One from the Heart

In the 1970s, there was no director that had garnered much acclaim or accolades better than Francis Ford Coppola. While he had released four films in the 1970s with The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now. He was also among the era of the New Hollywood movement of such auteur-driven directors like Peter Bogdanovich and Martin Scorsese. While Coppola was also a screenwriter and producer who also helped the careers of George Lucas and Carroll Ballard. Though the 1970s was a triumph for Coppola, he was about to enter a decade in which he faced failure, money woes, and other personal troubles.

For years, Coppola hoped to go independent and form his own studio where he can be the head and release his own films. While Zoetrope Studios started out as an independent studio that would allow first-time filmmakers a chance to create their own films. It was also a place where Coppola would be allowed to help develop projects for friends and himself. It would also be a place where he would create the kind of films he made without the interference of a major studio. For his next project, Coppola decided to make a film that would be an experiment of sorts as he tried out creating a film with new electronic cinema gadgets at the time in the early 80s. While it was supposed to be a small, romantic-musical set in Las Vegas. The film that would be called One from the Heart would become the film that would hurt Francis Ford Coppola’s career for several years.

Originally a $2 million budget, the film was to be shot inside a soundstage at the Zoetrope Studios to create an artificial version of Las Vegas. With help from cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and production designer Dean Tavoularis, the re-creation of Las Vegas along with other sets proved to be daunting. Even as Coppola wanted to experiment with new cameras as if he‘s watching the film via video feed and could have it edited around the same time like with TV. The production ballooned into a $26 million production towards its early 1982 release. When news broke about its budget and the production, it was clear that Coppola was about to enter into deep trouble.

Two years earlier, Michael Cimino released Heaven’s Gate which was a revisionist historical western set in the Johnson County Wars of the late 1800s. The film was Cimino’s follow-up to his 1978 Oscar-winning film The Deer Hunter as expectations ran high. Instead, the $40 million-budgeted film became a huge disaster that would help bankrupt United Artists as well as bring an end to era of New Hollywood and its auteur-driven directors. For Coppola, the production and release of One from the Heart made him nervous as he released it through a small, limited release in early 1982. The film was a massive flop as it would only pull more than $600,000 box office gross in less than a week. After that, Coppola decided to pull the film from theaters as he would spend the rest of the 1980s and part of the 1990s to make films to pay off his debts.

Though Coppola would eventually recover from the money he lost in making One from the Heart as well as reviving Zoetrope into American Zoetrope. Many people hadn’t seen One from the Heart but over the years, it was being praised by a small group of people that had seen it with interest raised over the film. In 2001, Coppola released an extended version of Apocalypse Now entitled Apocalypse Now Redux to great acclaim as he decided to revisit the film that gave him a lot of trouble. With help from Storaro and American Zoetrope executive Kim Aubry, Coppola decided it was time to revisit his great failure as he made a few changes in the editing as he gives his great 1982 failure a chance to be seen.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and screenplay by Coppola and Armyan Bernstein that is based on Bernstein’s story. One from the Heart is the story of a couple whose five-year relationship is starting to crumble. Living on the edge of Las Vegas on the 4th of July, the two would explore different worlds as the woman falls for a suave waiter while the man is amazed by a German circus performer. A throwback to the musicals and romantic films of the 1940s and 1950s with lavish production, it’s a film where Coppola blends that style of lavish production in tune with the colorful world of the 1980s. Starring Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinski, Lainie Kazan, and Harry Dean Stanton. One from the Heart is a dazzling, entertaining romantic-musical from Francis Ford Coppola.

It’s the 4th of July weekend approaching in Las Vegas as Hank (Frederic Forrest) and Frannie (Teri Garr) are to celebrate their five-year anniversary as a couple. Hank is a mechanic who works with his friend Moe (Harry Dean Stanton) while Frannie is a window dresser who works at a travel agency with her friend Maggie (Lainie Kazan). Yet, Hank and Frannie are having troubles due to Hank’s inability to do anything new while Frannie wants to be more adventurous. An argument leads to Frannie walking out as she leaves Hank to live with Maggie. Hank turns to Moe about the break-up with Frannie turning to Maggie. Both friends suggest that it’s time to move on and do something new.

One day at work, a waiter/pianist named Ray (Raul Julia) sees Frannie decorating as they talk for a while which would lead to a date later in the evening. Hank and Moe walk around the city where Hank comes across an exotic circus performer named Leila (Nastassja Kinski). With Hank and Frannie both going on different dates around the city of Las Vegas, lots of fun ensue for the both of them. With Frannie dancing with Ray in clubs and in the city, Hank takes Leila to his junkyard as both couples enjoy themselves. Hank however, realizes his love for Frannie as he decides to win her back.

The film’s plot and story is a simple one. A guy and gal approach their five-year anniversary, split up and meet their ideal partners until the guy realizes he is still in love with his gal. That’s pretty much what the film is about yet, it’s partially told through the film’s music. Coppola and co-screenwriter Armyan Bernstein do create a simple structure to the story as where the first act is about the split, the second act is Hank and Frannie meeting their ideal partners, and the third act is Hank wanting to get Frannie back. Again, that is the story in a nutshell as it’s one that is predictable and does stray into what is expected in a love story. The problem is that it’s kind of weak since both Hank and Frannie aren’t really that interesting. Then again, maybe that is intentional as when they each meet their new partners. There’s something different about them as they meet these exotic individuals who will fulfill their desire until Hank realizes what he wants.

The screenplay really is just a backdrop for what Coppola really wants is to create a film that is more about the visuals than the story. Since the story is a bit lackluster with its lack of tension and surprises. It allows Coppola to create scenes where it’s just about the moment and the visuals. Coppola’s direction is definitely marvelous to watch for not just re-creating Las Vegas but also having the place be a fantasy of sorts for the characters to be surrounded by.

While Coppola’s idea to recreate Las Vegas in a soundstage might seem like a crazy idea because of its costs. Still, even the idea of shooting the film on location in Las Vegas would’ve been just as troubling. Still, despite the issues he might’ve had with the money he spent, Coppola was able to create something that isn’t meant to be real but rather an artificial world that the characters live in. Notably scenes where Hank and Moe are having a conversation while in the next set, Frannie and Maggie are talking through dissolves or silhouette sets.

In some ways, even with the film’s full-frame aspect ratio of 1:37:1. Coppola is trying to recreate the old Hollywood musical as there’s some lavish dance numbers choreographed by Kenny Ortega that really stands out. One is this gorgeous dance between Frannie and Ray at a bar that later becomes this exotic, island set of sorts. The other is a bigger dance number with lots of extras and dancers on the street of Vegas. If it was shot on location in Vegas, it would’ve been impossible to create.

Coppola also has his camera go out there with long sequences whether its tracking shots or long shots to create a feeling of the location and where the characters are. Including scenes where both Frannie and Hank are in different directions as they’re near each other unaware of their presence. The camera is always moving to create a feeling about what is going on with the characters and such. Despite the film’s shortcomings with its story and its style-over-substance mentality, Coppola does create what is certainly a spectacular film that is very engaging and entertaining.

Cinematographers Vittorio Storaro and Ronald Victor Garcia do an amazing job with the film’s stylized yet colorful cinematography. Featuring many of the colorful palettes of blue and sepia-yellow that is a trademark of Storaro’s work. The cinematography has a dream-like look where many of the scenes shot on the streets of Las Vegas is filled with dazzling lights as it plays to the world that is Las Vegas. Even as the camera is always going somewhere while scenes such as Frannie and Ray’s dance along with Leila’s circus act in the junkyard are filled with lush colors from Storaro’s photography. The overall cinematography is definitely among one of the film’s technical highlights.

Editors Anne Goursaud, Rudi Fehr, and Randy Roberts do an excellent job with the editing as it plays up to the rhythm of the music. Particularly with some of the dance sequences in the film as it’s also very stylized including the fantasy scenes as they use wipes and jump-cuts to play up the sensation of what the characters are imagining. For the dramatic moments of the film, the editing is leisured with its pace as it plays to what the characters are doing including Hank’s eventual uncertainty.

