The Girlfriend Experience

Directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, The Girlfriend Experience is about a high-class Manhattan call-girl whose profession is hit with the financial crisis of late 2008 while dealing with her own personal life. An experimental film that is shot with the RedOne digital camera for $1.3 million, it is a film that has Soderbergh taking on the conventions of traditional film narrative. Starring Sasha Grey, Chris Santos, Mark Jacobson, and Glenn Kenny. The Girlfriend Experience is a decent though somewhat pretentious film from Steven Soderbergh.

Christine aka Chelsea (Sasha Grey) is a high-price escort who goes from client to client where she is paid large amounts of money to be a girlfriend for a night and have sex with them. Yet, Chelsea’s lifestyle of expensive clothes and fine taste is being hit by the financial crisis on the eve of the 2008 presidential election where clients are having a hard time paying for her services. Chelsea realizes that her gigs to be an escort is in financial trouble just as her boyfriend Chris (Chris Santos) is trying to reach his goal to be a high-priced personal trainer.

With Chris set to go out to Las Vegas with some friends with business in mind, Chelsea is offered various deals that would help her out. Yet, she is threatened by the presence of a new, younger escort named Tara (Caitlyn Lyon) as she tries to make some moves. Turning to the Erotic Connoisseur (Glenn Kenny) for help, Chelsea finally gets a high-paying gig near upstate New York though Chris doesn’t like the idea as he has issues with her work which he’s been silent about till this moment. Even as Chelsea is talking about her life and work to a journalist (Mark Jacobson).

The film is about a high-class escort whose line of work is being hit by realities that are threatened by a national economic crisis where he clients can’t really use her anymore. In turn, she has to find ways to make money and save so she wouldn’t have to deal what is ahead once the Presidential election is over while maintaining a relationship with her boyfriend whose career is going up. Yet, the film is told through different perspectives as the escort is writing about her clients and what they do as a book of records while talking to a journalist about her work. Meanwhile, it cross-cuts with Chris’ flight to Las Vegas as he’s surrounded by men talking about politics, the economy, and their own love lives.

The script does have some intriguing moments of character study as well as the motivation of its characters. Yet, the subject of the 2008 financial crisis gets a bit overwhelming where it tends to meander the story a bit. At the same time, scenes where the story shifts from Chelsea’s own story to Chris’ own story gets pretty repetitive and meandering during the first act until it starts to pick up the pace during the second act.

Soderbergh’s direction is very engaging from the way he keeps things detached in the things that is happening with the characters to some close-ups as the characters deal with their own situations. There is a stylish approach to what Soderbergh is doing as he also serves as the cinematographer and editor in his respective alias of Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard. The look throughout the film has a very chilling look for a lot of the scenes in New York while the nighttime scenes represent something more exotic as Soderbergh’s editing also has a leisured pace while utilizing jump-cuts to bring a stylistic flair to the film.

While there is a lot of interesting work, Soderbergh does sometimes linger things for too long where the back-and-forth montages of Chelsea and Chris’ respective storylines gets repetitive after the first fifteen minutes. At the same time, Soderbergh’s emphasis on the subject of the financial crisis from other characters become overbearing where the film is supposed to be about this woman dealing with it instead of all of these comments about what is happening. Despite some flaws in the storytelling and Soderbergh’s emphasis to experiment with ideas, he does create a film that is very intriguing about a woman dealing with a bad economy.

Art director Carlos Moore does some excellent work with the look of Chris and Chelsea‘s apartment along with the homes of the clients that Chelsea goes into. Costume designer Christopher Peterson does a great job with the dresses and clothes that Chelsea wears to maintain her high-class escort status. Sound editor Larry Blake does a really good job with the sound work to overlap a lot of the dialogue that happens when Chelsea and Chris talk about their work in other scenes along with the surrounding of New York City. Music composer Ross Godfrey creates a dazzling score filled with dreamy ambient music with some driving rock and a hypnotic drum piece that is played live while the soundtrack consists of street music ranging from folk to percussion-based music.

The casting by Carmen Cuba has some moments as there is some good performances from Phillip Eytan as a client, Caitlin Lyon as a rival escort, Glenn Kenny as the Erotic Connisseur who helps Chelsea with her work, and Mark Jacobson as the journalist interviewing Chelsea. Chris Santos is OK as Chris where he is just low-key throughout the film though the big emotional scenes isn’t very good since it doesn’t feel right and natural. Finally, there’s Sasha Grey in the role of Chelsea where Grey has her moments when she is just talking and be silent in the film. Yet, she isn’t very engaging at times where she just often has this sleepy look throughout the film. It’s a mixed bag where it’s not really bad but it’s not that great either as Sasha Grey kind of pulls off something decent.

The Girlfriend Experience is a pretty good though very arty film from Steven Soderbergh. While it’s one of Soderbergh’s better experimental films, it does have moments where it has a narrative that is a bit conventional though it’s very unconventional. Yet, it’s a film where its focus is on Sasha Grey that doesn’t entirely work despite a few moments. In the end, The Girlfriend Experience is a fine experimental film from Steven Soderbergh.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray’s Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean’s Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean’s Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean’s Thirteen - Che - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2011

Full Frontal

Directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Coleman Hough, Full Frontal is an experimental film set onto an entire day in Hollywood where people gather around for a birthday party. Featuring a film-within-a-film, the project blurs the line between fiction and reality as it allows Soderbergh to experiment with digital filmmaking. Starring Catherine Keener, David Duchovny, Nicky Katt, Mary McCormack, David Hyde Pierce, Blair Underwood, and Julia Roberts. Full Frontal is a strange but often indulgent experimental film from Steven Soderbergh.

A film produced by a man named Gus is currently underway as starring in the film are Calvin (Blair Underwood) and Francesca (Julia Roberts) about an actor and reporter falling in love during a flight from NYC to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Gus’s birthday is coming as a screenwriter named Carl (David Hyde Pierce) and his wife Lee (Catherine Keener) are invited. Yet, Carl and Lee are going through their own marital issues as Carl confides in his worker Lucy (Erika Alexander) about what is happening. Lee meanwhile, deals with people who are fired as she takes some pleasure in humiliating fired employees while finding an inflatable globe in her parking spot.

Lee’s sister Linda (Mary McCormack) has been invited to the party as she tries to find love through Internet while working as a masseuse for a hotel as she later meets Lee for lunch. Carl’s writing partner Arthur (Enrico Colantoni) is trying to get a play going as he has to deal with a passionate yet antagonistic actor (Nicky Katt) who is playing Adolf Hitler. With the day going on as Carl’s life is having trouble and Lee going through her own emotional issues as she is having an affair. Linda meets a man named Phil (David Duchovny) who asks for a massage where things get weird as Linda learns who he really is. At Gus’s party, people attend the party except for Carl and Arthur, the latter was uninvited, as something horrifying happens prompting some people to think about their own issues.

