ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Frances McDormand

SF Radio 8.16: Current History in THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

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Written almost 400 years ago, Shakespeare’s Macbeth remains one of history’s most well-regarded dramatic stories. Featuring murder, betrayal, and bawdy humour, Macbeth has been studied in classrooms for centuries yet still somehow feels current. Now, with Joel Coen’s THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, we once again find ourselves ‘stepped in blood’ with Denzel Washington taking on the crown with a vengeance. This week, Victor Stiff (VictorStiff.com) and Dave Voigt (InTheSeats.ca) drop by to talk about Shakespeare’s low-brow/high-brow entertainment, what the ‘Coen lens’ brings to the play and what we believe the true tragedy of Macbeth may be.

You can also stream on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify, iHeart Radio or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can downoad the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

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Nomadland: Home Isn’t Where the House Is

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Set against the vast expanse of the American West, Nomadland tells the story of Fern (Frances McDormand), a middle-aged woman who finds herself at a personal crossroads. Having recently lost her husband and her job, Fern decides that it’s time for her to start fresh by heading out onto the open road in her RV. However, as she explores the vast landscapes set before her, she quickly discovers that she’s not alone. Though she may move aimlessly through the seasons and seasonal jobs, she finds a new form of community amongst the like-minded nomads that welcome her home. As her soul is replenished, Fern also develops a relationship with David (David Strathairn), a man who may wish to play a greater role in her life than she’d initially expected.

Written and directed by Chloe Zhao (Songs My Brothers Taught Me), Nomadland is a stunning piece that honours the souls of those who go unnoticed by a society too busy to notice them. Filled with quiet and intimate moments, Zhao weaves a story of humility and grace that doesn’t merely attempt to entertain. 

Instead, Zhao’s fictional tale wants to show reality.

With an open style of filmmaking that ebs and flows with the surrounding landscapes, Zhao has created a story that moves like a traditional narrative yet feels true. By casting real-life nomads in key roles, she has clearly done her very best to tell a story that lives and breathes authenticity onscreen. (In fact, in order to help them gain a better understanding for the world they were bringing to life onscreen, Zhao even asked her cast and crew to live out of vans during the course of production.) Painting the lives of its ‘houseless’ characters with a loving brush, Zhao celebrates their pioneering spirit but also shows the challenges they face throughout their journey. 

In many ways, Nomadland manages to highlight the overwhelming power of its surroundings yet never loses the value of every individual. Through his magnificent use of cinematography, Joshua James Richards reminds the viewer just how small they truly are when held up against the immensity of the American West. However, at the same time, when Fern encounters individuals along that way, they fill the screen in such a way as to acknowledge their importance. 

Similarly the film’s central character, McDormand may be the biggest name within the film yet she plays Fern with such humility that she actually elevates those around her. Whereas many stars may look at this much screen time as an opportunity to put their talent on display, McDormand instead chooses to step back and allow these real people and their stories to shine.

Because, in Nomadland, every soul matters.

While acknowledging the struggles such as maintaining work and food, the most beautiful aspect of the film is the way that it celebrates those that have found sanctuary and salvation in a nomadic lifestyle. While many have bound their lives to mortgages and static jobs, Nomadland shows the refreshment of the soul that can take place when one untethers themselves from these sorts of demands. For example, as Fern ventures into the American West, she does so not to conquer new worlds but to reconnect with the deepest core of her identity. With the death of her husband and loss of her job, Fern’s old life suddenly feels motionless. Though she may have been left adrift, her heart now yearns for movement and independence. 

However, Nomadland understands the old adage that ‘not all that wander are lost’.

As she builds new relationships amongst those whom she meets, Fern is struck by the deep sense of community that exists within the nomadic culture. Embedded with a profound sense of supporting one another, those that Fern encounter along her journey share a sense of camaraderie and love that is utterly remarkable. Characters such as Swankie and David provide relationship lifelines that feed Fern’s soul and show her the meaning of love yet they never ‘tie her down’.  Though they may not be present with each other for long, their desire for freedom creates a loving connection that endures and uplifts. As a result, though she may not have a house to call her own, Fern absolutely believes that she has found a home amongst her newfound family. 

Featuring what may be the most honest and open performance of McDormand’s career and some absolutely magnificent storytelling, it should come as no surprise if you hear Nomadland’s name called out when Oscar night (finally) arrives. In short, this is a very special film. Coming at a time when we all exist in isolation, Zhao highlights the importance of connecting with one another, especially when we find ourselves so alone.

Nomadland is now available on Hulu in the US and will be available in Canadian theatres on March 19th.

To hear our conversation on Nomadland, click here.

Blood Simple (1984) Criterion Collection: Light & Sound #TBT

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Back in 1984, director brother Joel and Ethan Coen teamed with first-time cinematographer Barry Sonnefeld to deliver their first feature film, Blood Simple. They would go on to work together again on Raising Arizona and Miller’s Crossing, but their combined filmography includes O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country For Old Men, Men in Black, Fargo, Get Shorty, and a host of other well-known hits. Today, thanks to the Criterion Collection, you can watch their breakthrough noir thriller and hear them pick it apart shot by shot, lighting choice by lighting choice, sound by sound.

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The plot revolves around the affair of Abby (Frances McDormand, and Joel’s real-life wife) and Ray (Joe Getz), who anger Abby’s jealous husband, Marty (Dan Hedaya). Marty then hires the morality-free Loren Visser (M. Emmet Walsh), and all hell slowly breaks loose as double-crosses and unintended violence color the Coens’ most colorful neon film. But there are no good guys here – only broken vows of all shapes and sizes.

