Jake Gyllenhaal on 'Nightcrawler'
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In today's modern movie age, there are perhaps only a handful of actors that can play double-duty in commanding both big event Blockbuster films as well as more artistically-driven specialty films. Among those select few is Jake Gyllenhaal, whose incredibly varied and consistently high-performing career always seems to circle back to his involvement in these slightly twisted, left-of-center specialty films, as a man with a darkness that just can't seem to escape him. So it makes sense to see That Gyllenhaal here, taking the night-shift in this new indie thriller, and dropping a reported twenty pounds to play gaunt-faced Louis Bloom, (perhaps a distant relative of Norman Bates in terms of eerie kookiness) who finds himself gravitating to the frenzied world of freelance crime scene filming. The performance is delicious and unnerving, and among one of his most enjoyable and weirdly fun roles (Read Nic's glowing review here); the film is Nightcrawler, an L.A.-set hypnotic ride-along (that might be this year's best midnight movie), and the directorial debut from The Bourne Legacy reboot penner Dan Gilroy. At a recent press day, Jake Gyllenhaal spoke of the movie, and about the modern age of journalism (which makes for interesting conversation when expressing his reservations about its current state to a room full of journalists), his infamous weight loss, and his love for his hometown, L.A. (and he's not quoting Randy Newman). We begin:
YOUR LAST STRING OF FILMS (PRISONERS, ENEMY) AND NOW, NIGHTCRAWLER, ARE EACH SO CONCEPTUALLY AND ARTISTICALLY INTERESTING FROM A DIRECTOR'S POINT OF VIEW. DO YOU HAVE ANY AMBITIONS TO BE A DIRECTOR AT SOME POINT?
My father’s a director and my mother’s a director too now, actually. I know from my experience in watching people do it, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with people who are really good at it, that it would be presumptuous of me to say that. I would like to try my hand at it at some point, yeah.
WHEN IT CAME TO PIECING TOGETHER LOUIS, DID YOU DO SOME RESEARCH IN THE WAY MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS TALK?
The hand gesturing, that was all… I don’t know if you’ve met Dan Gilroy, but Dan and I talked a lot about how there’s somebody I base the character on who used his hands a lot, but Dan is also like…[Makes hands gestures].
But no, I didn’t study anybody who did self-help; the words just guided me there. I didn’t veer off on word or one period, or any commas throughout the whole thing. That way guided me to be very specific.
WHAT ABOUT THE WAY YOU MESSED WITH YOUR HAIR? WHAT THAT SOMETHING YOU READ IN THE SCRIPT?
I just thought, what if when Lou was headed into filming his hair gets in his way?, ‘cause my hair was pretty long at the time, and there’s actually a moment in the movie where my hair is all in my face and I’m filming- there was a lot of inspiration coming at me from all over the place.
I said to Dan, "Wouldn’t it be great if I was talking to Rick in the car, giving him speeches, and as I’m talking- like we all do who have driven cars in Los Angeles- drive with my knee while putting my hair up. There was something about it that was like a ninja, he thought he was a ninja. Like when he stole that bike, he was a f*cking ninja.
There’s nothing I love more than another actor who is gonna side-swipe me. It’s so much fun.
YOUR CHARACTER IS LIKE NORMAN BATES-MEETS-TV NEWS- DID YOU SEE SOME SOCIOPATH IN HIM?
My belief in using that word is that it takes the owns off of us in the creation of Lou. I feel like he is our creation, without our desperation for information of all sorts in a world where unimportant information is now important and important info is unimportant, people like Lou can thrive. He is the product of a generation where jobs are scarce and they are transforming the idea of what someone does. Like the other day, someone said ‘I don’t write articles, I post.’ Whole generations of people are coming into the world thinking, "What is a job?"
Lou is a walking metaphor. That’s how I look at him. He is enabled by (Station News Director) Nina (Rene Russo), Nina is enabled by the guys at the station, and they are enabled by us. There is a world, ideally, where someone like Lou wouldn’t end up being the head of a huge major network, but I feel like the world we live in now, he probably would.
HOW DO YOU FIND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOURNALISM AND ‘CELEBRITY CULTURE’ ENTERTAINMENT?
Celebrity culture is very different between life and death, and what Lou does is find the difference between life and death. When you’re following somebody who’s just living their life, it’s not comparable [to journalism].
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WORKING WITH RENE RUSSO, AS A PERSON AND AN ACTOR?
In the restaurant scene, Dan, her husband, gave her very little to survive with. I would say that Lou is given a figurative 50-caliber machine gun in that scene with his words and she is given a spoon. I walked into that scene expecting to just, win. And eventually he does win that scene, but Rene came in and made it a struggle for me in that, even with close to nothing to defend with, she was a fierce competitor. The choices that she was making moment to moment, like when she touched my leg, that was a choice she was doing underneath the table that no one will see. She was just trying to mess with me.
There’s nothing I love more than another actor who is gonna side-swipe me. It’s so much fun.
