thesuspenseisterrible
Joined Nov 2017
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thesuspenseisterrible's rating
Wonder Wheel is NOT Woody Allen's best film, it is a bit underdeveloped and has a major casting flaw, but it IS his best film in many years. I think his best films overall are Crimes and Misdemeanors, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Interiors.
I am not a big fan of Blue Jasmine or Midnight in Paris, but I do think that both are decent films in some ways. Blue Jasmine was close to being great, but for me that film was histrionic in a way that I found uncaring, cold, heartless and even mocking in the treatment of Cate Blanchett's character Jasmine. Blanchett was wonderful in the role, but the audience was told to laugh AT her and not with her - and that I found to be a serious flaw in that film. To borrow from that film's obvious inspiration, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - "deliberate cruelty is not forgivable!" - and I think Allen was cruel to his flawed protagonist whether he intended it or not.
In Wonder Wheel, Allen borrows obviously from O'Neil and Tennessee Williams, but puts his own dramatic twists to it. This film has humorous elements, but it is absolutely a drama and in my opinion his best drama in over 20 years.
The film starts off a bit clunky for the first few minutes, but if you give it your attention and get past the awkward Justin Timberlake intro, you will soon be engrossed in the characters, the set-up, and ultimately rewarded with a very honest exploration of DEEP PERSONAL DISAPPOINTMENT, jealousy, self-delusion and evil deception. Sound fun? Amazingly, the tragic lead character is actually very fun to watch, but you do feel sympathy for her despite the fact that she is her own worst enemy and in many ways the enemies of others, too. The character development of Ginny (Kate Winslet) is the best thing about the film. She is one of Woody Allen's most interesting creations in his entire career. She is absolutely a tragic character - NOT the hot mess rip off of Blue Jasmine that many critics are claiming! Ginny is a much richer, more sophisticated character, and Kate Winslet plays her with agonizing honesty. This is one of the top performances in Winslet's entire career, which says a lot. Belushi and Juno Temple are very good, too.
The film's biggest flaw is Justin Timberlake. He's not a bad actor, but he is very miscast here. He lacks the charisma for this particular character, and it doesn't help that his character is presented to the audience with a distracting storytelling device - talking directly to the audience as narrator. This movie would have been much better without that, and I wish Allen would have either made the lifeguard more humorous, or taken a sharper turn and made him more cunning. He was neither - too safely written AND portrayed, and it is the film's most obvious and main flaw, sadly.
However, Kate Winslet is utterly captivating and you cannot take your eyes off her. There are many wonderful moments where she reveals Ginny in such sublime ways, in such subtle ways, that the louder moments have greater impact because really see and feel all sides to this tragic, very sad woman. My favorite scene in the film involved Winslet and Temple in a bedroom, just the two of them. The scene was completely breathtaking - and one of Allen's most superb moments in his career. Winslet takes this scene to a level of brilliance, and I don't think I will ever forget how it made me feel. It was shockingly naked and I felt like I was watching an emotional porno with Ginny baring all to the audience while at the same time concealing all and deceiving the character sitting next to her. An amazing achievement in writing and acting there, highlighted by brilliant cinematography.
Vittorio Storaro deserves tremendous credit for his extraordinary cinematography, particularly in the scene mentioned above. Together, he and Winslet have enriched Allen's latest film to a much higher glory that it would have otherwise achieved. The script is underdeveloped in areas, particularly pertaining to the lifeguard Mickey (Timberlake) and in a few other areas as well. That being said, this is otherwise a very good film, and in some moments it is a brilliant film.
The current wave of sexual politics sweeping over Hollywood at the moment has resulted in Allen being swept up, yet again, in sexual controversy. Based on facts made public long ago, Allen does not belong in that category, in my opinion. I believe him and I do not believe Dylan Farrow or Mia Farrow. I believe Dylan was coerced as a child by her vengeful mother, and as an adult continues to believe the lie that was fed to her. I believe the results of Woody Allen's voluntary polygraph test, I believe the findings of the court that found no evidence of wrong doing on his part, and I believe the timing of Mia Farrow's claim against him make it almost impossible to believe her story. I think her motive to destroy his life and career is obvious.
I also think that in a few years time, after Allen is gone, the slew of critics who have trashed this film so unfairly, with such mob-driven, cowardly political blinders on, will look back with embarrassment when they realize it is a very personal and sophisticated drama and will probably one day be seen as Allen's best late-career film.
I am not a big fan of Blue Jasmine or Midnight in Paris, but I do think that both are decent films in some ways. Blue Jasmine was close to being great, but for me that film was histrionic in a way that I found uncaring, cold, heartless and even mocking in the treatment of Cate Blanchett's character Jasmine. Blanchett was wonderful in the role, but the audience was told to laugh AT her and not with her - and that I found to be a serious flaw in that film. To borrow from that film's obvious inspiration, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - "deliberate cruelty is not forgivable!" - and I think Allen was cruel to his flawed protagonist whether he intended it or not.