The film is about a day in the life of six people as most of them would get together for a party as they deal with things about them. Then there’s subplot of a film within a film where an actor and a reporter going on a flight together where a love letter is found. Then when that subplot moves back into the main narrative, the actors who play the people in the story are shown for who they are as actors with Calvin being more prominent. The main narrative consists of four people each dealing with their own issues with relationships, loneliness, and sex as two of them would go to this party where things unravel along with a big surprise.

Coleman Hough’s script has some intriguing moments in its study of failing relationships and sexual dynamics but its improvisational tone tends to create a story that often lags for the first half of the film. Things do get better in the second half when things begin to unravel while the ideas of reality and fiction also becomes a bit clearer though it’s all part of an experimental approach to storytelling.

Steven Soderbergh’s direction is presented in a varying degree of styles. For the film-within-a-film story entitled Rendezvous, it is presented as a polished film that has the look and feel of a Hollywood film that includes a snazzy score by Jacques Davidovici. Even as it includes the making of another film that Francesca’s character is watching as the film features an appearance from Brad Pitt. Then there’s the stuff with the main narrative where it’s all shot in grainy, digital-video at a time when digital film wasn’t in its more polished stage. Soderbergh’s approach to the main portion of the film is to present it in a mixture of cinema verite along with the compositions and rhythm of the French New Wave. With Soderbergh serving as the cinematographer, under his Peter Andrews alias, he creates a look that is intriguing but often very indulgent.

Things do move very slow throughout the first half as there’s a lot of cross-cutting through each portion of the film from the Francesca/Calvin movie to the individual stories involving the other characters. With Sarah Flack providing a lot of stylized editing including jump-cuts for the main portion of the film, it comes off as a bit tiresome and gimmicky throughout the film. At the same time, because the film doesn’t have a traditional narrative where the looseness of the story goes a little overboard. Soderbergh’s attempt to be improvisational has some moments but he would often shoot things out of focus in an attempted to be stylized. Unfortunately, Soderbergh doesn’t create enough moments to make into a solid and engaging film. While it is a very pretentious film that lacks substance, it is at least a film that tries to stray from the conventions of traditional cinema.

The casting of Debra Zane is pretty good as it features appearances from January Jones as a receptionist, legendary producer Jerry Weintraub as a man who counsels Carl about his career, Rainn Wilson and Sandra Oh as fired employees that Lee humiliates, Erika Alexander as a co-worker of Carl, Tracy Vilar as a friend of Carl’s, Jeff Garlin as an actor who plays a fictional version of Harvey Weinstein, Brad Rowe as a film crew guy that tries to get into a conversation with Francesca, and cameo appearances by Brad Pitt as himself, Terence Stamp as a man on a plane in the Rendezvous portion, and David Fincher as a director making a film-within-a-film.

Nicky Katt is very good as a fiery actor who verbally abuses the people around him while Enrico Colantoni is also good as the playwright Arthur trying to find love online. David Duchovny is excellent in a small role as a guy who feels turned on by a massage as it’s kind of a precursor to the smarmy Hank Moody character he would play in the TV show Californication. Julia Roberts is all right as Francesca where as the actress, Roberts gets a chance to be loose and funny while in the character she plays in Rendezvous, Roberts is her usual charming self. Blair Underwood is stellar as Calvin, an actor who has a lot of charm while often given questions about his own status while dealing with his own sexual consumptions.

Mary McCormack is great as Linda, Lee’s sister who is dealing with her own loneliness while an encounter with a man turns out to be a nightmare as it gets even worse as she ponders about ever finding love. Catherine Keener is pretty decent as the weary yet biting Lee who is dealing with her own issues though it doesn’t have much weight since it’s the kind of performance that’s been seen from Keener from so many films. David Hyde Pierce is the film’s best performance as Carl, a screenwriter/magazine writer dealing with a lot of issues as he ponders about his own loneliness and his crumbling marriage as he goes through a horrible day.

Full Frontal is an interesting though meandering film from Steven Soderbergh. While some might appreciate the film as an experimental piece with digital video, it is a film that will frustrate and bore conventional audiences since it doesn’t have a traditional plot. For fans of Soderbergh, they might be compelled in what Soderbergh was trying to do with digital video as he would go into further explorations that will lead to films like Bubble and The Girlfriend Experience. Full Frontal is not the kind of film that anyone that wants to see a traditional story will see. Still, the film does offer something to those that wants to be challenged and watch a filmmaker like Steven Soderbergh take risks even if some of the ideas don’t work as Full Frontal is still intriguing depending on one’s taste.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray’s Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean’s Eleven - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean’s Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean’s Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh Pt. 1 - (Pt. 2)

© thevoid99 2011

Out of Sight

Based on Elmore Leonard’s novel, Out of Sight tells the story of a bank robber and a U.S. marshal who fall for each other as the robber plans a big robbery on a businessman. Directed by Steven Soderbergh with a screenplay by Scott Frank, the film is a crime movie with a sense of humor and sex appeal as it marks Soderbergh’s first foray into mainstream filmmaking following a period of unconventional films. Starring George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Steve Zahn, Don Cheadle, Dennis Farina, Catherine Keener, Isaiah Washington, and Albert Brooks. Out of Sight is an entertaining yet stylish film from Steven Soderbergh.

After another bank robbery that was almost successful, Jack Foley (George Clooney) is back in prison. This time in Florida, Jack calls his ex-girlfriend Adele (Catherine Keener) to contact a couple of his friends in Buddy (Ving Rhames) and Glenn (Steve Zahn) to help him out on an escape. Meanwhile, U.S. marshal Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) is celebrating her birthday with her dad (Dennis Farina) as she goes to the Florida prison for some business. Instead, she tries to stop an escape only to be stopped by Buddy as she and Jack are put in a trunk where an attraction ensues. During the getaway, they meet up with the Glenn who ends up screwing things up when he takes Karen where she nearly got injured.

With Jack and Buddy hiding out and planning to go to Detroit to rob a businessman named Ripley (Albert Brooks) whom they knew at another prison a few years ago with Glenn. It was there that Jack and Buddy learn about some diamonds Ripley had where he was friends with another convict named Maurice (Don Cheadle). Jack is still infatuated with Karen whom he calls one day as she manages to capture an escaped convict named Chino (Luis Guzman) to be part of a task force with the FBI. Yet, Jack and Buddy make another escape with Karen still carrying feelings towards Jack. Karen decides to go to Detroit to stop Jack while learning that Glenn is also there but with Maurice and his two goons in Kenneth (Isaiah Washington) and White Boy Bob (Keith Loneker).

In Detroit, Jack learns that Karen is there as the two meet again as both know what they’re going to do. When Maurice decides to change the plans for the robbery, things get a little crazy as Karen decides to follow leading to a showdown between her and Jack.

