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Home » dir » David Marks And Katie Marks True Story

All Good Things (2010)

ALL THINGS GOOD is a polished little film based on a true story that while it may not have the visual gruesome detail of the usual thriller tropes of films, it is terrifying in its presentation of personality variations that produce a shuddering reaction on a purely intellectual level for the audience. It is both a love story and a missing persons/murder mystery based on a still unsolved case that continues to haunt New York investigators and reporters and detectives.

What writers Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling have created from known and newly discovered facts, speculation and court records results in a psychological examination of a powerful New York family, obsession, love and loss. The film relates incidents that began in 1972 and end in 2003 and at this time the truth is still unknown. Director Andrew Jarecki uses a superb cast and a fine sense of voice-over narration to interweave the puzzling history with the gradual dissolution of each of the characters involved.

Sanford Marks (Frank Langella) is one of the wealthiest owners of Manhattan real estate, the current head of a family that has long dominated the New York scene with its power and money. Marks is aging and is relying on his son David (Ryan Gosling) to take over the family business: he sends David out to the brothels, and filthy hotels and porn houses to collect rent. David is reticent to be a part of his father’s business: he is a deeply disturbed young man, having witnessed his mother’s suicide leap as a child. David meets a tenant in one of the properties – Katie McCarthy (Kirsten Dunst) who longs to go to medical school but at present has no income to support that dream. The chemistry between the two is magnetic and despite David’s father’s objection that Katie is not of ‘their kind of people’, David decides to marry Katie and move to Vermont to open a Health Foods store – a move that makes the couple ecstatic, but is financed by Sanford Marks who eventually convinces David to sell his haven and move to New York to stay with the family business.

In their Manhattan home (and in their country lake front home!) the couple flourishes until Katie mentions she’d like to have children – a force that drives David back into violent behavior resulting form his witnessing his mother’s suicide: David can’t understand why Katie would want anything but the obvious life of wealth they enjoy. The shell is cracked and the subsequent events include Katie becoming pregnant only to be forced by David to terminate the pregnancy, Katie’s disappearance after uncovering the facts about the sources of wealth of the family, David’s descent into drugs and irresponsible behavior, and ultimately his leaving New York for Galveston, Texas where he lives a life disguised as a woman, his only friend being another old runaway Melvin Bump (Philip Baker Hall) who David engages to do away with a ‘problem confidant’ (Lilly Rabe), after which Bump is killed and dissected and tossed into the river. The murders are never solved nor is the mystery of Katie’ disappearance. A trial (the source of the voice-over throughout the film has been the lawyer’s interrogation of David in the year 2003) fails to resolve anything and the film ends with the message that David Marks is at present a real estate broker in Florida.

Frank Langella is superb as the heartless father who drives his family like cattle in the quest of power and wealth. Ryan Gosling offer a multifaceted performance of the deeply disturbed David and is match by Kirsten Dunst’s bravura performance as Katie, the simple bright girl whose life is quashed by a powerful family’s sickness. The brilliant cast, including the performances by Philip Baker Hall and Lilly Rabe – daughter of the deceased Jill Clayburgh), has excellent cameo roles by Diane Venora, Trini Alvarado, David Margulies, Nick Offerman and many more. This is a tough film to watch because at the bottom of it all is that it is true and the cases are unsolved. It makes us cringe but it is a very fine film.

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Home » dir » David Marks And Katie Marks True Story

True Grit (2010)

Going to any Coen Brothers is always unpredictable and a sure treat. Their films have always given the audience their money’s worth, with intelligent storytelling (not overwritten, but suitable to their themes and situations). They are artists who don’t regard their audiences as a focus group, but as men, women, and children who yearn to see an intelligent, exciting, and literate cinematic experience. For years, they have made amazing films such as “Fargo”, “No Country for Old Men”, and “Raising Arizona”, exploring and succeeding in just about any type of genre. I’m dying to see what they’d achieve with Science Fiction. Their second turn at exploring the American West is practically a flawless enterprise, a beautiful, haunting, funny, and exciting movie, a story with heart, a solid intelligent storyline, and terrific acting, one that introduces the birth of a very talented performer, a 14-year old young woman who someday will become a star, Ms. Hailee Steinfeld, in her movie debut, something that appears an unbelievable feat since she has only done shorts and TV shows until now.

Steinfield commands the screen with her perfect diction, and she matches every single performer with her understanding of her character, an intelligent and precocious teenager who wants to avenge her father’s murder. In a few words, the film is about her quest and the various situations she encounters along the way. She realizes from early on it’s impossible to complete her mission with a professional’s assistance, and she engages the services of Mr. Rooster Cogburn, (Bridges giving another sensational performance).