CAN WE TALK ABOUT YOUR LOOK?
[Laughs]. Well I have an extraordinary makeup artist who worked with me on the movie Prisoners. We had extraordinary department heads on this movie, from Robert Elswit, who shot our movie, all the way to our production head. It was nuts.
One of the biggest things is that Lou only sweats once in the movie, and that was a very particular thing that we talked about often. The only time he sweats is out of excitement when he’s going through that house, because he’s f*cking psyched! Every other exchange is a cool-confidence to him.
So those types of things, in terms of my face, the choices we made, losing weight, that was just months of getting into it. As we were shooting I would run to set, and at a certain point I was running through Griffith Park all the time- 8 to 15 miles a day- picturing myself as a coyote with all the coyotes. I wasn’t really aware of [my physical transformation] until a few months ago when we were going through all the cuts.
WHEN THE FILM COMES OUT, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO MAKE AN INDICTMENT TO THE NEWS BUSINESS AND HOW WE COVER STORIES AND PUT OUT INFORMATION. ARE YOU COMFORTABLE BEING PUT IN THAT POSITION?
My form of communication is through the movies I make. I think this movie is incredibility fun to watch and entertaining, as well as I feel like some kind of commentary. When you can get the two in one movie, those are the types of movies I wanna make. I don’t think any story is good unless there’s some kind of commentary somewhere. Dan Gilroy has a point of view, and I think he’s created this character to shine light on the fact that I don’t think a character like Lou could exist unless we created him.
I have been more moved by the media emotionally, my heart has swelled as a result of stories I’ve read, and I’ve been disgusted at the same time from other stories I’ve read. I think that is what’s beautiful about the job you all do.
IN THE MOVIE, L.A. IS LIKE ITS OWN CHARACTER, AND IT’S BEAUTIFUL. HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE L.A., AND HOW DID THAT PLAY INTO YOUR CHARACTER?
L.A. is where I was born and raised. I live in New York now, and every time I fly in, I love L.A., and I don’t want to quote Randy Newman.
[Laughter]
The movie would not have been able to be made anywhere else. This is a Los Angeles movie. Every time I talk to anybody who has seen the movie and I say, ‘I base this character off of a coyote,’ they all go, ‘Ohhh!’ Like, who hasn’t been eye-f*cked by a coyote? They are not intimated by you at all! In fact, they are looking for the most vulnerable aspect of you. They’re a beautiful animal, I’ve grown to love them cause I’ve done so much research and felt like I was one of them for so long playing this character.
Nightcrawler is in theaters this Friday.
Review: 'White Bird in a Blizzard'
Much like young heroine Kat Connor, who, amidst a kerfuffle of dizzying major life-altering events, struggles to make sense of the whizzing elements around her, you might find yourself less than impressed with the overly-stuffed and acted, White Bird in a Blizzard.
Adapted from the Young-adult novel of the same name, YA book-to-screen favorite Shailene Woodley is tasked here with trying to keep this sagging Coming of age thriller afloat as Kat (who provides casual and unconvincing voice-over narration throughout), a high-school aged girl who is met with two very different life-changing circumstances, and at the same time: that of realizing her new body and self as a young woman (and with that, embarking on a wildly-charged sexual maturity), along with the disappearance of her unhappy, if not outright paranoid, once-beauty-turned-homemaker mother, Eve (Eva Green).
Now, as is fully recognized- books, by their nature of giving audiences total creative freedom by making us picture the entire story in our heads, will always have the advantage of having perfectly played subtlety and nuance with all things. With this acknowledgment, it's less than fair to compare a movie to its book form. However, when a movie tries to earn the same elaborate and emotional victories without providing the carefully selected words and prose that the author (in this case, Laura Kasischke) would use, a movie can quickly feel flat and imitative, which does not escape this film's doings.
Blizzard operates in a highly staged, highly dressed up world, which is furthered by its time era. Set in the noticeably costumed world of 1980s and New Wave rock, and before familial drama knew the politics of New Age parenting, we see that Kat lives the life of a single child, a high school rocker who just grew into her most attractive qualities, and not to the non-noticing of her desperately kooky mother, a former beautiful young thing herself. Here, Eva Green gives a meaty piece of manic performance, which spurs the film with some intrigue, but feels a bit too played up nonetheless. It's when Eve and her controlling nature suddenly vanish one day that sets in place the story of a young girl who must brave her own life, and through the lens of her disappeared mother.
While these dreamy elements might make for rich abstract world-making for any novel, the insurmountable task of bringing those elements to life in a harmonious way is the true challenge, which is noticeable here in this R-rated thriller.
In its earliest opening sequences, it's immediately clear that there is a visual interest to the flick that director Gregg Akai (Kaboom) dials into here, bringing a dreamy-realism that drives this created world and its' mysteries and intrigues ever forward, for a story that might have otherwise easily felt trite and boring. While these dreamy elements might make for rich abstract world-making for any novel, the insurmountable task of bringing those elements to life in a harmonious way is the true challenge, which is noticeable here in this R-rated thriller. The film threads a handful of reoccurring fantasy sequences, showing Kat edging ever closer to a nude lifeless figure in the snow (don't worry, it's a fantasy sequence), the rest of the movie tries to make Kat and her young life just as interesting- but neither Woodley herself or the story around her provide anything to grasp onto except for moderate entertainment.
