2012 National Film Registry - Complete List

[Forgot to post this last year, but the release of the 2013 list was a reminder, of course.]

Films Selected to the 2012 National Film Registry

3:10 to Yuma (1957)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
The Augustas (1930s-1950s)
Born Yesterday (1950)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
A Christmas Story (1983)
The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Title Fight (1897)
Dirty Harry (1971)
Hours for Jerome: Parts 1 and 2 (1980-82)
The Kidnappers Foil (1930s-1950s)
Kodachrome Color Motion Picture Tests (1922)
A League of Their Own (1992)
The Matrix (1999)
The Middleton Family at the New York World’s Fair (1939)
One Survivor Remembers (1995)
Parable (1964)
Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia (1990)
Slacker (1991)
Sons of the Desert (1933)
The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)
They Call It Pro Football (1966)
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1914)
The Wishing Ring; An Idyll of Old England (1914)

Jay Z Leads 56th Grammy Awards Nominations

by Amos Semien

The Grammy Awards (or Grammys) are given out by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States.  The Grammy is an accolade that recognizes outstanding achievement in the music industry.  It is the music industry equivalent to the Academy Awards for film, the Emmy Awards for television, and the Tony Awards for stage.

Jay Z leads the 56th annual Grammy Awards pack with nine nominations, but none came in the “Big Three” categories of album, song, or record of the year.  The following acts each had seven nominations:  Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams, and Justin Timberlake  With her nomination in the "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" category ("Part II (On The Run)" - Jay Z Featuring Beyoncé), Beyoncé becomes the most nominated woman in Grammy Awards history with her 46th nomination.

The eligibility period for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards is October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013.  The 56th annual Grammys awards ceremony will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California and will air on CBS on Sunday, January 26, 2014.  See a complete list of nominees at http://www.grammy.com/nominees

NOTE:  Scroll to the bottom to see the "Music for Visual Media" categories, which may be of particular interest to movie fans.

Nominees in select categories for the 56th annual Grammy Awards:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
"The Blessed Unrest" - Sara Bareilles
"Random Access Memories" - Daft Punk
"Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" - Kendrick Lamar
"The Heist" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
"Red" - Taylor Swift

SONG OF THE YEAR
"Just Give Me A Reason" - Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters
(Pink Featuring Nate Ruess)
"Locked Out Of Heaven" - Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars,
songwriters (Bruno Mars)
"Roar" - Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry
Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry)
"Royals" - Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor, songwriters (Lorde)
"Same Love" - Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis, songwriters
(Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert)

RECORD OF THE YEAR
"Get Lucky" - Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
"Royals" - Lorde
"Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars
"Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell

BEST NEW ARTIST
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
"Brave" - Sara Bareilles
"Royals" - Lorde
"When I Was Your Man" - Bruno Mars
"Roar" - Katy Perry
"Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake

BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
"Get Lucky" - Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
"Just Give Me A Reason" - Pink Featuring Nate Ruess
"Stay" - Rihanna Featuring Mikky Ekko
"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell
"Suit & Tie" - Justin Timberlake & Jay Z

BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
"Steppin' Out" - Herb Alpert
"The Beat" - Boney James
"Handpicked" - Earl Klugh
"Summer Horns" - Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair & Richard Elliot
"Hacienda" - Jeff Lorber Fusion

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
"Paradise" - Lana Del Rey
"Pure Heroine" - Lorde
"Unorthodox Jukebox" - Bruno Mars
"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke
"The 20/20 Experience - The Complete Experience" - Justin Timberlake

BEST DANCE RECORDING
"Need U (100%)" - Duke Dumont Featuring A*M*E & MNEK
"Sweet Nothing" - Calvin Harris Featuring Florence Welch
"Atmosphere" - Kaskade
"This Is What It Feels Like" - Armin Van Buuren Featuring Trevor Guthrie
"Clarity" - Zedd Featuring Foxes

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONICA ALBUM
"Random Access Memories" - Daft Punk
"Settle" - Disclosure
"18 Months" - Calvin Harris
"Atmosphere" - Kaskade
"A Color Map Of The Sun" - Pretty Lights

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
"Viva Duets" - Tony Bennett & Various Artists
"To Be Loved" - Michael Bublé
"The Standards" - Gloria Estefan
"Cee Lo's Magic Moment" - Cee Lo Green
"Now" - Dionne Warwick

BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
"Always Alright" - Alabama Shakes
"The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" - David Bowie
"Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
"Kashmir" - Led Zeppelin
"My God Is The Sun" - Queens Of The Stone Age
"I'm Shakin'" - Jack White

BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
"T.N.T." - Anthrax
"God Is Dead?" - Black Sabbath
"The Enemy Inside" - Dream Theater
"In Due Time" - Killswitch Engage
"Room 24" - Volbeat Featuring King Diamond

BEST ROCK SONG
"Ain't Messin 'Round" - Gary Clark Jr., songwriter (Gary Clark Jr.)
"Cut Me Some Slack" - Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Krist Novoselic &
Pat Smear, songwriters (Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic,
Pat Smear)
"Doom And Gloom" - Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, songwriters (The
Rolling Stones)
"God Is Dead?" - Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi & Ozzy Osbourne,
songwriters (Black Sabbath)
"Panic Station" - Matthew Bellamy, songwriter (Muse)

BEST ROCK ALBUM
"13" - Black Sabbath
"The Next Day" - David Bowie
"Mechanical Bull" - Kings Of Leon
"Celebration Day" - Led Zeppelin
"...Like Clockwork" - Queens Of The Stone Age
"Psychedelic Pill" - Neil Young With Crazy Horse

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
"The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The
More I Love You" - Neko Case
"Trouble Will Find Me" - The National
"Hesitation Marks" - Nine Inch Nails
"Lonerism" - Tame Impala
"Modern Vampires Of The City" - Vampire Weekend

BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
"Love And War" - Tamar Braxton
"Best Of Me" - Anthony Hamilton
"Nakamarra" - Hiatus Kaiyote Featuring Q-Tip
"How Many Drinks?" - Miguel Featuring Kendrick Lamar
"Something" - Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway

BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE
"Please Come Home" - Gary Clark Jr.
"Get It Right" - Fantasia
"Quiet Fire" - Maysa
"Hey Laura" - Gregory Porter
"Yesterday" - Ryan Shaw

BEST R&B SONG
"Best Of Me" - Anthony Hamilton & Jairus Mozee, songwriters (Anthony Hamilton)
"Love And War" - Tamar Braxton, Darhyl Camper, Jr., LaShawn Daniels &
Makeba Riddick, songwriters (Tamar Braxton)
"Only One" - PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton Featuring Stevie Wonder)
"Pusher Love Girl" - James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon, Timothy Mosley &
Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake)
"Without Me" - Fantasia Barrino, Missy Elliott, Al Sherrod Lambert,
Harmony Samuels & Kyle Stewart, songwriters (Fantasia Featuring Kelly
Rowland & Missy Elliot)

BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
"Love And War" - Tamar Braxton
"Side Effects Of You" - Fantasia
"One: In The Chamber" - Salaam Remi
"Unapologetic" - Rihanna
"New York: A Love Story" - Mack Wilds

BEST R&B ALBUM
"R&B Divas" - Faith Evans
"Girl On Fire" - Alicia Keys
"Love In The Future" - John Legend
"Better" - Chrisette Michele
"Three Kings" - TGT

BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
"Started From The Bottom" - Drake
"Berzerk" - Eminem
"Tom Ford" - Jay Z
"Swimming Pools (Drank)" - Kendrick Lamar
"Thrift Shop" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz

BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
"Power Trip" - J. Cole Featuring Miguel
"Part II (On The Run)" - Jay Z Featuring Beyoncé
"Holy Grail" - Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake
"Now Or Never" - Kendrick Lamar Featuring Mary J. Blige
"Remember You" - Wiz Khalifa Featuring The Weeknd

BEST RAP SONG
"F***in' Problems" - Tauheed Epps, Aubrey Graham, Kendrick Lamar,
Rakim Mayers & Noah Shebib, songwriters (ASAP Rocky Featuring Drake, 2
Chainz & Kendrick Lamar)
"Holy Grail" - Shawn Carter, Terius Nash, J. Harmon, Timothy Mosley,
Justin Timberlake & Ernest Wilson, songwriters (Kurt Cobain, Dave
Grohl & Krist Novoselic, songwriters) (Jay Z Featuring Justin
Timberlake)
"New Slaves" - Christopher Breaux, Ben Bronfman, Mike Dean, Louis
Johnson, Malik Jones, Elon Rutberg, Sakiya Sandifer, Che Smith, Kanye
West & Cydell Young, songwriters (Anna Adamis & Gabor Presser,
songwriters) (Kanye West)
"Started From The Bottom" - W. Coleman, Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib,
songwriters (Bruno Sanfilippo, songwriter) (Drake)
"Thrift Shop" - Ben Haggerty & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore &
Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz)

