'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote' Review: The Mad Gilliam Dreamer
When discussing the large range of dreamers, one could argue that director Terry Gilliam and Don Quixote are not listed far apart. For both of them, madness and dreaming seem to be one and the same, and their actions result in the gleeful entertainment for a reading or movie-going audience. The major difference being Gilliam’s clear awareness of his on-lookers’ expectations of madness and his masterful ability to play a self-referential magic trick, whilst hurling his protagonist and audiences narrative twists through differing character perspectives, before bouncing you through the fourth wall. This can be as subtle as a character knocking subtitles off the screen to show familiarity with their scene partner, or as drastic as inexplicably thrusting a protagonist head first in and out of surreal dreams that adopt another character’s impossible delirium. The result can be dizzying and confusing, but when on his game, Gilliam leaves a viewer feeling slightly crazy and asking things like; what in their world is real? And does that really matter?
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote presents an old man (Jonathan Pryce) fully immersed in the delusional fantasy of being the embodiment of the legendary Don Quixote of Spanish folklore, and a jaded director (Adam Driver) existentially searching for meaning before physically stumbling upon the tragedy he left behind when he was last there, shooting a film. The two characters are cosmically linked, in that through Toby’s (Driver) direction, Javier (Pryce) found his own personal “Don Quixote Madness,” giving the manifestation life.
However, it was also Toby who eventually claims the film’s title spot, reacting to his own hallucinations and accidentally killing his Don Quixote. In a fit of rage and grief, Toby calls out that the brave knight said he could never die, and fate seems to answer. The next scene, Toby displays his own personification of the mad defender of chivalry before riding into the sunset with a new “Sancho Panza” and code of values.
There are many parallels between Toby’s journey from lost arrogance to morally directed lunacy, and Gilliam’s long struggle to make this film. The project took nearly 30 years from conception to release, and so the idea of returning to ideas and locations where you’ve filmed and touched the lives of people is a strong correlation. As with anything, failed attempts can lead to frustration and Gilliam and his team briefly began shooting once in 2000. And in 2009, after a 9-year suspension, he continued writing and tweaking the screenplay with Tony Grisoni, who stated that they’d been re-writing the script on average, “twice a year, maybe more” since then. The process of revisiting ideas, some of which had failed or had unforeseen results, can be maddening especially when spread over three decades. Toby’s search for purpose and meaning in the insanity-stricken Javier’s charmingly righteous Don Quixote seems to mirror Gilliam’s pursuit of achieving a nearly impossible dream; to present his interpretation of beautiful innocence and chivalry that lies within one dreamer’s fantasy.
This theme of the deceptively wise mad-man has been present in many of Gilliam’s films. To name a few, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989), The Fisher King (1991), Twelve Monkeys (1996) and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), all have stories that dip into and often align with perspectives of characters that are declared insane within the world of the film. This suggests that the idea of higher morality and greater humanity can rise-above, subvert, or at the least remain independent of what society deems sane or logical.
In The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Toby recognizes his sins when reflected back at him by the attendees of a costume party. Their cynicism, selfishness and cruel indifference to Javier’s mental affliction shame Toby and allows for him to embrace the magical and moral calling that Javier presented to him as Don Quixote. It appears more important to Gilliam to be outside the realm of social sanity than to sacrifice one’s moral compass for the sake of conformity in an immoral world.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote opens at Arena Cinelounge this Friday.
'Blue Iguana' Review: A Cross-Genre Exploration of Crime and Comedy
Comedic-crime films and un-heroes have been a staple of Hollywood cinema since its early induction with loveable tramps and screwballs such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
Continuing the expansion of this cross-genre cinema, Hadi Hajaig’s Blue Iguana playfully dives into a fantastic criminal setting of a vibrant and violent London, lead by three main protagonists, all of which are a delightful blur of archetypes and new spins on the genre. It’s a fun, action-comedy heist film with a happy ending and a few darkly comedic bumps and twists along the way. These days, it’s refreshing to watch a film that provides an entertaining escape and doesn’t take itself too seriously, without baking the intelligence out of the plot.
Sam Rockwell and Ben Schwartz provide a wonderful comedic duo as the smooth n’ cool thief, Eddie (Rockwell) and the high energy of hilarious, fast-talking Paul (Schwartz). Their success is derived from their differences in comparison to their character foil, the wanna-be alpha male antagonist, Deacon (Peter Ferdinando). Deacon's daddy-issues and mullet are brilliant representations of his outdated views of masculinity and eventually, his rage and macho manners lead to his downfall. But as Eddie reads comic books and Paul is uncomfortable with violence and wears pastels, they subvert the expectation of the dark crime world, allowing for the wheels to come loose and the comedy to ensue. One could argue that Eddie’s romantic side is what attracts him to comics and allows for him to hold on to his noble-ish self-image, while Paul’s neurotic and non-violent nature allows him to observe alternative solutions to the trials and tribulations that face the duo and the gang of thieves (both of which are essential to the ebb and flow of the narrative journey).
Just as 'Baby Driver' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy' has a steady string of sick tunes, 'Blue Iguana' has a soundtrack of similar quality, which has become a very good sign for a summer film.
However, the plot’s true motivations, as well as the main source of pathos and empathy throughout the film, are powered by the underestimated and incredibly intelligent lawyer, Katherine (Phoebe Fox). With Katherine, writer/director Hajaig does a play on the typical femme-fatale character. He gives the character insecurities and reveals her good intentions early on, giving the audience a different perspective of the typical crime film. As a director, Hajaig makes a choice to pay respect to the emotional journey Katherine is going through with her outstanding debt to a gangster, her feelings of guilt, and a developing romantic entanglement with Eddie. While the romance can be a little cliché, it is a satisfying conclusion for two moral characters struggling with the lonely world.
The reason the heist film still exists today is that it provides an escape for which audiences can live vicariously through characters. There are many film theorists that have discussed the idea of cinema as being a way for people to live their secret fantasies in a care-free environment. Crime films present idolized and glamorized stories for which law and order often abide chaos, destruction and violence with very little consequence for the characters- if they survive, of course. What’s most important for this genre to remain relevant are stories with different spins, unique twists, and these days, a KILLER soundtrack. Just as Baby Driver and Guardians of the Galaxy were able to take over summer music scenes with a steady string of sick tunes, Blue Iguana has a soundtrack of similar quality, which has become a very good sign for a summer film. So, if you like good tunes, times, and crimes, you may enjoy Hadi Hajaig’s Blue Iguana, in theatres August 24th.
