Sunday 3 June 2018

Joe Versus the Volcano (1990 John Patrick Shanley)

I sense that Shanley is not quite sure of himself as a director, for example in very wide shot of dog near the beginning and in some of the framing. However it's a refreshingly different and original film which was not widely praised at all on release. Like Blimp it has one actress playing three different women - Meg's very good, as is Hanks.





I noticed that shape - the logo and pathway to the horrible company - a sort of jagged lightning bolt - recurs throughout.

With Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Abe Vigoda, Dan Hedaya (love his circular phone conversations), Ossie Davis (the 1997 version of Twelve Angry Men, I'm Not Rappaport).

It's beautifully designed by Bo Welch (A Little Princess, Edward Scissorhands) and shot by Lethal Weapon's Stephen Goldblatt (in Panavision).

Shanley hasn't done much of note lately though the Streep / Hoffman Doubt (2008) was his. Must watch that again some time.

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