The highly anticipated SPACEMAN debuts on Netflix March 1, 2024. Starring Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan and Paul Dano, watch the first preview below.
Six months into a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system, an astronaut, Jakub (Adam Sandler), realizes that the marriage he left behind might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Desperate to fix things with his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), he is helped by a mysterious creature from the beginning of time he finds hiding in the bowels of his ship. Hanuš (voiced by Paul Dano) works with Jakub to make sense of what went wrong before it is too late.
Directed by Johan Renck and based on the novel Spaceman of Bohemia, the film also stars Kunal Nayyar, Lena Olin, and Isabella Rossellini.
DUMB MONEY is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall videogame store) into the world’s hottest company. In the middle of everything is regular guy Keith Gill (Paul Dano), who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock and posting about it. When his social posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets rich – until the billionaires fight back, and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.
DUMB MONEY also stars Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley and Seth Rogen. Directed by Craig Gillespie, written by Lauren Schuker Blum & Rebecca Angelo, based on the book “The Antisocial Network” by Ben Mezrich.
Rebecca Angelo, Writer/Executive producer, Lauren Schuker Blum, Writer/Executive producer, Teddy Schwarzman, Producer, Aaron Ryder, Producer, and Craig Gillespie, Director, attend the gala screening of DUMB MONEY at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In their review, The Hollywood Reporter says: the film receiving its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival proves entertaining enough, thanks to its canny screenplay relating the story as a Frank Capra-style battle between the little people and the rich bigwigs hoisted by their own petards, and the fun performances by a terrific ensemble.
Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy Fabelman, in THE FABELMANS, co-written, produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. Photo credit: Courtesy of Universal
In his semi-autobiographical film THE FABELMANS, director Steven Spielberg looks back on growing up and how he fell in love with movie-making, a remembrance told through the lens of his parents’ marriage. Of course, “semi-autobiographical” means not everything we see is true but the story is by turns funny, touching and heartbreaking, as Sammy Fabelman, the stand-in for young Spielberg, grows up while his determination to make movies also grows, and his parents’ marriage falls apart. The film features a stellar cast, including Paul Dano, Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Judd Hirsch with a nice cameo by David Lynch. Spielberg co-wrote the script with Tony Kushner, who also co-wrote “Munich” with the director, and with music by John Williams, the stage is set for something wonderful – and we get exactly that.
There seems to be a spate of partly-biographical films from big-name directors in the last couple of years, maybe partly due to reflection during pandemic lock-down or just to reaching an age for looking back (Spielberg is now 75). This one joins Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical “Belfast” from last year and Sam Mendes’ partly-biographical ode to his mother, “Empire of Light.”
THE FABELMANS starts out with the family in 1950s New Jersey, as we meet 6-six-year-old Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryon Francis-Deford) while he is standing in line with his parents Mitzi (Michelle Williams) and Burt (Paul Dano) to see his very first movie. However, young Sammy is not too sure about this experience because he is afraid of the dark. It does not help matters when his mother, in an effort to reassure him, describes movies as “like dreams” – which Sammy quickly notes can sometimes be scary. But his parents tell him the movie is about the circus, and Sammy loves the circus and clowns (in an earlier era when clowns were seen as harmless and funny rather than scary). And the movie? Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Greatest Show On Earth.” If you have seen this epic, you know it is less a light, happy comedy than a dramatic epic, with a showstopper scene of a circus train wreck.
Sammy’s parents obviously expected a more light-hearted movie (and what parent hasn’t made this kind of mistake?), so they are nervous about Sammy’s reaction after the show. Sammy does indeed seem stunned afterwards, but it is because he wants to know how they did that train-wreck scene. But Hanukkah is coming, and the lighting of the menorah candles, and Sammy gets an electric train set, one car at a time until the final piece, the transformer to power it all. Yup – train-wreck re-enactment is inevitable, and when his mother hands him a home movie camera so he can record it, the pattern is set.