'Blue Iguana' is not rated. 100 minutes. Opening this Friday at the Laemmle Monica Film Center.
'Straight Into A Storm' Review: Why You Should Love Deer Tick
What I dig about a well-done rock doc is the intimate look into the often volatile growth and progression of a group of friends and colleagues, each with their own motivations, goals, and self-perceptions.
Straight Into A Storm gives a close personal look into the development of eccentric singer-songwriter, John McCauley and other various members of Deer Tick over the last decade. As the band celebrates its 10th anniversary and the new release of Deer Tick Vol. 1 and Deer Tick Vol. 2, director William Miller thoughtfully sews together home and on-the-road footage, concert footage, and various interviews to create a story of triumph within the realms of cult fame, personal growth, and professional respect amongst their musical peers and community.
The film testifies to the prodigious musical talent of John McCauley, watching him grow from a teenager performing in living rooms and apartments, to large stadiums and events including Coachella and South by Southwest. But no matter the venue, McCauley has always been able to possess his audience with his varied performances. Varied in the sense that in one song, his grating voice might take over as he jumps into the crowd, and the next, he knocks everyone out with a calm, heartfelt, Dylan-esque acoustic number. The only way the band is not lost behind his charisma, especially in his early days of drugs, drinking, and nudity on stage is by being just as talented and with as much range as him. Luckily, he just happened to be friends with a bunch of talented guys.
All of the band members explain a sense of comfort in regards to their membership in Deer Tick. Christopher Dale Ryan was still able to pursue his higher-level musical ambitions while always returning to the band. His brother, Dennis and lead guitarist, Ian Patrick O’Neil were able to bring their own songwriting abilities to the band to pair with McCauley’s. As the band went through different players, eventually settling on star keyboardist Rob B. Crowell, their interviews in the documentary show them baring great respect for their former bandmates, far from any resentment or bitterness. This has always been a band of friends from its first conception in a little neighborhood in Rhode Island. As for the 4 years since they released their last album, McCauley comments jokingly that “they just kind of got comfortable away from each other.” It seems they had grown so much together that even the silence is comfortable, and there is something admirable in such an enduring friendship.
Not only is this a look at Deer Tick, the indie folk-rock band, it is also a look into how to successfully grow up as a musician in middle America and remain sane...
As far as cinematic storytelling, Miller and co-editor Chris Lechler have a few strokes of genius. They brilliantly cut together multiple performances of the bands’ songs over many years, creating a juxtaposition of the band’s growth over time. Struggles with drugs, the development of styles, and stage performances of various levels of playful anarchy and quiet tranquility are easily offered up for audience observation and allow for unique insight.
While it might be fair to say that not all audience members will be familiar with Deer Tick’s story going into the film, after seeing Straight Into A Storm, they will have gained a perspective that has previously been reserved for the band’s close friends and lifelong groupies. William Miller has proven himself to be a gifted rock documentary filmmaker with a keen eye and desire to share the stories of great musicians. Not only is this a look at Deer Tick, the indie folk-rock band, it is also a look into how to successfully grow up as a musician in middle America and remain sane; how to allow yourself to change with life experiences while holding close the traits and values that are most important to who you are. It’s a touching story of a fun bunch of talented friends fronted by a gracious, wacky prodigy, who credits his peers for his success. And whose peers turn around and toss the credit back to his enormous stage presence and artistic ability. Hopefully, the journey of musical progression will continue for a group that deserves much success.
'Straight Into A Storm' is not rated. 110 minutes.
'It Came From the Desert' Review: A European Post-Modern Revue of American Cross-Genre Cinema
There are many levels to the dissection, break down and analysis of a film.
From source material to shooting location and from cast to crew, everything should be taken into account when attempting to understand the piece. This is especially true if the filmmaker and other elements of the production are from different cultural backgrounds than the content that they attempt to tackle. Finnish filmmaker Marko Mäkilaakso’s It Came From the Desert takes on two staples of American pop culture– one being the monster genre, and the second is the video game-to-screen adaptation. Amidst the slapstick and pulpy, bloody humor lies a deceptively introspective look into a European director and his team’s perspective on the American youth culture as portrayed in the action-horror-comedy genre.
It Came From the Desert is a postmodern buddy-comedy fueled by motocross and monster killin’ based off of a computer game by Cinemaware. It plays out in front of a dreamlike desert landscape (beautifully shot in Almeria, Spain, and Turku, Finland), and pays homage to a 1989 cult-classic American video game and 1950s "B" movies. In the spirit of these multiple eras in reference, the film takes on a strange hybrid of American cinema pastiche.
Right off the starting line, the narrative mixes dirt-biking rivalries, common in the Grindhouse action films of the seventies, with the “red cup” style party comedies of nineties, assisted by horny teenage angst and the current day, hipster “nostalgic meets biker-bro” fashion. The game's iconic Monster Ants make the transition from the original source material to the film’s present-day storyline relatively smooth by maintaining a relatable visual framework for the viewer. Mäkilaakso and his team are able to explore their brand of self-referential humor in each of these cultural tropes without compromising the film’s fun, visceral focus.
Keeping up with the current post-modern trends, 'It Came From the Desert' provides a nostalgic vibe that remains respectful to its computer game roots.
It is also important to consider that the principal cast is primarily composed of young English talent, making their performances of such archetypal American antiheroes a stylized parody in and of themselves. Harry-Lister Smith, Alex Mills, Vanessa Grasse and the rest of the cast give their best meta interpretations of American youth as depicted in Hollywood monster cinema, each bringing their metaphorical jigsaw pieces of sex, alcohol, bad decisions and eventual triumphant comradery to their traditional character arcs.
Mäkilaakso, along with the director of photography, Juge Heikkilä, and the production designer, renowned Kari Kankaanpää, all hail from Finland and seem to be tossing their own self-referential fuel on the fire. The gorgeous stylistic lighting of the desert, fifties-esque military facility and thematic feel of the film are just a few tips of the hat to the project’s muses. While the mixing of the present-day narrative with the aforementioned “almost-retro” wardrobe, along with the party behavior and setting, serve as interesting depictions of American cinema’s portrayal of youth culture through a contemporary European lense. Not to say that this was or was not Mäkilaakso's intention, as the film is really more in it for the fun than the artistic statement. However, their approaches to the depiction of certain social aspects of the culture are interesting bi-products of their satirical take on American cinema.
The action-horror-comedy genre is a difficult field to navigate, with many fires to tend. In this case, the film's over-the-top choices blend well with the gory, yet very lighthearted, approach to the content. Keeping up with the current post-modern trends, It Came From the Desert provides an easy to digest (though I wouldn’t recommend eating while watching) nostalgic vibe that remains respectful to its concept’s roots. Like its source material, it has the potential to find its niche audience.
