Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Small Time Crooks is the story about a criminal who wants to rob a bank with some friends only to learn that his wife’s cookie-selling venture has gone well as they deal with their newfound wealth. The film is a return of sorts to Allen’s more comedic films of the early 1970s as well as exploring the world of crime and the downsides of being wealthy. Also starring Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, Elaine May, Michael Rapaport, Elaine Stritch, Jon Lovitz, and Larry Pine. Small Time Crooks is a very funny film from Woody Allen.
The film revolves around a former criminal eager to rob a bank with some friends by buying an old pizza place as a cookie shop as a front while they try to rob the bank. Instead, the cookie shop becomes a success forcing the man to give up a life of crime yet he has a hard time dealing with being wealthy while his wife befriends an art dealer who teaches her the etiquette of being rich. It’s a film about the simple things in life but also the drawbacks of being rich where there’s an expectation to conform to the world of the rich. For this man’s wife whose gift in making cookies has made them rich, it gives her the chance to feel like she belongs to something unaware that the rich is also filled with people who are as shady as the poor.
Woody Allen’s screenplay is filled with a lot of humor as the character that he plays in Ray is someone who has had a past as a criminal but couldn’t deal with just being a dishwasher who is making scraps. With this new scheme he wants to do with some friends of his, he decides to find a way to steal some money for himself and his friends where he and his wife Frenchy (Tracey Ullman) can retire to Florida. With Frenchy’s talents in making cookies as a front for the real scheme, things go wrong except for Frenchy’s cookies that makes Ray and his friends rich as it becomes a major business. That’s what happens in the first act as the second act is about Ray’s difficulty with being rich while Frenchy conforms to that world leading to a third act that plays into revelations about the world of the rich and why wealth can be so fleeting. Though it’s a predictable scenario, Allen does infuse a lot of humor and charm into the story.
Allen’s direction is quite straightforward in terms of compositions as he doesn’t really do anything new but still add a sense of liveliness to the comedy. Notably the scene where Ray and his friends try to create a tunnel to dig into the bank where everything goes wrong. There’s a lot of craziness that Allen puts in for many scenes in the film including a dinner party where Ray is talking to people about things with Tequila being played in the background while Frenchy is having dinner with a couple of men with classical music playing in the background. With many of the scenes in the film set in New York City including a very funny sequence about Ray and Frenchy’s rise to success, it plays to how dim some of these characters are about handling a rising corporate business but it’s done in a pretty funny way. Overall, Allen creates a very delightful comedy about crime and the drawbacks of being rich.
Cinematographer Zhao Fei does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the look of the New York City exteriors in day and night to some of the lighting schemes for some of the film’s interiors. Editor Alisa Lepselter does nice work with the editing from the presentation of the TV interview Ray and Frenchy have to a montage of the diverging lives between Ray and French. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Jessica Lanier and art director Tom Warren, does fantastic work with some of the set pieces including the posh penthouse apartment that Ray and Frenchy live in that plays to some of the cheesy taste that Frenchy has.
Costume designer Suzanne McCabe does terrific work with the costumes from the colorful clothes that Frenchy wear to the more simple clothing of Ray and his friends. Sound editor Robert Hein does superb work with the sound from the mixing in the way the robbery plans try to go out while Frenchy is selling cookies. The film’s wonderful soundtrack includes an array of jazz and classical pieces from artists like Johann Strauss, Hal Kemp, Benny Goodman, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Champs.
The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Juliet Taylor is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Larry Pine and Kristine Nielsen as a rich couple Frenchy invites to her dinner party, Douglas McGrath as a lawyer Frenchy meets late in the film, Elaine Stritch as a rich socialite Ray tries to steal from late in the film, and as Ray’s friends who help him with the botched heist, there’s Michael Rapaport, Jon Lovitz, and Tony Darrow as they each bring in some very funny moments to the film. Hugh Grant is excellent as the very cultured arts dealer David who woos Frenchy with his knowledge on the arts and such.
Elaine May is amazing as Frenchy’s dim-witted cousin May as she says some very funny things while putting herself in situations that just ups the humor. Tracey Ullman is wonderful as Frenchy as a woman who has a hard time dealing with Ray’s schemes until she becomes a rich woman eager to be part of the rich world. Woody Allen is superb as the bumbling Ray where Allen brings in a lot of wit and humor to a role as a man trying to deal with wealth while wanting the more simple pleasures of life.
Small Time Crooks is a terrific film from Woody Allen that features wonderful performances from Allen, Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, and Elaine May. While it might be a minor comedy from Allen, it’s still a very funny film that is full of lively moments that keeps the audience entertained. In the end, Small Time Crooks is a fantastic film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet and Lowdown - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Woody Allen, Sweet and Lowdown is the story about a 1930s jazz guitarist who prides himself in being the second-best guitarist in the world as he falls for a mute woman as he hopes to rise to the top. While it’s a largely fictional film, the film moves back-and-forth from a dramatic narrative to a documentary where Allen and many jazz experts talk about this man. Starring Sean Penn, Samantha Morton, Uma Thurman, Anthony LaPaglia, Gretchen Mol, Brad Garrett, and John Waters. Sweet and Lowdown is a remarkable film from Woody Allen.
