The opening scenes of ‘Tape’ suggests something that might pass for a sequel to ‘Dead Poet's Society’. We see Ethan Hawke as Vince, a somewhat mushy guy that downs beer after beer in a lousy hotel room. He is visited by Jon (Robert Sean Leonard), an old schoolmate who since then has fared significantly better: he has just directed his first film, which will be displayed at a local festival. The two friends begin to chat about the old days, they drink, they smoke a joint and the atmosphere seems amiable enough until Vince makes clear his true intentions.
The conversation turns to Amy (Uma Thurman), a girl that Vince was in love with but that Jon finally walked away with the two went together to the prom, but what happened then? They had sex, that's for sure, but how exactly? Did she want to, or did Jon force her? Did rape take place? Vince starts playing on his old schoolmate until he gets him as far as to make a half-confession to him, and then comes the surprise: he recorded the whole conversation on tape and Amy can stand at the door any minute. Jon has a choice: either Vince will play the tape to her, or either Jon himself has to offer his apologies.
'Tape' is an ultra-low budget film from 2001, seen by almost no one, but nevertheless, leaves a strong impression on those who have managed to track it down and watch it. The film was the third collaboration between director Richard Linklater and actor Ethan Hawke (after ‘Before Sunrise’ and ‘Waking Life,’and before the release 'Before Sunset' in 2004), and could almost be seen as a thematic counterpart to the 'Sunrise / Sunset' movies.
In those films, it was all about romantic love, a coup de foudre that transcended all cynicism. In 'Tape', however, it is about an obsessive, unrequited love: Vince loved Amy, but he could not get her. Jon could get her, but he did not really her - he used her only for a quick, possibly even violent one night stand. The chance that you will come out here with a feeling as warm as in 'Before Sunrise' seems very small, but it is indeed fascinating how the same people take a different angle on the same emotions.
'Tape' is minimalist cinema driven to the extreme. There is only one set with only three actors, besides everything was filmed in a few days filming with only a digital camera that doesn't give a shit about mise-en-scène. All the technical elements, which normally determine the shape of a film, are reduced to the absolute minimum.
What Linklater buys with that technical frugality is freedom. The man was able to work rapidly in a real hotel room, he used lamps that were simply present in the decor itself for his lighting and the sound came from the microphone built into the camera.
He didn’t really have to care about anything, and that gave him the opportunity to create a very refined film, which is only concerned with the characters and their situation. The result is a film that really does not look that good - visually it’s unkempt and messy and the soundtrack contains unacceptably loud noises - but whose content contains many nuances that you felt were worth it.’Tape’ is content that doesn't give a fuck about outward form.
What it is about, of course, is the tension between these three characters, which are constructed in a very clever way. Vince, played by Hawke, hasn’t done much in life: he is a petty criminal who wears a bag full of booze and drugs and cherishes a cynical outlook on life. Jon (Leonard) however, is as middle class as you can be, and the differences between them are illustrated by the actors in various subtle ways: the way Vince spends half the movie running around in his underwear while Jon dresses with style yet very conservatively.
The way Vince almost lies back in his chair or else is lying stretched on the bed while Jon always neatly stays upright. Language is very important: Vince swears like a sailor, calls things by their name, while Jon speaks almost exclusively in euphemisms. What matters between them, is a class difference: Jon has money, Vince doesn’t, Jon can get any woman he wants, Vince has had to watch as his best friend took away his dream girl. It’s is a winner and a loser, and the differences between them are made clear in a brilliant way.
Then, once Amy appears on the scene, there’s another theme that appears very clearly: that of memory. Did something really happen if we don’t remember it? Can we ourselves, through guilt and regret, forge false memories? Has Jon raped Amy or was it consensual? And does it really mean something if no one seems to know exactly how it went down, the girl included?
These are all fascinating, complex data, but what makes 'Tape' so digestible, is precisely the fact that Linklater doesn’t force-feed them on us. He made in the first place also made a very funny film, with one-liners like, "I'm not saying you're a dick, but I do know that occasionally you have a tendency to act in a phallic fashion." This is a film that wants to talk about some very interesting things but also is smart enough to present these ideas in an attractive way, not through technical merit, which is virtually zero but through the sharp dialogues and ditto performances.
That 'Tape' ultimately isn’t a perfect film, is not only due to the visual shortcomings but also to a particular plot twist at the end, which I certainly don’t fully subscribe to. It is impossible to discuss the dispute itself, but let it suffice to say that it is a decision that Uma Thurman takes shortly before the end - that's about the only time when the credibility is stretched too much. Anyway, I suppose it would be silly to whine about that in great detail, as it has little flaws otherwise.
'Tape' is incredibly interesting author cinema, which returns to the fundamentals of any drama: Insert two or three people in a room and let them fight over something. Outside the dialogues, and the enthusiasm of the actors 'Tape' has nothing to captivate It’audience. But you can bet that It’s enough.
Vince: What you think I'm a dick?
Jon: I’m not saying you’re a dick. But I do know that occasionally you have a tendency to act in a phallic fashion.
Jon: Women these days have no reason to hang around potentially violent guys. It's not an attractive quality anymore. Too many guys out there with "resolved" violent tendencies.
Vince: Oh, so I'm out of fashion?
Un presentador de TV debe remover cielo y tierra para demostrar su inocencia tras ser testigo de un asesinato. Las mentiras llegan hasta las esferas más altas de la sociedad.
Esta serie empieza con una explosión y de ahí, va para arriba. Colman Domingo, que parece que no sabe hacer nada mal, está fantástico en su papel de presentador televisivo descubriendo la parte más negativa de su fama. El resto del casting es de altura, con mención especial a la británica Alison Wright que devora cada escena en la que aparece. La producción está al más alto nivel, la música es espectacular, con un Philip Klein inspiradísimo. Hay quien se queja de que sea un poco larga, no les hagas caso.
Management 2008 yılında, Stephen Belber tarafından yönetilmiş olan bir Amerika yapımı komedi, dram ve romantik türde film. Baş rollerde; Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn ve Woody Harrelson gibi isimler var.
Uzun yıllardır ailesinin işlettiği motelde çalışan Mike bir gün ansızın motele çıkıp gelen oldukça güzel olan Sue’ye aşık olur. İLk olarak ona yakınlaşmak için elinden geleni yapar ancak başarılı olamaz sonra bir anda Sue’nin atılımıyla birlikte bir gece geçirirler. Ardından geldiği gibi dönen Sue’nin peşinden aşkı için yollara düşen Mike umduğunu bulamayacaktır.
Komik bir filmdi. Ancak biraz daha üzerine düşülse ortaya daha eğlenceli bir şeyler çıkabilirdi. Başarılı oyuncuların olduğu ortalama bir filmdi. Film için puanım 6.
You're so busy being selfless that you end up treating yourself like shit...Take care of yourself a little, so that the people who love you don't feel like they're annoying you.
