Saturday, October 4, 2014

NYFF: Inherent Vice


Today the New York Film Festival was buzzing in anticipation of the world premiere of Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice". Read on for my thoughts on his new film:



Paul Thomas Anderson is a singular filmmaker. His impressive filmography is as diverse and challenging as they come, especially within American cinema. Still, I don't think any of his previous work can quite prepare you for "Inherent Vice".

"Inherent Vice" is based on a Thomas Pynchon novel of the same name. It centers around a drug-loving Los Angeles detective named Larry "Doc" Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) and his investigation into the mysterious disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. As he attempts to find her, he uncovers a web of shady characters including a sax player, surfers, hustlers, a loan shark, detectives and a mysterious cooperation called the Golden Fang. It's all about sex, lies and dope...and it's absolutely loony.

If you want a fuller plot synopsis, then you're probably better off reading the screenplay. The plot is so intricate that it's almost impossible to keep up with all the revelations throughout the case. It's highly complex but this isn't your grandfather's film noir. Despite being about crime and corruption, this is most definitely a comedy. Not only is it a comedy, but it's a hilarious one. It's "The Big Sleep" populated with the sort of characters you'd find in "The Big Lebowski". Lewd, goofy and irreverent, the script provides ample fodder for its diverse array of characters and the actors portraying them.

Paul Thomas Anderson always brings out great performances from his actors, so it's no surprise that this ensemble is so dynamite. In the center of it all is Joaquin Phoenix, who fits his role like a glove. He nails the character's erratic behaviour, fully utilizing his expressive face and bringing a level of physical comedy that we haven't seen from him before. Half of this film's enjoyment is just sharing that experience of utter confusion with him, as he stumbles into each situation. As great as he is though, there are two other performances that were even more impressive. The first is Katherine Waterston as Doc's elusive ex-girlfriend Shasta Fay Hepworth. Her fleeting presence in the film recalls the allure of Kim Basinger in "L.A. Confidential", except multiple times better. There's a particular long scene she shares with Phoenix that is just breathtaking to watch. This being a comedy though, it's fitting that the MVP award should go to the funniest performance. That performance comes from Josh Brolin as Lt. Detective Christian F. "Bigfoot" Bjornsen. Collaborating with Doc on the investigation, he steals every scene he's in with brazen vulgarity and fury.

Truly, it's the cast that makes this film work. Without them, the script would make it almost impenetrable for the audience. As is the case with his recent films, it practically demands a second viewing to appreciate it fully. I'm certainly not the only person still trying to figure out what exactly happened in "Inherent Vice". All I know is, I was already looking forward to watching it again as soon as it finished. I may not even understand it any further on a re-watch but at least I know I'll have a good time.

Now, this film doesn't feel like "Oscar bait" but I'm gonna give the Academy the benefit of the doubt. Firstly, I expect Warner Bros. to mount a serious campaign for Josh Brolin and Katherine Waterston in Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively. They're both so memorable and would easily fit the manic sidekick and ingĂ©nue types that voters love. Also, I can see writers being quite impressed with the writing, so it could be in contention for Best Adapted Screenplay. Finally, I think there's a slight chance in Best Picture if it can rally enough passion. These nods are probably the best case scenario (and maybe even unlikely considering the under-performance of "The Master"). The taste of the Academy has been unpredictable lately though, so who knows what'll happen. Rating: ★★★★

14 comments:

  1. Anything looney and characters comparable to The Big Lebowski sounds great! Awesome review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. It was an incredibly difficult review to write so I'm glad you appreciated it.

      Delete
  2. Yeah...I am so not an Anderson at all, so I wonder if I will think as highly of it as you. But I do love Joaquin Phoenix, so I will see it for him only.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeh, I'm not confident you'll like it but I think the performances are definitely worth seeing.

      Delete
  3. So jealous that you got to see this with the cast present. Really looking forward to the film. Having read the book, I still have doubts of its Oscar potential but stranger films have been nominated I guess.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't believe I was in presence of such esteemed talent myself! What a cast.

      Yeh you never know with the Academy. Maybe they'll be in the mood for a film like this.

      Delete
  4. This seems like a departure for Anderson, which is nice considering his uber serious tone most of the time. Nice write up. I'm really looking forward to this one.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It sounds a lot like Altman's The Long Goodbye so I must see it. Thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Syed-Manzur Elahi Celebrity Profile - Check out the latest Syed-Manzur Elahi photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at Legend of Bangladesh!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes and no. Think about it, using violence can be good but willcreate more troubles in the future, even if you're married. Forexample: if you accidently killed a person by using violence, youwill be guilty or his/her family get revenge on you. Were laughing, high fiving, hugging, and then returning to kick him, said Doucette. Was some kind of camaraderie to it. The men ignored her pleas.

