Author: Frank Mengarelli

I have always been Frank.

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY -A Review by Frank Mengarelli

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review

“We are not so very different, you and I. We’ve both spent our lives looking for the weaknesses in one another.”

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is a film I have watched countless times, and a film I look forward to constantly revisiting. It’s easily one of my favorite films of recent years. It’s a simmering, taut film that is masterfully constructed with painstaking detail.

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Tomas Alfredson creates a lived in world of spy v spy. Timelines are blurred, present day and the past intermingle throughout the duration of the film, and all we can do is absorb it. The cast is remarkable; each actor is laid upon Alfredson’s pallet, and he takes his time softly brushing each one across the screen.

Gary Oldman is in top form, giving his most low key performance as George Smiley, the master spy. Oldman spends a majority of the film silently lurking, watching, listening; stealthily seeking the traitor in their midst. Colin Firth cashes in on his career’s worth of affability, slyly charming his way throughout the film.

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Alfredson, along with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoyteman and production designer Maria Djurkovic build a smoky and dreary world of moral ambiguity in which the characters hide in the shadows, and enter into a game that has already been resolved before it begins.

The film’s ending is as heartbreaking as it is rewarding, resolving just enough to satisfy the audience, but desperately leaving us wanting more. While certain events of the film are closed, there is so much more to be told. The beauty of the craftsmanship of TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is that it shows us very little, yet tells us everything.

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EPISODE 29: DAVID AYER’S SUICIDE SQUAD

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Podcast

SS POWERCAST

We’re back with a regular episode.  This time we talk about David Ayer’s SUICIDE SQUAD and touch upon BATMAN v SUPERMAN, and the future of the DC Universe.

DON’T BREATHE – A Review by Frank Mengarelli

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review

​”Who’s there?”

There’s no other way to put this; DON’T BREATHE is fucking gnarly.  Set inside a singular house, a group of young friends set to rob a blind man for an easy “once in a lifetime” heist.  Sounds simple enough.

Except the blind man is Stephen Lang.

Fede Alvarez is one of the best young directors currently working in Hollywood.  His EVIL DEAD remake, which at the time seemed incredibly unnecessary, remains to be one of the best remakes of recent years (very much akin to Marcus Nispel’s fantastic TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake).  Alvarez is an absolute maestro behind the camera.

While the film could have been just another run of the mill genric horror/thriller film, it excels with Avarez’s razor sharp eye and the casting of Stephen Lang in one of his most sinister and brutal turns yet.

Lang is one of my favorite actors.  The guy has been in so many great films, projected so many great characters, yet he never has been held to a typecast.  In this film, he takes the big bad antagonist and obliterates the screen with his physical intensity.  He’s a blind man, with a dark secret, who surpasses any and all boundaries to keep it safe.

Alvarez creates a small and intimate film, that builds and layers suspense to the point where you are constantly squirming in your seat and find yourself looking away from the transgressive visuals and sounds protruding off the screen.  If you enjoyed the dark nature of GREEN ROOM, you’re going to love DON’T BREATHE.

THE LIMEY – A Review by Frank Mengarelli

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review

Steven Soderbergh’s THE LIMEY is the epitome of a hard nosed genre film, fused from the late 1960’s to mid 1970’s films that rarely get made today. Sure, every once in a while we get a token film here or there, but few live up to the masterful craftsmanship of Steven Soderbergh.

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The film’s tone is set instantly. The gravely voiceover by Terence Stamp that quickly cuts to him stoically sitting on an airplane with The Who’s THE SEEKER drowning out anything your mind is thinking about, forcing you quickly focus solely on the film.

Soderbergh, who’s career has taken a precise and taut trajectory, created something of an anomaly with this film. While he’s relied on the brilliance of Cliff Martinez scores, he never quite dabbled in the usage of popular music like he did with THE LIMEY.

THE SEEKER completely sets the tone, as well as the story instantly. Stamp is a man on his way into a bombastic suicide mission of finding the man or men responsible for the death of his daughter, and killing them and anyone who gets in his way.

As phenomenal as Stamp’s intro music is, Soderbergh one ups himself by using The Hollies KING MIDAS IN REVERSE to introduce us to one the coolest cinematic antagonists ever to be on film, Peter Fonda as the sleek, yet smarmy, Teddy Valentine.

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Soderbergh’s casting is paramount in this revenge thriller. Along side Stamp and Fonda, are seminal actors from the era of the film’s kinship including Leslie Ann Warren, and Barry VANISHING POINT Newman.

The most fascinating aspect of the film is Sarah Flack’s editing. I’m not saying she’s Alan Heim, but she’s pretty damn close. The timeline jumping, fast paced editing is unlike any other film, and not only is it convenient as a plot device for foreshadowing, but it completely and utterly turns the film into a quick paced, nonstop clinic on not only filmmaking, but film editing.

THE LIMEY remains my favorite Soderbergh film, among a body of work that is made up of sheer quality and proficiency that can be comparabled to the works of Woody Allen. If anyone is studying filmmaking, in particular film editing, you need to watch ALL THAT JAZZ and THE LIMEY. On repeat.

Todd Phillips and Lawrence Sher on WAR DOGS

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Podcast

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Podcasting Them Softly is beyond thrilled to present an extremely entertaining chat with filmmaker Todd Phillips and cinematographer Lawrence Sher, as they discuss their new political action-comedy-drama WAR DOGS! This was a true honor to speak with Todd and Larry as they’ve become a major collaborative force over the last decade, working on some of the funniest movies that have been released (THE HANGOVER TRILOGY, DUE DATE), and with WAR DOGS, the creative duo appear to be taking on an even meatier story, this time one that’s based on real-life escapades of gun running in the Middle East. Listen in for tidbits on the casting process, the challenge of getting a movie like this made in today’s filmic landscape, and their approach to a project that was shot in multiple countries with a large scope and exciting action! Big thanks to Todd and Larry for their time, and we hope you enjoy this terrific discussion with two supremely talented artists!