The film explores the life of a musician named Emmet Ray (Sean Penn) who was considered the greatest jazz guitarist in the early 20th Century, aside from Django Reinhardt whom Ray idolizes. Told by Woody Allen, filmmaker Douglas McGrath, and other experts in the world of jazz in a documentary format of sorts, they all talk about the legend of Ray and his exploits where he falls for a mute woman named Hattie (Samantha Morton) and deals with his role as an artist. For all of his gifts as a guitarist, he’s also very selfish as he gambles his money, cheats on women, and do all sorts of things. Throughout the entirety of the film, Allen and others talk about Ray’s story as it is told in a dramatic format where the character ventures into many moments in his life including a failed marriage and a relationship with this mute woman who loves him but he claims that he can’t fall in love with her because he’s an artist.
While Allen’s screenplay helps structure the story from documentary form to dramatic, it’s his direction that gives the film a sense of style in the way the story is told. Many of the interviews with Allen and the others are shot in a very straight, slight close-up while the rest of the film in the dramatic re-telling of Ray’s story is given a lot of style. Notably as Allen uses a lot of close-ups, wide shots, and some gorgeous compositions to play up that world of the 1930s including scenes set in New York and New Jersey. Even as Allen creates one notable sequences about a moment where Ray tries to confront his cheating wife Blanche (Uma Thurman) as it’s told in multiple versions depending on how real it might be. It would all play to some of the humor and drama that Allen wanted to create as the overall result is a truly enchanting and witty film about a great jazz guitarist and the selfishness that would play into his faults.
Cinematographer Zhao Fei does exquisite with the film‘s very colorful and vibrant cinematography from the look of the daytime exterior locations to the use of lights for some of the film‘s interiors in day and night. Editor Alisa Lepselter does nice work with the editing from the use of a few montages to some stylish dissolves to help play into some of the film‘s emotions. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Jessica Lanier and art director Tom Warren, does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the clubs and places Ray and the other characters go to as well as the crescent moon chair that Ray tried to arrive in for one disastrous show.
Costume designer Laura Bauer does brilliant work with the costumes from the suits that Ray wears to the different array of clothes that Hattie wears. Sound editor Robert Hein does terrific work with the sound from the atmosphere of the shows to the crazier moments in some of Ray‘s antics. Music arranger Dick Hyman creates an amazing soundtrack filled with many jazz pieces to play up the feel of the time while many of the guitar work is performed by Howard Alden.
The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Juliet Taylor is superb for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable appearances from filmmaker Douglas McGrath and jazz experts Ben Duncan and Nate Hentoff talking about the legend of Emmet Ray. Other noteworthy small performances include John Waters as a hotel owner, Brad Garrett as a mob leader, Gretchen Mol as a date of Ray late in the film, and Brian Markainson as Ray’s drummer Bill Shields. Anthony LaPaglia is excellent as mobster whom Blanche falls for and cheats on Ray while Uma Thurman is wonderful as Ray’s wife Blanche who is intrigued by his gift as she marries him while coming up with ideas for a novel.
Samantha Morton is phenomenal as Hattie where Morton doesn’t say a word throughout the film yet lets her facial expressions and body language do the acting as she brings a nice innocence to her character as well as how much she really means to Ray despite his selfishness. Finally, there’s Sean Penn in a magnificent performance as Emmet Ray as Penn brings a nice sense of wit and charm to his role as someone who proclaims himself to be an artist. Penn’s approach to comedy as well as drama allows Ray to be a very complex individual no matter how despicable he can be at times while Penn also shows he can mimic playing guitar very well in what is certainly is one of his great performances.
Sweet and Lowdown is an outstanding film from Woody Allen that features incredible performances from Sean Penn and Samantha Morton. The film is definitely one of Allen’s most touching and entertaining films as well as a unique piece into the world of jazz. It’s also a film that plays into the world of the artist and how they can fall into their own egos and let the good things in life pass them by. In the end, Sweet and Lowdown is a sensational film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1
- Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Woody Allen, Celebrity is the story about a divorcing couple that both take on two different paths of their lives where both find themselves immersing into the world of celebrity culture. The film is an exploration into that world where two people go into different paths to see what will happen after this encounter with this world. Starring Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Leonardo diCaprio, Charlize Theron, Hank Azaria, Winona Ryder, Joe Mantegna, Melanie Griffith, Bebe Neuwirth, and Michael Lerner. Celebrity is a stylish though very messy film from Woody Allen.
The film explores the world of a divorced couple who both go into very different paths outside of their marriage. Lee Simon (Kenneth Branagh) was a travel writer who turns into a celebrity journalist as he ventures into the world celebrity culture while trying to work on a novel in the hopes to gain a career as a writer. For his insecure ex-wife Robin (Judy Davis), she quits being a schoolteacher as she tries to find a new place in life where she eventually works for a TV producer named Tony Gardella (Joe Mantegna) as she falls for him. The paths these two would take would have not just some major impact in their personal lives but also the path they would both take in this messy world of film premieres, parties, theaters, gatherings, and all sorts of thing in that world that is celebrity culture.
While it’s an interesting concept, Woody Allen’s screenplay unfortunately loses some of its luster in the second act where not only does the journeys of Lee and Robin become repetitive but their neuroses would also play into their troubles as that would become grating to watch. The script’s narrative does move back-and-forth into the different storylines of Lee and Robin in the paths they take though their storylines would coincide in brief moments. Most of it would play into their dramatic development over their split as those moments are told in flashbacks such as Lee’s decision to end the marriage and why did he did he decide to pursue a career in writing in his 40s after attending his high school reunion. A lot of the first act is interesting but it loses some steam in the second while it does have an interesting third act to see the outcome of the paths they took.
