Big Eyes

Tags

2010's, Amy Adams, Based on a true story, Big Eyes, Biographical Drama, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Krysten Ritter, Terence Stamp, Tim Burton

Film Title

Big Eyes

Director

Tim Burton

Starring

• Amy Adams as Margaret Keane
• Christoph Waltz as Walter Keane
• Danny Huston as Dick Nolan
• Terence Stamp as John Canaday
• Jason Schwartzman as Ruben
• Krysten Ritter as DeeAnn

A biographical drama about Margaret Keane, who for years was in the shadow of her husband Walter who claimed credit for her work, Big Eyes is evocatively translated to the screen and showcases Tim Burton’s direction with a maturity, and great performances from Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. If it’s another side of Burton you want, starting with Big Eyes is a recommended one from me.

We start in the late 1950’s, where Margaret packs up her daughter Jane and leaves her first husband. She travels and attempts to make a life in North Beach, San Francisco. But being a divorced single mother isn’t easy for Margaret, though she gets a job at a furniture company. However, art is her biggest passion in the world and the things she paints are often of children with extremely large eyes, which she tries to sell outdoors though to no avail. It is here that charming Walter Keane enters the picture, posing as a painter himself( though we’ll soon learn otherwise). Walter, with his stories and larger than life personality, sweeps Margaret off her feet and after a brief courtship the two are married. With both being art minded, they attempt to make something of their lives doing what they love. After both craft paintings that are displayed in a nightclub, someone takes interest in one of Margaret’s big eye paintings. Rather than jinx a sale, Walter lies and says that he is the artist. Making money from this Walter is thrilled, though Margaret is dismayed at him being so covert. Ultimately, as Margaret is so vulnerable and fragile, Walter uses this to manipulate her into corroborating his scheme and keeping her silent as he passes off her work as his own. This traps Margaret in a big lie that she doesn’t know how to escape from(mainly because she has helped perpetuate it under duress), and for a while she goes along with it, continuing to paint what people don’t know is her work. But as the paintings get more noticed and Walter more greedy, she realises that she can no longer live this sham any more and with burning and emerging toughness, she takes action to reclaim her rightful ownership in a court battle.

Tim Burton is behind the camera in the director’s chair and he does something different here. Over his last few films, I felt that Burton was somehow becoming a bit rote and not at his usual best, due to growing use of CGI and a lack of attention to story. But with Big Eyes, Burton discovers his footing again by toning down his usual macabre sentiments in favour of a deeper and revealing style. Burton doesn’t completely jettison his usual kookiness, as can be attested to a few peculiar sequences where Margaret sees other people with eyes similar to her work, he just reins in his creepy visuals a bit more and crafts a very intimate and personal story that stands out. I definitely enjoyed this more traditional approach from Tim Burton and peppered with a little sprinkling of his unusual magic that don’t overpower the story, Big Eyes excels at being a change of pace in the most effective way.  You can see that Burton has a big respect for the artistic mind by the way he presents Margaret’s emotional attachments to her work, that sadly were relegated to the background by the conniving cons of her husband. As dark as the story is when you look at it closely, there is a wealth of humour thrown in that makes fun of opinions critics have on art and the overall value of it, specifically in regards to monetary worth, which it seems the slimy Walter was consumed with. When the battle of wills omen escape and it leads to court, fun can be head in sequences that prove the truth can indeed be stranger than fiction. Now I wouldn’t say Big Eyes is a perfect movie, it does have a few little flaws. During various moments, the story did find itself losing its way and getting a little repetitive. And a bit more oomph in the middle may have been beneficial, though it isn’t something that does harm to an intriguing piece. But I found myself invested watching this film for the story it provided and an insight into the mind of an artist, while covering themes of personal connection to ones work and female oppression. The flaws I mentioned which in honesty where little ones, thankfully don’t spoil the overall product which is a definite improvement on Burton’s recent output because it tries something you wouldn’t expect from him. The visuals are kept to being bright and ever so slightly mocking as the real turmoil of Margaret was largely hidden by the outward appearance of everything being serene. And Danny Elfman provides a brimming, urgent score, perfectly in touch with Margaret’s awakening.

Amy Adams gorgeously and subtly plays Margaret Keane as a shy and meek woman, who slowly burns with resentment at her circumstances, knowing that some of it falls to her. Right from the start, Adams makes you relate and sympathise with this woman whose good nature was taken advantage of until she eventually decided enough was enough and she wanted her story to be known. She starts out birdlike and fragile and then little by little through nuance, Adams invests the part with a burgeoning voice that won’t be silenced anymore or swept under the carpet. It is an exquisite and moving performance that doesn’t need big theatrics to be effective; instead the quiet and graceful approach from Amy Adams works beautifully in imbuing the part of this artist with a passion and inner strength that eventually percolates through. At the other end of the spectrum is Christoph Waltz. His portrayal of the ruthless Walter is one that features loud and bold brush strokes, which Waltz obviously has customary fun with. I’ve read other reviews that say that he goes way over the top in his work and that it is a detriment to Big Eyes. I wouldn’t go that far because I think the part needs an exuberance that Waltz can provide as evidenced by his other work in movies. The part of Walter is this big talking, savvy man with hardly any subtlety, much like the ringmaster of the circus. And I must say, Waltz has that energy and more, which I think balances well with the gentle work of Amy Adams. Danny Huston as the man narrating the film, is appropriately barbed and cynical, which seems ideal as he is portraying a gossip columnist. The great Terence Stamp infuses his small appearance as a scathing critic with a biting sensibility, while Jason Schwartzman makes for laughs as a snooty artist. It is only Krysten Ritter who doesn’t resonate, as she is given scant to do and can’t bring whatever life there was to the part of Margaret’s friend.

A down to Earth change of pace from Tim Burton, Big Eyes proves to be a memorable version of a true life story, that has a core of emotion and respect regarding art and two excellent performances from the leads.

The Fighter

Tags

2010's, Amy Adams, Based on a true story, Christian Bale, David O. Russell, Mark Wahlberg, Melissa Leo, Sports Drama, The Fighter

Film Title

The Fighter

Director

David O. Russell

Starring

• Mark Wahlberg as Micky Ward
• Christian Bale as Dicky Eklund
• Amy Adams as Charlene Fleming
• Melissa Leo as Alice Ward

Based on the true story of boxer Micky Ward and his unexpected comeback, The Fighter is an exceptional sports drama that benefits from the highly powered cast it has and immensely satisfying direction.