    TDK wasn afraid of anything and took easily to people, her mum says. She was new to an environment or not, there would never be a moment when she would doubt her place. Even as a pupil at Durban Girls High, she had a big personality. Are we going to do for 10 years? she begged Chinthu. Have to visit him. urban t shirts The news now out, media started arriving at the Sukumaran house.

    When met at 100 days of school shirt ideas the door, he "began to express his displeasure" with the recent decision allowing an anti gay T shirt to be allowed in school. The staff member told him that the decision had been made in Wolcott. Rice became very upset, police said, and the school employee called police.

    No, look what Belgium did to. In an event in which the mainstays tend to stay main, quadrennium after quadrennium, a country of 11.5 million dumped alongside fellow titans Germany, Argentina and Spain upon the exit tarmac, just as Italy and the Netherlands never had landed. It not only left as a beaten quarterfinalist for the third time in the last four World Cups, with the other World Cup bringing a 7 1 semifinal loss that made a quarterfinal win seem sort of misguided.

    Max and Johnna's brother built a greenhouse on the property, where they've placed a dining room table and a set of chairs for eating or working alfresco. A propane tank provides gas for the home. The family enjoys bonfires in the yard and eats outdoors funny disney shirts at a picnic table.

    He was a local barber. When explaining why the video was made public so quickly, Supt Eddie Johnson said: the community needs some answers and they need it now. Video shows police approach 37 year old Harith Augustus, who appears to have a gun tucked into the waistband of his pants.

    If Fred Trump's New York was a home for the upwardly palace t shirt mobile, he says, Donald Trump's isa playground for those who have already made it. Without the FHA, biographer Gwenda Blair wrote, Fred Trump would have been running a supermarket (one of his earlier investments). With it, he became the biggest builder in Brooklyn..

    If your face has been scarred by acne, your dermatologist may be able to help smooth out your face. Chemical peels and laser treatments can help, but other options are available, too.[21]Ask about skin fillers, where the dermatologist will inject a filler under the skin to help smooth it out.Another option is microdermabrasion, which basically involves sanding your skin down with a brush.A more extreme option is skin surgery, where the surgeon physically cuts out the scars, then repairs the holes left behind.Choosing and Using SunscreenGrab a broad spectrum sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection. UVA rays can prematurely age your skin, while UVB rays will create sunburn.

    ReplyDelete
  9. We were in a private Coach Factory Outlet Online room with a wonderful view. Service was excellent, very attentive. December 25 27. home ECCO: Buy two, get 20 per cent off. The adjusted mean difference in the BI score between groups was 0.19 points higher in the intervention arm [95% confidence interval (CI) "0.33 to 0.70, p = 0.48; adjusted intracluster correlation coefficient 0.09]. Secondary outcome measures showed no significant differences at all time points. That loan would allow us to bring Tajiri back in the future. For April The Giraffe and her mating partner Oliver, Patch said the pair was coupled back Cheap Yeezy Shoes in October 2017, so there is a possibility that April could once again be pregnant. Course you are, he reassures them. You aren you not human. The role of antibody structure (conformation) in solution rheology is probed. It is demonstrated here that pH dependent changes in the tertiary structure of 2 mAb solutions lead to viscoelasticity and not merely a shear viscosity (.) increase. Hence, take the exchange programme provided by the University of Nottingham as an example, this research aims to investigate the marketing concept of value co creation in British higher education sector, especially the value co creation in facebook.com exchange programme for Chinese students.In order to achieve the aim of this study, the qualitative in depth semi Coach Outlet Store structured interview was applied with documentary data about the exchange programme within the University of Nottingham. The primary data was collected from the total of twenty one participants, who had studied in the University of Nottingham as an exchange student for at least one semester, and the secondary data was mainly from the official website of University of Nottingham in the International section.Based on the findings, it showed that the Value Co Creation of Exchange Programme at the University of Nottingham for Chinese students is successful to a large extent, by analysing the documentary data about the programme Cheap Real Yeezysoffered and the Chinese students' response to the interview.The study gives new perspectives for British education in exchange programme, particularly for Chinese students.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Truly, it's the cast that makes this film work. Without them, the script would make it almost impenetrable for the audience. As is the case with his recent films, it practically demands a second viewing to appreciate it fully. I'm certainly not the only person still trying to figure out what exactly happened in "Inherent Vice". All I know is, I was already looking forward to watching it again as soon as it finished. I may not even understand it any further on a re-watch but at least I know I'll have a good time.
    limelight stitched 3 piece
    limelight stitched eid collection 2020

    ReplyDelete