For a bank robber, the job is tricky as the robber has to get in and steal cash, and get out. A guy like Jack Foley isn’t a typical bank robber since he doesn’t use a gun but rather his charm and intellect. Unfortunately, he can’t get the job done once he’s out of the bank. When he and his friend try to make a big robbery in Detroit with some vicious criminals, the only thing that is stopping Jack isn’t the dangerous criminals and things that can go wrong. It’s his heart and it’s for the woman who is supposed to the enemy in a U.S. marshal named Karen Sisco.

The film is in a way a battle of wits and of the sexes but in a more playful yet casual manner. Jack is a guy who is very smart in the way he deals with crimes and how he plans things. Karen is a woman who is very tough and is willing to take down criminals with style. When these two people meet, sparks happens as the two are both conflicted about what to do with each other. Among the people who watch this are Buddy and Karen’s dad who are concerned about this wondering why Karen didn’t arrest them or why Jack didn’t do anything to confront her.

Scott Frank’s screenplay is very playful in the way he develops and creates fully-fleshed characters along with some witty dialogue. The humor and use of flashbacks for the film creates a story that has a very unconventional rhythm and tone. A lot of it is due to the fact that it sets up this big heist at a man’s house to find the diamonds. Yet, there’s some stops and bumps on the way for Jack and Buddy as they have to deal with Glenn, who is essentially a fuck-up, along with Maurice who is an ex-boxer with a vicious streak. Frank’s script is a highlight of the film as it helps elevates the film’s stylized direction of Steven Soderbergh.

Soderbergh’s direction is another highlight of the film for the way he presents the film by straying from the conventions of a crime film and the infusion of a love story in the film. Soderbergh use of hand-held cameras and stylish shots while also presenting things in a straightforward manner. Soderbergh’s unconventional direction goes from the way he cuts to the present narrative to the flashbacks while creating a wonderfully rhythmic montage of a smoldering yet exotic scene where Jack and Karen get it on. Soderbergh also creates different moods for the varied locations of the film such as Miami and Detroit where Miami is lively and Detroit is more eerie. Overall, Soderbergh creates what is definitely an engaging and fun crime film.

Cinematographer Elliot Davis does a phenomenal job with the film‘s photography from the bluish exterior look for the daytime scenes in Detroit to the more colorful shots of Miami. The nighttime scenes interior and exterior are presented in a more natural look while the love scenes have a more softer look to bring something that is truly seductive. Editor Anne V. Coates does an amazing job with the editing as she adds a lot of style to the film in its rhythm from jump-cuts, freeze-frames, and dissolves to keep things moving. Even the love scene where the montage of dialogue and undressing really gives the film some amazing movement as it’s the technical highlight of the film.

Production designer Gary Frutkoff, along with set decorator Maggie Martin and art director Phillip Messina, does some excellent work with the set pieces such as the hotel room that Jack and Karen make love in to the Miami places the characters interact in. Costume designer Betsy Heimann does a very good job with the costumes from the stylish clothes that Karen wears to the colorful Miami clothing that Adele wears. Sound editor Larry Blake does a brilliant job with the sound from the intense, active moments of the film such as the escape to the montage where dialogue overlays some of the things happening in the love scene. The film’s score by David Holmes is another highlight of the film for its snazzy, laid-back score that is a mix of jazz and electronic music to play up the film’s sense of style while the rest of the soundtrack is a mix of jazz and soul music.

The casting by Kathy Driscoll and Francine Maisler, with Sonya A. Avakian for the Detroit scenes, is superb as the film features an array of appearances from Viola Davis as a friend of Kenneth, Nancy Allen as Ripley’s mistress, Paul Calderon as a FBI agent in Detroit, Wendell B. Harris Jr. as Karen’s superior, and Michael Keaton in a cameo appearance as Ray Nicollette from Quentin Tarantino’s adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch called Jackie Brown. Other notable yet memorable appearances includes Catherine Keener as Jack’s ex-girlfriend Adele, Luis Guzman as a convict named Chino, Keith Loneker and Isaiah Washington as two of Maurice’s henchman, and Steve Zahn as the unreliable screw-up Glenn.

Dennis Farina is really good as Karen’s dad who has a very funny scene where he talks to Ray about an incident involving a convict and a woman while Albert Brooks is also good as the timid yet intelligent Ripley. Ving Rhames is superb as Buddy, Jack’s partner-in-crime who likes what he does but also has a devotion towards his sister as he is the conscience of sorts of the film. Notably as he brings some subtle humor to his performance as it’s really one of the standouts in the film. Don Cheadle is great as Maurice, an ex-boxer who takes charge over the robbery while bring ruthless as Cheadle brings an energetic performance with some humor for a very dark characters.

Finally, there’s George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez in magnificent performances for their respective roles as Jack Foley and Karen Sisco. Lopez’s calm yet cool approach to Karen Sisco is truly the best performance of her career where she proves she can be tough and engaging in quieter moments. Yet, she also oozes sex appeal as it’s the performance that made her into a superstar. Clooney’s performance as Jack Foley is a real breakthrough as it confirms what is expected from Clooney in terms of charm and sex appeal. At the same time, Clooney proves to be very funny and very direct when he is in business mode. Clooney and Lopez together are brilliant as the two have wonderful chemistry that is very restrained and full of wit as they are the highlight of the film’s ensemble cast.

Out of Sight is a remarkable yet enjoyable film from Steven Soderbergh featuring a top script from Scott Frank and fantastic performances from George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. In terms of the films Soderbergh has done in his career, this is definitely one of his most accessible as well as one of his most entertaining. Even as its use of editing and shooting styles give something that art-house fans can enjoy. In the end, Out of Sight is a spectacular crime film from Steven Soderbergh and company.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray’s Anatomy - Schizopolis - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean’s Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean’s Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean’s Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2011

Traffic

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/23/09 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

The war on drugs has been a costly battle with the government spending loads of money fighting against drug dealers and crime lords. Yet, the drug wars have shown that not much progress had happened once it arrived into the 21st Century. Films about drugs and drug wars were often glamorized and over the top until a 1989 British TV show called Traffik brought a realistic view of the drug wars and its effects on people. The show caught the attention of renowned independent film director Steven Soderbergh who had just gained a comeback with 1998's Out of Sight and 1999's The Limey. For a film adaptation of the show, Soderbergh took the film's multiple storyline study on drugs for a huge, dramatic feature about the drug trade and drugs on the home front entitled Traffic.

Directed and shot by Steven Soderbergh with a script written by Stephen Gaghan, Traffic tells three different stories about the war on drugs. The first involves a Mexican police officer fighting drugs in his native country only to deal with corruption from the police force he's working for. The second story involves a drug czar fighting a war on drugs for the government while dealing with his daughter's drug addiction. The third and final story involves a wife learning that her husband is a big-time drug lord as she decides to fight for his freedom while battling a couple of DEA agents. Three storylines moving back and forth and intercut with each other as they all connect, the film is a harrowing yet provocative feature about the drug war and its effects on the individuals involved.