It’s the early 90’s in Lowell, Massachusetts and Micky Ward is a promising boxer with talent but not much luck. He is trained by his half-brother Dicky Eklund, who had a shot at the big time but has since fallen into drug addiction, a large group of sisters on his back and his brash mother Alice manages his career, thought it seems her main interest is the money at first. Yet while Micky has loyalty to for teaching him almost everything he knows about boxing, he has started to become wary of his brother’s drug habit and how his mother manages his career. And after another defeat that seriously knocks the wind out of his sails, he contemplates whether he should continue with boxing. Of course, his family doesn’t take too kindly to this idea. Yet Micky finds comfort in the arms of honest barmaid Charlene, who tells Micky that he will have to cut ties with his family if he ever wants to succeed as a fighter in the big time. Dicky finds himself in serious trouble and is put in prison for various crimes, which severs a lot of the relationship between him and his brother for a while. It all comes down to Micky to make this decision of whether family loyalty is as important as striving to hit the heights of greatness before it is too late and he can longer do it.

David O. Russell is on confident directorial duties and brings a variety of talent and vision to The Fighter. He uses a good helping of grit and infuses it into the material, best shown in the slight grain the film is tinted with to heighten a sense of authenticity. The crowd pleasing aspects come off amazingly and we all love to root for the underdog story, and this is one such story. Between the upheaval of family shouting matches and Micky’s attempts for success, The Fighter manages to satisfy both audiences that it is going for; the fans of boxing movies and those who like based on true life success tales. There is some great use of juxtaposition; seen when a drugged up Dicky is recounting his promising fight from years ago against Sugar Ray Leonard and then inter cut to this is the real footage of his once successful time, clearly showing just how far he has fallen since. This allows characters to shine in the film, especially Dicky, who undergoes a major transformation once incarcerated. At first, The Fighter is a little slow off the mark, before soon swinging into victory by pulling your interest into the story with the amount of energy and growing inspiration it has going through its veins. There is a healthy sprinkle of humour in the film( particularly shown in the fact that Micky can hardly get a word in edge ways because of his outrageous family) that actually works in the long run and doesn’t distract from the drama. And once the film gains footing, it plays out rather nicely and doesn’t disappoint you with its outcome. A knockout soundtrack bristles throughout The Fighter, driving a lot of the action both emotionally and aurally.

Mark Wahlberg cuts a subdued and good-natured presence, tempered with a deep feeling of dilemma of what to do. He is caught between his family and his abilities, and Wahlberg captures that excellently as the quiet heart of the inspiring story. It’s as much a physical performance as one that is emotionally internal too, a balancing act Wahlberg maintains to a high degree. Wahlberg’s quiet and subtlety are offset marvellously by the immensely convincing work of Christian Bale, who picked up a fully merited Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Micky’s drug-addicted brother. His very appearance, skeletal and almost spider like in movements, is so wholly convincing and integral that you can’t tear your eyes away from him. Yet while visually adept for the part, Bale also emotively brings out the shattered dreams of the pitiful Dicky, who can’t see that his days as a fighter are over because of how hooked on crack he is. There is a tragedy to the part that Bale plays to perfection and both this and his physical commitment to the role burn into the memory for a long time. Amy Adams is well cast against type as Micky’s girlfriend and supporter Charlene. The role allows Adams to showcase her versatility as a sexy and feisty lady; and the part is very different from how many have usually seen her in the past. Starring as Charlene, she imbues the part with an understanding and realistic toughness that fits it like a glove, as she encourages Micky to take a chance. She drops a million f-bombs, calls people out on their bull and has an attitude to burn; all of which Adams brings to the table with her considerable talents that cement her as one of the best actresses and my personal favourites out there. Melissa Leo, who collected a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role, is on fine form too as the mother/manager of Micky. While the part calls for her to be showy and aggressive, Leo makes it all work and unravels how Alice wants good things for her kids, she just can’t handle anyone else that she sees as getting in the way and undermining her. The role could have easily become a caricature, but with the winning Leo playing it, any such trepidation melts away as her boisterous yet realistic performances attests to.

A well-directed and entertaining sports drama, The Fighter comes out as an inspiring and eventful story with an authenticity and splendid cast ensuring a knockout delivery.

La Vie en Rose

Tags

2000's, Édith Piaf, Based on a true story, Biopic, Emmanuelle Seigner, Foreign Language Film, Gérard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Martins, La Vie en Rose, Marion Cotillard, Olivier Dahan, Sylvie Testud

Film Title

La Vie en Rose

Director

Olivier Dahan

Starring

• Marion Cotillard as Édith Piaf
• Sylvie Testud as Mômone
• Jean-Pierre Martins as Marcel Cerdan
• Emmanuelle Seigner as Titine
• Gérard Depardieu as Louis Leplée

An unconventional biopic of the hugely talented but deeply troubled French singer Édith Piaf, La Vie en Rose is a largely effective rendering of the tragedy she endured. The pace can be a bit off as can the choice to shoot out-of-order at various intervals, yet the fiercely intense and ward-winning work from Marion Cotillard and the handsome design of the piece, more than compensate for these quibbles and foibles to fashion a theatrical experience.