BEST RAP ALBUM
"Nothing Was The Same" - Drake
"Magna Carta...Holy Grail" - Jay Z
"Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" - Kendrick Lamar
"The Heist" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
"Yeezus" - Kanye West

BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
"I Drive Your Truck" - Lee Brice
"I Want Crazy" - Hunter Hayes
"Mama's Broken Heart" - Miranda Lambert
"Wagon Wheel" - Darius Rucker
"Mine Would Be You" - Blake Shelton

BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
"From This Valley" - The Civil Wars
"Don't Rush" - Kelly Clarkson Featuring Vince Gill
"Your Side Of The Bed" - Little Big Town
"Highway Don't Care" - Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
"You Can't Make Old Friends" - Kenny Rogers With Dolly Parton

BEST COUNTRY SONG
"Begin Again" - Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
"I Drive Your Truck" - Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington & Jimmy
Yeary, songwriters (Lee Brice)
"Mama's Broken Heart" - Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally & Kacey
Musgraves, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
"Merry Go 'Round" - Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne,
songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
"Mine Would Be You" - Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington & Deric
Ruttan, songwriters (Blake Shelton)

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
"Night Train" - Jason Aldean
"Two Lanes Of Freedom" - Tim McGraw
"Same Trailer Different Park" - Kacey Musgraves
"Based On A True Story" - Blake Shelton
"Red" - Taylor Swift

BEST NEW AGE ALBUM
"Lux" - Brian Eno
"Illumination" - Peter Kater
"Final Call" - Kitaro
"Awakening The Fire" - R. Carlos Nakai & Will Clipman
"Love's River" - Laura Sullivan

BEST IMPROVISED JAZZ SOLO
"Don't Run" - Terence Blanchard, soloist
"Song For Maura" - Paquito D'Rivera, soloist
"Song Without Words #4: Duet" - Fred Hersch, soloist
"Stadium Jazz" - Donny McCaslin, soloist
"Orbits" - Wayne Shorter

BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
"The World According To Andy Bey" - Andy Bey
"Attachments" - Lorraine Feather
"Liquid Spirit" - Gregory Porter
"WomanChild" - Cécile McLorin Salvant
"After Blue" - Tierney Sutton

MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media:

• Django Unchained – Various Artists
• The Great Gatsby (Deluxe Edition) – Various Artists
• Les Misérables (Deluxe Edition) – Various Artists
• Muscle Shoals – Various Artists
• Sound City: Real to Reel – Dave Grohl & Various Artists

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media:

• Argo - Alexandre Desplat, composer
• The Great Gatsby - Craig Armstrong, composer
• Life of Pi - Mychael Danna, composer
• Lincoln - John Williams, composer
• Skyfall - Thomas Newman, composer
• Zero Dark Thirty - Alexandre Desplat, composer

Best Song Written for Visual Media:
"Atlas" (from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire)
Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters (performed by Coldplay)

"Silver Lining (Crazy 'Bout You)" (from Silver Linings Playbook)
Diane Warren, songwriter (performed by Jessie J)

"Skyfall" (from Skyfall)
Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (performed by Adele)

"We Both Know" (from Safe Haven)
Colbie Caillat & Gavin DeGraw, songwriters (performed by Colbie Caillat featuring Gavin DeGraw)

"Young and Beautiful" (from The Great Gatsby)
Lana Del Rey & Rick Nowels, songwriters (performed by Lana Del Rey)

"You've Got Time" (from "Orange Is the New Black")
Regina Spektor, songwriter (performed by Regina Spektor)


END

Review: "Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning" an Excellent Superhero Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 72 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning (2012)
Original title:  Gekijō-ban Tiger & Bunny – The Beginning
Running time:  92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
DIRECTOR:  Yoshitomo Yonetani
WRITER:  Masafumi Nishida
PRODUCERS:  Kazuhiko Tamura and Chintasu Matsui
CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Yuk Tanaka and Haruhi Goto
EDITOR: Hiroshi Okuda
COMPOSER: Yoshihiro Ike

ANIME/SUPERHERO/ACTION/COMEDY with elements of drama

Starring:  (original Japanese voices) Hiroaki Hirata, Masakazu Morita, Minako Kotobuki, Taiten Kusunoki, Go Inoue, Kenjiro Tsuda, Mariye Ise, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Yuko Kaida, Hiroshi Iwasaki, Rina Hidaka, and Kappei Yamaguchi

(English dub voice cast): Wally Wingert, Yuri Lowenthal, Patrick Seitz, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Kari Wahlgren, John Eric Bentley, Michael Sinterniklaas, Liam O’Brien, Jamieson K. Price, Stephanie Sheh, Steven Blum, Eden Riegel, Dave Wittenberg, Tara Platt, Keith Silverstein, Laura Bailey, Daran Norris, and Beau Billingslea

Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning is a 2012 Japanese animated film (anime).  Its original title is Gekijō-ban Tiger & Bunny – The Beginning, and it is based on Tiger & Bunny, a science fiction and superhero anime television series that was originally broadcast in Japan and ran for 25 episodes in 2011.  The series was produced by Japanese animation studio, Sunrise, known for such anime as Accel World and Cowboy Bebop, among others.  VIZ Media released an English language version of Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning on DVD and Blu-ray in North America on October 1, 2013.

Tiger & Bunny takes place in a world where 45 years earlier, super-powered humans, known as NEXT, started appearing.  Some of them fight crime as superheroes in Stern Bild City (a re-imagined version of New York City).  They promote their corporate sponsors while appearing on the hit reality television show, HERO TV.  Each season, the superheroes compete to be named the “King of Heroes.”  However, not all NEXT use their powers for good.  Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning starts as a recap of the first few episodes of the TV series and then, moves on to a new story.

Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning opens as Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (Wally Wingert), a veteran superhero known as Wild Tiger, begins his day.  Meanwhile, the Justice Bureau approves Barnaby Brooks, Jr. (Yuri Lowenthal) as a new superhero, but this rookie does not want a codename.  Circumstances place Kotetsu in the employment of Apollon Media, and they want him to join Barnaby in forming the first every superhero team.

Kotetsu and Barnaby immediately dislike each other.  Kotetsu even gives Barnaby the nickname “Bunny,” which the rookie hates.  They will have to learn to work together when Stern Bild City faces two grave threats, “Steel Hammer Statue” and a seemingly impossible to catch thief named Robin Baxter.

Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning is the second best animated feature film about superheroes.  I put it behind Pixar’s Oscar-winning film, The Incredibles.  As Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning mixes traditional 2D (or hand-drawn animation) with 3D (or computer animation), I would say that it is by far the best 2D animated superhero film.

The film is a little soft on character drama, and the plot is pretty simply.  The characters are wonderful, although the supporting superheroes are more colorful than the leads.  The English voice-acting gives zest to Blue Rose (Kari Wahlgren) and Dragon Kid (Laura Bailey), and spice to the risqué Fire Emblem (John Eric Bentley).  Kotetsu and Barnaby are a little too straight and narrow, as if the storytellers and filmmakers are reluctant to let them really show their range as characters.

Visually, Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning is a good example of how anime can actually match CGI in live-action when it comes to creating fantastic gadgets, creatures, and environments.  The superheroes wear costumes that are more high-tech gadgets and armor than they are uniforms.  One villain even has a costume that is practically some kind of eccentric motorcycle.  Automobiles and helicopters are fantastic future-machines that mix technology with custom car and fashion design.

Stern Bild City is a wonderland that dots the metropolis of the future with theme park attractions throughout the city.  To me, this city looks like a 3D version of Batman’s Gotham City as created by Batman creator Bob Kane and artists like Dick Sprang and Jerry Robinson.  The city also makes me think of Arcade’s Murderworld as drawn by John Byrne in X-Men #123 (Marvel Comics, February 1979).

Everything comes together to make Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning a unique superhero adventure.  It is not only unlike any superhero fiction in America, but it is also a grand spectacle that embraces the imagination and sense of wonder that should be inherent in film, television, novels, and especially comic books featuring superheroes.  This anime is an action-comedy that both gently pokes fun at and embraces superheroes.  Most of all, Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning leaves you wanting more.

