Movie of the Week – No Country for Old Men

This week’s movie: No Country for Old Men (2007)

Llewelyn Moss comes across a drug deal gone wrong in the Texas desert, discovering a bag full of money. He takes the money, never imagining the evil that will descend upon him to recover it. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell tries to find Moss first before the vicious, murderous Anton Chigurh gets to him.

The film is from auteurs the Coen Brothers (who have also made the brilliant films Miller’s Crossing, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and True Grit). No Country for Old Men got them out of a bit of a rut, as their previous two films (Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers) represent the weakest of their career to date. Not only is No Country for Old Men among their very best films, it also won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Directing and Writing. The Coen Brothers worked with their frequent collaborators composer Carter Burwell, cinematographer Roger Deakins and production designer Jess Gonchor on the film.

The cast is excellent as well, and works more as an ensemble. It features Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem (who also won an Oscar for his work in the film), Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, and Stephen Root.

No Country for Old Men is the best adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy novel to date (although, I do think McCarthy’s original screenplay also produced a great movie with The Counselor). The film is a modern western dealing with the nature of evil, fate and corruption of the modern world. It is built around wonderful performances (Bardem in particular creates one of the decade’s most iconic villains in Anton Chigurh), beautiful aesthetics and sharp writing. The Coen Brothers’ trademark dialog is just as fantastically witty as ever. The film is graphic and funny, something that few are able to pull off in a serious piece. It is a must-see for fans of the Coen Brothers and westerns. It is among the very best films of the last decade.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray and Video On-Demand

The Counselor (2013) – Review

Review: The Counselor is a crime drama that explores the good and evil (mostly evil) of man. The film is about a successful Texas lawyer who is enchanted by greed and wants more. To get it, he commits to a deal with a South American drug cartel. When their drug shipment is hijacked, the cartel blames the lawyer and his associates (a club-owner named Reiner and a go-between Westray). Now, the lawyer finds his whole world collapsing, making him realize what is really important to him – his lovely fiancée Laura, not the money and power he was initially allured by.

Let me just start out by saying: no, The Counselor is not a crime thriller filled with suspenseful action sequences (which is what most going in seem to believe it is) – and it was never meant to be. Rather, it is a set of conversations (much like Richard Linkerlaker’s Before Sunrise series about the nature of relationships and love) between a variety of characters (primarily centered around the Texas lawyer, only referred to as Counselor) about good and evil, ranging from greed, sex, money to love, acceptance, and life’s meaning. Many of the conversations (which all contain weighty and well-written dialog from Cormac McCarthy) seem to take on a philosophical feel, as many double as lessons about life.  It is these conversations and wonderful performances from the cast that make the film something special.

Those expecting (and only wanting) action and thrilling suspense will likely be disappointed and find the film slow and probably convoluted – unwilling to settle in, pay attention, and absorb all that the film offers.

Director Ridley Scott, working with McCarthy, gives the film a beautiful aesthetic look and the gloss of high production quality. The world in which these devious characters inhabit has a sheen to it, which nicely juxtaposes to the grimy underworld in which they deal. El Paso is seemingly a perfect setting, as just across the border is Juarez one of Mexico’s most crime-ridden cities, plunged into poverty and despair by the cartel’s control and constant violence. El Paso must seem like a shining beacon by comparison. In this setting, the audience is treated to a parable of sorts.

In many ways, Ridley Scott has made what narratively feels like an independent drama with the budget, look, and style of a bigger Hollywood film. While Hollywood films have become driven by action set pieces, simple narratives, and happy endings, The Counselor offers none of these. The film is not void of action, as there are a few very violent moments, but they are not there to provide the audience with exciting moments, and none of them involve the film’s lead character (who the audience has an investment in). The violent moments serve the role of showcasing just how brutal this world of crime really is, as well as forwarding the plot. These are hard, morally neutral men who do horrid things in the name of money and power. Scott does not try to glamourize the violence at all. If anything, the brutality in the film is jarring, not celebrated (like many Hollywood films).