It is 1918 when Édith is first glimpsed as a girl living in poverty with her mother, who sings in the street for whatever money she can get. Her mother, wanting to be an artist, abandons her daughter with a relative. The little girl’s father returns from the War and takes Édith with him for a very short time. Her father then drops her off at his mother’s place in Normandy, which is a brothel, so he can go back to the circus. Young Édith is a very sickly child who nearly goes blind due to disease, she regains her sight after a long time of being without the use of her eyes. One of the prostitutes there named Titine, becomes something of a maternal figure and nurses her through these hard times. In later years, her absent father returns and forcibly takes her with him to the circus. Yet this doesn’t last and they are left busking on the streets, which is where the young Édith discovers her talent for singing. As she grows into a young woman, she continues to sing on the street, until one day she is discovered by Louis Leplée, who asks her to perform in his nightclub. She is given the last name Piaf( which in French slang means Little Sparrow) owing to her diminutive stature. Her first stab at stardom is cut short when Leplée is murdered, and it is assumed to be the work of men who Édith unintentionally knows, who are in fact nasty criminals on the side. Temporarily stuck in what to do and besmirched by many, she manages to catch the eye of songwriter , whose rigorous and often brutal training helps her with her perfect what would become her dynamic stage persona. Later with a new manager, Édith eventually hits stardom, though it soon turns out to be something that will lead to her downfall as drug addiction, thwarted love affairs( particularly the one with married boxer Marcel Cerdan) and many moments of tragedy that ruin her already temperamental and brittle mind are inflicted on her. Soon the lively woman is replaced by one that is aged well beyond relatively young years, yet still wanting to project passion. The film is depicted as a reverie of her memories from various parts of her short but eventful life, the structure of the film will be discussed later in this review.

Olivier Dahan directs this biopic on the life of the ‘Little Sparrow’ with some interesting ideas and style. While the script takes a bit of getting used to, Dahan and his flair for drama ensure that there is never a dull moment in what is often a moving and painful film. Now the main point of discussion in La Vie en Rose has to be the aforementioned structure of it. The events in life are depicted as a series of vignettes that at first don’t seem to link, but if you look closely actually match up quite a bit. I must say that the nonlinear execution can get quite confusing on occasion and I could have done with a bit more exposition and order, but I understood that the film was eschewing certain tropes of the biopic to conjure up the feeling of her life flashing before her eyes. The feeling of her reflecting on life when she is near the end is backed up by the expressionistic lighting, that mirrors a candle billowing and creating a deep golden colour that could go out any minute. Overall, the representation of her life is complex and sometimes lacks coherence, but still it gets across that she gave so much in her short life, that by the end she had nothing left in her. The use of Piaf’s music deserves credit as a lot of it bleeds into the next scene in a most theatrical and melancholy manner. The famous songs of hers, including the title song and ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien’ are all here and performed with emotional clarity.

The centre of La Vie en Rose and quote possibly the best thing in the movie is a truly staggering performance from Marion Cotillard, who garnered the Best Actress Oscar for her devastating work playing the iconic Édith Piaf. I can’t think of one thing Cotillard doesn’t put across or express here; there’s the fierce lust for life, tortured frailty, selfish tantrums and deep sadness to be seen throughout. The best way to describe the excellence of Cotillard’s performance is that she doesn’t just play Piaf, she literally lives and breathes this woman with unnerving emotion and realistic conviction. There are moments when you have to pinch yourself that it is Marion Cotillard acting as her work is so convincing and uncanny. Simply put, Marion Cotillard puts in a deep and shattering performance that ensures you won’t ever forget its intensity. Sylvie Testud is pretty good starring as Piaf’s best friend from her youth, who grows distant and resentful of her because of the way she abuses and treats others once she has become a star. I thought Jean-Pierre Martins was well cast as Marcel Cerdan, whose affair with Piaf had a huge impact on her. The scenes he shares with Cotillard are well-played across the board and add to the film. There was a beautiful melancholy and love expressed by Emmanuelle Seigner when portraying the prostitute who became an unlikely figure of motherly love for a very young Édith. Gérard Depardieu appears in the small but important role of the man who discovered Piaf and he does some good work in the limited time he is allotted.

The non chronological narrative may act as more of a hindrance than a help, but as an evocation of the tragic ups and down of life and sensationally played by the wonderful Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose shines with moving moments. Despite a few gripes, La Vie en Rose made its mark on me that I don’t believe I’ll forget it in a hurry.

Dark Angel

Tags

2010's, Alun Armstrong, Based on a true story, Crime, Dark Angel, Drama, Joanne Froggatt, Jonas Armstrong, Laura Morgan, Mary Ann Cotton, Penny Layden, Sam Hoare, Thomas Howes, Tom Varey

A two-part mini series recounting the life of Victorian serial killer and black widow Mary Ann Cotton, Dark Angel is pretty chilling stuff to watch. Though I feel it could have been more effective of it had more episodes, Dark Angel still hits the creepy notes of disturbance and turmoil that evoked the hardships of life at the time and how one woman took murderous charge over her own. Be warned, spoilers will follow in my review of the series based on true events.

We begin with Mary Ann Cotton(Joanne Froggatt) in prison in Durham, England, awaiting her execution by hanging in 1873. From here, we flashback to many years before when she came back to her home along with her first husband William(Tom Varey) and a young daughter. She had lost five children through gastric fever and coming back was something of an attempted fresh start. She moves in with her mother(Penny Layden) and step father(Alun Armstrong) for a while, yet when William gets a job on a steamship they have to move. Several children later and several more deaths follow Mary Ann, who finds the bed sit she lives in a dirty and horrible place designed to crush her spirit. Importantly, she has to purchase arsenic to get rid of bed bugs in the dank home. When William returns from work with a busted leg which means the family won’t be able to survive with no one earning money, a light comes on in Mary Ann’s head. Knowing that William has taken out life insurance( which was just coming into prominence with many families at the time), she slowly begins poisoning him by lacing his meals and tea with arsenic. William eventually dies painfully and his death is put down to disease, as it was so rife at the time. Mary Ann collects on the life insurance as a result of this and survives from possibly starving. Seeing how easy this is, Mary Ann moves around the North East and continues to gain more husbands, who all perish( but one) when they become no use to her anymore or can’t provide for her. And it isn’t just husbands that drop like flies, step-children, her own mother and best friend all end up six feet under, ensuring more money for her and that she won’t be found out. It is only years later that a suspicious grocer finds the woman a little menacing and slowly deduces how evil this Mary Ann Cotton truly is; leading to her arrest and eventual hanging.