One of the more interesting parts of the film- and for reasons other than you might expect- is Woodley's decision to bare all on screen. A handful of these nude scenes show Kat embarking on her sexual life with dumb hunk Phil (Shiloh Fernandez) and Detective Scieziesciez (Thomas Jane), but these scenes feel so detached from the character and the larger story at play (seriously Kat, you have no reservations about your missing mother?) that the emotional impact from such scenes is hard to feel.
It's not that the film doesn't generate interesting, stirring, and worthwhile watching. Each component is rich, and the end film certainly won't leave you thinking you didn't get a full meal (with a twist that lifts the film ever slightly). Christopher Meloni as Kat's loser dad and disappointing husband Brock is a devilish joy to watch, even while his character is so obviously cut from the cloth of creepy weird hermits who may or may not have a secret to keep. But with too many dovetailing elements, including an unnecessarily long third act that sees Kat go off to college, and stays with her until she comes home to learn the truth of Eve's vanishing, White Bird in a Blizzard's attempt to fulfill both artistic and commercial expectations falls short.
In theaters this Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D1W_aH72-g
Whiplash
As films about music and musicians go, largely split between being dramatic biopics of a naive star navigating the turbulent waters of the industry itself or all-out pop-heavy musical celebrations, most have revered 'music' and regarded it in its most magisterial of ways. Characters' all-consuming torment or glee is typically played against its beautiful, romantic, and purified sonic elements to elevate the bigger, surrounding drama. It might be safe to say, however, that these filmmakers didn't play in the same demanding high-school music orchestra that second-time feature film director Damien Chazelle did. And what he learned there, was that music is nothing near related to "being safe."
A former jazz student drummer himself, Chazelle writes and directs the heart-pounding semi-autobiographical film, Whiplash (this year's Sundance Grand Prize Jury winner, the festival's highest award), about a similarly dedicated undergrad musician, whose discovery by the school's eccentric, if not outright hostile jazz ensemble instructor at the school's East coast music conservatory leads to a relentless obsession that pushes the boundaries of how far one will go, and how much one will endure, to achieve greatness. Chazelle, in a Director's Statement about the film, says, "There are a lot of movies about the joy of music. But as a young drummer in a conservatory high school jazz orchestra, the emotion I felt the most frequently was a different one: fear. Fear of missing a beat. Fear of losing tempo. Most overwhelmingly, fear of my conductor."
Check out our interview coverage with Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, and Damien Chazelle, on Whiplash
From a voided black splash, our first sensory cue is the lone, echoing build of a snare drum. A single hit, like a gunshot, followed by another, and then by another, in ever-quickening measurement, culminates in a drum roll that sees jazz drummer Andrew (Miles Teller) playing in the school's practice room. As an ominous ghostly presence in slim-fitting all-black wears, Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), head cue-balled, arms toned, and eyes unwavering, immediately barks drum beats for Andrew to play back perfectly. The mechanics of this scene alone, and serving as the film's opening, set the tension-filled operatic stage that is doomed to meet tormenting and self-sacrificing proportions.
From there, it's a film ablaze, where the next day Andrew is singularly plucked from being an "alternate," turning the sheet music pages for the "core" drummer and transferred into Terence's distinguished performance jazz ensemble as the lead drummer. Inspired and drawn in by Terence's initial warm-heartedness, Andrew finds that his too-good-to-be-true opportunity proves to be just that; in a dizzyingly-instant moment, he is blind-sighted by his instructor's immediate trial-by-fire teaching method, by way of hurling a drum-cymbal at his just-off-tempo drummer's head. Scenes of Terence spitting venom at his newly petrified protege take on ever-increasing suspense and tension, as head-spinning camera whip-pans and quick-cut editing nearly overwhelm and suffocate the audience's senses, a hypnotic and consuming experience of sweat, blood, tears, and paranoia.
I can say with total confidence that you won't see another movie so directorially confident from any other first time director this year.
The fast-rising Teller, whose earlier and smaller star-making billings (The Spectacular Now) are quickly getting replaced with bigger studio projects (his 'Mr. Fantastic' in Marvel's The Fantastic Four reboot is slated to come out next year) is able to show off his most sincere and honest acting chops, as well as a further dedication to the craft with this demanding role that sees him trading his cool guy charisma with a more reserved, laser-focused determination, with solemn inner-willing of wanting to be the next Charlie Parker, to be the best jazz drummer ever. Teller further impresses in this role that sees his character's incredible journey and range, from seething frustration, weeping angst, and a physical embodiment complete with bloodied raw hands and sweat-pouring exhaustion, bringing his real-life drumming experience to perform the film's incredible musical numbers himself.
