Review: "HELLRAISER III: Hell on Earth" Raises Fresh Hell

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 59 of 2022 (No. 1871) by Leroy Douresseaux

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
Running time:  93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and sexuality, and for language
DIRECTOR:  Anthony Hickox
WRITERS:  Peter Atkins; from a story by Peter Atkins and Tony Randel (based on the characters created by Clive Barker)
PRODUCER:  Lawrence Mortorff
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Gerry Lively (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  James D.R. Hickox and Christopher Cibelli (supervising film editor)
COMPOSER:  Randy Miller

HORROR/FANTASY

Starring:  Terry Farrell, Doug Bradley, Paula Marshall, Kevin Bernhardt, Ken Carpenter, Peter Atkins, Peter G. Boynton, and Ashley Laurence

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is a 1992 supernatural horror and dark fantasy film directed by Anthony Hickox.  The film is based on characters and concepts taken from the 1986 novella, “The Hellbound Heart,” which was written by Clive Barker, who is the executive producer of this film.  Hell on Earth is also the third film in the Hellraiser film franchise.  Hellraiser III focuses on a young reporter who finds herself taking on the most powerful of the Cenobites.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth opens in the wake of the incidents depicted in Hellbound: Hellraiser II.  The Cenobite (demon) called “Pinhead” (Doug Bradley) has been split into two entities:  his former human self, World War I British Army Captain Elliot Spencer (Doug Bradley) and the manifestation of Spencer's id that has taken on the form of Pinhead.

In modern day New York City, J.P. Monroe (Kevin Bernhardt) visits the “Pyramid Gallery,” a creepy art gallery where he buys an intricately carved pillar, “the Pillar of Souls,” which depicts writhing figures and distorted faces etched into its surface.  J.P. installs the pillar at his popular nightclub, “The Boiler Room.” What Monroe does not know is that Pinhead is one of the figures trapped in the pillar, along with one of those puzzle boxes used to summon the Cenobites.

Meanwhile, Joanne “Joey” Summerskill (Terry Farrell), an ambitious young television reporter, is struggling to get respect and attention at the station for which she works, Channel 8.  However, an incident at a local hospital brings her into contact with Terri (Paula Marshall), a young homeless woman who has had a relationship with J.P. Monroe.  As Joey delves deeper into the the hospital incident, she learns that Terri has a puzzle box in her possession.  Now, the box is diving into Joey's dreams.  Trapped in limbo, Elliot Spencer needs Joey's help, because he is depending on her to send Pinhead and his new Cenobites back to Hell.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is a direct sequel to the second film in the series, Hellbound: Hellraiser II.  That surprised me, as I have only seen Hell on Earth once, and that was when it was first release to theaters – 30 years ago!  I remember not liking it, but now, I can honestly say that Hellraiser III is much better than Hellraiser II.

The third film was the first to be filmed in the United States (specifically North Carolina), and it is more action-oriented than the previous films, including the original, Hellraiser (1987).  Hell on Earth also emphasizes that the Cenobites are denizens of Hell and are demons.  Previously, the Cenobites' “home” was a dimension called “Labyrinth,” and they could be angels or demons – depending upon the point of view.  The third film also has something the first two films did not have – a thumbing soundtrack full of good rock and heavy metal music.

The film has some interesting characters, especially the human characters:  Joey, Terri, and J.P., but it really does not do much with them.  As Joey, Terry Farrell does her best with weak character material, and Kevin Bernhardt adds a jolt to the film as the arrogant womanizer, J.P.  Doug Bradley does his best work in his dual role as Pinhead and as Capt. Elliot Spencer.  If there were ever any doubt, Hellraiser III makes it clear that Pinhead is the true star of this franchise, although Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence), who makes a cameo here, is the film's “other star.”

To this day, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is the last film in the series that I have seen.  When I originally saw it, I did not care for it, and it finished the series for me.  Three decades later, I like it, and I really like the new Cenobites.  We are awaiting the debut of the franchise reboot, entitled Hellraiser, in early October 2022 on the streaming service, Hulu.  So, I feel comfortable recommending the heavy metal Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth for those interested in the original movies.

6 of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars

Monday, October 3, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: The "Candyman" Can... Still Scare

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 132 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Candyman (1992)
Running time:  98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Bernard Rose
WRITER:  Bernard Rose (based upon the story “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker)
PRODUCERS:  Steve Golin, Sigurjon Sighvatsson, and Alan Poul
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Anthony B. Richmond, B.S.C.
EDITOR:  Dan Rae
COMPOSER:  Philip Glass

HORROR/THRILLER with elements of fantasy and mystery

Starring:  Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons, Vanessa Williams, and DeJuan Guy

The subject of this movie review is Candyman, a 1992 horror film from director Bernard Rose.  The film is an adaptation of “The Forbidden,” a short story by Clive Barker that first appeared in Barker’s short story collection, Books of Blood Volume 5 (published in the United States as In the Flesh).  Candyman tells the story of a grad student who is skeptical of stories about a local boogeyman until the boogeyman attacks her.