Sammy’s fascination with making movies is encouraged actively by his artistic mother Mitzi, who even gives him his first movie camera, but it puzzles his science-inclined father Burt. The film follows Sammy’s early efforts at making movies, along with growing up with his three sisters (one a baby) and his parents. His brilliant engineer/inventor father Burt (Paul Dano) is working on the cutting edge of the nascent computer industry, developing the machines that will drive the future. His mother Mitzi (Michelle Williams) is a talented pianist but gave up her dreams of the concert stage to raise her family.
Scenes of little Sammy crashing his train and filming it with his dad’s home movie camera give way to more movie-making, often starring his older sisters, who seem to enjoy the process nearly as much as their brother.
Burt Fabelman’s soaring career takes the family from the suburbs of New Jersey, to Arizona, and then to northern California. Tagging along is fellow computer engineer Bennie Loewy (Seth Rogen), a family friend who is kind of an uncle to the kids as well as Burt’s co-worker in early computer research.
For anyone who grew up making little movies (or knew someone who did), this film is pure catnip. At the same time, this is a universal coming-of-age story for anyone who grew up in the later half of the 20th century. The film-making sequences are among the most fun, and punctuate the family’s story as well as illuminating young Sammy’s growth as he approaches adulthood. This beautifully constructed family story has humor and heart-break, and a winning coming-of-age story.
While scientist Burt is supportive of his son, he sees his son’s movie-making as a hobby, and something he will grow out of. It’s pretty clear Burt wants his son to follow in this footsteps but as much as Sammy loves his quiet, kindly father, he is just not the same. As a sister points out, Sammy doesn’t even like math, but he sure loves making movies. Dad’s gentle efforts to interest his son – in fact any of this children – in his world of science is often undermined by jokes by ever-present pal Bennie. Although Bennie is in the same nascent computer field as Burt, his playful, jokester temperament is more like Sammy’s mom Mitzi.
While the family’s Jewish identity is clear, it is not always at the forefront in the story and instead is integrated into it in a pleasingly natural way. Interestingly, the Fabelmans never seem to live in neighborhoods with many other Jewish families around, as they move from place to place. In New Jersey, they drive home after in winter through a subdivision full of houses decorated with Christmas lights, until they reach their own unlit house. Yet later, we see a festive menorah in the window, as extended family gathers to celebrate Hanukkah. Later in Arizona, we see both grandmothers visit them, Mitzi’s warm mother Tina Schildkraut (Robin Bartlett) and Burt’s more critical one, Hadassah Fabelman (Jeannie Berlin). But by the time the family reaches northern California, as Dad’s career is reaching the top, the family finds itself in very different territory, a place where, as Sammy comments, “there are hardly any Jews.” Here Sammy is confronted by open antisemitism, in the form of a hate-filled fellow student in high school.
Both Michelle Williams and Paul Dano are marvelous as Sammy’s parents, two good but mismatched people. Michelle Williams is particularly brilliant as Sammy’s artistic mother, in one of her best performances in a career of them. Mitzi is encouraging to her son while frustrated in her own life, and the two do not always get along. Paul Dano is surprisingly good in the less-showy, more-challenging role as Sammy’s quiet, kind, steady, more reserved father. Dano manages effectively the difficult job of portraying a man who, while not understanding his creative son’s passion for movie-making, ever-hopeful that he will grow out of it, and fearing for his financial future if he doesn’t, is still supportive and kindly towards him, even if he doesn’t understand, In fact, both actors present these people as good parents who put their children first, even as things between them are breaking down.
Two young actors play Sammy Fabelman, Mateo Zoryon Francis-Deford as little Sammy, and Gabriel LaBelle as the teenage Sammy. The former is cute but newcomer Gabriel LaBelle does a truly impressive job, delivering a fine, strong performance often laced with a dry humor. Also very good are the girls playing Sammy’s two older sisters, his companions in movie-making in his early attempts. Both Julia Butters as Sammy’s sister Reggie and Keeley Karsten as sister Natalie give appealing, effective performances.