Production designer Dean Tavoularis, along with set decorators Gary Fettis and Leslie McCarthy-Frankenheimer and art director Angelo P. Graham, does a phenomenal job with the set design and the re-creation of Las Vegas. Tavoularis and his team definitely create what is essentially an artificial world to Las Vegas along with the small suburb and house that Hank and Frannie lives. Even the airport for the film’s penultimate sequence is definitely out of this world. Despite the excessive tone of the art direction, it is definitely some fantastic work by Dean Tavoularis and company that also includes his brother Alex and two future renowned art directors in Dennis Gassner and James J. Murakami.

Costume designer Ruth Morley does a wonderful job with the costume design from the tuxedo that Ray wears to the lively red dress that Frannie wears on her date. Even as the character of Leila has clothes that truly plays to her exotic personality. Sound designer Richard Beggs and sound editor Leslie Shatz do a brilliant job with the film’s sound as it captures the lively world of Las Vegas in the dance scenes. Beggs and Shatz also help create an intimacy to the homes of Hank and Frannie’s along with the other places that they go into as the sound work is another of the film’s technical highlights.

The film’s music by Tom Waits is the real highlight of the film as it plays not just to the cool world of Las Vegas but also the longing of romance the characters go into. An entirely jazzy score with bits of dance, Waits has a score that is hypnotic in its arrangements. With songs and lyrics by Waits, the songs play up to the emotional crux of the film as it’s sung by Waits and Crystal Gayle. Gayle’s voice soars through many of the film’s heartbreaking moments as the overall soundtrack is one of the most overlooked soundtracks in the history of film.

The casting by Jennifer Shull is really good with its large array of extras and understudies that includes Rebecca De Mornay as a young woman in a restaurant along with cameo appearances by Tom Waits as a trumpeter, Allen Garfield as a restaurant owner, and Francis Ford Coppola’s parents Carmine and Italia as a couple in an elevator. Harry Dean Stanton and Lainie Kazan are excellent in their small but memorable supporting roles as Moe and Maggie, respectively. Stanton as a guy who tries to make Hank look modern while Kazan as the woman who tries to help Frannie as Stanton and Kazan stand out as they bring humor to the film.

Nastassja Kinski is great as the exotic Leila. A German circus performer who transfixes Hank with her physicality and stylish accent as Kinski really brings a lot of joy to her character with even the little moments in her performance. The late, great Raul Julia is superb as Ray, a suave musician who charms his way into Frannie’s hearts as he gives her hope and dreams about going to Bora Bora as Julia is just marvelous to watch. Teri Garr is very good as Frannie though her character is a bit whiny at times. Even as Garr does manage to show her sensual side while seemingly having a good time with the dance scenes. Frederic Forrest is also good as Hank, a good guy who is sort of lazy but also has his moments. Though his character is kind of pathetic, Forrest does succeed in making him sympathetic as he and Garr do have some chemistry.

While it’s nowhere near the brilliant work that he did in the 1970s or some of his other films in the 1980s and so on. One from the Heart is still a very good and spectacular romantic musical from Francis Ford Coppola. Fans of Coppola’s work will see this as a departure of sorts while they will be amazed by the film’s technical work that includes Dean Tavoularis’ set design and Vittorio Storaro’s photography. Even as Tom Waits’ score and soundtrack brings a lovely yet mesmerizing quality to the film. While it’s a film that has a very bad history, it’s one of those films that deserves another chance to be seen. In the end despite its flaws and a uninspiring script, One from the Heart is still a solid film from Francis Ford Coppola and company.

Francis Ford Coppola Films: Dementia 13 - (You’re a Big Boy Now) - (Finian’s Rainbow) - (The Rain People) - The Godfather - The Conversation - The Godfather Pt. II - Apocalypse Now/Apocalypse Now Redux - The Outsiders - Rumble Fish - The Cotton Club - (Peggy Sue Got Married) - (Garden of Stone) - (Tucker: The Man & His Dream) - New York Stories - The Godfather Part III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) - (The Rainmaker) - (Youth Without Youth) - Tetro - (Twixt)

© thevoid99 2011

The Messenger (2009 film)

Directed by Oren Moverman with a script co-written with Alessandro Camon, The Messenger tells the story of a young U.S. army staff sergeant who accompanies a captain to give notice to families of fallen soldiers. During one trip, the young soldier falls for a widow as he deals with his own ethics issues while befriending his superior. A war drama that plays to the Iraqi war of the 2000s, it is a film that explores what families and soldiers go through when they have to deliver the news of death to families. Starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, and Steve Buscemi. The Messenger is a harrowing yet mesmerizing film from Oren Moverman.

Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) has just returned from Iraq following a tour of duty that has left him battered while his left eye was nearly damaged. The only person waiting for him is his girlfriend Kelly (Jena Malone) who reveals during dinner that she is getting married to another man. With a few months left for his time as a soldier, Will is called by Lt. Colonel Dorsett (Eamonn Walker) to go on an assignment with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) to give notices to the families of fallen soldiers. Stone gives Will specific instructions about what to do and what not to do during these assignments. With Will watching the cynical, hardened Stone what he does, it is very hard for Will to give out these notices.

Still reeling from his wounds, the trauma of war, and Kelly’s engagement, Will tries to deal with issues through drinking and being alone in his apartment. During an assignment where he and Stone are giving notice to a woman named Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton). The two are baffled by her behavior as Will is intrigued while he and Stone continue to socialize in bars as Will is still intrigued by Olivia as he sees her at a mall with her son Matt (Jahmir Duran-Abreau). Will suddenly spends time with her while dealing with the assignments he’s giving out as he’s having a harder time about Kelly when he receives an invitation to her engagement party.

With Will continuing to spend his time with Olivia as she reveals plans to move to another city, he helps her as she reveals stories about her late husband. Will realizes he is getting too close as during a trip to another notice, Will overhears a man’s name as he came to him and his wife giving them the notice about their son’s death as Will does something that he shouldn’t have done. Stone is upset as Will reveals he’s tired of what not to do. With Will finally given a break, he and Stone go out for the weekend with a couple of young ladies (Lindsay Michelle Nader and Merritt Weaver) for some fun. Everything seems fine until the two men get drunk over their own issues as they crash Kelly’s engagement party and later have a heart-to-heart about their own experiences.

The film is about a soldier becoming a messenger to give notices to families of fallen soldier with a hard-ass captain while falling for a woman. That’s essentially the film’s plot as it’s mostly told through a loose form of storytelling. In reality, the film is a character study about a young man trying to deal with his new assignment along with his own issues from the war and at home. For Will Montgomery, he’s leading a complicated life where has to go see doctors about his left eye and at one point, he meets a returning soldier (Jeremy Strong) as that soldier tries to live a life in denial. Stabilizing his life is his assignment to give notices to families though it isn’t easy where at one point, he gives notice an angry father (Steve Buscemi). It’s in this widow named Olivia where Will finds not just comfort but a life outside of duty though he realizes that she is having a hard time with her own issues.

The screenplay that Oren Moverman and co-writer Alessandro Camon not only create a wonderful center into Will’s emotional struggle as well as his conflict in being a man and soldier. The writers also do some study on a few supporting characters, notably Olivia and Stone. Olivia’s reaction to the news of her husband’s death at first is baffling but once Will gets to know her and her son. Olivia is revealed to be just as complicated where there’s a great 8-minute scene of her talking about her late husband. What is revealed isn’t just a turning point for Will but also reveals why Olivia acted so strange about the news.