'It Came From the Desert' is not rated. 90 minutes. Available for streaming on May 29th, pre-order here: http://radi.al/ItCameFromTheDe
'Aardvark' Review: The Psychology of Redemption
It is a common practice in independent filmmaking for a director to tap on the shoulders of their friends and invite them to collaborate on something they believe in.
In this method, those involved can often find a certain level of comfort amongst each other, usually resulting in strong performances and quite capable directing. Aardvark, director-writer Brian Shoaf’s darkly mysterious and touching drama starring close friend and producer Zachary Quinto, his friend Jenny Slate, and her old friend John Hamm, pays testament to this formula and allows for this new director to play with themes that ring true on a subconscious and primal level.
The film observes the intertwining relationships of a disturbed yet endearing social outlier, Josh Norman (Quinto), his romantically challenged therapist, Emily (Slate), and his estranged older brother, Craig (Hamm), all of whom appear to be very lonely on a deep internal level. With a slight sprinkling of the fantastic, audiences see the symptoms of Josh’s psychosis which manifests itself in subtle lunacy. To endure the loneliness of being distanced by his older brother, Josh’s mind creates a world in which his brother often comes to him “in character” or disguise. These delusions are what keep Josh close to a brother whom he never sees.
This plays as unsettling to the point of being darkly comedic, at first. The audience sees – through Josh’s perspective – Craig as the homeless woman asking for cigarettes or the police officer who convinces Josh to try stealing a bike. But eventually this has more crippling effects on its host, and the hallucinations make it impossible for Josh to ever trust any person around him, including a romantic, mysterious woman named Hannah (Sheila Vand).
The three main characters are haunted by the guilt of foolish adolescent malice made permanent by the nature of time...
Jenny Slate’s wonderfully subtle and reserved performance as Emily gives a strong juxtaposition to Josh’s mental unwinding and is the driving force of the narrative. Though she attempts to help Josh, forces of chance and romance take control of her life, causing events to take turns that she never expected. These events climax in breaking professional and moral principle by sleeping with the brother of her client, and compromising his trust. From sex to shame to self-discovery, her remorse and empathy are full to the brim of accessible pathos and hers is the most rewarding character arch in the narrative. Eventually, she is the cause of the happy ending and redemption of Craig, who could never forgive himself for the traumas he inflicted on Josh.
There’s something about the pacing and way in which information is revealed in this particular feature that makes it eerily relatable yet at the same time… I have no idea what is going to happen, and inevitably is Shoaf’s direct intention. He commented that “We were always striving for a sense of familiarity, of nostalgia, but never anything you could put your finger on exactly.” The three main characters are haunted by the guilt of foolish adolescent malice made permanent by the nature of time, the cold loneliness of feeling unloved by everyone around you, and the fear of truly not understanding why we find ourselves being treated to such pain and suffering. All of these themes are accessible to almost every human being, but that last one, in particular, lends itself to more than that.
Shoaf, with the facilitation of a cast on top of its game, is able to remind his audience that as a living thing, just as the aardvark the film is named for, much of what happens in life is beyond control and as such, we live in a large realm of innocence in having no way of knowing why things happen. We must be able to forgive ourselves for committing crimes of immorality due to ignorance in order to find redemption; a pretty powerful message from a debut director with a great deal of promise, and good friends to work with. Keep your eye on Brian Shoaf.
89 minutes. 'Aardvark' is rated PG-13 for mature thematic issues, language, some sexuality, and violence. Opening this Friday at Laemmle's Playhouse 7.
Review: 'In Stereo'
Love and relationships can be a tricky subject to tackle in a film. Many have tried, and many have failed. Being such a lucrative concept, it is difficult to create a storyline that feels fresh and relatable. Mel Rodriguez III's dark romantic dramedy, In Stereo, attempts to display a modern take on friendship and betrayal, mixed with a healthy dose of relationship purgatory of two single adults in their thirties.
The title, a singularly clever choice by Rodriguez, is a clear progeny of his experience as an editor on such indie features as Drop Dead Sexy and the award-winning documentary, We Live in Public.
The film takes the theme of stereo, which any music lover knows means that both speakers in a sound system are playing different parts of a single track that come together to create a song. The editing effectively uses split screens to help tell the juxtaposed stories of David and Brenda (our two semi-single adults in their thirties) played by Micah Hauptman and Beau Garrett. This also adds a nice little flair of style along with quirky 70s style font captions to give the film that cool, indie feel.
When the chemistry between the actors is lacking, it is incredibly difficult to tell a story about relationships, even if they are about ones that lack chemistry.
If a film really wants to score some big points in its style column, the cinematography should always come into play. Especially when the film’s protagonist is a photographer, the eye is drawn to the camera movement and screen composition. The cinematographer, Bryan Koss– one of many experienced crew members on this production– does well in creating a quirky meets cool style of aesthetic, using white lighting to lighten the color pallet in exterior daytime while incorporating shadows and heavier colors in the nighttime. However, there are certain daytime interior shots, such as the scenes with David’s psychiatrist (Sean Cullen), that lacked the professional look of other shots by possibly over extending itself in regards to lighting and camera angle simplicity to maintain a quirkiness, and drew away from the actor’s performance.
Both Hauptman and Garrett give very energetic and likable performances. Both of the characters’ misfortunes are handled with humor and understanding of actors that deserve to see more leading roles, however, this may not be their break out film. Unfortunately, with the exception of Mario Cantone’s delightfully blunt and spunky agent archetype, the rest of the cast leaves the leads with little to act against, causing awkwardness within the dialogue’s rhythm in certain scenes. When the chemistry between the actors is lacking, it is incredibly difficult to tell a story about relationships, even if they are about ones that lack chemistry.
Romance is one of the most used themes in storytelling and, as such, makes it a challenge to use effectively. While In Stereo has all of the elements of a cliché love story, it has moments of humor to moderately offset its shortcomings in pathos and storytelling, making it somewhat watchable. Most importantly, there are glimmers of great talent within the cast and crew, making it wise to keep an eye on what they do next.
In Stereo opens at the Laemmle Music Hall this Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvYDs84hnms
Review: 'The Strongest Man'
It’s summer time; the sun is shining, the ocean is warm, and now more than ever, it is a great time to stay inside and watch some indie movies.