Allen’s direction is quite stylish as he aims for something that is timeless in its black-and-white photography as it would recalls some of his early films from the 1980s. Notably in the compositions and camera movements that he creates as it has this amazing opening of a plane writing the word “help” in the sky for a film. While many of Allen’s compositions are gorgeous, some of the humor doesn’t seem to work as it relies too much on characters acting awkward to their situations where the comedy feels a bit forced instead of natural. At the same time, the situations that occur starts to wear thin to the point that the outcome is sort of predictable. Overall, Allen creates a film that has an interesting concept but loses steam due to its predictability and over-emphasis on neurotic characters in a culture they know little about.
Cinematographer Sven Nykvist does amazing work with the film‘s gorgeous black-and-white photography that has this air of style in its look that is timeless as well as playing to some of air of pretentiousness that is common with art films. Editor Susan E. Morse does nice work with the editing in the way the story is structured as well as a few moments in the film‘s drama. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Susan Kaufman and art director Tom Warren, do terrific work with the set pieces from the look of the runways and parties to the home of Lee.
Costume designer Suzy Benzinger does wonderful work with the costumes from the many stylish clothes of the models and the young people that Lee hangs around with to the more loose clothing of Robin early in the film. Sound editor Robert Hein does excellent work with the sound from the atmosphere of the party scenes to the intimate moments in the apartment and such. The film’s soundtrack consists of classical and jazz music from the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Billie Holliday, Stan Getz, the Gershwin Brothers, and Richard Wagner to play up the world of that culture to give the film a romantic feel.
The casting by Laura Rosenthal and Juliet Taylor is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as well as the cameos that are made as it includes appearances from Donald Trump, supermodels Frederique and Roshumba, filmmaker Greg Mottola as a director in the film’s opening sequence, Andre Gregory as an art house filmmaker, Karen Duffy and Debra Messing as TV reporters, J.K. Simmons as a souvenir salesman, Alison Janney and Celia Weston as socialites, Tony Sirico as a mob guy who is supposed to appear on a TV show, Isaac Mizrahi as an artist, Jeffrey Wright as an off-Broadway theater director, Sam Rockwell and Adrian Grenier as entourage guys for actor Brandon Darrow, Gretchen Mol as Darrow’s girlfriend, David Marguiles as an alderman, Kate Burton as Robin’s friend Cheryl, Dylan Baker as a Catholic retreat priest, Douglas McGrath as a novelist, Larry Pine as a publisher, Aida Turturro as a fortune teller, and Hank Azaria as a date of an aspiring actress named Nola.
Bebe Neuwirth is excellent as a famed prostitute named Nina who teaches Robin how to pleasure someone sexually while Michael Lerner is funny as a famed plastic surgeon named Dr. Lupus. Famke Janssen is terrific as the publisher Bonnie whom Lee dates while Melanie Griffith is very good as the actress Nicole Oliver whom Lee hangs out with early in the film. Winona Ryder is superb as the aspiring actress Nola whom Lee falls for while Charlize Theron is amazing as a supermodel Lee hangs out with as they get into some trouble. Leonardo DiCaprio is great as the young actor Brandon Darrow as he displays all of the traits of a bad boy actor. Joe Mantegna is wonderful as TV producer Tony Gardella whom Robin falls for as he becomes the guy that can help her.
Judy Davis is fantastic as Robin as a former English schoolteacher whose life worsens following her divorce with Lee as she becomes more insecure and neurotic as she tries to figure out what to do with her life while meeting Tony as Davis brings some humor and dramatic weight despite some of the repetitiveness of her character. Finally, there’s Kenneth Branagh in an absolutely horrible performance as Lee. Branagh can do comedy but in trying to impersonate the personas that Woody Allen has played in his many films just doesn’t work. It comes off as a very bad impression of Allen where the awkwardness feels forced while Branagh doesn’t do enough to make his character sympathetic as he ends up being a real scumbag.
Celebrity is a really terrible film from Woody Allen. Despite a remarkable performance from Judy Davis as well as wonderful ensemble, the film is hampered by its messy storyline as well as Kenneth Branagh’s poor leading performance. While there’s moments in the film that are very engaging that includes Sven Nykvist’s cinematography, the overall results are just very disappointing. In the end, Celebrity is just a dreadful film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Sweet and Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Everyone Says I Love You is a musical about the life of an upper-class family that involves many things including an ex-husband trying to find love in Venice. The film explores many ideas involving love including an engaged couple, a man trying to find new love, and children trying to find love as it features an ensemble cast where most of them sing. Also starring Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, Julia Roberts, Edward Norton, Drew Barrymore, Tim Roth, Natalie Portman, Gaby Hoffmann, Natasha Lyonne, Lukas Haas, and David Odgen Stiers. Everyone Says I Love You is a delightful musical-comedy from Woody Allen.
The film is a multi-narrative story about the year in the life of a family as they experience many things in the course of the film including an engagement, a young man’s interest in conservatism, young girls trying to find love, and a woman’s ex-husband tries to find love in Venice. While it’s a premise that is simple with a simple theme, it’s told in a very unique fashion that includes many musical numbers as well as it’s told from a young woman who sees her father trying to find love while being in a loving though eccentric family in upstate New York City. Woody Allen’s screenplay is quite unique as he creates a story all told in the span of the year where there’s a lot that is going on where he brings a lot of humor and some drama into the story. Even as he plays into the many storylines involving some of the characters and their experiences with love in all of its complexities.
