SUPER (2010) review: "Shut up, crime!"

SUPER is a 2010 film starring Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page, written as well as directed by James Gunn. The film looks in on the life of Everyman, Frank Darbo (Rainn Wilson) attempting to save his wife Sarah (Liv Tyler) from the influence of drug lord Jacques (Kevin Bacon) by crafting his own superhero known only as The Crimson Bolt.

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The definition of a flawed gem, Super is a profoundly intriguing mash-up of comedy, drama, satire and countless other genres and is highly refreshing as it dares to take a realistic yet oddly whimsical and also highly emotional look at superheroes, that anyone can be their own.

Rainn Wilson is the aforementioned Frank Darbo, the lonely and socially awkward average Joe working as a fry cook at the local diner. Rainn Wilson is perfectly cast in this role, nailing the little nuances and quirks with his character and standing out; being delusional enough to create his own superhero, but strangely relatable at the same time as he recalls the "perfect moments" from his often disappointing life. He is a train wreck that you cannot peel your eyes from and is truly endearing because of that, as he steps into his wonderfully shoddy costume for the first time and you also then see him in "action" for the first time you can't help but just keep watching and hopefully as I did, laughing profusely. You relate to Frank in some (some I emphasise) of his socially disturbed tendencies but laugh at his extremities, as while his alter ego has good intentions and he has the passion for said ego, he lacks any form of capability to deliver his heroic skills with only one exception in the film towards the end. Rainn Wilson is great in this movie, his whole character is genuinely well performed and you feel bad for him as his character is delivered so sincerely with little odd quirks in his dialogue that delivers the laughs.

 Ellen Page is Libby, a typical girl not too far from Frank who works in the comic book store that he stumbles upon whilst crafting his hero and eventual sidekick. Her character can be seen as one of the many potential breaking points for some audiences with this film, as she gives an incredibly unpredictable and erratic performance as her somewhat unhinged character which could translate to some as annoying. I personally found her ability to snap back and forth between a more down-to-earth Libby to the mentally deranged Boltie astounding, hearing her maniacal laugh drone over the nasty fates of some of the characters within the film. Whilst you may attribute this to borderline psychosis, similar to Frank, her heart is in the right place, only having the best of intentions whilst as Boltie attempting to stop crime with some almost innocent mannerisms, looking to Frank as a mentor and only wants to do good, but for entirely different reasons to Frank. I found Ellen Page to also have been cast very well - she does her character a great service and pieces in quite nicely next to Rainn Wilson portraying the initially innocent comic book girl effectively.

All of the casts performances be it Liv Tyler or Kevin Bacon to Michael Rooker or Nathan Fillion are simply great. Of all of the cast members I do think that Liv Tyler is given the least to do within the film, but she still pulls it off convincingly, similar to Michael Rooker, albeit its good to see the assembly of James Gunn regulars coming together again for another film. Nathan Fillion specifically deserves a mention for his ludicrous parody as The Holy Avenger which is Frank's inspiration for his superhero as he sees his show on TV, delivering cheesy production values and ham fisted morals not too far from a He-Man cartoon, therein lying a cameo from James Gunn himself also. You can just sense the fun they were having when they were shooting those scenes, not saying that doesn't apply to the whole film, but those scenes especially it shows and it adds to it.

"All it takes to be a superhero is the choice to fight evil."

The writing and directing by James Gunn is sadly where most of the film's flaws show, but it is also because of this that this film has an unshakable charm - a personality or an edge to it that is beyond perverse. The film has the same elements that has made past James Gunn films enjoyable like Slither, lots of violence and bizarre humour, but what Super has over Slither is an emotional core to it which takes it past trashy and merely entertaining to something that sticks with you long after the film is finished and it for me at least demands repeat viewings. The movie really does subvert your expectations, making it either a delightful surprise or deceitful trickery to a viewer, it is also because of this that it struggles to find a consistent tone, taking a somewhat realistic tone going to an absurd dream sequence then going to a full-blown explosion of violence by the end. A particular thing that I liked the most about Gunn's writing in Super is that it's not about the costume that Frank wears. He's on his own spiritual journey that only happens to have a costume attached, it's about him. Not the costume, one of the only things established near the beginning of the film and kept consistent. It is because of this inconsistency that I believe the film provides charm however, as how often does a film like this emerge; taking a simple idea and running with it in one of the most intriguing and hilarious ways possible. Direction is well done, siphoning the best possible performances out of each of the cast members, regardless of their role. I particularly liked the use of handheld cam throughout the movie, giving it a slight shake and a natural feel to the film, not overdoing it and crossing over into the realms known only as shaky cam. The film has to be immensely applauded for its looks, looking better than some films with four or even five times the budget, it just looks great. The animated intro and comic book elements inserted into reality are very well done and only add to the entertainment value.