Other supporting roles offer humor and more. Seth Rogen plays Bennie, a part largely based on Spielberg’s favorite uncle. Rogen’s Bennie is often silly but role isn’t always comic, as his constant presence sometimes disrupts serious Burt’s attempts to connect with his family, and Rogen does well in the part. Yet Bennie encourages also Sammy’s movie-making ambitions along with Mitzi, and he plays a crucial role at a pivotal moment for the budding director. Judd Hirsch plays Mitzi’s oddball Uncle Boris, who comes to visit at one point, telling tales of working in early movies, and having a profound effect on Sammy. Hirsch’s bit as crazy Boris is short but a comic highlight. Another actor notable in a smaller role is Jeannie Berlin, who is dryly funny as Burt’s disapproving mother Haddash Fabelman. “This is brisket?” she asks after marching into Mitzi’s kitchen and opening her oven door to inspect the meal.
Spielberg recreates his own earliest films – which include a dentist horror one, a Western, and a war movie – but the director has admitted in interviews that he improved them over the originals, as he found the originals too embarrassing to show. And why not? The admission is its own kind of charming for fans and film buffs, and more of that catnip for the childhood movie-makers among us.
“The Fabelmans” is a lovely love letter to film-making, and to Spielberg’s family, with a message about good parenting and what matters in life. This film is very well-constructed, weaving together Sammy’s movie-making and growing up, with what is happening to his parents’ marriage, in a cohesive tale of family life. It is film that is entertaining but has something real to say about growing up and following dreams.
“The Fabelmans” is a wonderful cinematic Thanksgiving treat, particularly for those who dabbled in movie-making as kids.
THE FABELMANS had its premiere on Saturday evening at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
The film was met with a standing ovation at the Princess of Wales theater and rave reviews by critics. Read The Hollywood Reporter’s review HERE. Oscar pundit and THR’s executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg writes in his wrap-up, “As for the film itself? It is, at least for now, the one to beat in the best picture race.”
Variety’s Peter Debruge says: “The master of escapist entertainment gets personal in this 150-minute self-portrait, crafting a loving homage to the complicated relationship with his parents that has informed so much of his work.”
Indiewire’s Eric Kohn states: “While Spielberg made history last year as the only director to receive Best Director nominations across six decades, he has never received a nomination for screenwriting. The movie is positioned to elbow its way into a crowded Best Original Screenplay field that includes everything from Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Todd Field’s “TÁR,” and Billy Eichner’s “Bros.” With a score by John Williams and Janusz Kaminski’s usual elegant lensing, “The Fabelmans” boasts top-shelf crafts to support its small-scale narrative. More than that, the movie will stand out in a wide-open Best Picture field for the way it celebrates the cathartic power of the movies.”
Directed by Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans is written by Spielberg and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Caroline, or Change), who has earned Oscar® nominations for his screenplays for Spielberg’s Lincoln and Munich.
The film stars Gabriel LaBelle (The Predator, American Gigolo series) as 16-year-old aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman; four-time Academy Award® nominee Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea, My Week with Marilyn) as his artistic mother, Mitzi; Paul Dano (The Batman, There Will Be Blood) as his successful, scientific father, Burt; Seth Rogen (Steve Jobs, An American Pickle) as Bennie Loewy, Burt’s best friend and honorary “uncle” to the Fabelman children, and Academy Award® nominee Judd Hirsch (Uncut Gems, Ordinary People) as Mitzi’s Uncle Boris.
On September 6th the American Film Institute (AFI) announced that Universal Pictures’ and Amblin Entertainment’s THE FABELMANS, directed by AFI Life Achievement Award recipient and Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg, will close AFI FEST 2022.
Check out the brand new trailer.