Then there’s Tony Stone, a man who is a hardened man who is concerned about his duty on the outside. On the inside is someone who is very fragile while dealing with his own issues. A recovering alcoholic for three years who fought on Desert Storm is someone that is just trying to keep things in order while at night, he flirts and sleeps with a bartender (Lisa Joyce). When he and Will go out for some fun, an eventual relapse happens as once the film nears its end. There is a poignant conversation about their own experiences and how hard it was for both of them. Another supporting character, though minor, that gets a bit of attention is Kelly. While she isn’t in the story very much, she does serve as motivation for Will while dealing with the fact that despite her love for him, she is moving on. The script overall is definitely brilliant in its study and looseness for its story.

Moverman’s direction is truly astounding in not just the way he portrays the dramatic elements of the film. It’s also how he avoids clichés and finds something else that doesn’t give in to conventions. For many of the scenes where Will and Tony are to give notices, it’s all presented in a hand-held style that isn’t very shaky. For the rest of the film, it’s all about wide shots and simple shots to complement not just Will’s sense of isolation but also his need to connect. Even as he allows scenes of humor along with other scenes from Will’s perspective about things happening around him.

Moverman also succeeds in fleshing out the relationship Will has that includes the 8-minute scene of Olivia talking about her husband as it’s presented in one single take. It’s a slow but captivating scene as it’s all about the dialogue and restrained acting. It’s Moverman being observant while keeping the camera away as he wants the audience to be engaged by the conversation. The conversations that Moverman shoots which includes Will and Tony’s war stories is presented with few edits so the actors remain in character and just act. The simplicity and non-stylized approach to the direction is definitely wonderful as Moverman creates what is certainly an engaging yet hypnotic directorial debut.

Cinematographer Bobby Bukowski does a great job with the film‘s photography that is mostly straightforward with a heightened brightness for its daytime exterior scenes. Even as the nighttime exterior and interior scenes are shot with dark lights to complement the troubled moods some of the characters are going through as Bukowski’s work is worth noting. Editor Alexander Hall does a superb job with the editing in creating cuts that plays to the sense of longing and emotion in Will’s journey. Even as there’s some rhythmic cuts to play up to reactions while creating a leisured pace throughout the entirety of the film.

Production designer Stephen Beatrice and set decorator Cristina Casanas do some excellent work in the set pieces that includes Olivia’s home and Will’s apartment. Notably the lack of decorations and openness in Will’s apartment that reveals his own isolation. Costume designer Catherine George does a very good job with the costumes from the uniforms Will and Tony wear along with the casual clothes while creating a great red dress for the character of Kelly in her engagement party. Sound editors Leslie Shatz and Javier Bennassar do a fantastic job with the sound from the sparse world of Will‘s apartment to the chaos of the bars he and Tony frequent. Even as it helps with the quiet moments of the film as it’s just about the conversation and the low mix on the surroundings.

The music by Nathan Larson is wonderful for its sparse, guitar driven tone that plays up to Will‘s troubled mood as Larson dominates the score with a plaintive, arpeggio-laden guitar track throughout the film. Music supervisor Tracy McKnight also plays to that sparseness by having music be played on location rather as an accompaniment. Whether it’s a song like Home On the Range where Will and Tony sing drunkenly or music that’s on a bar or the radio. The soundtrack includes music by the Band, David Bowie, Brian Wilson, Rilo Kiley, Clutch, the Hold Steady, Willie Nelson, and other acts.

The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Ali Farrell is definitely spectacular with its array of memorable performances from well-known actors to some very small roles. Among the memorable small roles include Eamonn Walker as Will and Tony’s superior, Michael Chernus as Kelly’s fiancee Alan, Jahmir Duran-Abreau as Olivia’s son Matt, Jeremy Strong as a returning soldier, Fiona Dourif as the returning soldier’s wife, Lindsay Michelle Nader and Merritt Weaver as a couple of girls Will and Tony go out with, and Lisa Joyce as a bartender Tony sleeps with. In the roles of families giving notice, there are memorable appearances from Yaya DaCosta as a girlfriend, Kevin Hagan and Marceline Hugot as an old couple Will meets at a market, Halley Feiffer as a young woman carrying a secret about her boyfriend, and Peter Friedman as that girl’s father.

Steve Buscemi is phenomenal as an angry father who gets a notice. Though it’s a small role, Buscemi’s presence and performance is truly mesmerizing as he channels the anger of a man who just encountered loss as it’s a great performance from the always enjoyable Buscemi. Jena Malone is superb in a small but crucial role as Kelly, Will’s ex-girlfriend. Malone brings a lot of gravitas to a character that is in conflict for her love for Will but also the fact that she’s moved on. Even as there’s moments in her engagement party where she seems really uncomfortable as she could’ve gone over the top but restrains herself as it’s one of her finest performances.

Samantha Morton is amazing as Olivia, a widow who befriends Will as they find comfort in each other’s presence. Particularly the scene where Morton delivers a monologue about her husband as the sense of restraint in the performance as well as the mix of sadness and anger that is very startling. It’s a scene where Morton really shines as she delivers front and center throughout the film as it’s one of her best performances so far. Woody Harrelson is magnificent in his role as Captain Tony Stone. Harrelson brings a hardened exterior to his role of someone just wanting to do his job in a way where he doesn’t have to be emotional. By the time his character isn’t in his role as a soldier, Harrelson brings a fragility to his character that is having a hard time with his own war experience.

Finally, there’s Ben Foster in what is definitely a career-defining performance as Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery. Foster brings an intensity and dramatic weight to his role as a young man dealing with the aftermath of war and the sense of alienation upon his return home. Notably when he is trying to deal with Kelly’s engagement along with his new role as a messenger to families. Yet, Foster also brings some humor in his scenes with Woody Harrelson where they have some fun while he gets to be quiet and relaxed in his scenes with Samantha Morton. It’s a remarkable performance from the young actor who is surely going to be getting more attention in the years to come.

The Messenger is a haunting yet powerful film from Oren Moverman featuring an outstanding leading performance from Ben Foster. Audiences who want to see a war film without any political message or heavy-handed ideas about war will definitely see this as something more refreshing. While it’s not an easy film to watch due to its approach, it is a film that doesn’t go for conventions. Featuring incredible supporting performances and appearances from Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, and Steve Buscemi. It’s a film that is very real but also has poignant ideas about what families and soldiers go through with loss. In the end, The Messenger is a brilliant yet chilling film from Oren Moverman.

Oren Moverman Films: Rampart - (Time Out of Mind) - (The Dinner (2017 film))

© thevoid99 2011

Source Code

Directed by Duncan Jones and written by Ben Ripley, Source Code tells the story of an army helicopter pilot sent on a mission by the Air Force to travel back in time on a train before it exploded. In search for the bomb and who blew up the train, he has eight minutes to revisit everything that is happening while he falls for a passenger on that ill-fated train. It is with each trip back in time, he has to figure out what is going on while hoping to stop another train being blown up. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffrey Wright. Source Code is a dazzling yet intense sci-fi mystery from Duncan Jones and company.

Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) was an army helicopter pilot whose last memory was fighting in a mission in Afghanistan. Then, he’s woken up on a train where he’s sitting across a pretty young woman named Christina (Michelle Monaghan) who calls him Sean. Stevens claims he’s not Sean as he is wondering what he’s going on as he sees himself in another man’s body. Then all of a sudden, the train blows up as Stevens is suddenly inside a capsule. Unaware of what has happened to him, he sees a woman named Captain Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) on a TV screen talking to him.

Captain Goodwin and Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright) reveal that Stevens is part of a program to go back in time in an alternate reality for eight minutes. Stevens’ mission is to find the bomb and the bomber before another bomb is to detonate inside the city of Chicago. Stevens would revisit the alternate world as he finds the bomb but has a hard time finding the bomber as he also tries to save Christina only realizing that she’s already died. Reliving the same events that happened on the train and figuring out everyone that was on the train, Stevens learns a shocking discovery about himself but also what he finds on the bomb as well as who is the bomber.