One that will go well with your taste for the good vibes of summer living is Kenny Riches’ quirky comedy, The Strongest Man. Starring a relatively unknown principal cast, with the exception of Lisa Banes (Gone Girl), this film takes place in prettiest side of Miami’s slums, creating a “beauty under the grime” aesthetic that pairs perfectly with the film’s anti-hero protagonist. The film is pleasing to the eye and funny bone.
Leading the charge of the film's comedic force are Beef (Robert Lorie) and his best friend/sidekick, Conan (Paul Chamberlain). Looking at the two social misfits, one might be able to see them as an offbeat super hero duo, Beef being the self-proclaimed strong man, who is emotionally crippled by his insecurities, and Conan as his piggy-backing, bike riding, effectively mediocre sidekick, who feels he will never amount to his brother.
From misadventure to misguided spiritual misadventure, the two men display immature problem solving abilities, such as a hand drawn wanted poster of Beef’s stolen bike, which, juxtaposed with their “odd couple” appearance, leads to wonderfully and perversely dry humor. Throw in a quirky rebellious girl named Illi (Ashly Burch) trapped in a higher socio-economic class as an (im)possible love interest, and you’ve got yourself a strong set up for entertaining and interesting relationships.
It is by all standards, an indie comedy with enough philosophy and perspective on human existence to allow viewers to think about it, without disappointing them with their conclusions.
As with most well written comedic characters, the comedy is found within their motivations and the relationship to their setting. Beef and Conan’s goals in life are simple: ride bikes, find their spirit animals and escape boredom and monotony of their beach side paradise. The simplicity of these ambitions creates a contrast against the clear class divide and struggle of the world around them. However, when looking at the struggles of the individuals within the different classes, a shared arbitrary nature of interest is exposed. The wealthy fixate on their interior art décor and the poor make jokes and ride bikes. On both sides, their interests are meant to distract them from bigger issues. These issues are brought to light in Beef’s inner discussion of his anxieties.
The Strongest Man's comedy is endearing in and of itself, but the real pathos of the film lies within the inner turmoil and conflict within Beef. Although his sparse external dialogue tends to lack direction or real importance, in relation to his thoughts, it masks the complexity of Beef’s introspection. Kenny Riches' writing beautifully manifests the neurotic thoughts of a quiet man, a brief look behind the curtain of internalization. It is this entrance into the cerebral exploration of film that separates this movie from other quirky un-hero comedies such as Napoleon Dynamite or Clerks. The film keeps you thinking, feeling and laughing.
The problem that many films run into when establishing such a strong set up of relationships is finding a way to wrap everything up. The Strongest Man unfortunately shares this weakness. It is difficult to say exactly what was missing from its ending, perhaps it was the Hollywood theme of love being the answer seeming to be misplaced amongst the strong nihilistic themes of chance and largely trivial nature of human desires and pursuits in the big scheme of things. As Beef states introspectively in the final scene, “I only found something after I had finally given up.” After spending the whole movie looking for his bike, his spirit animal, and some purpose, what he says carries some thoughtful weight to it. However, it is immediately whipped into cliché by stating, *SPOLIER ALERT*, that the girl is the best thing he found.
While the ending is a little cheesy, the rest of the film can carry more than enough of the slack. The Strongest Man has laughs of both high and low-brow humor and plenty of feelings to maintain a focus and connection with audiences. It is by all standards, an indie comedy with enough philosophy and perspective on human existence to allow viewers to think about it, without disappointing them with their conclusions.
The Strongest Man opens at Laemmle's Music Hall 3 this weekend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK20g6CNg-k
Review: 'The Overnight'
Subtlety is dead. Well, at least in the modern Hollywood sex comedy, the art of subtext or understated humor is becoming increasingly sparse. The major issue is that most comedies fail to deal with sex in a way that ascends the immaturity that accompanies the spectacle of sexual humor. Films often rely on star power and shock, forgetting to explore the cinematic possibilities within cinematography, editing, and storytelling. The Overnight is a fine example of what can happen when a film concocts a fine cocktail of artsy and fartsy.
Headlined by a strong core cast of four respected comedians and comediennes, the film follows the story of Alex and Emily (Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling), a couple dealing with sexual frustrations of varying sizes who have recently transplanted from Seattle to Los Angeles with their young, coitus interrupting, son.
The story begins to pick up steam when they meet the self employed, artistic couple that will be sharing the comedic spotlight, Kurt and Charlotte (Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche), who also happen to have a son of the same age. In a single Overnight encounter, Alex and Emily are taken on a journey of promiscuous exploration of identity by the artistic, charming and eccentrically cultured new couple.
The film’s structure is a classic set up: a creation of a binary between the two relationships, the reaction of how the two parties mix, revelations about the character’s identities, concluding with a moment of reflection and clarity on how everyone involved was affected by the encounter.
For this story to work, it was absolutely necessary that there be no weak spots in any of the actors’ performances. In a sex comedy, it is crucial for the audience to believe the performances on screen, especially during any scenes of intimacy. Otherwise, the film may become a highly uncomfortable experience for the viewers. After all, if they remember where they are and the fact that they are in a theater watching a movie about such a socially taboo topic as sex, the viewers could shut down. However, in this case, the chemistry of the cast is fantastic and allows them to truly delve into very impressive and very real emotional depths and comedic range.
The real superstar of the production, however, is up and coming writer/director, Patrick Brice. The Overnight is Brice’s second production and second time teaming up with producer Mark Duplass of the Duplass Brothers production team that has been thriving within the indie comedy scene.
Brice show’s a postmodern sensibility and a playful nihilism within his writing, and a colorful, handheld indie feel to the aesthetic, courtesy of John Guleserian’s cinematography. The film’s structure is a classic set up: a creation of a binary between the two relationships, the reaction of how the two parties mix, revelations about the character’s identities, concluding with a moment of reflection and clarity on how everyone involved was affected by the encounter. Reminiscent of the swinger comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, the film maintains its focus on two, while fictional, very contemporary relationships and the role sex plays within them.
While the film picks up pace when the dinner begins, it lacks a sense of energy to get them there, yet serves well to establish the mundane scope that Alex and Emily see the world through initially, and perhaps it is more of a testimony to the potency and raucousness of the second and third act. It serves its purpose establishing their relationship and perspectives, and the circular theme of coitus interruptus, but could’ve been completed in about half the screen time. Still, it’s very clear that Patrick Brice is a director to pay attention to, especially if he continues to team up with Duplass Brothers Productions.
The Overnight is an excellent sex comedy to kick off the summer. Backed by a talented cast and crew, it’s a sweet story with contemporary twists that give it a fresh and easy-to-swallow feel. Sex, drugs, artistic rectal humor…what’s not to love?