The ensemble cast includes Oscar® nominee Jeannie Berlin (The Heartbreak Kid, Inherent Vice) as Sammy’s paternal grandmother, Hadassah Fabelman; Julia Butters (Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, 13 Hours) as Sammy’s sister Reggie; Robin Bartlett (Moonstruck, Lean on Me) as Sammy’s maternal grandmother Tina Schildkraut and Keeley Karsten (Hunters, Evil Lives Here) as Sammy’s sister Natalie.
The music is by five-time Academy Award® winner John Williams (Schindler’s List, Jaws), the costume designer is two-time Oscar® winner Mark Bridges (The Artist, Phantom Thread) and the production designer is two-time Oscar® winner Rick Carter (Lincoln, Avatar). The Fabelmans is edited by three-time Academy Award® winner Michael Kahn ace (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List) and Sarah Broshar (West Side Story, The Post). The film’s director of photography is two-time Academy Award® winner Janusz Kaminski (Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan).
The film is produced by three-time Oscar® nominee Kristie Macosko Krieger p.g.a. (West Side Story, The Post), Steven Spielberg p.g.a. and Tony Kushner p.g.a. The film is executive produced by Carla Raij (Maestro, co-producer West Side Story) and Josh McLaglen (Free Guy, Logan).
The Fabelmans opens in Select Theaters November 11, everywhere November 23.
Matt Reeves goes noir for THE BATMAN, the latest in a long line of Batman reboots, and this time featuring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader. Reeves, whose previous work includes CLOVERFIELD, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and its sequel, gives us a dark world, where it always seems to be raining, where corners are dimly lit and gritty streets are littered. The imagery suggests THE JOKER or even BLADE RUNNER, but this film is not as high-concept as either of those films. While the film noir style is gorgeous and the supporting cast strong, Pattinson’s one-note brooding, a plot with too many villains and not enough focus, and a nearly three-hour running time keep the film from truly soaring.
Still, it is distinctly different from the typical superhero movie, and an aesthetic well suited to Batman, always a darker superhero than most. That is all good for those of us who like film noir and gritty thrillers, although those who want brighter sets and a more typical superhero fare may be less pleased. However, beneath the surface, THE BATMAN is more a typical superhero tale, just in different clothing.
Batman (Robert Pattinson), the crime fighting alter-ego of millionaire Bruce Wayne, is one year in to his career as a secret enforcer of the law, but he is already questioning whether he is making any difference. The crime in Gotham City seems to still be going up and, since he lacks superpowers, he can’t be everywhere at once to stop crime. While he is plagued with doubts about this new life he has taken on as a way to avenge his murdered parents, he is still responding when the Bat signal lights up the sky. This time the crime strikes a personal chord for Batman – a man murdered on Halloween in his own home while his son was out trick-or-treating, only to come home and find the body. While this gruesome crime was taking place, Batman was beating up some baddies in the subway, who had targeted an Asian man, in a little contemporary reference.
While Gordon (the always-excellent Jeffrey Wright), Batman’s police contact and the future Police Commissioner, is unwavering in his support, others on the police force are more hostile to the Batman, regarding him as an intruder rather than a help. But this murder scene has some quirky elements, among which is a greeting card addressed to the Batman. Inside are hints in the form of a riddle, a sure sign of Batman’s long-time nemesis, the Riddler (Paul Dano). Except, at this point, he isn’t a long time adversary, because Bruce Wayne is still fairly new at this Batman stuff.
However, Reeves doesn’t stop with a single villain. THE BATMAN also brings in the Penguin (an unrecognizable Colin Farrell) and an underworld figure, Carmine Falcone, played by John Turturro. But the best character is Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman, that combination criminal adversary and love interest for iron-jawed Batman. Rounding out the cast are Andy Serkis as Batman’s aide/butler Alfred, Peter Sarsgaard as District Attorney Colson, plus Barry Keoghan, Rupert Penry-Jones and Jayme Lawson, among others.