The film is about a man on a mission to find a bomb and the bomber to stop another bomb to blow up the city of Chicago. Yet, it’s told in a layered, surreal film where realities are blurred and there’s a lot of repetition going on. While it seems like it’s a plot device that is hard to follow, it’s only because the character of Captain Stevens is just trying to find the bomber as everyone in the train he’s in are suspects. With each trip, he has a yearning to save Christina realizing that in the real world, he couldn’t save her. When the eight minutes end, he’s back inside a capsule run by a program called the source code.

While the film is character study of sorts for Stevens’ exploration about his mission as well as the realities and alternate realities around him. He’s being watched by two other people in Captain Goodwin and Dr. Rutledge. Rutledge is a character that has good intentions as he hopes the source code program can save lives from other horrible events. Yet, he is more concerned about what the program can do than the person inside as he’s willing to do anything to get it to work. Then there’s Captain Goodwin, who is the film’s conscience who struggles to do her duties while being only sympathetic voice for Stevens as he struggles to do his mission as well as the discoveries he has. Ben Ripley’s screenplay has some twists and turns along with an ending that is very ambiguous that will upset some people depending on their interpretation. Yet, Ripley creates what is definitely an intriguing story.

Helming this multi-layered, surrealistic sci-fi thriller is Duncan Jones whose direction is definitely hypnotic as it takes place in very few locations and sets. While the story is based partially on repetition, it allows Jones to re-do every moment as every trip that Stevens take is different though the same thing happens except with how Stevens reacts. The film does move back and forth from this surreal reality to the actual reality while there’s a lot going on. Jones’ direction is definitely engaging in the way he follows Stevens trying to find out the mystery while going inside the actual reality where Goodwin and Rutledge try to figure out what’s happening. While the film isn’t perfect and has a few flaws, Jones succeeds in creating a very mesmerizing yet stylish sci-fi thriller that allows the audience to be engaged by the mystery.

Cinematographer Don Burgess does an excellent job with the film‘s cinematography from the de-saturated look of the capsule interior to a more, straightforward look to the look of the air force base where Captain Goodwin and Dr. Rutledge are at. Even the train has a look that is a bit stylish but also straightforward for its presentation. Editor Paul Hirsch does a nice job with the editing by giving the film a pace that plays up to its suspense while slowing things down so that audiences can be engaged into what is happening. Even as it relies on swift transitions and fast-paced cuts to move from reality to surreal-reality.

Production designer Barry Chusid, along with set decorator Suzanne Cloutier and art director Pierre Perrault, does a very good job with the hollowed look of the capsule along with the broad look of the train. Costume designer Renee April also does a good job with the costumes from the casual clothing that the people wear on the train to the uniform that Captain Goodwin wears. Visual effects supervisor Louis Morin does a wonderful job with the visual effects for the transitions of Stevens‘ movement from reality to the alternate reality along with some slowed-down effects for the train explosions.

Sound designer Tom Bellfort and sound editor Branden Spencer do a spectacular job with the hollowed sound of the capsule to the tense atmosphere of the train along with the chaotic world of the base. The film’s music by Chris P. Bacon does a fantastic job with the suspenseful music that includes a great piece for the film’s opening credits. Even as the music plays to the drama with a swelling yet serene orchestral piece as Bacon’s work is the technical highlight of the film.

The cast is definitely wonderful with some memorable appearances from Russell Peters as a comedian on the train, Cas Avnar as a businessman with motion sickness, Frederick De Grandpre as the real Sean, and Michael Arden as a guy who left his wallet. Jeffrey Wright is excellent as Dr. Rutledge, a professor who is concerned with the success of the source code program. Though he’s a guy with good intentions, he’s a man who is more concerned with what it can do and what kind of impact it would have rather than be concerned for Captain Stevens as it’s a very devilish but fun role from Wright.

Michelle Monaghan is superb as Christina, an ill-fated passenger who often says the same dialogue. Yet, Monaghan makes it believable as she also breaks away from her part while being concerned for this guy named Sean. What could’ve been a throwaway role has Monaghan really sell into the chaos of what is gong on as well the idea of wanting to save someone as enjoyable as her. Vera Farmiga is amazing as Captain Goodwin, the conscience of the film as she is the only link into the real world that Stevens has. She is also a character who is conflicted with her duty and to help Stevens while realizing that there is a moral issue over Dr. Rutledge’s ideals.

Finally, there’s Jake Gyllenhaal in a phenomenal performance as Captain Colter Stevens. Gyllenhaal displays a real sense of dread and anxiety to a guy who has no idea what he’s doing at first only to struggle with his mission and what is happening to him. It’s a real engaging performance from Gyllenhaal as he definitely sells his character’s issues along with his own sense of longing and to try and do the right thing. This is definitely Gyllenhaal’s best performance since David Fincher’s 2007 film Zodiac.

Source Code is an excellent and exciting sci-fi thriller from Duncan Jones and screenwriter Ben Ripley. Featuring top-notch performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan, and Jeffrey Wright. It’s a smart film that doesn’t try and play tricks on an audience while sticking to an idea and keep people guessing. While it doesn’t have the stylish, dark tone of Jones’ previous film Moon, it does show that Jones is definitely becoming a filmmaker to watch. In the end, Source Code is a stellar triumph from Duncan Jones.

Moon

© thevoid99 2011

Blog News 4/15/11 & Blogging Around

For anyone that hasn't heard the news, the official line-up for the 2011 Cannes Film Festival has been unveiled. Anyone interested can read here via Indiewire.

Honestly, I'm pretty excited for this line-up. There's a bunch of films that I want to see that are competing for the Palme D'or. Among the 2 that I really, really, really want to see are Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life and Lars von Trier's Melancholia. There's also Pedro Almodovar's The Skin That I Live In, The Dardenne Brothers' The Kid with the Bike, Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Julia Leigh's Sleeping Beauty. The last of which has a trailer that was just shown via Vimeo that can be seen here (warning NSFW).

I'm also excited for Gus Van Sant's Restless to appear at the festival though it will be part of the Un Certain Regarde section.

All of this excitement about the Cannes Film Festival has me wanting to announce the line-up for this year's 2011 Cannes Film Festival Marathon. Essentially, from May 11-22, I watch and review films that played at the prestigious festival. Though I will be cheating a bit by watching some of those films prior to the festival's opening day. I will post those reviews during the festival's duration. Here are the 15 films that I will be viewing for this marathon:

Irreversible by Gaspar Noe (2002 Cannes Film Festival-Palme D'or nominee)

Morvern Callar by Lynne Ramsay (2002 Cannes Film Festival-Youth Award & C.I.C.A.E. Award winner)

Battle in Heaven by Carlos Reygadas (2005 Cannes Film Festival-Palme D'or nominee)

Lorna's Silence by the Dardenne Brothers (2008 Cannes Film Festival-Best Screenplay Award)

The White Ribbon by Michael Haneke (2009 Cannes Film Festival-Palme D'or Winner)

Che by Steven Soderbergh (2008 Cannes Film Festival-Best Actor Award to Benicio del Toro) (Expanded Criterion DVD Review)

Antichrist by Lars von Trier (2009 Cannes Film Festival-Best Actress Award to Charlotte Gainsbourg) (Expanded Criterion DVD Review)

Broken Embraces by Pedro Almodovar (2009 Cannes Film Festival-Palme D'or nominee)

Fish Tank by Andrea Arnold (2009 Cannes Film Festival-Jury Prize Award along with Thirst)

House of Flying Daggers by Zhang Yimou (2004 Cannes Film Festival-Out of Competition)

Bright Star by Jane Campion (2009 Cannes Film Festival-Palme D'or nominee)

Looking for Eric by Ken Loach (2009 Cannes Film Festival-Palme D'or nominee)

The Class by Laurent Cantet (2008 Cannes Film Festival-Palme D'or winner)

My Blueberry Nights by Wong Kar-Wai (2007 Cannes Film Festival-Opening Film/Palme D'or nominee)

A Prophet by Jacques Audiard (2009 Cannes Film Festival-Grand Prix winner)

In the world of the bloggers, there's a lot of activity out there. One of the bloggers I've been reading frequently is All Things Shining, a blog that is all about Terrence Malick.