Scott and McCarthy do not give in to the idea of a simple narrative either. The audience is expected to pay attention here and work a few things out for themselves. The overarching themes and ripe, layered dialog set the mood and provide the audience with everything they need to understand what is happening. It is refreshing to watch a Hollywood film that does not placate its narrative. This could have easily just become yet another average-man action film. The lawyer’s world is dissolving around him. The cartel even goes as far as to start murdering his friends and associates and kidnaping his fiancée. He tries to dig himself out of the hole he is in, but there is nothing he can do. He can only accept his fate. If this were a typical Hollywood film, he would have somehow found a way to fight back against the cartel, rescuing his fiancée, and there would have been big action scenes filled with suspense. Again, this was never that film.

The Counselor plays a bit like a parable with the message warning about the trappings of green and instead to take stock of what is truly important in your life (love). The lawyer has a great life and a beautiful woman who loves him and who he loves, what else could he want? But there is always more. He is surrounded by men that have seemingly more, like his friend Reiner who lives in an exotic house, drives luxury sports cars, and dates glamorous women. Reiner seemingly has everything, and yet he spends most of his time with the lawyer talking about relationships and wanting love. Or Westray, the lawyer’s go-between with the cartel, when things go bad he can only say that he knew this day would come and that he should have left the game sooner but he stayed on too long anyway. The lawyer starts out in the luxury of a privileged life in El Paso (and seemingly jet setting across Europe) only to end up alone with nothing in a rundown dirty motel in Juarez. This is what greed does. It corrupts. The lawyer wants into this life, and yet those he engages to help him get a foothold seem to just want a simpler life but are stuck. They cannot stop. The lawyer learns this lesson through pain and loss.

The character of Malkina, Reiner’s girlfriend, seems like the epitome of evil. She has completely accepted who she is and what she wants (which is everything) never looking back. Unlike the lawyer, Reiner, and Westray who all have a foot in both worlds (so to speak) wanting the money and power but also wanting to maintain some sense of their own soul, Malkina has no soul, which gives her a edge in an ugly world. To her, nothing has meaning or worth except money and power, and thus she is willing to do anything to acquire them.

The lawyer’s fiancée Laura seems like the opposite. She genuinely seems good, but she too is corrupted by what money and power can give her. The opening scene of the film features just the lawyer and Laura in bed. They clearly love each other and are encased in light (in the form of well-lit white sheets). Even here, however, the lawyer is already starting to corrupt her. Then later, he pulls her in further with an extravagant diamond engagement ring (following a brilliant scene between the lawyer and the diamond’s seller).

Each of the principal characters showcases a different level of greed’s corruption. Scott and McCarthy have created a drama that ruminates on the ugly side of humanity, an evil that is within all of us (we only need give in). While flashy aesthetically, The Counselor is a film built on portentous conversations between well-drawn and played characters in an effort to get at the heart of evil in man (and the way back). Again, while flashy from a production standpoint, the film is not an action thriller taking place in the world of drug cartels. It is much more momentous and refreshing, and honestly demands multiple viewings to appreciate its high ambitions.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Ridley Scott has always been a master of visual filmmaking. And again with The Counselor he has delivered a film that is aesthetically very impressive. Working with a great script from Cormac McCarthy, he has made a film that feels like a narrative made in the same spirit as Before Sunrise and Pulp Fiction (though much darker) in that it is made up of a series of conversations that seem to take on a life of their own. One could even maybe call it a cross between these two films. Another comparison can be made by calling it a Hollywood version of No Country for Old Men, as it is in many ways very similar in style (which is no surprise as McCarthy wrote the novel for which the film is based). I think this is a brilliant film that has been greatly misunderstood by most people and hopefully will find its audience in the coming years.

Daniel Pemberton’s score plays an important role in The Counselor. Scott’s pacing is rather slow, as he gives the performances priority. Thus, Pemberton’s music takes on the role of supplying a sense of dread and dramatic tension to the film, accompanying the performances and tone, something it does well. Dariusz Wolski’s cinematography is top notch. The film is beautiful, even though it is partially set in very dirty and gritty places. The camera is smooth and mannered throughout, not a victim to the wave of hand-held work that has overrun all films trying to create a more realistic sense to their world and action. Wolski’s photography, and really the film as a whole, has a much more classic look and feel, prizing ambiance over stark realism. Arthur Max’s production design might even be better than Wolski’s work (which is saying a lot). His sets tell the audience who these characters are while also being incredibly aesthetically engaging. Max creates a world that is both fantastical and alluring while also ugly, dirty, and soulless.

