For the third week of June 2017 as part of the Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer of Wandering Through the Shelves. We go into movies based on true events where it play into dramatized stories about real things that happened whether it’s historical or something that is personal but really happened. Here are my three picks as they’re all directed by Michael Winterbottom:
1. The Road to Guantanamo
In a project co-directed with Mat Whitecross, this film about the Tipton Three in which three British-Pakistani men were sent to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba from Afghanistan as they were accused of being involved in the events relating to 9/11. In this mixture of documentary and fiction, the film features an early performance from Riz Ahmed as one of the three men who was accused of being part of Al-Qaeda. It showcases the horror of what goes on at Guantanamo Bay as well as a period in time after 9/11 in which America and Britain become consumed with fear and paranoia.
2. A Mighty Heart
In this film about Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping and murder in early 2002 in Pakistan, the film is a dramatized story largely told by his wife Mariane as she wonders where her husband is. Featuring Angelina Jolie in one of her finest performances as Mariane and Dan Futterman as Daniel Pearl, it’s a film that might be conventional for someone like Winterbottom to make but he doesn’t go for usual tropes expected in a film like this. Especially as Winterbottom would go for something more of a cinema verite style to create some realism into the drama.
3. The Look of Love
In his fourth of several collaborations so far with actor Steve Coogan, Winterbottom’s bio-pic about the controversial British pornographer and real estate mogul Paul Raymond is a witty and unconventional film though it is very flawed due to its very uneven script. Still, it features a winning performance from Coogan yet it’s Imogen Poots that is the real standout as Raymond’s daughter Debbie as a young woman eager to try to make it as an entertainer but her lack of talent would prevent that as she would die tragically. Despite some of its drawbacks in featuring too many party scenes, it is still one of Winterbottom’s more intriguing films.
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the novel by Philip Roth, Indignation is the story of a Jewish student who begins a relationship with a mentally ill student at a small Ohio college as he also spars with its dean over religion and individuality in the life of academics. Written for the screen and directed by James Schamus, the film is a period drama of sorts set in the 1950s as it revolves around morality as a young man copes with his faith and his own sexual awakening. Starring Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Linda Edmond, Ben Rosenfield, Danny Burstein, Pico Alexander, and Tracy Letts. Indignation is a riveting and compelling film from James Schamus.
Set in 1951 at a college in Ohio, the film follows a Jewish student who arrives as a freshman where he meets a beautiful student as they would have a strange sexual moment that would later get the two into some trouble involving gossip as he gets the attention of the school’s dean. The film is a complex story in which a young man with strong views on the world as he prefers to keep things to himself as he deals with the expectations he’s laid upon from his parents as well as the faculty until a date with this young woman would change things. James Schamus’ screenplay opens and ends with this old woman at a hospital staring at the wall as it then goes into a scene during the Korean War where a North Korean soldier fights with an American. It would then cut into a funeral service that the film’s protagonist Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman) attends for someone who was killed at the war as he copes with his father (Danny Burstein) who has been acting erratic lately as well as the need to socialize with other Jewish students despite the fact that he’s an Atheist.
When he meets Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon) at a history class and asks her out, he is unaware of what kind of person she is as she would give him a blow job inside a car as their relationship would be awkward until Marcus wonders about Olivia’s frequent absences at school. Especially as he learns about the fact that she’s had a history of mental illness and an undeserved reputation for being loose which gets him upset as he would lash out at his roommates and eventually move into his own room at another dorm. This would get the attention of the school’s dean Hawes D. Caudwell (Tracy Letts) who would ask a lot of questions that would annoy Marcus and his own beliefs including having to attend chapel forty times during his entire time at the school as requirement to graduate. It is a key moment in the story as it shows the expectations laid upon Marcus, Olivia, and other students in what they had to do in order to move forward as a society yet Marcus and Olivia have a hard time sticking to those ideals which has the former be outspoken and the latter coming apart.
Schamus’ direction is quite straightforward yet does contain some very entrancing compositions in the way he looks at college life in the 1950s where it’s a world that is quite square in its surroundings. Shot on location around various parts of New York City, the film does play into this look that is quite idyllic for the look of the college as well as Schamus’ precise framing into every image including the scenes at the chapel where a speaker tries to instill Christian ideals into the students including non-Christians. The usage of wide and medium shots play into this institution that may seem like idyllic but also quite stifling which is definitely what Schamus is doing while he also uses close-ups for the characters including Marcus who narrates the film via voiceover. There are a few scenes outside of the college as it relates to the working-class Jewish community that Marcus live in as it has a similar presentation visually but it’s a grimy world that includes the butcher shop that Marcus’ father runs.
The sexual content in the film is actually very tame since Schamus doesn’t show anything at all but rather Marcus’ own reaction to getting a blowjob from Olivia as well as her visits at the hospital during the second half of the film. Schamus’ approach to the drama is very simple yet he would also maintain some ambiguity as it relates to Olivia where he only display a few things about her with the exception of a flashback sequence relating to her mental history. The third act isn’t just about Marcus and Olivia’s relationship which is considered taboo given Marcus’ own idealism and Olivia’s reputation as well as the fact that they both come from different social circles. It also play into this growing decline of the ideas and demands of conformity at the college as it would play into Marcus’ growing disdain for everything Dean Caudwell stands for. Overall, Schamus creates a provocative yet haunting film about a young man’s relationship with a troubled young woman at a college in the early 1950s.
Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key lighting for some of the interiors at night as it play into this idyllic of 1950s society with the only scene of brightness is in the hospital scenes. Editor Andrew Marcus does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward in terms of the cutting as it strays from anything stylized. Production designer Inbal Weinberg, with set decorator Philippa Culpepper and art director Derek Wang, does amazing work with the look of the college dorms and classrooms as well as Marcus’ hospital room and the butcher shop that his father owns.