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While the Criterion Collection includes a look at the moody music of Carter Burwell, and an essay by Nathaniel Rich, the best feature provided to fans of the film, the Coens, and cinematography in general is the commentary provided by Sonnefeld and the Coens. Here, the three men – who obviously admire each other – gamely pick their first film apart. [For the record, have you checked out your first anything? Poem, sermon, art project, sound recording? It can be a truly miserable experience!] But from the very get go, when they dive into the way that they used three different cars to shoot one scene from the film, they are self-deprecating and insightful.

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The three of these men talk about decisions made in wardrobe, location, light, casting, crew, and more throughout the film, with telestrators to draw our eyes to things they liked … or didn’t like. While the film itself is dark and foreboding, the relaxed nature of the conversations is hilarious at times, as they pick at themselves and each other. It underlies the hard work of filmmakers to produce the 90 to 120 minutes we devour easily, like a good meal cooked all day can be inhaled in a matter of minutes.

While there are things to learn about Sonnenfeld and the Coens, some of my favorite thoughts included:

bloodsimple6-Sonnenfeld’s insistence on not worrying where the light should be coming from but what part of a face or scene he wanted to highlight.

-The Coens’ reflection on other films that influenced them, like Mad Max or The Evil Dead.

-Sonnenfeld’s recollection that Kathryn Bigelow wanted him to shoot Near Dark based solely on a shoot-out scene in Blood Simple.

-That they chose short people to throw trash into a dumpster in one scene because they couldn’t find a bigger dumpster and wanted to give the impression that it was larger.

Seriously, who thinks of this stuff? Directors. And thanks to the Criterion Collection, we get to hear directly from some of the best.

The Good Dinosaur: The Importance of Others

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Arlo and Spot with firefliesWhen a person sees the name Pixar attached to a film, they immediately think of fantastic animation, exquisite attention to detail, wonderful storytelling, and memorable characters. These are the reasons why their studio in Emeryville CA is so renowned for making films that are beloved by kids and parents alike yet still pass the test of time. With their newest release The Good Dinosaur, Pixar builds upon their canon of work and yet manages to amaze at the same time. It’s a familiar yet different film that is definitely worth taking a look at.

The premise director Peter Sohn uses for The Good Dinosaur involves a hypothetical question: What if the asteroid that supposedly led to the extinction of dinosaurs never crashed into the earth? As a result, we’re able to get a glimpse into the lives of a family of apatosaurs who live off the land. Momma and Poppa (voiced by Frances McDormand and Jeffrey Wright, respectively) watch in expectation as their three eggs hatch—Libby, Buck, and Arlo. Arlo (Raymond Ochoa), despite having the largest egg, is the runt of the litter and is pretty much afraid of everything—including the chicken-like creatures he has to feed on the farm.  He desperately wants to be like his bigger siblings and make his mark on the side of the family silo (accomplishing something “bigger than yourself”), but can’t muster the courage to do so. However, Poppa tells Arlo, “You’re me—and more.” But a scene that will immediately remind viewers of Mufasa’s death in The Lion King changes everything for Arlo and the family, forcing everyone to pitch in to keep from starving during the upcoming winter. When Arlo finds a human child named Spot (Jack Bright) in the silo, it leads to an adventure involving scavenging pterodactyls, T-rexes cattle-driving longhorns, and some harrowing encounters with nature itself.

The Good Dinosaur LandscapeDoes the film work? I think it does, but there’s something about The Good Dinosaur that feels a bit trite.  At its heart, the film is about overcoming fear but is disguised in the form of an “I’m-lost-and-need-to-get-back-home” story.  I was reminded of a number of films as I watched: The Adventures of Milo and Otis, City Slickers, and the aforementioned classic The Lion King. It surprised me that Pixar would choose to go with a basic story, but it more than made up for it on the back end with the visuals.  Do you remember the sequence in Cars where Sally is out for a drive with Lightning and passes underneath the waterfall? The hyper-realism of the visuals astounded me. Fast forward nine years to The Good Dinosaur, whose visual landscapes are so realistic that the National Park Service could use them in commercials. There were at three occasions where I had my mouth open in astonishment at what I was seeing on the screen.  The visuals actually threaten to take away from the film, but there’s just enough adventure included so that doesn’t happen. The voice casting works fine—a positive, considering the entire film was re-recorded less than six months ago by a completely different group of actors and actresses (save McDormand). There are a few emotional moments in the film, so you may need some tissues by the time the credits roll.

(The animated short preceding The Good Dinosaur is entitled Sanjay’s Super Team and is quite different, adding a Power Rangers-type vibe to a seemingly innocent time of meditation. Our Darrel Manson will have a separate review of it.)

Climbing the mountainTwo major themes in the film involve making one’s mark in the world (literally and figuratively) and the importance of family.  However, I saw something else in the budding relationship between Arlo and Spot. The two aren’t on friendly terms for a good portion of the movie, but that changes when Spot shows Arlo where to get some berries.  The two learn how to weather the storms they face together so that, when the climax arrives, it feels earned.  It brings to mind a passage from Ecclesiastes: “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up” (4:9-10 NASB). The two will need each other many times in the film, and in doing so, they grow closer together.  It’s an important reminder why it’s good to have friends and companions in one’s life.  A me-against-the-world mentality (especially today) will lead to frustration, depression, and even further isolation from those who might want to help and come alongside to befriend and help. Companions provide an outlet to share successes, hurts, fears, and dreams—not to mention their ability to strengthen others in areas like accountability and determination.

On that note, grab a few folks and take them to an afternoon (or evening) at the movies.  The Good Dinosaur, although a bit trite in its story, provides incredible visuals and lessons that can last long after leaving the theater. And isn’t that what good films are supposed to do in the first place?