Allen’s direction is quite lively as he aimed for something that is a bit more natural as many of his actors aren’t adept to the musicals. There, some of the dancing and singing feels more engaging and realistic while there’s moments where it is choreographed to play up a world that is more of a fantasy as it plays to that theme of love. Allen uses a lot of wide and medium shots for the musical numbers to capture the broadness of the dancing and singing while maintaining an element of style to the compositions. Even in the way he makes New York City so lively in its many seasons while shooting some scenes in Paris and Venice. Overall, Allen creates a very entertaining and lively film about love.
Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma does brilliant work with the film‘s lush cinematography from the different looks of New York City as well as the scenes set in Venice. Editor Susan E. Morse does amazing work with the editing from the use of montages to introduce on characters and their situations along with the musical numbers with its lively rhythmic cuts. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Elaine O’Donnell and art director Tom Warren, does superb work with the set pieces from the look of the New York penthouse to some of the look of some of the locations.
Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does wonderful work with the costumes to play up a sense of style for many of the characters including the climatic party at end of the film. Visual effects supervisor Randall Balsmeyer does nice work with the visual effects for a musical sequence involving ghosts. Sound editor Robert Hein does excellent work with the sound to play up the low-key sound of the locations. The film’s soundtrack is fabulous for its use of standards with some additional lyrics and arrangements by Dick Hyman to modernize the songs while having them to help tell the story.
The casting by Juliet Taylor is just incredible for the ensemble that is used for this film as it features appearances from violinist Itzhak Perlman as well as Isiah Whitlock Jr. as a cop, Billy Crudup as a man DJ meets, Trude Klein as the family maid Frieda, David Odgen Stier and Scotty Bloch as Holden’s parents, John Griffin as a young man Lane and Laura fall for, and Patrick Cranshaw as the grandfather of the Dandridge clan. Tim Roth is excellent as a convicted man named Charles Ferry who comes between Holden and Skylar. Natalie Portman and Gaby Hoffmann are wonderful in their respective as the siblings Laura and Lane while Lukas Haas is terrific as their conservative-obsessed older brother Scott. Natasha Lyonne is superb as DJ, the Dandridge clan’s half-sister who helps her father find love.
Edward Norton is amazing as Holden as a young man eager to marry Skylar while Drew Barrymore is a delight as Skylar as a woman who loves Holden as she’s later drawn to Charles. Alan Alda is very funny as Bob Dandridge as a man trying to deal with the chaos of his family including his son. Julia Roberts is fabulous as Von who is a woman looking for love as she meets DJ’s father Joe. Goldie Hawn is brilliant as Joe’s ex-wife Steffi Dandridge who tries to do something with her life while helping Joe out. Finally, there’s Woody Allen in a stellar performance as Joe as a man dealing with heartbreak as he finds a new love in Von while admitting he’s still in love with Steffi.
Everyone Says I Love You is an extraordinary film from Woody Allen. Armed with a great ensemble cast and a lively film soundtrack, the film is definitely one of Allen’s more underrated features as well as one of his most entertaining. Notably as it plays to the world of love in all of its ups and downs. In the end, Everyone Says I Love You is a marvelous film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Mighty Aphrodite - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1
- Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, Los amantes pasajeros (I’m So Excited!) is about a group of passengers boarding a flight to Mexico where lots of mayhem ensues during the course of the flight. The film marks a return of sorts to the earlier comedies that Almodovar did in the early 80s after a near-long decade focusing on dramas and suspense films. Starring Javier Camara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Duenos, Raul Arevalo, Blanca Suarez, and special appearances from Almodovar regulars Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. Los amantes pasajeros is a witty yet wild comedy from Pedro Almodovar.
The film revolves around a flight from Madrid to Mexico where something has gone wrong with the landing gear as the plane is looking for a place to land. With the economy class passengers all asleep due to the sedatives that are given, only the pilots, the first-class stewards, and a small number of first-class passengers are aware of the situation as they drink Valencia cocktails with mescaline, endure all sorts of craziness, and tell their own stories while being entertained by the stewards. It’s a film that plays into a world in which stewards, passengers, and pilots deal with themselves as they’re not sure if they will survive.
Pedro Almodovar’s screenplay explores the dynamics of these characters as it includes a bisexual pilot, his sexually-confused co-pilot, three gay stewards, an engaged couple, a TV actor, a famed erotic actress, a securities officer, a virginal psychic, and a bank manager dealing with the financial collapse of his own bank and an airport. All of them are all dealing with issues of their own as the story has a structure that plays into a span of few hours where the characters are dealing with situation about the plane. Some have to use the public phone to call loved ones while others finally face the truths of their own situations and why they’re fleeing to Mexico. It all plays to Almodovar’s approach to humor where these characters all try to handle the situation as everyone starts to loosen up and such while waiting to see where to land.
Almodovar’s direction is very stylized but also intimate as the film is mostly set in an airplane that includes a hilarious dance sequence to the title song by the Pointer Sisters. With some stylish compositions and the use of the widescreen, Almodovar gets the chance to create an intimacy while having the frame fill out inside the plane. Even as he incorporates many silly situations and dialogue about sex and such in the course of the film. While there’s some scenes outside of the plane that involves some minor characters related to the main characters, it would play to some of the drama as well as the humor. While the humor is subtle and the drama low-key, Almodovar still crafts a very entertaining comedy about life in an airplane.
Cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine does fantastic work with the cinematography from the exteriors set in some of the locations to the more low-key yet colorful scenes inside the plane. Editor Jose Salcedo does excellent work with the editing to play up some of its humor as well as a few stylish jump-cuts for a sequence involving the Valencia cocktail. Production designer Antxon Gomez, with set decorator Maria Clara Notari and art director Federico Garcia Cambero, does amazing work with the look of the airplane from the look of the economy class to the more spacious look of the first class section.
Costume designers David Deflin and Tatiana Hernandez do fabulous work with the costumes from the colorful dresses the women wear to the steward uniforms. Visual effects supervisor Eduardo Diaz does nice work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects that involve a few scenes shot outside of the airplane. Sound editor Pelayo Gutierrez does terrific work with the sound to play up the atmosphere of the plane including some of the sounds that occur inside. The film’s music by Alberto Iglesias is brilliant as it mostly an orchestral score that is playful at times but also quite somber while its soundtrack includes a rhythmic take on Fur Elise as well as a few pop tunes including the title song by Pointer Sisters.
The casting by Luis San Narciso is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Almodovar regulars Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz as two airport employees in the beginning of the film as well as Paz Vega as a mentally-ill lover of the TV actor, Blanca Suarez as a former flame of that actor, Miguel Angel Silvestre and Laya Marti as a newlywed couple, and Agustin Almodovar as an air traffic controller. Guillermo Toledo is excellent as the TV actor Ricardo Galan who is dealing with his own issues with a troubled girlfriend while Jose Maria Yazpik is superb as the security officer Infante who has a crush on the aging actress Norma Boss. Jose Luis Torrijo is terrific as the troubled Sr. Mas as a man trying to run from the law while admitting to his own personal issues.
Raul Alveros and Carlos Areces are hilarious in their respective roles as the gay stewards Ulloa and Fajardo as they bring a lot of camp to the film. Javier Camara is amazing as the lead steward Joserra as a man dealing with relationship issues with one of the co-pilots while trying to get everything under control. Antonio de la Torre and Hugo Silva are brilliant in their respective roles as the bisexual pilot Alex Acero and the sexually-confused co-pilot Benito. Lola Duenos is wonderful as the virginal psychic Bruna who says strange things and is eager to lose her virginity while Cecilia Roth is fabulous as Norma Boss as a former erotic film actress who has a hard time dealing with the chaos of the plane while revealing about her own secrets of her life.
Los amantes pasajeros is a very delightful film from Pedro Almodovar. While it’s a pretty light-hearted film that might be considered a minor film from the famed filmmaker. It’s still one that is full of joy and laughs while just playing around a bit without taking things to seriously with some help from his cast and crew. In the end, Los amantes pasajeros is a stellar yet exciting film from Pedro Almodovar.
Pedro Almodovar Films: Pepi, Luci, Bom - Labyrinth of Passion - Dark Habits - What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Matador - Law of Desire - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! - High Heels - Kika - The Flower of My Secret - Live Flesh - All About My Mother - Talk to Her - Bad Education - Volver - Broken Embraces - The Skin I Live In - Julieta - Pain & Glory - (The Human Voice (2020 short film)) - (Parallel Mothers)
The Auteurs #37: Pedro Almodovar Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station is the true story about the last day of a young man’s life. The film is based on a real-life incident in which this young man is killed by police officers in a transit station in Oakland as it was seen by many. Starring Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Ahna O’Reilly, and Octavia Spencer. Fruitvale Station is a mesmerizing yet chilling film from Ryan Coogler.
At 2:15 AM on New Year’s Day 2009 at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland, California, a 22-year old man named Oscar Grant III was shot by a BART police officer while resisting arrest over a scuffle in the train. The incident was captured by video cameras and cell phones that night as Grant would later die from his wounds hours later. The film explores the final day of Grant’s life as it plays into this young man’s life as he’s a father to a little girl as he is hoping to start new in the New Year with his girlfriend as he gives up dealing marijuana. While Grant is also a flawed man who also served some time in prison, he is someone who wants to do right for his girlfriend, his daughter, and his mother as he got food and stuff for his mother’s birthday while partying with friends to celebrate the New Year until it all went tragically wrong.
Ryan Coogler’s screenplay is quite straightforward in terms of its approach to storytelling though the story does allow one flashback scene in which Oscar (Michael B. Jordan) reflects on his previous jail time as he meets his mother (Octavia Spencer) which plays to Oscar’s resolve to give up drug dealing despite the troubled situation he’s in as he lost his job and owes rent money. Still, Oscar is dedicated to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz) and their daughter Tatiana (Ariana Neal) as he is willing to do right despite the fact that he’s sort of a screw-up. Still, Oscar is a guy who is very kind and generous while there’s a brief moment where he meets a man who went through similar struggles that Oscar is going through yet gives him advice as well as an opportunity to help Oscar. These little moments would showcase the kind of man Oscar is and why his death is so tragic.
Coogler’s direction is very engaging for the way he explores the last day of Grant’s life as he goes for something that is straightforward but also be very direct into the events that was happening in Grant’s final day. A lot of the direction is very intimate but also broad as Coogler goes for a lot of hand-held cameras without being very shaky while creating some dazzling compositions to play up the sense of beauty in Grant’s world. The scene of Grant’s shooting is really one of the most intense moments of the film that showcases what probably happened before the police came in which leads to a very intense moment where Grant and his friends are confronted by the police and the incident that would change everything. The film opens with the actual footage of what happened to Grant while there are some very haunting moments that is told with great simplicity in the aftermath of the shooting. Overall, Coogler creates a very stark but powerful film about a man’s life being taken away by injustice.