Costume designer Amy Roth does fantastic work with the costumes from the look of what students wore during that time including the dresses that Olivia wore. Sound editor Lewis Goldstein is terrific from the way a record sounds inside Marcus’ dorm to some of the low-key yet raucous moments at the campus as well as the tense scenes inside the chapel. The film’s music by Jay Wadley is superb for its orchestral-based score that is also low-key in its string arrangements as it help play into the somber tones of the film while the soundtrack features music of the times including the folk and pop music of the times.
The casting by Avy Kaufman is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Sue Dahlman as this old woman at the film’s beginning and ending, Noah Robbins as a Jewish fraternity brother who would help Marcus deal with appearing at chapel, Philip Ettinger as a roommate of Marcus early in the film who would lend Marcus his car for his date with Olivia, Ben Rosenfield as another of Marcus’ roommate earlier in the film whose fondness for loud records and Shakespeare would annoy Marcus, and Pico Alexander as Jewish fraternity president who would try to invite Marcus to the fraternity as he’s a mutual friend of Marcus’ family. Danny Burstein is superb as Marcus’ father Max who starts to behave erratically as he believes something bad is going to happen where he would eventually lash out at those around him. Linda Emond is excellent as Marcus’ mother Esther as a woman who has been very supportive of Marcus as she would visit him at the hospital while getting to meet Olivia which would worry her.
Tracy Letts is brilliant as Dean Caudwell as the college dean who is eager to instill his own rule and ideals into the college that he runs as he finds himself challenged by Marcus where Letts’ performance is quite unusual in its restraint as he comes off more as a man who seems concerned and intrigued but it’s just a cover for someone who is really quite dark. Sarah Gadon is amazing as Olivia Hutton as a young woman from an upper-class family that is sexually-experienced yet is also quite off as someone who is also very fragile as she doesn’t want to reveal much about herself to Marcus. Finally, there’s Logan Lerman in a remarkable performance as Marcus Messner as this young Jewish freshman that is an Atheist who isn’t eager to fit in with the rest of the campus in order to focus on his studies only to find himself challenged by Dean Caudwell and find someone he is intrigued by in Olivia as it’s a very complex performance from Lerman who has this defiance but also weariness to someone trying to find his place in the world.
Indignation is an incredible film from James Schamus that features phenomenal performances from Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, and Tracy Letts. Along with its gorgeous visuals and compelling themes on individualism during the early 1950s, it’s a film that explores a young man dealing with the expectations of society where he finds solace in a troubled young woman. In the end, Indignation is a sensational film from James Schamus.
© thevoid99 2017
Written and directed by Jacques Demy, Une chambre en ville is the story of a young woman who wants to leave her brutish husband for a steel worker amidst a worker’s strike as she’s unaware that the worker is living with her mother. The film is a musical in which many of the dialogue is sung as it explore people dealing with their feelings for one another during a tumultuous event in a small town in France. Starring Dominique Sanda, Michel Piccoli, Richard Berry, Fabienne Guyon, Jean-Francois Stevenin, Jean-Louis Rolland, and Danielle Darrieux. Une chambre en ville is an extraordinarily rich and majestic film from Jacques Demy.
Set in 1955 at the small port town of Nantes during a worker’s strike, the film follows a worker who meets a woman, who is wearing only high heels and a fur coat, as they would have an affair while he deals with his own girlfriend and uncertain future for his job. Adding to the complications is that the woman he met is married and her mother is his landlord as she frets over the chaos of this strike and the appearance of her daughter whom she hadn’t seen in years. Jacques Demy’s screenplay features a lot of the dialogue as it’s sung yet it does help tell the story where the songs would reveal some key plot-points as well as establishing the characters and the situations they’re in. Even as characters such as the protagonists Edith Leroyer (Dominique Sanda) and Francois Guilbaud (Richard Berry) are coping with their own issues as they would get together. Edith’s husband in the TV shop owner Edmond (Michel Piccoli) and her mother Margot Langlois (Danielle Darrieux) would be integral to the story as the former is a man that is very jealous and possessive while the latter is Guilbaud’s landlord that was once a former baroness until she married a colonel as she would sympathize with the workers.
Demy’s direction is definitely entrancing from the way he opens the film with a showdown between striking workers and the police in black-and-white which then turns into color as well as some of the camera movements he creates throughout the film. Shot on location in Nantes, much of Demy’s compositions are straightforward such as the opening wide shots of the showdown at the film’s beginning while he would go for more intimate moments in the scenes at Langlois’ home with the usage of medium shots and close-ups. One notable scene where Edmond confronts his wife late in the film has Demy use hand-held cameras to showcase Edmond’s perspective in this showdown of sorts as it is quite violent at times. Since the film is a musical, there is no dancing or any kind of choreography as it is mostly dramatic but in a restrained tone as Demy wanted to emphasize on this struggle that Guilbaud is having as someone who is part of the working class. Especially as the songs that the characters sing throughout the entirety of the film showcase their own personal desires and struggles in a world that is quite chaotic. Overall, Demy creates a dazzling yet heartfelt film about a wife who has an affair with striking worker.
Cinematographer Jean Penzer does brilliant work with the film’s very colorful cinematography from the way the interiors are presented as well as some of the daytime and nighttime exteriors as it doesn’t go too much into style but maintain a sense of beauty. Editor Sabine Mamou does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the music as well as some of the transitions. Production designer Bernard Evein does amazing work with the look of the home of Madame Langlois as well as the TV shop that Edmond runs and the café that the workers would hold their meetings at.