Starring Michael Douglas, Benicio del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle, Steven Bauer, Dennis Quaid, Luis Guzman, Jacob Vargas, Tomas Milian, Amy Irving, Miguel Ferrer, Erika Christensen, Topher Grace, Clifton Collins Jr., Peter Riegert, and cameo appearances from Salma Hayek and Albert Finney. Traffic is an eerie yet profound masterpiece from Steven Soderbergh.

Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez (Benicio del Toro) and Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas) are police officers that just got attention over a drug bust in Tijuana, Mexico. General Salazar (Tomas Milian) wants Rodriguez's help to stop the power of the Obregon family as he and Manolo captured the family's top assassin Frankie Flowers (Clifton Collins Jr.). Despite the success, Rodriguez believes that something isn't right as he gets into deep over what he finds. In Ohio, Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) is a judge that just been given a new job to be the new Drug Czar for the President after his predecessor (James Brolin) steps down as he gives Wakefield a warning. With his assistant Jeff Sheridan (D.W. Moffett) helping Wakefield to fight against drugs, his daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen) has become a drug addict where her boyfriend Seth (Topher Grace) introduces her to freebased cocaine.

Following a bust, Robert's wife Barbara (Amy Irving) reveals to Robert that she knows about Caroline's addiction prompting him to send his daughter to rehab. With Robert's new job taking much of his time as he meets General Salazar, a DEA bust in San Diego by Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzman) leads to the capture of Eduard Ruiz (Miguel Ferrer) who rats out his boss Carlos Ayala (Steven Bauer). With Ayala revealed to be the Obregon's top distributor as he gets arrested, Ayala's pregnant wife Helena (Catherine Zeta-Jones) turns to Carlos's friend Arnie Metzger (Dennis Quaid) for help. Arnie brings in attorney Michael Adler (Peter Riegert) to deal with the case while Helena learns about her husband's true job as she goes to Frankie Flowers to get Ruiz killed while later meeting Juan Obregon (Benjamin Bratt) to continue business.

After learning that Caroline has escaped rehab, Robert tries to find her with Seth's help prompting him to deal with the demand of his new job. Rodriguez's suspicions have him and Manolo turning to the DEA as trouble occurs as Rodriguez goes to Manolo's wife (Marisa Padilla Sanchez) for help. In turn, Rodriguez would create moves that would change everything for him, Robert Wakefield, and Helena Ayala.

The film can be described as a message film of sorts about the war on drugs, its lack of progress, and how it's troubled certain individuals. Yet, Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan create a film that goes into the world of the drug culture and its effects on government, lifestyles, and the people fighting against. What Soderbergh and Gaghan creates is a political film with some human drama with Gaghan creating a story that isn't conventional. Instead, Gaghan's approach in the script is to move from one storyline to another and to another in a rhythmic, intercutting style of writing to connect one situation to another. Gaghan's screenplay is truly brilliant in its political and social commentary on drugs, its effects on the economy, and how one tries to either fight corruption or use it to maintain a certain lifestyle.

The three storylines created for the film are truly genius due to Gaghan's approach in telling the story. For the story of Javier Rodriguez and his discovery of corruption within the police force he's working for is about a man trying to do the right thing. Even if he has to risk his life and maybe his own moral judgment where his only gain is his conscience and something he wants that isn't for him. In the Robert Wakefield storyline, it's about a conservative judge taking on a role to fight drugs for the President while having to deal with drugs in his home as his daughter spirals down into a world of drugs. The third storyline about Helena Ayala discovering what her husband really does and Montel Gordon's fight to keep Carlos Ayala in jail provides an interesting, dramatic sense of conflict of two people trying to fight for what they each think is right.

Then there's Steven Soderbergh's direction which is truly mesmerizing in his approach to tell the story. Also serving as the film's cinematographer under the Peter Andrews alias, Soderbergh goes for various styles in telling the story for the three different storylines. For all the scenes shot in Mexico, Soderbergh goes for this cinema verite style of handheld cameras, grainy footage awash in sepia-like colors to play up to the country's desert-like climate. The camera work is shaky and loose with interior shots in some places very low in order to create an atmosphere as there's very few moments where the camera is still. In some of the scenes involving Robert Wakefield and his situation, a lot of the daytime scenes are shot in this blue, cold style to represent the chilling feel of addiction in Caroline. The camera work and direction is more steady and dramatic in order to discover the troubles of addiction from a young teenager.

In the scenes shot in California, Texas, the border from the U.S. perspective, and nighttime U.S. scenes, are more traditional though the daytime, exterior and interior shots are more sunny, dream-like, and wondrous for the California feel of the film. The camera work is also more steady and dramatic like the Wakefield sequence as Soderbergh does make it clear in how he wanted each storyline and location to be presented. He creates a film that doesn't play up to convention while creating different worlds in each location and setting while maintaining the film's theme on the war on drugs. The result is truly a film that is unique in its varied visual styles and themes as it's done with such brilliance by Steven Soderbergh.

Editor Stephen Mirrione does spectacular work with the editing in the use of jump-cuts, dissolves, and rhythmic transitions to create a feel to the film that doesn't get boring but also doesn't go way too fast. Mirrone's cutting style is truly fascinating in the way he shifts from one sequence to another with a nice cutting transition as if he plays to a certain rhythm while knowing when not to cut or move to another sequence. Mirrone's work is overall superb in the art of editing. Production designer Phillip Messina along with set decorator Kristen Toscano Messina and art director Keith P. Cunningham do excellent work with the homes of the various characters from the gritty, urban look of Rodriguez to the posh worlds of the Wakefield and Ayalas. Costume designer Louise Frogley does fine work with the look of Helena's dresses along with the suits that Robert Wakefield wears as well as the urban clothing and street clothes that most of the characters wear.

Sound editor Larry Blake does fantastic work with the sound to help with the film's varied locations with actual location sounds for the film's Mexico sequences that are raw and crisp to capture the Mexican deserts. The U.S. sequences are more layered and mixed with some polish but also to make them atmospheric for the dramatic tension of Gordon-Ayala sequence and haunting in the Wakefield sequence. Blake's work is truly superb in its sense of action and drama. Music composer Cliff Martinez creates a truly haunting, atmospheric score filled with ambient-style textures for it sense of mood and drama with light, percussive pieces in the background, piano performances from noted jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and soft bass melodies from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, whom Martinez used to play drums for. The soundtrack includes electronic pieces from Morcheeba and Fat Boy Slim plus an ambient piece from Brian Eno.

The casting by Debra Zane is truly phenomenal with appearances from John Slattery as an ADA official, Viola Davis as a social worker, real-life politicians Orrin Hatch, Barbara Boxer, and Charles Grassley. Salma Hayek makes a very memorable cameo as the mistress of a drug lord while Albert Finney is good in a small role as Chief of Staff. Other small roles like Alec Roberts as Helena's son David, Corey Spears as a friend of Seth and Caroline who overdoses, Rena Sofer and Stacey Travis as a couple of Helena's friends, and Eddie Velez as a FBI agent Javier Rodriguez turns to. Steven Bauer is good in his small role as Carlos Ayala, a distributor who is jailed as he gives his wife information on how to get him out. Marisa Padilla Sanchez is also good as Manolo's wife who suspects something is wrong as she turns to Javier while Peter Riegert is very good as Carlos' attorney. In another small performance, Benjamin Bratt is excellent as Juan Obregon, the cartel leader who makes a deal with Helena.