If nothing else, The Counselor is filled with wonderful performances from both bit players and its leads. Goran Visnjic, Natalie Dormer, Ruben Blades (who is particularly good), Toby Kebbell, and Edgar Ramirez are each very good in very small roles. Rosie Perez and Bruno Ganz bring a lot to their small supporting roles, creating fantastic scenes. Brad Pitt is great as Westray, a man who is totally cool and confident (maybe even overly so). He presents himself as a sage, and yet seems to not listen to or take his own advice and falls victim to all the same vices he points out in others (though one could say: thus is human). Javier Bardem is electric as Reiner. He seems almost overwhelmed by the lifestyle he has acquired for himself, but by the same token cannot give it up. Of all the characters, there is a real honesty and frankness to him (even if it only an illusion). There is a sense, like with Westray, that he knows the music has stopped but he is still running around in circles just waiting to be expelled from the game. Cameron Diaz is good in the film as well. Malkina is the kind of character she does well with (similar to the high powered Christina Pagniacci in Any Given Sunday). Penelope Cruz does a good job playing off both the lawyer and Malkina, serving as a much more innocent character new to this life as Laura. Michael Fassbender is brilliant as the lawyer. He undergoes such a transformation from confident hot shot to a man completely broken and desperate as everything crumbles around him. What Fassbender does so well is translate each phase of the process dramatically and emotionally to the audience, each dire moment. The audience keeps hoping that maybe he will find a way to resolve everything, but it is already too late before the film even begins.

Summary & score: The Counselor is the rare Hollywood film that actually engages with its audience on a higher level, revealing truths about humanity, our world, and good & evil. It is ambitious, absorbing, grim, and (sadly) largely misunderstood. 8/10

LeapBackBlog 2012 Film Awards – Part 2: Supporting Performances

Film in 2012 may not have been quite as strong overall as 2011, but right at the top there were a lot of good and very entertaining films. 2012 also featured many wonderful performances, particularly among men (many great performances that would have made my lists in past years were sadly left off). The LeapBackBlog Film Awards are comprised of what I think were the best and most interesting films, the strongest performances (taking into consideration who the actor is and what else they have done), the narrative style that drew me in (best directing), and exquisite craftsmanship (best technical achievements). But really, these are lists of my favorites from the year.

Part 1: Technical Achievements

Part 3: Directors

Part 4: Leading Performances

Part 5: Films

Amy Adams – The Master

Playing Peggy, Amy Adams at first seems to be a quiet doting wife to Lancaster Dodd, kind and gentle, but as the film progresses it becomes clear that she is really the one with the control and power behind The Cause. Adams’s work in The Master is therefore sort of misleading. She does not seem to have much dramatic work, and yet is a commanding presence in many of the scenes (most of which she is just sitting and watching – it is only near the end of the film where is vocally asserts her true authority). And thus, her performance is a key component to the film. It is one of the year’s more difficult subtle performances (and best).

Javier Bardem – Skyfall

Villains seem to make up a lot of 2012’s best supporting work, and Javier Bardem’s Silva in Skyfall is maybe the best of the lot. James Bond villains have always been amplified and sort of comically evil (and we love them for that reason). Bardem captures the essence of the typical Bond villain but also does something new. Silva actually makes Bond uncomfortable (as well as the audience to some extent), because he is much more than Bond’s equal. He is a real threat to Bond, more so than any villain in the franchise’s history. The performance is completely magnetic – the scene in which Bond and Silva first meet is among the year’s best.

Alison Brie – The Five-Year Engagement

Alison Brie is hysterical in The Five-Year Engagement playing the sister (Suzie) of one of the film’s leads (Violet). Along with Chris Pratt (who is also killer in support), she delivers much of the film’s funniest moments (as the leads are given most of the drama). Brie is particularly fantastic giving a speech at her sister’s engagement part, on the verge of tears, and giving her sister a pep talk later in the film in an Elmo voice (maybe the film’s best scene). Comedy is always overlooked, but Brie just radiates too brightly to be ignored.

Leonardo DiCaprio – Django Unchained

Django Unchained is full of great and fun performances. Jamie Foxx is at his best in the lead as Django and Christoph Waltz (who very easily could have made this list, and would have in most years) is top-notch in support. But, it is Leonardo DiCaprio who shines the brightest. He is thoroughly insane as Calvin Candie, a cruel plantation owner. While Waltz is funny and engaging, DiCaprio is forcibly dynamic as he seemingly by sheer will takes over every scene commanding the attention of the audience (and the other characters). He is the focus of all his scenes. Villains often have the latitude to go big with their performances, and DiCaprio goes huge. He is an absolute blast to watch.