Costume designer Rosalie Varda does nice work with the costumes from the fur coat that Edith wears to violet dress of Violette and the posh clothes of Madame Langlois. The sound work of Andre Hervee is terrific for its low-key and naturalistic sound as it help play into the drama. The film’s music by Michel Colombier is incredible as its usage of jazz, orchestral music, and bits of contemporary pop arrangements as it help carry the film and put accompaniment to the dialogue that is sung throughout the film as it is one of its major highlights.
The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Marie-France Roussel as a gypsy fortune teller, Jean-Louis Rolland as a leader for the striking workers, Anna Gaylor as Violette’s mother, and Jean-Francois Stevenin in a terrific role as the striking worker Dambiel who is a friend of Guilbaud as he is also a fraternal figure of sorts for Violette. Fabienne Guyon is fantastic as Violette as Guilbaud’s girlfriend that is eager to start her venture into adulthood while dealing with his sudden distance knowing that there is a future despite the atmosphere involving the worker’s strike. Michel Piccoli is excellent as Edmond Leroyer as a TV salesman that is consumed with jealousy thinking his wife is having an affair while dealing with his own faults as it would make him more troubling.
Danielle Darrieux is brilliant as Margot Langlois as Edith’s mother as a woman who lets Guilbaud stay at her house as a lodger as she deals with the things she lost in her life as well as her growing disdain towards the bourgeoisie lifestyle she was once a part of. Richard Berry is amazing as Francois Guilbaud as a metal sheet worker who is on strike as he copes with the expectations of his relationship with Violette as he falls in love with Edith while turning to Margot for advice and conversation. Finally, there’s Dominique Sanda in a radiant performance as Edith as Margot’s estranged daughter who realizes the bad decision she’s made in marriage as she tries to make amends with her mother while falling for Guilbaud as she spends much of the film wearing only a fur coat to express the sense of ruin that her life has become.
Une chambre en ville is a phenomenal film from Jacques Demy. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a compelling story, and an exquisite music soundtrack with many of the actors singing their own dialogue. It’s a musical that doesn’t play by the rules while venturing into the anguish of love and the hope of a better life. In the end, Une chambre en ville is a spectacular film from Jacques Demy.
Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - Bay of Angels - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - The Young Girls of Rochefort - Model Shop - Donkey Skin - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - A Slightly Pregnant Man - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - (Turning Table)
© thevoid99 2017
Written and directed by Jacques Demy, Model Shop is the story of an unemployed architect who falls for a Frenchwoman in Los Angeles as he copes with his mortality and the direction of his life. The film is a sequel of sorts to Demy’s 1961 film Lola as it’s more about a man dealing with drawbacks in his life. Starring Gary Lockwood, Anouk Aimee, and Alexandra Hay. Model Shop is a fascinating though flawed film from Jacques Demy.
The film follows a day in the life of an architect who owes money over his car as he deals with being unemployed and becoming estranged with his girlfriend as he would follow a Frenchwoman around Los Angeles where she works at a model shop. It’s a film that doesn’t have much of a plot as it explores a man coping with his own existence as well as the direction in his life where he would get news that he’s being drafted for the army. The film’s script, which would feature English dialogue by Carol Eastman, doesn’t just follow the sense of ennui that the film’s protagonist George Matthews (Gary Lockwood) is dealing with but also the fact that he is going through a lot and the recent news that’s being drafted just makes things worse. It’s when he goes to a friend asking for money, despite the fact that he already owes the guy $50, is where he first encounters this Frenchwoman named Lola (Anouk Aimee).
In Lola, she’s someone who is living in Los Angeles trying to make ends meet as she befriends George and confides in him about wanting to return to France. Yet, she also talks about aspects of her own life which would reference a few of the films that Jacques Demy did including the 1961 film named after Lola as well as characters from another Demy film in Bay of Angels. She would appear in brief instances for the first two acts yet would really come into play for its third act where she meets George again after he had photographed her at the model shop. Especially as she, like George, is going through a phase of her life unsure of what to do next as well as the fact that they’re also struggling financially.
Demy’s direction is definitely ravishing in the way he shoots and frames everything around in the city of Los Angeles as it’s a major character in the film. Avoiding many of the known landmarks of the city, Demy’s direction focuses on some of the more urban areas as well as parts of the hippie communities at the time as well as bits of the posh side during the sequence in which George follows Lola as they’re driving to a posh resident. There’s a shot during that sequence in which George gets a look of Los Angeles in this beautiful view as it displays the world that George wants to be in but couldn’t conform to the expectations of the corporate world as his friends are from the hippie community. Demy’s compositions have this sense of precise framing in the way he views Los Angeles as well as the intimacy in the scenes at the model shop and at the homes of George and Lola. Demy doesn’t emphasize too much on style as he’s more concerned with George’ sense of ennui and lack of direction where it does meander the film at times in its pacing. Still, Demy does manage to focus on the story as well as create a wonderment of two people lost in Los Angeles. Overall, Demy creates an evocative film about a directionless man who meets and falls for a visiting Frenchwoman.
