Since I'm always excited and curious to see what Tim Burton is going to do next, I keep him listed as one of my favorite directors. Which is surprising considering when I look at his filmography, only a few are films that I really, really, really like- Ed Wood, Big Fish, Sweeney Todd. I just like that he comes to the material with a style and a viewpoint. It may not always be right and it may not always work, but when it does it certainly elevates the screenplay and the overall experience (as opposed to the stylings of say Michael Bay which only works on a few occasions). I had been meaning to watch his take on Roald Dahl's classic with Johnny Depp as more a curiosity. I was full of doubts that it could top the Gene Wilder version. This is true, but any changes that were made I didn't necessarily hate or even like; I just found them to be interesting. The way Charlie's grandpa tells of Wonka's origins and Wonka's flashbacks, the new Oompa Loompa songs in different genres, the ending where Wonka goes to see his father, the other golden ticket winners own quirks and shortcomings... All inspired choices that I feel don't hurt the story so much as just give it a Burton-inspired spin. And that's what I'm always surprised when I see Burton tackle these sorts of films- just how Tim Burton'ey they end up feeling. Every time I'm taken aback and then I think to myself, "well what was I expecting?" Johnny Depp's performance is a bit more robotic and stilted than Wilder's fun-loving Wonka (Depp's Wonka really hates children, that couldn't be more clear) and overall the film is more serious and mixes dreary London with a more mechanical and streamlined factory. It's still bright and fun at moments, but Burton doesn't give it the magic that Mel Stuart's version had... Just makes it all the more Tim Burton'ey.
Nerd Note: Whenever I got to New York Comic-Con, I see the actor who played Mike Teevee from the 1971 film charging $20 for any photograph/autograph at a random table somewhere on the floor. Hey, I get that's how celebrity works at these conventions, but that just feels very Mike Teevee of him.
The Night Of (2016, Steve Zaillian)
Technically an HBO miniseries, but the first of the eight installments clocks in at 80 minutes and premieres July 10 but is available now on HBO Go and HBO on demand. For those that aren't aware, I'll give a little bit of its production history of which I followed since 2013. Based on Peter Moffat's British series Criminal Justice, this entire series is written by Richard Price (Clockers) and directed by Steve Zaillian (Searching for Bobby Fischer, A Civil Action) except for one middle part directed by James Marsh (Man on Wire, The Theory of Everything). It was originally set to star James Gandolfini who filmed a pilot for it to be a regular series, but after it was picked up, he passed away. It then starred Robert De Niro who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and replaced, finally, by John Turturro. The first episode that establishes the visual style of the show was shot by Robert Elswit and edited by Jay Cassidy. Now if the pedigree of the series has you interested, then probably stop reading this. I won't spoil anything, but I say that because the first part is pretty much the entire set-up/premise of the show. It's 80 minutes of a prologue and inciting event that looks like it's going to pay-off with the next seven hours.
The show is about Naz (short for Nasir) played by Riz Ahmed (Four Lions, Nightcrawler), a Pakistani college student who lives with his family in the suburbs and travels into the city one night in his father's cab to go to a party but gets sidetracked with a woman who ends up murdered and Naz having no memory of his time with her. The story stays with him for most of the time leading up to and after the murder. He quickly becomes the suspect because of how he reacts after he discovers the body. He has a meltdown and the moments/events all feel expected and yet watchable. Ahmed is entirely believable as a kind and gentle soul who then when in over his head, makes a human error of trying to run away from what he has become involved in. The interaction he has with the police and with just about everyone, feels 100% natural (I don't know if it's because I'm a New Yorker, the cops/witnesses dialogue doesn't feel "Law & Order" to me, everyone is speaking how I pretty much could imagine them). The detective who investigates the crime is played by Bill Camp in also a wholly believable character-actor-style of a performance. He's tired and seasoned, but he still knows how to connect with a suspect. By the end of the hour we meet John Turturro's world-weary lawyer. It's amazing how with only maybe the final 10-15 minutes of the show, Turturro makes an impression. In the dialogue, the way he moves, his interactions with Ahmed- a full character is formed, one that we may have questions about, but a living breathing person.
And that's what has me attracted to this show- even Nas's family who warned him about going to a "black party" or the neighbor who makes a comment when he sees Nas about him "blowing stuff up". At a time here in the real-world in America with race again at the forefront of many discussions (for most, it probably has never gone away), a series like this feels all the more relevant. It's not attempting to make a point, but just present a conversation. I don't believe Nas's race factors into Detective Box's pursuit of him as the killer, but it's certainly an important part of the story and it remains to be seen how Price/Zaillian wish to add that to a crime drama tapestry.
Not just a highly-styled episode of Law and Order, but in line with The People vs. O.J. Simpson, American Crime and The Killing as a procedural with serialized elements. We see every little, itty-bitty detail that we could imagine as Nas is processed, interviewed, etc. One of my favorite joys about TV is also seeing actors who in films would be somewhat more sidelined in their careers to colorful supporting roles. It's in television now where a series is built around Steve Buscemi, Liev Schreiber, Michael Sheen, Paul Giamatti etc. And we get to discover unknowns like Taylor Schilling or Jon Hamm or see new sides of TV vets like Bryan Cranston or Julianna Margulies. Turturro and Ahmed are very much a part of that and it's a joy to watch them dig into these people.
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