Kudos to Dark Angel for how it telegraphs the squalor of Victorian life and how dank it all was. With a grey and brown colour palette, the world is unrelentingly grim for Mary Ann, who obviously chafed at her lack of prospects and eventually turned to murder to assert some form of power. Seriously, Dark Angel is enough to put anyone off tea for a long time, watching as this was one of Mary Ann’s wicked ways of slipping poison to her unwitting victims. I never thought the words ‘Everything will look better after a nice cup of tea’ could carry so much malevolence. Now the issue of pace is something of a double-edged sword as far as Dark Angel is concerned. On one hand, it moves pretty rapidly that it can be hard to keep up with what time frame we are in and what exactly is happening. Yet in another breath, it also conveys the grim efficiency of Mary Ann and how she managed to elude detection for so long by moving about and insidiously worming her way into people’s lives. Overall, the uneasiness is pretty darn effective, though I couldn’t escape that lingering feeling that a few more episodes may have done the story more justice. For what it’s worth, Dark Angel is still alarmingly watchable, as there is something grimly fascinating about watching how an average woman of the time took devious command of her life after feeling so slighted by the hand it had dealt her. And though we know the end result, it’s the lead up the captures the most interest for a lot of it. Be warned that Dark Angel is more than a little squirm inducing as historians have estimated that she may have killed up to 21 people, though we don’t see this, what we do witness certainly makes it appear possible that she was capable of anything. We may never really know why Mary Ann Cotton did what she did, but this drama provides a compelling visualization of her emergence as a woman of greed and horror. The music used is pretty minimal and through this, out attention is drawn more to the darkness and stark nature of this horrifying true story.

Joanne Froggatt is the series ace in the hole, embodying the part of Mary Ann Cotton exquisitely. At first, there is some genuine sympathy that Joanne Froggatt projects as Mary Ann; you can clearly see that life is one long drudge of housework, child rearing and soul-crushing poverty in the beginning. It’s the following events as she becomes very selfish and callous, killing anyone who stands in her way to financial gain or security that make the part truly horrifying. Froggatt doesn’t miss a beat, charting the rise in her killer instinct and avaricious ways that are captured through nuances of seductive charm, boiled anger and unrepentant mind. I admire her commitment to the role and how she played it with a certain subtlety rather than going for an overtly dramatic approach. Alun Armstrong is particularly good as the stepfather; a hardworking man who can’t help but have that nagging concern that something is just not right. The same goes for Penny Layden who compliments him well as Mary Ann’s mother, who while caring for her daughter, just doesn’t have the strength to shake off her suspicions of foul play. Sam Hoare is seen the most out of the four husband’s as he plays the rich and grieving widower in need of a nanny for his children. Hoare gets the sadness of the character across, but wisely he is the only husband to live as he realises that Mary Ann is not the sweet girl who came into his house when he discovers her thieving of money from his account. Jonas Armstrong plays Joe, a bit of rough who engages in a long affair with the devious Mary Ann. The part doesn’t particular call for a lot, but Armstrong gets the uncouth manner of the miner right enough. Laura Morgan fares very well in the supporting part of Mary Ann’s unsuspecting best friend, while as two of the unfortunate men who are offed by the wicked woman, Tom Varey and Thomas Howes evoke sympathy in their brief tenures.

So while it could have benefited from some more expansion to it, Dark Angel successfully gets by due to the shock of it all and the excellent work from Joanne Froggatt as the murderous Mary Ann Cotton.

And if anyone wants to get an idea of the series, below is the trailer.

Wild

Tags

2010's, Based on a true story, Drama, Jean-Marc Vallée, Kevin Rankin, Laura Dern, Michiel Huisman, Reese Witherspoon, Thomas Sadoski, Wild

Film Title

Wild

Director

Jean-Marc Vallée

Starring

• Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Stayed
• Laura Dern as Bobbi Grey
• Thomas Sadoski as Paul
• Michiel Huisman as Jonathan
• Kevin Rankin as Greg

Based on the true story of Cheryl Strayed, who embarked upon a self-reflective journey to get her life back on track, Wild is a quietly stirring film that unfolds quite beautifully and gains excellence from a physically enduring performance from Reese Witherspoon.

We pick up with one Cheryl Strayed in 1995; a young woman hiking 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to the Washington-Oregon border. Through flashbacks, we get to glimpse Cheryl’s life up to this point and what drove her to embark on this journey. The biggest event is the death of her beloved mother Bobbi, who always retained a positive outlook on life even when the odds were stacked against her. Her death subsequently left a hole in Cheryl’s life that she tried to fill with drug abuse and promiscuity. This had a knock on effect on her marriage to Paul, which ultimately ended in divorce when he couldn’t get through to her. Now on the journey, despite a lack of experience in hiking, Cheryl is attempting to forgive herself and come to terms with what her life has become after it fell completely apart. The journey she takes is one of both mental and physical anguish; her shoes are too small, she doesn’t have all the right materials and being a novice at hiking is not exactly helpful to her in the arduous voyage. Though she considers at various stops giving up because of how harsh and painful the journey is, something ultimately pulls her back and with the people she encounters, Cheryl grows stronger and finally begins to take stock of everything she has been through and the ways in which her travel will change her.

Films where characters go on journeys of self-discovery and change can often come off as saccharine and clichéd. Wild is thankfully not one of those films as it retains a natural quality that keeps it rooted in emotion and feeling throughout, without needing to go for big scenes of drama. Jean-Marc Vallée gives deep drops of intimacy to the proceedings through expressive close-ups and having Cheryl’s experience link to her past. He also isn’t afraid to show the darkness of Cheryl’s life in detail, where other films would shy away from doing so in order to keep something of a nice vibe. We are given the chance to witness Cheryl’s life, warts and all, and can really understand why she would want to just get away from all of it. Wild in itself is something of a contained story, which might seem strange as it is about a long trek, but what I mean is that the story is largely Cheryl’s and how events have impacted on her and her growth along the way. The film eschews bellowing histrionics for rumination and nuance( thanks to the assured direction of Jean-Marc Vallée and sensitive Nick Hornby script-which brings sprinkles of heart and small bits of humour to the film), which stand Wild in good stead as we gain a significant understanding of Cheryl through the flashbacks presented. And talking of flashbacks, the way they are placed within the narrative is seamlessly done and never becomes confusing as to which time frame we are in. From a visual standpoint, Wild is a lovely looking film, particularly at showing both the beauty and harshness of nature in the wilderness that can be very unpredictable. There are those out there who will sniff at Wild and say that not a lot happens within the story and that it isn’t anything particularly new. This is to miss the subtlety at work as everything is rooted in something of a realness that grows on you as the film continues. Quite a lot happens within the film, it just transpires in small vignettes of triumphs and tests that Cheryl must go through and endure to fully get herself together again. There are a few niggles in the narrative that slow it a bit, yet these are few and far between, as Wild stays on a relatively equal and level footing thanks to the talent both behind and in front of the camera. Music is used in a most complimentary fashion that joins together moments from the past with the present in Cheryl’s reveries.