Cinematographer Michel Hugo does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the gorgeous look of the locations in Los Angeles for the scenes in the day and nighttime exteriors. Editor Walter Thompson does nice work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some jump-cuts in some parts of the film. Production designer Kenneth A. Reid and set decorator Antony Mondello do fantastic work with the look of the homes that the characters live in as well as the interiors of the model shop. Costume designers Gene Ashman and Rita Riggs do terrific work with the costumes from the casual look of George to the stylish white dress of Lola. The sound work of Les Fresholtz, Arthur Piantadosi, and Charles J. Rice is superb as it captures the way airplanes sound flying by as well as the raucous world of the hippie community and the locations in Los Angeles. The film’s music by the band Spirit is amazing for its mixture of low-key folk rock music with bits of psychedelia that play into George’s journey as the soundtrack also include some classical music pieces.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Carol Cole as Lola’s roommate Barbara, Tom Holland (as Tom Fielding) as Gloria’s friend Gerry, Severn Darden as a camera shop owner, the band Spirit as themselves, and Alexandra Hay as George’s model girlfriend Gloria who is frustrated with his lack of progress in life. Gary Lockwood is alright as George as this man who copes with his impending draft notice as well as lack of direction where it’s not a bad performance but not a very engaging one as it’s a major flaw of the film. Especially as he wasn’t the original choice for the role as Demy wanted a then-unknown actor by the name of Harrison Ford for the role which would’ve made it more interesting. Finally, there’s Anouk Aimee in an incredible performance as Lola as a Frenchwoman who is trying to make ends meet working at a model shop as she tries to return home to be with her son as she is intrigued by George while lamenting her own situation in life.
Model Shop is a stellar though somewhat lackluster film from Jacques Demy. Despite Gary Lockwood’s somewhat bland performance, the film still offers something intriguing in terms of its visuals, music soundtrack, and Anouk Aimee’s radiant performance. In the end, Model Shop is a fine film from Jacques Demy.
Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - Bay of Angels - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - The Young Girls of Rochefort - Donkey Skin - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - A Slightly Pregnant Man - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) – Une chambre en ville - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - (Turning Table)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the memoir by Steven McVicker, I Love You Phillip Morris is the story of a conman who falls for an inmate as he would escape several times to be with his lover. Written for the screen and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the film is black comedy based on the life of Steven Jay Russell and relationship with Morris as Russell is portrayed by Jim Carrey and Morris is played by Ewan McGregor. Also starring Rodrigo Santoro, Antoni Corone, and Leslie Mann. I Love You Phillip Morris is a charming and off-the-wall film from Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.
The film is based on the true story of a con man whose exploits in pretending to be a lawyer and later a chief financial officer for a corporation to create a lifestyle for himself and his lover. Yet, it is a very comical film of sorts as it is largely told by Steven Jay Russell as he lies on his deathbed talking about his own life and how he met Phillip Morris in prison as they would forge a relationship. The film’s screenplay by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa is largely told from Russell’s perspective as a man who had a hard time finding himself as he knows he’s gay but couldn’t come out except have trysts with other men in secrecy while being married to a woman and having a daughter. After a car accident where he has an epiphany, he decides to embrace his homosexuality and gain a lover but realizes how expensive the gay lifestyle is as he would use his skills from his time as a policeman in Texas to con people which would get him in trouble and lose his first lover Jimmy (Rodrigo Santoro) until he meets Morris in prison.
The script does show how flawed Russell is someone who is flawed as he is a man with good intention yet does bad things. Even as he would lie to Morris who is kept in the dark about what Russell does as he is just someone that is just a good person, who got in trouble for grand theft auto, where he eventually realizes what Russell is doing. Adding to Russell’s troubles is the fact that he would put himself into situations that are overwhelming as he would charm and lie his way to get the job done as he would raise suspicions among those he meet.
The direction of Ficarra and Requa is quite straightforward while displaying some bits of style. Shot largely in Louisiana with some of the film shot in Miami, it play into a world that is set mainly in the American South such as places like Texas, Virginia Beach, and Miami where it is quite conservative at times but also leaning toward embracing the idea of homosexuality. Much of the compositions are simple yet Ficarra and Requa would create something that is comical as well as offbeat such as scene where Russell and Morris are sharing a jail cell as they’re dancing to Johnny Mathis while the guy in the next cell is mouthing off at the guards. There are some wide shots yet Ficarra and Requa would more favor intimate compositions in the close-ups and medium shots while they would also create scenes that are playful and fun but also have this air of drama in the third act. Especially in the fact that it starts off very bleak with Russell lying on his deathbed as he would tell his story through voiceover narration which help add to the film’s offbeat tone. Overall, Ficarra and Requa create a witty yet heartfelt film about a con man trying to provide and bring happiness to the man that he loves.
Cinematographer Xavier Perez Grobet does excellent work with the film’s colorful cinematography with the vibrancy of the exterior scenes in Miami and Louisiana as Texas as well as some of the interiors including the starkly-lit scenes set in prison. Editor Thomas J. Nordberg does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts for a few scenes as well as emphasizing on straightforward editing techniques to play into the drama and humor. Production designer Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski, with set decorator Cynthia Anne Slagter and art director Helen Harwell, does fantastic work with the look of some of the homes the characters live in as well as Russell’s office where he’s a CFO and some of the interiors at the prison. Costume designer David C. Robinson does nice work with the costumes as it has some style as it play into the late 90s gay lifestyle as well as something that is casual.
Visual effects supervisor Jim Rider does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects that include a sequence about the clouds into what Russell saw as a child. Sound designer Paul Urmson does superb work with the sound as it play into the intense atmosphere of the prison as well as some of the quieter moments that play into the comedy and drama. The film’s music by Nick Urata is wonderful as it’s a low-key orchestral score play into humor and drama while music supervisor Gary Calamar creates an amazing soundtrack that features music from Johnny Mathis, Devotchka, Robbie Dupree, and Nina Simone.