8 of 10
A

Thursday, October 24, 2013

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

Review: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 2 – The Battle for Doldrey

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 69 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 2 – The Battle for Doldrey (2012)
Original title:  Berserk: Ohgon jidai hen 2 - dorudorei koryaku hen
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Japan
Running time:  92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
DIRECTOR:  Toshiyuki Kubooka
WRITER:  Ichirô Ôkôchi (based on the manga by Kentaro Miura)
PRODUCERS:  Eiichi Kamagata, Mitsuru Ohshima, Akira Shimada, and Eiko Tanaka
COMPOSER:  Shiro Sagisu

ANIME/WAR/FANTASY/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring:  (voices) Marc Diraison, Kevin T. Collins, Carrie Keranen, Rachael Lillis, Michelle Newman, and Patrick Seitz

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 2 – The Battle for Doldrey is a 2012 Japanese animated film (anime) from anime director Toshiyuki Kubooka.  It is a direct sequel to the first film, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1 – The Egg of the King, which Kubooka also directed.  This film was released in Japan under its original title, Berserk: Ohgon jidai hen 2 - dorudorei koryaku hen, on June 23, 2012.

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 2 is based on Berserk, a Japanese manga (comic book) series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura.  Berserk is set in a fantasy world that is modeled on medieval Europe.  The story centers around the two characters, Guts (Marc Diraison), an orphaned mercenary, and Griffith (Kevin T. Collins), the leader of a mercenary group called the Band of the Hawk.  The King of Midland hired the Band of the Hawk to fight against Chuder, the Midlanders’ adversary during the Hundred Years’ War.

As The Battle for Doldrey begins, the Band of the Hawk is engaged in battle with General Adon and his Blue Whale Ultra Heavy Armored Fierce Assault Annihilation Knight Corps of Chuder.  Adon focuses his attention on Hawk officer, Casca (Carrie Keranen), but when Guts rides to her aid, they both end up imperiled.

The King of Midland has long sought to recover the fortress Doldrey, which is located in Midland’s territory, but which has been in the possession of Chuder for over a century.  Now, the King makes a request that one of his noble lords volunteer to lead an assault against Doldrey in a bid to recover the fortress.  Griffith volunteers the Band of the Hawk, but what chance do his 5000 horsemen have against Doldrey’s 30,000 troops?  Meanwhile, the Band of the Hawk’s success has made Guts restless.

The first time I saw the DVD box art for Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1 – The Egg of the King, I thought that the movie would not amount to much.  However, I was delightfully surprised; in fact, by the end of the movie, I wanted more.  Obviously I had somewhat higher expectations for Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 2 – The Battle for Doldrey, and the movie easily exceeded those expectations.  This is one of the best films I have seen this year, live action or animation.

The Battle for Doldrey is like a smaller scale version of The Lord of the Rings:  The Two Towers.  The Battle for Doldrey offers character drama in the form of romantic relationships, camaraderie among men-at-arms, introspection of past wrongs, and political intrigue.  The battle scenes are even better.  I have not seen the like in animated films; the blood, gore, and dismemberment was enough to both impress me and to give me pause.  There were times when blood and offal rained on the characters.  The nerdy kid in me yelled, “Awesome!”  If the MPAA rated this, it would definitely give The Battle for Doldrey an “R” rating, if not an “NC-17.”  This animated film has a rather intense and explicit sex scene and an extended torture sequence.

The animation is a mixture of computer-animation (3D) and some hand-drawn (2D) animation.  I think the film also makes use of the computer-animation process of cel shading, which makes computer-animation look like hand-drawn animation.  The animation looks its best during the forest scenes and during the battle of Doldrey.  The castle interiors are also impressive, especially the ballroom.  The character animation is good, especially in battle scenes.

As I wrote for the first film, I can say for the second Berserk: The Golden Age Arc.  It is simply an all-around, high-quality, and exceptional film.  As an anime, it occupies its own special place.  Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 2 – The Battle for Doldrey seeks to be more than just another fantasy war movie, and that it is.

9 of 10
A+

Saturday, October 05, 2013


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

Review: "Parental Guidance" Good for Families

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 44 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Parental Guidance (2012)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some rude humor
DIRECTOR: Andy Fickman
WRITERS: Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse
PRODUCERS: Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, and Billy Crystal
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dean Semler (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Kent Beyda
COMPOSER: Marc Shaiman

COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott, Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush, Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, Rhoda Griffis, and Gedde Watanabe

Parental Guidance is a 2012 comedy and family film from director Andy Fickman. The film stars Billy Crystal and Bette Midler as grandparents who agree to look after their three grandchildren whose modern kid attitudes clash with their old-school ways.

Artie and Diane Decker (Bette Midler and Billy Crystal) live in California. Artie is the announcer for the Fresno Grizzlies, until he is fired because he is not familiar with new technology and social media. Diane thinks this is the perfect opportunity to take their daughter, Alice (Marisa Tomei), and her husband, Phil Simmons (Tom Everett Scott), up on an offer to watch their three children, while they attend a conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Artie and Diane fly to Atlanta where Alice and her family live, but they have a few misgivings about the week with the children. In recent years, they have not seen their grandchildren much, and are now practically “the other grandparents.” Plus, Artie and Diane are old school, while Alice and Phil are type-A helicopter parents who micromanage their children’s’ lives and overdo it on building self-esteem.

Artie and Diane are quickly reacquainted with the grandchildren: eldest child and daughter, 12-year-old Harper (Bailee Madison); the middle child, 8-year-old Turner (Joshua Rush), who has a stutter; and 5-year-old Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf), who has an imaginary friend, a kangaroo he’s named Carl. The children think their grandparents are weird, and Barker calls Artie, “Farty.” Now, Artie and Diane have a week to get to really know their only three grandchildren, but that means they’ll have to earn these youngsters’ trust and love.

Parental Guidance starts off as one of those movies created by people who criticize the way other people rear their children. People see sports leagues that give every participating child a trophy simply for participating as a sign of the apocalypse. I have to admit that I find parents that won’t tell their children “No” or “Don’t” in order not to inhibit their creativity, ridiculous. But the republic will survive parents that don’t set boundaries for their children… I hope.

The movie, however, is really about the grandparents, Artie and Diane Decker, and their relationship-building with their grandchildren. The movie follows the struggle of the old school grandparents versus the modern, excessively tolerant parents to a lesser extent. And Parental Guidance is better for it. Who wants to see a movie about two people and their daughter and son-in-law exchanging harsh, snide comments about parenting? I don’t, although I don’t know about you, dear reader.

In some ways, Parental Guidance is mediocre, which is most obvious when Crystal and Midler have to over-act and over-react to make up for flimsy character development. Andy Fickman’s direction is professional and functional, but is also colorless and sometimes uneven.

But the magic in Parental Guidance is watching two grandparents bond with their lovely grandchildren. This film is more sweet than sentimental, and there are moments when the interaction between a grandparent and child seems genuine and honest. The kick-the-can and Turner calls the Giants game scenes make this movie a winner in spite of any blemishes. Talk about a feel good movie: Parental Guidance might be a frothy take on the grandparents and grandchildren dynamic, but it is an irresistible treat.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Review: Pixar's "Brave" is Brave, But Not Bold

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 43 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Brave (2012)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some scary action and rude humor
DIRECTORS: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman with Steve Purcell
WRITERS: Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, and Irene Mecchi with Michael Arndt; from a story by Brenda Chapman
PRODUCER: Katherine Sarafian
EDITOR: Nicholas C. Smith
COMPOSER: Patrick Doyle
Academy Award winner

ANIMATION/FANTASY/DRAMA

Starring: (voices) Kelly Mcdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Sally Kinghorn, Eilidh Fraser, Peigi Barker, Steven Cree, Steve Purcell, Callum O’Neill, Patrick Doyle, and John Ratzenberger

Brave is a 2012 computer-animated, fairy tale film from Pixar Animation Studios. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, Brave won the Academy Award for “Best Animated Feature” (February 2013), making its co-director, Brenda Chapman, the first female director to win an Oscar in that category. The film was executive produced by three of Pixar’s biggest creative voices: John Lasseter, Pete Docter, and Andrew Stanton.

Brave centers on a defiant princess who must fight a curse she brings upon her family. As Pixar films go, Brave is second-tier and not on the level of such films as Toy Story 2, Wall-E, or Up. It is a good movie, but nothing I would call great. In fact, I would not have voted Brave the best animated feature Oscar over a film like ParaNorman and Madgascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (which was not nominated).

In Scotland of old, Princess Merida (Kelly Mcdonald) is the 16-year-old daughter of King Fergus (Billy Connolly) of the Clan Dun Broch (Dunbroch). Merida’s mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), wants what is best for both the kingdom and her daughter. Thus, the Queen clashes with the rebellious and free-spirited Merida who wants to make her own path in life. Skilled at horse-riding and with a bow, Merida does not want to be a lady.

