Oh, what a tangled web we weave if only to deceive.  What better way to celebrate this week’s wide release of Atomic Blonde than to honor the lady spies of the silver screen.  While most of these femme fatales are modern in their respective incarnations, Kyle and Ben chose five films that they think are excellent showcases of powerful female characters in the male dominated genre of spy films.

 

Salt

BEN: It’s hard to believe that Philip Noyce’s Salt was released to unassuming audiences just 7 years ago.  And yet, Angeline Jolie proved once again that she could kick ass and take names.  Noyce, who directed Harrison Ford to success as Jack Ryan in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger used the same steel and grit here to tell the story of a supposed Russian sleeper agent on the lamb to clear her name.  The cast and the crew are a veritable who’s who of names, but the hero here is the uncredited Brian Helgeland who reworked the script for Jolie.  The role was originally written as a male and a Tom Cruise vehicle.  When they reworked the character and Jolie stepped into the role, Helgeland did a re-write to whip it in to shape.  Robert Elswit’s cinematography is a highlight in this globetrotting adventure and action editors Stuart Baird and John Gilroy really stepped it up in crafting a unique tale of intrigue.

KYLE: I think my favorite part about this one is how all of the players within the universe of the film are terrified of Jolie’s Salt.  While the script was reworked for a female lead, I feel that in the context of a spy microcosm, Jolie’s character is treated as an equal.  Aside from the subject matter having a not intended relevance to today’s headlines, it was nice to see a post-cold war action story with some thrills and albeit telegraphed surprises.  Jolie really is the whole picture, and this is one of her best roles, balancing the physicality of the action with the uncertainty of her character, with her ethos falling into question and it’s remarkable to see.

Point of No Return

 

 

BEN: Absolutely amazing stuff, Kyle.  Jolie got us started with a bang.  Now it’s time to turn our attention to John Badham’s spectacular Point of No Return.  Bridgett Fonda electrifies the screen as another agent on the lamb after her death is faked.  The interesting twist here is her origins.  They are almost superhero in their quality.  Gabriel Byrne who made an appearance last week is back this week as her handler, Bob.  He is as smooth as she is.  Harvey Keitel is his usual bad-ass as the ‘cleaner’.  Audiences will be familiar with this film’s European origins as a reimaging of Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikkita.

KYLE: Let’s not forget the amazing Anne Bancroft as Fonda’s etiquette trainer.  The training sequence is amazing, so much so that the actual espionage parts suffer, but Fonda carries the uneven script through to the end.  I also love the origin story and watching Fonda’s transformation.  While she becomes the ultimate operative, her street level beginnings pulse everywhere throughout the remainder of the film and it is her origins that ultimately define the character.

Spy  

 

BEN: The next movie on our list, Spy, has a lot of heart, something Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy delivered in spades. It isn’t your typical spy movie and the comedy plays well to the film’s action pieces.  McCarthy is a CIA desk jockey who dreams of being able to save the day when her agent is gunned down during a mission.  The assailant is off camera, but she is adept enough at following the clues that she pieces together what happens and feels the need to vindicate her partner and herself.  This leads to bureaucracy and a hilarious pissing contest with Jason Statham.  A mix of James Bond and Inspector Clouseau, the cinematography here is breathtaking as are the action pieces.

KYLE: This is easily my favorite teaming of Feig and McCarthy.  As always, McCarthy’s performance is a profanity laced fireball, but it works so perfectly in this film.  Her chemistry with Byrne and Statham is palpable and I loved how it paid tribute to spy films of the past, but also was its own story, using Feig’s vulgarity to both inject irreverence into the action and bridge the gap of vintage tradecraft with modern technology.  Feig’s humor can be hit or miss at times, but I was genuinely shocked at how funny this film is.  It’s terrific, and as you mention, Statham’s performance is comedic perfection!

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

BEN: We seem to have found our rhythm, Kyle.  Our second film this week to feature Angelina Jolie is Kerry Conran’s underappreciated Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.  A technical marvel in its own right, I could spend hours talking about its use of CG to blend a living world with the performances.  Without intending it, Jude Law also makes his second appearance in our list.  Set in 1939, with WWII raging on, Sky Captain (Law) commands a private air force while Gwyneth Paltrow plays the spunky reporter, Polly Perkins as they battle the robots of the mysterious Dr. Totenkopf, posthumously played by Sir Laurence Olivier.  Jolie has an extended cameo as the commander of the Royal Fleet.  This film’s spy themes fit more in line with the time it is set in rather than the actions of the characters, but both Jolie and Paltrow’s character display tactical prowess and undeniable courage throughout.

