Displaying items by tag: Dylan O'Brian

TWINLESS

US, 2025, 100 minutes, Colour.

Dylan O'Brien, James Sweeney, Aisling Franciosi, Lauren Graham.

Directed by James Sweeney.

We don’t often use the word Twinless in everyday conversation. Here it is used, in the context of twins, identical twins, when one has died and the other survives, trying to deal with life with the twin, life without the twin.

The film opens with the sounds of a car accident. Then a funeral follows, Ronan (Dylan O’Brien) serious-faced, good at the expressions of sympathy for the death of his brother, Rocky, and, in the aftermath, clearing his brother’s room, angry with his mother (Lauren Graham).

Dylan’s performance as Roman is highly effective, not the sharpest tool in the shed as he acknowledges, trying to manage life, full of angers, especially occasion when his brother came out as gay, left home, went to Japan, severed connections with his family. But, at a counselling group for the twin list, he encounters Dennis, claiming to have a deceased twin, Dean, and the two strike up something of an unusual friendship, Ronan, awkward, relying on Dennis as they go for supermarket shopping, then an increased in shared interests, a bonding friendship, Roman relying on Dennis and the audience realising that Dennis is a gay man, attracted to Roman.

Then, after quite some time, the credits come up and there is a flashback which alters very much our perspectives on Dennis and Roman. In fact, Dennis had been in a brief relationship with Rocky we begin to understand his attachment to Roman. (There are some flashbacks with Dylan O’Brien playing at Rocky, creating a quite strikingly different character from Ronan.)

This is a film not only about identity but also about loneliness and friendship. Audiences immediately appreciate Ronan and the connection with Dennis, sharing details of his life, confidences. But, we now know Dennis and his motivations, the complexities of his lying about twin brother, the consequences of the lie even as the bond grows between the two men. Then, there is a complication with the extroverted Marcy (A sling French eos who was so striking in the Australian film, Nightingale), receptionist at Dennis’s workplace, delighted to meet Ronan and he her.

There is humour throughout the film. There is a great deal of sadness. There is great deal of anger on Ronan’s part, and further antagonism with his mother. And, then there will be the truth, Marcy and her intervention, Ronan’s response to Dennis.

There is great deal of sensitivity in this film, something of a credit to James Sweeney, in his early 30s, writing the screenplay, directing the film, playing the part of Dennis.

1. The word twinless? Life with a twin, without it twin? And the therapy groups for twins who have lost the other twin?
2. A story of loneliness, of friendship, of deception?
3. The opening, the sound of the car accident, the moving to the funeral, Roman and his mother, grief, the range of friends coming and embracing, Romans awkwardness? The aftermath, clearing the room, his rage against his mother? Memories of rocky, their time together, the anecdotes, the shared bunks, the accidents…? Rocky leaving, severing connections, Japan? Gay, relationships?
4. Roman, the encounter with Dennis, talking, Roman not so sharp, ordinary, the supermarket, the increasing friendship, sharing?
5. The title after the so long, and the flashbacks, Dennis and his encounter with Rocky, the relationship, Dennis and his dependence, upset with Rocky seeing someone else, driving, on the street, the confrontation, the accident and Rocky’s death?
6. The new perspective on the friendship, Dennis and his stalking, in love with Roman, Roman not realising this, Dennis and sharing the experiences with Roman, ice hockey and trips, conversations? Dennis and his memories of rocky, the impact of the sexual encounter? Love for Roman, yet giving him space?
7. Dennis at work, the conversations with Marcy, at reception? Her party, in Dennis bringing Roman? Watching, wanting them to be together? Marcy, her extrovert personality, the bond with Roman? The increasing love, sexual encounters, together?
8. Roman and Dennis together, the group passing, the fake it in salt, Roman and his violent response? Punching? The issue of violence, going to the gym, his brother’s identity, exercising with Dennis?
9. The Christmas with his mother, the awkwardness, the arguments, Dennis and Marcy awkward, the exchange of gifts?
10. Marcy, breezy, yet noting times and dates, the issue of Genesis claiming to have a brother, a twin, his death? Marcy eventually confronting Dennis?
11. The therapy sessions, Dennis following Roman, his story about his twin, the airport phone calls and crash? The other members of the therapy group, their stories about their twin?
12. Dennis, finding the time to tell the truth, drinking, Roman’s reaction, punching?
13. The later meeting, apologies, coping with the reality, the shared sandwich – to take away? Leaving the audience to speculate about the future?