Tom Hardy – The Dark Knight Rises

Tom Hardy had the impossible task of following Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight playing Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. The role is also particularly challenging as Hardy’s face is almost altogether obstructed by a mask. Yet, he is brilliant. Using his body language and the way he moves, along with his menacing eyes, Hardy constructs Batman’s most brutal foe. Bane also very much lives in the gypsy voice that Hardy gives him – his line delivery (though, it does take some getting used to – but it does become easily understandable eventually) is playful and authoritative, an odd combination but it completely works. Every scene that Hardy is in is a pleasure to watch. He certainly lives up to Ledger’s Joker.

Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables

After seeing The Dark Knight Rises, Anne Hathaway seemed destined to make this list for her fantastic work as Selina Kyle (essentially giving the definitive performance as the character). However, her work in Les Miserables as Fantine is even better. She is heartbreaking, leaving every viewer emotionally touched. Her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream is magnificent, perfectly capturing the dismal low that Fantine finds herself in, having lost everything. The viewer forgets that they are watching an actress and a performance. It is probably the best performance of the year (at least in support).

Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s work in The Master is among his best. As Lancaster Dodd, the man at the head of The Cause, he has a wonderful duality to his performance. He is completely infatuated with himself and utterly oozing with confidence, and yet he also seems completely lost and alone, shackled in solitude by the farce he has created around himself. Whenever Hoffman is on screen, he demands the attention of the audience, as the center of it all – and the audience completely obliges him as they cannot look away. His work is just too compelling. The scenes between Hoffman and lead Joaquin Phoenix are especially electric.

Ezra Miller – The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Following up on his brilliant work in We Need to Talk About Kevin, Ezra Miller turns in another phenomenal performance in The Perks of Being a Wallflower as Patrick. Miller has so much energy and intensity in the film that he pulls the audience’s attention towards him in every scene (which is the mark of truly great work – the viewer cannot look away). Patrick burns almost too brightly, that when he gets low there almost seems to be a lull or void, and Miller is able to capture these darker emotions of sadness and loneness incredibly well. While 2012 was full of great supporting work by male actors, Miller might just turn in the year’s best performance in the category (a performance that has been shamefully overlooked).

Kelly Reilly – Flight

Flight has a number of wonderful supporting performances in it – namely from John Goodman, James Badge Dale, and Kelly Reilly – however, it is Reilly that serves as the film’s heart playing Nicole, a vital role given Whip’s fall (the film’s lead character). Her work in the film needed to be strong, as she allows the audience to get behind Whip, even despite himself and his vices, because she believes in him and is behind him. Reilly is also a ray of hope in Whip’s life as she too is an addict, but a recovering one who is determined to start her life anew. As good as Denzel Washington is in Flight, the film would just not be the same emotionally without Reilly’s excellent supporting work.

Emma Watson – The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Emma Watson grew up before the eyes of cinemagoers playing Hermione Granger for over a decade in the Harry Potter franchise. Starting as a newcomer to acting, she got better with each film devolving into one of Hollywood’s great young stars (her work in the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 is especially strong). In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Watson has the difficult role of playing both the ‘dream girl’ and a well-drawn realistic character as Sam, and she pulls it off beautifully. She wins the audience and Charlie over with her charms, but is not without flaws and struggles – once again presenting young women with a female character they can relate to and care about (when Hollywood seldom offers good female characters).

Skyfall (2012) – Review

Review: Skyfall is a great James Bond adventure, filled with strong characters, nostalgic throwbacks and great franchise moments. The film is about a washed-up Bond, severely injured on his last assignment and maybe his heart is just not in it anymore. However, he is called back into action when a man named Silva personally attacks MI6, and M specifically. His loyalty to M is tested both because of her connection to Silva and the role she played in his last assignment.

The Bond franchise has somewhat changed in its fifty years and twenty-three films, but the general idea of what a good Bond film should be has stayed mostly the same: Bond is a cold-blooded spy, who has a way with the ladies and seemingly always gets his man (target). Bond films thusly should be cool, with attractive women, stylish cars and neat gadgets, and action packed – above all very entertaining. Bond films often have huge action set pieces, multiple international locations and impressive sets (innovated and imagined by the great Ken Adam).