"Maybe I couldn't shoot beams out of my eyes or fly..."

The score by Tyler Bates is great, it fits in perfectly to the more light-hearted segments of the film. The track in particular "Two Perfect Moments" is my favourite, sticking in my head for several days after hearing it. The score is mostly composed of clean sounding instruments to create this ideal feeling of whimsy, as heard on the aforementioned track and the rest of the score. It also makes use of some licensed music, adding to the montage sequence where Frank utters some of the movie's best lines, also fitting near perfectly.

Overall, Super is a flawed film most definitely, but it is undeniably one of the most unique films I've seen in a long time and is not just highly entertaining - it sticks with you because of its charm. The emotional core that the film has as mentioned prior is where that charm lies, you care for Frank so much through his disappointments and sadness and really want to see him with a satisfying conclusion. Whilst it may not be the one that he wanted, it definitely leaves him in a better stance on life than in the one where he started. It's not about the "superhero", it's about the man beneath the costume. I would highly recommend Super to those who are looking for something different, a weird combo of twisted humour, violence and surprisingly a heartfelt tale of self-discovery that so many people have sadly overlooked.

SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (2008) review, "Everything is more complicated than you think..."

SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK is a 2008 film starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and being written as well as directed by Charlie Kaufman. The film follows theatre director Caden Cotard as he struggles with his work and attempts to craft the most uncompromising play imaginable, whilst trying to manage his own personal demons such as his fear of death and being forgotten by his loved ones. However, his excessive commitment to realism within his work causes the boundaries of his life to be blurred between his fiction and his reality.

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There’s a reason the late and great Roger Ebert hailed “Synecdoche, New York” (2008) as the best film of the decade in 2009. “Synecdoche, New York” stands the test of time as one of the most thought-provoking dramas of all time. Whilst it may seem nonsensical initially, it grows on you as you explore the multi-layered story and the film’s countless themes as well as the exceptional performances from every actor seen within the film, no matter their screen time.

To start, the cast. Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as Caden Cotard, the troubled theatre director. His performance within “Synecdoche, New York” is my personal favourite performance throughout his career. Initially, you feel pity upon his character, suffering from the tasks of everyday life: routine, repetition and so on. However, as the film progresses, how Hoffman reflects his character ageing and his worries of death left an irrefutable mark on me as a viewer, as his views and worries are then reflected onto you. The symbolic nature of his character is seen further upon knowing that Caden’s second name “Cotard”, is a reference to “Cotard’s syndrome”. The delusional belief that a person thinks that they are already dead, adding onto Hoffman’s performance and his fear of death. The somewhat chilling performance from Hoffman and the motives of his character are seen from the start, with his character consistently reading the obituaries within the daily newspaper and nothing else. Death is his only concern. Caden is essentially the definition of self-pity. The character of Caden Cotard stands as Hoffman’s career-defining performance, even after his passing. This film was the first film I watched after his aforementioned passing, not because of the film’s theme of death, but because it is a performance and a film to be remembered by.

Catherine Keener takes the supporting role as Adele Lack, Caden’s wife. Following on from Hoffman’s performance is another strong performance, the character of Adele could be seen as the opposite to Caden. She has no focus or fear of death, she just wants to enjoy life as it comes instead of worrying about the future and eventually tackles her life’s aspirations. The burden on her character initially is their only child, Olive (Sadie Goldstein). She is dealing with their life problems as Caden attempts to dodge them in his depression, you can feel that Caden is being arrogant with his pity and Adele is the one there to take care of the issues. The look of her character whilst with Caden is genuinely tired and disappointed with her life and you become as invested in her performance as you do with Hoffman’s.

The rest of the cast, Samantha Morton, Hope Davis, Tom Noonan and Emily Watson are all equally to be proud of their performances as there is not a single weak performance within this film. The reason I don’t wish to talk about them and breakdown their characters is because it would ruin the film for first-time viewers, for the sake of spoilers. They are all to be applauded immensely.

"I'm just a little person..."