The Overnight is now playing at the Landmark Theatre and ArcLight Hollywood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R54tN3njkpE
Results: 'Gemma Bovery'
The concept of art reflecting life is a very simple one to grasp, an artist is living and creates something that is influenced by their life. Simple. A more difficult idea to contemplate is the idea of life reflecting art, a more subjective perspective that relates different social understandings and the influence of the art surrounding the understanding.
Director Anne Fontaine attempts to rein in this abstraction in her film adaptation of Posy Simmonds’ graphic novel, Gemma Bovery. When an aged French baker (Fabrice Luchini) discovers his new neighbors (Gemma Arterton and Jason Flemyng) carry the same name and traits of famous writer Gustave Flaubert’s characters, Gemma and Charles Bovery, he becomes obsessed with this living and breathing manifestation of literary art. This sets him and the audience on a path of adultery, betrayal, and eventual death, all with the beautifully quaint, rural Norman village serving as a backdrop, in a way becoming more than just a setting.
Sometimes the beauty of the French countryside can be overwhelming and draw away from the focus of the storyline. Or on the other hand, it can be a shame if the cinematographer foregoes taking advantage of such an incredible setting. Cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne does an excellent job of establishing and using this idyllic setting without its beauty and romantic potency becoming too overwhelming. He maintains a subtly well-lit and poetically simplistic aesthetic that contrasts the living literature that it possesses to vibrant showey-ness of the modern world seen in Bovery’s contemporary fashion inclined friends, Wizzy and Rankin (Elsa Zylberstein and Pip Torrens).
While this basic theme of feminism is maintained, the film itself doesn’t carry the message as well as perhaps the graphic novel was able to.
Continuing to analyze the aesthetic, it is very clear that this film is not your typical graphic novel adaptation. There are no drastic angles and dramatized lines and shadows. The original illustrations of the Simmond’s work deal with soft lines and a semi-minimalist sketching style similar to Tin Tin or Calvin and Hobbes. The quirkiness that is associated with this style, however, seems to be lost in its translation to film. This is unfortunate as there are moments throughout the film, mostly in the middle hour, which could have benefitted from a little more quirkiness or humor. Despite superb performances from the entire cast, especially Luchini and Arterton, the film seems to drag on even with exciting plot points; for whatever reason, the film runs slow.
But the biggest criticism, as is with most adaptations, is its failure to reach its true potential. As the graphic novel is a feminist commentary, one would expect that the film is also a feminist film. Gemma Bovery is a complicated woman living her life and Martin Joubert (Luchini) is a foolish man, with a literary god-complex who, in his attempts to save Gemma from her impending doom, ends up killing the woman he has assigned himself the responsibility to protect. While this basic theme of feminism is maintained, the film itself doesn’t carry the message as well as, perhaps, the graphic novel was able to. The film is told from the perspective of Joubert, giving the audience a story seen solely from the male gaze, thus distorting a sense of truth that could have possibly been achieved with a third person narrative style and camera work. This is something that isn’t an issue in the particular graphic novel style because the drawings are often already in the third person.
Perhaps due to the film's singular perspective, it becomes very difficult to connect with Gemma as she partakes in her adulterous relationships. Although one could argue the first incident was a result of incidentally strong influence from Joubert, Gemma becomes increasingly dislikeable and her choices become harder and harder to understand. She falls for men quickly and seems to float through her small French sexual wonderland just before her attempt at redemption. By the time she eventually shows signs of regret, it seems a little too late for viewers to really care about Gemma’s fate and that is never the end goal for a filmmaker’s title character. The film could have benefitted from a shorter runtime, but one thing's for sure– this film is probably the cheapest way to enjoy the French countryside.
Gemma Bovery opens at The Landmark in West L.A., Pasadena Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, and Town Center 5 in Encino on Friday, May 29th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg_Jm5jRHGw
Review: 'Good Kill'
In Andrew Niccol’s Good Kill, audiences watch as military drone pilot, Major Thomas Egan (Ethan Hawke) struggles with the morality of being separated from the danger below as well as the ethical absence of his superior’s orders. He is tortured by his thoughts and guilt for his military obligation, and so he turns to alcohol and isolates himself from his wife (January Jones), family and friends. Probably the most interesting aspect of the film is the correlation of his self-destruction over being separate from the violence and his slow drift away from the world around him. However, it is a trait that seems to be a starting point for any contemporary war script.
The war film has been an exciting and popular genre for many years, and is one that grows and develops exponentially as the art of war changes. Following the Vietnam War, films began to steer away from the theme of battlefield glory seen in films such as Kelly’s Heroes or The Longest Day and towards a more analytical standpoint on the psyche of the individual soldier, such as in Apocalypse Now.
Recently, there has been a new shift that seemed to coincide with the United States involvement in Iraq and the Middle East. This shift in perspective is a combination of both of these war film philosophies. While focusing on the mind of the soldier being trapped in a war mentality, it seemingly glorifies the male protagonist for sacrificing his “American Dream Life” for this war machine. However in the case of Good Kill, as with many contemporary war films today, it seems to abandon any sense of responsibility or moral repercussions for Major Egan’s choice of war over family. In the end, he has driven his family away due to his damaged psyche and personal flaws leaving him completely alone, with the exception of an out-of-leftfield romantic interest, Airman Vera Suarez (Zoë Kravitz). However after all of this, his cinematic redemption is killing a rapist thousands of miles away, not dealing with any of these terrible developments on the home front. It is a similar type of perspective to Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper in that Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) is celebrated and then empathized with for leaving his family for the greater good. However this type of movie has a polarizing effect on American audiences, which makes sense in the huge variance in socio-political perspective of American society.
There are moments of great suspense, varying depths of depression and a brief sparkle of redemption.
But before this review turns into a discussion of the relationship between a nation’s philosophies and the war films it produces, let’s circle back to the film at hand. Good qualities of Good Kill: as to be expected, Ethan Hawke gives an excellent performance while breaking from his usual, like-able with an edge, type of character we tend to expect. His quiet and distant portrayal of Major Egan seems to be on point with the torn and damaged military archetype. Keeping up with Hawke, is the lovely January Jones. She, however, sticks to the acting chops that garnered her such well-deserved attention as the disgruntled and mistreated housewife in Mad Men, and portrays an excellent disgruntled and mistreated military house wife driving audiences to both despise her condescending tone and spoiled sensibility while still understanding her role in her despairing relationship.