However, the meat of the movie is in the crucially necessary performance needed from Simmons, who more than rises to this occasion. His comically gruff groucho persona wades deep into the thickness of vitriol-laced contempt for all who dare defy his expectations, making him the most transfixing and fear-making element of the movie.
Visually, and at its very best, Whiplash takes the eery yellowed and greened colors and ominously foreboding camerawork reminiscent of The Social Network, mixed with two heavy parts paranoia and obsession, served neatly as a devilish and spiraling-mad cocktail. How many more ways do I have to say, just go see this movie already?
Whiplash should be further praised for being the gripping and original screenplay that it is, which Chazelle and company shot in a brisk nineteen days. This breakneck shooting schedule is successfully felt onscreen, with a rushed momentum that propels the movie forward, creating and heightening stakes in its second and third acts, and resulting in an all-out blitzkrieg of movie endings in one of the most cathartic of grand finales, taking place in Carnegie Hall. I can say with total confidence that you won't see another movie so directorially confident from any other first second time director this year. Chazelle's Whiplash, like the art of drumming, delivers precise and hard hits, moving from quieter moments of stolen vulnerability to blistering and primal rampage. And when it's over, all you'll hear is the silent echo of what you will still be wondering was controlled chaos, and what was not.
'Whiplash' is in theaters this Friday.
*Update: An earlier version of this review incorrectly listed Whiplash as being Damien Chazelle's first feature film. It is his second.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d_jQycdQGo
Review: 'Two Night Stand'
For this generation of hip young Millenials- whose philosophic outlook on life stems from an ever-non-bothered, life-is-good mentality, it certainly sucks when events outside of their control force them to acknowledge worldly inconveniences, and god forbid- awkwardness, with their contemporary counterparts.
This cultural awareness of today’s internet generation, in story, tone, and sex-driven humor, is nailed down exactly and casually, in the new soft-“R” rated romantic comedy, Two Night Stand. Starring fresh-faced up-and-comers Miles Teller (The Spectacular Now) and Analeigh Tipton (Crazy, Stupid, Love), Two Night Stand tells the story of Megan (Tipton) and Alec (Teller), who, after a night’s hook-up (initiated by a determined Megan by way of an online dating website looking for a night of meaningless sex- you know, to clear the head), find that an overnight snow storm has blocked the apartment’s front door exit, forcing them to spend an unplanned second day together.
There is quite a lot to like in this movie- it being manageably made with a finger on the pulse of this new turn of the century adult-kid culture, addressing how these new young adults are meeting existential crises and trying to make sense of new found larger-world consequences- but first, a bong toke (you know, to clear the head). At least that’s Alec’s decision-making, as he and Megan, having started the next morning off on the wrong foot, are forced to lazily pass the time. There’s also a dance party, ping-pong, and an elaborate snow storm-braving rescue mission to retrieve a neighbor’s plunger. And in a bigger series of events, Megan and Alec, with their detached-intelligence professed to override their emotional viewpoints, land on the idea that, since they obviously will never see each other again after this terrible time together, to use the forced shut-in to give some “pointers” to the other, so that they’ll at least improve their "skills" for their next partners. Of course, casual sex never lends itself to a clean break, which leads to further unexpected consequences.
There is quite a lot to like in this movie- it being manage-ably made with a finger on the pulse of this new turn of the century adult-kid culture, addressing how these new young adults are meeting existential crises and trying to make sense of new found larger-world consequences- but first, a bong-toke (you know, to clear the head).
On the whole, the film works, getting by on good consistent fun from the mix of all its parts. Screenwriter Mark Hammer writes a fresh story here that this 23-year-old found entirely non-cringeworthy (a high compliment), even if it felt a bit more mechanical than an episode of Girls might. First-time feature-film director Max Nichols, who, in our exclusive interview, said to “worship at the alter of John Hughes,” balances the characters' headstrong confidence with their deeper and more guarded insecurities, as the Breakfast Club auteur so magically did (as well as his father Mike Nichols with The Graduate). And of course, the presence of Tipton and Teller, who, at this point have already accumulated impressive and sizable projects under their belts, are so naturally and effortlessly charming. Teller, with his cool-guy quippiness, and Tipton, with her truly unique brand of comic delivery (think a few points bubblier than Aubrey Plaza) are fun-to-watch actors, whose shared chemistry alone is enough to drive the movie forward.