SATURDAY NIGHT

US, 2024, 109 minutes, Colour.

Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Senott, Corey Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O'Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, J.K.Simmons, Nicholas Podany, Robert Wuhl, Jon Batiste, Willem Dafoe, Paul Rust, Tracy Letts, Matthew Rhys.

This history/comedy/memoir was released at the 49^th anniversary of the opening show of what has become an American tradition, Saturday Night Live. While the program is screened in other countries, it is a particularly American television experience, comic experience, social commentary and criticism experience. While it touches the American funny bone, the response of audiences outside the United States might be something of hit and miss.

Which might be also the case with this film, American audiences relishing the re-creation of that first night, the tensions in the last hour and a half before going on air live. And there are many famous names appearing in this film, many of whom through Saturday Night Live became media celebrities – producer Lorne Michaels, comedians Chevy Chase, Jon Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Lorraine Newman, Billy Crystal, George Carlin… And Nicholas Braun as both Andy Kaufmann and Jim Henson.

In many ways, this is a frantic and frenetic film because that is the situation in which Lorne Michaels found himself, the decision to do something new in the mid-1970s, live performances, sketches, satiric songs, social commentary. While NBC allowed it, there was hostility from some of the bosses, dramatised here by the talent director, David Tabet (another sinister performance from Willem Dafoe), and the rivalry with the Johnny Carson show, also dramatised here.

This film purports to be a dramatisation of what actually happened on that night, October 11, 1975. While a lot of this may have happened, putting it all together in the one film means exhaustion for the protagonists, exhaustion for the audience.

So, very much behind the scenes, the young Lorne Michaels and his initiatives, sometimes naive, sometimes shrewd, often the target, trying to get the temperamental Jon Belushi to sign a contract, encouraging his writers, new talent, placating Jim Henson and his concern about the treatment of the Muppets, supported by his wife, Rose Schuster, and all kinds of practical disasters, lighting falling almost on top of the actors, authentic bricks knocked over and having to be reset again, his being squirted with fake blood…

This is very much the show must go on despite… Everything.

The ensemble cast is very effective. Gabriel LaBellel is Lorne Michaels (he had appeared as the young Spielberg in The Fablemans). The impersonators of the famous talent are very good, Michael Wood as Jon Belushi, most credible. Corey Michael Smith as a rather arrogant but quickwitted Chevy Chase. And, surprisingly after seeing him in the Maze Runners and other action films, Dylan O’Brien enjoying himself impersonating Dan Aykroyd. One of the best surprises is the arrival of Milton Berle, arrogant, full of disdain for the younger generation, visiting the set, performing a musical number – and the fact that the performance is by J.K.Simmons rather unlike anything else he has done and making quite an impact.

There are a number of character actors in the supporting roles as well as a number of new faces. It is all put together with speed, momentum, the visuals of the time ticking down, a final crisis as to whether they were permitted to go ahead, the final permission – and, as the cliche says, the rest is history.

CADDO LAKE

US, 2024, 99 minutes, Colour.

Dylan O'Brien, Eliza Scanlen, Carolina Falk, Lauren Ambrose, Diana Hopper, Eric Lang.

Directed by Logan George, Celine Held.

Audiences who like something mysterious, Caddo Lake can be recommended. However, it is a difficult film to review, too many dangers for spoilers!