Edgar of Between the Seats & Bill of Bill's Movie Emporium each have some wonderful reviews of Sam Peckinpah's 1969 classic The Wild Bunch as Edgar's can be found here and Bill's is here.

CS of Big Thoughts From a Small Mind asks who is better? Samuel L. Jackson or Nicolas Cage?

From the Final Girl Project comes an excellent podcast about Sucker Punch and films that are better than Zack Snyder's recent failure.

Castor of Anomalous Material ask about Great Movies That Started Off Well... Until the Third Act. And could they please get rid of those video ads? They're fucking annoying.

Dan of Dan the Man's Movie Reviews is really on a roll as he has a great review about Barbara Streisand's The Prince of Tides.

Cinema Du Meep has a great tribute of one of cinema's great directors, the late great Sidney Lumet. He will be missed and my favorite film of his is 12 Angry Men.

Finally, there's a new blog that I'm following in The Movie Encyclopedia that has a very insightful review of Your Highness.

Well, that is all.  Coming this weekend will be Duncan Jones' Source Code.  Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off.

Badlands

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/17/05 w/ Additional Edits.

1970s American cinema had their share of heroes in the directors. Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Altman, Peter Bogonovich, Martin Scorsese, Sidney Lumet, and many more. Then there was one director whose visual style filled with poetry of doom, love, and irony who stood out among them all. Though he would only make two films in that decade before disappearing for 20 years, his work remained to be highly influential in the years to come and since. His name was Terrence Malick, a Texas-born, Harvard-grad student in philosophy.

After attending and exiting Oxford, Malick became a freelance journalist and taught philosophy at another college before finally getting a chance to become a screenwriter after doing re-writes for such films as Deadhead Miles, Drive, He Said, and an uncredited re-write for Dirty Harry (none of the material he wrote was used). After helming a short called Lanton Hills for his American Film Institute studies, he got his first official writing credit for co-writing Pocket Money that starred Paul Newman & Lee Marvin. Then, through independent investors and a non-union crew, Malick unleashed his talents in 1973 with his debut feature Badlands.

Written and directed by Malick, Badlands is a story inspired by the Starkweather-Fugate murder spree of the 1950s about a couple who go on a killing spree across the U.S. Using a voice-over narrative style from the perspective of a young teenage girl running away with a 20-something garbage man inspired by James Dean. Malick brings an elliptical, visual-poetic style to his story while shooting the film with a trio of cameraman and a small crew on a budget that was less than $350,000. Starring Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Alan Vint, and Ramon Bieri. Badlands is a brilliant, seminal crime debut from one of American cinema's most enduring yet mysterious directors.

It's 1959 in South Texas as a garbage man named Kit (Martin Sheen) wanders around town where he meets a young teenage girl named Holly (Sissy Spacek) who both seem out of place with the rest of the world around them. After quitting his job and working in a cattle ranch, Kit and Holly immediately become a couple much to the chagrin of her father (Warren Oates). Disapproving the relationship, Holly’s father tries to end it by several means, which included a conversation with Kit. Then one day, Kit breaks into their house and get her things when he is caught by her father. Carrying a gun, Kit kills Holly's father as tries to figure out what to do while confessing something on record as he burns the home and goes on the run with Holly.

Deciding to hide out near a river in the woods, the two decide to make homes while living off fish and live animals while making traps for intruders. When intruders finally came as Kit kills three hunters and he and Holly go on the run where they decided to stay at a friend of Kit named Cato (Ramon Bieri). Things go fine only that Kit's paranoia gets the best of him as Cato lays dying. Now knowing that he is in big trouble, Kit plans to make headway to Canada with Holly in tow. After putting a couple in a cellar near Cato's home, he and Holly leave where they've now become a big threat in Middle America.

After hiding out briefly in the home of a rich man (John N. Carter) with his deaf maid (Dona Baldwin), Holly ponders what would've happened if she never met Kit as the two leave the house and make their way towards North. Often turning to her collection of media magazines and dreaming of a better world, Holly wonders if Kit does have it all planned out. Even through the plains of the mid-west through South Dakota, Holly wonders if Kit's got the brains to hold a job down. After attempts to try other means of transportation, they continue on the road where after a gas stop, a helicopter catches them. Holly has had enough as Kit makes a run for it only to wonder if he has any time left till a deputy (Alan Vint) finally captures him.

Though it's only an interpretive view on Starkweather-Fugate murders, Malick's view on making the central characters more human while being indifferent to their actions is truly remarkable for its originality. They’re definitely alienated by some form of society whereas Kit has a desire to be some kind of icon and couldn't relate to the trappings of holding down a job or doing something that isn't adventurous. Holly meanwhile, is also bored in her own existence where she only lives at home with her father and escapes through her world of celebrity. Still, it's not a film about killers but dreamers who have no way of fitting into the world only to find themselves doing bad things and realize their own flaws right to the end.

One of the unique ideas of Malick's approach to storytelling is his approach to voice-over narration where it's in the perspective of Holly. Her narration is very reminiscing about how she remembered things while not displaying any kind of moral judgment though she's aware of the bad things Kit is doing. Still, there's a nice humanity and innocence to that narrative approach where in the ending for their downfall, there's an acceptance from those two characters about their own fates. Even though their actions will damn them, it's the acceptance that kind of redeems them. Even in one scene where they hide out in the rich man's house where Kit does something that becomes a development of his character. The development of characters is something that makes the audience seem to like Kit and Holly. It's also something that is part of Malick's genius as a writer along with his unique approach to structure.

On the directing front, Malick takes advantage of the low budget funding he uses by shooting entirely on location. From the quaint, idyllic towns in South Texas and South Dakota to the more broad, plain fields of the deserts and rivers. While his approach in telling the story might be elliptical only to build up momentum, it works since he goes for landscapes and whatever houses Kit and Holly to create whatever situation they're in. The camera movements and shooting is very observant to some scenes where Malick is shooting from feet away while giving the characters time to have fun and be themselves. The use of camera that Malick brings is very poetic in terms of capturing the true look of the American Heartland right, smack in the middle of it. It's truly a down-home American film.

Helping Malick is his poetic, stark vision of the American Heartland is a trio of cinematographers in Tak Fujimoto, Steve Larner, and Brian Probyn. Many of the film's photography has many of what visual elements Malick would have where all the lighting is real with its enormous backdrop of sunlight, moons, and headlights bringing many of the film's exterior scenes to come away with its evocative imagery. The film's interior scenes are also shot with natural lighting with either the sun or lamps to provide the lighting. In many ways, the film's look is truly American where its almost reminiscent of the paintings of those times as it provides one of the greatest technical moments of the film. Helping out in the visual department is art director Jack Fisk, who would become Malick's longtime collaborator, who does a great job in designing many of the film's down-home antiques for the houses, especially Cato's home along with the house that Kit and Holly built near the river.

With its 95-minute running time, the film could've felt or been longer but it's tightly edited by Robert L. Estrin while using a lot of wonderful fade-out cuts for the film's unique approach to storytelling. Sound designer James Nelson also does great work in the sound in terms of capturing the natural sounds of helicopters, guns, and everything around the film. Finally, there is the music of the film that features a couple of songs where they're both used for memorable dance scenes. One song is the very upbeat Love Is Strange by Mickey & Sylvia that provides a very happy moment with that cowbell in tow. Another great music moment is another dance scene at night in front of a car where Kit & Holly slow dance to Nat King Cole's A Blossom Fell. With other score cuts from Erik Satie, James Taylor, and composers Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman, the most memorable score piece that's been used relentlessly is a xylophone-like score cut by George Aliceson Tipton that opens and closes the movie while being played in the middle somewhere. It's one of the best pieces of music ever heard.