Jacob Vargas is excellent as Manolo, Javier's partner who finds himself hanging out with Salazar's men only to get into trouble when he tries to reveal information to the DEA. D.W. Moffett is very good as Robert Wakefield's assistant while James Brolin is really good as Wakefield's predecessor who gives him a warning about the new role Wakefield is taking on. Amy Irving gives a fine performance as Barbara Wakefield, Robert's wife who knows about her daughter's secret but has no ways to stop Caroline's increasing addiction. Clifton Collins Jr. is great as Frankie Flowers, an assassin who provides information to Salazar under torture while helping out Helena in an assassination attempt on Eduardo Ruiz. Spaghetti Western legend Tomas Milian is great as the shady General Salazar as he provides charm and wit into his role. Topher Grace of That 70's Show is great as Seth, Caroline's boyfriend who provides commentary on drugs and its affects on the social standings.

Erika Christensen delivers a brilliant, haunting performance as Caroline Wakefield, a teenage girl who becomes a drug addict as Christensen brings all of the realism and angst to a troubled character. Dennis Quaid is excellent in a small role as Arnie, Carlos' lawyer and partner, who tries to handle things only to not have Elena involved. Miguel Ferrer is very good as Eduardo Ruiz, Carlos' associate who gets caught and demands immunity as he gives commentary about the DEA and their real role. Luis Guzman is great as Ray Castro, the DEA agent who tells jokes while providing some funny lines as he has wonderful scenes with Don Cheadle. Don Cheadle is superb as Montel Gordon, a DEA agent determined to get Carlos Ayala arrested as part of his job while being Eduardo Ruiz's protector. Catherine Zeta-Jones is wonderful as Helena Ayala, a woman who discovers her husband's true job as she steps up to take over and make moves that truly proved how loyal she is to her husband.

Michael Douglas is brilliant as Robert Wakefield, a man who becomes a drug czar who takes on a huge important role for the government unaware of the damage that his daughter is taking towards drugs. It's a brilliant role from Douglas as he plays a man in deep conflict while dealing with trouble at home. Finally, there's Benicio del Toro as Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez, a good cop facing corruption while trying to stop drugs and corruption around him. It's a fantastic role from del Toro as he brings a lot of restraint and wonderment to his character as man trying to do good, even if he has to question his own moral judgement.

Traffic is a haunting, gritty, and provocative film from Steven Soderbergh and company. Thanks to an all-star cast led by Michael Douglas, Benicio del Toro, Don Cheadle, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Luis Guzman. This is truly a film that is original, fascinating, and with a message that isn't overbearing. Fans of Soderbergh definitely considers this as one of his finest films to date while it's also a great introduction to his filmography. In the end, Traffic isn't just one of the best films of the decade but also a haunting film that will surely be seen by audiences in the years to come.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray's Anatomy - Schizpolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Ocean's Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean's Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean's Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2011

The Limey

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/24/04 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Cinema in the 1970s brought not just a return to realism but also paved the way for new actors, notably those who looked like guys next door or the guys who just came out of the street. Guys like Charles Brosnan and Clint Eastwood weren’t guys that were very pretty but they could kick your ass. They weren’t the tallest guys; the strongest, or buffed up, they were some serious dudes that are likely to be one of the last guys standing. Then after the 70s ended, guys like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenagger came in with their beefy, macho-like roles that not many guys could relate to except in the terms of violence. Then in 1999, fresh off his comeback film Out of Sight, independent film director Steven Soderbergh decided to return to that old-school genre of realistic tough guys for his 1999 movie entitled The Limey.

Directed by Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs, The Limey is about an old British ex-con named Wilson who goes to Los Angeles to investigate the death of his estranged daughter. Learning that her murder was with involvement by a 1960s record producer and his goons, Wilson pursues the truth while having very few friends and an increasing number of enemies. With a non-linear approach to the film’s story, Soderbergh and company goes for a more idiosyncratic tone of the film while remaining true to its storyline. Starring 60s icons Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda in leading roles along with Soderbergh regular Luis Guzman with Lesley Ann Warren, Barry Newman, Bill Duke, Joe Dallesandro, Nicky Katt, Amelia Heinle, and Melissa George. The Limey is a stylish, entrancing crime drama that is both sinister and seductive.

A former convict named Wilson (Terence Stamp) has arrived to Los Angeles from London after hearing the news that his daughter Jenny (Melissa George) had just been killed. Having not seen his daughter for many years since his conviction for robbery, Wilson wants answers as he meets a man named Eduardo Roel (Luis Guzman). Roel believes that Jenny was killed by a man named Terry Valentine (Peter Fonda), a record producer from the 1960s, whom Jenny had been dating as Wilson tries to find more answers about Valentine. After confronting a foreman (William Lucking) and some goons, he sends a message to one of the goons to tell Valentine that he's coming for him. While Valentine hears the news in his home at the Hollywood Hills from his advisor Avery (Barry Newman), he asks Avery to take care of things.

Wilson meanwhile, meets Elaine (Lesley Ann Warren) who was a friend of Jenny from an acting class as she tells him more about his daughter. When Wilson goes to Valentine's house for a party with Roel, they realize that they have to wait as he sends a message by killing one of Valentine's bodyguards prompting Avery to hire a couple of men named Stacy (Nicky Katt) and Uncle John (Joe Dallesandro) to find Wilson. With Wilson spending more time with Elaine as he reveals his regrets, a planned hit on Wilson backfires due to the involvement from the DEA as an officer (Bill Duke) who reveals some news to Wilson about some drugs relating to Valentine. Wilson, Roel, and Elaine go on a trip to Big Sur as Wilson is ready to confront Valentine over the death of Jenny.

What makes The Limey such a majestic crime drama is how Soderbergh approach Dobbs’ screenplay into a non-linear, idiosyncratic style. The film plays like a crime drama but with a more restrained, subtle tone with references to the past and present. The film is really more of a tribute to the 1970s crime dramas since it captures that tone but with a new cinematic style with Soderbergh’s diverse directing style of hand-held camera movements and wondrous steadi-cam shots. Even though it’s set in Los Angeles, the film also contains a British feel with not just Stamp but also the films of Ken Loach and John Boorman. Loach’s debut film Poor Cow is even shown for flashback scenes involving Stamp’s character. Dobbs’ script is also idiosyncratic, especially with its stylized, campy dialogue about the 1960s, women, and all sorts of stuff, especially with Stamp’s cockney accent that plays well to British-American dialogue where Roel asks Elaine “Do you understand half the shit he’s saying?”