There are twists and surprises aplenty here, often with “Ave Maria” often playing in the background. That soundtrack motif feels a bit of pretentious after while, but photography by Greig Fraser is gloriously noir, a real delight for fans of that genre.
Presenting the Batman story as film noir, as a police procedural, is an intriguing way to come at the whole Batman/Bruce Wayne tale. Audiences are so familiar with the Batman origin story through the many Batman retellings and reboots, that skipping some of its familiar elements, like a scene of his parents’ murders, is no problem. Finding a new way into this story is a bit of a problem, so doing so is an impressive feat, and the film deserves credit for that.
In this is a grim world, corruption is everywhere and the plot is very dark. But despite all the film noir surface, this is still a comic book movie and not some deep psychological drama. Pattinson does his handsome, brooding thing, with a little more youthful vulnerability in the few scenes where he is Bruce Wayne. Clearly Batman’s armor is protective in more than one way. His performance should please his fans, although as an actor, he has done more nuanced work in other roles. This Batman feels very young, more so that other versions. In his crime fighter identity, Pattinson’s Batman projects amazing strength and agility, even beyond all the technology at his fingertips. But his Bruce Wayne is not the smooth social character, polished and perfectly groomed, that we usually see for the alter-ego, but a very young man, reserved, even shy, and often a bit disheveled, but so privileged that it doesn’t matter. Once again, a far different approach.
The supporting cast is excellent, boosted by some unexpected choices, like Paul Dano as the Riddler, who is a delight. While Pattinson does that quiet, brooding thing, Zoe Kravitz nearly steals the show as Catwoman. Kravitz gives us a crackling Catwoman – smart, fearless, with a ready wit, that she sometimes turns on the Batman. This Catwoman has her own alter-ego and backstory, but most of all she lights up the screen with electric energy and has a terrific, biting sense of humor. Zoe Kravitz is one of the best things about this film, followed closely by Paul Dano, doing a fine, crazy Riddler. As the Penguin, Colin Farrell is largely underutilized, appearing in few scenes.
Where THE BATMAN goes off the rails is in offering too much, starting with it’s nearly three-hour running time. Too much story, too many villains and too much running time. Introducing so many villains (or near-villains) does the film no favor, and then there is the the nearly three hours running time. And you feels that running time too – every extra major character requires a subplot that deviates from the central story, and while Reeves does bring it all together in the end, it feels overwritten and audiences many feel exhausted by the end. There is enough material for two, maybe three, movies here, crammed into this one. It is a case of less would have been more.
THE BATMAN opens Friday, Mar. 4, at multiple theaters.
Check out the brand new trailer for THE BATMAN, hitting theaters next year on March 4, 2022.
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne.
Starring alongside Pattinson (“Tenet,” “The Lighthouse”) as Gotham’s famous and infamous cast of characters are Zoë Kravitz (“Big Little Lies,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”) as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano (“Love & Mercy,” “12 Years a Slave”) as Edward Nashton; Jeffrey Wright (“No Time to Die,” “Westworld”) as the GCPD’s James Gordon; John Turturro (the “Transformers” films, “The Plot Against America”) as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard (“The Magnificent Seven,” “Interrogation”) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson (“Farewell Amor”) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the Apes” films, “Black Panther”) as Alfred; and Colin Farrell (“The Gentlemen,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”) as Oswald Cobblepot.
Reeves (“The Planet of the Apes” franchise) directed from a screenplay by Reeves & Peter Craig, based on characters from DC. Batman was created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. Dylan Clark (the “Planet of the Apes” films) and Reeves produced the film, with Michael E. Uslan, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo and Simon Emanuel serving as executive producers.
The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team included Oscar-nominated director of photography Greig Fraser (“Dune,” “Lion”); Reeves’ “Planet of the Apes” production designer, James Chinlund, and editor, William Hoy; editor Tyler Nelson (“Rememory”); and Oscar-winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran (“1917,” “Little Women,” “Anna Karenina”). The music is by Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino (the current “Spider-Man,” “Jurassic World” and “Star Wars” films, “Up”).