The casting on Bernard Telsey is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Michael Mandel as a tough prisoner named Cleavon who is an unwilling messenger for Russell and Morris, Annie Golden as a friend of Morris who turns to Russell for help on a legal thing, Marylouise Burke as Russell’s biological mother who rejects him, David Jensen as a judge that is conned by Russell, Brennan Brown as a financial executive who is suspicious of Russell’s work in finance, and Antoni Corone as a financial guru who would hire Russell unaware that Russell is conning him. Leslie Mann is wonderful as Russell’s ex-wife Debbie who is a woman that is supportive of her husband coming out yet is taken aback by his schemes. Rodrigo Santoro is superb as Jimmy as Russell’s first lover who is suspicious of what Russell is doing as he is also not fond of what he learns about Russell’s actions as a con man.
Finally, there’s the duo of Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Steven Jay Russell and Phillip Morris. McGregor gives a very heartfelt and kind performance as a man that just wants to help people and isn’t ashamed of his homosexuality as he also sports a fine Southern accent. Carrey is definitely the livelier of the two in terms of the way he expresses himself physically but also do it in a restrained manner so that it wouldn’t be entirely comical as he balances that with a sense of humility and determination. Carrey and McGregor together don’t just have this chemistry that is enchanting but also very touching as they make themselves to be this very loving couple that is just a delight to socialize with.
I Love You Phillip Morris is a tremendous film from Glenn Ficarra and John Requa that features incredible performances from Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. Along with top-notch supporting performances from Leslie Mann and Rodrigo Santoro as well as a funny and heartwarming script, the film is definitely a romantic comedy that doesn’t play by the rules as well as showcase homosexuality in a very kind and warm approach. In the end, I Love You Phillip Morris is a sensational film from Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.
Glenn Ficarra & John Requa Films: (Crazy, Stupid, Love) – (Focus (2015 film)) – (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot)
© thevoid99 2017
For the second week of June 2017 as part of the Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer of Wandering Through the Shelves. We go into the idea of double features of films that go well together. What better to see one film than see two films in a row? That is always fun to do as here are my picks.
1. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story/Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Parody films have been a lost art and have been diluted to stupidity thanks in part to fuckheads for life in Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer who don’t deserve to be called filmmakers. Thankfully, there’s been a couple of spoof films that managed to be funny as well as make fun of the clichés in the world of films relating to music. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is a dead-on parody of the wave of music bio-pics that emerged in the mid-2000s with John C. Reilly giving one of his finest performances as well as be an incredible singer. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a film that is also smacked-on about the recent wave of music documentaries of current pop stars of the moment from the Lonely Island group with Andy Samberg as a pop star trying to launch a tour for his second album with disastrous results.
2. Burden of Dreams/Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
The world of making films is tough as making-of specials sometimes just try to sell something that might end up not being good. Yet, two films about the making of films prove not just how tough it can be but also what has to be done to create something amidst all sorts of adversity. Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams explore the making of Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo from the early footage that would feature Jason Robards and Mick Jagger to then re-doing the entire film with Klaus Kinski in the lead role as well as the struggle to drag a steamship on top of a mountain. Hearts of Darkness collects all of the footage that Eleanor Coppola had shot during the production of her husband’s 1979 film Apocalypse Now that include new interviews directed by Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper about the troubled production that included horrible weather, health problems, and all sorts of shit showing what it takes to create a film and nearly kill yourself doing it.
3. Che/Carlos
One epic bio-pic of a controversial figure is big enough but two with a total running time of nearly nine hours? Well, that is a challenge as Steven Soderbergh’s bio-pic on Che Guevara and Olivier Assayas’ bio-pic of Carlos the Jackal are intriguing films that share similarities in their conflict with the status quo and capitalist society but both films would also have a rise-and-fall scenario. Soderbergh’s bio-pic on Guevara is a two-part film that explores Guevara’s rise in liberating Cuba and speaking to the United Nations in the first part to his fall and failure in his attempt to liberate Bolivia. Assayas’ film on Carlos the Jackal is about the terrorist who would be a rock star of sorts in the world of terrorism is told in three parts in its miniseries format as it tells his rise but also eventual fall in the 1990s following the fall of communism in Europe.
© thevoid99 2017
Written, directed, edited, co-art directed, and starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Liebe ist kalter als der Tod (Love is Colder than Death) is the story of a pimp who is in a love triangle with one of his prostitutes and a fellow gangster as they plan a robbery. The film is an unconventional crime drama that explore a man trying to make his own mark in the world of crime while being in the middle of a love triangle as well as try to evade other crime syndicates and such. Also starring Hanna Schygulla and Ulli Lommel. Liebe ist kalter als der Tod is an intriguing yet offbeat film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
The film is a simple story in the world of crime as a gangster goes to Munich to meet up with a pimp, he had met some time earlier at an interview for a crime syndicate, as they plan a robbery with the pimp’s prostitute girlfriend. It’s a film that explores two guys and a woman who all embark into a love triangle as well as try to make it in their own amidst the watch of figures from a crime syndicate as well as the authorities. Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s screenplay is quite minimalist as it is more about characters meeting each other and planning as well as moments where they wander around their surroundings as much of the film is set in Munich. The visiting gangster Bruno (Ulli Lommel) is someone, like the pimp Franz (Rainer Werner Fassbinder), both have been watched by this mysterious syndicate yet want to make their own marks. Helping them is Franz’s girlfriend Joanna (Hanna Schygulla) who isn’t fond of Bruno at first but realizes his value once Franz is suspected of killing a known gangster as she would spend some time with him.
