Displaying items by tag: George Clooney

WOLFS

US, 2024, 98 minutes, Colour.

George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams.

Directed by Jon Watts.

Something of a surprise to find that a film with these two stars missed out on cinema release and sent straight to streaming. Not that it is a great film or anything like that, but it is the kind of film that audiences do enjoy.

Audiences who relished performances by George Clooney and by Brad Pitt over the decades, especially enjoying their work together in the Oceans 11, 12, 13 thrillers. They play off each other very well indeed – though, checking on ages, it is a bit of a surprise to find that the always boyish looking Brad Pitt is only two years younger than George Clooney.

The film opens with a compromising situation, a district attorney who is strong on moral standards (a glimpse of a poster of her claiming this during the film) has gone with a young man up to a hotel suite for a rendezvous, but, in his leaping excitedly on the bed, falls and hits his head. She has a phone number and calls it. No answer. Then a phone call back and the promise of one of those “cleaners” who come into work their magic to remove all traces in dire situations. He arrives. George Clooney.

And, then, who should arrive but another cleaner, Brad Pitt, employed by the management of the hotel. Then begins professional competition, a rivalry in techniques, claims of superiority – but they having to work together to remedy the situation. (And the audience themselves getting quite a few tips how to wrap a corpse and a carpet, hangers on one of those clothing trolleys, Tippett into the boot of the car!)

And since this all happens early in the film, where will it now go? Actually, the young man has a bag full of drugs which leads to all kinds of complications, tracking down the dealers, discovering at a wedding celebration Eastern European gangsters for whom each of them worked (and a comic situation at a wedding ceremony where they have to pretend to be at war with each other, guns drawn, in order to escape). It is that kind of scenario.

The other complication is the young man is not dead at all, and they have to use him to recover his pager from the bar where the wedding party is being held, to get him to go in with the drugs, the danger of his death from the dealers – or from Clooney himself.

As well that ends well, especially if the film is successful and there is a call for the Wolfs to be hired for another job.

1. George Clooney, Brad Pitt? Audience anticipation? The screen personalities, working with each other, from each other?
2. The New York settings, the hotels and hotel rooms, the streets, the marriage celebration lavish, seedy situations for drug dealers? The musical score, the range of songs – Smooth Operator?
3. The initial situation, the woman in the room, the body on the floor, getting her bag, splashed with blood? The phone call, the return call, the interrogation? The cleaner turning up, his personality, unsmiling, efficient? The knock on the door, the second cleaner, his appearance, similarities, assured, the setting up of confrontation between the two?
4. The theme throughout the film, the similarities, dissimilarities, competitive, suspicious, individualist, give-and-take, rivalries? The George Clooney-Brad Pitt interactions?

The situation in the hotel room, the woman as an Assistant District Attorney, the glimpse of her poster during the film advocating morality? Her shock, the story, the bar, the young man, in the room, his jumping on the bed, hitting his head, the assumption that he was dead? The two cleaners, the clothes, getting her to her daughter, covering the situation, sending her home?

5. The reality of the surveillance camera – and the sequence of the credits, the playing of this footage? And who had it?
6. The manager of the hotel, the control, advice? The rivalry, Margaret’s man and his techniques for turning the body, wrapping it, putting it in the stand? Out into the corridor, the elevator, making the surveillance cameras, the technique of getting it into the boot of the car?
7. The discovery of the drugs, further complications? The irony that the young man was not dead, punched, quiet?
8. The development of the situation with the young man, the drugs, taking into the mutual friend, her handling the situation, the irony that she knew both of them, their reactions?
9. Speculation about the drugs and their origins? The various gangs?
10. The young man, getting out of the car, the chase, the long chase sequence, the running, the driving, his derring-do, finally caught?
11. The issue of the drugs, his explanation of his situation, studies, exams, his friend, the drugs, experimenting, going up to the room, the accident? The issue of the pager at the bar?
12. Going to the wedding celebration, the young man going to the bar, the issue with the pager, his being evicted? The cleaners, caught up in the dance, the guns and their performance, the bluff, the fear that they would be killed because of their knowledge?
13. The finale, going to the rendezvous, the various gangs, their car being shot up, the dead coming out of the building, their going in, finding the young man, the thought of killing him, not doing it, the other cleaner firing into the drugs, leaving a more credible situation?
14. The two, taking the young man home, the talk with his father?
15. The finale, the gunmen and their threats, the end?

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT

US, 2023, 123 minutes, Colour.

Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, Peter Guinness, Sam Strike, Hadley Robinson.

Directed by George Clooney.

An enjoyable film, based on actual characters and events, a sports film, a film of training, competitiveness, achievement, better aspects of the human spirit.

And, behind the camera is George Clooney, who has directed quite a number of successful films, who has star power, and who is involved very much in human rights issues.