Then we have the film's cast that includes some small, memorable appearances from John N. Carter as the rich man who is taken hostage and Dona Baldwin as the deaf maid. Other small roles including Bryan Montgomery and Gail Threlkeld as the couple who gets put into a cellar; Charles Fitzpatrick as a employment clerk for Kit in the film's early scenes; Alan Vint as a deputy who captures Kit and the elusive Terrence Malick in a cameo as a salesman in the scene when Kit is at the rich man's home. Ramon Bieri is excellent in a small, memorable role as Kit's friend Cato who has some great lines in an early scene while his motives later on after what Kit has done becomes questionable as he gives a great performance in his final moments. Warren Oates is also great in his role as Holly's protective, strict father who isn't really a bad guy although he is the reason for her own alienation as Oates brings a memorable performance.

The best performances easily goes to the leading actors in Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. The two together brings a natural, innocent kind of chemistry where despite their bad deeds are entirely likeable and human. There's never a dull moment when those two are together while separately they have great individual moments. Martin Sheen brings a performance that if described in one word, it would be... cool. While his actions as a killer brings an edge to him, Sheen becomes totally laid back after killing someone or morally upset while in the film's final moments, he accepts his role and just acts cool throughout the entire film. Sissy Spacek brings a dreamy innocence to her role while adding a calmness to everything around her, especially Kit while being the more mature person of sorts in the relationship. It's truly a remarkable performance from one of American cinema's finest actresses, who would later marry the film's art director Jack Fisk.

***Additional DVD Content Written from 12/17/12-7/23/13***

When Badlands was first released on the then-new DVD format in 1999 by Warner Brothers, the film was presented with a remastered 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound in English as well as being presented in both full-screen and the widescreen format. It was a decent release for its time but in the years since, the bare-bones edition felt pale in comparison to the subsequent DVD/Blu-Ray releases the Criterion Collection had done for Terrence Malick’s two subsequent features in Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line. After years of waiting, Badlands finally arrives in the presentation the film deserves.

The 2013 Region 1 DVD/Region A Blu-Ray presents the film in a new 4k digital transfer by its auteur Terrence Malick with additional help from cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki who has been Malick’s regular collaborator since The New World. The DVD is presented in 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio in the widescreen format with Dolby Digital Mono. The DVD set includes various features relating to the film.

The first is a 41-and-a-half minute interview with actors Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as well as longtime Malick collaborator/Spacek’s husband in art director Jack Fisk. Sheen and Spacek talk about Malick’s approach to acting where he lets them find the characters in the performance as both of them also reveal their hesitations in playing the role. Sheen for the fact that he was 31 when the film was made while Spacek wasn’t sure about using her Texan accent as she had been told for years to drop the accent. Jack Fisk talks about his collaboration with Malick and how Fisk was very helpful to Malick’s vision as Malick was very new to the world of filmmaking. Spacek talks about Fisk’s contributions as she felt helped her be more in tune with her character as they also talk about Malick’s approach to voice-over narration as it’s a very engrossing piece about the film and how it was made as well as Malick’s approach to filmmaking.

The 22-minute interview with longtime Malick collaborator Billy Weber has the editor talking about not just Malick’s approach to editing but also in the way he uses voice-overs and music in film. Weber who was an associate editor in the film talked Malick’s unique style as well as how Francois Truffaut’s 1970 film The Wild Child would be influential in Malick’s approach to voice-over narration. Weber also talks about how this film is different from the films Malick would do later on as this film had more dialogue and more written voice-over as opposed to the looseness that would be prevalent in later films.

The 12-and-a-half minute interview with producer Edward Pressman has him talking about not just the making of the film but also the difficulties of working on a low-budget film. Pressman reveals how he and Malick had met as they were both fans of the French New Wave as well as auteur-driven films as Pressman was in total support of Malick despite the fact that he was a first-time filmmaker. Pressman also talked about the film’s official theatrical release where it didn’t do well as it was first presented in a double feature with Mel Brooks’ comedy classic Blazing Saddles where it got a poor reception. After its theatrical run, Pressman revealed that it took subsequent TV airings and such for the film to find its footing.

The 21-minute excerpt of the TV program American Justice on a 1993 episode about Charles Starkweather discusses the murder spree that would inspire Badlands. The 1958 murder spree that Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate would take part in where eleven people including Fugate’s family were killed in the span of eight days until their capture. The special plays into the infamy of the murders as well as Starkweather’s peculiar behavior as he had confessed to the killings. The special also shows excerpts of Fugate’s interviews in the 1970s and 1990s as she expressed remorse for her actions.

The DVD also includes the film’s trailer and a booklet that features an essay by filmmaker Michael Almereyda entitled Misfits. The essay discusses the film and why it stood out from a lot of the crime-dramas that was coming out of the late 60s and early 70s while reflecting a moment in time that seemed to have this warped idea of innocence as the film was released during a tumultuous period in America. Almereyda uses a lot of text from Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find as well as other quotes of O’Connor to convey the world that the film’s characters live in and why they’re misfits in some ways. Almereyda also noted the contrast the film had with Martin Scorsese’s 1973 breakthrough film Mean Streets where both films premiered at the New York Film Festival that year as both filmmakers made very different cameos in their respective films. It’s a wonderful essay that accompanies a truly amazing DVD/Blu-Ray release.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

Badlands is truly one of the greatest directorial debuts ever created from one of cinema's most enduring visionaries in Terrence Malick.  Featuring phenomenal performances from Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, it is a film that takes the crime genre and adding a sense of Romanticism through its story and visual images.  In comparison to the films he would do later on, this is Malick's most accessible as it's a film driven by characters going on the run.  It's also his most entertaining in terms of what is expected in a crime, road-film genre like this.  In the end, Badlands is a superb debut film from Terrence Malick and company.

Terrence Malick Films: Days of Heaven - The Thin Red Line - The New World - The Tree of Life - To the Wonder - Knight of Cups - Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience - (Voyage of Time: Life's Journey) - Song to Song - A Hidden Life - (The Way of the Wind)

© thevoid99 2011

The Auteurs #3: Todd Haynes

Coming from the new wave of gay cinema in the early 1990s. Todd Haynes helped re-define the world of gay culture in the early 1990s at a time when homosexuality wasn’t being told much in Hollywood. Though the openly-gay director would step out of the world of gay cinema later in his career. He would eventually become one of the most profound, independent voices in American cinema. In 2011, Haynes goes to television for a five-part, five-hour miniseries in his adaptation of James M. Cain’s 1941 novel Mildred Pierce. While a project about a woman trying to win the heart of her ungrateful daughter might seem like a very ambitious project. It works into Haynes’ repertoire as a provocative yet stylish auteur.

Born in Los Angeles on January 2, 1961, Haynes grew up into a world where a lot was happening in film and art. In 1978, Haynes would get his first taste into the world of film with a short called The Suicide that he produced while in high school. In 1985, Haynes was in Brown University to study semiotics where he was inspired by the works of the openly gay poet Arthur Rimbaud. As a thesis, he created a short film about Rimbaud and his relationship with Paul Verlaine called Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud. The short would become part of Haynes’ exploration into famous figures as Rimbaud’s work later be revisited in Haynes’ 2007 film I’m Not There as it also featured an early appearance from Laura Linney as an extra.

After graduating from Brown and moving to New York City where he discovered the independent film movement there. During a tenure studying at Bard in the mid-1980s, Haynes would take the time to learn the trade of filmmaking. It would be at this time Haynes would start his first real short film that would give him some attention.

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

His 1987 short film about Karen Carpenter, the vocalist/drummer for the 1970s pop duo the Carpenters, was an eerie forty-three minute short about Carpenter’s battle with anorexia that led to her tragic 1983 death. Having Barbie dolls portray various characters including Karen. The film showed the group’s rise to success along with Karen’s struggle with maintaining a wholesome image and the expectations from her family.

When it was released through film festivals and art house theaters all over the U.S., the short grabbed a lot of attention including Richard Carpenter. Karen’s brother and the other half of the duo was upset by the film over its portrayal of his family and himself where Haynes insinuated that Richard Carpenter is gay. Because Haynes was unable to attain the rights to use the Carpenters’ music for his short film. Carpenter sued and won a lawsuit from having the film be barred from any public viewing. Though bootleg copies was available and eventually posted on the Internet. The film would prove to be a success for Haynes as the short would recall the themes of feminist repression, music culture, and homosexuality that he would explore in the years to come.