Stand in front of a mirror and say his name five times, and Candyman (Tony Todd) will appear behind you.  When someone calls his name, Candyman usually arrives to gut his caller from groin to gullet, but it’s all a children’s ghost story – an urban legend to scare the simpleminded.  That’s what Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen), a Chicago-based graduate student, believes when she comes across the tale of Candyman while doing research for her thesis on modern folklore.

However, when she hears that Candyman haunts Chicago’s notorious Cabrini Green projects, Helen thinks that she has a new angle for the thesis upon which she is working with her partner, Bernadette “Bernie” Walsh (Kasi Lemmons).  Still, Helen can’t really accept that Candyman exists.  Her actions and investigations also lead to an arrest that seems to put the Candyman tales to rest… until the legend himself appears and ignites a series of gruesome and bloody murders for which Helen gets the blame.

Thirteen years before earning the Oscar nomination that would revive her career (for 2004’s Sideways), Virginia Madsen was a scream queen – the heroine in a now-cult favorite horror movie entitled Candyman.  Based upon legendary horror/fantasy writer, Clive Barker’s, tale “The Forbidden,” Candyman took the unusual narrative approach that the final result of the film had to be that the heroine, in this case Helen Lyle, die in order to save the day.  Not only is Helen fighting a monster, but she’s also fighting a story that wants her dead.  Madsen was perfect as the doe-eyed beauty who swoons from one scene to the next, her plump, semi-Rubenesque body awaiting the fearsome savagery of Candyman’s hook.

Writer/director Bernard Rose (who would go on to direct Immortal Beloved, with Gary Oldman) moved the action from the housing projects of Liverpool, the original setting of Barker’s tale, to Chicago’s then-40-year old, decaying housing projects, Cabrini Green.  Rose’s choice was an excellent one, as he was able to make Cabrini an even more darkly mysterious setting for chills and thrills as good as any haunted house.  Rose makes the first half of the film a quietly, chilling suspense thriller, but he transforms the second half of the film into a dreamy and trippy dark horror/fantasy that only stumbles a little as it waltzes to the end.

The film also features a small role by Kasi Lemmons, who would make a name for herself in Hollywood as both a script doctor and as a director with the acclaimed, independent film hit, Eve’s Bayou.  Tony Todd became something of a horror movie/sci-fi cult actor (kinda like Bruce Campbell) appearing in episodes of “Stargate:  SG-1,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine” and also in the Final Destination horror film franchise.  Here, Ms. Madsen, Ms. Lemmons, Todd, and Rose put together a small, mesmerizing horror treat that bears many repeat viewings.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, August 22, 2005

Updated:  Sunday, October 13, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: McDonnell, Woodard Shine in "Passion Fish" (Happy B'day, Mary McDonnell)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Passion Fish (1992)
Running time: 135 minutes (2 hours, 15 minutes)
MPAA – R
EDITOR/WRITER/DIRECTOR: John Sayles
PRODUCERS: Sarah Green and Maggie Renzi
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roger Deakins
COMPOSER: Mason Daring
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA

Starring: Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, David Strathairn, Lenore Banks, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Nora Dunn, Angela Bassett, Mary Portser, and Will Mahoney

The subject of this movie review is Passion Fish, a 1992 drama from writer-director John Sayles. The film tells the story of a paralyzed soap opera actress and the bond she forms with one of her nurses.

Some would decry that Passion Fish, like most John Sayles films (Matewan, Eight Men Out), lacks precisely that: passion. The truth is that John Sayles films eschew the emotional histrionics that so many filmmakers mistake for emotional honesty. Plus, many directors (American directors are afflicted with this curse) probably think that you have to turn of the intensity to capture the attentions of a jaded audience. Besides, the word “passion” is not a lone adjective in the title, but half of a whole that describes the film’s central theme.

Mary-Alice Culhane (Mary McDonnell, Dances with Wolves), a popular soap opera actress, is left paralyzed and wheel chair bound after a car accident. She returns to her Louisiana childhood home where she runs through a succession of nurses until she meets the fiery Chantelle (Alfre Woodard, Grand Canyon), who is running from her own debilitating sickness. Together, they traverse the narrow road and rough terrain of healing, because, in the end, they are alike and really need each other. In the meantime, they also both find new male friends and companions. Mary attaches to an old-fashioned Cajun (Sayles veteran David Strathairn, City of Hope) and Chantelle to a black Cowboy (Vondie Curtin-Hall, Die Hard 2).

Sayles directs this film with deliberate slowness, a languid pace that mirrors Passion Fish’s sultry and humid setting. He gives his cast a chance to slip into the skins of their roles, and there is a pay off – believable performances and characters that feel right in their environments. His script is full of his sharp wit and his lush and rich dialogue, for which he has deft ear.

The performances are excellent. Although Ms. McDonnell alone earned an Academy Award nomination for performance, Ms. Woodard turns in an exemplary performance as Chantelle, desperately fighting her addiction and desperate to reclaim her child. As a duo, they subtly draw us into their lives, and we can’t help but leave a part of ourselves with them as they chose to remain together – forever or for as long as it takes them to heal.