Wild’s ace in the pack is Reese Witherspoon in a revealing performance that carries a large chunk of the film on her shoulders. She keeps Cheryl grounded in the long run of the story but also delves with nuances, into the wealth of emotional turmoil that still haunts her. I admired the way that Reese Witherspoon showed off a very different side to herself in this film; she really made the part feel organic and natural from the very first moment we glimpse her. She gives an authentic, raw and fearless energy to the part that displays Cheryl as flawed but still relatable to the audience as we understand her sadness and want her to succeed. It has to stand as one of her best performances, as it is mightily impressive watching her reflect and react to the things that have been thrown her way, both mentally and physically. Supporting Witherspoon is the lovely work from Laura Dern as her mother, largely seen in flashback. Dern projects such a ray of sunshine to the film that you can see why Cheryl would go into a real tailspin as her lifeline of happiness is gone. Thomas Sadoski is well cast as Cheryl’s ex who still tries to be of help to her, even after their divorce. Michiel Huisman and Kevin Rankin each play people Cheryl meets a long the way, and who each give her something to spur her on.

The odd wandering bit of film can be forgiven as Wild wisely retains a modesty and reflection that makes for a subtle yet moving film, headed by a commanding and committed Reese Witherspoon, in one of her best roles.

The Conjuring

Tags

2010's, Based on a true story, Horror, James Wan, Lili Taylor, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Supernatural Horror, The Conjuring, Vera Farmiga

Film Title

The Conjuring

Director

James Wan

• Vera Farmiga as Lorraine Warren
• Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren
• Lili Taylor as Carolyn Perron
• Ron Livingston as Roger Perron

Inspired by the case of Ed and Lorraine Warren; paranormal investigators who came to the aid of  the Perron family, who were experiencing disturbing events in their home, The Conjuring is a spooky exercise in genuine terror in the old-school vein. You won’t be sitting or sleeping soundly once you’ve seen this movie.

In 1971, Carolyn and Roger Perron move into an old farmhouse in Rhode Island with their five daughters. Yet within days of arrival, unexplainable phenomena beyond any explanation occur. All of the clocks in the house stop at the exact same time, Carolyn is trapped in the basement after hearing noises, she also develops strange bruises with no apparent cause, and one of the girls claims that a force is disturbing her sleep before threatening the family with a warning of death. Terrified, Carolyn and Roger seek out the help of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The couple are paranormal investigators with Ed having studied demonology and Lorraine being a powerful clairvoyant. Ed and Lorraine come to the house and set apart unearthing what the cause of this haunting and evil presence may be. Sure enough, more creepy events ensue for everyone and the evil within the walls refuses to leave. Ed with his knowledge of such things is worried though about Lorraine as while she is a clairvoyant whose senses are immensely powerful, each time she encounters something paranormal and supernatural, it weakens her little by little. Lorraine meanwhile is not the type to just sit around and with steadfast curiosity, she refuses to give up even at the expense of her own well-being. Ed and Lorraine have found some strange things in the past, but this could be the one to top them all. With determination they venture deeper into the history of the old farmhouse in an attempt to bring whatever resides there out. Yet coming up against the shocking evil that is located in the Perron home proves to be the Warren’s hardest and most personal case, that pushes them way beyond anything they have encountered before.

James Wan successful direction takes its cues from the horror movies of old that were all about the terror of the unexplainable and the unexpected. He is excellent at steadily layering on the horror and suspense with admirable restraint, before unleashing full-on terror when you least expect it. Believe me when I say, the last half of The Conjuring is frightening and so very intense that you won’t have any nails left by the end. Wan is adept at the old phrase that what you don’t see or think you see is a lot more scary than just revealing itself to you. The events depicted are inspired by the findings of Ed and Lorraine, but whether or not you believe the true story angle of The Conjuring is beside the point. The ensuing occurrences of creepiness and spiritual horror are presented without a CGI fanfare that weakens other films of the genre. This approach to the display of events that befall everyone makes the discoveries all the more realistic and even tangible. While the story has one foot in fact, the possibility of the supernatural is also there. This offers a good insight into how the two could overlap with the other, most embodied by the Warren’s themselves who are Catholic yet still believe in the paranormal. There is nary a drop of blood to be found in The Conjuring, which is admirable as it knows the meaning of restraint and how eeriness can be much more effective for scares. I wouldn’t say there is anything shiny or brand new to be found in The Conjuring, yet refreshingly this does not detract from the haunting ambience that the whole piece emits from beginning to end. If I had to choose an area in this film that I was probably most impressed by, it would be the overall visual style and sound effects in The Conjuring, as they neatly balance with the rest of the unnerving movie. The faded visual style gives a worn out feel to the house and events and while being effectively used for ambience, it also constructs a convincing recreation of the 70’s setting to a very high standard. The uneasy score, mixed with the jolts of things that go bump in the night, make sure this film is as haunting as anything in recent horror memory.

Vera Farmiga is the heart of The Conjuring as the sensitive clairvoyant Lorraine Warren. A softly spoken character whose abilities are extraordinary, Farmiga exhibits a resilience of strength but an underlying vulnerability in the part that is extremely well-acted. She registers concern and hopefulness without a drop of sentimentality with relative ease that all adds up to a strong performance of resolute emotion and significant clout. Backing her up is the sagacious presence of Patrick Wilson as her notable husband Ed. He gives off a well-worn charm and quiet depth in the most subtle of ways that perfectly compliments the work of Farmiga. And I must say, that the two share a very good chemistry and working relationship with the other that is very much in evidence throughout The Conjuring. Lili Taylor is extremely convincing as the terrified mother, who is the worst affected by the haunting of her house and whose emotional frailties become more noticeable as the film progresses. Ron Livingston provides understatement and stifled horror as the husband of the haunted property, who is trying to hold it together to protect his family from whatever it is that wishes them malice and harm.