Poison

Based on the works of Jean Genet, Poison was a film in which Haynes took three of Genet’s stories into a film that would have Haynes explore his themes of repression and homosexuality. With the three sections each presented in different styles, Haynes devised an idea which defied traditional film narrative. Instead of showing each section as one standalone piece, he inter-cut all three sections into one entire piece.

Helping Haynes with this narrative approach is James Lyons who stars in the provocative yet confrontational Homo section of the film as a convict named Jack Bolton. Lyons was also at the time, Haynes’ boyfriend, as he would become one of Haynes’ key collaborators until his death in 2007 from HIV complications. Lyons served as editor along with Haynes where the two created a style that Haynes would later refine with 2007’s I’m Not There whom he would dedicated the film to Lyons. Another person that would be a key collaborator for Haynes is Christine Vachon who Haynes knew many years earlier. Vachon would help produce Haynes’ film as Poison would become their first collaboration.

With its three sections, the film was told in three different styles. The section of Hero was a cheesy TV documentary story about a strange boy who kills his abusive father and flies away. Horror was an ode to 1950s B-horror movies about a man who accidentally drinks an elixir that causes him to become a leprosy-ridden monster. In Homo, it’s a prison love story set in the 1950s about a man meeting another inmate whom he had known years earlier in a French prison. While Horror and Homo had strong narratives that each provided ideas of what was going on at the time. Hero was the weakest as it was the one with the least development and wasn’t engaging in comparison to the other stories.

When the film premiered at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival, it was considered to be a landmark film for the emerging New Queer Cinema as it won the festival’s top prize. Since the film was partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the film also drew controversy from conservative figures including the Reverend Donald Wildmon on the American Family Association. Claiming that it promotes homosexuality and all sorts of accusation, the controversy didn’t hurt the film but rather helped it as it became a modest art house hit. Even as it helped raise Haynes’ profile.

Dottie Gets Spanked

The 1993 short film that was shown on PBS was a strange coming-of-age story about a shy six-year-old boy who is obsessed by a TV star named Dottie. His obsession has him drawing pictures of Dottie while becoming fascinated by the idea of spanking. A visit to the TV set where he won a contest to meet her has his obsession increased including a moment where he watches Dottie gets spanked.

Based on Haynes’ own childhood experiences watching I Love Lucy along with the days of growing up around that time. The short was a comedic film that had Haynes revisit the early 1960s while making fun at the world of late 1950s/early 1960s TV. Haynes also added surrealism to the short in the dream sequences of the short’s protagonist Steven (J. Evan Bonifant) where he’s a king in his dreams. For a short that is sort of about sadomasochism, it’s a strangely innocent short feature that allows Haynes to not only broaden his ideas. It would also set the course for the period films he would make in the years to come while proving he has a weird sense of humor.

Safe

For his 1995 sophomore feature-length film, Haynes would break away from his experiments along with his themes of sexuality for something different. Safe told the story about a 1980s Californian housewife whose idyllic life is changed by the moment she suffers multiple chemical sensitivity. In response, she becomes afraid of chemicals and eventually becomes sick. Then she is taken to a retreat to help her recover from her disease.

The film is told through a lot of detachment as Haynes shoots the film with his camera being distant from the film’s protagonist Carol White. Throughout the entire film, there is rarely a close-up of Carol until the end as she seems to look at herself for the very first time. Throughout the entire film, there are elements of fear and paranoia as there are references to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Even as the film features backgrounds and images of the environmental issues that were happening in the late 1980s. While it’s a mostly serious yet provocative character study of a woman falling apart. It’s also a satire of sorts where by the third act, Carol goes a new age retreat where its headed by a guru who has a overly-loving tendency about how to deal with issues.

Playing the role of Carol White is Julianne Moore, who at the time was an actress on the rise with such appearances in mainstream films such as Chris Columbus’ Nine Months, Andrew Davis’ The Fugitive, and Curtis Hanson’s The Hand that Rocks the Cradle along with a memorable appearance in Robert Altman’s 1993 film Short Cuts. The film wouldn’t just mark as a breakthrough for Moore but it was also be the first collaboration Moore would have with Todd Haynes. Moore’s performance of a woman who is quite unremarkable as she is more concerned at first about the color of a couch as well as the routines she has in her life. By the time she becomes sick, there is something haunting about Moore’s performance from the way she reacts to a child sitting on her lap at a baby shower to how she looks with no makeup and carrying an oxygen tank with her.

Helping Haynes present his detached yet haunting vision of the film are editor James Lyons and cinematographer Alex Nepomniaschy. Lyons’ editing definitely creates a slow yet entrancing style that helps build to Carol’s sense of fear and eventual breakdown. Even as Nepominaschy camera creates a sci-fi like feel to the photography though it’s not a sci-fi feel that is truly complemented in the film’s opening credits sequence. Another element of the film that is truly memorable is Ed Tomney’s eerie, electronic score that is driven by a dense synthesizer that also adds a sci-fi element to the film. Notably for the fact that it plays up to Carol’s newfound sense of isolation and loss.

When it was released in the summer of 1995, the film drew massive critical acclaim and was a hit in the art house circuit. The film not only helped Julianne Moore’s rising film career but also gave director Todd Haynes a wider audience. Leaning away from gay cinema, it allowed Haynes a chance to take on new projects that would show what ambition he has.

Velvet Goldmine

If Safe was Haynes’ breakthrough as a filmmaker, his 1998 film Velvet Goldmine was a stylish misstep. Exploring the world of 1970s glam rock with the music of artists like David Bowie, Lou Reed, Marc Bolan, Roxy Music, Iggy Pop, and Brian Eno. Haynes wanted to create a film that played up the crazy days of glam rock while creating a story about a 1980s reporter revisiting his youth in the days of 1970s glam rock while profiling a glam rock singer named Brian Slade along with his relationship with proto-punk singer Curt Wild. The narrative was also inspired by the storyline of Orson Welles’ 1941 classic Citizen Kane while the film’s title was named after a David Bowie B-side.

The film had an amazing ensemble cast that included Christian Bale, Ewan McGregor, Toni Collette, Eddie Izzard, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Brian Slade. While many of the film’s narratives alluded to the influence of Oscar Wilde along with references of the rise of David Bowie in the world of glam. The film also had references to other individuals such as Lou Reed and Iggy Pop in the Curt Wild character while Eddie Izzard played a variation on Bowie’s 1970s manager Tony DeFries, and Toni Collette as Bowie’s 1970 wife Angela. With Bale as the reporter who is enamored by the world of glam in his youth only to repress it in the 1980s. It’s a film that had a very interesting story with some entertaining sequences as well as amazing musical performances from Meyers, McGregor, and a cameo appearance from the British band Placebo.

Though Haynes and co-writer/editor James Lyons had an idea that was interesting. Not everyone liked it by the time was to go into production. One person who got a chance to read Haynes and Lyons’ script was David Bowie in the hopes that Bowie would be involved with the project. Instead, Bowie disliked the script and in response, denied Haynes the permission to use his music. That forced Haynes to re-work ideas for the script as well as having to use other people’s music performed by other musicians such as members of Radiohead, Suede, Sonic Youth, and other acts including Roxy Music’s Andy Mackay and the Stooges’ Ron Asheton.

While the film was praised for its stylized take on glam as well as the music, it received criticism for its story. Though it would become a cult hit, the film didn’t do well in the box office. Even worse was that the film received its harshest criticism from people involved in the glam rock scene such as David Bowie, Lou Reed, photographer Mick Rock, members of the band Roxy Music, and other luminaries. 80s pop singer Boy George of Culture Club was also critical of the film claiming it was an insult of his youth. A lot of the criticism felt Haynes exaggerated a lot of the things that happened including an orgy scene with gay and straight lovers. Despite the criticism, it was another exploration of Haynes’ fascination with pop culture icons and music scenes that would he later refine years later.