One day, Elinor informs Merida that she must be betrothed to one of her father, King Fergus’ allied clans. Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), and Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane) arrive with their first-born sons. These sons will compete in the Highland Games for Merida’s hand in marriage. Merida balks, however, and runs away. Desperate to find her own fate, she makes a deal that unwittingly hurts her family. Now, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.

The first half-hour of Brave is an awkward attempt to introduce characters, themes, plot, and setting, with wheezy music making that awkward even more annoying. The first half hour is the usual raucous, kid-friendly, action-comedy material, which is a Disney trait of turning every family in its films into a nuclear family-like unit. It sort of knocked me for a loop, because it seemed to me that in Brave, Pixar had made its first film that could be described as typical Disney animation product.

It is not until Merida’s second encounter with the will-o’-the-wisps and her meeting with The Witch (Julie Walters) that Brave becomes what it is supposed to be, a fairy tale. When it focuses on Merida’s quest, the magical elements, and the mother-daughter relationship, Brave is at its best. Merida’s younger brothers, the identical triplets: Hamish, Harris, and Hubert are excellent comic relief, but are woefully underutilized.

Everything else about this movie is not really special. The animation is good, although some of the characters bounce like Muppets when they walk or run. The animation’s colors are spectacular, especially Merida’s gloriously red hair and the rich greens of the forests and countryside.

You might be surprised at how deeply Brave digs into the mother-daughter relationship; that brought tears to my eyes. Still, the movie misses the mark of perfection. Brave is mostly a great fairy tale, but partly a Disney-movie-by-committee. That’s a shame, and that is not an Oscar winner (or shouldn’t be).

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
2013 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” (Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman)

2013 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Animated Film” (Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman)

2013 Golden Globes, USA: 1 win: “Best Animated Film”

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

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Cable Dominates Third Annual Critics' Choice TV Awards

Broadcast Television Journalists Association Announces Winners of the 3rd Annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards

The Big Bang Theory is Most Honored Series and HBO is Most Awarded Network

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) tonight announced the winners of the 3rd annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards. The star-studded gala awards dinner to acknowledge and honor the best in television was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel earlier this evening.

There was a tie for Best Drama Series with Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones sharing the honor while The Big Bang Theory won in the Best Comedy Series category.

There was also a tie for Best Reality Series, which went to Duck Dynasty and Push Girls. Best Reality Series-Competition went to The Voice for the second year in a row. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was honored as Best Talk Show, Archer was honored as Best Animated Series for the second year in a row, and Behind the Candelabra was honored as Best Movie/Miniseries. HBO was the most awarded network with five wins followed by FX with four wins.

Actors Bryan Cranston and Louis C.K. won Best Actor in a Drama Series for Breaking Bad and Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Louie, respectively, and both for the second consecutive year. Tatiana Maslany was honored as Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Orphan Black while Julia Louis-Dreyfus won for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Veep.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series went to Parenthood’s Monica Potter. Southland’s Michael Cudlitz was named Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Kaley Cuoco and Eden Sher tied for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for their roles in The Big Bang Theory and The Middle, respectively. Simon Helberg won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in The Big Bang Theory. Jane Fonda won Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series for The Newsroom, and Patton Oswalt won Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series for his role on Parks and Recreation, marking the second year the series was awarded in this category.

Tom Bergeron of Dancing with the Stars was honored as Best Reality Host for the second year in a row. Michael Douglas was recognized as Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries for his work in Behind the Candelabra, while Elizabeth Moss was named Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries for her role in Top of the Lake. Zachary Quinto won Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series and Sarah Paulson won Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series for their roles in American Horror Story: Asylum.

In addition, The Bridge, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Masters of Sex, The Michael J. Fox Show, Ray Donovan and Under the Dome were honored as Most Exciting New Series.

BTJA honored Bob Newhart with the Critics’ Choice Television Icon Award, which Henry Winkler presented to the legendary comedian.

BTJA also partnered with thalo Magazine to recognize Bunheads with the thalo’s Critics’ Choice Inspiration Award, which honors a television show for illuminating the fine arts in its subject matter and production methods, along with the individuals who infuse those productions with their artistic passions.

Presenters included: Malin Akerman (Suburgatory), Angela Bassett (American Horror Story), Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey), Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly), Hugh Dancy (Hannibal), Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance), Yossi Dina (Beverly Hills Pawn), Josh Gad (1600 Penn), Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory), Seth Green (Family Guy), Allison Janney (West Wing), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Maria Menounos (Extra), Garrett Morris (2 Broke Girls), Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men), Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory), Cory Oliver (Beverly Hills Pawn), Jack Osbourne (Alpha Dogs), Adam Pally (Happy Endings), Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story), Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Recreation), Zachary Quinto (American Horror Story), Kevin Rahm (Mad Men), John Ratzenberger (Legit), Emmy Rossum (Shameless), Jimmy Smits (Sons of Anarchy), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) and Sam Trammell (True Blood).

The Critics’ Choice Television Awards honored programs and performances that aired between June 1, 2012 and May 31, 2013, except for the Most Exciting New Series, which are shows premiering after June 1, 2013. Two new categories debuted this year including Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series and Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series. The full winners tally is included below.

The 3rd annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards were executive produced by Bob Bain for Bob Bain Productions.

About BTJA
The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) is a partner organization to the Broadcast Film Critics Association. BTJA includes TV, radio and Internet journalists who cover television on a regular basis. For more information, visit: www.CriticsChoice.com


WINNERS OF THE 3rd ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE TELEVISION AWARDS

Best Comedy Series: The Big Bang Theory – CBS

Best Actor in a Comedy Series: Louis C.K., Louie – FX

Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep - HBO

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Simon Helberg, The Big Bang Theory – CBS

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Tie):
Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory – CBS
Eden Sher, The Middle – ABC

Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series: Patton Oswalt, Parks and Recreation – NBC

Best Drama Series (Tie):
Breaking Bad – AMC
Game of Thrones – HBO

Best Actor in a Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad – AMC

Best Actress in a Drama Series: Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black – BBC America

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Michael Cudlitz, Southland - TNT

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Monica Potter, Parenthood – NBC

Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series: Jane Fonda, The Newsroom – HBO

Best Movie or Mini-Series: Behind the Candelabra – HBO

Best Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series: Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra - HBO

Best Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series: Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake – Sundance

Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series: Zachary Quinto, American Horror Story: Asylum – FX

Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series: Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Asylum – FX

Best Reality Series (Tie):
Duck Dynasty – A&E
Push Girls – Sundance

Best Reality Series–Competition: The Voice – NBC

Best Reality Series Host: Tom Bergeron, Dancing with the Stars – ABC

Best Talk Show: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – Comedy Central

Best Animated Series: Archer – FX

Critics’ Choice Television Icon Award: Bob Newhart

thalo’s Critics’ Choice Inspiration Award: Bunheads – ABC Family

Most Exciting New Series:
The Bridge - FX
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - ABC
Masters of Sex - Showtime
The Michael J. Fox Show - NBC
Ray Donovan - Showtime
Under the Dome - CBS

Review: Sparky Zaps Uninspired "Frankenweenie"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Frankenweenie (2012) – Black and White
Running time: 87 minutes (1 hour, 27 minutes)
MPAA – PG for thematic elements, scary images and action
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
WRITER: John August (based on the screenplay by Leonard Ripps, which was based on an original idea by Tim Burton)
PRODUCERS: Allison Abbate and Tim Burton
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Sorg
EDITORS: Mark Solomon
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/COMEDY/FAMILY with elements of horror

Starring: (voices) Charlie Tahan, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Atticus Shaffer, Winona Ryder, Robert Capron, James Hiroyuki Liao, and Conchata Ferrell, with Dee Bradley Baker and Frank Welker

Frankenweenie is a 2012 black and white, stop-motion animation film, presented in 3D, from director Tim Burton. This sci-fi family film is a remake of Burton’s 1984 live-action short film, also entitled Frankenweenie. Frankenweenie the movie is a parody of and pays homage to Universal Pictures’ 1931 film, Frankenstein (an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus). Frankenweenie is the story of a boy scientist who brings his dead dog back to life.

Frankenweenie focuses on kid filmmaker and budding scientist, Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan). Victor and his parents, Susan and Edward Frankenstein (Catherine O’Hara and Martin Short), live in the quiet town of New Holland. After his dog, Sparky (Frank Welker), is hit by a car and killed, Victor falls into a depression. Inspired by his teacher, Mr. Rzykruski (Martin Landau), Victor comes up with an idea to revive Sparky’s corpse. Bringing his beloved Sparky back to life, however, has unintended and monstrous consequences.