Cinematographer Rachel Morrison does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the straightforward look of the daytime scenes to the more low-key look for some of the exterior scenes at night with the exception of the scene at the train station. Editors Claudia Castello and Michael P. Shawver do amazing work with the editing in creating a few jump-cuts for some scenes as well as some methodical cutting to play up the suspense in relation to the shooting. Production designer Hannah Beachler and set decorator Kris Boxell do nice work with some of the set pieces such as the homes the characters live in as well as a few of the places the characters go to.
Costume designer Aggie Guerard Rodgers does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual for many of the characters. Visual effects supervisor Catherine Tate does superb work with the film‘s minimal effects that involve the popping up of cell phone screens to showcase certain messages and such that would play a key part in the story. Sound designer Bob Edwards does fantastic work with the sound to convey the atmosphere of some of the intimate moments as well as the scenes in the train and the train station. The film’s music by Ludwig Goransson is incredible for its haunting yet evocative score filled with low-key ambient pieces with its keyboards and guitars to convey the drama while music supervisors Jonathan Leahy, Manish Raval, and Tom Wolfe create a soundtrack that is mostly filled with hip-hop to play into the world that Grant and his friends live in.
The casting by Nina Henninger is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Chad Michael Murray and Kevin Durand as the two BRAT officers who arrest Grant on that horrible night along with Ahna O’Reilly as young woman Oscar meets at the supermarket as she later sees him at the train on that horrible night. Other notable small roles include Marjorie Shears as Oscar’s grandmother and Ariana Neal as Oscar and Sophina’s daughter Tatiana. Melonie Diaz is wonderful as Oscar’s girlfriend Sophina as a woman dealing with his flaws as she is also aware that he is trying to do right as she brings a very chilling restraint late in the film that includes the film’s ending.
Octavia Spencer is amazing as Oscar’s mother Wanda who is a kind soul but also very stern at times while Spencer would convey something very powerful very late in the film that plays to the tragedy. Finally, there’s Michael B. Jordan in a remarkable performance as Oscar Grant III as Jordan brings an intensity into his performance as a young man trying to start anew while adding a sensitivity to his role as someone who is kind and generous while being a good father to his daughter as it’s a real breakthrough for the young actor.
Fruitvale Station is a brooding yet outstanding film from Ryan Coogler that features great performances from Michael B. Jordon, Melonie Diaz, and Octavia Spencer. It’s a film that explores a day in the life of a young man before his tragic death and the injustice it would carry without over-dramatizing the true story nor under-playing it. It’s also a film that showcases a world where things don’t go the way it seems in terms of what happened as well as its troubling aftermath that showcases an injustice over what happened. In the end, Fruitvale Station is a magnificent film from Ryan Coogler.
Ryan Coogler Films: Creed (2015 film) - Black Panther (2018 film) - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Sinners (2025 film) - The Auteurs #74: Ryan Coogler
© thevoid99 2013
Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen, Mighty Aphrodite is the story about a man who wants to know who is the real mother of his adopted son as he learns that she’s a prostitute where he decides to give her a better life. Inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, the film explores a man’s desire to improve a young woman’s life as it is told by a Greek chorus. Also starring Helena Bohnam Carter, Mira Sorvino, Michael Rapaport, Peter Weller, and F. Murray Abraham. Mighty Aphrodite is a charming yet exhilarating film from Woody Allen.
The film revolves around a sports writer who is amazed by his adopted son’s intelligence as he wants to know who is his real mother. Upon learning that she’s a prostitute, he decides to help giving her a better life in the hopes that his adopted son would be proud of her if ever meets her. It’s a film where a man is eager to help this ditzy but kind-hearted prostitute/porn actress get the chance for a better life. Even as he’s dealing with a marriage that is losing its passion as his wife is being drawn to an art dealer. All of it is told by a Greek chorus who pops into the story every once in a while to help this man do something or to warn him of the consequence he might bring.
Woody Allen’s script is filled with some humor and drama as it is largely driven by its protagonist Lenny Weinrib (Woody Allen) as he was someone who was hesitant about having a child until Max (Jimmy McQuaid) comes into his world as he enjoys fatherhood. With his marriage to Amanda (Helena Bohnam Carter) kind of losing its luster, Lenny goes on the journey to find out who is Max’s mother as it is revealed in the form of this prostitute named Linda Ash (Mira Sorvino). Linda is a very interesting character as she is someone who isn’t very bright as she comes from a very dysfunctional family but has aspirations to go to Broadway but still does trick and a porn gig every once in a while. It prompts Lenny to do something to help this young woman to have a good life where he would try to set her up with a boxer named Kevin (Michael Rapaport) where Lenny’s own life would have some revelations of its own.
Allen’s direction is quite straightforward though there’s elements of styles in some of the long shots he creates as well as the scenes of the Greek chorus as it’s shot in Sicily. The Greek chorus scenes are filled with some dance numbers choreographed by Graciela Daniele as it’s often lively but also help to tell the story. Even as the Greek chorus leader (F. Murray Abraham) would pop in the story to give Lenny some advice. It adds the sense of a man wanting to do something for this young woman who seems to go nowhere while not telling her that he’s the adopted father of her son. Though it’s a film that doesn’t play with traditional structure in order to play with the idea of reality and fiction. It does manage to find a balance in the story that it wants to tell as the overall result is a very fascinating yet heartfelt film from Woody Allen.
Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the low-key yet colorful look of some of the film‘s interiors to the more straightforward exterior scenes in the film. Editor Susan E. Morse does nice work with the editing from the transitions to go from the main story to the Greek chorus to a few montages to play up Linda‘s evolution. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorator Susan Bode and art director Tom Warren, does amazing work with the set pieces from Linda‘s apartment to the place where the Greek chorus tell their story.
Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does brilliant work with the costumes from the clothes that Linda wears to the robes the Greek chorus wears. Sound editor Robert Hein does terrific work with the sound to create an atmosphere in the locations as well as the scenes involving the Greek chorus. The film’s soundtrack consists of traditional Greek music mixed in with jazz and classical music to play up some of its humor and drama.
The casting by Juliet Taylor is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Paul Giamatti as an adoption agent, Tony Sirico as a boxing trainer, Jimmy McQuaid as Lenny and Amanda’s adopted son Max, and Claire Bloom as Amanda’s mother. F. Murray Abraham is excellent as the Greek chorus leader while Olympia Dukakis, Jack Warden, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, Danielle Ferland, and David Odgen Stiers make wonderful appearances as famous Greek gods commenting on the story or revealing some news that would impact the story. Peter Weller is terrific as an art dealer who tries to woo Amanda while Michael Rapaport is superb as a boxer who is set up to meet Linda.
Mira Sorvino is brilliant as Linda Ash as this very ditzy but well-meaning young woman who is very uncertain about her life until she meets Lenny where she becomes a proper lady as it’s really a majestic breakthrough for Sorvino. Helena Bohnam Carter is amazing as Amanda as a woman dealing with the changes in her marriage to Lenny while being wooed by this art dealer as she’s unsure if she’s in love with Lenny or the art dealer. Woody Allen is great as Lenny Weinrib as a man whose concern for his son’s future has him going into a journey where Allen brings a sense of wit and warmth to his role as it’s one of his finest performances.
Mighty Aphrodite is a remarkable film from Woody Allen that features a radiant Mira Sorvino in her breakthrough performance as well as an incredible cast that includes Helena Bohnam Carter, Michael Rapaport, and F. Murray Abraham. The film is a nice mix of humor and drama where it has a bit of non-conventional storytelling but also a sweetness that is endearing to watch. In the end, Mighty Aphrodite is a fabulous film from Woody Allen.
Woody Allen Films: What's Up Tiger Lily? - Take the Money and Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love and Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows and Fog - Husbands and Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Bullets Over Broadway - Don't Drink the Water - Everyone Says I Love You - Deconstructing Harry - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)
The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4
© thevoid99 2013
Written, directed, and narrated by Werner Herzog, Cave of Forgotten Dreams is a documentary about Herzog’s explorations into the Chauvet Caves in France that features some of the earlier artwork known to mankind. The film explores into the early world of civilization to trace back into the early years of man. The result is a fascinating yet extraordinary film from Werner Herzog.
In 1994, a man named Jean-Marie Chauvet along with two other people found a cave in the south of France near the Vallon-Pont-d’Arc that features some of the earliest artwork of mankind. Years later, Werner Herzog with a small film crew and a group consisting of archeologists, art historians, scientists, and geologists take a journey into the cave in late spring of 2010 under the permission of the French Minister of Culture. There, Herzog and this group explore the cave with its many drawings and features including animal tracks on its fragile grounds and other places but they couldn’t touch any of the features as they’re walking on very narrow, metallic platforms.
The film has Herzog interviewing many scientists, archeologists, artists, and such as they give their own theories about the cave and the paintings that is featured while Herzog through his own narration gives his own thoughts to the surroundings. With his cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger, sound recorder Eric Spritzer-Marlyn, and a production assistant, Herzog and his crew trek through the caves to see this artwork where they shoot in the cave for four hours in six days as the cave also include carbon dioxide and radon inside that is in near-toxic levels. Half of the film is set outside of the caves where some artifacts are revealed about the earliest findings in human history as well as an idea of how they lived.
Through the use of small digital cameras, Herzog, Zeitlinger, and the rest of the crew are able to get a nice look of the caves while using sticks to carry the camera to capture a few things that were unreachable. With the editing of Joe Bini and Maya Hawke, Herzog is able to create montages to showcase the numerous kinds of art work that is present as well as the atmosphere of the caves when it is presented with just silence. With the music of Ernst Reijseger that is filled with somber string arrangements and some choral music, it plays to that sense of mysticism inside the caves.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams is a phenomenal documentary by Werner Herzog. The film is definitely one of the most intriguing portraits about a part of the world that showcases many of the wonders of the world as well as some of the earliest images of art made by humanity. In the end, Cave of Forgotten Dreams is a remarkable film from Werner Herzog.
Werner Herzog Films: Feature Films: (Signs of Life) - (Even the Dwarfs Started Small) - (Fatana Morgana) - Aguirre, the Wrath of God - (The Enigma of Kasper Hauer) - (Heart of Glass) - Stroszek - Nosferatu the Vampire - Woyzeck - Fitzcarraldo - (Where the Green Ants Dream) - Cobra Verde - (Scream of Stone) - (Lessons of Darkness) - (Invincible (2001 film)) - (The Wild Blue Yonder) - Rescue Dawn - (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) - (My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?) - Queen of the Desert
Documentaries: (The Flying Doctors of East Africa) - (Handicapped Future) - (Land of Silence and Darkness) - (The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner) - (How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck) - (La Soufrière) - (Huie's Sermon) - (God's Angry Man) - (Ballad of the Little Soldier) - (The Dark Glow of the Mountains) - (Wodaabe – Herdsmen of the Sun) - (Echoes from a Somber Empire) - (Jag Mandir) - (Bells from the Deep) - (The Transformation of the World into Music) - (Death for Five Voices) - (Little Dieter Needs to Fly) - My Best Fiend - (Wings of Hope) - (Pilgrimage) - (Ten Thousand Years Older) - (Wheel of Time) - (The White Diamond) - Grizzly Man - Encounters at the End of the World - (Into the Abyss) - (On Death Row) - From One Second to the Next
© thevoid99 2013
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/27/ 09 w/ Additional Edits.
