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Tag Archives: Danny Glover

Saw

25 Friday Sep 2020

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

2000's, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Horror, James Wan, Ken Leung, Leigh Whannell, Michael Emerson, Monica Potter, Saw, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell

A horror movie that gave rise to a series of increasingly brutal follow ups, Saw was the benchmark of pushing the envelope yet retaining a story. Shot on a small budget and completed on a quick schedule, director James Wan and writer/ actor Leigh Whannell created a film that was grisly yet very well executed and with more psychological underpinnings than what followed. 

Two strangers, prominent surgeon Dr. Lawrence Gordon(Cary Elwes) and photographer Adam(Leigh Whannell) wake up in an underground bathroom. They are both chained to pipes and between them is a bloodied corpse holding a cassette player and a revolver. Both men seem to have no recollection of how they arrived in this dank, disused place. Soon discovering that the room is filled with clues and objects that may be useful, the two men use the cassette player to listen to the messages left. A gargled voice explains that Lawrence’s wife Allison(Monica Potter)and daughter Diana have been kidnapped and will be killed if Lawrence doesn’t kill Adam by a certain time. Adam is urged to escape, though it seems the only way to do that is to saw off his foot and crawl to hopeful safety. 
Soon memories start coming back to Lawrence who realises something awful about their predicament. Him and Adam are part of an elaborate and disturbing game set up by The Jigsaw Killer(Tobin Bell). He is a man who puts people who don’t appreciate life in horrifying situations involving torture to see how much they want to survive. As time keeps ticking by, we also witness a former detective named David Tapp(Danny Glover) who had previously runs in with Jigsaw, becoming dangerously obsessed with finding him. Both scenarios promise much in the way of horror and brutality for everyone involved with a killer twist.

Debuting director James Wan made a splash with Saw and its clear to see why. Wan possesses a keen sense of what unnerves the audience and a hold over a gloomy sense of style. Setting the film largely in one location was a great idea that paid off, with the flashbacks setting the scene even further for us in a gradual fashion. The cold,  washed out colour pallet adds to the grimness of Saw; bathing events in an uneasy hue that makes your eyes almost readjust to the bleakness. Certain comparisons can be drawn to Seven, and that’s quite a movie to take influence from. Saw however does it well and has its own twisted agenda going for it, so it is far from a copycat of the masterful aforementioned movie. Though later films would up the gore to excruciating levels, Saw itself is a bit more tame. There is definite gore and much unpleasant imagery to behold( like one unfortunate victim of Jigsaw in a maze of barbed wire), but it’s often shown briefly or in ways that don’t display everything. Take for instance when we see a victim of Jigsaw with a reverse bear trap strapped to her head. Instructed by the madman to retrieve the key to release her from sudden death, she must brutally kill a sedated man and find the object in his stomach. It would have been easy to make it a full on bloodbath, but Wan chooses to speed up footage and only display various parts do that our imagination does the rest of the work and makes us picture the horror. It’s one of many scenes where you see bits of the gore but it’s largely left up to us to visualise what is happening in the story in that particular grisly. 
Once the film opens up in narrative terms, it feels more expansive and puzzling with the history of characters explored after what seemed like such a straightforward premise. Granted the set up is simple but effective, but Wan and Whannell are clearly interested in playing with the formula as well as injecting some pertinent questions on the nature of morality and desperation. Saw isn’t without its flaws( sometimes the script shows that it’s from a novice and a few times things can move too quickly to focus), yet this shouldn’t detract from a creepy as well as horrifying film that knows how to get under your skin. It’s hard to forget the clown like puppet that acts as the terrifying mouthpiece for Jigsaw, uttering the now infamous line “ I want to play a game”. This moment and visual has become synonymous with the film and rightfully so as it’s chilling. One of the best elements in Saw is the score from Charlie Clouser. It has an industrial influence that hums away with an electronic pulse that underscores the mounting terror of the film. 

Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell head the movie as the imprisoned men. Elwes is all trying to remain calm under pressure with a seemingly sensible and arrogantly strait-laced head before really cracking up, while Whannell in an early acting role is the more showy and in your face, never seen that still for long. Occasionally both actors go a little overboard( especially Whannell in a few stretches), but what still remains is good acting as we buy into the shared terror between them that can’t be denied. Sure no Oscars are coming their way for this, but they are acceptably good in their given parts and sell a lot of the horror we witness. They must be commended for holding our attention as the people who are basically on screen the most from start to finish. 
Danny Glover is suitably intense as the obsessed and verging on full breakdown former detective who provides the other half of the story and an axe to grind with Jigsaw. Ken Leung provides more backstory to the case as Glover’s parter in investigation and the two work well off each other. Michael Emerson, with his large eyes and uneasy demeanour, has us on edge with his delivery of a man caught him the game but not in the way you might think. Monica Potter on the other hand is just required to be terrified and not much else, as her character doesn’t have much in the way of development. Props must be given to Shawnee Smith for her one scene that truly traumatises; the reverse bear trap one where most of her acting is through her eyes and they evoke such a feeling of desperation and visceral pain it’s astounding. Despite limited screen time and mainly just the use of his voice, Tobin Bell creates one of horror’s most memorable villains in Jigsaw. That voice will send unending shivers down your spine and it’s down to that and Bell’s embracing of the twisted philosophy of the character that you buy into it.