Fassbinder’s direction also play into the simplistic tone of the story as he doesn’t really go for anything that is overly-stylized in terms of compositions. There aren’t a lot of close-ups nor wide shots in the film as it’s more about medium shots to capture the relationship between Bruno, Franz, and Joanna. Shot largely in Munich and areas near the city, Fassbinder would use some tracking shots for some of the exteriors in the city as well as a few movements in some of the interiors. Yet, much of Fassbinder’s direction involve him using the medium shots to create scenes in long takes to maintain some kind of theatricality in the acting. Also serving as the film’s editor under a pseudonym, Fassbinder does put in some jump-cuts in a few sequences as much of it is straightforward. Especially in some of the moments of violence where it does have element of style as it is a bit playful but also dark. Overall, Fassbinder creates an engaging yet exciting film about a gangster, a pimp, and a prostitute trying to start a robbery while being in a love triangle.
Cinematographer Dietrich Lohmann does excellent work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography as it has a grainy yet beautiful look in the way the daytime exterior scenes are shown as well as some of the interiors including some scenes at the department stores. Co-art director Ulli Lommel, along with Fassbinder, would do fantastic work in creating the sets such as the meeting room for the first scene as well as the apartment that Bruno and Joanna lived in. The sound work of Gottfried Hungsberg is terrific for the sound as it is mostly straightforward as well as low-key given to the film’s low-budget aesthetics. The film’s music by Peer Raben and Holger Munzer is superb for its mixture of blues, jazz, and rock to help create a chilling score with additional music presented from whatever is on the jukebox or on the radio.
The film’s brilliant cast feature some notable small roles from Peter Moland as an interrogator for the secret crime syndicate, Hannes Gromball as a client of Joanna who would come in at the wrong time, Irm Herrmann as a saleslady being conned by the trio, Peter Berling as a shoemaker who sells weapons, Monika Stadler as a waitress watching Bruno kill someone, and Katrin Schaake as a woman Bruno meets on a train on his way to Munich. Rainer Werner Fassbinder is excellent as Franz as a pimp that is trying to run his own business without the involvement of this syndicate as he copes with his relationship with Joanna and feelings for Bruno. Hanna Schygulla is amazing as Joanna as a prostitute who is also Franz’s girlfriend that is coping with the planning as well as the presence of Bruno whom she isn’t fond of at first. Finally, there’s Ulli Lommel in a marvelous performance as Bruno as a gangster that is also trying to make it on his own as he wants to create a partnership with Franz while becoming infatuated with Joanna as well as be very cunning in handling business.
Liebe ist kalter als der Tod is a remarkable film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Featuring a great cast as well as a compelling script, it’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules while not being afraid to give in toward it low-budget aesthetics. In the end, Liebe ist kalter als der Tod is a marvelous film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Films: (Katzelmacher) - (Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?) - (Rio das Mortes) - (The American Soldier) - (Whity) - (Beware of a Holy Whore) - The Merchant of Four Seasons - The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant - World on a Wire - Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day - (Jailbait) - Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - (Martha (1974 film)) - (Effi Briest) - (Fox and His Friends) - (Mother Kuster’s Trip to Heaven) - Satan's Brew - (Chinese Roulette) - (Germany in Autumn) - (Despair) - (In a Year of 13 Moons) - The Marriage of Maria Braun - (Third Generation) - Berlin Alexanderplatz - (Lili Marleen) - Lola (1981 film) - Veronika Voss - Querelle
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the DC Comics created by William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman is the story of a princess who leaves her home island to help a young man she meets on the island to end World War I as she copes with her new surroundings and the chaos of the world. Directed by Patty Jenkins and screenplay by Allan Heinberg from a story by Heinberg, Jason Fuchs, and Zack Snyder, the film is an origin story that explores a woman who wants to help the world and save it from total destruction as the titular character, whose name is Diana Prince, is played by Gal Gadot. Also starring Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Elena Anaya, Ewan Bremner, Lucy Davis, Lilly Aspell, Emily Carey, Eugene Brave Rock, Said Taghmaoui, and Danny Huston. Wonder Woman is an enthralling and rapturous film from Patty Jenkins.
The film is an origin story about an Amazonian princess who lives in a remote and secret island inhabited by women as a pilot crashes into the land telling her about what is happening in the world as she hopes to end the war and go after a god she believes is responsible for what is happening. It is a film with a simple story but it’s filled with a lot of complexities as it relates to this woman in Diana who has been sheltered in this paradise island raised by her mother Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) who isn’t keen about having Diana be an Amazonian warrior like Hippolyta’s sister Antiope (Robin Wright) who would secretly train Diana since she was a child. Then when Diana sees an airplane crash into the sea and rescue the pilot who would turn out to be this American spy in Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). With the lasso of truth, Trevor would reveal why he’s arrived as he would reveal what is going on outside of the island of Themyscira prompting Diana to think that the god of war Ares is involved.
Allan Heinberg’s screenplay isn’t just about this story of Diana becoming this heroine and fighting for what is right but also dealing with the world on a much larger scale as well as what she has to face. The first act largely takes place in Themyscira where it is about Diana and the role she’s playing as well as why her mother isn’t keen on having her fight for the world while her aunt knows that Diana has to protect herself yet neither have really explained why as it relates to Ares whom Antiope believes would return. The second act takes place in London and parts of Europe where Diana is definitely a fish out of water into this new environment she’s in as she believes that this German general in Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston) is Ares in disguise. It’s not just in the plotting and story structure that Heinberg really succeeds in but it’s also fleshing out the characters as Hippolyta and Antiope are these figures to Diana who provide to sides that Diana has to balance while Trevor is a man who has seen the world as he owns up to the fact that humanity is flawed but know that there is still good there.