I can’t stress enough how Sayles builds this movie on good acting and a strong story. For those who like strong characters with which one can identify, this movie has them. Passion Fish is truly a fine film for audiences looking for mature subject matter, and is another delight in the beautiful filmography of a great American independent filmmaker, John Sayles.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1993 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Actress in a Leading Role” (Mary McDonnell) and “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (John Sayles)

1993 Golden Globes, USA: 2 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Mary McDonnell) and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Alfre Woodard)

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Review: "Basic Instinct" is Still a Killer (Happy B'day, Sharon Stone)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 129 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Basic Instinct (1992)
Running time: 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and sensuality and for drug use and language
DIRECTOR: Paul Verhoeven
WRITER: Joe Eszterhas
PRODUCER: Alan Marshall
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jan De Bont, A.S.C.
EDITOR: Frank J. Urioste, A.C.E.
COMPOSER: Jerry Goldsmith
Academy Award nominee

THRILLER/CRIME/MYSTERY

Starring: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Denis Arndt, Leilani Sarelle, Bruce A. Young, Chelcie Ross, Dorothy Malone, Wayne Knight, and Daniel von Bargen

The subject of this movie review is Basic Instinct, a 1992 erotic thriller and mystery film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by the great Joe Eszterhas. The film follows a police detective in charge of the investigation of a brutal murder and a beautiful and seductive woman who could be involved.

Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) is a tough, but vulnerable San Francisco detective – vulnerable because he’s under the watchful eye of Internal Affairs after he’d shot and killed some tourists during a pursuit of suspects. Nick has also complicated his life by having intimate relations with the therapist, Dr. Beth Garner (Jeanne Tripplehorn), his bosses are making him see.

The story begins after a prominent community member is found bound and brutally murdered (stabbed with an ice pick) in his blood-soaked bed. Nick’s life and job get even more convoluted when he and his partner, Gus Moran (George Dzundza), are assigned to be the lead detectives in the case. The prime suspect is Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a cold, calculating, and beautiful novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite. Catherine takes an immediate interest in Nick and delves into his past, but is she using him for reference in her new novel or is she dragging Nick into an even more dangerous game. As the bodies pile up, Nick wonders if a jealous rival of Catherine’s or of his and Catherine’s relationship is out to frame her… and kill him. Or is Catherine behind all the murders?

Basic Instinct was one of the most talked about and controversial movies of 1992. Protests from gay rights groups marred the film’s production shoot after the script was leaked and it was learn that all the murder suspects in the film were lesbian characters. When the film was finally released, Basic Instinct’s explicit sex, tawdry subject matter, and riveting crime plot made it one of the year’s biggest box office hits and the poster child for those who believed sex and violence in Hollywood films had finally crossed too many lines.

But the film was good… no, great. Hot sex, hot girls, beautiful locations in San Francisco and the surrounding area, swanky sets, multiple plausible murder suspects, and a cop nearly out of his mind chasing hot ass – Basic Instinct was and still is a thoroughly delightful adult thriller. Director Paul Verhoeven created a murder mystery in the tradition of films such as Out of the Past and Murder, My Sweet. If Basic Instinct weren’t a color film, it would be a modern Film-Noir classic.

There were good performances all around, and the best were Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone’s. The duo had great screen chemistry, and Ms. Stone played the part for all it was worth, making her a top-billed, highly paid actress for the next few years. Rarely had there been so much sexual tension, distrust, dishonesty, and brazenness between a screen couple that couldn’t stop “being” with one another, and Douglas coolly played the role on the way to solidifying his position as an A-list actor.

One element that was absolutely necessary in making Basic Instinct such a sexy thriller is the Oscar-nominated score (Best Music, Original Score) by the late Jerry Goldsmith (1929-2004). Haunting and alluring, it helps the film capture some of the screen magic of crime films from the golden age of Hollywood. Goldsmith also provided the right musical themes and rhythms to go with Michael and Sharon’s pummel-your-partner love scenes.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1993 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Film Editing” (Frank J. Urioste) and “Best Music, Original Score” (Jerry Goldsmith)

1993 Golden Globes, USA: 2 nominations: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Jerry Goldsmith) and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Sharon Stone)

1992 Cannes Film Festival: 1 nomination: “Palme d'Or” (Jerry Goldsmith)

1993 Razzie Awards: 3 nominations: “Worst Actor” (Michael Douglas, also for Shining Through -1992), “Worst New Star” ("Sharon Stone's 'Tribute to Theodore Cleaver'"), and “Worst Supporting Actress” (Jeanne Tripplehorn)

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Review: "Bram Stoker’s Dracula" Still a Stand-Out Dracula Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Running time: 128 minutes (2 hours, 8 minutes)
MPAA – R for sexuality and horror violence
DIRECTOR: Francis Ford Coppola
WRITER: James V. Hart (based upon the novel by Bram Stoker)
PRODUCERS: Fred Fuchs, Charles Mulvehill, and Francis Ford Coppola
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael Ballhaus
EDITORS: Anne Goursaud, Glen Scantlebury, and Nicholas C. Smith
COMPOSER: Wojciech Kilar
Academy Award winner

HORROR/FANTASY/ROMANCE with elements of drama

Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, Bill Campbell, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits, and Monica Bellucci

The subject of this movie review is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a 1992 vampire movie and Gothic horror film from director Francis Ford Coppola. The film’s screenplay essentially takes the familiar Dracula story and emphasizes romantic and sensual elements. The film’s lavish production values helped it earn many honors, box office success, and some favorable attention from film critics.