Another point in the plus column, the film was nicely shot and had some very pleasing touches to its aesthetic. The visual similarity between the square, tan buildings that the drone crews are bombing and the square, tan containers that the drone crews work within, creates a visual representation of the connection that the drone operators feel with the bystanders that appear on their screens. This type of symbolism could overpower a scene and draw away from its suspense, however it is done with such subtlety that it sneaks its way in without audiences fully realizing its existence.
On the other side of the coin, there are parts that seemed to draw away from the storyline. Unfortunately, the biggest detractor from the film’s effect lies within the screenplay, and that is the repetition, the repetition, and the repetition. The film seemed to become a bit of a loop revolving from Egan going to work which he doesn’t want to do, killing something he didn’t want to, being told he can’t get back into a jet again which he wants to do, and then going home to be nagged… which he doesn’t want to do. Admittedly, one could argue that this is not redundancy but a very accurate representation of what life is like for a military drone pilot; the annoyance that audiences begin to feel is meant to be a way of connecting the viewer to Egan. However, it seems that Egan was gone before the film even began and so the connection becomes less of a possibility and the repetition becomes a less effective technique.
Good Kill may not be your most intrinsic of war films and because of its polarizing themes that come with a contemporary war plot, audiences will either love it or hate it with little possibility of finding one’s self in the middle. There are moments of great suspense, varying depths of depression and a brief sparkle of redemption. Sometimes that is all a person wants from a movie, and so this film will find its audience.
Good Kill opens in Los Angeles at the Arclight Hollywood this Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO-qB8xjjk8
Gaspard Ulliel and Bertrand Bonello on 'Saint Laurent'
We speak exclusively to Gaspard Ulliel and Bertrand Bonello, star and director of the new film Saint Laurent, in theaters in NY and LA today.
For our review of the film, click here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u-gr1_x7oY
Review: 'Saint Laurent'
When watching a film biopic, there are certain expectations of what information will be given to its viewers; A back-story, a rise, a fall, and often redemption form a narrative template that usually structures the cinematic story. This is the tried and true method that has become the norm of this Hollywood subgenre. Saint Laurent’s director, co-writer and musical score composer, Bertrand Bonello decides to throw away these requirements by turning a macro-story of a legendary man’s life into a tighter focused tale encompassing a window of 10 years in Yves Saint Laurent’s spectacular existence (with the exception of a few brief scenes that take place outside of this time frame).
This chronic boundary tightens focus on the period accredited with the beginning signs of the transformation of Yves Saint Laurent from an artist to a brand. And what a period that was, the film is coated in beautiful colors, people, and, of course, its fair amount of 1970s drug euphoria. The dance clubs, the parties, and the fashion are all captured in a vibrant Technicolor splendor and with the use of 35 mm film by cinematographer Joseé Deshaies, the cathartic effect of the textures and contours dominate the screen. There is absolutely no doubt that this film’s aesthetic maintains a homeostatic beauty throughout; something that is crucial in connecting the audience to its protagonist.
While it may not adhere to more standard Hollywood practices that may jar some audiences, it’s an art film about fashion… so it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
This beauty does not contain itself to simple visuals but successfully bleeds into the relationship between Yves, his lover and his love for the time in which he has found himself. Gracefully executed by Gaspard Ulliel, Yves is shaped by his setting, just as much as he influences it, and his relationship with Jacques de Bascher (Louis Garrel) bares a strong impression of his existence. Bonello has commented that the character of Jacques de Bascher is in fact a manifestation of the opiate, live-hard philosophy of the 1970s. On the surface, he could in fact be replaced, but instead holds his importance in being that embodiment of Yves’s destruction. It makes so much sense, that with this in mind, Bonello creates such a passionate relationship between the genius and his destruction.
The ornate and fantastic atmosphere surrounding Yves is in sharp contrast to its central character. Gaspard Ulliel truly nails a quiet subtlety in his portrayal of genius without coming off as standoffish. He carries himself with a sort of bold fragility in that he can demand the attention of an entire room but moves as if being carried by a light breeze that came in with him. In his voice, there is a soft reed-like nature while still carrying a sense of carefully selected deliberation that is very much associated with the real-life Yves Saint Laurent.
The subtlety with precision is also reflected in Bonello’s choices for establishing certain aspects of Yves’ character on a larger scale. As mentioned before, Yves is not given a back-story on-screen because the film drops the audience into his already thriving career. To portray his character’s fame and pronounced greatness, Bonello creates a fictitious letter from Andy Warhol that explains that he and Yves are two of the last legends in pop culture. With out any stress, and probably in the least expensive way possible, a background has been given and viewers accept it.
In a similar fashion, Bonello conveys in a single scene of Yves giving a makeover to Mme Duzer (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), Yves Saint Laurent’s influence on women in society. Bonello explains, “A man manipulates a woman who is suddenly transformed before our eyes. Valeria is brilliant in that scene. In her performance, she becomes 15 years younger in three minutes.” After being touched by the Midas hand of fashion, the tired woman has become empowered and confident, acting as a symbol for Yves larger global effect.
Bonello’s Saint Laurent is a beautiful film on multiple levels. It tells a story of man’s transformation with sophistication and style that should be the main expectation of the story of Yves Saint Laurent. While it may not adhere to more standard Hollywood practices that may jar some audiences, it’s an art film about fashion… so it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Saint Laurent is in theaters this Friday, May 8th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvnePG2VWDE
Luke Hemsworth and Alice Braga on 'Kill Me Three Times'
Luke Hemsworth, relative newcomer to the big screen (but thanks to brothers Liam and Chris, his last name isn't) along with Alice Braga, best known for her role as 'Anna' in I am Legend, sat down to speak with Ryan Denman at a round table interview at the Four Seasons Hotel Beverly Hills. With their respective Australian and Brazilian accents, it's easy to see why the new film they star in, the Simon Pegg-led Kill Me Three Times, succeeds as a multicultural blend of action thrills set against a beautiful West Coast Australian backdrop. There's no lack of humor and pride from the charismatic and charming Hemsworth and Braga, whose genuineness is fully apparent from the first question asked. We begin:
Shooting in Australia must have been a great treat.
Luke Hemsworth: I heard it described once like, "Sex without a condom is the same, but just a little bit better." Acting in your own country, in your own accent is like that.
Laughter
Alice Braga: It was a fun type of film to make because it is a comedy, but not just a comedy; action, but not just action. It's always fun to participate in films that go down that type of road and being in Australia for me was a blessing. Brazilians are a lot like Australians, very alive and warm and kind and happy and I felt at home there. Everyone including the cast and crew brought that image to the film and it was fun!
Did you experience any culture shock?