KYLE:  This is probably the most controversial choice off the list and I’m glad we chose to include.  The film is a loving homage to the serials of the 30’s while using CGI to enhance the story, not overwhelm it.  This is one of a handful of films that was done entirely in the digital realm with green screens and seeing the final product shows that not only can heavy CGI films be done well, the medium can be used to transport the viewer to another reality.  Paltrow’s Polly is about what you would expect for a story such as this, but she does remarkably well with the material.  Jolie’s Franky is easily the best part.  Aside from being a strong presence whenever on screen, Jolie’s preparation for the role bears mentioning.  Even though Jolie only shot for a handful of days, she conducted several prolonged interviews with real pilots to ensure she had their terminology correct.  The off screen dedication paid off, with Jolie nearly stealing the show in every one of her (regrettably) few scenes.

The Long Kiss Goodnight 

BEN: Our final film is what I consider the Gold Standard of modern femme fatales: Renny Harlin’s The Long Kiss Goodnight.  Written by Shane Black (Predator, The Nice Guys), Goodnight features Geena Davis, who has never really had a big screen presence, but when you see her she just lights the screen up.  Set in rural New England, we learn that housewife Samantha is not all she appears to be.  Through flashbacks, we learn about her past, which is covered up by a low grade form of amnesia.  She hires Mitch Hennessey, a foul-mouthed private dick to solve the mystery.  An accident brings Charlie to the surface and brings Timothy (Craig Bierko) on to their tails.  A stunning supporting cast including Brian Cox, David Morse (who saw a brief comeback after this film) and Patrick Malahide, the husband-wife team of Harlin and Davis worked wonders.  I was in college when this film came out and I just could not wait to see it.  The trailers didn’t disappoint. The ice and the blood glistened in a land of snow and fire – lots of action, lots of laughs; this film is what audiences wanted in an action flick at the time it was made.

KYLE: This movie is ridiculous and I love it!  Davis’ Charlie Baltimore is iconic from the first second she appears, forever vanquishing her quiet housewife persona to oblivion.  Davis and Jackson’s chemistry is off the charts, and it’s rare to see Jackson in a straight up sexual scene and he does remarkably well and allows Davis to remain in the focus throughout.  It’s easy, in an action film, to let the lead be invincible and over the top.  Davis lives in her character’s flaws, using them to fuel her hatred for those who wronged her Charlie.  Everything builds like a fuse heading into the over the top finale in which a torrent of blood and bullets blaze across the screen, allowing Davis’s assassin to unleash the rage that has been roiling under the surface.   This is one of Harlin’s best as well.  He’s very focused in this film and it shows in almost every scene.

BEN: This was a blast, Kyle.  Next week, we will look at five of Katherine Bigelow’s top films as we prepare for her new film, Detroit.

KYLE: I can’t wait!

Welcome to our next installment of The Auteur Series, and this episode will be our first installment focusing on the works of Stanley Kubrick. Tim and I are joined with an incredibly special guest, Raymond Benson. Mr. Benson is a writer, novelist, and film professor at the College of Dupage. He’s well known within the Bond community as authoring original Bond novels as well as film novelizations, side note, I vividly remember reading his novelization of TOMORROW NEVER DIES when I was in Middle School. He served on the Board of Directors of The Ian Fleming Foundation from 1995 to 2011. Aside from Bond he’s an all around film expert, teaching film classes on Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Ingmar Bergman, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock, Terrence Malick. – if I read all of Mr. Benson’s credentials, it would literally fill up our entire website! For any and all information on Mr. Benson, please visit his website, raymondbenson.com.

BABY DRIVER is a tale of two movies. The first is what I can only think to call a near-musical, where a young ace driver performs to tunes of ipod a bevy of death defying maneuvers any one of which could get you killed everyone in the vehicle if inches are missed. The diegetic music and the ways it inadvertently syncs with the driving, turn the driving into a metallic dance. Said driver, Baby, as it where, sees himself as having an equal grace when he’s on two feet. This is not necessarily the case as he his frequently getting told to “watch out” as he, still listening to music that we hear as the soundtrack, dances down the street weaving in and out of foot traffic and performing a little routine. The sequence is reminiscent of both Gene Kelly and Tony Manero. It is screaming out to be a bigger more musical moment, to allow that energy of the opening chase to carry over, to look and feel even more choreographed. Instead, director Edgar Wright stays mostly close on Baby and robs the scene of its potential. Moments later another scene evokes Gene Kelly’s first appearance in AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, where he fluidly moves about a tiny apartment, turning every action into a dance. Here, Baby is making a sandwich for his foster father and moves through the kitchen in much the same way, but instead of a wide shot where we can appreciate that movement and the space, Wright cuts needlessly through the scene, even breaking the 180 degree “rule” for no apparent reason. Here again the scene seems to end before it begins, right when you’d expect a more musical moment. A scene in a laundry mat also seems primed to burst but Wright holds it back. This continues throughout these lighter moments of the film (mostly in the first third of the feature).