A creepy and nail biting horror that is both stomach churning and psychological, Saw is a definite recommendation for horror fans out there. 

Beloved

05 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

1990's, Beah Richards, Beloved, Danny Glover, Drama, Jonathan Demme, Kimberly Elise, Oprah Winfrey, Thandie Newton

Film Title

Beloved

Director

Jonathan Demme

Starring

  • Oprah Winfrey as Sethe
  • Danny Glover as Paul D
  • Thandie Newton as Beloved
  • Kimberly Elise as Denver
  • Beah Richards as Baby Suggs

The brutal and shameful legacy of slavery is laid bare in Beloved while also featuring a heavy supernatural theme throughout. Though while it’s an undoubtedly powerful film benefiting from some excellent acting, the sum of its part don’t quite add up to a whole which is rather unfortunate. Still it has its moments of raw and haunting power about how the impact of such events scars someone and refuse to leave.

Sethe is a former slave who now lives in Cincinnati, Ohio in the years following the Civil War. Beloved Movie PosterHer daughter Denver lives with her in her house(handed down by Sethe’s deceased mother-in-law and wise preacher Baby Suggs), but her other children, two sons, have run away because of a strange phenomena within their house. The house appears to be possessed by an angry spirit that makes life unbearable by employing poltergeist levels of anguish and destruction; Sethe believes the ghost is of her oldest daughter who died years before. For Denver, living in a haunted place is proving too much and as she’s so shut off from everything else due to shyness, finds life particularly tough. Some of the gloom for mother and daughter is temporarily alleviated by the arrival of an old friend Paul D, who also endured years of suffering at the same plantation as Sethe. The warm Paul moves in and has always loved Sethe, and while at first she doesn’t want to get too close, she tentatively reciprocates his feelings and for once everything seems to be getting a little better. Sethe and DenverYet while it seems that Paul has banished the ghost, it takes the form of something else and returns. It embodies the firm of a teenage girl known only as Beloved, who emerges from the swamps covered in insects and makes her way to Sethe’s home. Beloved can barely speak or communicate and seems to be something of a feral child stuck in a teenage body. Sethe takes a liking to Beloved and begins to help her as well as Denver who teaches the girl to articulate words. Yet Beloved is a lot more than meets the eye and her haunting presence soon weighs heavy on the family that where just finding harmony. Beloved seems to be innocent, but her existence starts to unsettle Denver, Paul and most importantly Sethe as she appears to have a deep connection with Sethe’s buried past that causes a haunting spectre to hover over her. Sethe has never forgotten the abhorrent acts that she suffered while being a slave and one particularly act of desperation she committed after escaping from torture. And with Beloved now in residence at her house, Sethe is forced to confront the literal and mental ghosts of her past that she fought so long to suppress.

From doing my research, I see that Oprah Winfrey was instrumental in wanting to get the book from which the film is based brought to the big screen. I can understand why she would want to bring the story to the screen as it is undeniably powerful and disturbing stuff. It’s a shame then that Beloved couldn’t quite come together as successfully as she’d hoped. Still even though it’s a flawed film, Jonathan Demme is a very talented director in my book and he shows off considerable skill in many areas of Beloved. His command of the camera is impressive, particularly in an array of close-ups that have the actors almost breaking the fourth wall and beckoning to us. He also doesn’t sanitize any of the horror of slavery and doesn’t hold back on showing how shameful and disgusting it was. I commend Demme for this as he is making us as the viewers confront the disturbing and inhumane past, in much the same way as the characters do. Thandie Newton BelovedHis hold over pacing however is far from ideal and while I can get the long running time it does feel at times excessive and like Demme is trying to cram so much in to the story. At least his direction has some good qualities to it, despite numerous flaws located within Beloved. As a film, Beloved does veer all over the place at a lot of occasions and can be deeply confusing as to what it’s aiming for. At least there is a haunting cinematography and camera style that taps into the harsh truths about slavery, the chilling ghost of the past and the desperate need to escape. Flashbacks are bathed in red and applied with grainy abrasions to a very good effect, heightened by canted camera angles. A gospel influenced score from Rachel Portman pierces to the heart of emotions on display and contributes soulfulness to the film.

