, she's seen enough to know what's going on. At times, she is asked for her opinions with professionalism but other times, is treated with contempt because she's inferior to them.

Cristi Puiu creates a drama that is engrossing in these final hours that are told in a two-and-a-half hour film. Yet, it's length and pacing creates a test of sorts for the audience where not everyone will enjoy its pacing or length. Puiu's approach into staging the drama with little cuts in order to examine all of the chaos that goes on in the medical room is deliberate. Especially since it all takes place on an entire night. The directing style is all hand-held, verite style that captures all that is going on without any kind of false drama while the humor is subtle yet cynical to reveal the fate of its protagonist. Despite some issues with its length and pacing, Puiu creates a film that is truly mesmerizing yet harrowing.

Cinematographers Oleg Mutu and Andrei Butica do excellent work with the grainy, hand-held style that keeps things moving while capturing all the drama. For the scenes in Lazarescu's apartment, it's all low-lit with little colors along with the scenes inside the ambulance. At the hospitals, it's all bright to play up to its mood and chaotic feel with Butica being the camera operator with the hand-held work being mostly steady but often moves in its dramatic tone. Editor Dana Bunescu does some very good work with the film's cutting in order to give the film a rhythmic feel with jump-cuts. Yet, its length and pacing could've been helped if the scenes with long takes could've had more cuts to keep the rhythm flowing.

Production/costume designer Cristina Barbu does some fine work with the dirty look of Lazarescu's apartment with the place a mess as it's filled with cats and such. The costumes meanwhile, have this grungy look that plays well to the cranky personality of Lazarescu. Sound editor Constantin Fleancu does very good work with the sound to capture all of the chaos that goes on at the hospital. The film's soundtrack doesn't feature music at all throughout the film except in the opening and closing credits, two songs performed by Margareta Paslaru.

The casting by Ana Szel is excellent with its array of small, memorable performances Doru Ana and Dana Dogaru as Lazarescu's neighbors, Florin Zamfirescu as the first doctor at the hospital, Adrian Titeni as the second doctor named Dragos, Mihai Bratila as the CT scan doctor, Mimi Branescu as the third female doctor, and Monica Barladeanu as Mioara's friend Mariana. Gabriel Spahieu is really good as Leo, the driver who accompanies Lazarescu and Mioara throughout the entire film as he is amazed by this journey while revealing he's divorced with a two-year old daughter. Luminita Gheorghiu is great as Mioara, the paramedic who accompanies Lazarescu throughout this journey as she tries to get him help despite his crankiness and troubled behavior. Finally, there's Ion Fiscuteanu in a brilliant performance as Dante Remus Lazarescu. The protagonist who is dealing with a surgery, the death of his wife, and alcoholism as his health is now troubling to the point that he can't deal with anything. It's a great performance for an actor who has to be able to pull something with kind of physicality to show a man be near death.

While it's not a perfect film due to its length, pacing, and some subtitles that are in white which at times, are hard to read. Moartea domnului Lazarescu is an excellent film from Cristi Puiu featuring phenomenal performances from Ion Fiscuteanu and Luminita Gheorghiu. While it's a film that does take a very harrowing view on the Romanian medical system, it's a film that is engrossing in its journey and how a man has to deal with all that is going. Despite its imperfections, Moartea domnului Lazarescu is still a film worth checking out for its drama and stripped-down cinematic style from Cristi Puiu.

(C) thevoid99 2011

Nowhere Boy

Based on the book Imagine This: Growing Up with My Older Brother John Lennon, Nowhere Boy is the story of John Lennon’s early life as a teenager struggling with his absentee mother Julia and the strict upbringing of his aunt Mimi. During his journey to become a musician, he would eventually meet Paul McCartney and George Harrison as they would form the Beatles. Directed by Sam Taylor-Wood and screenplay by Matt Greenhalgh, the film is a look into the young Lennon before he would become famous with the Beatles as Aaron Johnson plays the legendary figure. Also starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff, and Thomas Sangster as Paul McCartney. Nowhere Boy is a touching yet fascinating portrait of the young life of pre-fame John Lennon.