While the film has its detractors, with its messy third act, and even in the finer particulars of the characters themselves (It’s hard to believe Megan was engaged for four years throughout Medical school but really only wanted to be a homemaker for her fiancé, and Alec being a simple dude who just “works at a bank,”) stand out as mental hang-ups that seem to peskily linger in the back of our minds. There are some further plot-driven events that move the story along at the exception of a few eye-rolls, and a bit more chaos ensuing in the prison-by-apartment scenario would have been fun to watch. But this is not that movie. This movie is a non-offending, charming, young-adult romantic comedy, that qualifies much more as serviceable date movie than generation-defining film. An of-the-moment soundtrack, led by hits from psychedelic electronica band STRFCKR (pronounced with its missing vowels) provides an upbeat and trendy backdrop for the New York love story to take place in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcSosCe0B-A
Max Nichols on 'Two Night Stand'
This writer will go out on a limb and say that, since this first-time feature film director is still working to make his name known to movie audiences at large, that most introductory paragraphs profiling the director will cut right to the part about his father being Max Nichols, director of the seminal 60's classic on the confusion of young adulthood, The Graduate. Even further, any number of write-ups probably make the next logical step in comparing this director's first film, about recently graduated millennials navigating the new-age waters of hook-up land, again, to the Dustin Hoffman classic. And while all of the above statements are entirely true, it's not all entirely accurate, in getting to know Max Nichols. A self-professed metal-head loving music video director, I recently spoke with the forty one year-old father, who, in a phone interview, relayed nothing but humorous and thoughtful conversation, honest self-reflection, and effortless cool. Max Nichols, delivering his first big-budget (or more accurately, bigger budget) film, talked about youth culture, his earliest film-viewing and on-set experiences, and what he learned to be extremely careful of when reading future scripts. We begin:
HI MAX, MR. NICHOLS. HOW ARE YOU DOING?
…I’m going to apologize in advance for the rambunctious toddlers in the background…
TWO NIGHT STAND OPENS IN THEATERS THIS FRIDAY- HOW HAS THIS JOURNEY BEEN FOR YOU?
It’s been thrilling every step of the way. I read so many scripts before coming across one that made me think, "Oh man, I gotta do this movie," which is exactly how I felt the moment I read Mark Hammer’s Two Night Stand. From that auspicious beginning, to meeting Analeigh (Tipton) and Miles (Teller), and winding up with this incredible cast and amazing crew, at the risk of sounding a little corny- it’s been a dream come true.
WHAT WAS THE FIRST FILM YOU SAW THAT TRULY AFFECTED YOU ON A DIRECTING LEVEL, THAT MADE YOU THINK, 'I WANT TO DO THAT'?
Probably The Breakfast Club. I was at the perfect age when that movie came out, in that I was a little bit younger than the characters but old enough to have an appreciation of how unprecedented the honest depiction of what it’s like to be that age. It just seemed completely different than any movie I had ever seen before.
Obviously I worship at the alter of John Hughes now, but at the time I was like "This guy gets it!" To provide this word of teenager-dom that I was so fascinated by- it was like John Hughes was some sort of wizard.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE LIKE BEING ON A SET? I KNOW YOU STARTED OUT WORKING IN THE MUSIC VIDEO WORLD.
Well my dad is a director, so I’ve spent a fair amount of time on set with him when I was a kid, including when I was just a little baby. So we'd probably have to turn to another source for a good anecdote about my very first experience on set...
One early set memory that I have, and it's certainly not a particularly elevated one from a "cinema" standpoint, was, I remember being on set with my dad in Texas, while he was shooting Silkwood. And I couldn't believe that there was a whole truck parked there, that could make you a cheeseburger anytime you want, and that you could have as many cheeseburgers as you wanted in any given day. And then there was a whole other place where there was just a whole stack of candy that you could just go take. I mean, more than anything, that probably told me, "This is where I need to work."
Honestly, it felt like an opportunity to bring my friends, or at least maybe younger versions of my friends, to life on the screen in a way that, at least it didn't seem to me, was happening at the moment.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DIRECTING EXPERIENCE? DID YOU MAKE IT A POINT TO HAVE THE SAME CRAFT SERVICES YOU REMEMBERED SEEING AS A KID?
[Laughter] Oh man, if only that had been possible!
The first video I directed was, and I had worked in the music business a little bit when I was younger, so I'd been on set with other music videos, but the first music video I directed was for a fantastic band named American Minor. Just like a great, contemporary classic rock band, if there is such a thing. And they had this great song called "Buffalo Creek," and we shot it in this basement in this hideous, disgusting basement in LA, that I've since been told many times has been used for pretty much every other either gore or porn movie out there, but we put it to other use that day.
And no, I mean, as far as microscopic budget, I think maybe one pizza, or a couple Subway subs for the whole crew to share at lunch time. And since all we could afford was to have the band perform, I think they performed for about thirteen hours straight. I hadn't quite properly factored in the toll that would take on them, and when we were done I was like, "Cool man, you guys wanna go out and get some drinks?" And I think they pretty much collectively collapsed.
DID YOU FIND THAT BEING THE SON OF A LEGENDARY FILM DIRECTOR HELPED OR HINDERED YOUR OWN BURGEONING CAREER AS A DIRECTOR WHEN FIRST STARTING OUT?
