LIVING (2022)

January 29, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. That uneasy feeling will likely never fade for me … the anxiety when one of the classic movies of yesteryear gets a remake from a contemporary filmmaker with their own vision. Sometimes the new version is a respected tribute to the original, while other times, the director believes they can improve on the classic. In this case, director Oliver Hermanus and screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro (THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, 1993) clearly have love for Akira Kurosawa’s IKIRU (1952), one of the true classics of cinema. Moving the setting from Japan to 1953 England proves an easy transition thanks to a remarkable lead performance.

After the nostalgic, retro-styled opening credits, we learn about Williams (the always fascinating Bill Nighy), a manager in the Public Works Department. He’s a stoic man of discipline – the kind his staff can set their watches by. In fact, it the department and staff seem to be a perfect example of perfected bureaucratic logjam. Some of our early insight into Williams comes from Peter Wakeling (Alex Sharp), the new hire just learning the ropes. By the time Williams heads to his doctor’s appointment, we have a good feel for what a repressed creature of habit he is. This allows us to fully appreciate Nighy’s performance after Williams is diagnosed with a terminal illness.

As we have seen in many ‘cancer dramas’, upon receiving the bleak news, Williams decides to cut loose with a rare (maybe first ever) wild night on the town. He befriends Sutherland (Tom Burke, THE SOUVENIR: PART 1), a writer who acts as a guide through the pubs and becomes the first person to whom Williams discloses his state … a disclosure he chooses not to make to his own self-centered son. Next, Williams begins his first ever search for life … a way to actually live, rather than merely exist. This leads him to strike up an awkward friendship with Margaret Harris (Aimee Lee Wood, THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN, 2021), a former Public Works staffer who left the stifling work environment.

Ms. Harris is very forthcoming with Williams and even admits to giving him a most telling and uncomplimentary nickname. The gentleman is fascinated by Ms. Harris’ spirit and seems to come more alive just being around her. Of course, this raises eyebrows amongst the judgmental masses. Williams is inspired by her and his improved outlook, and this makes a difference at work where he approves a local project that had been previously ignored. A playground in the poorer section of town offers a chance for Williams to leave his mark, while also setting the future tone of the department.

It’s unusual for a film to kill off the main character so soon during the story, but this allows the third act to provide commentary on legacy and the aftermath of one’s death. Sometimes the little things we do matter, and they make up the legacy we leave. Nighy’s Oscar nominated performance is the epitome of nuance. His understated mannerisms display the opposite of living life on the edge. He also tamps down his usual cheekiness to capture the essence of Williams. The sweeping score from Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch perfectly captures the tone, and the film reminds us that the meaning of our life is whatever we make it.

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

MANK (2020)

December 3, 2020

 Greetings again from the darkness. “Just a writer.” The line made me laugh. How many times have writers not received the recognition they deserved, or were underestimated, only to have their words create a lasting impact? Hollywood often likes to portray writers as socially-awkward, loner types who rarely contribute much during conversations. Not this time. The subject is Oscar winning screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz, who was as quick with a dinner table zinger as he was writing the script to CITIZEN KANE (1941) while bedridden.

More than 20 years in the works, this is director David Fincher’s first film since GONE GIRL (2014), and it’s based on a screenplay written by his late father, Jack Fincher. Dad receives sole writing credit here, though David and producer Eric Roth (Oscar winner for FORREST GUMP, 1994) admit to some polishing. It’s a film seemingly designed for us film nerds, but likely entertaining and interesting enough for expanded appeal. CITIZEN KANE is often regarded as the “best” movie of all-time, though the origin of the film is much debated. We do know that struggling RKO Pictures gave 24 year old wunderkind Orson Welles free reign over his first film, and the result was something quite special. Director Fincher’s film offers up three distinct aspects here: a look at Mankiewicz’s writing process for ‘Kane’, some background on Mankiewicz’s career, and a somewhat fictionalized dissection of 1930s Hollywood politics.

Oscar winner Gary Oldman (DARKEST HOUR, 2017) stars as Herman J “Mank” Mankiewicz, an international correspondent-turned NYC cultural critic-turned playwright-turned screenwriter. Herman was the older brother of Joseph L Mankiewicz, a four time Oscar winning writer-director (ALL ABOUT EVE, 1950), and grandfather to Ben Mankiewicz, a well-known host of Turner Classic Movies. Herman was also renowned as a boozer and gambler, and in 1940 (where this movie begins), he was a bedridden mess recovering from a car accident. Herman was part of the sphere of the infamous Algonquin Round Table, and in most of this film, he talks like he’s still at one of those gatherings.

Mank is taken to a desolate ranch house in Victorville, California, along with his assistant Rita Alexander (Lily Collins), his nurse (Monika Gossman) and his handler John Houseman (Sam Troughton). Orson Welles (Tom Burke) has given Mank 60 days to finish the script, and his only guidance seems to be “write what you know”, and don’t drink. The result was a controversial, yet brilliant script that Welles and his crew (Oscar winning Cinematographer Gregg Toland, Editor Robert Wise, a 4-time Oscar winner) turned into a classic film that still holds up 80 years later.