Following the death of his uncle George (David Threlfall), John Lennon’s young life continues to be troubled as he lives with his strict though caring aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas). During his uncle’s funeral, he sees his mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) attending from afar as he’s thinking about seeing her. Though Mimi doesn’t want John to see Julia, John decides to as he forges a relationship with of sorts through their love of rock n’ roll. While Julia does have a family life with two daughters and a husband in Bobby (David Morrissey), John enjoys his time as she teaches him the banjo during his suspension from school. Though John’s visits to Julia would disrupt her family life and cause trouble with Mimi, John reluctantly returns home to his aunt.

After deciding to form a rock n’ roll group with friends including fellow troublemaker Pete Shotton (Josh Bolt), John gets a guitar as his skiffle group the Quarrymen attracts the attention of a young musician named Paul McCartney. John lets Paul be part of the group as Paul teaches John how to play more chords while later introducing him to another guitarist named George Harrison (Sam Bell). Despite the success John is making with the Quarrymen and his 18th birthday approaching, John remains haunted by memories of his life as a child as he confronts his mother why she abandoned him where aunt Mimi reveals what happened. After feeling hurt by everything and the chaos of the whole family, things finally cool down as John, Julia, and Mimi finally come to an understanding only to be shattered by tragedy. For John, the event would help shape his outlook on life as he, Paul, and George would form the Beatles as John would tell the news to his family.

While the story of John Lennon’s life is something that a lot of fans of both Lennon and the Beatles know quite well through various books, stories, and films that are either documentary or dramatic feature. What makes this film a bit different is about the relationship between the young Lennon and the two women in his life that would influence the young boy. While aunt Mimi might seem like a strict woman who keeps telling John to put on his glasses and stay out of trouble. She just doesn’t want him to get hurt and deal with all of the turmoil she went through when she chose to raise him. Then there’s Julia, John’s mother who has just come back into his life once again where the two make another attempt to start a relationship though she has a family of her own while also being quite reckless at times.

These two women represent the different ideas that Lennon would be influenced by in his life as he finds an outlet through music where he would meet a young man that would help him evolve musically in Paul McCartney. Matt Greenhalgh’s script does dwell into how these relationship with these individuals would play a part into Lennon’s development as a young man. Still, it’s all about John Lennon in the way he grew up as he was this troublemaking kid that likes to cause trouble and spit at authority. Yet, there’s a complexity into Lennon as Greenhalgh’s script goes into his early life as someone who is creative in art but is in need of a direction to get it out there. While the script is really more of a dramatic interpretation of the young Lennon’s life, it does succeed in giving an idea of what it was like for this young man to come of age.

Sam Taylor-Wood’s direction is truly marvelous to watch in the way she presents the film. Featuring a lot of intimate moments of framing to stylized shots where Lennon is slowly learning to play the banjo in a room while a lot of activity by other characters is happening rapidly. Taylor-Wood manages to create an atmosphere and a period that seems very innocent and lively with a look that is lush and ravishing. While she keeps a lot of the conversations and musical moments to be very straightforward and lively, Taylor-Wood does manage to keep things engaging such as the big dramatic scene of Lennon learning about why his mother abandoned him and the whereabouts of his own father. The overall work Taylor-Wood does is superb as she creates a wonderfully heartbreaking yet enchanting story of Lennon’s early life as a teenager.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does a magnificent job with the film‘s colorful yet stylish photography from the very straight yet lush look for many of the exteriors shot on location in parts of Blackpool, London, and other British locations. McGarvey’s work also has a very dream-like look that plays to some of the very stylized shots such as the interiors of Julia’s home and some performance scenes. Editor Lisa Gunning does an excellent job with the editing by adding a stylistic flair to some of the cutting with a few jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to keep the film moving at a brisk pace.

Production designer Alice Normington, along with set decorator Barbara Herman-Skelding and art director Charmian Adams, does a sensational job with the homes created to capture a late 1950s look with objects and things including a few paintings that were actually made by John Lennon to surround his room. Costume designer Julian Day does a superb job with the costumes created from the schoolboy uniform that Lennon wears to the youthful yet stylish dresses that his mother wears. Sound editor Simon Chase does a terrific job with the sound work to capture the intimacy of the home of aunt Mimi to the raucous energy of the shows he plays.