Um, I don't know? I came to directing through this music video world where it was sort of, you know, maybe a thing that people knew, or maybe they didn't? But it didn't seem to have sort of a tremendous cache in that world, because it primarily came down to, "Well, who else have you done videos for? What do they look like? Were they hits?" So I think it was nice for me to have an opportunity, through the many twists and turns that life takes, for me to spend a long time working in that realm, and have an opportunity to develop some, what I hope is at least a little bit of skill and talent as a director, before turning to a feature. Maybe it made the whole thing a little less loaded for me, than it might have been otherwise.
RETURNING TO TWO NIGHT STAND, ABOUT TWO YOUNG COLLEGE GRADS WHO ARE AWKWARDLY SNOWED IN TOGETHER AFTER A ONE-NIGHT FLING… THE FILM SO HEAVILY RELIES ON THESE YOUNG ACTORS' CHARM AND PERFORMANCES, AS WE'RE PRETTY MUCH TRAPPED IN THE SAME ROOM WITH THEM FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE MOVIE. WHAT WERE YOU EXCITED TO BRING TO THE SCREEN AFTER READING THIS SCRIPT?
One of the things that I was sort of most drawn to, in that regard was, the voice that Mark Hammer wrote and captured for Megan (Tipton). It just rang like, head and shoulders above so many other young female characters that I read as authentic, and was so evocative of so many smart, funny, sarcastic young women that I know.
Honestly, it felt like an opportunity to bring my friends, or at least maybe younger versions of my friends, to life on the screen in a way that, at least it didn't seem to me, was happening at the moment. And that when it came to Miles and Analeigh embodying those characters...there was something particularly when I first met Analeigh. She just seemed so singular, and distinct to me, and was sort of unlike any particular human I had met before, in this wonderful way that, I knew that if I felt that way over her, that people would buy having such a powerful reaction to her in their short time together. And I felt that audiences would feel really drawn to her in the short time that they spent with the characters as well. And I'm lucky to say that, at least so far, that's been the case.
THIS BEING YOUR FIRST FEATURE FILM, WHAT ARE YOU ULTIMATELY WALKING AWAY WITH, AND HAVING LEARNED AFTER MAKING THIS FILM?
I think coming off this movie in particular, I have learned to be very, very careful should I ever encounter the word "snow" or "ping-pong" in a script again, for completely different reasons. Both are almost impossible to re-create in a scene. I realize now that it is extremely easy to write: "Megan and Alec play ping-pong." Shooting and covering a scene where Megan and Alec play ping-pong, with anything resembling continuity...if there's a director out there effortlessly, my hat is off to 'em.
Review: 'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them'
Although there is a unique, conceptually ambitious movie that exists in first-time writer/director Ned Benson's The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them, the audience, unfortunately, probably wouldn't know it, after seeing this re-cut version of his film(s).
Initially conceived as a more "experimental" movie-watching experience, the original vision for Rigby was for audiences to watch two films, a sort-of double feature that followed the same story but told from the differing perspectives of its male and female lead characters, and affixed with the respective titles, Him and Her.
This original vision played at last year's TIFF, and was bought and sold to The Weinstein Company. Now, eight months later, Benson and Harvey "Scissorhands" (infamous for re-editing acquired films so as to perform better theatrically) have combined both versions, Him and Her, to create this third version, : Them. However, the result in denying audiences the two-film experience, and doing away with the filmmakers' exploratory attempt to create a third, more powerful synergistic effect, does not work for this film- the takeaway is one of non-satisfaction, as the film fails to successfully mine the focused riches that either singular film might have offered in their own right (Read Jasper's review of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her/Him, here).
At its best, the film reveals an authenticity about the human condition, and our search for reason and meaning in a world that may offer none; at its worst, it reveals that it might just be the film itself that suffers from its own existential crisis.
The story of a broken marriage at the hands of a family tragedy, the film stars Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, with her as the titular character. It should be said early that the title while lending itself to hints of mystery, or perhaps Beatles-referencing, is loyal to neither, and only serves as being an intriguing title for an art house film. The film, at just over two hours long, is a free-flowing collection of scenes intimate, fragile, and most impressively, honest, about how family and lovers take to dealing with such new heartbreaking territory. Benson crafts each scene to hold such emotional weight and authenticity that the whole thing feels massively charged with real life understanding and empathy in a way that only skilled filmmakers and actors could achieve. Similar in nature to the dark drama Rabbit Hole, also about a couple dealing with the tragic loss of an infant child, Rigby: Them follows each estranged spouse as they try to figure out how to go on and make sense of their lives.