Francis Ford Coppola’s lavish and colorful gothic extravaganza, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, is a three-time Academy Award winner. Dazzling, lush, and sensuous, the film affirms Coppola’s place as imaginative and brilliant filmmaker. The film also testifies to the talents of all the cohorts. Eschewing the (then) burgeoning use of computers to add special effects to films, the SFX, cinematographer, makeup, sets artists, and designers used old-fashioned craftsmanship and artistry to create an amazing movie that harks to the past while looking out of this world impossible.

The film’s story is similar to previous adaptations of Bram Stoker’s novel (although most films are actually based on an early 20th century stage version of Stoker’s novel than the novel itself), but the attraction here is the visual interpretation. Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves), a young lawyer, travels to into the gloomy misty land of Eastern Europe, Transylvania, to meet a mysterious client, Count Dracula (Gary Oldman), who is buying several tracts of property in London. Dracula, a vampire, later imprisons Harker when he discovers that Mina Murray (Winona Ryder), Harker’s fiancée, exactly resembles is late human wife, Elisabeta (Ms. Ryder), who killed herself centuries ago. Dracula travels in secret to London where he seduces and drains the life out of Mina’s friend, Lucy Westenra (Sadie Frost). However, the cautious Dr. Jack Seward (Richard E. Grant) summons his old mentor, Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins) who immediately recognizes Lucy’s ailment and subsequent death as the work of a vampire. Van Helsing gathers Lucy’s friends to destroy Dracula, but the undead count has in eyes on Mina, and she, surprisingly, as her eyes on him.

The film is very entertaining, a stunning visual treat, and a unique horror film that hypnotizes you into watching it over and over again. Gary Oldman is one of the best screen Dracula’s ever; he is magnificent and alluring, but also fearsome and awe-inspiring. Winona Ryder is simultaneously demure and spirited as the brave Mina who is also secretly a naughty girl. The rest of the cast is mostly hit or miss. Anthony Hopkins gives a mostly annoying performance as Van Helsing, in which he only occasionally makes the character the brave and resolute leader he was in the original novel. Keanu Reeves is wooden, stiff, and nearly undead himself as Jonathan Harker. How could Mina not choose an undead monster with romantic inclinations over a pebble like Reeves’ Harker. The rest of the cast is functional and has its moments. The attraction here is the amazing work of Coppola and his filmmaking crew, as well as the screen duo of Oldman and Ms. Ryder; they’re the reasons you see this film.

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
1993 Academy Awards: 3 wins: “Best Costume Design” (Eiko Ishioka), “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Tom C. McCarthy and David E. Stone), and “Best Makeup” (Greg Cannom, Michèle Burke, and Matthew W. Mungle); 1 nomination: “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Thomas E. Sanders and Garrett Lewis)

1994 BAFTA Awards: 4 nominations: “Best Costume Design” (Eiko Ishioka), “Best Make Up Artist” (Greg Cannom, Michèle Burke, and Matthew W. Mungle), “Best Production Design” (Thomas E. Sanders), and “Best Special Effects” (Roman Coppola, Gary Gutierrez, Michael Lantieri, and Gene Warren Jr.)

Review: Visually Splendid "Batman Returns" is not Wholly Splendid

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Batman Returns (1992)
Running time: 126 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
WRITERS: Daniel Waters; from a story by Sam Hamm and Daniel Waters (based upon the Batman characters created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger)
PRODUCERS: Denise Di Novi and Burton
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stefan Czapsky
EDITORS: Bob Badami and Chris Lebenzon
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman
Academy Award nominee

SUPERHERO/CRIME/ROMANCE with elements of action

Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Michael Murphy, Pat Hingle, Vincent Schiavelli, Paul Reubens, and Diane Salinger

The subject of this movie review is Batman Returns, a 1992 superhero film directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as Batman/Bruce Wayne. It is a sequel to the 1989 film, Batman, which was also directed by Burton.

When The Penguin (Danny DeVito) rises from the sewers of Gotham City, Batman (Michael Keaton) must battle him and as nefarious cohorts, the conniving industrialist Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) and the feminist empowered Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), as they help Penguin run a very popular candidate in the Gotham mayoral race.

Unlike his first Batman film, Tim Burton had more control over Batman Returns, and it’s quite obvious. Stylistically, Batman Returns is closer to Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands than Batman is, which was Burton’s first film after Beetlejuice. However, Batman Returns has more rank humor than the original, and the sexual innuendo ranges from juvenile to forced. Batman was sly and occasionally witty; it was dark but not morbid as Returns is.

Still, the combination of Burton and screenwriter Daniel Waters (a writer with a darkly humorous and imaginative sense) create a Batman film like no other. This one is a dark fairytale immersed in issues of identity, empowerment, abandonment, class privilege, social and gender discrimination, and sexual politics. The story has a lot of nice ideas, maybe too many. It flits from one to the other, leaving one half developed or dismissed, only to be cobbled up later and still make little sense. It’s as if Batman Returns needed a rewrite or received too many in an attempt to make it less complicated and more like the summer blockbuster geared towards selling merchandise that it was supposed to be.