The other movie within this movie is a hyper violent, fairly conventional cops and robbers flick about a young man who lost his parents (abusive father, loving mother) in a car accident and becomes a car thief/joy rider in an attempt to control the thing that took the life of the only person who loved him. One day he gets caught by a bigger criminal, Doc, played by Kevin Spacey, and rather than turn him in to the police Doc sees what an incredible driver Baby is and blackmails him into being the getaway driver on a series of robberies. But don’t worry, he’s cool, once Baby pays his debt he’ll be free to go. Sure sure. Doc, despite claims of being extremely careful and smart about the crews he uses, employs on more than one occasion, Bats, played by Jamie Foxx. Bats is a psychotic (Batshit crazy, haha, yeah we get it) whose pretty much kills or wants to kill everyone he meets/works with. In reality he’s the fun killer. As soon as he shows up (far too early in the film), all the joy and musical whimsy that the, let’s say, first 20 minutes of the film promised is overwhelmed by Bats’ personality and Foxx’s one note performance.

During those delightful opening moments Baby also manages to find a love interest in Lily James’ Debora. Perhaps surrogate mother is a better description though, as she works at the restaurant that Baby’s mother used to work at (which he haunts daily), looks vaguely like her, and sings vaguely like her. There budding romance is kept separate from the cops and robbers narrative, until of course it needs to be integrated so that Debora can become a hostage and a reason for Baby to take up the violence that he has personally avoided during his time with Doc. It’s all quite depressing, particularly when circumstances lead Debora to use violence as well. Despite another 10 or 15 minutes of coda, the movie ended for me with that act, which also finally and completely ends the promise of the film’s opening. Sure, Wright continues to use the diegetic music in the later half, but now he cheats it, bringing in a conventional thriller score when he needs to during later scenes. It sure would have been fun to continue using Baby’s playlist during these moments. But alas.

I’ve enjoyed Edgar Wright’s work since I was first introduced to the show SPACED, which he directed every episode of. I’ve liked all his previous features as well and make no mistake, BABY DRIVER is made with just as much skill as any of them. His usual energy is there as he works with long time collaborators Bill Pope (cinematography) and Jonathan Amos & Paul Machliss (editing). If this had just been a straightforward heist film I’d probably be singing its praises right now but the open teases a much more interesting genre exploration that never materializes. Or rather, gets crushed by the weight of convention and violence. Wright’s had such success adding humor and pathos to genre films, it would have been so great to see him really attack the musical with the same bravado, even in the karaoke style that takes plays here. Is BABY DRIVER devoid of entertainment? No, but it’s the weakest film from a still young filmmaker whose ceiling is very high.

Macon Blair’s directorial debut I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, which he also wrote, is a black comedy with serious balls, and as such, this film won’t be for everyone. I love subversive and unexpected material, and this nasty little Netflix acquisition goes to some truly bizarre, and often times (for me at least) hysterical places; it’s just a question if you think watching someone getting their hand blown off at close range by a shot-gun is funny. As always, it’s about context, and the degenerates featured in this wild narrative mostly get what they deserve. The plot shares a Falling Down vibe, with Melanie Lynskey essaying a character who probably lives down the street from everyone reading this — the sort of person who is fed up and sort of directionless and at odds with most of society, and revolts against the random idiocies that life throws their way. The film details her attempts at moral revenge against a hoodlum who breaks into her house and steals some of her belongings.