Rigby: Them is certainly confident film-making. Even this third version feels like a well-made film, technically speaking. But there's just no denying that, after combining two films that were intent on remaining separate so as to allow the audience to see the differences in perspective, memory, and understanding that would manifest itself on screen, the story here feels aimless. We have no distinct protagonist to follow here; certainly not Eleanor Rigby, who, despite Chastain's incredibly lived-in performance and commitment, we feel we never truly connect with due to the film's impartial coverage between its leads. Nor with McAvoy, who gives a fine turn here as well- but with such elastic back-and-forth scene-work, seeing each character in such removed emotional areas, and for a good part of the time Eleanor and Colin (McAvoy) are shown dealing with their own friends and family (making good, yet sparse use of James Hurt, Viola Davis, and Bill Hader), the pair's most important scenes fail to give way to anything more transcendent. At its best, the film reveals an authenticity about the human condition, and of our search for reason and meaning in a world that may offer none; at its worst, it reveals that it might just be the film itself that suffers from its own existential crisis. The good news is that Him and Her will find their theatrical distribution come October, when the film can be more properly understood, and therefore, reviewed, in all three versions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ng4MD66WyU
Review: 'To Be Takei'
In 2012, a Tennessee Senate Committee approved a bill that would prohibit teachers in that state from discussing homosexuality in the classroom, soon enough known as, the “don’t say gay” law. However, the bigoted legislation was met with opposition by the LGBQT community, and especially by one man, with enough pop culture and political credibility to counter the measure and start a movement. In a characteristically clever and tongue-in-cheek response, the man would oppose the bill by simply lending his name, stating, "Anytime you need to say the word 'gay,' you can simply say 'Takei!'" And so, the slogan and life affirmation was born, "It's OK to be Takei!"
From his star-making role as Sulu in the cult-worshiped television series Star Trek, the movie provides an account of his entire life's story. This documentary, while broadly told in the assemblage of footage and weaving of its subject's story, reveals even more depth to his more caricatured present-day public persona- as a War-afflicted youth, a sexually struggling young adult, and a fervent political activist, who's own battles and life events inspired countless people across the world.
This documentary will probably be sought out and watched mostly by the star's already devoted and loyal fan base, and probably more enjoyed by them too. Not to say that Takei isn't revealed to be a man full of humor and dignity, which he's employed in all of his life's work and pursuits -it's just that the level of depth and attention given to his whole life, opening with his simple domestic home life with partner and husband Brad Takei, might disarm some, as if the whole conception is half biography/half reality television show. Some of these "candid" moments play incredibly flat, given the level of discomfort Brad has in front of the cameras during the entirety of the movie. However, this adds to his charm and likability, and to that of the couple themselves. And in seeing a thorough storyline of George and Brad, at home, out and about, doing press events, we see how normal George is in his present-day life- which goes to highlight how that wasn't always the case.
To the (my) millennial generation, "George Takei" has taken on a persona and "third-person status" that has entered the pop culture lexicon, bigger than the person himself. With his suggestively sly trademark quip "Oh my..." and guest appearing "as himself" on shows like The Big Bang Theory, as well as having been popularized for his meme-sharing Facebook page (which, as of this review, has more than 7.5 million fans), it's understandable to acknowledge that Takei the person has been overshadowed by these more superficial significances in mass media consumption. We learn soon enough though, that behind the comical charade of which we all partake (Takei included), that there is a man, a human, who has endured more singular persecution than most anywhere have or do, be it in show business or anywhere else.
While the documentary itself might have been improved with a few more tweaks and edits, everything that's inside is more than enough to show how, behind his beloved celebrity figure, there is a man full of honor...
Moving past George and Brad's simple life at home (and past the Star Trek story for framing references) we move into more honest, emotive storytelling. We return frequently to the story of his earliest childhood living in Los Angeles, and of his family's Japanese-American ancestry which, after the attack on Pearl Harbor and this country's introduction into World War II, became the target for racial discrimination, forcing a young George, his family, and all others of Japanese descent, into internment camps all over the country. This harrowing story, which is often forgot (or at least willfully ignored) is once again presented into the modern public consciousness with a multitude of black and white archival footage, aiding in our understanding of the events by way of George the movie star's own personal stories and experiences. The events of having his family lose their house, business, and rights as American citizens, would seem likely to harden any person, giving rightful bitterness and ill-will to the country who betrayed their own. Takei however, would embark on a life of optimism and positivity through all of life's events, with his signature grin and bass-toned laugh that joins his daily speech throughout. He even wrote a musical about these childhood events (called Allegiance, in which he stars and sings, which we return to continuously).
As if the incredible discrimination faced by George wouldn't already be enough for any person to take on, Takei also experienced young adulthood as a gay man (he realized his orientation in the fourth grade) during a time when homosexuality was unaccepted in the larger culture's consciousness. These personal hardships would, again, seem likely to evoke feelings of resentment or contempt for the institutions around them. And perhaps Takei's ever-constant laugh hides or masks a deeper avoidance of some of these emotions (in a telling part of the movie, an agitated Brad calls out Takei for "always laughing after he says something serious," to which Takei voices even heartier amusement from). Though it would be off-base for this reviewer to offer this as psychological analysis, the actions perceived in the film at the very least give a window into the soul of a man who had to make his way in the world against all odds. So as composed and self-assured a homosexual man as the celebrity is today, it is of course interesting to see him recall events of his past- of hiding his sexuality as a youth and when he began to break into the industry with his first acting roles, as well as outwardly saying that he wasn't gay on Howard Stern's radio program in the 1990's- which we then see transition into his second life's work, advocating civil rights for the LGBQT community.
