CLIMAX (2019)

Written & Directed by Gaspar Noé


Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. March 3, 2019 5:15 PM


Much like his Danish film making counterpart, Lars von Trier, Gaspar Noé delights in shocking and agitating with his cinema. Born in Argentina but raised mostly in France, the filmmaker seems to get great pleasure with assaulting his potential audience with harsh, cruel and ugly subject matter, gleefully provoking a reaction of discomfort and unease. Noé's dark world view may be calculated and, at times, ridiculously excessive yet there is no denying that he also manages to make his films impressively stylish and disturbingly entertaining.

Noé has only made five features to date and they are all challenging and confrontational works. His first feature in 1998, "I Stand Alone (Seul contre tous)" deals with several days in the tragic life of an sad, isolated butcher which includes incest with his daughter. Noé's next film was probably his most controversial, "Irréversible" which tells it's story in reverse and follows a Parisian man seeking to avenge his girlfriend who was brutally raped with this act horrifically displayed in a ten-minute long take. "Enter The Void" is about an American drug dealer shot by the Tokyo police and we follow his wild and trippy, out-of-body experience as he reviews his life. And then there was his 3D erotic drama from 2015, "Love" which had his actors performing unsimulated hardcore sex.

His latest, "Climax" begins deceptively as a joyous and thrilling celebration of dance before descending in to a dark and unsettling nightmare involving violence and death between a group of dancers. And like Noé's previous works, this film delivers moments that are often wildly exhilarating while others are extremely distressing.

We are first introduced to these young dancers through video interviews as they audition for a part in a major dance production that will travel through France and the U.S. These performers are made up of an almost equal number of males and females, largely black and brown. Then the film whirls in to an electrifying five-minute long dance routine which shows off each dancer's individual style while they also work together in synchronized motion. This fast-moving, freestyle number (that is actually choreographed by Nina McNeely) set to Cerrone's 1977 disco classic, "Supernature" is the highlight of the film and almost worth the price of admission alone.

But "Climax" is a movie and there is something resembling a plot yet it's admittedly slight. After coming to the end of a long rehearsal, the dancers decide to cut loose and celebrate. While drinking sangria, they flirt, share personal stories and gossip about each other. However, everyone that drank the wine soon begins to feel strange and eventually suspect that it's been spiked with a hallucinogenic drug.

The dancers start behaving more irrationally, accusing Omar (Adrien Sissoko) of drugging them because he didn't drink. Although the reason is because he's Muslim, the group doesn't care and throw him out of the building in to the freezing cold. Once the drug really kicks in, we see these dancers wildly hallucinate and thrash about helplessly as they lose complete control of their minds and bodies.

Since there isn't much to the story, Noé plays with structure as a way to continuously throw off our expectations. "Climax" begins with the ending scene followed by the closing credits and the cast and above-the-line crew credits flash in the middle of the film. With his long-time cinematographer, Benoît Debie and Denis Bedlow, who edited with Noé, the director creates further disorientation with off-kilter shots, harsh lighting and lengthy takes.

And Noé is not satisfied with us simply watching the harrowing ordeal these young adults face and decides to push the boundaries further by introducing an adorable young boy in to this situation. Tito (played by Vince Galliot Cumant) is the son of Emmanuelle (Claude Gajan Maull), the tour manager and after discovering he drank some of the sangria, she locks him in an electrical closet for protection. But she had the wine too and her losing the key leads to tragic results.

Most of the cast are professional dancers who are acting for the first time. A familiar face is Sofia Boutella, a former model and street dancer turned actress who you might recall seeing in "The Mummy", "Kingsman: The Secret Service" and "Atomic Blonde", that appears here as Selva, the show's choreographer. With her character as our central figure, the actress is quite effective as Selva plummets wildly to the point of psychosis, lost in an erratic dance she can no longer control.

As we watch the drugged dancers reach a frenzied crescendo, some of this troubling action becomes very repetitive. But Noé is not motivated nor particularly concerned with pleasing a wide audience. And it’s been said that the idea of him winning a popularity contest of an award (which he won the Art Cinema Prize at last year’s Cannes fest for this film) has left him gagging.

Gaspar Noé has fearlessly shared his lurid concepts and horrid fantasies with the focus of his film not in it's story but more about creating frantic movement and stirring unsettling emotions. "Climax" is a horror film in the true sense of the word and this inventive director has crafted his vision of what that might be.

VELVET BUZZSAW (2019)

Written & Directed by Dan Gilroy


Available to stream now on Netflix


Writer/director Dan Gilroy's "Velvet Buzzsaw" dives in to the art world and reveals not only the colorful denizens who inhabit that scene but a dark undercurrent that leads to murder. Yet the killer is not a tangible presence but the art itself which is behind these unusual deaths. If that sounds kinda of odd and preposterous, the film is not really able to alter that opinion too much. This surreal satire tries to make a commentary on the corruption in the buying and selling of art while driving a deadly and eerie element to the story. But despite some intriguing ideas and an impressive cast, "Velvet Buzzsaw" is a creation that is unable to fully communicate it's peculiar concept.