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents a 6th & Idaho/Dylan Clark Productions Production, a Matt Reeves Film, “The Batman.” The film is set to open in theaters March 4, 2022 and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
IFC Films has released the teaser trailer for Paul Dano’s WILDLIFE starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Bill Camp, Ex Oxenbould & Zoe Margaret Colletti.
The film had it’s world premiere at the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2018 and recently at the
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2018 – OPENING NIGHT CRITICS’ WEEK.
In their Sundance review, Indiewire praised Dano’s first film and wrote it is, “a tender, gorgeous, and exquisitely understated drama about a family that loses its faith in itself.”
14-year-old Joe is the only child of Jeanette and Jerry—a housewife and a golf pro—in a small town in 1960s Montana. Nearby, an uncontrolled forest fire rages close to the Canadian border, and when Jerry loses his job—and his sense of purpose—he decides to join the cause of fighting the fire, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. Suddenly forced into the role of an adult, Joe witnesses his mother’s struggle as she tries to keep her head above water.
Actor Paul Dano makes an impressive debut as a filmmaker and—along with co-writer Zoe Kazan—elegantly adapts Richard Ford’s novel of the same name. Carey Mulligan delivers one of her finest performances as a complex woman whose self-determination and self-involvement disrupts the values and expectations of the 1960s nuclear family. With precise details and textures of its specific time and place, WILDLIFE commits to the viewpoint of a teenage boy observing the gradual dissolution of his parents’ marriage.
Dano said of his film, “WILDLIFE is about a kid seeing his parents change and their marriage break – and through his parents’ failures, having to grow up. It is a coming of age story for all three: mother, father, and son. While it is about struggle and heartbreak and disillusionment, it is a film guided by love. Now that it is time for me to share this film, I can see that – like our protagonist Joe – I made a family portrait as a means of acceptance, and of letting go.”
“My names Manny and this is my best friend Hank. I used to be dead and he brought me back to life.”
Bring home the bold and original adventure of a lifetime when SWISS ARMY MAN arrives on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital), October 4 from Lionsgate.
Golden Globe® Nominee Paul Dano (Love & Mercy) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter franchise) star in the “bold and original” (Chicago Sun-Times) Swiss Army Man,arriving on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital), October 4 from Lionsgate. Written and directed by acclaimed music video directors Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan (collectively known as DANIELS) in their feature film debut, the “wild and inventive” (The Huffington Post) storyfinds a hopeless man stranded in the wilderness who befriends a dead body and together they go on a surreal journey to get home. Winner of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival’s directing award and a New York Times Critics’ Pick, Swiss Army Man also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane) and features music by Manchester Orchestra members Andy Hull and Robert McDowell.
Hank (Paul Dano) is stranded on a deserted island, having given up all hope of ever making it home again. But one day everything changes when a corpse named Manny (Daniel Radcliffe) washes up onshore. The two become fast friends, and ultimately go on an epic adventure that will bring Hank back to the woman of his dreams.
The Swiss Army Man home entertainment release includes a music-less audio track along with Q&A with the filmmakers, two behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary with DANIELS and crew and deleted scenes. The Blu-ray Disc of Swiss Army Man will feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. Swiss Army Man will be available on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) for $24.99 and DVD (plus Digital) for $19.98.
For many, Summer is a time to “get away from it all”. That’s been a theme for lots of movie characters over the years. Robert Redford in ALL IS LOST and James Franco in 127 HOURS escaped the rat race to explore the world solo, but both getaways lead to disaster (we just saw that last weekend with Blake Lively in THE SHALLOWS). Of course, solitude is often not a choice, but the result of fate. It perhaps started with Robinson Crusoe (made into several films), the idea of one or two people (or the seven TV folks on a “three-hour tour”) stranded on a desolate island. SWEPT AWAY was an Italian flick and an American remake, but the recent epic adventure that most movie fans would recall might be 2000’s CAST AWAY, This new film explores similar themes, but while Tom Hanks had a volleyball named Wilson as company, Paul Dano has the SWISS ARMY MAN.