Throughout watching the slices of life with Brad (busier than ever with events and appearances) and the World War II recounting stories, the third focal point of the documentary showcases Takei's "coming out," and his taking to championing gay rights ever since (as stated in this review's first paragraph). We see Takei speaking in numerous television segments, in countless media and political events, parades, and the like. Takei's life work stands as a champion of the causes, from being a hero for all costumed "nerd-dom," for Asian-Americans, and those in the LGBQT community. We finally see George performing in Allegiance, and in the show's climax, singing through weeping eyes, the story of his parents' resilience to, after the discrimination they endured, to continue to live on with pride and dignity. While the documentary itself might have been improved with a few more tweaks and edits, everything that's inside is more than enough to show how, behind his beloved celebrity figure, there is a man full of honor, who has not only endured life's greatest hardships but proved inspiring through his life's advocating and work, which continues to this day. In this respect, we learn how entertaining, inspiring, and honorable it is, to be Takei.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUkA3RvwcWw
Review: 'Love Is Strange'
For a movie whose universally-commentating title would imply it to reveal unexpected and unusual events, arising from said declarative statement, this new-age love story sure is misleading.
In fact, writer/director Ira Sachs' latest effort, Love Is Strange, almost seems to take on the motivated spirit of championing how love, across all genders, is so not strange in this mildly droll outing. Though perhaps it is love's surrounding societal factors that threaten it and relationships of all kinds, even in this twenty-first century, that Sachs is intending to tap into. For we not only see a story of how later-in-life homosexual partners are forced to confront the failings in both the institutions that they both live in as well as the bond between them, but also the same dealings faced by husbands and wives.
The setting is present day upscale New York, and in this first scene we see longtime partners, the more divaesque seventy-something Ben (John Lithgow) and more rationally-centered and more English George (Alfred Molina), getting ready for their wedding day, of which they've waited forty plus years until was finally legally recognized in the state. Their tastefully designed tuxes and highly refined lifestyles (further evidenced by their love for their beloved uptown apartment) are captured by the film's even more exacted direction and photographing, which frames the rest of the movie and its high-brow characters in richly swathed intelligentsia culture.
So it would make sense that Ben and George's new life gets turned upside-down when a loss of income forces the pair to sell their apartment (and before that, when newly married George is fired for violating the rules of the private Catholic school where he teaches) forcing them to ask their closest family and friends to put them up while they look for a new place to call home. While their closely-knit and much loving friends of course offer their homes, none alone is separately big enough to take both in. As such, the newlyweds are forced to spend their first weeks as husband and husband in different households; Ben with two gay police officers, and George with his nephew's family and their high school-aged son.
If only there was a little more life injected into its human-component instead of being just a commentary on humans navigating through life and love, we might have enjoyed living in these peoples' lives as opposed to simply observing so.
The rest of the story, from this point on, is focused on how the taking in of the couple weighs on all involved, and exposes the flaws and shortcomings of each relationship including the families they stay with. Except the story doesn't really commit to this. Barely so, and not really, playing into the film's carefully crafted and highly refined aesthetic presentation of modern living. The problems that rise to the surface, even when speaking to bigger and more honest emotional truths, are so coolly internalized by these fairly disconnected New York socialites that the experience makes for an even bigger distance with its audience, not unlike the studying and taking in of art in a gallery. Though the circumstances presented give way to exposing understandable struggles from all characters- the pair's journey to find cheaper housing (while maintaining their comfortable lifestyle), novel-writer Jane's (Marisa Tomei) sense of growing isolation from her art-installation husband Elliot (Darren E. Burrows), and George's elderly age and a late discovered heart issue, the problems mostly file under that of "highly privileged" living, or at the very least, relate to how the film never demands its characters go through any messier emotional territory. It's a slice-of-life, restrained and polished adult love story, if the slice that's being served is of fine dining taste.
None of which is to say that Love is Strange is meritless, as the sheer reality of the story and its conflicts could (and do) befall any and all types of sexually-identifying people. And why shouldn't this of-the-times entry into Queer cinema celebrate its characters by truly humanizing them instead of flamboyant caricatures? It's just that scenes such as Ben and George's taking in of a classical concert being treated as matter-of-factly as a more intimate and stolen nighttime conversation between George and his nephew's son and temporary bunkmate Joey (Charlie Tahan) on the subject of true love, it's near impossible to crack through anything but a well composed shell, which it really doesn't intend for you to do. Yet on this merit, the film knows exactly what it intends to be, and executes itself as an aesthetically-made and pleasing adult film about adult life in all of its adult glories and downfalls. Though the film ends with realizing themes of mortality, the payoff is little earned, really, and we're only left to realize that we should understand that we should be appreciating its beauty, instead of just appreciating its beauty itself. If only there was a little more life injected into its human component instead of being just a commentary on humans navigating through life and love, we might have enjoyed living in these peoples' lives as opposed to simply observing so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdfA5Ff5e78