The writing and directing effort by Charlie Kaufman is masterful, as with his previous films such as “Adaptation” or “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. With this film comes the recurring subject often seen within Kaufman’s previous work, the state of the human mind and it perception of reality, desire, dreams and in this film, death. The writing task undertaken by Kaufman is immense as you feel that Caden crafting his masterpiece reflects on to Kaufman, he is writing his masterpiece, joining the journey that Caden is going through. The amount of subtleties presented within “Synecdoche, New York” is beyond perplexing, Kaufman’s intention is for the viewer to watch it repeatedly and have a different experience each time, be it because there is a detail you missed the first time around or derive a different interpretation because you’re in a different mood or even years later when you’re a different person. What particularly fascinates me about the writing done by Kaufman within this film and his previous films is how Kaufman himself leads a deeply private life yet interjects so much of his personality into his work. It is truly a wonderful insight into his mind, fears, regrets and triumphs. While it may struggle to ring coherent for some initially, it eventually builds to become the definition of melancholy. A bitter sweet tale of a man’s life on Earth. As also mentioned, it is the directorial debut of the veteran writer and it is a strong debut. The style of his direction is similar that of Spike Jonze, which isn’t surprising as he has been the director of Kaufman’s scripts like “Being John Malkovich”. However with this slight similarity, Kaufman takes his already personal script and owns it, it allows him even more creative freedom to tell the story that he wants to tell when he handles both the departments of writing and directing. On the topic of this, some critics of “Synecdoche, New York” may disagree with me, thinking that Kaufman needs a director like Spike Jonze (or Michel Gondry for that matter) to keep Kaufman's ideas restrained, focusing on crafting as cohesive of a narrative as possible. I feel that the film's difficult and surreal structure only enhances it, adding to the film's message about life. This however, is the cause of frustration for most, audiences struggling for something to follow or grab onto instead of allowing the story to be told to them as the film operates on a different plain of reality, a deeply personal reality that some will get and some won't. That aside, Charlie Kaufman is a personal role model and I shall always await his next film, no matter the subject matter. “Synecdoche, New York” only solidified his already spectacular body of work.

"One person in a sea, of many little people..."

The cinematography seen within this film is by none other than Frederick Elmes (Blue Velvet, Eraserhead), and is sharp and done to a level of precision that blends nicely with the rest of the film. It remains devoid of colour, having a heavily desaturated look, all in the name of depression. It is a very dim looking film with a few objects standing out from the colour palette to display significance or intensity, therefore it is difficult to comment on, however it serves its purpose and is well done to the standard necessary from Kaufman.

A final note about “Synecdoche, New York” before moving onto a conclusion is the score composed by Jon Brion, notable for his early work with Paul Thomas Anderson on films like “Magnolia” or “Punch-Drunk Love” and also on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Tracks like “Little Person” really do bring an already depressing film down on it's knees, not surprising considering Kaufman wrote the lyrics from most, if not all the score heard within the film, keeping in line with the films explored themes and tone. The melancholy felt whilst listening to a track like “Something You Can't Return To” is honestly overwhelming, yet addicting. The score is just as distinctive and bizarre as the visual aspects of this film, compiling together to create this sinking feeling, a feeling you can't describe, but it's wonderful, a feeling I've felt while watching no over film, it overwhelms you and your senses. An incredible score.

Overall, “Synecdoche, New York” is a triumph of cinema. It is a meticulously crafted insight to Kaufman's thought process and a fascinating one at that. It is definitely a decisive one however, some, like myself will find it engrossing from start to finish and demand multiple viewings. Others will find that it is pretentious nonsense that demands no more than one viewing or not even a viewing at all. Whatever you may think, you have to commend Charlie Kaufman for creating one of the most uncompromising efforts ever seen within cinema, it is that lightning in a jar that you don't see often due to studio interference or reasons similar. Whilst it may have been the definition of a box office bomb, it has garnered a cult following with an also polarised view of the film, just like the critics. It deserved better, as this essence of creativity is very rarely seen, and is becoming less and less common within popular cinema. How unique this film is demands that you should see it, or at least try it – and while you're watching it, remember that the end is built into the beginning.

"Who are not aware of me..."

BLUE VELVET (1986) review, "An idyllic small town..."

It's a strange world...

BLUE VELVET is a 1986 film starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini and Dennis Hopper, as well as being written and directed by David Lynch. This film follows Kyle MacLachlan as Jeffrey Beaumont, a curious young soul who discovers a seedy underbelly to his small town when he discovers a severed human ear in a field after visiting is sick father in hospital. The less you know the better.

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Blue Velvet is yet another one of my personal favourites, it is simply the quintessential small town mystery.

Kyle MacLachlan takes the starring role of Jeffrey Beaumont, the aforementioned small town teenager. This role sees MacLachlan in quite possibly what is the biggest opposite possible when compared to Dune, David Lynch's prior work, it is easily MacLachlan's best performance alongside his famed character Special Agent Dale Cooper in the simply wonderful Twin Peaks. Jeffrey is played as an unassuming and mostly naive character by MacLachlan as he dives into the underworld of his small town of Lumberton. You really do feel for Jeffrey throughout his oddly perilous journey, even though his journey is as a result of his curious nature. However, this is a situation that most can associate with, especially when at a young age, wanting to experience new and dangerous things just to see what its like. Taking any opportunity. MacLachlan's soft-spoken manner and brittle physique compliment the character of Jeffrey nicely, that he is a curiously fragile character who only returns back to his home town after his father suffers an almost fatal stroke. It is quite amazing how such an understated performance can have a lasting impression that sticks with you, even seeing the film with repeated viewings.