I like it more now than I did when I first saw it in 1992, when I thought it was an over produced mess; now I think it’s over produced and a bit messy. The production designs of Bo Welch (Beetlejuice), art decoration by Rick Heinrichs, and set decoration by Cheryl Carasik look beautiful and exquisite, everything from the abandoned zoo to Gotham’s many store fronts, each one of them decorated for the Christmas season. The cinematography by Stefan Czapsky (He would later shoot Burton’s masterpiece Ed Wood) is drenched in gorgeous blues, luminous white light, and slinky shadows that cover the town like sensuous drapery. Batman Returns looks like a children’s storybook painted by a master.

But in the end, Batman Returns is clunky in spirit and execution. It doesn’t flow or have a rhythm, and the acting is also too hit or miss. That goes for everyone, especially the villains. Burton publicly acknowledged not really caring for the Batman character, and it shows. For much of his film, the hero is an afterthought or merely window dressing, only there because the studio demands it. How else can you sell Batcrap if Batman’s not in the movie. Oh, well. I’ll look at this as a beautiful misfire and a brilliant mistake. I’ll watch it again, if only to pine away at what could have been.

5 of 10
B-

NOTES:
1993 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Michael L. Fink, Craig Barron, John Bruno, and Dennis Skotak) and “Best Makeup” (Ve Neill, Ronnie Specter, and Stan Winston)

1993 BAFTA Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Make Up Artist” (Ve Neill and Stan Winston) and “Best Special Effects” (Michael L. Fink, John Bruno, Craig Barronm, and Dennis Skotak)

1993 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst Supporting Actor” (Danny DeVito)

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Review: "Sneakers" Has a Winning Ensemble Cast (Happy B'day, Sidney Poitier)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 113 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


Sneakers (1992)
Running time: 125 minutes (2 hours, 5 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13
DIRECTOR: Phil Alden Robinson
WRITERS: Phil Alden Robinson and Lawrence Lasker and Walter E. Parkes
PRODUCERS: Lawrence Lasker and Walter E. Parkes
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Lindley
EDITOR: Tom Rolf, A.C.E.

CRIME/COMEDY/THRILLER with elements of action and drama

Starring: Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, David Strathairn, Timothy Busfield, Eddie Jones, Donal Logue, and James Earl Jones

Computer expert Martin Bishop (Robert Redford) heads a team of renegade hackers: a former CIA employee, Donald Crease (Sidney Poitier); a gadgets wizard who goes by the name "Mother" (Dan Aykroyd); a young genius named Carl Arbegast (River Phoenix); and a blind soundman, Erwin Emory, who goes by the name “Whistler” (David Strathairn); they are “sneakers,” routinely hired to test security systems for places that don’t need to get broken into or hacked into, such as a bank. Bishop’s past comes back to haunt him when two men claiming to represent the NSA (National Security Agency) blackmail him into helping them retrieve a “black box.” Along with his former girlfriend, Liz (Mary McDonnell), Bishop’s team steals the box and discovers that it may be able to break into any computer system in the world. Now, Bishop and his team are caught between dangerous factions who would kill for the box, so they must embark on their most dangerous assignment to date.

A combination caper film, mystery, espionage thriller and comedy, Sneakers featured an all-star cast when it debuted in late summer of 1992. The blend of star names (Robert Redford and Dan Aykroyd), legendary film figures (Redford again and Sidney Poitier), acclaimed character actors (Mary McDonnell and David Strathairn), and a young gun (the late River Phoenix) gave something for everyone in the audience. The subject matter may have been a bit over the head of much of the audience at the time. The home computer had not yet come into widespread use, and hackers remained a fringe news item, as most people yet did not realize the growing part computers were playing in their lives, so they didn’t understand the dangers of hackers who could break the encryption codes of security networks. Also, Sneakers is an action-thriller with no hyper-kinetic action scenes, but the film was a hit. It’s an espionage and (ostensible) spy thriller without that razor’s edge of tension a film such as Patriot Games gives the audience.

For me, Sneakers remains a personal favorite. It’s a brilliant (seriously) caper film that uncannily has the perfect mixture of comedy, action, and suspense with all the ingredients measured correctly to a fraction. No one actor really shines; in fact, Redford’s Bishop is an odd action lead, but somehow this works. Chemistry exists here, although it seems that the cast and characters occasionally rub each other the wrong way.

Something else about the film that always stands out for me is James Horner’s score, with Branford Marsalis on alto saxophone (I think). Horner’s sweet compositions with Marsalis delectable sax playing are perfect for comic caper flick. This was another feather in the hat for a unique and highly imaginative film composer who always seemed to create film music that perfectly captured a movie’s tone. A little more than six years later, Horner would finally win two long-deserved Oscars for writing a theme song and scoring Titanic.

Sneakers is a nice look back at what was then new technologies, and it boggles the mind how that new tech inspired three men to make such a film as this. While Sneakers is more an exercise in the caper/heist genre than it is a treatise on the consequences of certain people having unlimited access to private information and the ability to manipulate that info, Sneakers remains a pleasant little treat for those who want something different in their high tech thrillers.

7 of 10
B+

Review: "Bob Roberts" is Timeless and Always Timely (Happy B'day, Tim Robbins)

TRASH IN MY EYE No.170 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Bob Roberts (1992)
Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R for momentary language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Tim Robbins
PRODUCER: Forrest Murray
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jean Lépine
EDITOR: Lisa Churgin
Golden Globe nominee

COMEDY/POLITICAL

Starring: Tim Robbins, Giancarlo Esposito, Ray Wise, Gore Vidal, Alan Rickman, Brian Murray, Harry J. Lennix, Merrilee Dale, Tom Atkins, David Strathairn, Jack Black, Lynne Thigpen, Helen Hunt, Bob Balaban, with John Cusack, Peter Gallagher, Susan Sarandon, James Spader, and Fred Ward

It’s October 1990. A radical folksinger named Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins) becomes a right wing, Pennsylvania senatorial candidate running against an old-school liberal named Senator Brickley Paiste (Gore Vidal). Bugs Raplin (Giancarlo Esposito), radical writer/editor/publisher of the an independent muck-racking newspaper, the Trouble Times, tries to expose Roberts’ alleged ties to the savings and loans scandals and assorted CIA drug-smuggling and gun-running conspiracies of the late 1980’s. British filmmaker, Terry Manchester (Brian Murray), captures this and all the events that follow Roberts’ campaign, in a documentary through which the movie audience follows Bob Roberts’ narrative.

Tim Robbins scathing satirical comedy was probably preaching to the choir and converted in 1992, in particular to moderates, liberals, and leftists frustrated by 12 years of Republicans being in the White House. Still, the film’s blend of campaign antics, singing, music videos, and political scandal made it arguably the best comedy of the year. Robbins performed a rare trick. Wearing three hats: writer, director, and star, he still managed to make the film as much about the American political landscape of the time as it was about Bob Roberts. For all the preaching, the movie is just plain funny, and is in the tradition of that most famous faux documentary film (or “mockumentary”), This is…Spinal Tap. In fact, the film even has a scene that is a sly homage to Spinal Tap (Roberts and his campaign staff wandering through the bowels of a building trying to find their destination).

Robbins, who received a 1996 Golden Globe nomination in the category of “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical,” is brilliant as the reptilian, Bob Roberts, who is the kind of rich man that likes to act as if he’s just an ordinary guy – the common man. He blends folk and populism into a slick huckster that says all the right catchphrases to appeal to wealthy conservatives and also to the middle class and working class white people (and some Uncle Toms) who still chafe over the changes wrought by the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Rights Movement, the anti-Vietnam War protests and other social movements of the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Also quite entertaining are the folk songs, written by Tim and his brother David Robbins (who also composes the film score), which are full of dead-on right wing, ultraconservative, Republican vileness, venom, misinformation, and propaganda. Plus, each diddy has an uncanny ring of truth that in a way appeals even to moderate and liberal sensibilities.

The film also has standout performances by Giancarlo Esposito as a relentless fringe media reporter and Ray Wise as Robbins’ always-on-the-ball and rarely caught off guard campaign handler, Chet MacGregor. Brian Murray provides a steady, soothing voice as the documentary filmmaker/narrator who keeps everything linear and in order so that the audience understands what’s going on. Look for a small gem of a part by Jack Black, as an intense Bob Roberts acolyte. Actually, all the performances have so much verisimilitude that they, along with many others elements of this film, make Bob Roberts uncomfortable to watch. It hits too close to home, and Americans don’t want anyone, including other Americans, pointing out their blemishes, especially when Americans are well aware our dark side – so much so that they’re trying to keep them in the closet, so to speak.

The surprising thing is that 13-years later, this film is still as funny as it was in 1992. In fact, its socio-political commentary (about right wing politics, sound bite political campaigns, slick, ready-for-TV candidates, shadow governments, “illegal” or trumped up foreign wars and covert operations; and slow moving, old school liberal politicians unable get their message to voters or make themselves appealing to voters) is truer today than it was then, making Bob Roberts something rare – a visionary political film both timely and timeless. Even when it becomes surreally bogged in conspiracy towards the end, Bob Roberts keeps it real. It reminds this Louisiana boy too much of the almost successful U.S. senatorial and gubernatorial campaigns of a former Klansman and how popular this racist was at both his and my old alma mater, Louisiana State University.

9 of 10
A+

Monday, November 07, 2005

NOTES:
1993 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical” (Tim Robbins)

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Review: "Mississippi Masala" A Dish That Ages Well (Happy B'day, Mira Nair)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 9 (of 2001) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mississippi Masala (1991/1992)
Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Mira Nair
WRITER: Sooni Taraporevala
PRODUCERS: Mira Nair and Michael Nozik
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Edward Lachman
EDITOR: Roberto Silvi
Image Award winner

DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring: Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury, Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore, Charles Dutton, Jon Seneca, Ranjit Chowdhry, Tico Wells, and Yvette Hawkins

When Edi Amin takes power in Uganda in 1972, Jay (Roshan Seth), a Ugandan of Indian descent takes his wife Kinnu (Sharmila Tagore) and daughter Mina (Sarita Choudhury) into exile. They eventually arrive in Greenwood, Mississippi and some time passes.

In the early Nineties, Mina falls in love with Demetrius Williams (Denzel Washington), a black man who runs a small carpet cleaning business with his brother Tyrone (Charles S. Dutton). What follows is the story of the difficult time that Mina and Demetrius’s families have dealing with the mixed relationship. At the same time, Jay longs for his homeland of Kampala, Uganda and pursues a lawsuit through a post-Amin government to regain the property he lost when Amin expelled Asians and non-black Africans from Uganda.

In Mississippi Masala, director Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!) weaves a passionate, literate affair that slowly draws the viewer from a Uganda of rich, vibrant colors to a Greenwood, MS of heavy, earthy tones. She allows her prodigiously talented cast to do their thing, and they certainly take to it.

Washington is, as expected, very good. He is a sullen, cheeky fellow who quickly becomes smitten with the beautiful Mina after initially using her to spite his ex. Ms. Choudhury, who is sadly rarely seen in movies, possesses a face rich in its display of emotions. However, behind the husky, dark brown face is a mysterious pool of thoughts and feelings that one must brave to completely enjoy the experience of viewing her acting gifts.

Roshan Seth (Gandhi, A Passage to India) as Mina’s father Ray is also good; he is subtle even when he must be angry and passionate. The viewer can feel his pain and longing for his homeland. He is the bridge in the present from the past to the future, and he is the emotional center of the film. So good is he, that you will feel that you have to cry along with him when he cries, and you will struggle with him as he finds his way when he is lost.

A soundtrack that covers Hindu music, African songs, and the delta blues and soul flows through this film like a gentle breeze. It is a wonderful accompaniment to Taraporevala’s novel like script, which deals with its characters as if the film was a novel and had all the time in the world. It is only a slight problem that there are too many good characters. Taraporevala created such wonderful characters rich in back story, and he only has time to give us a small taste of most of them.

Taraporevala and Nair also make not too subtle comments on race and ethnicity. White folks are only minor characters in the film. They mar their brief appearances with their ignorance and racism. Even the poorest, trashiest whites in the film take on an air of superiority to any non-white they meet in the film. At one point, a loan manager at a local bank lectures Demetrius and Tyrone on how far hard work has gotten him, the loan officer, when it is clear that he hasn’t worked a hard day in his life, and. If he has, he has probably never known the struggle and disappointment that Demetrius and his brother have faced.

The “masala” of the title is an Indian dish composed of colorful spices, and the multi-national, multi-ethnic cast is just like that. The small servings that we get of most of them are indeed spicy and leave us longing for more.

This film only gets better with age, and leaves you always wanting more. One of the best films of its time, it is worth repeated viewings. Mississippi Masala is a thinking person’s film with an eye on telling a story to which anyone can relate – love so strong that no opposing forces are strong enough to dispose of it.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
1994 Image Awards: 1 win: “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture” (Denzel Washington)

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Review: Superb "El Mariachi" Introduced Robert Rodriguez

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 64 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

El Mariachi (1992)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Mexico/USA; Language: Spanish
Running time: 81 minutes (1 hour, 21 minutes)
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Robert Rodriguez
PRODUCERS: Carlos Gallardo and Robert Rodriguez
CINEMATOGRAPHER/EDITOR: Robert Rodriguez

ACTION/CRIME/THRILLER/WESTERN

Starring: Carlos Gallardo, Consuelo Gomez, Jamie de Hoyos, Reinol Martinez, and Peter Marquardt

The virtual one-man film studio, Robert Rodriguez, introduced himself to audiences around 1993 with his film, El Mariachi. The film, which garnered Rodriguez and his producing partner, Carlos Garner, an Independent Spirit Award for “Best First Feature,” chronicles the travails of an unnamed traveling musician known only as El Mariachi (Carlos Gallardo) who is mistaken for Azul (Reinol Martinez), a murderous criminal who carries his arsenal in a guitar case.

Both El Mariachi and Azul dress in black and carry a guitar case. Azul goes on a murdering rampage to get money owed to him by a former criminal associate, Mauricio (Peter Marquardt), also know as Moco. Azul kills several of Moco’s men, so Moco sends some of his hired killers out for Azul. They mistake El Mariachi for Azul; however, the musician is capable of defending himself, and he kills several of Moco’s men. El Mariachi takes up with a local bar owner, while he tries to straighten the mess he’s in, but it’s still all heading for a violent confrontation.

El Mariachi also won the “Audience Award” at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, and Columbia Pictures bought the film and distributed it later in the year. Like everyone who has seen it, I’m amazed that this tense, action thriller was filmed for $7,000. The truth of the matter is that Rodriguez is just super skilled at making the most of what he’s got, even if it’s very little.

The actors are mostly amateurs and people off the streets in a small town in Mexico, but Rodriguez makes them look like professionals. The action sequences are more riveting than those from most big-budget action movies. El Mariachi is a gun-slinging modern western that gives life to the genre, although its setting is almost a century after the setting for traditional westerns. Rodriguez takes “The Man with No Name” attitude of such Clint Eastwood films as The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and A Fistful of Dollars and turns it into a raw, unpolished street fight. This is brilliant, bravado filmmaking that is perfect for action movie fans and movie lovers.