We immediately start seeing flashbacks, as noted by old style on-screen typing. Ten years prior, Mank was the Head Writer at Paramount, where his staff included Ben Hecht, George S Kaufman, and Charles Lederer … writers whose work would later include NOTORIOUS (1946), multiple Marx Brothers movies, and GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953), respectively. Lederer was also the nephew of starlet Marion Davies (played here by Amanda Seyfried), who was the long time mistress of media mogul William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance). Are you starting to see how this wicked web all fits together? Of course, Hearst was the model for Charles Foster Kane in Welles’ classic movie, while Ms. Davies was supposedly the inspiration for Kane’s wife, Susan. Other key players in these flashbacks are Producer David O Selznick (Toby Moore), Irving Thalberg (Ferdinand Kingsley, son of Oscar winner Ben), MGM founder Louis B Mayer (Arliss Howard), Mank’s brother Joseph (Tom Pelphrey), and Mank’s wife “Poor” Sarah (Tuppence Middleton).

Director Fincher’s masterful film features a couple of standout sequences. The first involves the initial meeting between Mank and Hearst, while Marion Davies is filming a scene on the grounds of San Simeon (Xanadu in CITIZEN KANE). Rapid fire dialogue, multiple characters, and terrific editing with Mank keeping pace as Hearst overlooks the filming. Much later there is a scene following Mank and Marion as they stroll through the manicured gardens with the nearby exotic animals on display. The scene is fascinating to watch, while also reinforcing the kindred spirits of Mank and Marion – both talented, yet not quite allowed in the “club”. Beyond those two sequences, we also get a quite funny segment where Mank and his Paramount writers are improvising a pitch to Selznick and director Josef von Sternberg, plus a telegram sent by Mank to Lederer that states, “Millions to be made here and your only competition is idiots” (a sentiment some believe still holds true today).

Quite a bit of the film is focused on Hollywood politics of the 1930s, both in the studios and nationally. In particular, the 1934 Governor’s race focuses on the campaign of writer and socialist Upton Sinclair (played by Bill Nye, the Science Guy), and the concerted efforts by Hearst and studio capitalists to prevent Sinclair from being elected. The symmetry and contrasts of modern day Hollywood and politics cannot be overlooked. Also made abundantly clear is the disconnect between studio heads, directors, and writers – quite the mishmash of disrespect.

The brilliance of Fincher’s movie is that it can be relished from multiple perspectives. Is Mank attempting to salvage a near-dead career or is he settling a grudge against Hearst? Did Welles intend to hold firm to Mank’s contract and prevent him from receiving a screenwriting credit? And then there is the filmmaking side. Superb performances from Oldman and Seyfried highlight the terrific cast. It’s filmed in black and white by cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt (“Mindhunter”), but not the razor-sharp images we are accustomed to these days, rather soft and hazy in keeping with the look of the times. The production design from Donald Graham Burt takes a couple of viewings to fully appreciate, and the music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is spot on, as usual. Even the opening credits provide nostalgia, as does the 1942 Academy Awards ceremony, which neither Mank nor Welles attended. Netflix delivers another winner, and one likely to receive awards consideration.

watch the trailer

 

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE SOUVENIR (2019)

May 30, 2019

 Greetings again from the darkness. Viewers of writer-director Joanna Hogg’s semi-autobiographical feature will likely be divided into two distinct groups: those who find it to be a beautifully artistic psychological study, and those who find it to be a painfully slow watch. Fortunately, most who would fall into the latter group will likely skip it altogether, and we can only hope those in the first group will seek it out and encourage similar-minded film fans to attend. Surely both groups can agree that it features a terrific breakout lead performance from Honor Swinton Byrne (daughter of Tilda Swinton).

Ms. Swinton-Byrne stars as Julie, a young London film school student. She’s soon drawn to Anthony (Tom Burke), an odd man who is somehow simultaneously laid back and condescending. Their relationship builds as he works some vague job at the Foreign Office, and giving every indication that something’s not quite right. Many moments of normal life are shown; however we soon learn that Anthony is a master manipulator, and his off-handed requests for ‘a tenner’ or sticking Julie with a restaurant tab go deeper than being a simple jerk. We know heartbreak is coming for her; we just don’t know how when or how hard.

Tilda Swinton (a long-time friend of director Hogg) appears in a few scenes as Julie’s mom, and as you would expect, she perfectly captures the mother-daughter dynamics. Of course Julie is a film student struggling to make ends meet, but with her frequent requests for ‘mom loans’ coinciding with the Anthony relationship, mother knows best. Jean-Honore Fragonard’s 18th century painting gives the film its title, and provides a terrific scene with Julie and Anthony.

Later, when Anthony tells Julie, “You’re inviting me to do this to you”, we recognize this is an abusive relationship similar to those many women have endured. Set in the 1980’s, a doomed relationship looks eerily similar regardless of the era. The film serves as an example of how we sit in judgment of the love lives of others, while often remaining blind (or is it hopelessly optimistic) to our own relationship issues.

Ms. Hogg shot on film and there are some memorable shots throughout – especially within Julie’s apartment. There is a recurring split-screen shot where a wall divides what we see in the kitchen with what’s happening in the living area – we see characters on each side. This is the anti-Marvel movie. No special effects. No superheroes. And the only worlds in peril are those of average, flawed people like us.

There is a segment involving an analysis of Hitchcock’s PSYCHO, and it’s clear director Hogg learned lessons about what not to show. There is also a reference to another Hitchcock classic with the tailored grey suit Tom buys for Julie and their trip to Venice. Alfonso Cuaron scored big with ROMA, a very intimate look at his personal life, and filmmaker Hogg’s film is in that same vein. It’s extremely well made and beautiful to look at, and is likely to be quite challenging for viewers. The payoff comes after much patience and effort and investment into figuring out these characters. It’s an arthouse film with improvised dialogue (bonus points for Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out with Him?”). This was a grand jury prize winner at Sundance, and the sequel is already in production … good news for some of us, while inexplicable to others.

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson