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The colors are starting to hit their stride in the Wood River and Salmon River basin. Are you stopping for a moment in your highly important and very busy day to take in what is changing around you?
The North Entrance to the Valley Club and Jeff’s home in the Wood River Valley of Idaho
By rule the Trip films starring Steve Coogan (Night At The Museum, Ruby Sparks, Philomena) and Rob Brydon (The Huntsmen, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,) should be losing their luster and steam – from an enjoyability perspective. Not a chance. The Trip to Spain is arguably the best of the three. As Producer, Director, and Writer of all the Trips Michael Winterbottom hits his stride with A Trip To Spain. Similar to the other films A Trip to Spain navigates magically through the real Googan and Brydon playing themselves and their movie script alter egos in a six part road trip that is supposedly occurring to facilitate a food and travel piece underwritten by the New York Times and London Observer. The real Coogan and Brydon are the best of the best Observational Stand-Up Comic’s and Impersonators in the industry. Their bits in this film are music to the ears and a feast to the mind. As for their movie script alter ego’s, Coogan is the insincere, selfish, ultra defensive entertainer when women or business are involved. Brydon is the enjoying life to its fullest, family man and deferential second-banana. The Trip to Spain while wonderfully topical and informational it also provides a dose of highly believable melancholy. Favorite Scene: A quality background history lesson about the implication of the Moor’s on Spain as told by Coogan to some table-mates while sitting at a magnificent sea-side restaurant with full running commentary by Brydon’s version of Roger Moore on the side. The scenery, send ups and food are fantastic in The Trip to Spain.
Can the Actuarial’s of Hollywood be deceived and let an honest and serious film get by them and be released outside of the time period designated for Art Films to be considered at Oscar time? I think so, at least I do after watching the film Wind River. Wind River is written and directed by Taylor Sherdian (Hell and High Water, Sicario) and stars Jeremy Renner (Avengers, The Town, Mission Impossible, American Hustle, Bourne Legacy) and Elizabeth Olsen (Avengers, Captain America, Ingird Goes West). The easy thing would be to take a pass on a viewing of this film if you judge it by the typical typecasting of these three. Sheridan; the male T.V. Series hunk for the ladies. Renner; the angry loose cannon (i.e., The Town, The Hurt Locker) and Olsen; the sister of the long ago T.V. Star Twins. Yes, those credits are correct. However these three have demonstrated for some time they are top-level artists who have figured out how to navigate commercial Hollywood so as allow them the flexibility to be associated and involved with more intriguing fair. Wind River is not a downer of a film. However, it is somber and thought provoking. What you think happened or is going to happen – likely is not the case. Will you feel cheated when you learn the details? No, because the signals were present all the time. Be patient and watch to the very end. Notes from a Location Geek: There is nothing more demanding than a location shoot that is to depict the outdoors at elevation in the winter-time. It is tough to present -6 degrees in the mountains as it really looks and feels. Wind River is not bad on this front, but not perfect. Ask back-to-back-to-back Academy Award Winner for Cinematography Emanuel Luzbeski (2014 Gravity, 2015 Birdman, The Revenent 2016). He did not even win the AA for his best work: Children of Men (2012) or A Little Princess (1996). |
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