Tag: Ethan Hawke

Are You Not Entertained?

Here resumes a monthly recap of better music, books, films, and television that entertained me. 

MUSIC

We’ve had a lot of visiting relatives this past month, and Neil Young seemed to be the background noise for much of it. At one point, I actually got tired of listening to him. But he is a staple in our home, and with healthy intermissions, I enjoy listening to his albums. He’s a fun one to mimic with those notes delivered at the back of the throat. He is a mood-setter. In my world, there’s nothing better than sitting by a fire outdoors or in, with wine and Neil singing in the background. How do you pick a favorite? This love ballad released in 1992 never grows old.

BOOKS 

 

Who was the first woman to obtain a glider pilot’s license? Anne Morrow Lindbergh. That’s understandably overshadowed by her husband’s accolades. The most famous man in the world in 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed his Spirit of St. Louis near Paris and completed the first solo airplane flight across the Atlantic. She was his co-pilot literally and figuratively throughout their 45-year marriage. Author Melanie Benjamin‘s historical fiction account is a refreshing twist showcasing the complicated life of the couple from Anne’s perspective. It is a novel full of intrigue, adventure, and scandal without sounding like a soap opera. Melanie Benjamin keeps the narrative cool enough to avoid melodrama, but close enough for the reader to feel like they’re privy to the introverted couple, and it is easy to care for Anne in her unique position. The Aviator’s Wife is gracefully written, entertaining novel. 4/5.

Edward Rutherford’s books are fun history. New York follows the chronological format as the other novel of his I read, The Princes of Ireland. Rutherford created an epic by placing fictional characters that represented a class or social group and placed them into historical events. My favorite section in New York was the July 1863 New York City draft riots. A husband tried to find his abolitionist wife who faced a mob who wanted to kill the African American orphans at her school. I kept thinking about Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York when I read this part of the novel; not too surprised to realize I liked the book version more. 4/5. 

TELEVISION

I didn’t like it–I loved every episode including the cool intro music and artwork. Why? I’m a fan of 20th Century social history especially of film. Plus, I think it’s peculiar–America’s obsession with movie stars and the interworkings of making a movie. Although Susan Sarandon portrayed Bette Davis and Jessica Lange depicted Joan Crawford with admirable effort, the most convincing performances went to the entire supporting cast notably Stanley Tucci as Jack L. Warner, Alfred Molina as Robert Aldrich, and Jackie Hoffman as Mamasita. The 8 episode series juggled two stories–the actual feud between Davis and Crawford (I love Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? so the drama behind the film attracted me.) The other story was the Hollywood climate surrounding the casting couch and the manipulative power of male movie moguls. By the end of the series, I had an itch to explore director Robert Aldrich’s filmography.

Movies 

I’ve seen a lot of films lately, especially starring Gene Hackman, but for this post, I picked a pair that had me thinking and feeling.

Predestination(2015). This is a mind-bending, science fiction thriller film written and directed by Michael and Peter Spierig with screenplay help by Robert A. Heinlein.  Time travel is an easier concept to play out in books than in films because the price asked for the suspension of disbelief is high. In books, your imagination fills in the holes while not so at the movies. In this story, agent (Ethan Hawke) embarks on a final time-traveling assignment to prevent an elusive criminal from launching an attack that kills thousands of people. A fine performance by Hawke, but the show goes to the creative performance by Sarah Snook. It’s one I’d watch again. 4/5.

Wind River (2017).  It’s a mystery, crime thriller that personifies the cold, spring of Wyoming on an American Indian reservation. A daughter is raped and runs six miles in her bare feet across the winter landscape. A pretty FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) arrives to investigate, ill-suited but determined to solve the mystery, and teams up with wildlife officer Lambert (Jeremy Renner). Despite the somber premise, the movie is moving because the theme of loss permeates all the characters and is allowed to surface in a way that is harmonic with the whispering wind and frozen landscape and a satisfying resolution. It is a strangely beautiful film. Plus, if you want to see a pair from Dances with Wolves, Graham Greene and Tantoo Cardinal were a sight for sore eyes. Actor Gil Birmingham returns from Hell or High Water (2016) to give the best performance of the film as the grieving father. Director and writer Taylor Sheridan is fast becoming a favorite with Sicario (2015), and Hell or High Water (2016) to his credit. He seems to be carrying a freshly-lit torch as writer and director of the post-modern Western. Taylor Sheridan’s ability to make the natural setting an integral part of the plot and his willingness to let an ensemble cast have lines and scenes that foster true characterization are reminiscent of the Coen Brothers. 4.2/5.