Our story begins during Art Basel in Miami with Jake Gyllenhaal playing Morf Vandewalt, a powerful L.A. art critic. In his professional life, Morf displays confidence and enjoys wielding his clout however his personal life is much more unstable and erratic. While not exactly sexually fluid yet bored with his boyfriend, he finds himself drawn to his female friend, Josephina (Zawe Ashton) and they begin an intimate relationship. Back home in sunny Los Angeles, she works as an assistant for Rhodora Haze (Rene Russo), a former member of the rock-band, Velvet Buzzsaw and now an influential and ruthless gallery owner.

One day in her apartment building, Josephina finds her elderly neighbor has died in the hallway. His name was Vetril Dease and had requested that all of his possessions be burned. Curious, she enters his apartment to discover hundreds of his paintings which are beautiful yet highly disturbing. She steals all of the art but unsure what to do with it. However, once Morf and Rhodora see the work, they know exactly what to do.

Rhodora displays the paintings at her gallery and they become an instant success. People become completely mesmerized by this work including fellow artists Damrish (Daveed Diggs) and Piers (John Malkovich). And this is when we begin a supernatural detour when the viewers of the art become a victim of the art. The first to fall is Bryson (Billy Magnussen), an electrician for the gallery and aspiring artist. Rhodora insists on hiding some of Dease's painting to inflate their value and has him store some of the art in a warehouse. However, Bryson has other plans and takes off with these paintings only to meet a creepy and gruesome demise.

Other strange deaths occur to members in the small art community and Morf, after researching Dease's background to discover that he had an abusive childhood and expressed his growing mental illness through his paintings, begins to make a connection between this art and these unnatural casualties.

After years as a successful screenwriter, Mr. Gilroy made his debut as a director with "Nightcrawler" in 2014 which also starred Gyllenhaal and Russo. This well-received feature (which earned Gilroy a nomination for Best Original Screenplay) examined the seedy world of freelance photojournalists and feeding the hunger for scandalous news no matter the cost. His follow-up was the less admired, "Roman J. Israel, Esq." that featured Denzel Washington in his Oscar-nominated role as an idealistic defense lawyer lacking certain social skills who was determined to fight for the poor and disadvantaged.

With "Velvet Buzzsaw", Mr. Gilroy continues his exploration in to the darker side of humanity but this frantic script is surprisingly muddled. The plot shifting from quirky drama to cheesy horror is just odd and clunky. We are never given any real understanding of why (or how) this vengeful art has set out to kill these unpleasantly superficial yet still innocent people. And the grisly murders themselves are predictable and not particularly frightening.

Thankfully, the actors involved are fully committed, helping to make this comedic frightfest more interesting than it deserves. Even playing a smarmy and whiny art critic, Mr. Gyllenhaal still impressively manages to bring some charm and sex appeal to the role. The appearance of the always fascinating Ms Russo (who just happens to be married to Mr. Gilroy) is a reminder that her gifts are not being currently utilized enough on the big screen. We also have Tom Sturridge as a rival gallery owner and Toni Collette as an art curator who briefly adds some interesting colors to the film.

As we know, all art is highly subjective. Some viewers will find "Velvet Buzzsaw" to be a witty and experimental satire on the terrors in the world of art. While others may only see the movie to be a banal concoction of parody and horror offering cheap thrills and even cheaper scares. I appreciated what Mr. Gilroy was trying to create but "Velvet Buzzsaw" lacks a cohesive structure to make his bold vision actually satisfying.

JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT (1944 - 2019)

Jan-Michael Vincent rose to prominence in Hollywood during the 1970's and 1980's due to his good looks and low-key swagger but after drug addiction and health issues derailed his promising career, he faded in to obscurity. Sadly, it has been reported that the actor had passed away on February 10th at the age of seventy-four from cardiac arrest.

Vincent was born in Denver but raised in the San Joaquin Valley in California. Unsure of what he wanted to do with his life after he graduated from high school, Vincent attended some college in Ventura, worked a number of odd jobs and liked to do some partying in between. But it was a casting agent who spotted Vincent that pointed him in the direction of an acting career. He helped get Vincent signed to a contract with Universal Studios in 1967 and he quickly appeared in several popular television shows of the day like “Lassie”, “Dragnet”, “Bonanza” and in the “Danger Island” segment on the “Banana Splits” children’s program (which was one of my favorite shows and I had forgotten he was on it).

Vincent also made a move to the movies and some of his early appearances were in the Disney comedy, “The World’s Greatest Athlete”, co-starring with Charles Bronson in “The Mechanic” and with Robert Mitchum in “Going Home” which Vincent earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His star was on the rise and some of the highlights during Vincent’s peak years were “Buster & Billie” (it is most notable due to Vincent’s full-frontal nudity which was one of the first in American films), “Bite The Bullet”, “White Line Fever”, “Baby Blue Marine”, “Big Wednesday“ and the Burt Reynolds comedy, “Hooper”.