The score by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, of the electronic duo Goldfrapp, do a nice job with the score which is a mostly low-key orchestral score and piano to play up some of the drama that goes in the film. Music supervisor Ian Neil does a fantastic job with the soundtrack by utilizing some of the early rock n’ roll music of the times from cuts like Elvis Presley and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins while having the actors actually play the songs of the time which is a real highlight of the soundtrack. Particularly as it uses an outtake of John Lennon’s Mother for the film’s ending.

The casting by Nina Gold is great for the cast that is created that includes appearances from David Threlfall as John’s playful uncle George, David Morrissey as Julia’s kind lover Bobby, Josh Bolt as John’s troublemaking friend Pete Shotton, and Sam Bell as a young George Harrison. Thomas Sangster is excellent as the young Paul McCartney who would help shape John as a musician while becoming his dear close friend and partner following the tragedy John faced. Anne-Marie Duff is wonderful as John’s troubled mother Julia who gives John freedom from his aunt Mimi while dealing with her own guilt that she hadn’t been there enough for him.

Kristin Scott Thomas is superb as John’s aunt Mimi who tries to get him to do what is right while dealing with what she had to do for John’s well-being as Thomas brings a compelling sympathy to a very stern character. Finally, there’s Aaron Johnson in a phenomenal performance as the young John Lennon. Johnson brings a real sense of swagger and charisma to the character that is true to Lennon’s personality while showing the anguish his character goes through in dealing with loss and abandonment. Johnson also shows that he can sing as the overall work he does is truly amazing for the young actor.

Nowhere Boy is a rich yet captivating film from Sam Taylor-Wood on the young life of John Lennon. Featuring an outstanding performance from Aaron Johnson as the legendary musician along with brilliant supporting performances from Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff, and Thomas Sangster. The film gives the idea an idea of what Lennon’s young life was like as well as show how the two women in his life as a teenager would impact him. In the end, Nowhere Boy is a mesmerizing film from Sam Taylor-Wood.

© thevoid99 2011

Capote

Based on Gerald Clarke’s biography on Truman Capote, Capote is the story of famed novelist interviewing the men that would inspire his acclaimed novel In Cold Blood. Directed by Bennett Miller and screenplay by Dan Futterman, the film explores Capote’s life into the making of the book as well as his unique personality as the role is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Also starring Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., Bruce Greenwood, Mark Pellegrino, Amy Ryan, and Chris Cooper. Capote is an intriguing yet hypnotic film from Bennett Miller.

After reading the news about a murder in Kansas, Truman Capote is intrigued by the story as he travels to the murder site with friend/fellow author Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) for an article about what happened. After interviewing various locals including enforcement chief Alvin Dewey (Chris Cooper) about what might’ve happened as Capote thinks there’s a whole lot more to it. During a dinner with Alvin and his wife (Amy Ryan), news emerged that the killers have been caught as they’re revealed to be Richard Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) and Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.). Capote wants to get to know the killers as he tells his editor William Shawn (Bob Balaban) and novelist/lover Jack Dunphy (Bruce Greenwood) that he wants to do more research about what happened for a book.

Capote gets to know the prisoners as he becomes very attached to Smith as the two share their own experiences where Smith even lends Capote his diary. With Capote using everything he knew from Smith to write his book, he goes to Spain with Dunphy for a year as he waits for news about their appeal. When their appeal is rejected, Capote returns to the U.S. to meet with Smith as he still wants to know what happened that night. Smith eventually tells him while Capote struggles to finish the book despite reading passages to the public some time earlier. With the execution for Smith and Hickock looming and Capote feeling very attached towards Smith, Capote deals with everything he’s experienced as he awaits for the execution of the two killers.

The film is about a period in Capote’s life from the moment he reads about this incident in Kansas that would lead him to write the novel of his career. Yet, there’s a lot more to it in the way Capote presents himself to people when he’s having fun as an openly-gay man while being the serious writer when he’s on the job. What happens in the course of the film is that his research into creating this book would eventually take a toll on him as he becomes attached to one of the killers realizing that they’re just human beings despite their action.

Dan Futterman’s script delves into a Capote’s personality and his persona while making him into a very complex individual that is trying to make a story that humanizes the killers he’s interviewing. Futterman also succeeds in making Capote flawed as he would often lie to Perry Smith about the progress of his book in order to try and get to know him. Other characters such as Smith, Harper Lee, Jack Dunphy, and Alvin Dewey are just as interesting in the way the react to or interact with Capote. Notably Smith as he’s this quiet yet troubled man that is trying to find some form of redemption as he befriends Capote. Futterman’s script succeeds in laying out the events that happens as well as Capote’s research though the story starts to drag a bit towards the third act. Largely because there’s an uncertainty to the way Capote is feeling about the execution as he is waiting for it to happen. Still, Futterman manages to create a script that is compelling and insightful.