In the lead of Sethe, Oprah Winfrey contributes a subtle performance of stoic suffering and maternal love. I must say I mainly think of Winfrey as the host of her own TV show and her being bubbly, but here she exudes a profound depth and sadness to the part of Sethe, who is haunted quite literally by her past. Winfrey’s eye soulfully reveal her pain, even when Sethe tries to remain strong in the face of confronting the horrors of her life as a slave. Danny Glover also impresses in the film; playing Paul D as a seemingly joyful man, who is not oblivious to what he has been through but refusing to be beat down by it. As the eponymous character who is an unusual puzzle, the talented Thandie Newton turns in a feral performance of physical power that prompts moments of shock, sympathy and even revulsion. The performance does make Newton go through some extreme things and makes her overact through various stretches, but it suits the character very well and in Newton’s hands becomes something different and strange. The person who really caught my eye and delivered for me the standout performance was the subtle and slowly growing Kimberly Elise. Kimberly Elise BelovedKimberly Elise marvellously displays Denver’s insecurities and fears(first of going outside and later of Beloved who takes over the house) and how she evolves from a shut in into an independent woman when it is required and she must become stronger to prosper. Her character of Denver is by the far the one who changes the most in the story and Kimberly Elise shines in the part. In the small but extremely memorable role of Baby Suggs seen in flashback, Beah Richards combines passion with steel as the preacher who still sees the good in life despite all of the horrors that it has inflicted on her over the years.

So while showing the utter horror of slavery and the long-lasting impact of it, Beloved is sadly a film that is made up of moments rather a cohesive experience which is rather unfortunate it must be said. It has some very committed acting and unusual visuals, but the film just doesn’t come together well enough to make an indelible imprint on the mind. It’s a film that has good intentions but is just never realized enough on the screen.

 

The Prince of Egypt

05 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

1990's, Animated, Biblical, Danny Glover, Helen Mirren, Jeff Goldblum, Martin Short, Michelle Pfeiffer, Patrick Stewart, Ralph Fiennes, Sandra Bullock, Steve Martin, The Prince of Egypt, Val Kilmer

Film Title

The Prince of Egypt

Directors

Simon Wells, Brenda Chapman and Steve Hickner

Voice Cast

  • Val Kilmer as Moses
  • Ralph Fiennes as Rameses
  • Michelle Pfeiffer as Tzipporah
  • Sandra Bullock as Miriam
  • Jeff Goldblum as Aaron
  • Danny Glover as Jethro
  • Patrick Stewart as Pharaoh Seti
  • Helen Mirren as Queen Tuya
  • Steve Martin as Hotep
  • Martin Short as Huy

Prince of Egypt Movie PosterDreamWorks take on the biblical story of Moses is a stunningly animated and powerfully constructed film. From the stirring music to the talented voice cast, The Prince of Egypt is a powerful achievement in animation as Moses discovers his destiny to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

In Ancient Egypt, a female slave, in order to save her baby son from a cull of Hebrew children, sends him down the river in a basket in the hopes that he will be able to live free. The baby is discovered by the Queen, who adopts him and gives him the name Moses. Years later, Moses is grown up and has a friendly rivalry with his older brother Rameses, who will one day become Pharaoh. Moses is unaware of his mother’s sacrifice all those years ago or the fact that he is a Hebrew by birth. That is until he meets Miriam, his biological sister and a slave who informs him of the truth. Confused and shocked by this, he begins to see that everything he’s ever known has been a lie. Now aware of his past, he can’t just stand and watch as the Hebrews are enslaved by the Egyptians. Fleeing into the desert after accidentally killing a slave driver beating an elderly slave, Moses is visited by God in the form of a burning bush. Moses now begins to understand his destiny but his views are at odds with the newly crowned Rameses. Their differing beliefs will forever change the close relationship of the two. Evocative, well executed and filled with images of great wonder and beauty, The Prince of Egypt is a staggeringly staged marvel of animation that will engage you regardless of whether you’re religious or not.

The first thing to praise is the grand and beautiful animation that captures the interest from the first frame. Scenes live long in the memory from the slaves praying through their arduous work to Moses being sent down the river, visual splendour abounds. Special attention must go to the sequences of the Plagues of Egypt; as frogs emerge from the river, livestock perishes and the last plague of the death of the first-born occur. These scenes are carefully constructed and detailed to the highest degree as well as dealing with some deep themes such as faith and religion. The music of the film is stirring and very memorable. The two songs that stand out the most are ‘Deliver Us’, sung by the slaves as they ask God for mercy and the Oscar-winning ‘When You Believe’, a stunning song about the eventual reward of patience and the joy that comes from undying faith.

The voice cast assembled are an exceptionally talented bunch that invest their characters with both heart and emotion. Val Kilmer strongly voices Moses and shows us the gradual bravery after initial uncertainty that Moses gets as he realises his destiny. The commanding voice of Ralph Fiennes portrays Rameses who struggles with his brother’s calling and won’t back down as he sees it as a sign of weakness. Michelle Pfeiffer combines feisty determination with loving warmth as Tzipporah, the eventual wife of Moses who he helped escape from Egypt after being kidnapped. Sandra Bullock is earnest and passionate as Miriam, the sister of Moses who is the first person to show him the truth about his destiny. Fleshing out the other skilled voices are Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Patrick Stewart and Helen Mirren, who all contribute emotional depth to this tale. Steve Martin and Martin Short voice the court magicians who add the comic relief.

Stunningly animated and sonically beautiful, The Prince of Egypt is a marvellous film. Some may say it is religious propaganda, but one can’t deny the amount of talented work at play here in bringing this story to the screen.

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