At the center of the story is Diana as her character development is crucial to the film as someone who is quite naïve about the outside world as she has no idea why her mother wants to protect her as it relates to Ares. Her encounters with the world is comical at first but also has showcase an air of innocence in Diana which is often rarely seen in films about superheroes or super-heroines. Though she is quite powerful in the way she deal with foes in how she can deflect bullets with her metallic wristbands and do all sorts of things as a warrior. She’s also quite vulnerable when she’s forced to face things she can’t really understand as it relates to the dark aspects of humanity. While Trevor admits that he is flawed and everything else is flawed, it’s a moment that leads to its climax where Diana doesn’t have to just understand what it means to be a heroine but about what needs to be achieved for peace.
Patty Jenkins’ direction is definitely sprawling in terms of the world that is set as well as the stakes into what is happening throughout the story. Shot on various locations in London, the southern coasts of Italy as Themyscira, Paris, and other locations in Europe. Jenkins does create something that do have some of the conventional aspects expected in blockbuster superhero origin films but there’s a gracefulness in the way she introduces Diana as the film begins in modern-day Paris in which Diana receives a special gift from Bruce Wayne/Batman at the Lourve. It would then have Diana reflect on her life from being a child eager to fight like her aunt as well as be kind and courageous like he mother. The scenes set in Themyscira are quite simple where Jenkins knows how to use the wide shots not just to establish the location but also a world that is idyllic. When Trevor arrives, the tone changes where it is quite serious as Jenkins know where to use medium shots and close-ups for some of the drama as well as find the right touches of humor.
The scenes in London are quite comical as it involves some of the commentary from Trevor’s secretary Etta Candy (Lucy Davis) who takes a liking to Diana for her proto-feminist commentary as Jenkins would create something that is naturally funny. It help give the film a break from the action where Jenkins would give the film some air to breathe without being overwhelmed by moments of action and suspense as well as take her time to know some of the characters in the film. The action scenes set in the battlefields are quite spectacular as Jenkins know how to move the camera as well as get a sense of what is happening without deviating too much into the very conventional style of chaotic, speed-cutting cinema that is so common with blockbuster films. The film’s climax as expected is quite grand yet it offers so much more as it does have a universal message about humanity and what can be done to provide peace no matter how complicated things are. Overall, Jenkins crafts a spectacular yet heartfelt film about a woman warrior who makes a difference in a world ravaged by war.
Cinematographer Matthew Jensen does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the naturalistic beauty of the idyllic Themyscira to the usage of more low-key colors for the scenes in London, France, and Germany including some of the exteriors at night. Editor Martin Walsh does brilliant work with the editing as it is very stylized with its usage of slow-motion and jump-cuts while not needing to go into fast-paced chaotic editing styles in order to establish everything that is going on in a scene. Production designer Aline Bonetto, with set decorator Anna Lynch-Robinson and a team of art directors, does fantastic work with the design of the halls and palaces at the Themyscira castle as well as the German base and labs as well as some of the locations in France. Costume designer Lindy Hemming does superb work with the costumes from the way Diana’s heroic costume look as well as the dresses she had to wear in London as it is among one of the film’s funniest sequences.
Hair/makeup designer Christine Blundell does nice work with some of the makeup as it relates to the crazed chemist Doctor Poison as well as the hairstyles that women wore during that period in World War I. Visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer does some terrific work with the design of the visual effects as some of it is for set dressing for a few scenes in Themyscira as well as some of the action sequences including the film’s climax. Sound editor James Mather does amazing work with the sound as it help play into some of the sounds that happen during the action scenes as well as some of the suspense. The film’s music by Rupert Gregson-Williams is wonderful for its bombastic orchestral score that help play into the action as well as serene pieces for the dramatic moments including the early scenes in the film while music supervisor Karen Elliott assemble a soundtrack featuring folk songs of the times as well as a new song by Sia and Labrinth.
The casting by Lora Kennedy, Kristy Carlson, and Lucinda Syson is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Ann Wolfe as a tough Amazonian named Artemis who help trained Diana, Lisa Loven Kongsli as Antiope’s lieutenant Menalippe, Lilly Aspel as the eight-year old Diana, and Emily Carey as the twelve-year old Diana. The trio of Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, and Eugene Brave Rock are superb in their respective roles as the spy/master of disguise Sameer, the troubled yet resourceful sharpshooter Charlie, and the opportunistic trader Chief who all provide some nice support in helping Diana and Trevor on the battlefield. Elena Anaya is terrific as General Ludendorff’s mad chemist Dr. Isabel Maru aka Doctor Poison as a chemist who experiments with gas in order to create weapons of mass destruction that would help the Germans win the war. Lucy Davis is fantastic as Trevor’s secretary Etta Candy who is the film’s comic relief as someone that helps Diana in looking like a modern woman while providing some very hilarious commentary and moments in the film.
David Thewlis is excellent as Sir Patrick Morgan as a speaker of peace for the Imperial War Cabinet who would fund whatever assignment Trevor and his men needed as well as be fascinated by Diana. Danny Huston is brilliant as General Erich Ludendorff as a mad general that is eager to win the war at any cost as he has a thirst for power and chaos which makes him a likely suspect as Ares to Diana. Connie Nielsen is amazing as Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyte as a woman who is keen on protecting Diana as well as reveal something she doesn’t want Diana to know as someone who is conflicted yet forced to accept that she can’t be there for her daughter all the time. Robin Wright is incredible as General Antiope as Diana’s aunt who sees the potential in her niece to fight for herself as well as someone knows Diana’s secret but is more concerned with preparing her for the truth as well as Ares’ inevitable return.