The first part of the film seems ordinary enough, filmed at Lake Caddo on the border between Texas and Louisiana, a vast lake, somewhat resembling the Everglades, the winding water, the overhanging trees and branches, swamp areas, suggestions of crocodiles, and the local town of Karnak. The atmosphere is authentic.

The first part of the film, it seems very ordinary in terms of human drama. There are two strands of the story – and audiences wondering when they will coincide. There is teenager Ellie, her father disappeared, her mother marrying again, a stepsister, the large family with its religious beliefs, her resentment at gatherings, but a good relationship with the stepsister, Anna. But, vocal clashes with her mother and stepfather.

The other strand focuses on the young man, Paris, played by Dylan O’Brien, initially seen drowning, but surviving, his mother having a seizure and dying underwater. He works in engineering developments around the lake, is obsessed with trying to understand his mother’s illness and seizures, whether the issue is genetic, meetings with his father, accosting a doctor in the parking lot, having all the charts concerning his mother.

The film drama changes, the tone changes when the stepsister, Anna disappears. One can say that the rest of the film is taken up with the people of Karnak searching for Anna, Elly becoming more desperate. And, Paris adventures more into the interiors of the lake, discovering its mysteries, sometimes overwhelmed.

Which is the time for a review to end, and googling indicates that practically all reviewers respect the issue of not giving spoilers. Because, while the first part seems ordinary, the change of tone in the middle of the film means that audiences are watching a film and its development that they might never have anticipated.

1. The title, the focus on the lake, the visuals of the lake, vast, warranty, in flood, dryer, the mud, the foliage in the shade, engineering, bridge, the dam? Atmosphere?
2. Filming at the actual lake and in the town of Karnak? The city the visuals of the town, shops, supermarket, streets, the home, engineering sites, atmosphere? The musical score?
3. The mystery of the plot? Not revealing spoilers? The complexities?
4. The first part of the film, ordinary, introduction to Ali and her life, introduction to Paris and his concern about his mother? Having the lake in common? Ordinary human dramas? The disappearance of Anna? The change in the tone of the film, the structure, the interconnections of the times, the experiences? Mystery? Satisfying explanations – or not?
5. Ellie’s story, her mother, the disappearance of her father, and willing to be absorbed into the new family, antagonism with Daniel, the outbursts against her mother, her devotion to Anna, sharing with her, the shopping, the driving of the boat? Scenes at home? And is disappearance and the effect on her? Her own life, age, assertive, staying with Claire? The phone call and the disappearance? Change, her searching, the reactions of the town and the people, her becoming more desperate? The disappearances of the boats?
6. Paris and his story, the opening, underwater, his mother, the seizure, her death, his blaming himself? Years passing, his having all his mother’s records, checking them out, accosting the doctor in the parking lot, the discussions with his father? His mother’s illness, explanations, genetic or not, his trembling hand? The behaviour of his father, meetings, discussions? His work, the engineering, the fellow workers? The eerie atmosphere of the woods and the lake? His venturing out?
7. The supporting characters, Paris and the return of his girlfriend, the relationship, the discussions, his distancing her?
8. The supporting characters, Ellie, the family gathering, the tensions, the arguments? The sheriff, the townspeople searching for an?
9. The mystery of the lake, light and darkness, tortures and daylight, passing through certain areas, the effect on the ear, the resounding echoes, the effect, time change? Ellie and the rope to anchor her trip, the boat, the search, the rope cut?
10. Paris, the walls, the search, finding and wounded, carrying her, the past, the workers, suspicions, taking her away?
11. Anna, Julie finding her, taking her home?
12. Paris and the past, the future, his injuries, in the hospital, observing, the escape, stealing the car, the pursuit, diving into the River? The final encounter with his father?
13. Ellie, the past, the search, the encounter with Celeste, the news about Paris? At the computer, the googling, the information, with her mother, the truth about Paris?
14. The complexities of time, different dimensions, movement, influence of the past, the complexity of the relationships?