Screenwriter John August has written two mediocre Tim Burton films, Big Fish and Corpse Bride. He also wrote Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but the screenplay was not the film’s strong suit. August almost wrote a third mediocre Burton film, Frankenweenie, but there are some elements in the movie’s second half that do the heavy lifting of making this at least a good movie.

As in his best films, Burton focuses on the misfits, and since Frankenweenie is filled with misfits and oddballs, it should be a great film. But Frankenweenie isn’t great, and that is because many of the characters just aren’t that interesting or engaging. It takes practically the entire picture for Victor Frankenstein to come to life, and his mom and dad are cardboard cutout versions of parents from 1950s television sitcoms. The flat monotone voice performances from much of the cast don’t help.

There are two good human characters, neither of which have enough screen time, as far as I’m concerned. There is the sly Edgar “E” Gore (Atticus Shaffer), a hunch-backed kid who would have made a nice sidekick for Victor. Next is the Vincent Price-inspired Mr. Rzykruski, who delivers this movie’s best moment in a speech before a mob-like gathering of “concerned” parents.

The star is Sparky, or, at least, Sparky should have been the star. I think this movie would be much better if it were told from the re-animated dog’s point-of-view. Sparky is proof that when used wisely, a dog can be both the star and the saving grace of a movie. There are also a few science-created monsters that liven up Frankenweenie’s last act.

Filming this movie in black and white was the wrong decision. I know that the black and white choice had to do with all the movies to which Frankenweenie pays homage, but who cares? Referencing Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein has been done to death. Color would have made this movie visually pop on the screen, and this often-flat flick needed some pop. Animated films, even stop-motion, are best in color.

What does give this movie some pop is the musical score by Danny Elfman, a long-time collaborator with Burton. Elfman’s score is a lovely amalgamation of textures, styles, moods, and, if you can imagine it, colors. As the story advances, I could feel Elfman imposing his will on the movie. This is his best work in years.

So Mr. Burton: no more John August, no more black and white, and no more references to the films and pop culture that filled your childhood and apparently left an indelible mark on you. Your desire to parody and to homage hurt Frankenweenie.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2013 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Feature” (Tim Burton)

2013 BAFTA Awards: “Best Animated Film” (Tim Burton)

2013 Golden Globes, USA: “Best Animated Film”

Monday, June 10, 2013

Review: Reach for "Jack Reacher"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Jack Reacher (2012)
Running time: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, language and some drug material
DIRECTOR: Christopher McQuarrie
WRITER: Christopher McQuarrie (based on the novel, One Shot, by Lee Child)
PRODUCERS: Tom Cruise, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Gary Levinsohn, Kevin J. Messick, and Paula Wagner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Caleb Deschanel (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Kevin Stitt
COMPOSER: Joe Kraemer

DRAMA/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Werner Herzog, Jai Courtney, Vladimir Sizov, Joseph Sikora, Michael Raymond-James, Alexia Fast, Josh Helman, and Robert Duvall

Jack Reacher is a 2012 drama and thriller film from writer-director Christopher McQuarrie. The film stars Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, a fictional character that originally appears in a series of novels by author Lee Child (the pen name British author Jim Grant). Jack Reacher the movie is based on the ninth Jack Reacher novel, One Shot (2005). The film follows Reacher as he investigates the case of a military sniper charged in a mass shooting.

Jack Reacher opens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where an unknown man readies a sniper rifle and shoots five people dead. Former U.S. Army sniper James Barr (Joseph Sikora) is arrested for the crime. Investigating Detective Emerson (David Oyelowo) and District Attorney Alex Rodin (Richard Jenkins) pressure Barr during interrogation to accept a plea deal that would spare him the death penalty. Barr, however, will only say, “Get Jack Reacher.”

Not long afterwards, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), a former U.S. Army Military Police Corps officer (a “military cop”), arrives in Pittsburgh, but Rodin and Emerson will not let him see the evidence against Barr. Reacher meets with Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike), Barr’s attorney and the District Attorney’s daughter. Reacher reluctantly agrees to help Helen, and soon finds himself drawn into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with unknown forces that do not want the case against Barr investigated.

Jack Reacher is a suspense thriller. Because Reacher is always on the move and because the surprises and twists and turns come so fast and furious, the film is as much an action movie as it is anything else. Jack Reacher’s action movie credibility may be in doubt because the film isn’t jittery and loud like so many action movies. The explosions and gunfire are held to a minimum, so when they do happen, it means more to the narrative. Jack Reacher just makes the most out of its theatrics.

Everyone is a supporting actor and character to Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher, but some make the most of their time. Standouts include David Oyelowo as the dour and menacing Detective Emerson, Jai Courtney as the vicious killer named Charlie, and the always-welcomed Robert Duvall. As the retired Marine and gun range owner, Martin Cash, Duvall brings some much-needed levity and humor to the film. Cash throws Reacher off his game a bit, which makes Reacher vulnerable and more interesting as a character in the movie’s final half-hour or so. That makes it seem as if Reacher really could be killed, in turn, heightening the sense danger.

Jack Reacher is a perfect role for Tom Cruise. Cruise’s obvious aloofness and brusque charm, as well as that innate cold-bloodedness (which he tries to hide), are a near-perfect fit for Jack Reacher. Cruise as Reacher is just fun to watch, and I found that not knowing what crazy, unexpected thing he was going to do or say made Cruise/Reacher fascinating, even enthralling.

I’m surprised that this movie was not a bigger hit than it was. Outside of the Mission: Impossible films, this is one of the better Tom Cruise movies. Jack Reacher shows why Cruise is a true movie star and a rather good actor to boot.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Review: "Silver Linings Playbook" is Golden

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 32 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Running time: 122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and some sexual content/nudity
DIRECTOR: David O. Russell
WRITERS: David O. Russell (based on the novel The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick)
PRODUCERS: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, and Jonathan Gordon
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Masanobu Takayanagi (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman
Academy Award winner

COMEDY/DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham, Julia Stiles, Paul Herman, Dash Mihok, Cheryl Williams, Patrick McDade, and Brea Bee

Silver Linings Playbook is a 2012 romantic comedy-drama from writer-director, David O. Russell. The film is based on The Silver Linings Playbook, the 2008 debut novel of American author Matthew Quick. Silver Linings Playbook the film focuses on a man who returns home from a mental institution, hoping to reconcile with his wife, but befriends a young woman with serious mental issues of her own.

Silver Linings Playbook has two distinctions. It received Oscar nominations in the “Big Five” categories: best picture, director, actor, actress, and screenplay (either original or adapted). It also received Oscar nominations in all four acting categories, the first film to do so since 1981. Besides the Oscars, Silver Linings Playbook was critically acclaimed and also won or was nominated by numerous film award organizations. Plus, it was a surprise box office success. I call it one of the very best films of 2012, and I have to admit this. Silver Linings Playbook made me feel as if my heart were soaring into the clouds, and it even made me shed tears. What a damn good movie.

Silver Linings Playbook opens in 2008 at the Karel Psychiatric Facility in Baltimore, Maryland. Former high school teacher, Pat Solitano, Jr. (Bradley Cooper), is about to be released after an eight-month stay. Homeless and jobless, he has to move in with his parents, Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver), while he continues his treatment for bipolar disorder. Pat Sr., however, has his own issues, mostly built around his fanatical love for the professional football team, the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL and his insistence that Pat Jr. is some kind of good luck charm for the Eagles.

Pat is determined to reunite and reconcile with his wife, Nikki (Brea Bee), but she has a restraining order against him. Pat does reunite with a few friends, which is how he meets Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), a young policeman’s widow, who is also on medication for depression. Tiffany aggressively pursues Pat and coerces him in order to get her way, but she might be the woman to change his life – his silver lining.

Silver Linings Playbook is one of the films in which a strong guiding hand is evident, in this case, writer-director David O. Russell. He treads carefully. On one hand, this film is about mental illness; on the other, it is a love story. Russell has to keep this movie from becoming a well-meaning, disease-of-the-week, television movie, bogged down by talk of medicine and symptoms. He also had to avoid the clichés that turn romance movies into cloying, maudlin melodramas, which is often the fate of movies about mismatched or star-crossed lovers.

Russell does this by writing a script in which the characters stay stubbornly true to who they are while building relationships with each other. As a director, Russell painstakingly guides the intricate connections necessary to make this character drama into a film that feels honest and authentic, rather than dishonest and contrived. This movie is not so much about connections as it is about accepting the “crazy” in each other, as the way to strengthen bonds. Russell does an outstanding job in getting the necessary performances from his cast that make Silver Linings Playbook not only succeed, but also it a great movie.

And what fantastic performances they are. Robert De Niro gives his best performance in years, probably the most heartfelt and layered since Awakenings (1990). Jacki Weaver is poignant and funny in a subtle performance full of color and delicate shades. Chris Tucker’s performance as Danny McDaniels (Pat’s friend whom he met while both were institutionalized) is sweet; that is the best way I can think to describe it. Russell makes the best use of Tucker’s innate foolishness in short bursts.

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence give career best performances in Silver Linings Playbook. Lawrence is so talented, and she’s just of burst of freshness and sunshine in the movies in which she appears. In fact, her first appearance in this movie is literally a burst out of nowhere, and instantly, Silver Linings Playbook is the better for it. Lawrence is mesmerizing, and it is easy to see why she captivated enough Oscar voters to win a best actress Academy Award for the role of Tiffany Maxwell.

Bradley Cooper, however, is Silver Linings Playbook’s rock. As Pat Solitano, Jr., Cooper brilliant portrays that at the heart of Solitano’s mania is a closed-up part of him. He takes the audience on a journey in which Pat finally opens up to new possibilities. Cooper is mesmerizing. I couldn’t help but follow the movie because I was enthralled by his performance. Where is Bradley’s Oscar?

Silver Linings Playbook is a special film, full of humor and love. Its foray into our individual mental issues is a journey that our minds and hearts need to experience. It is a great movie, and I want to see it again.

10 of 10

NOTES:
2013 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Jennifer Lawrence); 7 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen, and Jonathan Gordon), “Best Achievement in Directing” (David O. Russell), “Best Achievement in Editing” (Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Bradley Cooper), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Robert De Niro), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Jacki Weaver), and “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published” (David O. Russell)

2013 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Adapted Screenplay” (David O. Russell); 2 nominations: “Best Leading Actor” (Bradley Cooper) and “Best Leading Actress” (Jennifer Lawrence)

2013 Golden Globes, USA: 1 win: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Jennifer Lawrence); 3 nominations: Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy,” “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Bradley Cooper), and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (David O. Russell)

Friday, May 10, 2013

Review: "Argo" is Indeed a Best Picture

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Argo (2012)
Running time: 120 minutes (2 hours)
MPAA – R for language and some violent images
DIRECTOR: Ben Affleck
WRITER: Chris Terrio (based on the book, The Master of Disguise, by Antonio J. Mendez and the article, “Escape from Tehran,” by Joshuah Bearman)
PRODUCERS: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Rodrigo Prieto (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: William Goldenberg
COMPOSER: Alexandre Desplat
Academy Award winner

THRILLER/DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishé, Kyle Chandler, Chris Messina, Zeljko Ivanek, Titus Welliver, Shelia Vand, Richard Kind, Michael Parks, Adrienne Barbeau, and Mark Rhino Smith

Argo is a 2012 thriller and historical drama directed by Ben Affleck, who also plays the lead role and is one of the film’s three producers. Argo is based upon two sources: the book, The Master of Disguise, by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired magazine article, “Escape from Tehran,” by Joshuah Bearman. The film dramatizes a real-life event – the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran.

At the 85th Academy Awards (February 24, 2013), Argo won the Oscar for “Best Picture.” It is not my pick for best picture of the year (which I still think is Django Unchained), but it is not far behind. Argo is not only one of the greatest American thriller films ever made, but it is also a joy to watch.

Argo opens on November 4, 1979 at the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran. Militants and protestors storm the embassy and take the occupants hostage in retaliation for President Jimmy Carter giving asylum to the recently ousted Shah of Iran (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi). However, six of the embassy staff escape and find shelter in the home of the Canadian ambassador, Ken Taylor (Victor Garber).

The U.S. State Department begins exploring options for exfiltrating the six Americans from Iran. Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a CIA “exfil” specialist who uses the name “Kevin Harkins,” concocts a rather unusual idea. He creates a cover story in which a Canadian film production crew is scouting locations for a new science fiction film, and Iran is one of the locations he wishes to scout. With the help of his supervisor, Jack O’Donnell (Bryan Cranston), Mendez recruits John Chambers (John Goodman), an Oscar-winning make-up artist, and Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), a film producer.

They pretend to have a film in development; entitled Argo, it is a science fantasy in the style of Star Wars. When Mendez moves to Iran for the most crucial stage of the operation, he discovers that he and his fake movie are always in real danger.

From the very beginning of the film, Argo grabbed me and pulled me to the edge of my seat, and from there, the movie kept me in the grip of fear and trepidation. From start to finish, damn, this is a great movie. Argo is an example of how supremely important the film editor, in this case, William Goldenberg, is to a film; Goldenberg is totally indispensable to success of the Argo. The nerve-wracking thriller that Argo is results from Goldenberg putting together what becomes a transfixing narrative. He certainly deserved and earned his best editing Oscar for Argo.

Of course, by praising Goldenberg, I do not want to take anything away from Ben Affleck as director. Affleck has made a movie that is a terrific thriller, but it is not an action thriller. Affleck uses the suspense weaved into Chris Terrio’s Oscar-winning screenplay and summons his inner Hitchcock, turning in what is one of the best heist movies in recent memory. He does it with such intimacy. Argo isn’t wide open. Affleck squeezes everything into tight and cramped visual spaces, as if it to emphasize that the characters are working hard to avoid the confines of either prison or the grave.

There are some good performances in this film, though nothing really outstanding, except for two. Alan Arkin and John Goodman turn in some of their most distinctive work in supporting roles as the unconventional Lester Siegel and John Chambers, respectively. Ben Affleck is oddly muted and stiff as Tony Mendez/Kevin Harkins. There are a few scenes when that works, but not many. Sometimes, it is as if Mendez isn’t even present in the movie, even when he’s in a scene; maybe that not-really-there act is the way a CIA operative is supposed to be.

Anyway, Argo is fantastic. This is one time when I don’t think that the “Best Picture” Oscar winner is a joke, even if it isn’t my choice. I plan to make Argo a favorite of mine, worthy of repeated viewings.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2013 Academy Awards, USA: 3 wins: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney), “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published” (Chris Terrio), and “Oscar Best Achievement in Editing” (William Goldenberg); 4 nominations: “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Alexandre Desplat), “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn), and “Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, and José Antonio García), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Alan Arkin)

2013 BAFTA Awards: 3 wins: “Best Film” (Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney), “Director” (Ben Affleck), “Editing” (William Goldenberg); 4 nominations: “Adapted Screenplay” (Chris Terrio), “Leading Actor” (Ben Affleck), “Original Music” (Alexandre Desplat), and “Supporting Actor” (Alan Arkin)

2013 Golden Globes, USA: 2 wins: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Ben Affleck) and “Best Motion Picture – Drama;” 3 nominations: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Alexandre Desplat), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Alan Arkin), and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Chris Terrio)

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

2013 MTV Movie Awards Spread the Love

Ooops, we forgot to post the results of the 2013 MTV Movie Awards.  We found this at the MTV website - the winners with a summary of why they won:

2013 MTV Movie Award Winners:

Movie Of The Year:
Marvel's The Avengers
Directed by Joss Whedon

An epic ensemble of superheroes, including Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and The Hulk, join forces to stop villainous Loki from subjugating the world.

Best Musical Moment Winner:
Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean and Hana Mae Lee
Pitch Perfect
Directed by Jason Moore

The Barden Bellas break outside of their comfort zones and step up their performance with an a capella cover of "No Diggity."

MTV Generation Award:
Jamie Foxx

Each year, the MTV Movie Awards recognizes an esteemed actor with an honorary Golden Popcorn for the Generation Award. The distinction is given to an artist who has shown us a variety of impressive roles, a personal and professional flair and of course, an awesome level of talent.

Best Villain Winner:
Tom Hiddleston
Marvel's The Avengers
Directed by Joss Whedon

Tom Hiddleston's Loki is an evil mastermind out to destroy planet earth with a swift stomp of his iron-heeled boot.

Best Shirtless Performance Winner:
Taylor Lautner
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Directed by Bill Condon

Taylor Lautner left Team Jacob drooling into their popcorn buckets with his silver screen stripdown in 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2.

Breakthrough Performance Winner:
Rebel Wilson
Pitch Perfect
Directed by Jason Moore

The Aussie export kept the outrageous a capella adventure down to earth as Fat Amy, a girl whose confidence and personal pizazz provided some of our favorite LOL moments of the movie.