Alice Braga: Oh my God, the way that they drink! Do not go with Australians to a bar– and I know how to drink, I'm Brazilian. When they get drunk with the accent is like, "What?"
Luke Hemsworth: I'm not going to say anything...
For our review of Kill Me Three Times, click here.
Luke, what are you the most proud of about your country?
Luke Hemsworth: Going to the place where it was filmed was pretty special for me because I had been to the West coast, but had never been down South of the West coast where we shot, which is one of the most amazingly pristine, wildly rugged parts of the world. There is no one there for starters, and you've got huge waves, huge sharks, amazing surf.
Is this near Perth?
Luke Hemsworth: It's about three hours south of Perth. The Margaret River region, which is an incredible wine making region, is a huge added bonus to shooting the film [where we did]. We actually got to surf in the film too. It never made it into the final film, but we got paid for two days to go surfing.
Do not go with Australians to a bar– and I know how to drink, I'm Brazilian. When they get drunk with the accent is like, "What?"
In the film your characters look like they got beaten up a lot, what was it like filming those brutal scenes?
Alice Braga: Well my character is beaten up a lot so yeah, I got some scratches. Not that bad though. My stunt girl was amazing, she was the one that rolled down the hill. I did try a lot [with the stunts] but it's hard, there's so much that happens with that character. I remember when I met the stunt girl and I said, "Good luck because everyone is trying to kill you."
Luke Hemsworth: As a performer you want to do as much as you can, but there is a point you reach where everyone's like, "Nah, we're going to have the stunt guy do this." Then there's this point you reach when it's actually starting to hurt so yeah, the stunt guy can do it.
You look very athletic, how did you prepare physically for the role?
Luke Hemsworth: Sports has always been a huge part of my life, it kind of always went hand in hand with acting. I've played Australian football, water polo, and have been kickboxing for a long time.
Are there any disciplines in athetics that you transfer to acting?
Luke Hemsworth: You know what it is, I think it's failure. So many athletes overcome or are faced with failure over and over again and there is such a marriage with acting in terms of that. There is so much failure that goes along with your journey as an actor before things get a little bit easier. You learn to deal with failure one way or another... In acting you are challenged both professionally and creatively, and in sports you're definitely challenged professionally, and you fail so much more than you ever succeed.
How did these characters resonate with you when you first read the script?
Alice Braga: It's funny because I got offered the part much earlier than everybody else because the producer is my agent's brother. So he sent me the script and I liked it, then after a change in directors they hired Kriv Stenders. I was always curious how they were going to make this film with the mix of being witty, having comedy, drama, violence and action. I thought it was an interesting challenge to play this girl.
Luke Hemsworth: Also the fact that you get to work, there are things that you have to do to grow as a person and a performer. You look for things [in characters] that relate to you that is a bonus, and there are things that aren't attractive as well, but the bonuses always outweigh the negatives. You never want one note in a performance, so it was an easy film to say yes to.
How responsible do you feel as actors to create the tone of the film?
Alice Braga: I feel like the best answer for that question is Simon Pegg. Simon is such a brilliant actor and such a smart, intelligent and generous person, and I think he brought that tone. I think a lot of what the film became is because of Simon. As soon as he got cast I was really excited. I think it was a challenge for Kriv as well, playing with all of those sides without being too much one thing or another. Finding the right editor to put together all the stories and find the pace the film as well.
Luke Hemsworth: Right at the start, he set the tone of the film for everyone else. No one is playing with him, but there's an element of, "Ok, this is the meat of the film and this is where everyone else needs to sit." It makes it just a little bit easier.
For our interview with Simon Pegg and director Kriv Stenders, click here.
Is this type of film the direction you see yourselves going in for future projects?
Luke Hemsworth: Yeah part of the attraction of acting to me is that you get to do different things. There are elements of that genre and story that are great and attractive but in a lot of ways, that's done. What challenges me in another aspect is the core of acting. You don't have to do the same thing over and over again and it's always a strange battle because everyone wants to put you in a box, whereas good actors try to fight that. They want to do stuff that is challenging and different.
Simon Pegg and Kriv Stenders on 'Kill Me Three Times'
Simon Pegg might just be the ultimate survivor; having survived zombie attacks in Edgar Wright's cult-smash Shaun of the Dead, international espionage alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and alien-takeover as Scotty in the newest Star Trek reboot, he's no stranger to his own self-danger, which director Kriv Stenders knows too well. That's why seeing Pegg as the mostly aloof end-of-the-day hero works so well as the lead-billed star in Stenders' new black comedy thriller, Kill Me Three Times. We recently had the chance to sit down with Mr. Pegg and Stenders, who talked at length about the film.
YOUR CHARACTER IS SO MULTIDIMENSIONAL, HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR THAT ROLE?
SIMON PEGG: Well, I spent some time killing people for a living... ha! No it was all on the page for this film, it was right there. The joy of this [script] was reading it and thinking, "Oh I could so play this character." It was a gift in terms of characters and not being a regular, nice chap which I often play. It was an amoral, kind of suave guys and I felt like this was going to be fun.
WHAT RESONATED WITH YOU GUYS IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS STORY IS ABOUT AND WHAT YOU COULD BRING TO IT DIRECTORIALLY OR AS AN ACTOR?
KRIV STENDERS: It was such a fun read, when I first read the script it really leapt off the page and it's one of those rare screenplays that you can "see" it as you read it, and I loved the engineering of it. It was very cleverly constructed and written. For a filmmaker who loves movies, it was a gift. I love those kinds of films that have a really great conceptual engine, and the minute I read it I knew I had to do it. When Simon came onboard, the die was cast; we really knew what kind of beast we were making.
YEAH LUKE [HEMSWORTH] AND ALICE [BRAGA] WERE SAYING WHEN YOU CAME ONBOARD, THEY IMMEDIATELY KNEW THE TONE OF THE MOVIE.
SP: Haha, I don't consider myself a comedian– I was a comedian a long time ago but I'm an actor now and dammit I want to be taken seriously.
(Laughter)
But I think people who are known for comedy work well as villains because it provides a sort of extra textural edge of like-ability. Evil is not funny, evil is horrible, so to soften it slightly with a degree of humor makes it something you can enjoy and take pleasure in. That's to our amusement; we walk into this beautiful Western Australian town and we see the utter shambles of a community, all backstabbing, fighting, and betraying each other, and with Charlie– the bad guy– we all go, "Oh my god what a sh*t show." It was fun to play that.
HOW WAS IT SHOOTING A GUN?
SP: It's cool in a "movie" sense.
