Displaying items by tag: Bobby Cannavale

MAXXXINE

US, 2024, 104 minutes, Colour.

Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin Bacon, Lily Collins, Simon Prast, Giancarlo Esposito, Moses Sumney.

Directed by Ti West.

In recent years, writer-director Ti West, has directed many television episodes. However, he made his mark around 2010 with some horror films, especially The Innkeepers. He also made a revenge Western, In a Valley of Violence, 2016, with Ethan Hawke and John Travolta. Then he made X, something of an exploitation film at a mansion out in the countryside of the Midwest. It featured Mia Goth. And it was a commercial success.

West then decided to go back in history and make a period piece, again about an ambitious actress, again played by Mia Goth, Pool. And with the same somewhat sensationalist themes and treatment.

This is the third film in his trilogy, this time set in 1985. And the audience is taken to a version of Hollywood of that period, a style of cinematography that is garish and sometimes lurid, as a symbol and as a location for part of the climax. West is enthusiastic about this portrayal of Hollywood, emphasising the seedy side, cheap apartments, video stores which were becoming popular at the time, the adult movie industry, sleazy agents in their offices. There is also the world of filmmaking, auditions, the movie lots, a visit to the Psycho motel as well as action there, sinister mansions in the Hollywood Hills. Very strong on atmosphere – and with many of the songs of the period, as was all kinds of in the occasions, billboards, almonds theatre, the stars on the walk of fame, cinemas showing St Elmo’s Fire.

Once again, this is a showcase for Mia Goth who seems to relish her performances as actresses who have more than relish and ambitions for their careers. And the supporting cast is more notable, Elizabeth Debicki as a somewhat pretentious and ambitious director, filming a sequel to The Puritan with all kinds of religious right protesters outside the studio with their placards. Kevin Bacon offers something of an absurd private eye who gets a dreadful comeuppance. Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan are the investigating police, he a would-be actor, she rather stern and critical. Lily Collins has a cameo as a British actress, Giancarlo Esposito is the agent, and Simon Prast who was a religious fanatic in X is even more terrifying here as Maxine’s avenging father.

So, a mixture of exploitative ingredients, sex, violence, ambition, religious intolerance.

1. The work of the director, his trilogy, themes, moviemaking, collaboration with Mia Goth?
2. The relationship of this film to the other two? Characters, themes, movies, sexuality and exploitation, violence and murder, ambitions and ruthlessness, religious fanaticism?
3. The title, Maxine, from Miller to Minx, adding the Xs to her name? Her car number plate? And the way that she ruthlessly drove her car?
4. The prologue, the little girl, dancing, the interview with her religious father? All of this sequence in the revelations of what was happening?
5. 1985, Hollywood, the sign and symbol, the streets, the stars and Grauman’s theatre, garish look, lurid touches? The streets, the motels, the studios, legal offices, Universal lot, the motel from Psycho, exteriors and interiors? The musical score, the range of songs from the 1980s?
6. Maxine, in Los Angeles, the move from Texas, ambitions, to get the life that she deserved, her intensity, the adult movies, pornography, her reputation and people recognising her at the studio? Her friends, performance? The apartment, moving from job to job, the video store, the owner, conversations, watching videos with him, enlisting his help to identify the mysterious video and its origins? His relationship with Maxine, exasperation with her? The brutality of his murder and her response to his being carried out?
7. The audition, the film, The Puritan, the sequel? The director, imperious presence, height, not American accent, expectations? The interview, her being in adult movies, her body? Her getting the part? Going back to the studio, the interviews with the director, her demands? The scene of making the cast of her head, the past memories, her panic? And the later final sequence with the cast of her head in the glass? The background of the, Night Stalker the many deaths, and her friend, their discussions, the discovery of the two dead bodies, the symbolic mark?
8. Mysterious video and her watching it, her panic? The address of the windscreen? The encounter with John, Kevin Bacon and the satiric performance? Confrontations, pursuit, his threats and self-confidence? Not identifying the employer? The drinks and conversation? Is appearance at the studio, the pursuit and chase, the weapon and her wound in his nose? The later encounters, the Psycho motel? Her explaining this to her agent, Ted and his personality, manner, sleazy? The confrontation with John, and the brutal crushing of the car and him?
9. The police officers, the would-be actor and his performances, the tough woman in charge? Confronting Maxine, with the death of her video store friend, the continued interrogations, her refusal to answer, the threats?
10. Demonstrations, against The Puritan, the religious right? Protests and placards?
11. The buildup to the climax, Maxine and her fears, the decision to go to the address, the detectives deciding to follow her, her entering the house, eerie, discovering her father, his speeches, showing her the video from her childhood, the massacres in Texas, fleeing? Her father, religious fanatic, his campaign, stamping Satan out of Hollywood, his followers and the ritual, the attempt to exorcise Maxine, tying her up, close-ups of his face, the arrival of the police, the shootout? Maxine free, confronting her father, eventually shooting him? The detectives, shot, wounded, dead? The hovering helicopter?
12. The aftermath,, Maxine as a celebrity, the interviews, the director and her advice? Set, her becoming respectable, the plaster cast of her head?

EZRA

US, 2023, 101 minutes, Colour.

Bobby Cannavale, William E.Fitzgerald, Rose Byrne, Robert De Niro, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, Rainn Wilson, Vera Framiga, Matilda Lawler.

Directed by Tony Goldwyn.

While there have been a number of films dramatising autism and its effect on those on the spectrum (for example the very striking Temple Granted with Claire Danes), this is very audience-friendly look at an autistic boy.

Audiences will be sensitive to the issues, the emergence of awareness of autism in more recent decades, consequences for family life and parenting, for education opportunities whether in the community or specialised schools, the issues of medication for “normalising” the autistic person.