With Dobbs’ script and Soderbergh’s direction in tow, credit should also go to Edward Lachman for his lush, dreamy cinematography. With shades of blurry blue for flashback scenes, Lachman captures a translucent, colorful tone of the movie that is evocative in its presentation and works well with Soderbergh’s directing style. Helping the film in its non-linear style is editor Sarah Flack, who brings a stylized, jump-cut like editing style while using the scenes from Poor Cow to convey the style that Soderbergh wanted that is masterfully presented. With Gary Frutkoff in the production design, the film does have that L.A. look, notably in the houses of Valentine. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer and longtime Soderbergh collaborator Cliff Martinez brings a haunting, melancholic piano film score with his broken notes to convey the sadness of Wilson. The film’s music aside from Martinez’s score is filled with electronic tracks from Danny Saber along with lovely cuts from the Hollies, Boston, Doobie Brothers, David Crosby, Steppenwolf, and kicking things off for the movie, The Who’s The Seeker.

Then, there’s film-amazing cast with wonderful performances from its actors. While Melissa George was only seen in flashbacks, she was wonderful in her scenes while Amelia Heinle is gorgeous in the role of Peter Fonda’s girlfriend, who doesn’t know what people like Avery are doing with Fonda. Nicky Katt and Joe Dallesandro are excellent as Avery’s goons with Katt delivering great one-liners and Dallesandro having a great moment playing mentally challenged in a pool hall scene. Bill Duke, in an uncredited cameo, is excellent as the tough-as-nails DEA agent who is more concerned about the drugs rather than the money in a hilarious dialogue-driven scene with Stamp. Barry Newman is wonderful as Valentine’s advisor who is like a crime boss, trying to protect his man and is willing to do anything for Valentine, especially if it meant confronting a guy like Wilson. Lesley Ann Warren gives a lovely, understated performance as Elaine with her motherly, frustrated role in scenes with Stamp where she is angry with him but also feels sorry for him because he lost his child and blames himself for it.

The film’s best supporting performance easily goes to Luis Guzman as Eduardo Roel, with his street-wise, comic, and conscience-driven performance. Guzman in ways plays Sancho Panza to Stamp’s Don Quixote since Roel is trying not to get in trouble, after having serving time for his misdoings. He also makes sure that Wilson doesn’t do anything stupid or do anything huge while becoming the only ally that Wilson has. This is clearly one of Guzman’s best performances, as he remains one of the most versatile, and underrated actors of the industry. Fresh off his comeback performance in Ulee’s Gold, Peter Fonda brings another iconic-like performance as Valentine with his restrained, creepy performance that is very complex in its charm where underneath it, there’s a fear and sadness. Fonda brings a masterful performance in a role that isn’t really villainous but more of someone who is in anticipation for something to happen while he is unsure what to do. This is indeed one of the best performances from Peter Fonda.

Terence Stamp delivers probably one of his best performances in years after being in small, supporting roles where he came out flawless, even in bad films. Stamp is complex in his anger and sadness as he plays a man, living with regret trying to find some closure to his shortcomings as a father. In scenes involving his anger, his physique may not be the kind that would help win a fight but the determination and conviction is strong. In more dramatic scenes, we see Stamp in top form where he brings his own flaws where he doesn’t bring out sympathy but also a man who really wants to have a second chance. Stamp has wonderful chemistry with Warren and Guzman while this film truly gives him the comeback he deserves.

The Limey is a majestic crime film from Steven Soderbergh with great performances from Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, and Luis Guzman. While the film may not be up to par with sex, lies, & videotape, Out of Sight, or Traffic, it’s one of Soderbergh’s best films that made good on his comeback after being idiosyncratic in the early 90s. Fans of 1970s crime films will find something refreshing about The Limey especially with icons like Stamp and Fonda in their roles while they get a nice dose of tough-guy attitudes. In the end, The Limey is just a movie that makes you feel good while wanting to play up to that Cockney dialogue.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray's Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean's Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean's Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2011

sex, lies, & videotape

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/20/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions

Though the world of independent films had been around for many years, it wasn't until the 80s is when there was really a new crop of young filmmakers who were making films that had something a small group of people can relate to that either can feature any kind of political or social commentary. While there were a notable few independent films in the 80s that did score commercial success, it was only for a brief period. Directors like Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, John Sayles, Joel & Ethan Coen, Sam Raimi, and Gus Van Sant were making little films that relied on any kind of realism, even if it was offbeat and entertaining. Throughout that decade, there was the U.S. Film Festival that showed many of these new films and up-and-coming filmmakers and then, in 1989, everything changed all because of one little low-budget film that wouldn't just surprise the independent film world but would mark the new independent film revolution of the 1990s. That film was 1989's sex, lies, and videotape by Steven Soderbergh.

Born in Atlanta, GA in 1963, Soderbergh was just an up-and-coming filmmaker who made short films and did work on a concert film for the British prog-rock band Yes. Soderbergh was also crafting scripts for himself while trying to find money to fund his debut film, sex, lies, & videotape. The film was an exploration on sex as an impotent man visits an old college buddy, who is secretly having an affair with his wife's sister while his wife doesn't seem interested in sex at all. Set in the rural South, Soderbergh chooses a low-key world that is a complete contrast to what many films were looking like at the time. Starring James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, and Laura San Giacomo, sex, lies, & videotape is a true landmark film that would break American independent cinema to the mainstream.

Ann (Andie MacDowell) is a housewife from Baton Rouge who doesn't feel comfortable around her husband John (Peter Gallagher) when it comes to sex. While her therapist (Ron Vawter) tries to help her over her disinterest towards sex, Ann is more bothered by the arrival of John's old college friend Graham (James Spader) who is visiting. Instead, Graham is everything Ann didn't expect as they befriend each other though John is bothered by Graham's introverted persona. While Ann helps Graham find a house to live in, John fulfills his sexual frustrations by having an affair with Ann's younger sister Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo), who is an artist.

Intrigued by Graham's confession that he's impotent and his disinterest towards physical sex, Ann helps him with finding a house while learning about a project he's doing where women talk about sex. Though Ann is freaked out by Graham's videotape project, she tells Cynthia about Graham as she makes a visit to his house and take part in the project. The result gives Cynthia more fulfillment much to John's frustration as she turns to Ann more about the experience leaving Ann to think that something is up with John's behavior. Ann turns to Graham where she takes part in his project leaving John baffled as his affair with Cynthia sours. John finds out about Graham's project leaving everyone wondering about the idea of sex.