8 of 10
A

Monday, May 16, 2005

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Review: Walt Disney's "Aladdin" a True Classic

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 190 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


Walt Disney’s Aladdin (1992) – animated
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minute)
MPAA – G
PRODUCER/DIRECTORS: Ron Clements and John Musker
WRITERS: Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio and Ron Clements & John Musker; from a story by Ed Gombert, Burny Mattinson, Roger Allers, Daan Jippes, Kevin Harkey, Sue Nichols, Francis Glebas, Darrell Rooney, Larry Leker, James Fujii, Kirk Hanson, Kevin Lima, Rebecca Rees, David S. Smith, Chris Sanders, Brian Pimental, and Patrick A. Ventura
EDITOR: H. Lee Peterson
Academy Award winner

ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY and FAMILY/MUSICAL/ROMANCE

Starring: (voices) Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Lavin, Jonathan Freeman, Gilbert Gottfried, Douglas Seale, Frank Welker, Bruce Adler, Brad Kane, Lea Solanga, and Jim Cummings

Resourceful “street rat,” Aladdin (Scott Weinger) makes his living on the streets of Agrabah as a thief, ably assisted by his constant companion, a spunky monkey named Abu (Frank Welker). One day his eyes catch the sight of a beautiful young woman, whom he later rescues from an overzealous fruit vendor. Aladdin learns that she is Jasmine (Linda Lavin), the daughter of the Sultan of Agrabah (Douglas Seale), and she is walking the streets of Agrabah in disguise just to experience life outside the Sultan’s palace. Aladdin falls in love with Jasmine, but believes that he must be a prince to win her heart.

Later, Aladdin goes on a mission for another resident of the palace in disguise, Grand Vizier Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), the Sultan’s advisor. It is then that Aladdin comes into possession of a magical lamp. When Aladdin rubs the lamp, out springs the show-stealing Genie (Robin Williams). Genie takes a liking to his new master and uses his magical powers to help Aladdin get closer to Jasmine by disguising him the wealthy Prince Ali Ababwa. However, Aladdin must learn to be himself if he’s going to earn the love of the independent-minded Jasmine, and he’ll need all his smarts to stop the diabolical Jafar and his scheming parrot, Iago (Gilbert Gottfried), from overthrowing the Sultan to become rulers of Agrabah.

In 1989, Walt Disney Feature Animation began a second golden age of Disney feature-length animated films with The Little Mermaid. Almost with each successive film, the box office take grew – Beauty and the Beast in 1991 and Aladdin in 1992 (while the underrated The Rescuers Down Under floundered in 1990), peaking in 1994 with The Lion King, which at the time set a record for box office gross by an animated flick. The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin are quasi musicals, a sort of “lite” version of a Broadway musical. Of the trio, the most comic is Aladdin.

In some ways, however, Aladdin is old school. The filmmakers and the Disney story department created lively characters with strong personalities and provided each one with sketch comic scenes that helped to endear him or her to the audience. The character animation is superb, and the characters move with fluidity and grace. The animators also provided visual quirks and clever visual gags that further defined each character – the best, of course, being Robin Williams’ Genie. While the other characters are certainly good (Jafar and Iago and Aladdin’s Magic Carpet stand out to me), Williams steals scenes without coming across as a scene hog, and his non-stop antics and transformations make Aladdin such a special movie. Genie was and remains the character that best fits Williams’ manic comic personality, and it’s not William’s effort alone. Genie is a creation of both William’s work as a voice actor and the drawing skills of large group of animators.

When a movie has Williams’ comical madness and Alan Menken’s evocative score and the songs Menken co-wrote with lyricists Tim Rice and Howard Ashman (a frequent partner of Menken’s who died over a year before Aladdin premiered), it has the potential to be a great film. Add in a cast of wonderful and charming characters, a simple, straight forward romance filled with magic and magical creatures, and two deliciously bad, bad guys, and you have a Disney classic.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
1993 Academy Awards: 2 wins: “Best Music, Original Score” (Alan Menken) and “Best Music, Original Song” (Alan Menken-music and Tim Rice-lyrics for the song "A Whole New World"); 3 nominations: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Mark A. Mangini) “Best Music, Original Song” (Alan Menken-music and Howard Ashman-lyrics for the song "Friend Like Me"), and “Best Sound” Terry Porter, Mel Metcalfe, David J. Hudson, and Doc Kane)

1994 BAFTA Awards: 2 nominations: “BAFTA Film Award Best Score” (Alan Menken) and “Best Special Effects” (Don Paul and Steve Goldberg)

1993 Golden Globes:  3 wins “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Alan Menken), “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (Alan Menken-music and Tim Rice-lyrics for the song "A Whole New World"), and “Special Award” (Robin Williams for his vocal work); and 3 nomination: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical,” “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (Alan Menken-music and Howard Ashman-lyrics for the song “Friend Like Me”), and “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (Alan Menken-music and Howard Ashman-lyrics for the song "Prince Ali")

Saturday, September 02, 2006