Her dark and twisted odyssey opens up a can of worms she could never have expected, and is forced to deal with some sinister baddies who feel as desperate as they look unclean. Shot in some really questionable areas of Oregon with down and dirty aplomb by stylish cinematographer Larkin Seiple (Swiss Army Man, Cop Car), this scrappy indie features Elijah Wood in an off-beat supporting role as Lynskey’s unlikely counterpart in all of the madness, and to her credit, Lynskey, who was so excellent on HBO’s recently cancelled marriage dramedy Togetherness, charts the uneasy narrative waters with serious gusto, investing her character with plucky spirit that hopefully helps her by the end of the blood-soaked proceedings. I can’t wait to see what Blair, who so memorably starred in the brilliant thriller Blue Ruin and appeared in Jeremy Saulnier’s hard-core follow-up, Green Room, does next as a filmmaker. Something tells me that he’s not likely to lose his perverse edge.

The recently released Criterion Collection Blu-ray Special Edition of Michelangelo Antonioni’s masterpiece Blow-Up is a thing of pure beauty. From the gorgeous packaging to the wonderful and thoughtful full-color booklet to the plethora of bonus features, they’ve given one of the best films of all time superb physical media treatment. Blow-Up is a true study in cinematic cool-factor, and it will always be one of my absolute favorite films. It radiates sex and style and class and sophistication and the way Antonioni primarily used images to tell his story will always fascinate me to no end. You get David Hemmings in one of the quintessential screen performances and Vanessa Redgrave in all of her beatific splendor, not to mention an absurdly talented (and rather photogenic…) supporting cast. This was the first of three movies that Antonioni made for MGM (Zabriskie Point and The Passenger are the other two), and it remains one of the most influential, form-busting movies of its era, a wild romp through London’s swinging 60’s, with the out-sized exploits of famed fashion photographer David Bailey serving as a character influence. I can’t stress enough how sexual vibrancy just flows all throughout this film; the photo-shoots were directed, shot, and preformed as if the actors were simulating lovemaking, and when you look at the faces of everyone in the hot-stuff cast, you get the sense that the carnal feelings being felt may not have been phony.

The plot was adapted by Antonioni, Tonino Guerra, and Edward Bond from the short story The Devil’s Drool by Julio Cortazar, with Hemmings portraying a cocky, womanizing photographer, and revolves around a series of photos that he snaps out in the park one afternoon, which may or may not contain the identity of a killer and a murder in progress. Brian De Palma would do a riff on this material with his classic 1981 thriller Blow Out, which starred John Travolta in one of his best performances as a movie sound mixer collecting sound effects near a river when he inadvertently witnesses and records the sounds of a car crash which may be more than it seems. But back to Blow-Up; this is a film I’ve viewed multiple times, and I love how it’s come to mean so many different things to me as a person each time I encounter it. The film has a bewitching nature, a dreamy quality (but not hallucinatory), and it sort of resembles a methodical thriller without the conventional ending that we’ve all come to expect after years of Hollywood shoving plot contrivances down our throats. Antonioni, a master filmmaker who loved to subvert his audience at every opportunity (I adore this man’s work), was clearly fond of the open-ended finale, a storytelling device that can be extremely effective when properly handled, but can also feel amazingly cheap and artificial in the hands of lesser filmmakers. Here, because Antonioni has set so much up and given the audience so many tantalizing bits to examine, the fact that the film ends the way it does shouldn’t provoke anger, but rather, further mystery with the potential for more discoveries on repeated viewings.

 

 

 

 

 

Herbie Hancock’s jazzy score punctuates the film in all the proper ways, but what Antonioni excelled at best was silence, and how it can be used in so many ways to evoke so many emotions. The cinematography by Carlo Di Palma is absolutely brilliant, each shot informing the one previous and the one following, with an expert sense of camera placement, color, and space within the frame. The fluid editing by Frank Clarke plays with time, expectations, and the specific way visual information is presented, and ultimately serves as a textbook example of how not to over-cut your picture. And then there’s the parade of gloriously beautiful women that are trotted out for Hemmings to flirt, photo, and party with, with one extremely memorable sex scene clearly ranking as one of the best ever put on film. Hemmings gives a fascinating performance, filled with self-assurance then self-doubt, all the while displaying a unique resentment towards women despite his glamorous job, with a stare that could cut glass and shake anyone off their guard. He’s a man who has become jaded by his lifestyle, but when he’s offered the chance to do something with true meaning, he becomes re-energized by the possibilities that his craft allows and by the random nature of life itself. Blow-Up isn’t a movie where you’re going to learn all of the plot points in an easy fashion, and in many instances, Antonioni leaves his audience to interpret what they’ve seen and what he’s shown. For me, that will always be the mark of a GREAT artist – that rare ability to create something rich and complete while still allowing for room to grow and rediscover.