Chris Pine is marvelous as Steve Trevor as an American spy who is trying to find ways to end the war as he would crash land into the coast of Themyscira where he is a man that does have a somewhat cynical view of the way the world is but also a humility and charm that makes him an engaging figure for Diana to be with whether as an object of love or as a partner. Finally, there’s Gal Gadot in a phenomenal performance as the titular character/Diana Prince as an Amazonian princess who is a gifted warrior that is eager to do good in the world and defeat Ares in order to create peace. Gadot’s performance is definitely the highlight as someone that isn’t afraid to be vulnerable but also tough when she needs to be as well as display that air of innocence as someone who was very sheltered in her home environment as she realizes what it takes to save mankind and the world from the evils of man as well as those in power as it is a true breakout performance for Gadot.
Wonder Woman is a tremendous film from Patty Jenkins that features a magnificent performance from Gal Gadot. Along with a remarkable ensemble cast, a compelling screenplay, dazzling visuals, and a fine balance of action, drama, humor, and suspense. It’s a film that manages to do a lot more of what is expected in the superhero origin story as well as be something that manages to say a lot about humanity and how there’s hope in the darkest of times if someone is willing to fight for it. In the end, Wonder Woman is an outstanding film from Patty Jenkins.
Patty Jenkins Films: (Monster (2003 film)) - (Five-Pearl)
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Justice League - Aquaman - Shazam! - Birds of Prey - Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is a concert film showcasing the Rolling Stones playing a show on December 11, 1968 as the show would also include performances from Jethro Tull, the Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and John Lennon in a super-group with future-wife Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, and Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1996, the film chronicles a period in the career of the Rolling Stones which would feature one of their final performances with founding member in guitarist Brian Jones. The result is a fascinating and entertaining film from Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
The film is simply a concert film during a tumultuous year in world history as people would come together to attend a circus hosted by the Rolling Stones. The concert wouldn’t just feature a few circus performances but also performances from other musical acts such as Jethro Tull, the Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and a one-time only supergroup featuring John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, Yoko Ono, and the Stones’ Keith Richards on bass called the Dirty Mac. It is a film that showcases a period in the career of the Rolling Stones at a time when they were becoming one of the premier acts in rock n’ roll yet it is also a crucial period as it would show the dwindling role of band co-founder in guitarist Brian Jones who would die several months later after the concert as the film shows him in one of his final performances with the group.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s direction is quite simple as it would feature some close-ups of the performances as well as reaction from the audience that include some of the performers as there are a couple of circus performances that come in between the musical performances. Jethro Tull would have the performance for A Song for Jeffrey that would feature future Black Sabbath guitarist/co-founder Tony Iommi miming Mick Abrahams’ guitar as most of the performances in the film is live such as the Who doing A Quick One While He’s Away, Taj Mahal in the song Ain’t That a Lot of Love, and Marianne Faithfull performing Something’s Better. Yet, it is the Who’s performance that is a real standout as it showcases a band that was about to become very big just a year before they would make their magnum opus that is the rock opera Tommy.
The performance of the Dirty Mac led by John Lennon marks an interesting footnote of history for Lennon as it is his first public performance as a solo artist just around the time he was still in the Beatles who were to disband more than a year later. The performance of the song Yer Blues from The White Album is definitely faithful to the original Beatles recording thanks in part to Eric Clapton’s guitar work as they would perform an improvised blues-based track called Whole Lotta Yoko with violinist Ivry Gitlis and Ono providing the vocals. The Stones’ performance would conclude the film for live renditions of Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Parachute Woman, No Expectations, Can’t Always Get What You Want, and Sympathy for the Devil while the film ends with a miming performance of sorts of Salt of the Earth. The film’s cinematography by Anthony B. Richmond is quite grainy as there’s marks in the film footage which definitely adds something rich to the film’s look as Lindsay-Hogg captures everything that is happening including some of the introductions.
Editors Ruth Foster and Robin Klein would assemble many of the footage as the latter would be in charge for the remastering of the film with Lindsay-Hogg’s help as it help adds a richness to the quality of the film. Sound editor Magdaline Volaitis would also be involved in the film’s remastering as well as with the music to make sure it sounds full since much of the film had been lost and shelved for many years until the late 80s.
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is a splendid film from Michael Lindsay-Hogg. It’s a film that showcases a period in time where the Stones was entering its golden period as well as showcasing acts from that period either entering into a new phase of their career or just getting started. In the end, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is a delightful film from Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
Related: Sympathy for the Devil (One Plus One) - Gimme Shelter - Shine a Light - Crossfire Hurricane
© thevoid99 2017
For the first week of June 2017 as part of the Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer of Wandering Through the Shelves. We go into the world of films with tall buildings whether it’s a film about a tall building or set in tall buildings or feature tall buildings. Here are the three films that I pick for this category.
1. Man on Wire
What could be better than having a film set in a tall building? How about two? Well, this actually happened where in 1974. Philippe Petit did the impossible where he did a high-wire walk between the two World Trade Center towers as it is told by James Marsh in one of the finest documentary films of the 21st Century so far. Especially as it showcases what Petit would do to pull off this stunt as Marsh would create scenes as if it was a heist as it adds a lot to the documentary.
2. The Dark Knight
This isn’t a film about tall buildings but there are a lot of stunts that involves tall buildings such as a notable scene of Batman jumping off a tall building in Hong Kong to catch a criminal. It is a film that is quite extravagant as it includes many sequences set in tall buildings such as a climax between Batman and the Joker. It’s the kind of blockbuster film that knows what it should do as tall buildings is something Christopher Nolan would feature in some of his films.
3. The Raid: Redemption
From Gareth Evans is probably one of the best action films of the 21st Century so far. It’s all about a police officer going into a building and beating up bad buys while going up 15 stories to destroy a drug lord. Featuring incredible performances from Iko Uwais as a rookie cop as well as Yayan Ruhian as a badass henchman. It’s a film that breathes new life to the action film genre as well as showing what they could be again without the usage of CGI and fast-cut editing styles.
© thevoid99 2017
