A Story in Song
April 24, 2015
The Last 5 Years (2015).
D/W: Richard LaGravenese. DP: Steve Meizler. Music & Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Starring: Anna Kendrick & Jeremy Jordan.
Only in one cinema here in London, I sadly ventured into the most touristy area of the city to sit down for The Last 5 Years. Only for the musical enthusiast, the film is an adaptation of the 2002 Off-Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Tony winning Jason Robert Brown. Not a rock musical rather the film is a tour of the truly integrated musical number as there isn’t much else.
The Last 5 Years is essentially a story in song. With very minimal dialogue, mostly limited to phone calls and the like, the film seamlessly moves from one number to the next. Opening with Cathy (Anna Kendrick) sitting in her New York apartment looking at a letter her husband has left her saying he has taken a bag and left. Thus the film begins with a goodbye to a dead marriage and takes the audience through the last five years of the relationship.
The film is an impressive vocal two handler with the leads essentially alone or only performing to each other for the majority of the musical. In this world song is everything, it is the mundane, it is story-telling, it is romance, and it is also inner turmoil spilling into the frame. Kendrick’s Cathy is a believable wanna-be actress who doesn’t quite believe herself and feels caught in the wheels of life. Her range fits the songs with require a lot of breath control something she must have used to prep for her role in last year’s Into the Woods. Broadway actor, Jeremy Jordan jumps into the role of Jamie with a lot of swish and is able to move Jamie through many chapters of change as he sells a book to Random House. The couple have good chemistry which allows the music to sustain the emotional intensity of the lyrics and neither pulls focus from the other. I am sure a Disney animated franchise is in their futures.
Richard LaGravenese’s last directorial effort was the Southern and lavish young adult adaption Beautiful Creatures. A consistent working writer as well he does not seem to have any specific connection to the Broadway world except through some off-off Broadway experience as an actor when he was younger. That being said The Last 5 Years could not have been tackled by someone not in love with capturing the essence of song as emotional expression. The use of long takes is used many times to capture Kendrick and Jordan who sang most of the songs live. This is clear from the film and adds an intimate layer to the performances despite the cinematic crippling of visceral live performance. Here it is not a gimmick (um, Les Miserables) rather the film is one long stream of breath and sound of emotion.
My only slight gripe is that you never truly see the couple fall in love. There is the song “Shiksa Goddess” where Jamie exudes his happiness at finding Cathy or “I Can Do Better Than That” about Cathy’s dreams not being of the suburbs and with child. However, Cathy sort of appears into Jamie’s life and maybe the rom-com cinematic conditioning I have is asking me, where did they meet? Where’s our getting to know you number? But in the end it doesn’t really matter. The Last 5 Years is right for the right fan in so many other ways.
Singing Sondheim with Success
January 11, 2015
Into the Woods (2014).
D: Rob Marshall. W: James Lapine. DP: Dion Beebe. Starring: Meryl Streep/Emily Blunt/James Corden/Johnny Depp/Anna Kendrick/Chris Pine/Lilla Crawford/Tracey Ullman/Daniel Huttlestone/Christine Baranski/Billy Magnussen/Mackenzie Mauzy/Lucy Punch/Tammy Blanchard. (Based on Stephen Sondheim’s 1987 musical of the same name)
The musical genre has been struggling for a comeback for the last decade. Since 2002’s Oscar winning Chicago, filmmakers and studios have been chasing that same success. Yes 2008’s Mamma Mia made the big bucks, but 2012’s Les Miserables dragged us through three hours of labor and drama. Into the Woods joins a difficult cannon, but I am happy to say it does its Broadway mother justice.
Director Rob Marshall, responsible for both 2009’s Nine and Chicago, is clearly in his element here. Cinematographer Dion Beebe (Edge of Tomorrow) is at his aid again, they worked on both previous musicals together. The pair give space to their actors and thankfully, do not let the camera linger on reaction shots. The entire film has a fantastic sense of space and gives magic to its story without abandoning all realism.
There is definitely a bit of Disney gloss happening here. With a PG rating it is implied that the darker elements of the musical would be toned down, especially with the implications of the Wolf’s song, ‘Hello Little Girl.’ However, Johnny Depp is delicious as The Wolf and the Rat Pack vibe the song is given is simply pure fun. The deaths are also moved off screen and certain story lines are nipped and tucked to clearly fit this ratings margin. By no means is Into the Woods a disappointment for it, but it does change the overall palette of the project, especially the humor. Mostly this is aggravating as regardless, the film to me, is still for adults.