With Casino Royale, the franchise was rebooted to reflect a more modern and grittier more realistic Bond (doing away with the pageantry and many of the characters, like Q and Moneypenny; also gone were the gadgets, over-the-top super villains and their lairs, and maybe even some of Bond’s swagger). The film presented Bond as not being completely comfortable in his role (not exactly fitting the lifestyle or being quite as cold-blooded – i.e. being affected by the death of people around him).

Sam Mendes’s Skyfall keeps the same Bond from Casino Royale (and its follow-up) but feels much more like a classic Bond film. It is chock-full of references and homages to past Bond films (especially those in the Sean Connery era). The film even brings back many of the staples of the franchise. Yet, it is again a very personal story (like its two predecessors). Thus, Mendes has created a hybrid of sorts: a more emotionally available Bond that the audience can connect with on a more personal level (rather than merely just being a cool action hero) mixed with the classic conventions that make the series great (especially for its fans). It works very well.

Narratively, the film takes a while to get going. As with the other films in the franchise, Skyfall opens with a big action set piece prologue. However, Mendes wants to also include a lot of character information into this sequence, but without losing all the action. In Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, the openings also had action and character information (which was told particularly efficiently in the former), but in Skyfall the scene just seems to go on too long. The audience is told that Bond does not agree with M’s position on putting the mission ahead of her people and that maybe he is on the back nine of his career (seemingly having lost a step). The best opening sequences have showcased the character in sort of a cinematic vignette – the audience gets a sense of the character (or actor’s style playing Bond) and sees him do something exciting to draw them in and hook them in an efficient manner. With the last two films, these scenes have just felt too long. The audience does not know the stakes (especially in this film – at least with Quantum of Solace it starts right where Casino Royale ends) and thus is not invested (at least more than superficially, as they root for Bond because he is Bond and they know the character going in), leaving the opening to feel boring (even if the action is impressive) because it goes on too long. This is a classic case in modern action films of quantity over quality. This opening could have been much more effective if told more economically. There is plenty of time later in the narrative for showy action. Plus, not only is the scene too long, but then it goes right into the title sequence (dragging out the film even longer before the audience really gets into the story).

However, even with all that said, once Mendes gets into the characters and Bond on his mission, the film becomes quite good. Mendes’s skill as a filmmaker is in getting wonderful performances from his actors and creating dynamic scenes. Many of the most electric moments in this film come from scenes in which two characters are just talking. Bond’s conversation with Severine in the casino or his first meeting with Silva are by far more engaging and thrilling than any action sequence in this film. This is not a knock against the action set pieces. For the most part, they are great. This is more in admiration for what Mendes has brought to the film (and franchise). His characters are utterly compelling and well-drawn (which is usually not the case in action films). Silva is among the best villains in the series as a result of the care taken with his character and the performance Mendes garnered. Story-wise, he is really no different than any other psychotic that Bond is sent after. Silva is truly frightening. It is the approach Mendes takes, treating him as a full character, that makes him great, and really what makes the film great.

The dramatic journeys for the film’s main characters have an emotional resonance to them. M seeks redemption. Silva needs resolution in his twisted relationship with M, who is a mother figure to him (and also to Bond in many ways). And for Bond, he must prove that he not only wants to but also physically can remain a 00-agent, while also working through his own issues with M. The film is so effective, because the audience sees what the characters motivations are and gets to know them on a deeper level (and thereby care about them). More so than other Bond films, the audience has an emotional stake in the characters, which is more effective than the grandest of action set pieces.

Going into the film with Mendes at the helm, there may have been some concern about whether or not he could direct an entertaining action film (due to no prior experience on this scale). The action set pieces are mostly very good (not the best in the franchise, but not the worst). Again, the prologue felt too long and logistically/strategically the finale seemed poorly planned for a top agent (for example: why did Bond not bring more weapons or call for backup on the down-low? – maybe there was not time, even if there seemed to be, and maybe he did not trust anyone; it just felt needlessly reckless). It also has sort of a Straw Dogs/Home Alone vibe to it, which feels odd for a James Bond film. However, the finale works very well from a character and narrative standpoint (which is more important). However, again, the action scenes are really secondary, even in an action film (assuming the film also wants to be actually good), to the characters and Mendes does fantastic work with them.