Bennett Miller’s direction is truly a marvel to watch from the way he opens the film quietly with this scene of a young woman walking into a house where she would find a dead body. That sense of steady compositions mixed with silence is a great example of what Miller could do as he maintains a very simple yet direct approach to the film. Often having the camera moving slowly or to just shoot something in a very simple presentation. Miller’s direction is very potent as he also can create an atmosphere to the locations that is set in the film whether it’s the Canadian locations as Kansas or other scenes shot in California and Austin, Texas. There is a truly a mesmerizing feel to the film as Miller creates what is truly a fascinating portrait of one of the great writers of the 20th Century.

Cinematographer Adam Kimmel does a brilliant job with the film‘s entrancing photography from the low-key yet colorful nighttime shots for the interior scenes in New York along with some gorgeous yet hypnotic daytime shots for a lot of the Kansas scenes with very little sunlight. Kimmel’s photography in a lot of the daytime scenes has an exquisite beauty that is truly reminiscent of the films made by Terrence Malick as it’s the true technical highlight of the film. Editor Christopher Tellefsen does a superb job with the editing in maintaining a methodical pace throughout the film, despite the slowness of the third act, while utilizing rhythmic cuts and fade-outs to help keep the film going.

Production designer Jess Gonchor, along with art director Gord Peterson and set decorators Maryam Decter and Scott Rossell, does an excellent job with the set pieces created such as the jail cell that Smith lives in as well as the posh Spanish home that Dunphy lives where Capote does some of his writing. Costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone does a wonderful job with the costumes created from the suits and clothes that Capote wears to the late-50s/early 60s dresses that some of the women wear in the film. Sound editor Ron Bochar does a great job with the sound from the sparseness of the open field Kansas location to the raucous atmosphere of the New York parties that Capote frequently attends to.

The film’s plaintive, piano-driven score by Mychael Danna is truly mesmerizing from the mood that Danna creates to underplay the drama and the horror that surrounds the events as it features a low-key string orchestra to add a heaviness to the music. Music supervisor Susan Jacobs creates a soundtrack filled with playful jazz and bossa nova music to complement the world of NYC that Capote lives in as it’s definitely fun to hear.

The casting by Avy Kaufman is amazing as it features a wonderful collective of actors needed for a film like this. In small but notable roles, there’s Allie Mickelson as the young woman who found the bodies at the start of the film, Marshall Bell as the prison warden, Amy Ryan as Alvin Dewey’s wife, Bob Balaban as Capote’s editor William Shawn, and Mark Pellegrino as convicted killer Richard Hickock. Chris Cooper is excellent in a small but memorable role as local law enforcer Alvin Dewey who reluctantly helps out Capote in his research. Bruce Greenwood is terrific as Capote’s lover/fellow novelist who tries to deal with Capote’s research while being there for him as he writes his own novel.

Clifton Collins Jr. is superb as Perry Smith as Collins brings a sensitivity to his performance that is also chilling as a man who is aware of his crimes as he yearns for redemption. Catherine Keener is great as novelist Harper Lee who helps Capote in his research while being the one confidant he can count on. Finally, there’s Philip Seymour Hoffman in a fantastic performance as Truman Capote as Hoffman brings a wonderful sense of charm to the novelist in the way he presents himself publicly. In more somber moments, Hoffman restrains himself in the way he does his research while dealing with his own attachment towards Smith as it’s a truly outstanding performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Capote is phenomenal film from Bennett Miller that features a magnificent performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman as the famed author. The film is a mesmerizing portrait of Truman Capote’s life during the writing of his famed novel In Cold Blood and the toll it took on him as a writer. The film is also a very rich and divine for its imagery while it’s a drama that is very engaging in the way it’s presented. In the end, Capote is brilliant film from Bennett Miller.

Bennett Miller Films: The Cruise - Moneyball - Foxcatcher - The Auteurs #47: Bennett Miller

© thevoid99 2011