There is also some merging of characters, omissions of songs, and the on stage narrator now is serviced through the Baker’s (James Corden) voiceover. Luckily this voiceover does not inhibit the pacing of the film, though one or two times it feels repetitive. Despite all that Into the Woods pulls stellar performances out of the entire ensemble. The standouts are of course Meryl Streep’s Witch whose costumes (supremely done by Colleen Atwood) and make up merely enhance a fun, dynamic delivery. Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince oozes glorious giggle inducing charm with his duet with Rapuzel’s Prince (Billy Magnussen) a highlight, as it is in the show. I am very sad the reprise was cut. The youngsters Lilla Crawford and Daniel Huttlestone are excellent and hold their own with big solos. Emily Blunt’s Baker’s wife is great opposite Corden and Anna Kendrick does well as Cinderella, singing in a very difficult key. Lucy Punch steals a huge laugh as one of Cinderella’s step sisters, still waiting for someone to give her a bigger shot.
Into the Woods is overall an enjoyable addition to the musical genre. The first half is definitely stronger than the second, as it is in the show, but James Lapine adapts his work well. Stephen Sondheim’s music and lyrics actually works well on screen as his walk and sings balance the big numbers with character development. And what happens after ‘ever after’ is so on trend right now its ridiculous. But as a musical lover I couldn’t stop smiling and that is a beautiful thing.
Get Thee to a Theater!
January 6, 2015
Birdman (2014).
D: Alejandro González Iñárritu. DP: Emmanuel Lubezki. W: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris & Armando Bo. Starring: Michael Keaton/Naomi Watts/Emma Stone/Edward Norton/Andrea Riseborough/Zach Galifianakis/Amy Ryan/Merrit Wever/Lindsay Duncan.
Leading a formidable and competitive awards season is the much talked about Birdman. Helmed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (2003’s 21 Grams, 2006’s Babel, 2010’s Biutiful), Birdman is a glorious baptism in cinema.
Haunted by his previous commercial comic book film success, Riggan Thomas (ironically played by Batman graduate Michael Keaton) attempts to open a play on Broadway. Adapted, directed, and acted by Keaton’s Riggan the financial and emotional stress of the venture creeps in on him along with the drama that always escalates in the world backstage. But the backstage plot is merely a way to enter the actor’s psychosis that is attempting to face his failures at fatherhood, disconnection with his career, and his ultimate fears.
Keaton is at his best here. Last seen for me in this year’s forgettable Robocop, his washed up Riggan is as real as they get. Iñárritu’s use of long takes and roaming cameras does not leave a lot of room for actors to hide anything. Keaton literally and emotionally bares it all, giving Riggan’s haggard life emotional resonance and a core that allows you to root for him despite it all. Riggan is also plagued by hearing the ghost of his past, a Birdman voice that badgers and sometimes champions him. A difficult conceit to pull off, but Keaton makes it work for laughs and for tears.
Emma Stone plays Keaton’s troubled daughter Sam. Finally her pale skinniness and fretful saucer eyes fit into the role she is playing. She holds her own amidst veterans and her chemistry with Edward Norton is on point. Norton’s Mike is deliciously depraved here and he is excellent sparring partner for Keaton. Regardless if the rumors of this performance being a take on himself as a ‘difficult’ actor, his physicality lifts the script off the page. Not to be forgotten as usual, Naomi Watts brings her shimmer to grateful Broadway newcomer, Lesley. Other than a silly dressing room scene, she’s great. Zach Galifianakis and Amy Ryan also bring in excellent supporting roles that ground Birdman.
Birdman‘s sound editing and score are exceptional (score by Antonio Sanchez). The drum solos alone are fabulous and harken back to another excellent film of this year, Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash. Emmanuel Lubezki’s camera work is exuberant, New York City looks glamorous and dirty all at the same time. The long takes allow the story to breathe and provides a great pacing to the film so that when cuts do come they re-energize you. Ultimately, Birdman is not to be missed and for a story about a washed up actor that is even more astounding.