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PSH: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

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What do you make of an actor who played jerks, the morally decrepit, and the bizarre perfectly? Highly popular and respected. Since 1992, critics and fans have praised him when he stepped into the spotlight as the snobby-bully George Willis Jr., in Scent of a Woman. I laughed at him in Twister (1996) and admired him in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). Considered a character actor for a good part of his career, he gained the respect of his colleagues by avoiding stock performances. He brought chemistry, sardonic wit, and authenticity to his characters; in short, his characters were believable and often raised the acting of his co-stars. Here’s an example from Cold Mountain (2003) where PSH plays the hypocritical preacher:

Cold Mountain is one of the best movies from the last twenty years. Hoffman’s dark, humorous performance added depth to the story while the outrageous personality of the preacher felt real. Devious characters became fascinating when Philip Seymour Hoffman was acting.  

There are director/actor relationships that seize a moment and define a decade. For example, DeNiro, DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese mutually benefited from their relationships. In Philip Seymour Hoffman’s case, his collaboration with director Paul Thomas Anderson was significant. Their films included: Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk-Love (2002), and The Master(2013). While I do think actor Toby Jones was born for the role, PSH did a fine job as a giant version of Truman Capote in 2005 for which he won Best Actor at the Oscars.

Thank you, JORDAN for allowing me to contribute to the PSH Blogathon. I chose the 2007 crime drama written by Kelly Masterson  and directed by the late, great Sidney Lumet who deserves a tribute post all of his own. Some of my favorite films of his include: Twelve Angry Men (1957), Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962), Serpico (1973), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and Network (1976). 

Leave it to the Irish to come up with this dark, humorous drinking toast: May you be in heaven for a half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead. I think it sums up the story perfectly. Can you escape from your sins?

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Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is a crime drama about two brothers who are in desperate need of cash. The older, clever brother is Andy Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who works as an accountant at a New York City firm while his cute brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) is submissive and bullied by an ex-wife and his brother. Hank is a loser; he can’t seem to get a financial grip on his life. He’s troubled by private school tuition payments for his daughter and hounded for three months back-pay in child support.

Andy makes a good case for committing a burglary. Andy has a heroin addiction to support and wants to escape the drudgery of a New York life and live easy in Rio with his sexy wife, Gina (Marisa Tormei), who pranced around half-naked and whose only function in the film is to be screwed by males with the last name of Hanson. It is not a role showcasing Tormei’s intellect; at least in The Gambler the character Cassidy showed off her T & A and had half a brain. I think Tormei can act, so it’s disappointing she is restricted to a superficial level set by the graphic, unnecessary opening scene. I blame Kelly Masterson’s screenplay for that. However, Tormei’s curves are much admired by many for my wagging finger to matter. She is the eye candy, and after all, the film is about the brothers.

The best aspect of the film is the outstanding acting by Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney (Sidney Lumet and Finney last worked together on Murder on the Orient Express) and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Andy’s logic is convincing enough to manipulate his brother and that’s important if the audience is going along for the ride. With a toy gun and full insurance to compensate the owners of the jewelry store, and a place Andy knows where he can unload the jewels for cash, it’s a full-proof plan and the perfect heist. Sure, I see his logic.

Now the film becomes a dark comedy. What kind of whack job is this? The owners of the jewelry store are his parents, Andy’s heroin supplier is brought into the scheme, and their grieving father sets out to find the perpetrators. Dramatic irony is one of my favorite rhetorical devices, and it works well here, adding a complex layer in the script. I liked the multi-angled editing to revisit a conversation from a different perspective. I also liked the over-exposed filter used during filming at key moments to stress their stark situation. If you like crime dramas, great acting, and dark humor, you’d love this Philip Seymour Hoffman film.

8/10

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