Far from Heaven

After a break from the disappointing reaction of Velvet Goldmine, Haynes decided to go back into his themes of repression. This time around, he sought inspiration from the films of Douglas Sirk. Sirk’s films of the 1950s were filled with melodrama, lush colors, and stories of unrequited love. After moving from New York City to Portland in 2000, Haynes was working on two projects. One of which he would do later on as the other project inspired by Sirk would be his next film called Far from Heaven.

Re-teaming with Safe’s Julianne Moore in the lead as Cathy Whitaker, the film is set in the 1950s as it’s about the idyllic wife of a New England’s housewife is shattered by her husband’s homosexual tendencies. With her husband dealing with his supposed homosexuality, Cathy becomes infatuated with her new, African-American gardener named Raymond who possesses a warmth that Cathy is gravitated to. The film also starred Dennis Quaid as Moore’s husband Frank, Dennis Haysbert as gardener Raymond, Viola Davis as Cathy’s maid Sybil, and Patricia Clarkson as Cathy’s best friend Eleanor.

With Edward Lachman providing the film’s colorful, lush cinematography that pays true to the lushness of Sirk’s films. Elmer Bernstein also provided the film’s sweeping score that plays to the melodrama. In look, the film was truly extraordinary while the story was also something that was unconventional and daring. Even as it carried themes that were considered taboo like homosexuality and interracial romance. While Haynes admitted that he was influenced by Sirk for the film’s look, he also went to the dramatic works of controversial German director Rainier Werner Fassbinder as an influence for the film. Yet, it is presented in a dramatic fashion as Haynes’ direction suddenly showed a newfound maturity for a director known for being very radical.

The film received four Oscar nominations including a Best Actress nomination for Julianne Moore. The film also drew the best review of Haynes’ career as he also received accolades from various critics awards including the New York City Film Critics awards. The film proved to be a massive success for Haynes as he would take a five-year break from the scene to work on his next project.

I'm Not There

The success of Far from Heaven allowed Todd Haynes to take on any project, Haynes chose to go back to the route of famous musical figures. This time around, his next project would be an ambitious yet experimental project about Bob Dylan. In 2000, Haynes moved to Portland, Oregon on a cross-country road trip from NYC to Portland where his soundtrack was Bob Dylan. Knowing that a project about Dylan would be difficult and Dylan not easy to contact. Haynes contacted Dylan’s son and fellow filmmaker Jesse Dylan and Dylan’s manager about the project. This proposal that Haynes had was finally delivered to Dylan as Dylan through his manager gave Haynes absolute approval to do the project.

Named after a famous bootlegged song from The Basement Tapes sessions, I’m Not There was a radical project that had six actors play different personas of Bob Dylan. With the name of Dylan not mentioned throughout the project, Haynes had a cast of actors with varied different backgrounds to play the personas of Dylan. For the pre-fame Dylan named after folk singer Woody Guthrie, Haynes chose a young African-American child actor named Marcus Carl Franklin to play the role that was based on exaggerations. For the dual rule of folk-era Dylan Jack Rollins and the late 1970s Christian-era Dylan named Pastor John, Christian Bale of Velvet Goldmine was to play the role.

Others who were brought to the film included young British actor Ben Whishaw as a character named Arthur Rimbaud who is based on a variation of Dylan from an infamous interview where he said inane things. Heath Ledger played an actor named Robbie Clark that chronicled Dylan’s personal life and relationships with women. Richard Gere played an aging Dylan named Billy the Kid lost in the world of Americana. The last person to play a Dylan variation is Cate Blanchett as the androgynous Jude Quinn, the electric-era Dylan.

Also featuring Haynes regular Julianne Moore along with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, and David Cross as Allen Ginsberg. The project was the antithesis of music bio-pics as it had an extremely unconventional narrative. Even as the music bio-pic was becoming clichéd in formula by 2007. The film was to be released with a Judd Apatow-produced music bio-pic parody coming out called Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story that also made fun of Bob Dylan. The film did receive positive reviews and modest box office while some critics felt the film was too unconventional. Yet, it drew a great reception from fans of Dylan who felt it was the definitive bio-pic about Bob Dylan.

Mildred Pierce

During his time after the release and promotion of I’m Not There, Haynes became interested in another project that was an allegory to economic problems in the U.S. It was in James M. Cain’s novel Mildred Pierce about a woman in the Great Depression trying to fend for herself in order to raise her two daughters. Eventually succeeding and opening a restaurant, she finds love while having trying to earn the love of her narcissistic, selfish daughter Veda. Haynes felt the story was true to what was happening with economic issues of the late 2000s as he chose the story for his next project.

Though a version of Mildred Pierce was made back in 1945 by Michael Curtiz as a noir-like melodrama that won Joan Crawford an Oscar for Best Actress as the title character. Haynes’ approach was going to be far different as he and producer Christine Vachon went to HBO to make it into a five-part miniseries starring Kate Winslet as Mildred Pierce. At nearly six hours, Haynes’ take on Cain’s novel is closer to the book than Curtiz’s film while Haynes brings in a 1970s cinematic approach to the film. With a cast that also includes Guy Pearce, Brian F. O’Byrne, Mare Winningham, Melissa Leo, Hope Davis, and in the role of Veda Pierce, Morgan Turner and Evan Rachel Wood.

Haynes’ approach to the story has Mildred Pierce often looking out at something to not only her isolation but also in being detached to the world through the progression of her character. She starts out as a housewife who loses her husband by infidelity and becomes a waitress to take care of her two kids. Then, she becomes a success by creating her own chain of restaurants despite the tragedy she would endure early in the miniseries. While the character of Mildred would be successful, she would also encounter heartbreak and betrayal. Notably from her daughter Veda as the ambitious, ungrateful young woman would create drama and heartbreak for Mildred as it would eventually lead to an emotional confrontation.

The miniseries is definitely Haynes taking the ambition he had from Far from Heaven and I’m Not There while centering it on this woman and her tumultuous relationship with her daughter. While it is more than five hours, it allows Haynes to delve into the story and the characters from 1931 to 1940. Notably in the way he portrays the period with some realism but also give it an old-school Hollywood feel. The project proves that Haynes can create something that is ambitious but also play around his themes while adding ambiguity to a story as broad as Mildred Pierce.

Additional Projects

Aside from features and short films that Haynes has directed in his career. He’s also been involved as a producer as he’s helped fund projects for the films of Kelly Reichardt while serving as an executive producer for the 2005 Sundance-award winning film Quinceanera. Still, the projects Haynes has directed outside of film work has been diverse. Among them is a video for the song Disappearer for the legendary alternative rock band Sonic Youth in 1990. The video features images of people peeling off hair from their faces along with members of the band driving around with clips of them performing. The video would mark a relationship with Haynes and the band as they would contribute music for Haynes’ films like Velvet Goldmine and I’m Not There where they did a cover of the latter.

While commercials might not seem like a cool idea for anyone that’s an auteur. Yet, it helps pay the bills as Haynes directed a commercial for Heineken beer with its Share the Good campaign. The ad has people pass the beer along to other individuals as an act of love. With people of various different cultures and ideals going from one place to another to share in the joy of Heineken is not only filled with different sets and places. It also has a catchy song by Chris Knox as it’s one of the most entertaining beer commercials ever presented.

While Todd Haynes has no upcoming projects in the works at the moment, he’s already created a library of films that has made one of American cinema’s revered auteurs. Whether it’s taking on a period piece in the 1930s or 1950s, exploring the music world of glam rock, 70s pop, or folk music. He’s always doing something very different while giving voice to people who don’t fit in to a certain part of society or just rebel what is happening. Whatever project Todd Haynes will do next will surely anticipated as the projects he’s made as he is currently one of the best living film directors working today.

© thevoid99 2011