Comedic Genius Award:
Will Ferrell

Throughout his long and illustrious career, Ferrell continues to keep things super fresh. He pushes boundaries with his creative characters and keeps us guessing with his witty one-liners. Best of all, he shows no signs of slowing down.

Best Kiss Winner:
Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper
Silver Linings Playbook
Directed by David O. Russell

Cooper and Lawrence had us believing there was no room for romance in Pat and Tiffany's mutual misfortunes. But, after a steamy dance routine in a swanky hotel, the pair finds love in a hopeless place.

MTV Trailblazer Award:
Emma Watson

The MTV Trailblazer Award returns for a second year to highlight a phenomenal young talent in the biz. The award is given to an actor who, despite their age, has managed to inspire others with a diverse portfolio of work and a transcendent reputation in the public eye.

Best Fight Winner:
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner
Marvel's The Avengers
Directed by Joss Whedon

Downey Jr., Evans, Ruffalo, Hemsworth, Johansson and Renner team up as a fully-assembled superhero clique to save the world from a Manhattan-bound nuclear missile.

Best WTF Moment Winner:
Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson
Django Unchained
Directed by Quentin Tarantino

In an excruciating sequence, Foxx's Django blasts servile head-servant Stephen, played by Jackson, and sets the Candieland mansion ablaze with the strike of a match.

Best Male Performance Winner:
Bradley Cooper
Silver Linings Playbook
Directed by David O. Russell

Bradley Cooper charms as Pat, a bi-polar man living with his parents who befriends a beautiful-but-equally-disturbed neighbor named Tiffany.

Best Female Performance:
Jennifer Lawrence
Silver Linings Playbook
Directed by David O. Russell

As Tiffany, a troubled young woman who forms a friendship with bi-polar Pat, Jennifer Lawrence is bewitchingly beautiful and intensely relatable.

Best Scared-As-S**t Performance:
Suraj Sharma
Life of Pi
Directed by Ang Lee

Sharma shines as 16-year-old Pi, whose life is changed forever when a startled zebra jumps into his lifeboat, forcing the pair overboard during a powerful storm.

Best On-Screen Duo:
Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane
Ted
Directed by Seth MacFarlane

The destructive pair encourages each other when it comes to just about everything unethical, and yet, you can't help but admire the unique understanding between John (Wahlberg) and his crude, rude and lewd little bear, Ted (MacFarlane).

Best Hero:
Bilbo
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Directed by Peter Jackson

Bilbo Baggins, The Shire's furry-footed hole dwelling hero, uses common sense and courage to take on Gollum in a tale of bravery on an unexpected journey.

Review: "Dragon" is Martial Arty

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Dragon (2011)
Wu xia – original title
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China/Hong Kong; Language: Mandarin
Running time: 98 minutes; (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence
DIRECTOR: Peter Chan
WRITER: Oi Wah Lam
PRODUCERS: Peter Chan and Jojo Yuet-Chun Hui
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Yiu-Fai Lai (D.o.P.) and Jake Pollock (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Derek Hui
COMPOSERS: Kwong Wing Chan, Peter Kam, and Chatchai Pongprapaphan

MARTIAL ARTS/ACTION/DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring: Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Wei Tang, Jimmy Wang Yu, Zheng Wei, Li Jiamin, Kara Hui, Li Xiaoran, Yu Kang, and Wan To-shing

Wu Xia is a 2011 Hong Kong martial arts film and historical drama from director Peter Chan. The film stars Donnie Yen as a sinful man who is leading a new life until his former master and a determined detective begin hunting him. Yen is also the film’s “action director.” Wu Xia, which was originally just under two-hours long, was edited down to 98 minutes and released in the United States as Dragon, late last year (2012).

Dragon is set in 1917 and takes place mostly at Liu Village on the border of Yunnan on the southwest edge of China. Liu Jin-Xi (Donnie Yen) is a village craftsman and papermaker who lives with his wife, Yu (Wei Tang), and his sons, the older Fangzheng (Zheng Wei) and the younger Xiaotian (Li Jiamin). Jin-Xi’s quiet life is irrevocably shattered by the arrival of two gangsters who attempt to rob the local general store.

Jin-Xi stops them, but one of the criminals is the notorious Yan Dongsheng (Yu Kang). Xu Bai-jiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a detective sent to investigate the case, is shocked that a local village craftsman could single-handedly stop two hardened criminals, especially Dongsheng, an escaped convict and trained killer. Bai-jiu suspects that Jin-Xi is actually a martial arts master and perhaps, a member of one of the region’s most vicious gangs, the 72 Devils. The detective doggedly pursues the shy villager, but he is unaware that his investigation has drawn the attention of China’s criminal underworld.

For fans of martial arts films, Dragon has many spectacular fights scenes, and some of them are spectacular because they look so odd. But it is all good and also stimulating for lovers of martial arts battles in movies. Sometimes, I found my mind being bended by what I saw, to the point that my imagination seemed inspired by the fighting.

There is, however, an art house sensibility to director Peter Chan’s film, as if Chan refused to allow Dragon to be only fists, fingers, feet, and elbows of fury. Chan takes Oi Wah Lam’s superbly layered script and turns the film into a rumination on nature vs. nurture, the character of the law, and the vigor and influence of human emotions. Chan structures the story in order to ask a few questions. If blood always leaves a trail that one can trace back to a man’s past, then, is that man a slave to the dictates of his blood relations? Is it by tradition, genetics, or both? Is the execution of law more important than acts of humanity? Can man control or alter his emotions?

There is also a mythological strain in Dragon. For its universal father versus son conflict, Dragon offers a sire whose voice and exclamations can rouse thunder, so it is not a stretch to think of the final battle as a brawl between Odin-All-Father and Thor-Son. In fact, this may be the sire-vs.-the-fruit-of-his-loins clash with the most at stake since Darth Vader fought Luke Skywalker over the forest moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi (1983).

Dragon has many excellent performances, but Donnie Yen and Takeshi Kaneshiro are the standouts. As Liu Jin-xi, Yen is a force of nature; physically, he is brilliant – his face capable of assuming and conveying myriad emotions and thoughts. His performance is all outwards, and not internal, so he confronts the viewers and makes them engage with the character he is playing. Kaneshiro as Bai-jiu offers a performance that is more interior. His performance sends out intriguing bits of information about the implacable detective in a way that makes the character as charming as an old friend.

As the director of the film’s action, Yen makes Dragon exhilarating and mesmerizing martial arts entertainment. As the director, Peter Chan tickles the brain, as he tackles dynamic human themes and conflicts. By any name, Dragon or Wu Xia is a dragon, a fire-breathing beast that is too smart to be just another Chinese fight movie.

9 of 10
A

Monday, April 15, 2013

2013 MTV Movie Awards - Complete Nominations List

by Leroy Douresseaux

The MTV Movie Awards began in 1992. I cared as much then as I do now, and that’s very little. I’ve probably watched less than half an hour combined of all the award telecasts. Anyway, the 2013 edition of these awards has arrived.

“Django Unchained” and “Ted” are 2013’s top nominees with seven nominations each, and both films were nominated in the “Movie of the Year” category. The other best-picture contenders are “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Marvel’s The Avengers,” and “Silver Linings Playbook.”

The 22nd annual MTV Movie Awards will be presented Sunday, April 14, 2013. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live on MTV.

The 2013 MTV Movie Awards complete list of nominees:

MOVIE OF THE YEAR
"Django Unchained"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Ted"
"Marvel's The Avengers"
"The Dark Knight Rises"

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Anne Hathaway — "Les Misérables"
Mila Kunis — "Ted"
Jennifer Lawrence — "Silver Linings Playbook"
Emma Watson — "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"
Rebel Wilson — "Pitch Perfect"

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
Ben Affleck — "Argo"
Bradley Cooper — "Silver Linings Playbook"
Daniel Day-Lewis — "Lincoln"
Jamie Foxx — "Django Unchained"
Channing Tatum — "Magic Mike"

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Ezra Miller — "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"
Eddie Redmayne — "Les Misérables"
Suraj Sharma — "Life of Pi"
Quvenzhané Wallis — "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Rebel Wilson — "Pitch Perfect"

BEST SCARED-AS-S**T PERFORMANCE
Jessica Chastain — "Zero Dark Thirty"
Alexandra Daddario — "Texas Chainsaw 3D"
Martin Freeman — "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
Jennifer Lawrence — "House at the End of the Street"
Suraj Sharma — "Life of Pi"

BEST ON-SCREEN DUO
Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson — "Django Unchained"
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence — "Silver Linings Playbook"
Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane as Ted — "Ted"
Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo — "Marvel's The Avengers"
Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis — "The Campaign"