This is 1936, Washington state, University of Seattle. But, the US is still suffering the consequences of the Depression, lack of job opportunities, makeshift townships, hunger, low self-esteem… In this context, we are introduced to a young man, Joe Rantz (British actor, Callum Turner), whose mother has died, whose father has abandoned him when he was 14, trying to manage to get casual work, living in a makeshift Depression town, but also trying to study at the University, engineering. A friend mentions to him that the coach of the University rowing team is looking for oarsmen. Joe feels there could be some financial advantage and goes to audition, to participate in the extraordinarily rigorous training and exercise, and eventually chosen as one of the team eight.

While there is some personal story for Joe, a sad encounter with his father, friendship with a fellow student, Joyce (Hadley Robinson), he becomes more and more committed to the training, his role in the eight, and the buildup to a competitive race.

The rowing coach is played by Joel Edgerton, now something of a senior citizen in his roles, stern, plainspoken, rarely smiling, a former rower, but skilled in techniques, in the demands on his men, evaluating their positions in the boat, the screenplay explaining for viewers the role of each man, but, especially the role of the Cox, his overview, his ability to engage the progress of competing boats, and, in this case, a cheeky interpretation of regulations and encouragement of the rowers.

A significant character is George, the boatbuilder, played by British Peter Guinness, who becomes a father-figure and guiding hand in Joe’s character development and sports skill.

We know that the Washington team is going to succeed locally, then in the American final, and be selected for the competition at the Berlin Olympics. There are complications when the rowing establishment tells Washington that there is not enough money to send the team to Berlin. What follows is a week of appeals and donations, and a glimpse of Joe’s father donating as Well Is listening to the radio race commentary, generous gesture from a rival that enables them to go to Berlin.

There is mention earlier of Jesse Owens. And, as the American team waits to march into the arena, there is a brief conversation with Jesse Owens who tells his white fellow-athletes, that he is trying to achieve for his people back home. And, perhaps we remember that Hitler was not impressed. And, there is a scene where Hitler comes to watch the rowing, a literal photo finish between three boats, and his leaving in a huff when the American victory is announced.

We might say that the film is formulaic as a sports film with final achievement. But, with George Clooney’s sensibility and the talent in front of and behind the camera, why not? And, it is definitely a feel-good film.

1. True story? Audience awareness or not?
2. The Olympics in Berlin, the atmosphere of the 1930s, Hitler, Nazism? The Olympic Games, the US not saluting? The presence of Jesse Owens?
3. The sports film, using the formula, memories, the participants, the coach, the rowers? The choices, the strict and hard training, personal ups and downs, the achievement?
4. 1936, Seattle, the University of Washington, the late for the rolling, the sequence at Poughkeepsie? Berlin, the Nazi buildings, flags, the stadium, the games? The musical score?
5. The framework, the grandfather, watching his son, peeling the apple, memories, the grandson getting lost, helping? The heritage?
6. The focus on Joe Rantz, his background story, his mother’s death, father leaving, age 14, the Depression, lack of jobs, the Depression village and its poverty, hunger and lining up for food, no money, the hole in his booted newspaper, his studying engineering, the lectures, friendship with Roger, the attraction to Joyce, his quality of life, motivation, to raise money, sense of rejection and quitting?
7. The coach, not smiling, relationship with his wife, past roller, his abilities, auditioning the men, Joe asking about the payment? The strict coaching, plainspoken, the work with the other coaches, the other authorities, the possibility for going to Berlin, the hostile attitudes, the issue of raising money?
8. The collage of training sequences, close-ups, hard, exercises, rowing? The coach advising there was no shame in not being selected, because of the effort? The selection, the nature of the teams, the different places and tasks, the dormitories, the better clothes for those chosen?
9. Joe seeing his father, their talk, his anger, the father’s explanation, leaving? The father listening on the radio to the races, giving the donation and Joyce seeing him?
10. The buildup to the race, the rivals, practices, the crowds, the train going past the rowers? Everybody watching? The effort, the strategy, winning?
11. The joy and exhilaration, the teams, the coaches?
12. Going to Poughkeepsie, the rivalry, the tactics, the Cox? Winning, going to Berlin, the issue of finance the appeal, the collection of money, the donations, the final gesture from the growing coach?
13. Joyce, her friends, studying, the attraction to Joe, time together, the socials, in the dormitory, at the station, the brusque farewell, his return to kiss her?
14. Berlin, the joy, the pomp, the games, the character of Dan, always silent, yet playing the piano? His illness, the treatment? In the preliminary? His effort, the Cox urging him on?
15. The character of the Cox, cocky, cheeky, the trust of the coach, his skills, decisions, defying the coach, singing the song to encourage Dan?
16. Hitler, his presence at the games, his walking out as the Americans won?
17. A sports film, a film of achievement, American sports history?