Skyfall bridges the franchise from (the reboot) Casino Royale (which is Bond’s first mission) to something more along the lines for the classic Bond adventures fans are used to (reestablishing many of the series institutions), while still keeping the character more emotionally accessible to audience. It is among the best in the series.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Sam Mendes’s James Bond film feels like an aesthetically and dramatically more impressive film than most in the franchise. As expressed multiple times in the review above, he does a brilliant job with the characters and performances, but he also gives the film a very dramatically weighty tone. There is a real sense of peril for the characters (and thereby the audience). This is not just a lightweight fun action romp. The drama is powerful and the tension gripping. Probably unlike any Bond film before, Mendes has made a film where the characters and their moments are more thrilling than the action spectacle.

Thomas Newman’s score combines moments from past Bond scores with his own original work. Many of the pieces have sort of an adventure film vibe to them, while other conform more to the typical Bond-style music. It is different than any other Bond score I can remember, but still works well with the film emphasizing the dramatic moments and action/character beats. Dennis Gassner’s production design fits well with Mendes’s blending of the ‘new’ Bond with the classic Bond (much like Newman’s score). The film still has a very realistic look to it, but many of the sets have a great exaggerated and grandiose feel to them (like the awesome abandoned island, which looks a bit like the city Cobb and Mal created in Inception, but after the dream has collapsed). However, Roger Deakins’s cinematography blows everything else away (probably even overshadowing the film). His work is beautiful and rich (from the sci-fi feel of the action scene in Shanghai and the striking colors of the Macau casino to the ghostly and weary glow of the moor in Scotland). It is easily among the best work I have seen this year (if not the best hands down this year).

The cast is excellent. Albert Finney, Naomie Harris and Ralph Fiennes are all good in small supporting roles, while Ben Whishaw and Berenice Marlohe (her conversation with Bond in Macau is magnetic and fantastic) steal scenes (also in support). Judi Dench is given her biggest and most dramatically compelling role in the series, and does wonderfully with it. She appears more vulnerable in this than any other film, but still with an overcurrent of strength and resolve. Javier Bardem is just brilliantly amazing at playing villains and having a blast with them. His Silva far dwarfs any other in the rebooted Bond franchise (and maybe in the whole series) in terms of bringing to life a character that actually seems like a legitimate threat to Bond. Every scene with Bardem is better because he is in it; he is completely captivating. Daniel Craig is again quite good as James Bond. He has a great physicality to him that makes everything feel more realistic, but he also allows the audience to see chinks in his armor, which gives them an in and lets them relate to him. All in all, the performances in this film are top notch and well above what is to be expected.

Summary & score: Yes, Skyfall is the fun and entertaining James Bond film the fans want (full of pithy wit, cool cars, beautiful women, and great action), but it is also so much more. It has remarkably engaging characters and enticing drama as well. 8/10

Movie of the Week - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

This week’s movie is Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008).

The comedy is about two best friends Vicky and Cristina who travel to Barcelona for the summer, each with their own ideas about relationships and love. Those ideas and what they want for their lives are called into question when they meet a handsome painter Juan Antonio, who takes an interest in both of them. The film is written and directed by Woody Allen (and is the final entry in his so-called Scarlett Johansson trilogy, with Match Point and Scoop). Allen’s dialogue, characters and scenes are fabulous and among his best. Working on the film with Allen are Spanish cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe and production designer Alain Bainee (both new to Allen’s films).  Their work gives the film a wonderful immersive aesthetic, especially the brilliant shot composition and use of light and locations. There is a beautiful look to the film with messy relationships occupying space in the grand setting – much like the work of the artists in the film. Allen always uses found music to score his films. Here, he uses Spanish guitar music and the song Barcelona to great effect. The cast in the film is excellent – Johansson and Rebecca Hall star (as Cristina and Vicky respectively), while Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz (for which she won an Oscar) co-star. There are also great supporting parts from Patricia Clarkson and Chris Messina, and tying it together is the playful narration of Christopher Evan Welch. The film is a must for fans of Johansson, Hall, Bardem and/or Cruz, and well as Woody Allen fans. His work in Europe (for the most part) continues to be very good (as can be seen with his recent film Midnight in Paris). As one of my favorite films of 2008, I love the dialog and dynamic between the characters. Check out the trailer.

Available on Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming, and to Rent