BEST SHIRTLESS PERFORMANCE
Christian Bale — "The Dark Knight Rises"
Daniel Craig — "Skyfall"
Taylor Lautner — "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2"
Seth MacFarlane as Ted — "Ted"
Channing Tatum — "Magic Mike"

BEST FIGHT
Jamie Foxx vs. Candieland Henchmen — "Django Unchained"
Daniel Craig vs. Ola Rapace — "Skyfall"
Mark Wahlberg vs. Seth MacFarlane as Ted — "Ted"
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner vs. Tom Hiddleston — "Marvel's The Avengers"
Christian Bale vs. Tom Hardy — "The Dark Knight Rises"

BEST KISS
Kerry Washington and Jamie Foxx — "Django Unchained"
Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman — "Moonrise Kingdom"
Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper — "Silver Linings Playbook"
Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg — "Ted"
Emma Watson and Logan Lerman — "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

BEST WTF MOMENT
Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson — "Candieland Gets Smoked" in "Django Unchained"
Denzel Washington — "Final Descent" in Flight"
Anna Camp — "Hack-Appella" in Pitch Perfect"
Javier Bardem — "Oops... There Goes His Face" in Skyfall"
Seth MacFarlane as Ted — "Ted Gets Saucy" in Ted"

BEST VILLAIN
Javier Bardem — "Skyfall"
Leonardo DiCaprio — "Django Unchained"
Marion Cotillard — "The Dark Knight Rises"
Tom Hardy — "The Dark Knight Rises"
Tom Hiddleston — "Marvel's The Avengers

BEST MUSICAL MOMENT
Anne Hathaway — "Les Misérables"
Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash and Adam Rodriguez — "Magic Mike"
Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean and Hana Mae Lee — "Pitch Perfect"
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence — "Silver Linings Playbook"
Emma Watson, Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller — "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

See the list of nominees at http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1703068/2013-mtv-movie-awards-nominees.jhtml

Review: "The Sessions" Keeps it Real

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 25 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Sessions (2012)
Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong sexuality including graphic nudity and frank dialogue
DIRECTOR: Ben Lewin
WRITER: Ben Lewin (based on article “On Seeing a Sex Surrogate” by Mark O'Brien)
PRODUCERS: Judi Levine, Ben Lewin, and Stephen Nemeth
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Geoffrey Simpson (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Lisa Bromwell
COMPOSER: Marco Beltrami
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA

Starring: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy, Moon Bloodgood, Annika Marks, Adam Arkin, Rhea Perlman, W. Earl Brown, Robin Weigert, Blake Lindsley, Ming Lo, Rusty Schwimmer, and Jennifer Kumiyama

The Sessions is a 2012 drama from writer/director Ben Lewin. The independent film is the story of Mark O’Brien, a real-life poet who was paralyzed from the neck down due to polio. The film is based on the article, “On Seeing a Sex Surrogate,” which was written by O’Brien about the sex surrogate who helped him lose his virginity.

The Sessions opens in 1988 in Berkeley, California where we meet Mark O’Brien (John Hawkes). Mark lives in an iron lung due to complications from polio, which he contracted as a child. Due to his condition, Mark has never had sex. Hunting for someone to relieve him of the burden of his virginity, Mark seeks companionship in the women near to him. After consulting with his priest, Father Brendan (William H. Macy), Mark goes to a professional sex surrogate. Mark meets Cheryl Cohen-Greene (Helen Hunt), a sex therapist and surrogate, who agrees to help him through a series of sessions. This arrangement, however, ends up being, depending on the time and the techniques used, both more and less complicated than either one expected.

There is such overwhelming, beautiful humanity in The Sessions. Writer-director Ben Lewin’s script creates characters that have to be intimate and vulnerable with each other, but not in a contrived way. The actors take what Lewin gives them and make characters that are honestly human by being vulnerable. Vulnerability reveals what is both pitiable and pathetic and also durable and strong, and these are the things that open the characters to the audience. When the audience can go into the characters on such a seemingly intimate level, made-up people can seem like honest-to-God real people, the kind that the audience can’t help watching.

And what wonderful performances the cast gives, from top to bottom. At the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards, John Hawkes won “Best Male Lead” and Helen Hunt won “Best Supporting Female.” Sadly, only Hunt earned a corresponding Oscar nomination. Individually, these two actors give great performances; together, they make magic.

In The Sessions, Hawkes is on the level of Daniel Day-Lewis (who won the best actor Oscar at the 2013 Oscars ceremony), as he transforms himself into another person, not a character, but an actual person. Hawkes’ Mark O’Brien is as real as a fictional character can be. Helen Hunt offers so many levels of conflicted emotions and deeply romantic longings. In her hands, Cheryl Cohen-Greene could actually be the lead in this movie. Hunt makes her such a beautiful soul, so I’m glad that this artist is still a working actress.

There are other fine performances. William H. Macy brings some much needed levity to this film as the acerbic sounding board, Father Brendan. Moon Bloodgood is radiant in a quiet role, full of subtle motions and colors.

I have to admit that I shed some tears at this movie; it is both heartbreaking and achingly beautiful. The frank sexual discussions and sex talk are not at all erotic or arousing. I found myself mostly wincing when Mark and Cheryl are sexual. The Sessions, however, aroused the movie lover in me. It is one of the best films of 2012 and, as a love story, is exceedingly special and exceptional. Let’s hope Ben Lewin can keep making movies that come close to the excellence of The Sessions.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2013 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Helen Hunt)

2013 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Supporting Actress” (Helen Hunt)

2013 Golden Globes, USA: 2 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (John Hawkes) and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Helen Hunt)

Saturday, April 06, 2013

Review: "End of Watch" a Blast to Watch

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 21 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


End of Watch (2012)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence, some disturbing images, pervasive language including sexual references, and some drug use
WRITER/DIRECTOR: David Ayer
PRODUCERS: David Ayer, Matt Jackson, John Lesher, and Nigel Sinclair
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roman Vasyanov (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Dody Dorn
COMPOSER: David Sardy

CRIME/DRAMA/ACTION

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, David Harbour, Frank Grillo, America Ferrera, Jamie FitzSimons, Cle Sloan, Cody Horn, and Yahira “Flakiss” Garcia, and Maurice Compte

End of Watch is a 2012 thriller and cop movie from writer/director, David Ayer. End of Watch looks like a documentary, but is entirely fictional. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as two young Los Angeles police officers who run into criminal activity that is bigger than they can handle.

Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) are close friends and partners in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). They are assigned to Newton, an area in South Central Los Angeles that is one of the toughest divisions in the LAPD. Both young officers, who are in their late 20s, have active personal lives. Brian meets and falls in love with Janet (Anna Kendrick), and Mike and his wife, Gabby (Natalie Martinez), are expecting a child.

Investigating gang activity in Newton, Brian and Mike uncover something so big that it also involves federal authorities. The actions of the young policemen draw the attention of the Curbside Gang, a vicious Latino street gang, and other criminal forces that are bigger than Brian and Mike realize.

Writer/director David Ayers is known for writing such police and crime films as The Fast and the Furious (2001), Training Day (2001), and Dark Blue (2004). Shot documentary-style, End of Watch is gritty and immediate, while films like The Fast and the Furious and Training Day are stylish, neo-Noir crime movies. In fact, End of Watch is at its best when it’s being gritty and in the middle of some kind of police action. Car chases, foot chases, shoot-outs, domicile entries, traffic stops, and stakeouts: they are riveting and nerve-wracking. Ayer’s collaborators give him some of the best cinematography and film editing of 2012.

When it focuses on the daily grind of police life or the ordinary moments of civilian life, End of Watch grinds to a halt. It’s as if the hum-drum of life is much less interesting to the filmmakers. It’s not that I have to have constant titillation; the movie simply loses its way when it’s not doing the exciting cop stuff.

The cast gives its all, however, even when they’re not chasing perps and popping caps. While Jake Gyllenhaal gives a good performance, of the two lead actors, Michael Peña gives the better performance. He earned a “Best Supporting Male” nomination at the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards (which was won by Matthew McConaughey for Magic Mike). Gyllenhaal tries so hard, but he looks like he’s acting. Peña is subtle, effortless, and natural, so that Mike Zavala seems like both a real person and a genuine police officer.

In the movie, a few of the male characters talk about the allure they believe Captain Reese (played by Jamie FitzSimons) has. I have to admit that I also think that Captain Reese/Jamie FitzSimons does have some strange magnetism.

End of Watch is probably the movie that the 1988 film, Colors, wanted to be. As cop movies go, End of Watch is quite good.

7 of 10
B+

Thursday, March 21, 2013