Marvelously rendered with style and suspense, The Conjuring is a refreshingly old-fashioned horror that jangles the nerves from start to finish and never resorts to cheap tricks to get the scares.

Dangerous Beauty

Tags

1990's, Based on a true story, Catherine McCormack, Dangerous Beauty, Drama, Fred Ward, Jacqueline Bisset, Marshall Herskovitz, Moira Kelly, Naomi Watts, Oliver Platt, Romance, Rufus Sewell

Film Title

Dangerous Beauty

Director

Marshall Herskovitz

Starring

• Catherine McCormack as Veronica Franco
• Rufus Sewell as Marco Venier
• Oliver Platt as Maffio Venier
• Jacqueline Bisset as Paolo Franco
• Fred Ward as Domenico Venier
• Moira Kelly as Beatrice Venier
• Naomi Watts as Giulia De Lezze

Taking basis from the true story of 16th Century courtesan and poet Veronica Franco, Dangerous Beauty is an underrated movie that finds a somewhat inspiring and passionate tale in the journey of a trailblazer who gained both respect and scorn.

16th Century Venice: women are seen as property and marriage has nothing to do with love, more for the sake of duty and money. Veronica Franco is a beautiful young girl with a passion for verse and desire for learning. She is of lowly birth, yet has a kittenish disposition that covers this. Young and passionate Veronica is in love with Senator’s son Marco Venier, and he returns that love. Yet due to the fact that she is of inferior birth and that her family can’t provide a dowry, the two can never marry. Devastated by this knowledge, she is consoled by her mother Paolo. Her mother then gives Veronica a talk on a path to that could liberate her to a comfortable existence. The profession in question is being a courtesan. Hearing this surprising advice from her mother, Veronica recoils at first at the idea of selling her body for profit. But once she hears that courtesans can have a sense of influence and rights to an education, she takes note. Forsaking her love for Marco, Veronica transforms due to her burgeoning intelligence and drive into a courtesan of which she becomes greatly renowned. Veronica finds her fortunes changing and her reputation growing, both for better and for worse in some quarters. She gains respect from a lot of people higher up the social ladder, yet earns the hate of ladies who see that their husbands could very well be Veronica’s clients. Her poetry flourishes and though the world that she inhabits is male-dominated, through her intellect and passion she gets a foothold in society. Yet Veronica, while gaining independence, craves the love of Marco secretly yet understands the precariousness of standing. Fate has other plans however as war brews, plague arrives and the Inquisition takes residence in Venice. Veronica is forced to testify in court about her life, to which she shows her mettle and takes aim at the hypocrisy of society in unconventional style.

A film like Dangerous Beauty had the potential to be overly sleazy and trashy, so it’s good that it steers clear of both by way of confident and understanding direction. Marshall Herskovitz has this innate ability to sympathise with the characters, mainly in the case of Veronica. He doesn’t pass judgement on her despite the profession she embarks on, portraying her more as a girl who takes the initiative in order to prosper in a world that is obsessed with social standing and class. A script filled with drama, romance and wittiness, stands Dangerous Beauty in good stead as it busts apart the hypocritical attitudes of the time and especially the burdens on women in general. The parts of humour, provided mostly by Veronica and her excellent way with words, moves the story along with a brisk pace that doesn’t scrimp on the deeper parts of the story either. Now with Dangerous Beauty being a film about a courtesan, there is a sexual tone to the movie. Yet as sensuality is presented, it is done in a way that isn’t just about naked bodies and sweating. Sex is a power play in a sort of way in Dangerous Beauty, exposing how women were looked at in the time but how Veronica switched it up with her untamed personality. There are some areas where the film can be a little uneven, but Dangerous Beauty is not harmed by this thankfully as its story and execution remain intact. Beauty is glimpsed through the vast array of colour that features heavily, the visual department really knock it out the park recreating 16th Century Venice. An expressive score encompasses the humour, drama and passion on display with beautiful shifts in emotional levels.

Catherine McCormack delivers a splendid performance here as the soul of the film. Imbuing Veronica with a keen intention to learn, seductiveness and later outspoken feeling, she truly is a marvel. Boasting a beauty yet a heart and desire, you can’t quite take your eyes off her. Plus, her interpretation of the often witty and poetic words Veronica speaks are both fun and refreshing. McCormack is simply like a breath of fresh air, boasting the right temperament and conviction for the part of a woman who refused to be compromised by chains and retained dignity. The character of Veronica Franco is supposed to stand out and man does Catherine McCormack do just that. Rufus Sewell exhibits a sensitivity and sense of conflict within nobleman Marco, who knows that he loves Veronica but is obliged by duty to marry someone else. We witness the stiffening of his backbone as Dangerous Beauty commences and he begins to change. One of the biggest stand outs after McCormack is Oliver Platt. He essays the role of Marco’s cousin who isn’t as well off as he and whose jealousy burns that Veronica’s poetry flourishes with a chance of money while his dwindles. Although the character is a wastrel, there are many notes of tragedy to him. Jacqueline Bisset is simply terrific as the extremely wise mother who instructs her daughter into the ways of a courtesan under her watchful eye. She boasts a delightfully observant cynicism that has been shaped through her years as a young woman in a male-dominated world and the way in which she can educate her daughter in how to gain something. Then we have Fred Ward who clearly has a ball with the role of Marco’s uncle, playing him with a wily understanding of his nephew’s needs and a genuine respect for Veronica, where others scorn her. Though largely in the background for a lot of Dangerous Beauty, Moira Kelly comes into her own later on with a scathing attack on the unfair treatment of women in society. And look out for an early role from Naomi Watts as the timid and dutiful wife chosen for Marco.

A satisfying and beautifully rendered drama of one woman and her integrity, Dangerous Beauty is sumptuous, fresh and at times quite funny. I greatly advise people to see this film as it is a pretty underappreciated one in my eyes.

The Story of Adele H

Tags

1970's, Based on a true story, Bruce Robinson, Drama, Foreign Language Film, François Truffaut, Isabelle Adjani, The Story of Adele H

Film Title

The Story of Adele H

Director

François Truffaut

Starring

• Isabelle Adjani as Adele Hugo
• Bruce Robinson as Lieutenant Albert Pinson

A haunting film from François Truffaut that delves into madness and obsession, The Story of Adele H takes its basis from the true story of Victor Hugo’s second daughter and how her unrequited love for a man led to her undoing.