Julien Donkey-Boy/Dogme #6 tells the story of a young man who wanders around New York City while dealing with his schizophrenia. He also encounters his own dysfunctional family that included his gasmask-wearing, abusive father, his pregnant sister carrying his child, and a blind figure skater. Written by Harmony Korine and shot on digital video that was transferred to 16mm and later blown-up into 35mm film by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, the film shows Korine's unique approach to the Dogme rules. Starring Ewan Bremner, Chloe Sevigny, Evan Neumann, Joyce Korine, and legendary German director Werner Herzog.
A young schizophrenic man named Julien (Ewam Bremner) is wandering around his New York City suburbs rambling incoherently and such. Living with a family that included his grandmother (Joyce Korine), his aspiring-wrestler brother Chris (Evan Neumann), his pregnant sister Pearl (Chloe Sevigny), and his gasmask-wearing father (Werner Herzog). Julien often spends his time with people with mental disorders and such including a young, blind figure skater named Chrissy (Chrissy Kobylak) as Julien often rambles on through his schizophrenic state of mind. With Pearl trying to find clothes for her newborn child and doing other activities. During a check-up on her child, a doctor asks who her father is but photos revealed that it was her brother Julien whom she has a maternal relationship with.
Julien's father however, is still dealing with the loss of his wife as he listens to blues records, talk with an armless man, and often abuse Chris in order to make him tougher for his wrestling career. The dysfunctional family often has a hard time dealing with day-to-day struggles as Julien would call his sister, who pretends to be their late mother while Julien continues to embark on strange events with his friends including an albino who claims to be a black albino which he raps about. During a wrestling practice for Chris, it doesn't go well when Julien doesn't want to play along. Julien spends more time alone and with Chrissy whom he falls for despite the fact that she's in her adolescents. When his father finally confronts the dysfunctions, things get really bad as Pearl is forced to defend him despite her own abuse from her father. During a day with Pearl and Chrissy, things go fine until something bad happens that leads to tragedy.
Since the film is a Dogme film in the purest sense of form. The director does break some rules in order to make his story more presentable. One rule which is against superficial action including murder has an opening scene involving murder. Another rule broken is the use of music that's not performed live while a rule involving a woman who isn't really pregnant is also broken due to a prop that wasn't found on location. The fourth rule that got broken was due to some of the camera work where at times, it was immovable and was placed in hidden places which broke the rule that all cameras had to be done and held by hand.
Despite the rules broken that was confessed by the director, the film does still manage to be unique due to its use of still shots, edits, and camera-work to convey the schizophrenic mind of its title protagonist. Though the film has an unconventional narrative by screenwriter Harmony Korine. The film plays like a scenic collection of fragmented stories but the main narrative of this dysfunctional family living with a schizophrenic is still there. Plus, the scenes and events in the film do tell a story that relates to the main plot, or lack thereof. The script and direction by the director works with wonderful style. Particularly through the distorted photography of Anthony Dod Mantle whose camera work is described as ugly at times but layered with beauty. Notably a scene in a skating rink that shows through its distorted, grainy photography its beauty through the scenes.
The editing by Valdis Oskarsdottir is unique in conveying the film's schizophrenic tone along with jump cuts and freeze frame to show the film's still shots. Sound recordist Brian Miksis does some amazing work to capture the film's natural sounds, notably the horror in the film's third act. The music used in the film is a mix of blues, hip-hop, and orchestral music from Puccini and Straus to convey the loneliness of Julien's father.
The film's casting is unique with several actors doing amazing performances including a cameo from indie-rocker Will Oldham, Alvin Law as Julien's father armless friend, and Joyce Korine as the grandmother. Chrissy Kobylak is great as a blind skater who seems very wise and is in fact, blind. Evan Neumann is great as an aspiring wrestler dealing with all of his family dysfunctions and such. Chloe Sevigny is brilliant as Pearl, a young woman who is dealing with her pregnancy as loss as she often plays a harp for the song Freres Jacques.
The legendary Werner Herzog gives an amazing, sprawling performances as an abusive, distraught father who wears a gas mask, drinking cough syrup, and doing all these things. One great scene involves Herzog's description of the film Dirty Harry that is imaginatively told. Ewan Bremner is great as the schizophrenic Julien by sporting gold teeth, an American accent to replace his native Scottish, and doing all sorts of things. His performance is a mixture of chaos and sadness as the depth he brings into this troubled character is truly amazing.
Julien-Donkey Boy is an incredible film that features an amazing cast and extraordinary visuals. It is definitely one of the key films of the Dogme 95 movement as well as one of the most fascinating portrayals about family dysfunction and mental illness. In the end, Julien-Donkey Boy is truly a tremendous film from Harmony Korine.
Harmony Korine Films: Gummo - (Mister Lonely) - (Trash Humpers) - Spring Breakers - (The Trap (2016 film)
© thevoid99 2013
