ALEXANDER PAYNE

ALEXANDER PAYNE

(underrated master mind)

Most likely one of the most brilliant, original, visionary and most of all, underrated filmmakers working in independent cinema today. I have always been a huge fan of Alexander Payne and I truly do not think he gets any of the credit he really deserves.

I first got turned onto Payne with his second feature film in 1999 called Election, starring Matthew Broderick in a very different role than most of his characters. And a tremendous young rising Reese Witherspoon as extreme over achiever, Tracy Flick, who will do anything to get ahead in life. The film centered on Jim McAllister (Broderick) who has a pretty good life. He has a caring wife, a job he loves, and an all around positive attitude. However, his life starts to get quite complicated once the school's election starts to come up. The film was based on a novel by Tom Perotta, who also wrote the novel for 2006's Little Children, directed by Todd Field.

Now many screenwriters seem to find working with someone else a challenge when creating a story, however, Payne always seems to impress us and work beautifully with his writing partner of 14 years, Jim Taylor.

Their first collaboration was 1996's Citizen Ruth, starring Laura Dern in an excellent performance as a drug addict who is going on her fourth abortion. Citizen Ruth was also the first and only film that Payne and Taylor DID NOT adapt from a novel.

Beginning with Election, every film Payne has directed was adapted from a novel, including his next anticipated film, The Descendants, with George Clooney and Matthew Lilliard, set to be released sometime in 2011.

Payne is an incredible visionary and is constantly overlooked by other indy tycoons such as Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. However, I strongly believe that Payne is far better than both of them combined. People are only brainwashed to automatically believe that Baumbach and Anderson are far better only because they throw out a film almost every year and their films are marketed like crazy. And not all of them are very good. Payne, on the other hand, gives birth to a sheer masterpiece everytime he shoots a picture. He also makes a film every few years, much to the style of Adrian Lyne or Terry Malick.

Sideways was the next film I watched several years after I saw Election, and this film just absolutely blew me away. I even marked it as the best film of 2004 in my 'Best of the Last Decade' blog entry. I was able to catch it in the theatres at this local cinema near my fathers house in Chatham, New Jersey. The cinema only played one film a month, and at the time, the film was Sideways. Based on the novel by Rex Pickett, the film revolved around two middle aged men. One, a successful commercial/soap opera actor named Jack, the other a lonely, depressed wine aficionado divorcee named Miles, who take a road trip to wine country in California for one last hurrah before Jack gets married. The film was so beautifully shot (cinematography by Phedon Papamichael, who is also working on The Descendants). There is one specific scene, however, that really reaches out to you. That is the picnic scene between Jack, Miles, Maya, and Jack's new chick on the side, Stephanie (played by Payne's ex-wife, Sandra Oh). It is literally like watching art on screen. It is like one giant portrait. Very similar to Woody Allen's Manhattan, where practically every frame of the film is like a photograph. Election and Sideways are hands down, I think, his most incredible work.

Finally, there is 2002's About Schmidt, with screen legend, Jack Nicholson as Warren Schmidt. A elderly man who recently retires from his job and then have his wife pass away shortly after. He then decides to take a road trip to his daughter's (Hope Davis) wedding and try to convince her not to marry her fiancee (played hysterically by Dermot Mulraney). A character we really have not seen Nicholson ever play. He seems to be always playing these foul mouthed crazies or mobsters, but this was really something special for him to sink his teeth into. It seemed like it could have been Paul Giamatti's character from Sideways in his mid 60s.

What I like about Payne so much is that he takes these actors, that are so used to playing these typical roles and getting typecasted and then throws them into his oddball story and forces them to go an entirely different direction. It's done so nicely that when we finish watching the film, we think to ourselves, "Wow, this actor or actress is really underrated! I can't believe I haven't noticed this person before."

For example, Laura Dern and Burt Reynolds in Citizen Ruth (1996), Matthew Broderick in Election (1999), Hope Davis in About Schmidt (2002), Thomas Hayden Church and Virginia Madsen in Sideways (2004), and hopefully... George Clooney and Matthew Lilliard in The Descendants (2011).

Not many film goers know who Alexander Payne is, but they will someday. He is a true visionary with an original mind and an intense passion for cinema. Its films like Election and Sideways that make me even more passionate for films. I mean, just simple things he does that are just so original and are obvious homages to old classics and are then integrated into a contemporary world we live in today.

For example, the scene in Election, where Broderick automatically feels like he's on top of the world, and all of a sudden he's driving with sunglasses and a cigarette in a convertible shouting "Cao" to ladies behind him. Something right out of a Fellini film. We are then shifted into his perspective in the car driving into the mundane school's parking lot, but the mood is still there of being in an Italian paradise. He pulls into the parking space, the door opens, his foot gets out to stomp on the ground, and then the music shuts off abruptly and we are right back into the real world, as his plain brown shoe hits the pavement. I may not be describing this well, but trust me, this scene is brilliant. That's just one of many examples of how Payne cuts his films.

If you have never heard of Alexander Payne, sign up for netflix, or go to your local DVD store and pick up all of his films!!! You will not be disappointed. He is this underground sensation who is very private, but his films are magnificent. I mean, Chris Klein's first film was Election!

Payne brings something for everyone. Great homages to classic American and Foreign filmmakers, original material, relatable characters, authentic performances, and even something for a younger generation. MTV produced Election, so there you go.

Payne is an outstanding artist and is really someone aspiring filmmakers, such as I, should study up on.


KUHINJA: Interview with Payne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCGohBJSMyg





ALEXANDER PAYNE'S FILMS:


1. Fork in the Road (pre-production)
2. The Descendants (post-production)
3. Paris, je t'aime (2006)
(segment: 14e arrondissement)
3. Sideways (2004)
4. About Schmidt (2002)
5. Election (1999)
6. Citizen Ruth (1996)
7. The Passion of Martin (1991)
8. Carmen (1985)






Sincerely,


FILMBOY,
- Chris von Hoffmann






ENTRY QUOTE:


"I believe that perfection handicaps cinema." - Jean Renoir