The year is 1863 and beautiful Adele Hugo, daughter of the famous author Victor, travels to Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is going under an assumed name for reasons we are not aware of yet and finds shelter in a boarding house. She seems like a charming and composed young woman, yet something about her seems a little off. This becomes especially noticeable in the way her stories of why she is in Halifax change with each person she meets, though the one detail that remains the same is the mention of Yet once she meets Pinson again, it becomes exceedingly clear that the dashing but philandering man doesn’t share romantic feelings for her anymore and that their brief relationship meant nothing. He is concerned about what this will do to his image if Adele is constantly pursuing him and asks her to leave. The stubborn Adele refuses to do so and takes it upon herself to do whatever it takes to get close to him again. In the meantime she also regrets to her room at a boarding house where she spends hours writing letters of lies to her family about the non-existent relationship and pouring her heart into diaries about her delusional love( that seems perfectly rational in her mind). As her obsession progresses, she becomes more extreme and desperate in her actions, sinking into deep delusion and insanity. All of this eventually leads to Adele’s downfall where she is left as an empty shell thanks to engulfing madness and a love that is so intense that it destroys her.

There is something very poetic to be found in the direction of François Truffaut here. He paints this story as something tragic and grandly passionate, yet shows everything from one side to showcase the destructiveness of Adele. His most successful step is that he doesn’t judge Adele’s actions harshly per say. Yes her behaviour verges from lovesick to obsessive and manipulative at times, but he incorporates a sense of sympathy to her that you can’t miss. He gives The Story of Adele H a deep subtlety that many could miss at first but later witness as the heroine’s mind begins to noticeably crumble. Through the use of diary entries and voice overs from Adele, we don’t necessarily understand Adele’s mind but she has such a ferocious love that we can’t help but be shocked or moved by it. The pace unravels deliberately as a result and it makes Adele’s descent even more tragic as she goes from seemingly respectable girl to woman possessed by a love that knows no limit. Some may take issue with the slow revealing of it all, but my advice is to stay with it as it pays dividends to the haunting and saddening story on show. The cinematography paints a gloomy picture of the complexity of obsessive love, using grey and muted tones for the surroundings of Halifax. And the music score hits just the right notes of melancholy and delusion, much like the main character herself.

Isabelle Adjani is the key to this film and the real anchor of it. Adjani was 19 when she filmed this movie and her performance transcended her young years. With a magnetic screen presence, Adjani crafts a heroine of deep-rooted obsession, devotion and worrying intensity. At the start there is a degree of subtlety to Adele that Isabelle Adjani plays to well, as the character just seems to be a compulsive liar. But as her desires are laid bare and her actions become more extreme, the frightening depth of her unrequited love(thanks to the stunning work from Adjani), is slowly revealed in disturbing yet emotional ways. I believe the greatest success of Adjani’s work is that she didn’t fall into the mad woman role in an over the top way. Instead she took the internal route, that is wonderfully conveyed through her hypnotic gaze, that slowly pulled back the tragic layers of a woman broken by her determination and devotion. Quite simply, the performance is a masterful one that won’t leave you once you’ve seen it. Bruce Robinson takes the role of the selfish and spurning Pinson, who doesn’t understand Adele and wants her to leave. It’s the lesser role of the two because the work of Adjani is so powerful, but Robinson plays the part well.

A poetic and devastating movie that plumbs the depths of unrequited love and the damaging wounds of it, The Story of Adele H is a hard movie to forget. More so because it is based on a melancholy true story that is vividly brought to life by Truffaut and the startling work of Isabelle Adjani.

Norma Rae

Tags

1970's, Barbara Baxley, Based on a true story, Beau Bridges, Drama, Martin Ritt, Norma Rae, Pat Hingle, Ron Leibman, Sally Field

Film Title

Norma Rae

Director

Martin Ritt

Starring

• Sally Field as Norma Rae Webster
• Ron Leibman as Reuben Warshowsky
• Beau Bridges as Sonny Webster
• Pat Hingle as Vernon
• Barbara Baxley as Leona

An inspiring movie that takes basis from a true story, Norma Rae is refreshingly realistic and filled with a deep heart, best embodied by the bravura work of Sally Field that garnered her many awards of which she was more than deserving of.

Norma Rae Webster works in a cotton mill in North Carolina, just like almost everyone in her small town including her aging mother and father. The place is one that is defined by one industry and it’s almost expected that everyone will work there at one point. Norma is a woman with a reputation in the past of drinking and going from one abusive relationship to the next, as well as having children by different fathers which many people take issue with. She has recently married Sonny who is supportive yet chauvinistic and boorish on occasion. The mill that she works in has taken its toll on both her mother and father over the years and despite not being the most educated person, she is starting to realise the unfairness and harsh treatment from management. Around this time, New York Union organizer Reuben Warshowsky arrives and begins talking of better working conditions, which alarms both management and workers. At the beginning, Norma Rae has resided herself to the fact that she’ll likely always work at the mill, yet with Reuben around and after hearing one of his speeches, she starts to reconsider what she though she knew. Over time and quickly inspired by Reuben, Norma Rae realises that she can’t simply stand back while these poor conditions continue and while originally reluctant to get involved with Reuben, she slowly gets on board with him and starts to see potential in herself as she grows stronger. With growing confidence and bravery to stand up for herself from Reuben, Norma starts a fight for better conditions and Union, even though she is threatened by her bosses, alienated from her husband and shunned by many of her co-workers. Norma finally gets her chance to make a difference in her role as leader and agitator begins to get significant attention.