When decent film roles dried up, Vincent returned to television; first in the highly successful 1983 miniseries, “The Winds of War” and then in the action series, “Airwolf” with Ernest Borgnine the following year. He would become one of the highest paid actors on television at the time but it was also during this time that his addictions took over his life. It has been said that this and his increasingly erratic behavior was one reason for the show’s cancellation after three seasons.

Vincent’s life continued to spin out of control with him being involved in several car accidents with the most severe being in 1996 that seriously injured his passenger and left him with a broken neck and damaged vocal cords. He would go through the continuously grim routine of spending time in jail, perform court-ordered rehab and then repeat these actions for much of the rest of his life. Vincent would lose part of his right leg due to peripheral artery disease in 2012.

It really is a very sad and tragic ending for this talented actor. To honor his life and his career, here are a few trailers of some of Jan-Michael Vincent’s great moments in cinema:

GRETA (2019)

Written by Ray Wright and Neil Jordan


Directed by Neil Jordan


Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. February 27, 2019 7:30PM



"Greta", the latest from writer/director, Neil Jordan, is a psychological thriller that offers nothing that you haven't seen before. But it does feature a deliriously unhinged and thoroughly entertaining performance by one of France's greatest film legends, Isabelle Huppert in a rare English-language appearance. While she is unable to completely salvage this silly and flimsy horror drama about an isolated older woman who obsessively latches on to a mournful younger girl, Huppert manages to make the film far more interesting with her intriguing (and very French) mix of chilly reserve and subdued passion.

Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) has recently lost her mother to cancer while her relationship with her father (Colm Feore) has deteriorated due to him spending his time working instead of with her after his wife's passing. Looking for a fresh start, she has moved to New York City and shares an apartment with her salty and streetwise friend, Erica (Maika Monroe).

One day while riding the subway, Frances finds a handbag left on a seat. After taking it home, Erica advises her to keep the cash and forget about it. But the good-natured Frances decides to return the bag to the rightful owner. Using the ID inside of the purse, the young woman goes to the address in Brooklyn and knocks on the door. A grateful Greta (Huppert) answers, insisting on Frances joining her for coffee. After chatting for a bit, the two discover that they both have lost a close loved one with Greta being a recent widow. Open and vulnerable, Frances finds herself drawn to this kind stranger with a warm friendship developing.

However, during a dinner at Greta's house, Frances is disturbed to discover that the handbag she found on the subway was not an accident. She tries to withdraw from this scary situation but Greta is not having it. Excessive phone calls and texts, stalking and harassment is just a warm-up that an increasingly deranged Greta has in store for her friend-turned-victim.

As a filmmaker, the Irish writer/director has had some good days ("The Crying Game", "Interview With a Vampire"), some bad days ("We're No Angels", "In Dreams") and many so-so ("Breakfast On Pluto", "The Brave One"). And with "Greta", Mr. Jordan has unfortunately landed once again in the not-so-good category. The screenplay, co-written by the director with Ray Wright, features routine dialogue and seemed to have eagerly tossed aside logic and common sense in order to propel this lame story forward.

Beginning her career as a child actor, Ms Moretz has grown in to a fine actress and does strong committed work here while Ms. Monroe (who you might remember from the horror flick, "It Follows") adds some much needed humor as the suspicious roommate. But let me stress again that the only reason why you should even consider sitting through this mess of a film is to witness Ms Huppert in glorious action. She has done this type of manic role several times before in her native French, most notably in "The Piano Teacher" by the provocative Austrian director Michael Haneke (imagine what this filmmaker behind the disturbing "Funny Games" could have done with this material) and while the actress gives another wild, go-for-broke performance, it is completely wasted on this half-baked thriller.

"Greta" is the kind of movie you know you're in trouble when the only real reaction you hear from the audience is during the truly terrifying moment when our title character spits chewing gum in to her stalking victim's hair.

BEFORE OSCAR: A GUIDE TO OLIVIA COLMAN’S FILM WORK

Although I’m very sad that Glenn Close didn’t go home with an Oscar (and I’m optimistic it will still happen), I am beyond thrilled that Olivia Colman received the gold for her amazing work as Queen Anne in "The Favourite" which was definitely one of the best screen performances last year. Now this is hardly the first job for the cherished British actress and she has appeared in many films that you may not recall that she was in (Yorgos Lanthimos’ last feature, "The Lobster" is certainly one and lead to her being cast in his Oscar-nominated follow-up). Vulture has highlighted a few films that Ms Colman has appeared in over the last few years. Her work is far more extensive on British television (and they did a rundown of that as well. If interested, click here) and she will be playing another Queen, Elizabeth, as the new lead in the upcoming season of the acclaimed Netflix drama, "The Crown".

Click below to read the article:

A Streaming Guide to Olivia Colman’s Previous Film Work