As they reach the climatic scenes, we are treated to a series of episodes and vistas rarely seen in recent Westerns. Here is a movie that gives us the feeling of taking a virtual trip to the Old West, a place full of the stereotypes so prevalent in this film, but exquisitely and masterfully presented and shot through the eyes of Roger Deakins outdoing his previous work. Here are desolate vistas, births of new towns, a palpable depiction of the tough, lawless early days of the Western frontier. We see the recreation of the growing settlements, the restrictive gender situations and social differences. No detail has been left out or spared. It takes almost a documentary feel, but this is contrasted with the realistic approach and the attention to the speech of the times. Yes, the words and their delivery was different. People went beyond “see ya” or “talk 2 u, 2″ back then. They knew specific terms for particular emotions and items, and though a bit unsettling at first, it’s very impressive how the young Hailee Steinfeld completely commands the screen whenever she is in front of the camera and must speak her part.

The film is not a staid work of art; it’s a living, pulsating, and very exciting piece to see, something that will delight just about everyone in the audience, with the depiction of our heroes’ quest for justice. As they get to know each other, meet good and bad characters, face the harshness of the world they live in, we are constantly in awe of the beauty and emotion in every frame of the film.

There is one remarkable scene after another: the trial that introduces Cogburn, her exchange with the businessman to settle her late father’s accounts, visiting the undertaker, her first realization she is now in the midst of a battle for survival, where the only way out is a life or death move. The closing scene has a haunting quality, a suitable ending to a film that is both intimate and epic, a scene that shows the mythical quality of the West and how we recollect the essence of the soul that is a true American genre. A few years ago, one film try to demystify these qualities, and it impressed many, but it almost killed the beating heart of this type of films. The Coens have in their own unmistakable way given it its due rebirth, and it is bright, strong, and full of the right feelings. Here is a movie to enjoy and treasure, easily one of the best ever made.

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Home » dir » David Marks And Katie Marks True Story

Trust (2010)

I had the privilege to be among the first in North America to screen David Schwimmer’s latest film last night at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), with cast members including Clive Owen and Catherine Keener (two of my favourite actors) present as well as the director, Schwimmer himself.

Before the screening, the former “Friends” star provided some valuable context for the film, sharing his personal connection to the topic. It was enlightening to learn that he himself is a dedicated advocate for survivors of sexual assault/abuse and has spent a great deal of time working and interacting with the families impacted, because the film was executed with such a sensitivity and deep psychological understanding around the difficult topic.

Before delving into my review let me just say upfront (for those who are quickly trying to decide whether or not to see this) that this is a good movie, and yes you should see it.

I also went into this film not knowing its rating and I can assure you, that while the subject is very heavy and there are some disturbing scenes and some violence, there is nothing here so sexually graphic that it is too uncomfortable to watch – even my husband who I would consider to be a “sensitive” viewer did not find the film to be graphic.

“Trust” is the kind of movie that relies heavily upon the plausibility of its dialogue and the believability of its actors. If the script was poorly written or the innumerable emotional scenes poorly acted, the whole thing might have been a disaster for Schwimmer.

Instead, Kenner and Owen turned in Oscar-worthy performances that invited viewers into their home, their marriage and their suffering. Under great direction, Owen led his character through a roller-coaster of emotions that was accessible to viewers, as we shared in his character’s progression through anger, grief and understanding.

Not to be overlooked, and the true star of this film, is the young Liana Liberato who plays the daughter and the victim with such authenticity that it was at some times painful to watch. Not enough can be said about how incredible she was in this film – I think the career she has ahead of her will speak for itself.

Of course, the best acting in the world would have been wasted if the screenplay was weak, but with Robert Festinger (who wrote the screenplay for “In the Bedroom”) on board, you can expect a convincing storyline and dialogue that felt real.

At times, the film comes dangerously close to being cliché or cheesy like a television drama or TV movie-of-the-week. And this is almost inevitable when trying to make a cautionary drama with the underlying objective of raising awareness around a societal issue. However any time you feel the film beginning to veer down this path, it is rescued by the incredible acting and you forget once more that you are watching a film. Even the ending which I thought at first was a bit overly sentimental, quickly took an unexpected and dark turn that, for me, restored its credibility.

This is a powerful and very important film, not just for families but also for David Schwimmer’s career because now the sitcom actor-turned- director has established himself as a serious and very capable dramatic filmmaker who is not afraid to take on challenging material.

I’m not sure how well “Trust” will do outside of the film festival or if it would appeal to mass audiences, however I do hope people see it, especially those who care about this important issue.

I would definitely watch a David Schwimmer film again in the future – he has legitimate talent behind the camera and should he make more marketable movies in the future, he might actually make it big as a director.

I give this movie a solid 8 out of 10. Congratulations to Schwimmer and your team on this great accomplishment. And, as a woman and caring citizen, thank you for telling this story.

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