We first encounter Hank (Dano) as he is literally at the end of his rope, just seconds before he steps off a mini-cooler to hang himself. A boating mishap has dumped him on a deserted island, and the isolation has turned to hopelessness and despair. But as Hank takes one last look at the beach, he spots something washing up on the shore. It’s a body. Upon closer inspection, Hank discovers that this man he names “Manny” (Daniel Radcliffe) is deceased. As Hanks resumes his fatal mission, he sees that Manny is stirring, quivering with flatulence (the recent dead contain a whole lotta’ gas, it seems). Utilizing some recovered items, Hanks rides atop Manny as if he were a methane-powered jet ski, all the way to a huge land mass. Hank then lugs Manny through the forest and discovers that the “stiff” has many unforseen uses (hence the film’s title), from water fountain (maybe a fire hydrant) to weapon. Then, wonder of wonders, Manny begins to talk to Hank (helping croon Hank’s theme song, “I’m F..king Crazy”). The two discuss life and love since Manny’s memories have been erased (death’s pretty traumatic on your noggin’), as they trudge through the wilderness, hoping to find civilization.
Dano carries much of the film (along with a pre-revived Radcliffe) as a man who finds a reason to live as he teeters on the edge of doom and despair. He bounces about the film frame, almost like a whirling dervish, as he bursts out of the suffocating cocoon spun by his past existence. At times he’s a teacher, then a parent as he connects with a corpse. Hank’s patience is sorely tested as he is bombarded with questions from his new companion. The usually expressive Radcliffe superbly suppresses his emoting, his face frozen into a half-wink as the child-like Manny. For the film’s first act, he’s mostly a prop, wrangled and tossed through the foliage. Despite the limits of the role, Radcliffe conveys much of the story’s complexities with expert precision, often while being toted around like a sack of spuds. Though she’s listed in the ads, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 CLOVERFIELD LANE) is mainly a silent image spurring long discussions between Hank and Manny until the film’s last moments.
This is the first feature film from the creative team listed as Daniels (Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), two vets of cable TV comedy and short subjects. They inspire great performances from the duo, while staging several terrific action (with side-splitting slapstick) set pieces. The first thirty minutes or so is very engaging as Hank and Manny discover each other. Unfortunately the opening momentum isn’t maintained as the Daniels indulge in too many “jump cut” montages and philosophical discussions. Far too much time is devoted to Hank’s meticulous “sets”, carved out of the landscape (oh, it’s a bus…okay). We’re so worn down that an attack by a “force of nature” merely reminds us of a much better sequence in recent Oscar-winner. The tale finally screeches to a halt with a most confusing and unsatisfying final scene. SWISS ARMY MAN will make for long post-screening debates for adventurous film fans, but it’s a unique and ultimately frustrating viewing experience, a compelling idea stretched beyond the point of interest. Still hats of to the Daniels for making a story about a flatulent corpse that’s better than anyone expected.
YOUTH centers on two life-long friends, both successful and famous, a film director and composer/orchestra conductor, who are vacationing together in a posh Swiss resort. Michael Caine plays the retired composer/conductor Fred Balinger and Harvey Keitel plays director Mick Boyle, who isn’t retired but is working on what he thinks may be his last important film.
This lushly beautiful, intelligent, and moving English-language film is directed and written by Paolo Sorrentino, who won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for “The Great Beauty” last year. Besides that Oscar winner, Sorrentino also directed “Il Divo,” a chilling look inside Italian politics, and the comic and strange road movie “This Must Be The Place,” with Sean Penn as an aging rocker honoring his Jewish grandfather’s last request. Sorrentino’s skill as a director is widely acknowledged but his complex, beautiful, strangely dreamlike films are not for everyone. In any language, YOUTH is an intriguing film, a mix of comedy and drama that explores friendship, life, memory, and choices. The film has a European sensibility, with thoughtful, intelligent dialog, a slower pace and twists and revelations that come near the end. It is a film about transformations, which can come even late in life.