Martin Ritt infuses Norma Rae with unfussy direction that closely looks at the heroine’s growth and the horrifying conditions of her work. His intimate camera pans over the sheer amount of demeaning work everyone at the mill is put through with the feel of a documentary, never forgetting that the film takes its basis from a true story. Ritt knows exactly how to mix depth of character, politics and inspiring tones as Norma fights for Union despite vast opposition from nearly everyone a around her. Martin Ritt brings a minimalism to the film that places us within the film, never letting us forget the basis of the story and the grit provided from what we witness. A well constructed script strikes the right chords of seriousness and emotion; allowing us to journey with the title character. Also refreshing is while there is something of an attraction between Norma and Reuben, it doesn’t dissolve into an affair which marks it as something different due to the fact that the attraction is more one of admiration than passion. In the odd area, Norma Rae couldn’t have been tightened up a bit but this is a very minor flaw in a pretty effective and moving picture. The music is sparse which lets the audience focus on the unfolding story more, yet the haunting title song ‘It Goes like it Goes’ provides the perfect opening and close to the film.

The ace in the hole is Sally Field, who won a much deserved Oscar for her turn as the evolving title character. I liked the way that Field revealed that Norma is no saint but whose heart and growing strength act as arsenal for her as she slowly becomes a fighter in a marvellous transformation. She makes Norma Rae a relatable character because of how she doesn’t go out to make her a too good to be true heroine, instead painting her as an ordinary woman discovering her worth. It’s an authentic, emotion driven performance that shows Field at her best as there isn’t a beat that she misses when playing Norma, who unearths a power in herself that she never know was there. I can’t speak any more highly of Field’s award-winning turn here, other than to say that she is nothing short of heroic in a tour de force performance. Ron Leibman provides stellar support as the stirring Reuben, who sees potential and strength in Norma Rae, as well as boasting a quick-witted way of taking down opposition. In the part of Norma’s husband, who suspects that her alliance with Reuben is something more, Beau Bridges is appropriately concerned and meaning well, but hampered by his masculine tendencies and big attitude to question what his wife is up to. Pat Hingle and Barbara Baxley respectively play Norma’s parents, whose health has declined due to their torturous work at the mill.

Rousing yet grounded and touched with straightforward but emotive direction, Norma Rae is an excellent movie that shows the true courage of one woman no one thought much of and Sally Field at the peak of her powers in the role of the eponymous character.

Lorenzo’s Oil

Tags

1990's, Based on a true story, Drama, George Miller, Lorenzo's Oil, Margo Martindale, Nick Nolte, Peter Ustinov, Susan Sarandon, Zack O'Malley Greenburg

Film Title

Lorenzo’s Oil

Director

George Miller

Starring

• Susan Sarandon as Michaela Odone
• Nick Nolte as Augusto Odone
• Peter Ustinov as Professor Nikolais
• Margo Martindale as Wendy Gimble
• Zack O’Malley Greenburg as Lorenzo Odone

A harrowing but inspiring true story is brought to the screen in the drama Lorenzo’s Oil. Focusing on Augusto and Michaela Odone’s unending determination and eventual success in finding a treatment to stabilize their son’s terminal disease, it gains power and deep emotion from heartfelt direction and most successfully two outstanding performances from Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte.

Lorenzo Odone is a five-year-old boy as the movie opens, full of energy and brightness. He lives initially with his banker father Augusto and mother Michaela in the Comoros. The family then relocates back to the United States and this is when things become very worrying for young Lorenzo. He begins to lose some of his hearing, has convulsions and displays neurological problems. His concerned parents have him evaluated and he is then diagnosed with the rare and complex disease ALD, which is usually fatal within two years and . Reeling from the prognosis, Michaela and Augusto find that no doctor is able to treat the disease because of how rare it is. But instead of sitting back and waiting for the inevitable, Michaela and Augusto begin their search for a treatment. Despite neither of them having any real knowledge in medical or scientific study, they soon bury their heads in research, reviewing records of tests and trying any means necessary to treat their son. Along the way, the couple are met with adversity and skepticism from support groups, doctors and scientists who are all about going through the proper channels and waiting until something is found. Undettered by the fact that nothing is in their favour, the two parents continue their crusade, hanging on by sheer will and faith that they will find something and not be torn apart by everything. Eventually they manage to discover the usage of two types of oil that will break the boundaries of modern medicine and assist in stabilizing young Lorenzo’s condition, that many said couldn’t be treated.

George Miller as director crafts this inspiring film from the true story and keeps it rooted in emotion and faith. I admire the way that Miller successfully didn’t make Lorenzo’s Oil yet another  ‘Disease of the week’ style movie, instead bringing forth the heart and steadfast love that both parents exhibit and are willing to use if it means saving their son from an early death. Employing unusual angles and quick camera shots to place us right in the middle of the harrowing turn of events that befall’s Lorenzo and his family, before making the camera smoothly operated as a tiny glimmer of hope begins to appear when at first it looked as if there was none to find. Despite the fact that the audience knows the outcome of the story, this shouldn’t be held against Lorenzo’s Oil as it really cranks up the tension throughout as the Odone’s bury themselves in anything that can be of help to their boy in a desperate time. If anything knowing that the family succeed only makes the film more inspiring and triumphant as it shows the tenacity of their hopes and research, that many wrote off as in vain but was proven wrong.

A major high point of Lorenzo’s Oil is the cast, in particular Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte as the crusading Odone’s. Both actors pour the hearts and souls into the roles and it really shows. Susan Sarandon is a force of nature as Michaela, who holds firm that her son will survive and won’t listen to anyone else who says otherwise. Part of this is why I found her performance so compelling, she never sugar coats the woman or makes her saintly. She snaps at others who don’t share her faith and can be ruthless in order to get what she wants, but all of that comes from a place of love and the soulful eyes of Susan Sarandon wonderfully portray this. Nick Nolte, sporting an Italian accent that gets easier to listen to as the film progresses, is equally as good as Augusto, who throws himself into research. He is the more rational of the two parents, yet while their attitudes at times of what is best to do clash, they are both united in their goal to save their son and Nolte sensitively displays this. Peter Ustinov is very good as a medical professor who wants to help, but whose hands are tied due to ethics, time and bureaucracy. Margo Martindale is hugely effective as the mother of two children afflicted with the disease and is one of the few people to be of support to the Odone’s. As the young Lorenzo, Zack O’Malley Greenburg shows him in the beginning as a vibrant child who is then struck with the disease that affects him significantly and cruelly.

Truly moving, evocatively performed by the cast and never falling into cloying sentimentality, Lorenzo’s Oil is a stirring account of determination in the face of hopelessness and the fighting spirit of a parent’s love for their child.