In Wonder Wheel, Allen borrows obviously from O'Neil and Tennessee Williams, but puts his own dramatic twists to it. This film has humorous elements, but it is absolutely a drama and in my opinion his best drama in over 20 years.
The film starts off a bit clunky for the first few minutes, but if you give it your attention and get past the awkward Justin Timberlake intro, you will soon be engrossed in the characters, the set-up, and ultimately rewarded with a very honest exploration of DEEP PERSONAL DISAPPOINTMENT, jealousy, self-delusion and evil deception. Sound fun? Amazingly, the tragic lead character is actually very fun to watch, but you do feel sympathy for her despite the fact that she is her own worst enemy and in many ways the enemies of others, too. The character development of Ginny (Kate Winslet) is the best thing about the film. She is one of Woody Allen's most interesting creations in his entire career. She is absolutely a tragic character - NOT the hot mess rip off of Blue Jasmine that many critics are claiming! Ginny is a much richer, more sophisticated character, and Kate Winslet plays her with agonizing honesty. This is one of the top performances in Winslet's entire career, which says a lot. Belushi and Juno Temple are very good, too.
The film's biggest flaw is Justin Timberlake. He's not a bad actor, but he is very miscast here. He lacks the charisma for this particular character, and it doesn't help that his character is presented to the audience with a distracting storytelling device - talking directly to the audience as narrator. This movie would have been much better without that, and I wish Allen would have either made the lifeguard more humorous, or taken a sharper turn and made him more cunning. He was neither - too safely written AND portrayed, and it is the film's most obvious and main flaw, sadly.
However, Kate Winslet is utterly captivating and you cannot take your eyes off her. There are many wonderful moments where she reveals Ginny in such sublime ways, in such subtle ways, that the louder moments have greater impact because really see and feel all sides to this tragic, very sad woman. My favorite scene in the film involved Winslet and Temple in a bedroom, just the two of them. The scene was completely breathtaking - and one of Allen's most superb moments in his career. Winslet takes this scene to a level of brilliance, and I don't think I will ever forget how it made me feel. It was shockingly naked and I felt like I was watching an emotional porno with Ginny baring all to the audience while at the same time concealing all and deceiving the character sitting next to her. An amazing achievement in writing and acting there, highlighted by brilliant cinematography.
Vittorio Storaro deserves tremendous credit for his extraordinary cinematography, particularly in the scene mentioned above. Together, he and Winslet have enriched Allen's latest film to a much higher glory that it would have otherwise achieved. The script is underdeveloped in areas, particularly pertaining to the lifeguard Mickey (Timberlake) and in a few other areas as well. That being said, this is otherwise a very good film, and in some moments it is a brilliant film.
The current wave of sexual politics sweeping over Hollywood at the moment has resulted in Allen being swept up, yet again, in sexual controversy. Based on facts made public long ago, Allen does not belong in that category, in my opinion. I believe him and I do not believe Dylan Farrow or Mia Farrow. I believe Dylan was coerced as a child by her vengeful mother, and as an adult continues to believe the lie that was fed to her. I believe the results of Woody Allen's voluntary polygraph test, I believe the findings of the court that found no evidence of wrong doing on his part, and I believe the timing of Mia Farrow's claim against him make it almost impossible to believe her story. I think her motive to destroy his life and career is obvious.
I also think that in a few years time, after Allen is gone, the slew of critics who have trashed this film so unfairly, with such mob-driven, cowardly political blinders on, will look back with embarrassment when they realize it is a very personal and sophisticated drama and will probably one day be seen as Allen's best late-career film.
The Mountain Between Us is a very rare kind of film in where it succeeds - versus where it is a bit of a letdown. Also quite rare these days is a film shot in any kind of mountainous wilderness (very little FX here) where the star is not Liam Neeson saving his daughter from ravenous wolves or something stupid. I liked this movie and recommend it for viewers who don't care so much about the current fashion trends of cinema and still care for a slightly old-fashioned kind of storytelling.
What works:
1. The cinematography in this film is excellent. Props to Mandy Walker for executing countless challenging shots that greatly added to the strength of this movie in terms of transporting us to this extreme location. I think that if the film itself were directed by Mandy Walker, it probably would have been a better film overall.
2. Kate Winslet is outstanding and very gripping and committed to the role. She really is the star of her time and a marvelous actress. Idris Elba is also very good in his role, but truthfully it is Kate Winslet who shines, quite surprisingly, in a role that most actors would have failed to elevate the way she elevates it. She is always wonderful and engaging to watch on screen, but I really loved seeing her in the kind of role we have never seen her in before - it's not a very complex character - but she makes Alex interesting to watch, and as the film progresses you truly care about her more and more, and you see that strong as she is, she is very afraid of dying on this mountain. There is one particularly well written and acted scene where Ben asks Alex (a photographer) to take his picture before he dies. She tells a story about a similar situation she experienced professionally, and it's a very good scene and Winslet makes it surprisingly compelling.