These two characters certainly are not young but YOUTH looks at how they think about their future as well as how they remember their youth. The odd title might be partly inspired by the old saying “youth is wasted on the young,” as these two accomplished men look back on their life choices and regrets, in light of what they know now. Fred is determinedly retired, and even seems to have given up on life. At the film’s start, Fred is determinately resisting pressure to leave retirement for a special concert request by the Queen of England, and particularly her request to play his most famous piece, which he has vowed to never perform again since his soprano wife can no longer sing it. Mick, on the other hand, is firmly resisting any thought of retiring, although he feels his best work is behind him. Working on a film he hopes will be his masterpiece, he is struggling with the script despite the help of a team of young scriptwriters he has brought along to the Swiss resort. The film is set to feature his longtime star, Brenda Morel, a fading beauty whose career he helped launch.
Although these two old friends are the main characters, the film also explores the idea of youth from the viewpoint of some younger characters in the film, primarily the ones played by Rachel Weisz and Paul Dano.
Music figures heavily in this film – Fred is a composer after all – and the music is provided by renowned composer David Lang. Much of the film’s appeal rests with the interaction between Caine and Keitel as the longtime best friends. They play around, prank, kid, lie, tell stories, reminisce and generally talk, as only long-time friends can. Both are master storytellers and competitive, as they remember the past and look back on choices of their youth. Caine, an acclaimed 82-year-old Englishman, plays another acclaimed 82-year-old Englishman which adds a curious twist to his scenes. As the actor notes, the film is less about the conventional anguish of growing old as being in the more-unexpected place of having grown old.
But YOUTH is not just about remembered youth but those who have lives ahead. The film weaves in the stories of younger people, reflecting on what they have done and trying to figure out where they are going. Accompanying Fred is his daughter/assistant Lena (Rachel Weisz), who is trying to recover from the collapse of her marriage, and a famous actor Jimmy Tree (Paul Dano) preparing for his latest role, which is a secret at this point. Jimmy is trying to establish himself as a serious actor but a silly but iconic action movie role that first brought him fame continues to dog him. Also at this exclusive mountain resort are the recent winner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant, a once-legendary soccer star now overweight and barely able to move, numerous other wealthy and famous people, and a host of supporting characters. Jane Fonda plays Mick’s star and muse Brenda, once a movie star beauty who still holds onto her fame if not her legendary looks. In the course of the film, all these people work out their various fears and ambitions. Despite the difference in their age, Jimmy and Fred form a bond.
The gorgeous Swiss mountain views and historic hotel give a timelessness and sense of contemplation to these discussions. The dialog is intriguing as the two friends spare verbally, contemplative in their moments of solitude and touching when it focuses on the younger characters. The landscape sets the mood but also is the setting for solitary fantasy sequences where Fred and Mick recall their long careers.
Towards the end of this dreamy, languid, beautiful film in an insular world, it takes a sharp turn with the arrival of Jane Fonda as aging movie goddess Brenda Morel. Heavily made-up and dressed in a tight, over-the-top outfit, Fonda’s Brenda is a tiger, a tough survivor of Hollywood. Fonda and Keitel have a riveting scene that strips all the otherworldly dreaminess and delivers a lightning bolt. It is a part of a series of transformations and revelations that break the cocoon that has surrounded everyone at the resort.
Sorrentino’s attention to detail and skill as a filmmaker are unquestioned but YOUTH is not a film for every taste. Whether you like YOUTH might depend on how you feel about the director’s previous films, or this kind of visually lush, contemplative film where the characters seem trapped in their own purgatories. For some, it is a wonderful experience but for others, it will not suit.
YOUTH opens in St. Louis on Friday, December 18th, 2015.