PTS PRESENTS: WRITER’S WORKSHOP WITH PETER CRAIG

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Podcast

CRAIG POWERCAST

Peter CraigPodcasting Them Softly is thrilled to present an exciting chat with the extremely talented author and screenwriter Peter Craig. Peter collaborated with Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard on the screenplay for the blockbuster crime movie THE TOWN, and hitting screens this weekend is his latest project, the Mel Gibson action thriller BLOOD FATHER, which finds Gibbo back in total ass-kicking mode, with the film serving as an adaptation of Craig‘s original novel. Other co-screenwriting credits include THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 and 2 for director Francis Lawrence, which he tackled with writer Danny Strong, as well as drafts for the hotly anticipated sequels to both TOP GUN and BAD BOYS for super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer. He’s an accomplished novelist, with titles that include THE MARTINI SHOT and HOT PLASTIC, while the future holds some interesting big screen work, with an adaptation of Homer’s ODYSSEY, an adaptation of Lynsey Addario’s memoir IT’S WHAT I DO for producer Steven Spielberg, and a really cool sounding submarine action film called HUNTER KILLER with Gary Oldman and Gerard Butler. This was a serious treat and total honor to be joined by Peter for a discussion on his work – we hope you enjoy!

SUICIDE SQUAD – A Review by Frank Mengarelli

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Film Review

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“Will you live for me?”

SUICIDE SQUAD is a complete mess, yet it is a total glory. I know, relax. Hear me out. Since the resurrection of Christopher Nolan’s Batman, there has been a forceful push to ground a superhero film in reality. Sometimes it works, other times is does not. SUICIDE SQUAD removes itself from that universe and takes place within movie world.

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There’s a lot that is blatantly strange and oddly incoherent about the film. Whether it was from studio tinkering (panic) or that everyone was on acid while making the film. None of that matters. The film has a great soundtrack and devilishly fun performances from the entire cast.

The film isn’t bright and glossy with a drumbeat joke every five minutes, it’s sloppy and dirty with perverse humor that will curl even the most uptight hipster’s mustache, while he’s passive aggressively using the Oxford comma to demean this film.

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Will Smith’s overly stereotypical ghetto jive, the over objectifying of Margot Robbie’s butt, the uppity bitch mode of Viola Davis, and Jared Leto’s insane transformation into a Joker that’s feverishly in love, are a step away from the safe mediocrity we’ve seen in recent tent-pole films.

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Director David Ayer has received so much critical flack for this film, it isn’t even funny. This wasn’t a film made for critics, nor was it seeking the approval of top ten lists. It’s loud, it’s obnoxious, it’s gratuitous, and it’s everything that the new DC Universe should aim for going forward. Let other studios play it safe with their glossy sheen, DC; keep forming a lewd and egregious world for the rest of us.

PTS Presents EDITOR’S SUITE with MARK GOLDBLATT

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Podcast

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goldblattPodcasting Them Softly is beyond thrilled to present a discussion with veteran film editor Mark Goldblatt! Mark‘s credits are beyond amazing, and feature some of the greatest action adventure films of our lifetimes  — The Terminator, Terminator 2, True Lies, Bad Boys 2, Pearl Harbor, Armageddon, Commando, Rambo: First Blood Part 2, Starship Troopers, Predator 2 and Tony Scott’s immortal action masterpiece The Last Boy Scout. He’s worked with absolute titans of industry, including James Cameron, Michael Bay, Paul Verhoeven, and Joe Dante, all of whom Mark has worked with multiple times. Other amazing credits include Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Hollow Man, Showgirls, The Ambassador, Halloween II, and Piranha. He also had multiple collaborations with Cannon Films head honcho Menahem Golan, which is always a subject that fascinates us at PTS! Mark‘s directorial debut was the wild and crazy Dead Heat with Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo, which he then followed up with the absolutely awesome The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren. We were overwhelmed by his resume and are so excited to share this exciting chat!

PTS Presents SHITTY AMAZING SERIES Ep. 1 BLUE JEAN COP

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Podcast

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We’re very excited to present to you our new series of mini-podcasts.  Join us for a twenty minute long chat where we celebrate some of the most SHITTY AMAZING movies in film history.  For our first episode, we’ve chosen a film that we instantly bonded over, BLUE JEAN COP aka SHAKEDOWN.

PTS PRESENTS ACTOR’S SPOTLIGHT with STEVE RAILSBACK

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Podcast

RAILSBACK POWERCAST

Steve_RailsbackWe are incredibly proud to present our podcast with veteran actor Steve Railsback.  Steve has been in everything, from Richard Rush’s THE STUNTMAN, to Toby Hooper’s LIFEFORCE, Todd Solondz’s STORYTELLING, Rob Zombie’s THE DEVIL’S REJECTS, HELTER SKELTER, BARBWIRE, ED GEIN, IN THE LINE OF FIRE, and an important arc as Duane Barry in THE X-FILES.  Steve gives a candid, hilarious, and heartfelt account of his incredible career speaking at length about working with Elia Kazan, Richard Rush, Clint Eastwood, and how Chris Carter specifically courted him for the role of Duane Barry.  We hope you have as much fun listening to this as we did recording it!