While the movie is a sex film, it's an unconventional sex film since the film features no nudity but suggests the idea of nudity. The genius of the film is Steven Soderbergh who chooses to explore sex through characters who are often alienated by it or those who live it. In many ways, this film at that time shows an awareness of how in the era of AIDS, talking about sex has become more interesting than actually doing it. It's a very provocative piece as Soderbergh plays voyeur in exposing the lives of its central characters where their development shows how sex changes them. With a script that he wrote in two weeks, Soderbergh reveals the damage and openness of what sex does by giving the late 20-something and 30-year olds something that they can identify with. Another genius idea in Soderbergh's script is the dialogue which can come off as frank and humorous but the stuff that comes is very real and shows how awkward people can be when it comes to sex.

Soderbergh shows not just his strength in the writing but also in his unconventional style of directing. While there are the traditional zoom shots and camera angles, his approach is more to capture the emotions and trouble of the characters, especially a great zooming close-up of Laura San Giacomo having an orgasm after her meeting with Graham. Using the limits of $1.8 million budget that he had, Soderbergh doesn't give the film not just a nice, low budget feel but his approach of using real places, real office and locations gives the film a sense of freedom by shooting it in Louisiana instead of somewhere like Los Angeles.

Soderbergh's direction is complemented by the wonderfully grainy cinematography of Walt Lloyd who chooses to give the film a natural, grainy look of Baton Rouge suburbia without any sense of gloss or flashy lighting schemes. Even the look of the interior scenes from art director Joanne Schmidt and James Spader's then-wife/set designer Victoria Spader gives many of the film's interior look some nice, arty paintings for San Giacomo's characters and an array of plants. That look with James Ryder's costumes gives the film a very realistic feel. With Soderbergh doing the editing himself, he makes sure the film is nicely paced without being too slow in its 100-minute presentation. Giving the film a moody feel is former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Cliff Martinez who presents a haunting score to convey the isolation that surrounds both Ann and Graham.

With some nice small performances from Ron Vawter as Ann’s therapist and Steven Brill as the comical barfly in the bar that Cynthia works, the film really focuses on its four main characters. Then-newcomer Laura San Giacomo gives an amazing, outgoing performance as Cynthia with her in-your-face attitude and frank talk about sex as Giacomo makes more than just a sexy young woman. Giacomo gives her intelligence and depth where she can stand up to the more introverted MacDowell while her character later develops into a woman who understands more about the pleasure of not just sex itself but talking about it. Peter Gallagher is the more traditional character as the self-centered, egomaniacal, yuppie lawyer. Gallagher shows his sexual frustration that can be understandable but doesn't make his character sympathetic by making John a guy who is really a jerk. When he sees the tape of Ann/Graham, we see Gallagher’s character fall apart as what he was in the beginning begins to crumble in a masterfully, executed performance.

While Andie MacDowell is not everyone's favorite actress, it's her performance in this film that shows why she's still working. MacDowell gives a naturally innocent performance early on in the film as this shy, timid woman with no interest for sex but as the character develops, we see more. MacDowell gives probably her best performance yet by making this woman confront her own ideas and thoughts on sex and marriage while seeing all the lies that she's surrounded by as she just goes out there.

The film's best performance easily goes to James Spader in what is probably at the time, his most complex and troubling performance to date. Prior to this film, Spader has been known as either a jerk in films like Endless Love, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero. Here, Spader gives out his real breakthrough as Graham with his quiet, sensitive portrayal of a troubled man trying to discover himself through women talking about sex. Spader brings in great restraint and compassion as he carries great chemistry with MacDowell. In comparison to his other landmark indie-sex film characters like the sex-destruction obsessed James Ballard in David Cronenberg's Crash and the cold, compulsive E. Edward Grey in Steven Shainberg's Secretary, Graham is more interesting since he's trying to find an outlet for his sexual impotence from a human and emotional standpoint away from the lies that he lived in the past.

sex, lies, & videotape is a compelling yet entrancing adult drama from Steven Soderbergh. Audiences wanting a film that is very engaging about the idea of sex will see this as an engrossing and provocative piece that allows people to be engaged by its joys and flaws. For people interested in the work of Steven Soderbergh, this is definitely one of his best films and a great place to start with. In the end, sex, lies, & videotape is a superb film from Steven Soderbergh and company.

Steven Soderbergh Films: Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray's Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean's Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean's Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2011

Lebanon (2009 film)

Written and directed by Samuel Moaz, Lebanon is the story of a young Israeli soldier who is part of a tank crew as he is in the middle of a battle during the Lebanon conflict in 1982. Told from the perspective of the men inside a tank, it is a film where men allow themselves to be caught up in the chaos of battle. Starring Oshri Cohen, Zohar Shtrauss, Michael Moshonov, Yoav Donat, and Itay Tiran. Lebanon is an intense yet harrowing film from Samuel Moaz.

It’s the first day of the Lebanese-Israeli war as Shmulik (Yoav Donat) is the new gunner for a tank crew on their way to a town. Led by their commander Assi (Itay Tiran) along with driver Yigal (Michael Moshonov) and cannon loader Hertzel (Oshri Cohen). The crew is given orders by their superior Jamil (Zohar Shtrauss) about what to do as they’re to go into town and fight off whatever forces and reach San Tropez. During an encounter with a car as they’re accompanied by soldiers, Shmulik panics leading to something bad happening as Assi is in trouble. With Smulik being blamed as he is nervous along with everyone else, they continue towards town.

During an encounter with hostile soldiers with hostages, things intensify as the crew are dealing with the heat inside the tank as well as failing equipment. The chaos of battle leads to the tank being hit by a rocket as things begin to leak inside. With Jamil trying to get them back on track, a Syrian POW (Dudu Tassa) is taken inside the tank as a prisoner as he’s later verbally abused by a Phalangist (Ashraf Barhom). With the tank having trouble working as Assi starts to lose control, Hertzel takes over as he tries to figure out what’s happening. With Jamil stuck in town as they’re lost, it’s up to Yigal, Shmulik, and Hertzel to find a way to safety.

What happens when the first day on the job is to be a gunner on the first day of war? Well, it’s one hell of a day for a guy who has to start his day on the first day of war. Even as he has to deal with all sorts of things as being in combat is different from everything he encountered in training. At the same time, he is forced to be in a small space with three other men who are just as nervous as he is. One of them is a commander that is trying to maintain control though it seems he has no idea what to do for parts of the film. Then there’s the superior who goes in and out of the tank trying to maintain order inside but outside, he’s having a hard time.

Samuel Boaz’s script is very loose as the film spends almost entirely inside the tank. The tank itself is a mess filled with liquids on the floor, a little box for everyone to piss in, it’s hot with not much room to breath in, and there’s these four different men. Boaz’s direction is truly astonishing in the way he chooses to tell the story as the film rarely has a shot of the tank from the outside. Instead, Boaz lets the audience be part of the tank crew as they’re inside watching everything that is happening. Some of it is from Shmulik’s perspective as he watches everything on a telescope. There, he sees the chaos and things that are happening.

The film also has this sense of claustrophobia as the four men are inside a very small space as they can barely move around inside. Boaz makes sure that the audience can feel the stench of the tank as it’s falling apart following a rocket blast. The sense of fear is really evident where there’s this other man who is the enemy that is losing control. All this POW wants is to take a piss with these four Israeli men not really sure what he’s saying. The chaos of the film is what makes it so engaging as Boaz creates was truly a tough yet powerful film.