3. Idris Elba. He demonstrates in this film that he has what it takes to be a reliable, interesting leading man. I hope he gets more leading roles because he is very naturally masculine (lacking in many leading men these days) and has great talent to boot.
4. Chemistry. Winslet and Elba have very good chemistry. I would love to see them together again a film with an entirely different plot just to see try something new together.
5. The music in this movie is very good, and it helps fight the slow pacing and repetitive moments that hurt the film.
6. The ICE sequence is exciting, VERY REALISTIC, and the scenes leading up to it and following it are the best parts of the movie, where the film really finds its' flow and groove.
What DOES NOT work:
1. The PACING - at times it is good, but the momentum seems to stem entirely from the force of the actors great performances, despite the low energy direction.
2. Hany Abu Assad is a very good director with a great vision as an artist. Here, however, he would have benefited from watching a few American films (no one does movies like this better than Americans) to get an idea for how to combine his vision of a survival story with some techniques that help pick up the pacing.
3. Energy - the movie lacks energy once it starts getting overwhelmed near the end (which is the worst place to lack energy in a film like this) - although again I think the actors singlehandedly save these moments and keep the viewers engaged.
4. The Ending - it's not BAD, but it should have been less cliché and more emotional than it was. The romance between Winslet and Elba, cheesy at times, was still quite believable because of their natural chemistry. They deserved a more satisfying ending because of it...instead we got staging that we've seen many times before.
ALL IN ALL, I think this is a better than average film with some obvious flaws, but which is very worth seeing for 2 wonderful actors delivering performances above and beyond what the script called for. This is a film that demonstrates what star power really is - and in particular Kate Winslet shows audiences that entering her 40's she has every bit as much energy as she did in TITANIC - in fact more-so here because what she and Idris Elba do together is clearly an extremely difficult environment! KUDOS to 20th CENTURY FOX for shooting almost entirely on location, for casting actors NOT in their 20's, and for making the kind of bare bones survival drama that rarely gets made these days when every film is either a MARVEL adaptation or a cynical satire on American life.
What works:
1. The cinematography in this film is excellent. Props to Mandy Walker for executing countless challenging shots that greatly added to the strength of this movie in terms of transporting us to this extreme location. I think that if the film itself were directed by Mandy Walker, it probably would have been a better film overall.
2. Kate Winslet is outstanding and very gripping and committed to the role. She really is the star of her time and a marvelous actress. Idris Elba is also very good in his role, but truthfully it is Kate Winslet who shines, quite surprisingly, in a role that most actors would have failed to elevate the way she elevates it. She is always wonderful and engaging to watch on screen, but I really loved seeing her in the kind of role we have never seen her in before - it's not a very complex character - but she makes Alex interesting to watch, and as the film progresses you truly care about her more and more, and you see that strong as she is, she is very afraid of dying on this mountain. There is one particularly well written and acted scene where Ben asks Alex (a photographer) to take his picture before he dies. She tells a story about a similar situation she experienced professionally, and it's a very good scene and Winslet makes it surprisingly compelling.
3. Idris Elba. He demonstrates in this film that he has what it takes to be a reliable, interesting leading man. I hope he gets more leading roles because he is very naturally masculine (lacking in many leading men these days) and has great talent to boot.
4. Chemistry. Winslet and Elba have very good chemistry. I would love to see them together again a film with an entirely different plot just to see try something new together.
5. The music in this movie is very good, and it helps fight the slow pacing and repetitive moments that hurt the film.
6. The ICE sequence is exciting, VERY REALISTIC, and the scenes leading up to it and following it are the best parts of the movie, where the film really finds its' flow and groove.
What DOES NOT work:
1. The PACING - at times it is good, but the momentum seems to stem entirely from the force of the actors great performances, despite the low energy direction.
2. Hany Abu Assad is a very good director with a great vision as an artist. Here, however, he would have benefited from watching a few American films (no one does movies like this better than Americans) to get an idea for how to combine his vision of a survival story with some techniques that help pick up the pacing.
3. Energy - the movie lacks energy once it starts getting overwhelmed near the end (which is the worst place to lack energy in a film like this) - although again I think the actors singlehandedly save these moments and keep the viewers engaged.
4. The Ending - it's not BAD, but it should have been less cliché and more emotional than it was. The romance between Winslet and Elba, cheesy at times, was still quite believable because of their natural chemistry. They deserved a more satisfying ending because of it...instead we got staging that we've seen many times before.
ALL IN ALL, I think this is a better than average film with some obvious flaws, but which is very worth seeing for 2 wonderful actors delivering performances above and beyond what the script called for. This is a film that demonstrates what star power really is - and in particular Kate Winslet shows audiences that entering her 40's she has every bit as much energy as she did in TITANIC - in fact more-so here because what she and Idris Elba do together is clearly an extremely difficult environment! KUDOS to 20th CENTURY FOX for shooting almost entirely on location, for casting actors NOT in their 20's, and for making the kind of bare bones survival drama that rarely gets made these days when every film is either a MARVEL adaptation or a cynical satire on American life.