Isabella Rossellini takes the secondary role as Jeffrey's somewhat love interest, a mysterious woman which is the cause of Jeffrey's intrigue and eventual trouble. Similar to MacLachlan's character is that Dorothy Vallens is involved with the wrong people, of how she got there is never explained. She is left to struggle as she is controlled by the underworld that she entered presumably long ago. Another stand-out performance in a film chock full of stand-out performances, the initially elegant Dorothy is found to be a very vulnerable and lonely woman as the film progresses and those layers to her character is what makes the performance ever so special. She is tortured and is struggling as she is used by the underworld and Jeffrey is seen to be her way out of it.

Dennis Hopper is Frank Booth, the film's main antagonist and what is seen to be the leader of the town's criminal underbelly as Jeffrey uncovers his criminal actions ranging from drug abuse to horrible feats of sexual violence and murder. Hopper is truly unnerving in this film, his unstable look and dark presence making any scene involving his character feel uneasy and often beyond disturbing. How his character arrived at this sorry state is up for debate, but what isn't up for debate is that this exceptional performance essentially revived Hopper's career after previously reaching his peak with films like Easy Rider and a supporting role in Apocalypse Now. This film demonstrates how perfectly versatile Hopper as an actor was, prior to passing away recently. It is definitely a performance to be remembered by.

Finally, fellow Lynch collaborator, Laura Dern takes the other innocent actual love interest of Jeffrey, Sandy Williams. Dern is no stranger to the surrealist mind of David Lynch with this being her very first performance with Lynch, effectively leading her into his world as with her character. Her performance is by no means weak, but her character falls into a similar situation that Jeffrey subjectively benefits from, that some may consider a con, that her acting is subdued in order to what I feel is to project your image onto their characters and follow their experience as it is your own.

The other fellow cast members including Dean Stockwell are to be equally lauded, all of the characters within this film are well performed, it's difficult to find a bad performance in any of Lynch's work.

"Blue velvet..."

The cinematography by another previous Lynch collaborator, Frederick Elmes stands as sweet yet haunting after it's initial ruse of a perfect suburbia with a less than perfect dark side. Elmes serves his purpose with some distinctive camera work, such as the shot of Jeffrey hiding in the closet from Frank in the trailer seen above, the shadows cast upon his face. Meticulously done. A final note is the contrast between the neighbourhood scenes and the noir-esque scenes whilst in the criminal underbelly is outstanding.

The writing and directing seen by David Lynch in this film is amongst his best work. As much as I love the pure unadulterated Lynch seen in his films like Eraserhead, I feel that I enjoy Lynch's films that slight bit more when some of his mannerisms are restrained as they can become self-indulgent to a degree. Blue Velvet benefits from the human element of Jeffrey, something that even more general audiences can easily connect to and grasp a hold of. In retrospect also, the idea of a small town mystery has became a well-trodden setting since Blue Velvet's release, giving it a sense of familiarity to those who may have seen works inspired by this very film and then go back to watch and see the resemblance. That aside, the writing injects Lynch's trademark surrealist style and adds a twist of film noir, with the tortured femme fatale that is Rossellini's character, not only leaving it at that but adding the erotic elements seen within the film also.The symbolic nature of this film in how it is written is also of note, with the ear that Jeffrey enters and eventually leaves by the film's climax serving a note as his character entering and leaving the criminal underbelly. It takes a now conventional plot and puts it on it's head. His direction is as always incredible, always having a knack for it, giving his actors a surreal world to move around in, with distinct character movements and actions. He knows exactly how to gather the best performance for what the film demands, nailing it to a tee.

"And I still can see blue velvet..."

The score by the legendary Angelo Badalamenti is his best, with the film's ending track "Mysteries of Love" featuring Julee Cruise being the perfect way to end the film, with the ambient and surreal tracks throughout highlighting the nightmarish scenes that Jeffrey finds himself going through. The score is a mix of a classical style with timeless pop songs such as Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" or Roy Orbison's "In Dreams", reflecting the David Lynch's attempt at a timeless setting as well as serving to flesh out the tone of the film, being neo-noir. The juxtaposition between the classical score and licensed music adds to the unsettling aspects of Blue Velvet. It is an incredibly memorable score. You'll have the line: "She wore blue velvet..." drilled into your head before the film is over and sticking with even after it is over.

Overall, Blue Velvet is a classic within American cinema and stands as my favourite David Lynch film, tied with Mulholland Drive. It combines so many different elements and creates a subversive and unquestionably surreal story that enthrals you until the end, whilst it may be confusing or too disturbing for some, fans of Lynch such as myself, those who are looking for an entry point to Lynch's filmography or are just wanting to see something ever so different, I would definitely recommend Blue Velvet. It's too good to pass up.

"...through my tears."