(Laughter)
The thing about this film that I really like is that it is violent, but it's a theatrical violence. It's hyper-real, it's not nasty real violence. You should never lose sight of the fact that violence is never a good thing, but for entertainment purposes, there is a degree of enjoyment.
IT SEEMS FARCICAL IN A WAY.
SP: Yeah, the whole film is just a catalogue of errors made by these very inept people, into which walks this very professional, super-professional, man who finds it all incredible annoying.
HOW MANY CIGARETTES DID YOU HAVE TO SMOKE?
SP: Haha I don't know, that's a really good question! I've never been asked that before. They were not real, it was a lovely herbal blend. Not that kind of herbal blend. We'd get nothing done. I'd just be at craft services all day!
(Laughter)
No, they were these stinking edible cigarettes. I used to be a smoker so hopefully I could portray Charlie's chain smoking nonchalance with some authenticity. If they had been real, no, that would have been it. I would have been back on them.
IN YOUR PREVIOUS WORK YOU'VE OFTEN HAD WRITING CREDITS, HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO WORKING ON A FILM AS AN ACTOR?
SP: I really like writing and being a part of what I write, but sometimes it's nice to read a script and not need to do anything. Then you can just have fun acting. It's nice, it's like a holiday sometimes, when you have enough faith in the script and just let go. I especially love the way it plays with the audience's perception of what's happening, information is given in increments so you think one thing is happening and then there is a twist... I really like that playfulness. It would be really conceited on me to think I could doctor every script I get.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE SHOOTING IN AUSTRALIA?
KS: In Australia we have a very small industry, but for a small country we make a lot of movies but we're also limited because budgets are smaller and it is hard to make films for the international stage. This was a great opportunity to make an Australian film with an Australian cast and some international cast, therefore it wasn't a film struggling to get out of its origins. I said to the crew to think of this film like an American movie that just happens to be shot in Australia. Alice was on the project before I came on, and when I knew she was attached I thought it was lovely idea. Sometimes you'll cast an American in an Australian role and it feels wrong because you can see it's a cynical thing to make the film more commercial.
SP: I think it felt right to have Charlie be British because he is literally from the other side of the planet, he's an alien in this town. He looks like it, he sounds like it, and it was really nice to play him being literally from being from the other side of the world. It all added to his mystic.
SIMON, IF YOU COULD FILM A MOVIE ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
SP: Ah, that's one of the best things about this job: traveling. I've been to many places, but I'd love to shoot in Italy. I've never been to Italy.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT THE FILM IS THAT IT SEEMS TO CHALLENGE TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES, IS THIS SOMETHING YOU HAD IN THIS FILM PURELY FOR COMEDIC PURPOSES?
KS: A lot of it was inherent in the screenplay. What I love about this film is that it is a genre film, essentially a thriller or a noir thriller. Noir thrillers have tropes that everyone expects and that's the great thing about genre films, it's all right to use these tropes, it's just how you spin them. We weren't making a realist, kitchen-sink drama, we were making a fun movie and I loved that I could play with those stereotypes.
YOU ARE SO FILM LITERATE, DO YOU EVER TAKE INSPIRATION FROM PERFORMANCES OR CHARACTERS THAT YOU'VE SEEN IN OTHER MOVIES?
SP: All the time, you draw on what's gone on before. There are certain great performances that stay in your mind you might subconsciously channel.
DOES CHARLIE END UP LIVING PAST THE FILM, IN YOUR MIND?
SP: Oh absolutely! I'm fully expecting "Kill Me Four Times."
'Kill Me Three Times' opens at the Nuart Theatre this Friday.
Review: 'Kill Me Three Times'
Kriv Stender’s Kill Me Three Times is a very interesting take on the classic botched murder storyline. Screenwriter James McFarland infuses this thriller with a sense of self-referential farce, with Simon Pegg’s (Shaun of the Dead) British wit-fueled performance as the cherry on top. However – don’t be fooled by this casting choice. While Pegg strings a comedic thread through most of his films, Kill Me Three Times is an exciting “who’s gonna get it next?” type of film, and his comedy serves well as a way of greasing the wheels for this action flick to maintain the audience’s focus.
Another aspect that helps keep this focus is the use of colored lighting through neon lights, shades, and other movie magic cheats for source light. Stender’s fellow Australian cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson takes cue from classic 70s Grindhouse films to create a postmodern aesthetic that reminds viewers that they are watching a movie, not real life. It is a simple concept, but in order for the violence not to be taken as truly grotesque, they must remember this truth: Simpson’s use of his on-screen stylizations is key in allowing the audience to accept the hijinks of murder, maybe even with a laugh or two.
Simpson also takes advantage of a beautiful Australian backdrop to set the story. The gorgeous isolated island setting is established early in the film, however – the catch is that, besides the people involved in murder (this includes being a killer, victim or extortionist), there seems to be no one else around. Who knew that such ugly crimes and motivations would look so great with a sunny beach paradise behind it?
Kill Me Three Times is an exciting “who’s gonna get it next?” type of film, and hPegg's comedy serves well as a way of greasing the wheels for this action flick to maintain the audience’s focus.
Speaking of looking good, the cast does just that. Both Teresa Palmer and Alice Bragga could win a beauty contest, but far more impressive and important is that both of them gave powerful and unique performances as displeased and unfaithful romantic partners. In fact, both Palmer’s and Bragga’s characters are so strong that they help to make clear a distinct choice in a reversal of traditional gender roles seen in most action flick shoot-em-up’s, which is made even more explicit by the very emotionally erratic and sensitive performances of Sullivan Stapleton and Callan Murphy. This gender reversal makes for a much more interesting action story than the traditional male-driven noir stories.
Stenders addresses his playing with traditional character roles to be a direct distinction of the film’s postmodern style. Kill Me Three Times plays upon people’s past film experiences by referencing classic film styles and characters, such as the crooked tough cop and the femme fetale. While the film also adds new dynamics to the traditional nihilistic tale of murders gone wrong, and by choosing a plot template that is so deeply rooted in chance, its goal of creating a new version seems reachable.
However, while the film has style and entertainment value, it lacks enough of a signifier to really stick to an audience’s palate for very long. There aren’t any overly-memorable action moments or trademark lines or catchphrases that fuels the film here. Nor are there any moments of outrageous comedy or snappy one-liners to steal and use on your friends later. It’s still fun to watch though, and while it remains a very technically proficient film, it most likely won’t be on people’s top ten list in a month or so. But for a film whose influences are so entertaining, perhaps the film is doing just what it was meant to do after all.
Kill Me Three Times opens this Friday at the Nuart Theatre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eO3rYcSMCA