The screenplay for this film was written by Tony Spiridakis, based on his own experience with his son and, as he has noted, his learning how to finally step back from trying to control his son’s life. He has been a long-time friend of the actor-director, Tony Goldwyn, and Goldwyn has directed this film as well as taking a small role.

‘The film also had multiple autistic crew members on set to ensure its authenticity. Other cast members were directly related to a family member who has autism. Throughout the production, the creators screened different versions to the autism community for feedback.’ (Wikipedia entry on the film.) This is the case with Robert De Niro who plays the grandfather here.

Film opens with Ezra aged about 11, having great difficulties at school, fighting, on the verge of being suspended. Young William A.Fitzgerald is very convincing as Ezra. His parents are divorcing. He lives with his mother, Jenna, Rose Byrne, devoted, anxious, supported by her lawyer, Tony Goldwyn. But there are frequent visits from his father, Max, Bobby Cannavale very powerful and emotionally-charged in perhaps his best screen performance. He plays a stand-up comic and writer, taking his son to the performances as his supportive Mojo. However, he wants his son to be “normal”, in ordinary school with ordinary students, and is highly suspicious of any medication for the autistic condition.

Max lives with his father Stan, De Niro, asserted past which need some kind of resolution and apology.

The film dramatises the plight of the young boy, determined, sometimes fixated in autistic mode, devoted to each of his parents.

After an incident, almost an accident with Ezra being injured on the street, Max’s tension becomes even higher, assaulting the doctor in the hospital, arrested, a restraining order, becoming desperate and kidnapping his son, intending to travel to Los Angeles for a spot on the Jimmy Kimmel show, organised by his agent, played by Whoopi Goldberg.

With police intervention, Max takes refuge in the home of an old friend, a sympathetic Vera Farmiga, whose daughter involves Ezra in play, and introducing him to a horse, patting it, befriending it, some moments of freedom and joy.

The climax occurs in the Jimmy Kimmel studio, Jenna arriving with Max’s father, the police and the authorities, clash, Max arrested.

However, there is a more peaceful ending, Max calming down, Jenna and caring for Ezra – and an enjoyable Jimmy Kimmel show postscript.

An audience-friendly film on issues of autism.

1. The focus of the with police intervention, film on Ezra, age, autism, symptoms, behaviour, relationship with father, with mother, was grandfather?
2. The New Jersey setting, homes, streets, schools, police precincts, jails, comedy clubs? The American countryside, the journey to Michigan, the farm, the horses? The roads, diners along the way? The Jimmy Kimmel studios? The musical score?
3. The screenplay, Tony is very darkness and his experience with his own son, the cast with family connections to autism, autistic members of the crew? The testing out of sequences?
4. The audience entering the situation, Max and Jenna, marriage, Ezra, is autism, the years passing, is experiences at school, the parent being called in, the violence and his outbursts, expulsion?
5. Max, his devotion, taking Ezra to his stand-up comic digs, his Mojo? Ezra and his responses? The bond between father and son? Jenna, the day by day care, the divorce proceedings, a relationship with Bruce, lawyer, his advice? The scenes at home, care for Ezra?
6. William A.Fitzgerald and his presence and performance as Ezra? Manner, the symptoms of the spectrum, way of speaking, movie quotes, reactions, violence, not being touched, bananas, phobias? It shrewdness? At home, at school? His dislike of Bruce? Going to the club, the theme of the big Lebowski? Home late? Jenna’s reaction?
7. Robert De Niro is the grandfather, Pop-pop, the back story as it unfolded, difficult, cooking for the military, hard on his wife, her abandoning the family, Max thinking it was to blame? Living at home with his father, the memories of the past, his father’s severity, violence? His father as a doorman at the hotels? Max taunting him about his parking sign, his military service, cooking? The difficult relation with Jenna?
8. Max, relationship with his agent, Jane, her bookings for him, his performance after the experience of Macs, overhearing Bruce, interpreting literally, rushing out, the dog, taxi, hospital? Maxes hope reaction at the hospital, attacking the doctor, the arrest, the police, release, his doing a deal? The performance of the club and it’s sad ending, is talking about his doing the deal? The decision to abduct Ezra? Is being on probation with the law? Phoning his father?
9. It is, the discussion about medication, maxes hostility, saying the doctors were exploiting the drugs, political issues? Jenna finally desperate, calling the police, their upbraiding her because of the delay, the Amber Alert? On television, the roadblocks…?
10. Max and his friendship with Nick, Nick in the camp, the Senegalese nun, Ezra tantrums, metallic cutlery, the eating with their fingers…? Nick, support for Max?
11. The journey, Ezra and his reactions, returning to his roots, police cordoned, driving through the woods, stranded, Ezra running away, reconciliation, getting the lift, going to see Grace, who welcome, memories of the past, Ezra with Ruby, the other children, her helping him to befriend the horse and its effect on him? Running and playing? The police arriving, grease giving them the car, travelling to Los Angeles?
12. Jenna, desperate, trying to contact the grandfather, throwing stones at his house, at his work at the hotel, his finally telling her where they had gone, the drive, the attack on Nick?
13. Grandfather see father and son in the diner, relating will, talking with Max, his confession about the past and his sorrow?
14. Everybody in Los Angeles, the Jimmy Kimmel studio, the preparation for the gig, the police arriving, the Amber alert, Ezra and not wanting to be touched, the police, cuffing his father, Ezra’s attack, generally desperate?
15. The aftermath, Max on probation, working with Jenna, the school, his taking him? Possibilities for Max to accept reality, not wanting to control?
16. The credits sequence, Jimmy Kimmel, the return to the studio, the joke about being arrested, performance?