Cinematographer Giora Bejach does an excellent job with the photography by keeping things low key in the lighting as the film spends a lot of time inside the tank while a lot of the shots from outside is presented in a realistic fashion. Editor Arik Leibovitch does a great job with the editing in creating rhythmic cuts to capture the reactions of the characters as well as their situations with jump-cuts and cut-to-black cuts to intensify the sense of fear.

Production designer Ariel Roshko does an amazing job with the look of the tank as Roshko brings life to a tank that is falling apart to help create the sense of claustrophobia throughout the film. Costume designers Hila Bargiel and Laura Sheim do a good job with the ragged look of the soldiers clothes and the infantry clothes the other men wear. Sound designer Alex Claude does a phenomenal job with the sound work to capture the sound of gun shots, screams, and everything that goes in battle. Claude along with David Liss create a score that is very sparse with just a simple bass line and keyboards to set the mood for the film.

The casting by Hila Yuval is brilliant for the cast that is assembled that includes some memorable small performances from Reymond Amsalem as a woman caught in the middle of a battle field, Dudu Tassa as a Syrian POW who is chained inside the tank, and Ashraf Barhom as a charming but creepy Phalangist soldier. Zohar Shtrauss is excellent as Jamil, an Israeli force superior who goes in and out of the tank to keep things in track as he spouts an intimidating presence while being more human outside of the tank. Michael Moshonov is very good as Yigal, a young tank driver who hopes to return home to see his mother as he endure high-emotions when he’s trying to get the tank to work.

Itay Tiran is superb as Assi, a tank commander trying to get things under wraps only to lose control as he often trades barbs with his fellow crew members realizing he has no idea what to do. Oshri Cohen is great as Hertzel, a loader who often spars with Assi as he is the character that seems to be the most reasonable when things get tense. Finally, there’s Yoav Donat in a phenomenal performance as Shmulik. Donat’s performance is mesmerizing as he is the new guy on the job and trying to keep himself together while being very scared of everything around him and inside the tank as it’s a very real yet intense performance.

Lebanon is a spectacular yet chilling film from Samuel Boaz that features an amazing cast of actors. The film makes a great companion piece to Ari Folman’s 2008 animated-documentary Waltz with Bashir in terms of the fact that both films are about the 1982 Lebanon-Israel conflict. Fans of war films will definitely see this as something very different thought my feel a little irked over the fact that it’s set almost entirely inside a tank. In the end, Lebanon is a superb war drama from Samuel Boaz.

© thevoid99 2011

Waltz with Bashir

Written, directed, and starring Ari Folman, Vals Im Bashir (Waltz with Bashir) is an animated documentary film about Folman’s experience during the Lebanon war of 1982 as an Israeli soldier. The film is told in an animated style reminiscent of surreal animated films of Richard Linklater’s 2001 film Waking Life and 2006’s A Scanner Darkly. Yet, it allows Folman to speak with other soldiers about the war that included an infamous Sabra and Shatila massacre. The result is a harrowing yet visually-mesmerizing film from Ari Folman.

Ari Folman talks to his friend Boaz Rein-Buskila (Miki Leon) about old memories he had during the 1982 war at Lebanon as Ari recalls the lone memory he has of he and two soldiers walking out of a beach and into Beirut. Turning to his friend Ori Sivan, Sivan suggests talking to old friends and fellow soldiers about the war. Ari visits Carmi Cna’an (Yehezkel Lazarov) in the Netherlands about the war as he is in Ari’s lone memory as he remembers a night when he was on a boat as he hallucinated about escaping the boat with a naked woman as it blew up.

Later talking to other soldiers including Ronny Dayag and Shmuel Frenkel about their own experiences in war. Ari recalls some of his own memories which he’s not sure are real as he turns to war psychologist Zahava Solomon about the traumas of war. When he visits Carmi again about Beirut and later talking to Boaz about life after combat, where both men admit its difficulties for a while, Ari ponders more about his hallucination. Frenkel talks about Beirut where news reporter Ron Ben-Yishai was there covering the Beirut battle. Ari gets Ben-Yishai to talk as did a former tank brigade commander Dror Harazi about the horror of the Sabra and Shatila massacre as Ari believes he may have played a part in what happened.

The film is about a man trying to recall memories of a war he took part as he turns to old friends, soldiers, and various other people about the war. What happens is that the people Ari Folman interviews for this unconventional documentary, with two actors re-playing a couple of individuals, reveal not just the horror of war. It’s also about the aftermath of war along with the idea that Ari Folman might have taken part in something that is more horrifying.

Since Folman is using animation to present his documentary, there is a bit of a dreamlike quality to the look of the animation by illustrator David Polonsky and animation director Yoni Goodman. From the way the buildings looked in Israel, the Netherlands, and in Beirut circa-1982 to the design of the characters. Folman’s direction is very entrancing in its composition and the way he moves the camera around. There’s even some dark humor to some of the things that happen such as the song choices he uses to encompass the silliness of war. Yet, Folman keeps things real as far as depicting war such as Dayag’s experience about being a tank engineer and having to evade bullets.

Folman use of surreal images such as Cna’an’s hallucination as well as Folman’s own to display the sense of fantasy and blocked memories the characters are dealing with. While the film plays like a traditional dramatic narrative, the interviews do come across in a documentary presentation even though it remains in animated form. By the third act where the narrative focuses on the Sabra and Shatila massacre, it becomes a much more harrowing film where the last two minutes are definitely the most terrifying images presented on film. Folman creates what isn’t just a compelling documentary but also a visually-powerful film that breaks the notion of what a documentary can be.

Editor Nili Feller does an amazing job with the editing to create a fluid yet methodical pace to the film while creating various styles to move the film including slow-motion for some of the action scenes. Sound designer Aviv Aldema does a superb job with the sound work in mixing and cutting the dialogue told in the interviews while recreating the sounds of gunshots and cannon to bring the idea of war.

The music by Max Richter is truly mesmerizing for its chilling score to complement the sense of wonderment of Folman‘s character with some orchestral and electronic pieces for some the battle scenes. The rest of the soundtrack is a mix of an array of music from the early 80s such as OMD and Public Image Ltd. along with songs by Cake, the Clique, and a classical piece from Johann Sebastian Bach.

Vals Im Bashir is a powerful documentary film from Ari Folman that depicts the horror of war through the use of surreal animation. Audiences intrigued by war and history will no doubt see this as a compelling piece about the Israeli-Lebanese conflict of 1982. While it is, not surprisingly, controversial about the views of soldiers and people about what happened in Beirut. It is a film that is told from people who were there as well as why they’re reluctant to tell about what happened. In the end, Vals Im Bashir is an eerie yet evocative film from Ari Folman.

© thevoid99 2011